Fragments Beyond the Veil Issue #1
Trivia Question❓
In Dungeons and Dragons, what is the name of the chromatic dragon known for its greed, cunning, and manipulation?
Answer at the bottom of the newsletter
Dungeon Master Advice
Becoming a Dungeon Master (DM) for the first time is exciting but can also feel intimidating. Don't worry—you're embarking on a creative journey that's all about storytelling, fun, and collaboration. Over the next four newsletters, we'll share 12 practical tips to help you succeed as a beginner DM. This week, we're covering tips 1-3.
1. Start Small and Keep It Simple
Run a pre-written adventure: Published adventures, such as Lost Mine of Phandelver or Dragon of Icespire Peak, are excellent starting points. They guide you through the story, encounters, and pacing so you can focus on running the game.
Keep the story straightforward: Avoid overly complex plots or an abundance of NPCs. A simple "save the village from goblins" plot is perfect for your first session.
2. Read the Rules, but Don’t Overdo It
Focus on the basics: Know the core rules for ability checks, combat, and saving throws, as these come up often. Use the Player’s Handbook or a beginner’s guide as a reference, but don’t stress about knowing every spell or rule.
Improvise when needed: If you're unsure about a rule during the game, make a quick ruling and look it up later. Keeping the game moving is more important than perfect accuracy.
3. Know Your Players
Understand their expectations: Ask your players what they want out of the game. Some may prefer combat, while others are more into roleplay or exploration.
Encourage feedback: After each session, ask for feedback about what they enjoyed and how you can improve. This helps you grow as a DM and keeps everyone engaged.
Monster of the Week
Monster: Veilstrider Wraith
Lore: Veilstriders are enigmatic entities born from the Veilwalkers' practice of crossing the barriers between worlds. Sometimes, their reckless journeys disturb realms too alien to comprehend, and fragments of those dimensions latch onto them. The result: a Veilstrider Wraith, a creature existing between reality and the spaces beyond. These wraiths radiate instability, their form flickering between the known world and dimensions unknown, trailing tendrils of otherworldly energy.
A Veilstrider Wraith is both hunter and hunted. Drawn to those who meddle with planar magic, it seeks to devour the essence of Veilwalkers or anyone who tampers with the Veil. They leave a trail of warped reality in their wake, spaces where the rules of physics falter and sanity erodes.
Physical Description: A Veilstrider Wraith appears as a towering, semi-corporeal figure draped in shimmering veils of energy. Its "skin" is a swirling miasma of black, violet, and green hues, marked by the occasional ripple of starlight or glimpse into a far-off dimension. Multiple tendrils of translucent, glowing material extend from its back, shifting constantly as if alive. Where its face should be, there is only a void ringed by faint, flickering symbols.
Stat Block
Medium Aberration, Chaotic Neutral
Armor Class: 17 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 136 (16d8 + 64)
Speed: 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
14 (+2) | 18 (+4) | 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) | 15 (+2) | 20 (+5) |
Saving Throws: Dex +8, Wis +6, Cha +9
Skills: Arcana +7, Perception +6
Damage Resistances: Necrotic, Psychic, Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities: Force
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Poisoned, Restrained
Senses: Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 16
Languages: Deep Speech, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge: 10 (5,900 XP)
Traits
Planar Flux Aura (20 ft.):
At the start of its turn, any creature within 20 feet of the Veilstrider Wraith must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) force damage and suffer a random effect (roll a d6):
The creature’s speed is halved until the start of its next turn.
The creature is teleported 10 feet in a random direction.
The creature takes an additional 5 (1d10) psychic damage.
Veilwalker’s Bane:
The Veilstrider Wraith has advantage on attack rolls against creatures who can cast spells or use abilities that manipulate planar energy (such as banishment or teleport).
Ethereal Glide:
The wraith can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Innate Spellcasting:
The Veilstrider Wraith’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 17). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: Detect Magic, Mage Hand
3/day each: Misty Step, Counterspell
1/day each: Plane Shift, Wall of Force
Actions
Multiattack:
The Veilstrider Wraith makes two Voidlash attacks.
Voidlash:
Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 21 (4d8 + 3) force damage.
Reality Warp (Recharge 5–6):
The Veilstrider Wraith distorts the reality in a 30-foot radius. All creatures of its choice within the area must make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or become incapacitated for 1 minute, their minds overwhelmed by visions of impossible geometries. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Legendary Actions
The Veilstrider Wraith can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Veilstrider Wraith regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Dimensional Flicker: The wraith teleports up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Wraith’s Grasp (Costs 2 Actions): Target one creature within 10 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 17 Charisma saving throw or be restrained by spectral tendrils until the end of its next turn.
Disruption Pulse (Costs 3 Actions): All creatures within 20 feet must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or take 14 (4d6) force damage and be pushed 10 feet away from the wraith.
Encounter Hooks
Planar Echoes: A Veilstrider Wraith has appeared near a recently discovered portal, attacking anyone who approaches. Can the players close the portal before the Veilstrider pulls more horrors through?
The Fractured Veil: A Veilwalker NPC has gone missing, and a Veilstrider Wraith stalks the area. Are the two connected?
The Wraith’s Prison: A Veilstrider Wraith is sealed within an ancient ruin, bound by the magic of a bygone age. Breaking its bonds could unleash devastation, but the wraith knows secrets of the multiverse that the players desperately need.
Joke of the Day
Why did the bard bring extra string to the dungeon?
In case they needed to tie up some loose ends!
