Train Tuesday P6: Power Up!

We’re getting into some Wizard of Oz sorta stuff this week, guys and gals! You might recall that a triad runs The Forgotten Rails, each person with a very special set of skills. And we’ve mapped out its most secretive component – the hovertrain’s arcane power source. Let’s dive in!

So, today, we will focus on our mysterious wizard, Leland Farce, and give a little insight into our railroad’s magical properties backstory. We did a spirited brainstorming sesh, but think we settled into a really fun place. We’re jazzed to share our wizardry thoughts here and hope this DnD train content might slot into your campaign nicely (or at least a variation).

We love the traditional DnD cavern setting (so much so that we even created a 3D-printed paint guide). We also have a soft spot for dwarven mines and all the fun scenarios it brings to our game table. So, our goal here was to ensure whatever we came up with for our hovertrain’s “fuel” tied into those two terrain themes.

Our appointed wizard’s secretive magic fuels the Realm’s hovertrain. However, his peculiar sorcery requires a rare rock component that would be utterly worthless to the ordinary person. Leland Farce is the main man because he figured out a way to combine this somewhat dull stone with his own mysterious magic to create a powerful propulsion source for The Forgotten Rails and its mighty engines.

Now, we say a “somewhat ordinary stone” because the mineral doesn’t sit on the ground in plain view. Instead, this unique rock literally falls from a certain kind of Earth Elemental. We would equate this process to an elk shedding its antlers.

Locals have nicknamed this rock “Corederite Glass” after its initial crystal-like appearance and what it means to hovertrains’ arcane essence. Its walking host is dubbed a “Stone Scar Elemental” because this mineral leaves a distinctive mark on its body when a stone becomes dislodged.

So, over time, our Stone Scar Elemental grows several of these blue and purple-shaded glass-like stones on its earthy frame. This somewhat shiny material becomes rather painful and even heavy to carry, so our lumbering monster naturally wants to get rid of it after a certain point. When a piece of Corederite Glass (aka “C glass”) is close to falling off, a lot of movement can help dislodge it, so they are known as wanderers.

Some other essential characteristics of our new Stone Scar Earth Elemental:

• They aren’t violent creatures unless provoked, and then watch out!
• They will welcome the removal of their stones (but it’s not easy).
• Certain Dwarves, nicknamed “Stone Scalpers,” have been taught how to harvest it.
• The more special rocks on its body, the older and tougher the elemental is.
• The mineral itself quickly loses its shiny appearance once it’s dislodged.
• The shedded stones are rather heavy to transport.
• There’s a small black market for C-glass by other casters eager to crack the code.
• Fallen stones can sink/meld back into the earth (but become even trickier to extract).
• Stealth is its jam and can become tough to detect when not moving.
• It communicates via colorful reflections within the stones (like Morse code).
• There’s a distinctive moan as the stone loosens and falls off.
• They typically reside in caverns but can be found anywhere.

We’ll continue to shape this homebrewed DnD elemental over future creative sessions, but you get the gist.

Let’s discuss the 3D-printed miniature we will use to represent our Stone Scar Elemental! We found this free, inspirational miniature from the talented Dutchmogul. His Earth Elemental has the perfect lumbering pose we were looking for, and the lack of a distinct face adds to its mystery.

Since they prefer to reside in deeper, cooler caverns, we wanted to emulate the Dwarven Forge color scheme and utilize the same steps from our terrain paint guide. See how well they can blend into the terrain to help sell their excellent stealth ability? So awesome. The Golden Interference paints (Blue and Violet) make for a great smattering of Corederite Glass stones.

Lastly, the arcane power the Stone Scar Elementals’ Corederite Glass produces is so strong that it even transmutes like radio waves to The Forgotten Rails’ Constructs (that we began to outline last week)! Meaning, our protect-and-serve mechanicals will instantly power off if they stray too far from a hovertrain engine or station! This intentional design satisfied Omen Dran’s initial concerns about the Contructs being used against his ruling organization or Waterdeep’s citizens.

Pretty cool, though, right? So, who wants to go Stone Scar Earth Elemental hunting?! Sorcerer Leland Farce wants a few fresh pieces of Corederite Glass to keep The Forgotten Rails running smoothly!