| M. A. Provencher |
I've never been a DM before but will be running Murder's Mark in a few weeks with two different groups as they take breaks in longer adventure paths. I've made a few changes to Murder's Mark in my prep that I'd like feedback on, if at all possible.
The two groups that I play in are 50/50 female/male. Because of that, I felt the name of the winner of the strength competition, "King of The Carnival," was less than ideal. So, after a lot of casting about for other options, I ended up with "Dragon Whisperer." Instead of a lion's head at the top of a pole, it'll be a mechanical dragon atop a wall. The contraption will wiggle its toes or flap its wings or roar, depending on the competitor's strength check with the mallet.
I’ve also added two locations for the PCs to go, should they choose...they're not vital for the plot, but will--I hope--give players the illusion of a sandbox.
The "Dragon" is located on one side of a carnival fun house. It's basically a non-lethal dungeon crawl with things like mechanical skeletons, moving staircases, dunking pools and grappling patches of cherry-flavored jello. At the center, though, is a maze of mirrors. I am still trying to come up with ways for the maze to shift (mirror walls and doors changing places), so that PCs who walk in together do not walk out together. Has anyone ever tried something like that? Would it be better to have a carnie behind the scenes using mage hand or some other magic to slide sections around? Or would it be better to make it purely mechanical, like the dragon? The fun house also has service areas and secret rooms that will serve as hiding places for thieves.
I also added was a location in the forest for the Nisku (skulks). To save prep time, I’m using a forest fort idea and map from another adventure. However, should the PCs go there, they will find that it is more like an opium(shiver) den than an independent skulk tribe/community.