Item Spotlight
Weapon: Astral Crescentblade (Scimitar), Very Rare (Requires attunement)
Description: The Astral Crescentblade appears as a scimitar forged from what looks like flowing starlight, its blade shimmering with faint, multicolored hues that shift as if reflecting distant nebulae. The hilt is wrapped in smooth, dark leather that feels cold to the touch, with an embedded gemstone glowing faintly, reminiscent of a miniature galaxy. Inscribed along the blade are runes that pulse faintly in the presence of planar energy.
Lore: This blade was crafted by the Veilwalkers, an elusive group of mystics and warriors who traverse the void between planes, safeguarding the balance of existence. The Crescentblade was forged from a shard of astral essence, extracted from the boundary between the Material Plane and the Astral Sea. Wielders of this weapon were said to be able to cut through the very fabric of reality, stepping through the Veil to strike with unparalleled precision.
Mechanics
Astral Slice: Once per long rest, you can use an action to swing the Crescentblade and create a rift in space. The rift is a 10-foot line in front of you. Creatures in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 16) or take 4d10 force damage, halved on a success.
Planar Attunement: The Crescentblade grants a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls. While attuned, you gain the ability to sense planar anomalies within 1 mile.
Ethereal Step: As a bonus action, you can teleport up to 30 feet to a location you can see. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.
Veil Pierce: Attacks with the Crescentblade ignore resistances to slashing damage and treat immunity as resistance.
Location
The Astral Crescentblade was last seen in the ruins of Xivaryn's Watch, an ancient Veilwalker outpost that lies hidden in the Shadowfell. The blade is rumored to be guarded by the lingering spirit of a fallen Veilwalker, who tests the worthiness of those seeking to claim it.
Crafting
To recreate this blade, one must gather:
A shard of astral essence (harvested from the Astral Sea).
A blacksmith's forge enchanted to work on planar materials.
3 vials of ectoplasm collected from Ethereal Plane creatures.
The essence of a star (a rare and dangerous endeavor, often requiring the blessing of a celestial being).
The crafting process takes 30 days and requires a DC 20 Arcana check to imbue the shard with planar energy successfully.
Destruction
The Astral Crescentblade can only be destroyed by hurling it into a collapsing planar rift, ensuring its essence is scattered across the multiverse. However, destroying the blade risks creating an unstable tear in reality, unleashing unpredictable effects.
Quote of the Day
"Roll for initiative."
Player’s Corner
Character Backstory Inspiration:
Tiefling Bard Backstory Idea: "The Ballad of the Forgotten Court"
Born under an ill-fated moon in a secluded village, your tiefling was abandoned as an infant at the steps of a crumbling opera house, the only remnants of a once-glorious court. The performers who discovered you saw your infernal lineage as both a curse and a gift. They raised you in the shadows of the decaying stage, teaching you music, poetry, and the subtle art of weaving stories into songs.
As you grew, you realized your fiery charisma could sway hearts and unearth secrets. One fateful night, while singing a haunting melody in the ruins, you inadvertently awakened the restless spirit of a long-forgotten noble who claimed your bloodline was tied to their downfall. They revealed cryptic clues about a dark pact made generations ago that caused the downfall of their court—and hinted that you might hold the key to breaking it.
Torn between your desire to prove yourself through your art and the pull of a legacy you never asked for, you set out to learn the truth. Along the way, you’ve turned every tavern, court, and battlefield into a stage, winning friends and allies with your sharp wit and entrancing songs. However, the spirit still lingers in the recesses of your mind, urging you to uncover the secrets of your past and face the infernal ties that haunt your lineage.
Roleplay hooks:
Compose a song about every adventure, using subtle lyrics to uncover hidden truths.
Struggle with the duality of seeking fame while fearing what others might discover about your infernal heritage.
React strongly to decrepit ruins or ghost stories, as they remind you of your haunted upbringing.
Use your bardic abilities to soothe restless spirits, attempting to atone for your bloodline's past sins.
Interesting Facts
The original Dungeons and Dragons game was inspired by a combination of war strategy games and the fantasy novels of authors like J.R.R. Tolkien and H.P. Lovecraft.
The iconic 20-sided dice used in D&D is called a "d20" and has 20 triangular sides.
Dungeons and Dragons was involved in a moral panic during the 1980s, with claims that the game promoted Satanism and led to real-world violence.
Community Showcase
Dungeons and Dragons in San Antonio is a Facebook group for local players and Dungeon Masters who want steady tables, new friends, and less “scheduling boss fight” energy. The community runs weekly D&D campaigns and also hosts D&D workshops to help new players learn the basics, from character creation to how to not accidentally set the tavern on fire (unless it’s narratively justified). It aims to be welcoming for all experience levels, so complete beginners and seasoned veterans can both find a spot. The group’s vibe leans social and in-person, mentioning food, drinks, and a fun table atmosphere, with multiple Dungeon Masters collaborating to keep games rolling. Members use the group to coordinate sessions, recruit players, share advice, and build a local D&D scene that feels approachable, organized, and genuinely enthusiastic. Expect posts about meetup times, table openings, campaign updates, and friendly rules questions. Bring your character sheet and curiosity.
Find them here → Dungeons and Dragons in San Antonio
💡Answer to Trivia Question:
The name of the chromatic dragon known for its greed, cunning, and manipulation is Tiamat.
Adventure Hook of the Week
A weathered merchant offers the party a rusted, unassuming lantern at a steep discount, claiming it belonged to an infamous grave robber. Each time the lantern is lit, it casts shadows of clawing hands and anguished faces, and nearby corpses begin whispering secrets the party shouldn’t know. The merchant conveniently vanishes, leaving the group to uncover the artifact's true origin and the sinister spirit it binds—or risk becoming its next victims.