Fragments Beyond the Veil Issue #3
Trivia Question❓
In Dungeons & Dragons' Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, the aurora that lights up the night sky is a manifestation of which deity's magic, cast to keep the land in eternal winter?
Answer at the bottom of the newsletter
DM Advice
Continuing our 12-tip series for beginner DMs! This week we're tackling tips 7-9, which focus on running smooth combat encounters and using helpful tools to make your DM life easier.
1. Start Small and Keep it Simple
2. Read the Rules, but Don’t Overdo It
3. Know Your Players
4. Prepare, but Don’t Overprepare
5. Be Flexible and Embrace Chaos
6. Master the Art of Description
7. Keep Combat Simple
Start with small encounters: Begin with a few monsters and basic abilities to avoid overwhelming yourself with mechanics.
Be clear with turn order: Use a physical or digital initiative tracker so everyone knows when it’s their turn. Keep the flow moving by gently nudging players who take too long to decide.
8. Use Tools to Your Advantage
Pre-made maps and tokens: Free or paid tools like Roll20, Owlbear Rodeo, or physical battlemats can make combat more engaging.
Digital aids: Tools like D&D Beyond, apps for rolling dice, or encounter builders can simplify your prep and gameplay.
9. Be Patient with Yourself
Mistakes are part of the process: Every DM makes mistakes. Learn from them and keep improving.
Focus on fun: The goal isn’t to run a perfect game—it’s to create an enjoyable experience for everyone, including yourself.
Monster of the Week
Monster: Auroral Wisp
Lore: The Auroral Wisp is a mesmerizing yet dangerous entity said to be born from the magical confluence of the natural world and the arcane energy of the northern lights. These ethereal beings drift through the skies of polar regions, their radiant forms lighting up the frozen wilderness. Many cultures regard them as omens—some of good fortune, others of peril.
While their beauty is unmatched, Auroral Wisps are not benign. These creatures are highly intelligent and territorial, using their hypnotic radiance to lure unsuspecting prey into dangerous traps, often leading them to the brink of exhaustion in the frozen wastes. Those who anger an Auroral Wisp risk facing its wrath, as its light can sear flesh and disrupt the mind.
Physical Description: An Auroral Wisp appears as a swirling mass of radiant light in shifting colors—greens, blues, purples, and occasional streaks of gold. Its form pulses and flows like liquid energy, with faint tendrils extending and retracting as it moves. At its center is a barely visible core, like a gemstone or frozen star, pulsing with immense magical energy.
Stat Block
Large Celestial, Chaotic Neutral
Armor Class: 16 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 112 (15d10 + 30)
Speed: 0 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover)
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
8 (-1) | 20 (+5) | 14 (+2) | 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) | 22 (+6) |
Saving Throws: Dex +8, Wis +6, Cha +9
Skills: Arcana +7, Insight +6, Performance +9
Damage Resistances: Cold, Radiant, Lightning; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities: Necrotic, Psychic
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Prone, Restrained
Senses: Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 16
Languages: Celestial, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge: 9 (5,000 XP)
Traits
Aurora Aura (30 ft.):
The wisp emits an enchanting aurora in a 30-foot radius. Creatures that start their turn in the aura must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or become charmed for 1 minute. While charmed in this way, a creature is incapacitated and must use its movement to move closer to the Auroral Wisp. A charmed creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Radiant Veil:
When a creature hits the wisp with a melee attack, the attacker takes 9 (2d8) radiant damage as searing light erupts from the wisp's form.
Incorporeal Movement:
The wisp 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.
Actions
Multiattack:
The Auroral Wisp makes two Radiant Pulse attacks.
Radiant Pulse:
Ranged Spell Attack: +9 to hit, range 120 ft., one target.
Hit: 18 (4d8) radiant damage.
Blinding Flare (Recharge 5–6):
The wisp releases a sudden burst of radiant energy. Each creature within 20 feet must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or take 27 (6d8) radiant damage and be blinded until the end of their next turn. Creatures that succeed on the saving throw take half damage and are not blinded.
Luminous Lure:
The wisp targets one creature within 60 feet that it can see. The target must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or be magically pulled 30 feet closer to the wisp. The movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Legendary Actions
The Auroral Wisp 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 wisp regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Ethereal Drift: The wisp moves up to 30 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.
Flare Pulse: The wisp emits a pulse of light, forcing one creature within 30 feet to make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) radiant damage.
Celestial Shimmer (Costs 2 Actions): The wisp creates an illusory aurora in a 20-foot radius centered on a point it can see. The area becomes lightly obscured, and creatures within must succeed on a DC 17 Intelligence saving throw or be disoriented, granting disadvantage on attack rolls until the end of their next turn.
Encounter Hooks
Aurora’s Warning: An Auroral Wisp appears above a village, its dazzling lights mesmerizing the townsfolk. Is it a warning of an impending disaster or a precursor to its wrath?
Chase the Light: The players must follow an Auroral Wisp across treacherous tundra to retrieve a vital artifact. But is the wisp leading them to salvation or doom?
Frozen Beacon: Deep in the arctic, an ancient temple uses an Auroral Wisp as its guardian. The players must navigate its tricks and traps to gain entry.
Joke of the Day
Why did the aurora borealis break up with the moon?
It felt like their relationship was too one-sided—always glowing, never receiving!
