Take Me to Your Pumpkin Leader

DM Ben loves reviving older campaign storylines and bringing previous characters back into frame. And that’s exactly what he’s going to do for today’s DnD blog post.

One of our favorite homebrewed NPCs (and there have been a lot of ’em on our lil’ ol’ DnD blog) is Huckle Riverstone and his “Pumpkins that Ain’t Pumpkins” farm. Our mighty adventuring group was tasked with capturing some pumpkin mimic seeds so he could grow his own farm guardians.

The whole one-shot was a rousing success, and now we want to ensure Riverstone sticks around for future hijinks. Huckle has since made his own army of “Pumpkins that Ain’t Pumpkins,” but certainly there’s more to the story here!

We typically take the weekend to set our publishing list for the upcoming work week. One of our rituals is to scan all our display cases and see what leaps out as a potential new DnD miniature or scatter terrain for our ongoing campaigns. This time, we spotted an amazing miniature by The Witchguild. This Pumpkin Knight was a freebie during one of their MMF promotions.

Resident Painter Kimmy Utah was the Brush Meister on this 3D-printed DnD miniature. She did an amazing job getting the countless tiny details and giving us a force to be reckoned with in our ongoing game! Her coloring brings out all the charming details, including his flowing cape, strong shield, and fierce fighting stance.

Now, everyone knows that ol’ Huckle is a farmer, not a fighter. And he’s constantly tinkering with his infamous, coveted topsoil in growing the best fruits and vegetables in all of Waterdeep!

One small problem – farming is tough work and requires 24/7 care. Farmer Huckle may have grown a whole army of mimic pumpkins, but his crop security guards need a leader…someone with a killer instinct and a brilliant tactical mind.

How will we integrate our new Pumpkin Knight into our campaign? Hmmmm. DM Ben is going to start with a freak sighting. As the players make their way back from their Bastion to the City of Waterdeep, they typically travel on the boundary line of Riverstone’s beloved farm.

The players are familiar with the mimic pumpkins, but they’ve never encountered this guy, so seeing him for the first time is sure to turn some heads. If they hop the fence and approach him, the mimics will immediately encircle the group and await their leader’s orders.

Our Pumpkin is a fruit of few words, but he takes his role very, very seriously. He will march briskly toward the party in a full battle stance with his longsword drawn. His voice has an ominous echo-style sound, “Halt! Who dares trespass?!”

If the players ask who he is, the name is “Sir Gourdian Seedheart, the vassal to one Huckle Riverstone! State your business or be forever silenced.” If swords are drawn and it looks like initiative time, Huckle will be heard in the distance telling everyone to stand down!

We haven’t crafted up a new farmer one-shot, but now the clock is ticking to do so. We’re thinking he needs the party’s assistance in eradicating a new threat converging on Riverstone’s property. He will ask to join the group and/or give everyone in the party their own “Pumpkin that Ain’t a Pumpkin” soldier.

DM Ben is still kicking around the final plot line, but hey, at least we got the miniature!

Until next time!