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The Bane of Sorrow is not an item.

The Bane of Sorrow is death. The fey are destined to search in vain for it, but when they find it, their quest ends. Stories among fey speak of the Bane of Sorrow as being just out of reach, and yet always slipping between their fingers.

The ageless fey hunt for this close encounter with death because it gives them a thrill to test the bounds of their immortality. Some of them know that the Bane is just a metaphors, but others hunt it as if it was the holy grail.

In the celebration of the new Horror Adventures, this thread seems appropriate since a lot of us will likely soon be running full scale horror themed adventures.

For those you are not familiar with this kinda of thread, it works as follows. Together we compile a list of random events that are somehow horrific. In general it is not the idea that the events necessarily has any real impact, but they are used as a way to intensify the atmosphere of horror. At some point Mark Hoover shows up and takes the thread to a new level, and if we are really good, Broken Zenith immortalizes our work.

If you are still in doubt check out 150 Campsite Events

I'll kick off

1. Beyond the light of your campfire a white mist creeps along the forest floor muffling the sounds of night. From time to time long wispy tendrils stretches towards you camp, only to retract from the fire. You still have a few logs left, but this is the first watch.

2. Looking to the mirror your reflection suddenly flashes a ugly leer. It raises a piece of glass to its throat and slashes a long red gash. Reflexively you reach for your throat, but finds no pierced skin. The blood running down your shirt, however, is very real.

Heya,

In the next campaign I'm to play a grizzled ranger down on his luck and for that I intend to be swearing a lot. However in real life I never really found the need for profanities which makes this role extra challenging. Therefore I ask you to supply me with best/worst in game swear words and curses. My goal is to bring a list to the table so please keep them coming. The setting isn't complete fixed yet so try to avoid the deity specifics unless they are easily changed to other gods as well.
xoxo

I feel your loss brother, the same happened to me a year ago.

This is what I did: I broke my world

The fact is that i like you wouldn't have been able to recreate the world as it had been simply because it was to complex. Some of it was created through long nights of thinking while other parts were played out together with my players.

When it happened my players were on an adventure to stop a minor BBEG whom had committed some minor crime of stealing an artifact from a museum. I Changed the story and decided that this seemingly powerless artifact actually held the power to break the world. This was unknown to both the Pcs and the BBEG. I designed the combat to focus around using the artifact, but no matter who held it in the end, it would unleash its power destroying the world.

Breaking of worlds are need tools - See warcraft cataclysm, dragon lance cataclysm, wheel of time the breaking, forgotten realms times of trouble and spell plague etc.
It allows you to rethink everything. Nothing needs to be as it was. City might have been destroyed or sacked by someone seizing the moment. Seas have dried out and mountains have crumbled. In short it allows you to recreate your world from what you and you players remembers.

If you players remember Sandpoint their nice a quite city, have it change. Maybe it was swallowed by the sea, maybe it was conquered by a local warlord who rose when the nearby capitals city guard was killed in an earthquake.

By now I hope you get the idea. Get a general idea of what might have happened, but don't try to write it all down. Instead focus on the things that has taken up a lot of your games and the things that you PCs pays interest.

A last suggestion is to make you breaking a comment on your loss. I lost my notes in a flood and decided to flood my world, if yours etc were impounded by the government have your ingame government be the course of the breaking.

Sorry for a very long post

Heya,

I'm currently designing a home brew capital, but I'm drawing blanks on ideas for city districts. Basically I'm looking for inspiration to what might distinguish such districts. I'll need a lot, so don't hold back ;-)
I'm thinking something alike:

The slums: the poorest district that the city guard has abandoned and where law and order is governed by the gangs. A good place to keep a low profile, but also the place to have your throat cut for a couple of coppers.

Help me out;-)

Hi there,

Im about to starter WotW and haven't seen any threads like this one. Basically what i seek is the things that you changed to make AP work better as well as thing you in retrospect should have changed.

Thanks for your input

Hi all,

I'm creating a setting of which large parts will take part amongst the Nobility of the world. My world is fairly undefined, but in my experience few settings focus on what I'm looking for and therefore i found it appropriate to gather ideas here, much in the manner of threads such as "150 campsite events" etc.

What I specifically am looking for is what makes nobles appear noble in a fantasy setting and this comes in two parts.

Customs and Tradition and Character-bound expressions of nobility

The following may serve as examples.

1. Amongst the nobility it is common practice that young gentlemen who wishes to court a young lady must steal the first kiss while the lady is asleep. This leads to several window climbing accidents, but also to the practice of fathers leaving ladders outside windows of especially homebound ladies.

2. Lord Penendra comes from a colder climate and has had hard a time with the many layered noble outfits and hot ballrooms. He is quick to change into his birthday suit as soon as he is without other nobles, not finding any embarrassment in letting the commoners see him - as he says, they bathe him every week anyways.

