Basically Star Spawn

Check out The Seeker's Guide to Twisted Taverns! bit.ly/3rc9Nns
Did you know that just beyond the inky void, past the world between world, there are monsters you can kill for loot and gold? Enjoy learning about the Star Spawn, beings who are kind of that but also just people.
Stibbles Codex is available on demand!
I’ve got Good Merch! www.bonfire.co...
My Patreon’s still full of stuff! / runesmith
I’ve also got two discord servers!
General Runesmith stuff: / discord
Runecrest, a text based city that’s got a bunch of people role playing all the time: / discord
My Twitter’s a real Sh*tter! / the_runesmith
Music Credits: Pretty much everything by Kevin MacLeod
Link: incompetech.fi...
License: creativecommons...
Also E.R.D. Is a good company that makes dice and gives me a coin when you buy: shareasale.com...

[@Notmyrealname2774]

Logan: What’s an elder evil? Find out in the next video! Me: ah, so he was the evil all along. I understand now

[@tomkerruish2982]

Isn't the real elder evil the friends we made along the way?

[@kingturboturtlednoc5722]

@@tomkerruish2982 Came down to reply this lol

[@cutcutado]

Wait no, i still wanna understand the star spawn, my brain glitched through the entire video.

[@joshuahogan3475]

@@cutcutado to understand the Star Spawn you need to BE a Star Spawn! ...and maybe not even then...

[@cutcutado]

@@joshuahogan3475 I literaly don't even remeber what a star spawn is after these 2 months

[@respectfulevil9022]

Damn, an afterlife tavern? This man knows no bounds

[@GamingRabbit17]

I can easily see The Bartender of said Tavern taking a liking to an adventuring party, and when one of them dies, they go to Tavern of the Afterlife, and maybe The Bartender offers them a second chance of life. The catch is that once they retire from adventuring, they must become a bartender themselves. If they die after retiring without becoming a bartender, they are doomed to an eternity of serving under The Bartender in the Tavern of the Afterlife. Once any bartender dies, they have a chance to live out their afterlife in the luxury of the Tavern of the Afterlife.

[@respectfulevil9022]

@@GamingRabbit17 thank you for that wonderful idea

[@GamingRabbit17]

@@respectfulevil9022 your welcome

[@kingturboturtlednoc5722]

*Death Parade flashbacks*

[@seanibarra1242]

Barbarian: *drinks themself to death and ends up at the afterlife tavern* uhgg what happened last night?

[@milesmanuse1569]

Nothing like Cthulhu babies to make a Friday night *chef's kiss*

[@villiamkarl-gustavlundberg5422]

Last night I dreamed I was at a 10th story restaurant in some depressing town like pitsburg. The waiter came up to my table and his face looked like a normal face with the features and colors you'd expect. But his skin was a little transparent and as the waiter was standing very close to me I could just barely make out the larva underneath his face. "So, do you want passtaa?" "I'll take the pasta [just leave me alone]. In this dream I was sitting right across a former coworker of mine. The waiter was 2 feet away from me and 6 feet away from my friend so he couldn't see that the waiter had larvae underneath his pale complexion. I told my coworker I had to go to the bathroom. Immediately start running down 10 stories of worth of stairs as fast as i can. I do not want to eat pasta cooked and served by two larva mage. The most horrifying part of the dream was that my coworker who was sitting right across me wouldn't believe me if I told him the reason I'm leaving was because under close inspection the waiter looked like a larva mage underneath that skin.

[@jukesdtj656]

I love how the D&D community is just so together nowadays. A homebrew pack, made by people like this guy, with an animated trailer made by JoCat, and is sponsoring Critical Role. It's just wholesome and I love it.

[@burningbronze7555]

You mistake the new guard is the same as the whole DnD community.

[@Groovebot3k]

Tell your players to each select a different campaign setting and make a character from it... anything that the campaign setting can offer is available for the character's creation. Then start the campaign by having all of them wake up in a field surrounded by the burning corpses of other adventurers who, like them, had been violently ripped from their reality by whatever cosmic fuckery brought them all together.

[@xpl0si0nman20]

OOOHOHOHO. THAT'S *GOOD*.

[@kylestanley7843]

I really like that.

