... aka holy crap!, as in actual crap, because we are running for our lives in a sewer. Our Thieves' Guild contact is dead (and we're framed for the murder); the local Melwenite church has been subverted and is running a child-trafficking ring from its basement. (Did anyone see if they served pizza?) None of us know anybody in the city. Some of the guards are corrupted. The Thieves' Guild seems driven underground or expunged/killed. The Wizards' Peak Guild chantries are hidden or non-existent. It looks pretty grim for our heroes.

The question becomes, What are we going to do about it? We came here to stop the Chained Wings, and instead they seem to have stopped us. Various options and ideas are out there, including but not limited to:

• Find shelter in an abandoned building in the city
  
• Approach other organized crime syndicates in the city, and attempt to work with them or get their help
  
• Leave the city and take up some other pursuit (Enkili's sword, owlbear blood, etc.)
  
• Drink heavily and bemoan our current career choices
  

Character/ Class Archetype: Blaylocke Anvilarm / Bard
5th Level-  Hit Dice/ Hit Die Type- 5 / 1d8 take average
Proficiency Bonus=  +3
Features:  Bardic Insp (d8), Font of Insp
+1 spell known - 3rd Lvl - Dispell Magic

I have a character concept whose background has him having survival on sea, lake and river.  I was wondering if I could invent a Quantanese clan of water bound nomads who have tie-together boats and rafts?  I envision them as a cultural group who fish and dive for treasures as they bob around the coast, paddle up large rivers, and winter in adjoining lakes.  They are distrusted by the shore people, but their trade is welcome.  During storms they dart their boats up the rivers to get inland as best they can.  In the Japanese language they would call these people Horo-sha Kaiyo (Kaiyo= ocean, Horo-sha= Wanderer and pronounced with long "O" sound).  If you want a Chinese name it would be Jipu sai ren Shui (Jipu Sai Ren= Gypsy, Shui= water).

   

Character/ Class Archetype: Enkili / Battle Master
5th Level-  Hit Dice/ Hit Die Type- 5 / 1d10+2 take average ( isn't it odd that I consistently roll maximum HP under this honor system? )
Proficiency Bonus=  +3
Features:  Extra attack- 2 a round.

Enkili will choose to take 6 HP(+2 Constitution =8HP) rather than roll.  In the downtime between training sessions, he would like to research the Chained Heart Slavers (Chained Wings). That was a dead end last time, so part of the time Enkili will seek word of a great curved blade, that has seven winged bulls engraved upon it, with full moons between the bulls horns, and pentagrams within each of the moons.  He will seek out private libraries or learned sages on the subjects.

Two attacks a round and a +1 to hit!!!  Beware Erath!

   
This is an actual picture of the S&W M&P revolver in .38 SPL my CoC character has; I had forgotten that this picture was in my demotivational posters.

   

Still mulling over an Astral Self Monk build who get to use wisdom in place of strength when they manifest their abilities.  While trying to determine uses for such a character, the idea of disarming an opponent popped up.  I discovered in the Dungeon Master's Guide the rules for disarming an opponent on page 271, under Combat Options.  I was wondering if you would allow this rule into our game as it seems to be optional?  I know the Battlemaster fighter has a maneuver that allows a simplified way to knock items out of foes hands, but no other character seems to have that ability; unless this rule is viable.  As a note, the optional rule says that a disarm is initiated by a weapon attack.  For all intensive purposes the monks unarmed strike is the equivalent of a weapon attack, but is not considered a weapon as far as placing enchantments on your fists; so no Elemental Weapon spells for unarmed strikes.

   

Irik turned all of us on to the suite of resources called 5ETools, a wonderful collection of rules to manage our D&D characters.  It is such a great font of information that I took to copying and pasting from the tool suite into my home character sheet.  However, though the information seems to be thorough there are some mistakes.  I discovered a discrepancy in one feat so far, where the information was copied from a fighting style in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything rather than the feat in the Player's Handbook.  Fortunately, every bit of information in 5ETools names the resource material and gives the page number in that book.  I recommend you confirm that the wording of the 5ETool information with that of the resource it comes from before copying it down.  I hope this will help prevent confusion in your character features in our adventuring future.
   

In Sword Coast Adventurers guide the cantrips Green Flame Blade and Booming Blade were introduced. At the time there was no special requirement to use those cantrips, so those cantrips could be used in conjunction with the spell Shadow Blade. In Tasha's Cauldron of everything, they rewrote both cantrips, proclaiming that only a weapon with 5 sp cost or higher were necessary in casting either Booming Blade or Green Flame Blade. Bladesingers, Eldritch Knights, and certain Bardic Colleges use these cantrips with great abandon, however, it now seems that the dunces at WOTC have found yet another way to neuter our characters.