If you have any ideas like these please share them for all to use. If you used any published material please add the source

Hi again, wow that was a lot of replies to read through, thank you all, i really appreciate it.
I shall try and reply to the questions raised.

- Those saying "don't post, just talk to gm". As stated i just wanted to have a second or 47th opinion on the topic before i started whining.

-I completely agree with the idea that enemies evolve and therefore doesn't complain about every foe having improved iron will. However, i also agree with Mathew Downie's comment

"Then our course of action is clear! We must all turn into a homebrew race who are immune to enchantment spells!"

-As some of you seem to have missed, I knew very well that playing a one-trick-pony would leave me useless in many combats, and therefore i took precautions towards this. When fighting the "normal" immune to mind affection i use scrolls such as halt undead and holy water and bolts of bane undead/constucts etc.

-Being a pure enchanter means very few defensive spells and therefore i use quite a lot of time lying on the ground.

-I know exactly how to make a min/max character, and how to make a character that can handle every situation. I deliberately did not want that. I have been extremely resourceful in golem/undead combats and that has not been a problem.

-I am not by any means the most dominating member in our group. I have my good days but other members shine far more. Usually i crowd control small portions of the battlefield while the rest of the gang kills other parts.

-This homebrew race was designed ability-wise only recently with the sole purpose of negating my character. The reason why i think there will be more is that a portal to their world was just opened and closing it is the main objective.

-A last note: We already have a house rule stating that any boss can reroll any condition on his turn instead of acting which greatly nerfs my spells against bosses.

I will talk to him next time

Hey,

Im creating a murder mystery and am highly inspired by gothic London. I want to create a Jack the Ripper inspired setting full of mist, darkness and madness. It is forgotten realms in a major city with lots of canals and mist.

What i seek here is ideas as how to create this scary/uncanny feeling? Any advice is very welcome.

Hi there,

Many of you guys always know the drill, but the sake of newcomers this thread attempts to build a database of random encounters (that may or may not carry further implications). The idea is that you can use this database to spice up downtime with some randoms events that makes your world seem more alive.

This episode regards the Pcs base of operation, be it a ruin, a city house or a new build castle. For the simplicity of it I shall refer to it as a castle, but don not let that restriction on your creativity.

1. A messenger come to the castle with an invitation to a ball. A local lord has taken notice of your growing power.

2. A wall explodes in the kitchen; A bulette comes bursting through the rubble.

3. A local farmer is asking for a loan after a failed harvest

The Judge - Have it yell "I Am - The law" everytime it Crits

This turn into some weird kinda of mud throwing intentionally or not.

I however think this plot sound awesome!

My players would not mind getting tricked in this manner as long as it was somewhat according to RAW.

That means that the trap would have to be very ingenius to actually catch them all.

I would probably go with a silence, darkness and hold (magic or a net), before dropping the wizard with the sleep spell. In that way he will not be seen, unless they have darkvision and you can make an effort in describing the happening rather than just have them fail some saves.

"The forest suddenly becomes quite. No bird is heard and the wind a that rustled the leaves a minute ago has died. You all stop dead in your tracks. [Leader] turn toward you mouthing something. It takes a moment before you realise that he is actually talking but no sound leaves his mouth. Then the entire forrest disappears and you are left in total darkness. The ground moved under your feet and you experience a sudden vertigo as you are heaved into the air. You struggle to escape from what feels like a hempen net. you reach for your sideknife but it slips from your fingers; you are tired; so tired"

What is you alternative route if they make the save?

I actually think you are quite safe that the PCs wont ask for a description of the wizard. Usually wizard are the ones with the pointy hats and staff. Give them his name and if they insist have the Guards tell them have a argument whether he has warts on his nose or a dragons tale (basically if this is an illusionist enchanter no one will really know).

When later on they encounter the servant you might want to have him where a chain too, if a longer one. Otherwise the pcs might question his allegiance.

Once the mayors son enters describe him to the Pcs as "wearing great flowing robes radiating magic and caring several scroll cases and wands at his side. He seems alot young than the wizards you have know but the evil look in his eyes tells you that this is no kid" at this point there should be no doubt that this is the wizard especially if he tortures them a bit (Which i think would be fine). Meanwhile have the Pcs make some sense motive checks which will reveal something about the son and the real wizard, but in a way that exploits the concept of delayed decoding.

Example one
In torture "while the other cuts have been shallow this one goes deep and you feel as deep red blood begins to run down your arm. You see [servant] standing behind [wizard]; eyes flare in anger and and for a moment you think he is about to pounce on your torturer but then he shrinks back"
Here the servant gets angry for his subject coursing actual harm to the Pcs, but the pcs will see something else until the truth is revealed.