[@haloreaper1018]

im stealing this

[@tiazoh]

Me want

[@lamarepository248]

Have a guy from a modern setting who starts the campaign with a gun but quickly dies of dysentery

[@zombietoothache]

I feel like there should be a tavern called "the Regal Ruins" that is both a were-rat / slime filled sewer tavern and a memorial for Sam's constitution.

[@imyjohnny1943]

my entire campaign revolves around the star spawn and elder evils, i never clicked on a video so fast

[@blaink8064]

My campaign too, my players just dont know.. so far

[@danielwitt1793]

Im really interested to learn more, what other resources can you recommend on star spawn?

[@clancyknox883]

Same here; Kyuss, Kyztaxr(Homebrew), and some more that the players don’t know about.

[@seanzamudio3633]

@@danielwitt1793 one surprisingly great resource is the 4th edition listings for star spawn, which are a collection of about six legendary embodiments of specific stars themselves.

[@vancelevyn5606]

Let's hope they don't watch the video then see your comments =D

[@Hammywastaken]

"whats inside a particle" like 99% empty space,theoretical strings, and shy quarks

[@Just_som_Ottur]

And that makes you, a SUPER NERRR- oh fuck, wait, wrong channel...

[@weezact7]

Isn't a particle just bits of matter? Like...multiple atoms? Like a dust particle is more than a single atom, right?

[@daviddelpozofiliu5556]

@@weezact7 particle literally means "small part". They can be bigger, like a particle of dust, or subatomic, like an electron. A photon is a particle of light. There's quarks, and bossons and tachyons(?) All of those are particles

[@MasterDrillSergeant]

"STARSPAWN." - Emily and Caldwell

[@kommi_kalamity]

I knew I'd see at least one comment referencing NADDPOD

[@dewberry150]

I had to check the comments for Naddpoles ^_^

[@TimSchraepen]

STARSPAWN

[@Peydonary]

STARSPAWN

[@bawneff5133]

STARSPAWN

[@De_La_Evo]

There is NOTHING more fucking GLORIOUS then to see someone CRUSH the set goal

[@chrishubbard64]

I have to admit, a call of cthulu style story where you can actually fight back sounds interesting. Cultists trying to bring in an elder evil god, insanity issues, mythical monsters, a mystery to figure out whats going on and how to stop it. I would really lean into the whole reality altering aspect of things where its hard to tell if you are going crazy, if the walls really just did that, or both.

[@weezact7]

See, now, to me, that sounds just like any other generic fantasy story. If you have a story centering around Cthlulu monsters where you can fight back...that's just D&D, but with a few more tentacles. Which is not an inherently bad thing, but it feels like it sort of removes one of the cornerstones of what makes Lovecraftian horrors horrible. That being said, ole' Howie himself does have some pieces where his monsters are not only able to be fought, but are defeated by humans. This usually comes with significant losses because the protagonists are almost NEVER properly prepared and the creatures are almost always vastly more powerful than a human. Lovecraft's writing emphasized that NOTHING in the universe is inherently special, blessed, or more important than anything else, though, so the humies do win sometimes. Even in Call of Cthulu itself, the humans, arguably, win cause the guy drives a big steam ship through Cthulu's belly. Which doesn't KILL it, but it does make it decide to go back and sleep some more. Unless you mean the CoC roleplaying game, because you can fight back in that one. How effective it is depends on your GM, but shotguns are usually a good choice.

[@chrishubbard64]

@@weezact7 Yeah I was talking the CoC tabletop game. Only with the more classic D&D twist that you actually CAN fight back (That +1 axe should help, no shotguns here) But the effects of the normal game are still in effect. It probably would take some tweaking to find a good balance between champions of the realm and detective joe blow from chicago and how well they can handle the issues that pop up, but I think a good dm could manage to balance it and make it fun while keeping the original tone in place. Like dont allow for direct confrontation with the evil elder great outsider blah de bloo. Its more about figuring out the cultist plan and putting a stop to it before it can happen. Only the party is more likely to fight the various abominations than run gibbering in terror. :p

[@ianwilliams9559]

Air looks like bees, it’s now canon

[@teedeegremlin]

this is some seriously scary knowledge

[@teedeegremlin]

@no or maybe yes thank you

[@jamescampbell2353]

This makes me think of star spawn incantations being alternate reality pop culture references, put into shitty math formulas

[@PrismTheLoser]

Yeah its canon to reality

[@hihowdyhellohi5231]

I’m just imagining the drink Sam drank is in death’s tavern that either instantly revives you makes feel the pain of a bad afterlife for a thousand years even if you go somewhere good

[@jonathongorman-wilder8366]

Love your stuff Runesmith, would love to hear you go over all playable races

[@TheReZisTLust]

Define playable race 👀

[@paulpower9959]

In the form of a song!