Booming Blade
TCE
p106
Evocation cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self (5-foot radius)
Components: S, M (a melee weapon worth at least 1 sp)
Duration: 1 round
You brandish the weapon used in the spell's casting and make a melee attack with it against one creature within 5 feet of you. On a hit, the target suffers the weapon attack's normal effects and then becomes sheathed in booming energy until the start of your next turn. If the target willingly moves 5 feet or more before then, the target takes 1d8 thunder damage, and the spell ends.

This spell's damage increases when you reach certain levels. At 5th level, the melee attack deals an extra 1d8 thunder damage to the target on a hit, and the damage the target takes for moving increases to 2d8. Both damage rolls increase by 1d8 at 11th level (2d8 and 3d8) and again at 17th level (3d8 and 4d8).

Classes: Artificer, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Subclasses: Arcana Cleric, Arcane Trickster Rogue, Eldritch Knight Fighter
Optional/Variant Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Races: Elf (High)
Source: TCE, page 106. Also found in SCAG, page 142.

Green-Flame Blade
TCE
p107
Evocation cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self (5-foot radius)
Components: S, M (a melee weapon worth at least 1 sp)
Duration: Instantaneous
You brandish the weapon used in the spell's casting and make a melee attack with it against one creature within 5 feet of you. On a hit, the target suffers the weapon attack's normal effects, and you can cause green fire to leap from the target to a different creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of it. The second creature takes fire damage equal to your spellcasting ability modifier.

This spell's damage increases when you reach certain levels. At 5th level, the melee attack deals an extra 1d8 fire damage to the target on a hit, and the fire damage to the second creature increases to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. Both damage rolls increase by 1d8 at 11th level (2d8 and 2d8) and 17th level (3d8 and 3d8).

Classes: Artificer, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Subclasses: Arcana Cleric, Arcane Trickster Rogue, Eldritch Knight Fighter
Optional/Variant Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Races: Elf (High)
Source: TCE, page 107. Also found in SCAG, page 143.

Shadow Blade
XGE
p164
2nd-level illusion
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You weave together threads of shadow to create a sword of solidified gloom in your hand. This magic sword lasts until the spell ends. It counts as a simple melee weapon with which you are proficient. It deals 2d8 psychic damage on a hit and has the finesse, light, and thrown properties (range 20/60). In addition, when you use the sword to attack a target that is in dim light or darkness, you make the attack roll with advantage.

If you drop the weapon or throw it, it dissipates at the end of the turn. Thereafter, while the spell persists, you can use a bonus action to cause the sword to reappear in your hand.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a 3rd- or 4th-level spell slot, the damage increases to 3d8. When you cast it using a 5th- or 6th-level spell slot, the damage increases to 4d8. When you cast it using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the damage increases to 5d8.
Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Subclasses: Arcane Trickster Rogue, Eldritch Knight Fighter
Source: XGE, page 164

Oh Great Dungeon Master, what way will you judge how these spells and cantrips interact?

These are the only questions I can remember from our 20th session, regarding the farmstead that is.
1) Due to the magical concealment spells on the path to the Farm, will we need a guide to get to and from the farmstead?
2) Enkili, who has never cooked in his life, is wondering if the groundkeeper and his entourage concoct meals for their group?  If so, how much to get in on that action?
3) We were told that we were responsible for replenishing what we take from the larder.  Does that mean we have to do the shopping or can we leave money for the caretakers?
4) How many acres are associated with the farmstead?
5) Can we wander about the property at our leisure, or are there property features that are out of bounds?
6) Where are the bodies buried?  I need to know!
7) You said Elvold featured more "services" than the other towns and cities we've crossed since leaving Solare, are there vices to be found for Enkili; he's starting to stress over being sent out into the uncaring ol' world when he thinks he's given Al Madii the best of himself already?
8) *As a well honed fighting machine, how come the physical tricks I learn have a finite number of uses between naps? 
9) *In association with the question above, is this bounded accuracy or gagged and bound accuracy?

*I'm just expressing my opinion of 5E, which is not favorable.  After making over 20 characters of different races and classes, I have come too the conclusion that they have great imaginations and have developed simple but very effective game mechanics.  Where WOTC got it wrong is in how they have hobbled the Player Character.  Although a character is granted a little something every level, with each class coming into their peak effectiveness at differing level advancement periods, most of the abilities granted range from lame, to situational niche, to not potent enough, to too late in the campaign to make a difference.  Too bad 3.5 was too cumbersome for VTT's.

Character/ Class Archetype:  Enkili / Battle Master
4th Level-  Hit Dice/ Hit Die Type-  4 / 1d10+2
Proficiency Bonus=  +2
Features:  Ability Score Increase- Strength +2 = 19 ((+4) +1 to all strength based abilities, attributes, saves, to hit, maneuver DC’s, damage, and skills).
Character’s weight should increase 20# due to muscle growth and density.