Example two
While talking about what he will do to the town mayor or town or the like "In mid-sentece his eyes glazes over as if he is dreaming somewhere else - the distraction last only for a moment then his gaze return to you and his face explodes in a laugh 'muhaha you really think you have a chance'" This would actually represent the mayors son fighting the control and the last utterance is actually addressed to the mayors son.

The Mayors son have to have some magic items such as wand for the combat to be believable.

When they loot the "wizard" have them make a knowledge arcana check to see that the spell components are not genuin and that the town guards might have exaggerated quite a bit (which is supported by the fact that he was reliant on wands).

Have the servant help cover up the body of the boy for travelling and while doing it he can dismiss his illusion spell that create the image of the robes; leaving a very young-to-look-at boy in his noble outfit.

Disappearing should be fairly easy in a crowd or simply by imply that he really wanna see his wife on the out skirts of the town.

When they uncover the body there should be plenty of reason for imprisoning them. Especially since non of the other prisoners have seen anything.

If the Pcs doesnt make the conclusion them self have the servant appear in the crowd at the trial. Have him stand smiling in the far back, wink at them, chance his face to that of the boys and then walk away.

The only problem i see with this plot is that for the rest of the campaign your pcs will trust absolutely one one. But that can be a lot of fun as long as you are prepared ;-)

Hope this helps

Hey, we are starting a campaign and have to decide our base of operation in a semi large oceanside city. I've searched this forum for ideas, but most of the threads are a big high fantasy or extravagant.

The base of operation needs to fit in to a regular city but we are really trying not to be a tavern/inn/brewery because it seems to end in a bunch of alcoholic characters;-)

Any ideas are welcome so keep them coming.

Hi, im GMing Rotrl and im in need of some help.

I've just read alot of fiction where storytelling plays a big part and i wanna implement it in my game.
Therefore i've implementet NPCs that will meet with the Pcs and tell them stories.

However i want the stories to either foreshadow the events of the campaign or in some other way be useful to the pcs, without it being too obvious. This is where you come in :)

The first story is taking place on the way from sand point to magnimar where the Pcs meet a traveling group of varisian gypsies.

The second story is told by an old man the Pcs meet traveling from magninmar to turtleback.

If you have any sugestions om what the stries should be about or how they should be told, please feel free to contribute.

Hmm my group initially thought of Foxglove, but i had Deverin hire a dwarven squad of engineers to colapse the smuglers tunnel. They told the Pcs that they were actually in sand point to renovate the Foxglove manor, but their employer had fled to magnimar after the goblin attack. Or rather thats what people think.

Then i had scarnetti bandits cause alot of trouble at the same time as the murders putting Titus and Vhiski in the spotlight.

Then i had the Pcs discover that Tsuto had escaped on his way to Magnimar's court.

Then i had the Caizalu surrender being put in jail but still seeming to have quite some power in the city.

They will find clues of Foxglove manor next session, but til then im quite sure they are in the dark.

In the light of the success of the thread 150 Campsite events I want to to something similar but in an urban environment. Thus I bring you the “150 urban events”.
The plan is that we’ll write a list that can be used as inspiration or a tool for random events. I’ll start out ☺

1. A wagon passes by in high speed splashing the Pcs with mud.

2. Three thugs step out of the shadows in an alley, but backs off when they see the well-armed Pcs.

3. A noble challenges another noble (or a Pc) to a duel after his honour has been damage

Hey there,

Im looking for inputs that will make Magnimar feel more like a real city. It can be everything from small everyday events and rumors to plothooks and fights. I want to seperate the events into the city districts to make certain they feel different. Here is a few examples:

Bridgeward district
A puff of green smoke rises from the great chimneys of the Golem works.

A entourage of a rich noble mourns his death day in Mourners Plaza.

A Jeweler claim to have seen a giant monster from the Irespan rummaging the streets of underbridge at night.

Hi, i really need a lot of ideas for inbetween campsite events. Both combat and moodsetting events that make travelling come to life.
Examples:

#1 The adventures camp at a hay loft in a small barn. During night they are awoken as the barn door crashes open revealing two hill giants entering to steal cattle.

#2 During the night dark clouds gather and heavy rain starts to fall. Everything gets soaked and cold and each pc must make a survival check or be sickened for 1d4 days.

#3 One of the watchers notice a small fire through the woods. If the Pcs go to investigate they find a small band of outlaws who will share their meat and mead if the Pcs act civilized

Hi,
I need a reason the regent in my campaign would outlaw unschooled magic.

The obvious is that its unsafe and uncontrolled, but i would like a more specific reason and im kinda blanking out here.

Help most welcome