[@josiebianchi3481]

@@paulpower9959 wait a second, I've seen this one before!

[@IrvingIV]

_ahem_ kzbin.info/www/bejne/enPSoqWJo5Z6iJo

[@baneshulger8583]

I agree

[@Craterfist]

I think the Star Spawn are like what other dimensions might look like, very Twilight Zone-ish. The rules of your dimension don't apply, and things like matter, thought, and dream might be interchangeable in the chaotic world of the Star Spawn, where the only rule is that the rules are always changing.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

When you look into the time vortex, sometimes the time vortex looks back and drives you mad. Then you become Doctor Who's perpetual villain.

[@MnJiman]

The reason why their is such a large response to "The Seeker's Guide to Twisted Taverns" is not just because people really like the idea and concept.... but because you guys did "Stibbles Codex and Companions" so well. People want to support that kind of good work. This means that your "publishers" are really happy with your past work and willing to support your further :-) You deserve this. Good work.

[@weezact7]

The winds of the interweb are fickle, though. Regardless of how successful your previous works are, there's always the chance that there will be no support at all. So, each thing DOES have to have merits to stand on its own. At least, until you've made enough books (or movies, or games) to garner a fanbase that will just buy anything you publish. But since you don't have a marketing team, I don't think that's likely to happen any time soon. SO, really circuitous way of saying it, but: He's right. That idea must have been good after all to get that much funding and that's great for him! It's nice to see people making stuff and it doing well. Gives me hope for my own future plans :P

[@weezact7]

Oh. I see you said "is not JUST because people really like the idea". I misread that. Well, never mind then. I agree with you. Congrats, RS!

[@mbrsart]

"They can warp time to punch an area." ZA WARUDO! Toki yo tomare!

[@kingturboturtlednoc5722]

Ho? You're approaching me, instead of running away you're coming closer? How ungrateful... even after your grandfather gave his life to show you the secrets of 「The World」...

[@ianbuchanan7804]

Insert obligatory "is that a JoJo reference?!" joke here

[@Skyggespil]

Oh almighty algorithm I besiege you, may others comment on this video, like it and show it to more people, thus exposing and supporting what I like such that I might enjoy even more content. Amen.

[@2MeterLP]

* "I beseech you" , unless you have a catapult.

[@Blechg]

"Oh, almighty algorithm, make people interact with this video or I'll pelt you with rocks!"

[@Skyggespil]

@@2MeterLP oh geec i Hope noone else respond to this thread with comments of corrections or otherwise.

[@weezact7]

@@Blechg I mean, that could ALSO be valid, depending on whether OP is trying to be aggressive or servile.

[@Skyggespil]

@@weezact7 I don't care much to be honest

[@jeffreyjohnson3687]

This is like... 2 weeks too late to warn me about manglers.

[@Tigonite]

The manglers are brilliant; "CR5, that shouldn't be a big deal. Oh... and now you're dead!"

[@thebookcafe5684]

I love it and can’t wait for elder evils! This gives me campaign ideas. Have you considered doing “basically planetouched?”

[@Hadaron]

Man, I was literally just looking at Star Spawn in Mordenkainen’s and wondering if I could find more info about them. Found something made less than a week ago, perfect timing.

[@MiagolioMaxwell]

Star Spawn and Elder Evils get two videos worth of content? Radical.

[@Skronk93]

In one of my campaigns the bbeg was just the titan of change. it wasn't evil, it just made shit go sideways. sometimes literally. there was a lot of gravity shifting and wild magic rolls. it was fun

[@roryp7745]

NADDPOD listeners have been waiting for this episode. STARSPAWN

[@TimSchraepen]

STARSPAWN

[@Blisswoven]

STARSPAWN

[@Kaosbunny000]

I’ve been looking for this comment. STARSPAWN

[@larsprins3440]

My man really just showed us a picture of Orcus when mentioning devils, smh

[@UltraZethos]

Twice!

