Rune Rift

We’re starting another dungeon delve room inside D&D Beyond’s Acquisition Incorporated free 5e module. Let’s see what our 3D Printer made for us this time!

We like to build multiple encounters simultaneously, as there are always numerous pieces in different stages of production. Or, the energy to work on a particular miniature or scatter piece just isn’t vibing. If something feels like a chore, it quickly takes the fun out of our beloved hobby. So, we’re always super conscious of that potential bad mojo. Variety keeps everyone smiling.

So, the subsequent encounter we’re going to start building out inside Tresendar Manor mini dungeon is Area 10: Far Realm Rift. Typically, we don’t do a lot of planar travel stuff, but this DnD encounter does seem like a “chat a minute.”

The room description reads as follows: “A five-foot-diameter circle of dark energy crackles in the northwest corner of this room. The walls are etched with complex runes, as well as drawings in charcoal and some reddish substance. These runes pulse with the same dark energy of the portal, surging and ebbing in a steady rhythm.”

OK, we get what the module’s authors are putting down here, and this one sounds like fun! We don’t exactly have an in-wall portal STL to slice, but thanks to the talented team over at Fantastic Plants & Rocks, we have some excellent options. They have an offshoot brand called Fantastic Portals, and, of course, we purchased both of their Kickstarter campaigns.

Perusing through the insane number of choices, which we had printed many moons ago, we found this Druid Portal that fits perfectly here! The stacked stones have also sorts of rune markings, so the narrative and encounter functionality is totally covered.

No tiny eyes to deal with, so DM Ben grabbed a brush to paint this one up for the team! Army Painter has excellent Speedpaint options for rocks (Ashen Stone with Burnt Moss) and foliage (Forest Spirit and Sand Golem), so he knew his core colors were slam dunks. He used a few Fanatic Paints to cover the pulsating ruins. Then, he sprinkled in a little flock here and there, and boom – our new Portal be done!

Now, the module is calling for walls etched with complex runes, as well as drawings in charcoal and some reddish substance. We certainly could have gotten granular with our scatter terrain piece, but we value reusability here whenever possible. So, DM Ben will still include this description, but say it’s on the floor and walls. The players can just imagine those encounter tidbits.

We’re still pondering the overall room terrain. The portal could be part of the underground walls, simply by putting some black construction paper on one side and then slotting it into a wall space. Or, we have the portal be within the room, but in the corner. Its placement doesn’t affect the narrative.

Now we have a piece that works for this encounter, and it can also be easily incorporated into a future scenario. Win-win!

Until next time!