The Frozen Shack

Welcome to the Frozen Shack, a cozy refuge from the ordinary where magic and adventure come to life. I'm Greg Tatum, your guide and fellow traveler through realms both wild and wondrous.

Here at Frozen Shack, you'll find detailed recaps of our sessions, creative insights, and the occasional tale spun from our most memorable moments. Whether you're a seasoned adventurer or new to the world of Dungeons & Dragons, this blog is your gateway to exploring epic narratives and intricate character arcs inspired by our table.

Join us as we delve into ancient ruins, battle legendary beasts, and uncover treasures of lore. With each post, I hope to inspire your own quests and bring a bit of our shared joy of roleplaying into your world.

A drawing on toned paper with ink. A man rides on the back of a mech-like construction. It is made out of wood and has pistons and controls. It is vaguely humandois shape and is approximately 20 feet tall.

Gorilla Soul Armor

enemy

Soul Armor is an automaton that is powered by the soul of another creature. They are built in the Green Forge. The embued soul stone is stored in the pilots seat. If the stone is damaged or removed, the soul armor is diabled. Gorilla Soul ArmorLarge automaton, neutral neutral Armor Class 17 Natural ArmorHit Points 65 (10d8 + 20)Speed 10 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 17 (+3) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 12 (+1) 11 (+0) Damage Vulnerabilities Fire ActionsFists: +5 to attack, reach 15 ft, one target.Damage:…

A warrior holding a halberd. He has a cape, and stands ready in an abstract white snowy environment. He has a top knot and elf ears.

Shadow Covenant Warlock

enemy

The warlocks of the Shadow Covenant follow Malachi Darkthorn. They inhabit the Warlock’s Tower, and are studying the secrets and powers that the Darkthorn promises. The initiates are beginning their training, and have not been inducted into the deeper secrets of the tower. Their training include working with blades that are not typical of the magical types. Perhaps this has something to do with the higher levels of training in their order. Warlock InitiateMedium Humanoid, Neutral…

An older dark-skinned man sitting cross legged. He holds a staff with feathers attached at the top. He has a gray beard with dreads and gems attached to them. He sits in a snow covered forest. He has a classic floppy wizard hat.

Ivorin Rivenstone - Hedge Wizard

npc

Ivorin and his brother grew up in the city of Bardslaw as orphans. Their mother died when they were young and they spent many years on the streets. After stealing bread and begging on the streets they found errand boy work for a wizard to the local lord. They ran errands for him. One of the maids took pity on the boys, and taught took them in under her wing. She taught them to read…

A detailed black and white map of the Tiberius Empire. There is a central sea called the Maren Sea. To the north are the Capitol City, Old Forest, Placid Lake, and Ice Crater. In the middle are the Dragon Fingers going into the sea. To the south is Stone End, Daltronia, and the Nir Desert.

Tiberius Empire Map

map

Season 3 of Quorom of Bones began with the adventurers sneaking out of hell (about 6 months early from what I had planned) to be thrust back into the original overland area. However, they were transported 30 years into the future to find they were heros of legend with status built of them. This map was built as a collaboration with the players. I took the original map for Stone End and then zoomed out for…

A tan map with hatching marks on the borders. It implies countries surrounding by rock walls. There are no detailed texts on it unlike other maps.

The Nether Map

map

Season 2 of our Quorum of Bones campaign started with the players thrown into hell, which I called the Nether. The center of the map held the perpendicularity, which was a Neverending Story style tower that had a portal between realms. It was controlled by a group of not very nice lawful good angels. The surrounding lands were all controlled by various devil lords, which I only revealed as the players explored the lands.

A map done in Tolkein style. Stone End is the main port, with the Stone River leading into it. There is the Maren's Sea taking up much of the map. To the west in the mountains is Lark Bastion. Green Forge is to the west with forests around it. To the east is Orc Country which is flat and plains.

Stone End Map

map

My first time DMing of course started with a Tolkein-style map that I drew. This really helped spur my imagination and possibilities for the narrative as I embarked on this DMing journey.

Screenshot of the Scrivener app

My DM Tools for Running a D&D Game

writing

I have been running the same D&D campaign for almost 4 years now, and I wanted to write a post to share the tools I use to create and run my homebrew campaign. At this point I have created about 20 different adventures, which take a few playing sessions to get through. Our game has 5 players, and we usually end up doing about 60% roleplaying during a game, and 40% battles. That feels like…

A suit of armor surrounded by purple light glowing around it.

Abandoned Ruins at Lark Bastion

encounter

After traveling through the Lark Bastion mine, the players find large abandoned ruins hidden in the earth connected via a mine shaft. The room is made from stone blocks, and the ceiling rises 30 feet into the air. In the center of the room is a set of armor, with a faint purple glow in the middle. There is a purple soulstone with something glowing within. It can be seen inside the armor. Skeletons of…

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