Item Spotlight
Item: Veil of the Aurora
Wondrous Item, Very Rare (requires attunement)
Description
The Veil of the Aurora is a shimmering, semi-transparent cloak that seems to be made of woven light. Its fabric glimmers and shifts with the colors of the aurora borealis—vivid greens, blues, and purples dancing across its surface. When held up to the sky, it appears to merge with the stars, blending its wearer with the natural beauty of the heavens.
Lore
Legends tell of a celestial entity who danced through the skies, leaving trails of shimmering light in their wake. When the entity descended to the Material Plane, they left behind the Veil of the Aurora, a gift for mortals to protect them from darkness. Those who wear the Veil are said to be guided by the lights of the heavens, their path illuminated even in the deepest shadow.
Effects
Auroral Glow: As a bonus action, you can activate the Veil to emit a radiant light resembling the aurora borealis. The light shines in a 30-foot radius, providing bright light and dim light for another 30 feet. While active, you and allies within the light gain advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed. This effect lasts for 10 minutes or until you dismiss it as a bonus action. Once used, this ability can’t be activated again until the next dawn.
Step of the Sky Dancer: While wearing the Veil, you can cast Misty Step without using a spell slot. After using this ability, faint auroras linger where you teleported for 1 round. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.
Ethereal Radiance: If an enemy strikes you with a melee attack while the Veil’s light is active, they must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC 16) or be blinded until the end of their next turn.
Guiding Light: The Veil allows you to cast Divination once per long rest, seeking guidance from the celestial lights.
Location
The Veil of the Aurora is said to rest at the summit of the Auroracrest Peaks, where the northern lights are most vibrant. To claim it, one must complete a ritual during the aurora’s peak, involving rare crystals and an offering to the celestial entity who created it.
Crafting
To replicate the Veil of the Aurora, you would need:
Aurora Crystals, rare gemstones found in regions where the aurora is visible.
A bolt of enchanted starlight-infused silk.
The essence of a celestial being or an offering from a divine creature.
A blessing performed under the lights of an aurora.
The crafting process takes 60 days and requires a DC 22 Arcana check to weave the essence of the aurora into the fabric.
Destruction
The Veil can only be destroyed by plunging it into the heart of an eclipse while a planar rift consumes the light of the Material Plane. Without light to sustain its magic, the Veil unravels into nothingness.
Quote of the Day
"The aurora dances across the night sky, a reminder that even the darkest moments can be painted with light and wonder."
Player’s Corner
Roleplay Prompt: "The Whispering Lights"
The aurora borealis swirls in vibrant ribbons of green, purple, and gold above you, casting the snowy landscape in an otherworldly glow. As the lights dance, you hear faint whispers on the wind, almost as if the aurora itself is speaking in a language long forgotten.
An elder from the nearby village warned you earlier in the day: "The lights only speak to those with a destiny to fulfill. But beware—their gifts come with a cost."
Now, as the whispers grow louder, forming fragmented words and phrases, the cold begins to seep deeper into your bones, almost unnaturally so.
What will you do? Will you attempt to decipher the strange whispers, risking whatever price they demand? Do you seek guidance from the locals or continue into the wilds, drawn toward the source of the aurora's power? And, perhaps most pressing of all, will you confront the shadowy figure that seems to have emerged from the aurora’s glow, watching you from atop the ridge?
Interesting Facts
In D&D lore, the Aurora Borealis can be tied to portals between planes; some myths suggest it’s the shimmering edge of the Feywild bleeding into the Material Plane, luring travelers with its mesmerizing light.
The Aurora's radiance could serve as a conduit for divine magic, with clerics and druids gaining unique powers under its glow, such as the ability to summon celestial creatures or cast radiant cold spells.
A homebrew twist could make the northern lights a sign of a celestial dragon’s flight—its scales refracting the colors as it travels, leaving a trail of mysterious magic and potential treasure in its wake.
Community Showcase
The Bardic DM is a YouTube channel that turns Dungeons & Dragons into sing-along chaos—in the best way. With roughly tens of thousands of subscribers and a growing library of videos, it focuses on “bardcore” fantasy music, comedic D&D anthems, and spell-themed songs that feel tailor-made for session intros and hype moments.
You’ll find everything from full compilations to fan-favorite tracks like “Roll Call! You’re in This DnD Party”, plus spell bangers like Vicious Mockery and Mage Hand—perfect for adding personality to encounters, taverns, or montage scenes.
The Bardic DM YouTube
Answer: to Trivia of the Day
Auril, the Frostmaiden.
Video
Adventure Hook of the Week
The aurora borealis dances across the night sky, but the vibrant lights suddenly form eerie, ghostly silhouettes that seem to reenact a forgotten battle. Locals whisper that the lights are the spirits of warriors who fought for a mythical treasure buried in the icy tundra. As the party investigates, they discover that the aurora grows brighter with each passing night—and the spectral warriors are becoming disturbingly real.
As the shimmering lights of the Aurora fade from the skies, may their magic linger in your dreams and guide your next adventure. Whether you chase celestial trails or uncover the secrets of the night, remember—the stars hold stories yet untold, waiting for you to weave them into legend.
Until next we meet, adventurer, prepare your hearts and spellbooks, for our next tale will dive into the hidden whispers of the Feywild, where twilight never fades and bargains are rarely what they seem...
May your lanterns stay lit and your paths ever adventurous!
—The Keeper of Lore and Light