[@zyclonex1338]

When I was watching Critical Role and Sam brought up the Seeker's Guide I nearly shit myself, that was so cool getting to see Critical Role of all things advertise the book! Super excited for you man!

[@commanderblackheart5856]

Logan did it, he's playing with the big boys now! (metaphorically speaking, of course.)

[@dercron609]

He made sam poison himself 😂

[@gmlg]

SAM "They didnt ask me but i will do X for them"

[@mr.tatortot6469]

The Far Realm is the unalligned aspect of the great wheel

[@machinedramon3532]

Why did I not think of this before?

[@ianbuchanan7804]

Wait a minute... I think you might be onto something. After all, unaligned is kinda the undefined of the alignment chart and what's a better descriptor of the Far Realm than undefined? Now I'mma go forget this forbidden knowledge before I turn into an allip.

[@antonblake1476]

Highly worth noting the synergy between all the Star Spawns abilities. An army of Grues are the perfect meat shields because the party has gotta get rid of them first if they don't want all the disadvantage, but the Hulk is out there time punching everyone while the Seer hits the Hulk with psychic attacks to ping off at everyone. It's truly terrifying.

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

"What is an elder evil?" It isn't.

[@seanpchristy]

Logan: "maybe that means it's a good idea" Kickstarter: funded 3400% XD

[@theadhdgamer7590]

I love all of your videos. As a DM of 6 years i find inspiration from you while my brain has been turning in to pudding after running so many games back to back

[@spencergarza3750]

I am actually using this idea right now. The Paladins Vs. Abyssal Cultist Vs. Starspawn idea. It's being pieced together really really well.

[@bishoptrees]

Indeed, this is earlier than my morning coffee

[@zanepoke1074]

"hmmm, all this money-.... More Taverns" - Runesmith 2021 maybe

[@user-ft3jq5vi2l]

This comment is a sacrifice to the elder god Alr'griť'm, may he bless this video.

[@AlexanderJWF]

That look at 0:01 was, "What does one do with this amount of power?"

[@dotmp4353]

We've officially hit the 700k stretch goal and are getting the goblin I'm so happy

[@TaHame1]

your star spawn ide is pretty much a spot on idea of the plot for certain books and monsters in the monster hunter series by Larry correia, particularly the memoirs books and a couple in the main series that i don't want to spoil.

[@johnstarinieri7360]

I used a Star Spawn Larva Mage in a mind flayer based campaign as a warlock of Dyrrn, a Daelkyr from the Eberron setting. Really fun monster

[@kanelibrea]

Every Naddpod fan in the background: STARSPAWN!!!

[@obsidianthe7th]

As a huge fan of Not Another DND Podcast, I'd like to say... Starspawn.

[@anthonylucas5783]

so, who else thinks this fundraiser could hit 1 Mil before the campaign ends? we already passed 700k...

[@tnoztnoz3547]

I'd love to see Worm-That-Walks characters, but made out of other invertebrates. Like one made out of spiders and clothed in shrouds of webbing, one made out of butterflies acting fabulous, one made out of bobbit worms which can bury itself and attack from underneath, ect.

[@rrtt1]

"Starspawn!" - Starspawn

[@TimSchraepen]

STARSPAWN

[@fish_in_distress]

Congrats on the Kickstarter blowing up, keep up the awesome work man

[@wanderingursa8184]

In regards to their thought process. I remember some time ago, I read the Alan Moore comic Neonomicon. Where they start discussing "negative conceptual space" Sure, we have a concept about hands, but there is also the inverse, the concept of 'not-hands'. Elder beings tend to think and operate in negative conceptual space thought.

[@TheTsugnawmi2010]

Congerats on the Kickstarter. The Star Spawn sound like the lore from Bloodborne. "Let's ask questions we shouldn't have answered and wake up gods we DEFINITELY shouldn't!"

