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- I Cast...Brainstorm issue 4!
I Cast...Brainstorm issue 4!
A weekly newsletter of ideas and advice for D&D Dungeon Masters, players, and fans
Dave Palmer
May 02, 2025
In partnership with
This week — Unique items as treasure, a new magic item, and 5 townsfolk NPCs
Thanks for reading I Cast…Brainstorm!, a weekly newsletter with ideas and advice to help make DM-ing and playing D&D (and other TTRPGs) easier and more fun.
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Let’s brainstorm some fun!
Table of Contents
Unique Items as Treasure
As the characters in your game explore the world you’re creating, and overcome fell beasts and diabolical villains, they’ll most likely find plenty of treasure — coins, gems, valuables, magic items, and other things.
The 2024 5e DMG and Monster Manual include useful information and charts for figuring out treasure for each encounter. As a way of adding some variety, interest, fun and world-building to your treasure drops, consider adding interesting items as well. These can also act as game hooks, if you’d like. A player might decide to investigate an item’s origin, which can lead to exciting side quests and other adventures.
Here’s a short list of items that you can shorten, add to, or change to fit your game. Roll a d20, and add the item somewhere the PCs can find it —
Brand new bright red leather boots
A copper coin with a crude map etched into one side
Three beholder eyes floating in a jar of viscous liquid
A visitor pass from a high security prison
The signet ring belonging to a local noble
A tiara decorated with beautiful but fake gemstones
A small waxed bag of a rare and aromatic spice
Three yards of green leather wrap for a melee weapon handle
A colorful leaf from an unknown tree
A vial of blood
A piece of parchment with an address and “for a good time” written on it
A rusted iron key adorned with a ruby, worth 10 gp
Six pieces of chalk, all different colors
A gold hoop earring still attached to a leathery severed ear
A small leather notebook with 20 pages of hand-written recipes
A huge leather collar for a pet, with a name tag that reads “Flumpfer”
A roc feather
Twelve small marble spheres of different colors
A pair of slippers sized for a pixie
A common potion (DM’s choice)
A new magic item
Amalia Ka’hadar was a formidable warlord of centuries past, who was born the daughter of simple farmers. Restless and ill-suited to a simple agrarian life, Amalia fled her home and joined a loose company of bandits known for menacing passing merchant caravans. Through cunning and force, she quickly rose up through the ranks and proved to be an effective leader, growing the coalition of bandits into a impressive force of motivated and well-trained warriors.
How she acquired the gauntlets that bear her name is a story lost to time. What is known is, until her death at the hands of an assassin, Amalia was regarded as a just but brutal leader who would brook no disrespect. Offenders would often find themselves grabbed by the throat by a gauntlet which cut off their air, as Amalia stepped back and calmly sipped her wine.
Ka’hadar’s Immovable Gauntlets
Wondrous item, rare (attunement required)
These ornate steel gauntlets are adorned with brass and silver metalwork. The left gauntlet has a hidden button between the ring and pinky fingers.
You can take a Utilize action to press the button on the left gauntlet with your left thumb, which causes the right gauntlet to become magically fixed in place, after which you may remove your hand from the right gauntlet, if you wish.
Until you or another creature takes a Utilize action to push the button on the left gauntlet again, the right gauntlet doesn’t move, even if it defies gravity. The fixed gauntlet can hold up to 8,000 pounds of weight, and any more weight causes it to deactivate and fall until it hits a surface it can come to rest on.
A creature, or creatures, can attempt to move the fixed gauntlet by taking a Utilize action to make a DC 30 Strength (Athletics) check while pushing or pulling it. A successful check moves the gauntlet up to 10’ in a straight line.
Five Townsfolk
I sometimes need an NPC for a quick interaction in a town or city — when the players want to ask directions or seek news about current events. And sometimes I just want to add a little bit of specificity and interest to an otherwise ordinary moment. For both of those situations, and more, here are some townsfolk you can alter and drop into your game as needed.
The format is — age, alignment, species, and D&D type, followed by personality. The types and other details can, of course, be adjusted to suit whatever game you play.
Jolma Stonebrow
Middle aged CN dwarf Commoner — always scowling, walks with a limp, covered in stone dust
Jolma is a mason and sculptor who is not unfriendly despite the ever-present scowl, and will stop and chat with anyone polite.
Wessert
Young adult NE human Bandit — charming, friendly, speaks really fast
Wessert’s open and friendly manner is genuine — they love meeting new people, and it only takes a moment determine if their new friend can be of use in some way.
Patra din’Darrow
Teen LG tielfling Noble — bored, very intelligent, nosy
Patra is a whip-smart young noble who is easily bored at home, and spends a lot time strolling around the city, listening in on other folks’ conversations. There’s a good chance that if there’s gossip or a rumor going about, Patra has heard it.
Yelabur Broffert
Elderly NG halfling Commoner — moves slowly and speaks slower, poor eyesight
Many years ago, Yelabur was a bard of some local renown who was known for improvising elaborately crafted songs about whatever topic was shouted at him from across the room. Now retired, Yelabur moves and speaks at his own pace, and loves telling stories about his career, though when speaking to tallfolk, always asks for them to kneel down first so he can “get as good a look at ya as I can.”
Eglynn Cormmarl
Adult N elven Tough — patient and focused, and doesn’t want to get involved in anyone else’s trouble
Eglynn works as security at a few local inns and taverns, and is perfectly suited to the role — he’s tall, wiry, a good fighter, and his eyes never stop scanning his environment for trouble.
Brainstorming Links
If you love D&D and other RPGs as much as I do, you probably already know about the folks below, who are real inspirations to me. If you haven’t already, please check ‘em out!
Treantmonk
https://treantmonk.wordpress.com/
RPGBot
https://rpgbot.net/
The Arcane Library
https://www.thearcanelibrary.com
Sly Flourish
https://www.slyflourish.com/
What I’m DM-ing
A weekly Curse of Strahd campaign via Roll20 using 2014 5th edition rules
A weekly Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign, in-person, with 2024 5th edition rules
A series of one-shots in a bi-weekly game at a bar in LA
Two different campaigns with my kids, (Rime and Storm Kings Thunder) when schedules align
What I’m Playing
A 5th ed. Dragonlance campaign as a 9th level Tinker Gnome Gadgeteer Rogue, named Professor Flondersnoot
About to start playing Vecna: Eve of Ruin as a 9th level Halfling great-weapon Fighter
And in all my free time, I play a LOT of Hearthstone!
Ye Olde Shoppe
You can also check out great gifts for the gamers in your life at Total Party Kits, which features all-original designs by yours truly on shirts, hats, mugs and other gifts!
www.totalpartykits.etsy.com
I Cast…Brainstorm! subscribers can save 10% off everything in the store.
If you have an online store that sells D&D or TTRPG themed things, let me know — I’d love to add it here.
What Do You Think?
How do you like I Cast…Brainstorm! so far? What’s working for you? What would you like to see more of? Or less of, or done in a different way? How’s the layout? Please let us know at [email protected]
The original ideas in this issue of I Cast….Brainstorm! are covered under the Creative Commons BY-SA license — all content is free to use (including commercially) and change, with proper attribution.
You can read about the license here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en
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