[@spehizle]

My favorite way to use star spawn (and most aberrations, actually) are that they are spawned from anti-magic. That whenever someone uses magic to bend reality, there's a sort of "equal and opposite reaction" to that magic, which pools in the space between the stars, and is ultimately born when someone performs some exceptionally powerful magic. Then the aberration in question is driven to hunt down and kill the mage who created them, as well as the body of knowledge that led them to becoming so powerful. This means burning down libraries, razing wizard towers, filling spellbooks with nonsense and cursing magic items.

[@absolutelysearchingmyreality]

Yesterday my copy of stubbles codex came in the mail, the miniatures are so detailed the posters are so cool but most of all stickers!!

[@scorpius1401]

Are you in the us? I'm asking because I am and haven't received a shipping email yet.

[@absolutelysearchingmyreality]

@@scorpius1401the us warehouse is having trouble so us and Canada won't ship yet im Australian

[@scorpius1401]

Just a Yowie with internet access thank you very much for the reply and congrats on the stuff you received 🙂

[@absolutelysearchingmyreality]

@@scorpius1401 no problem hope your stuff comes soon 😄

[@scorpius1401]

Just a Yowie with internet access 😊thank you

[@josiebianchi3481]

Boy am I glad I also watch Jorphdan because knowing nothing about Forgotten Realms lore a lot of references would've flown RIGHT over my head

[@JakkHorwikk]

The Nintendo switch sitting ontop of that fish tank is making me wildly anxious. Good job.

[@whisperingdorito1456]

6:25 You know what would be the best plottwist for a campain like that? If it turns out that the entity the cultists summon was just a small child or just a person from an alternate reality, which they have to then either kill or spare to make it more of a moral dilemma than an expected fighting sequence

[@gbyjrjn]

It feels like the script to this video was whispered into Logan's brain by things from Far Realms themselves -- it made very little sense and at the same time, was absolutely great and understandable.

[@UponThisAltar]

I love that you brought up Sam's absinthe mistake. So glad the project has done so well!

[@jackthecrackak8515]

Only the DND community would fund something so much! Congrats man!

[@scorfadontis8110]

These seem really cool and like they'd be fun to play with in-game- also good job with the kickstarter so far

[@joshuacurrey4722]

Try this out, target the Hulks with psychic attacks because there is no save when the psychic damage reflects on those nearby.

[@OctopusGrift]

Dungeon Magazine's second to last campaign was called Age of Worms and it involved people getting infected by the demon worms.

[@ludwigvannormayenn8657]

Nice, the taverns sound so cool! a friend and I are backing your new book already. :D

[@callmedylan1955]

I remenber them from naddpod when they were in the university Battle royale RIP star spawn you were the underdop we didnt expect

[@dustytayman6500]

Logan Runesmith has finally discussed my favorite type of monster in all of 5th Edition D&D

[@sammayes948]

That is so cool you got a call out from critical role about this cool idea! You deserve this rune smith, congratulations!

[@chasebrown6996]

Logan is a man who seems like a good boy but is actually so wild that he balances his switch right above a fish tank.

[@yeetusmcteetus]

This is some Church of the Second Hytoth/Vorotuth SCP shit I adore it with every fibre of my being

[@dennismarinos2129]

Can't wait for the next city of mist video

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

2:37 The far realm doesn't exist. I mean, it's there, there are things that come from it, and a portal can go to it, but it is so alien, that 'existence' as we know it, is as foreign a concept as a rich college student, or the breath of a fish, or the other stuff fenrir's chains might be made out of. The point is, reality goes out to a certain point in dnd, and the far realm is after that point.

[@dontaskquestions8721]

I’ve heard of every other creature you’ve done besides this. This will be interesting!

[@jerseydragon8233]

Star spawn and Core Spawn make for a good combination of monsters that you can easily challenge your players with no matter the level. I nearly killed a party of level 20 characters with a star spawn seer and hulk and the Core Spawn worm is a paladin’s worst nightmare

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

JEEZ!!! OVER 34 TIMES THE GOAL FUNDING!!!

[@darkestcarving8735]

When I saw Sam regal drink that thing live I thought he was going to throw it be on his shoulder but he chugged it He may be the clown of the group but clowns aren't nothing to laugh at We fear them

[@WexMajor82]

So, like in Wild Arms 2, you'll end up fighting an encroaching parallel universe. That would be an awesome campaign.

[@thechazzler8934]

Why do I always watch this video on the toilet, I’ve done this like 8 times now all by accident. Love your vids.

[@FlooidsGame]

first viewing of this: people turn into worm man and i feel like my brain slipped out of my head while i wasnt lookin second viewing: i understand why you put the "mind melting" part at the start of the video and i think my brain came back

[@theLadyofSpoons]

these were called foul spawn back in 4e, and are all pretty much the same as they were in 4e, just in 5e now, except for worm guy, who used to be called a larva mage. i would also be interested in seeing you cover the entirely separate group known as star spawn from 4e, but i know most of your stuff is 5e lore, so i totally understand if you don't.

[@archmagemc3561]

Know whats fun? Taking the Variant Human stat block, but RPing as one of those maggot guys using the Abberant mind sorceror. And everytime you say I you say We instead. Become the living maggot monster that, when you reveal that fact at level 5-6, causes soo many interesting htings to happen!

[@jessechavez5602]

That’s why you’ve gotta specifically ask for an explanation that your mind and body can comprehend

[@javierpatag3609]

7:00 Kinda appropriate that a video about Star Spawn would make someone feel like they're having a stroke.

[@thesamta8361]

INCLUDING the abomination that you should never drink? You don't know how much I am happy to hear that xd

[@burningbronze7555]

for further knowledge, these guys started in 3e but with less lore than dust mites have cloths.

[@oliverforrest9242]

Starspawn!

[@TimSchraepen]

STARSPAWN

[@TheBioMaterial]

This is like.... the 5th Time Runesmith has made a video on the EXACT D&D subject that I've been looking into. I've been looking at the starspawn for a potential BBEG in my campaign and now we get this!

[@ajizel13]

2:10 "eventually the questions start to ask about you" How did we get so deep all of a sudden???

[@TheEpicSpire]

Congrats on the 600K my dude!! you deserve it. your work is awesome and appreciated great video too, can't wait for the pt 2

[@jasontaemon8598]

Used your discount code for Easy Roller Dice. Thanks for saving me a little money on something I've been meaning to get!

[@Aplesedjr]

If the next video doesn’t start and end with “an Elder Evil is so horrifying that I can’t even describe it”, I will be slightly disappointed.

[@ender3530]

That Switch over the aquarium is giving me anxiety.

[@Grayson.P]

A warlock or aberrant mind sorcerer with a starspawn (particularly larvae mage) as the patron/ influence. You look like a normal person, but have larvae/worms occasionally come out of your eyes, ears, nose, and/or mouth. And you are not bothered by it (either you just let them crawl off, barely notice, or will occasionally just grab/flick them off of your face).

[@tsuchinokofamiliar8092]

I love the star spawn so much I plan to use a tie between them and Atropos the world born dead in my homebrew campaign later on and I can’t wait to use these things against them more

[@matthiasarran270]

Thanks for putting this up. Just started a new campaign where a star spawn cult is masquerading as a demon cult masquerading as a theives guild masquerading as a transport guild

[@mistergiraffe9425]

*breathes in* HAVE YOU SEEN THE YELLOW SIGN

[@matthewweiss1727]

The fact that you got to get critical roll talk about your awesome stuff is amazing and keep being awesome. Love your stuff

[@Rohnon]

Funny thing, if you look at a black hole, you can see what's behind it, due to the space-time distortion (it's the weird ring thingies)

[@unironicallylikesranger7122]

The worm that walks, and it's buds

[@kimarous]

Buds is the worm that walks? Yet another reason to remain a teetotaller.

[@princepalette2083]

YES! My favorite guide! Thank you so so much! I’m so glad you finally did this! I’m hyped as HECK!

[@andrewfowler5934]

Congrats on Twisted Taverns can't wait to get my copy and see what you come up with next.

[@RiobasTayem]

when Sam made (and drank) that drink, I was dying of laughter and I was so happy that your book got featured, very cool

[@323starlight]

You know you’ve hit the big time when Sam Riegal advertises the Kickstarter in his own Sam riegal way on Critical Role.

[@yungo1rst]

congrats on the success for the taverns. Never heard of most of these star spawn beforehand other than the worm dude. Oh, tavern idea, the condors roost. Located on the under or side of a cliff near raptors of the area it has invisibility effecting the walls to the canyon so to see outside without being a danger.