The PCs are part of an outcast prince's attempt to start his own country on a different continent. So far they've founded two towns and befriended both a tribe of kobolds and a nest of phase spiders. There is an overarching plot involving demons and a Lamashtu cult, but the last session before the break developed that, so I'm mostly looking for ideas for interesting things to have them do while I try to get my brain back in GM mode.
The PCs all work for the fledgling government. The indigenous population is short on core races. Except gnomes. Those guys pop up everywhere.
If that summary isn't helpful, I'll be glad to answer any questions anyone has.
What if someone from the exiled prince's former homeland comes looking for him for a bounty? The PCs could defend him and gain favor with him if they successfully repel the attackers. I ran a similar adventure like this in which my PCs had to go after an exiled prince who was trying to orchestrate a coup on the government (and his brother the newly crowned king) of the country he was forced to leave.
What if someone from the exiled prince's former homeland comes looking for him for a bounty? The PCs could defend him and gain favor with him if they successfully repel the attackers. I ran a similar adventure like this in which my PCs had to go after an exiled prince who was trying to orchestrate a coup on the government (and his brother the newly crowned king) of the country he was forced to leave.The PCs are part of an outcast prince's attempt to start his own country on a different continent. So far they've founded two towns and befriended both a tribe of kobolds and a nest of phase spiders. There is an overarching plot involving demons and a Lamashtu cult, but the last session before the break developed that, so I'm mostly looking for ideas for interesting things to have them do while I try to get my brain back in GM mode.
The PCs all work for the fledgling government. The indigenous population is short on core races. Except gnomes. Those guys pop up everywhere.
If that summary isn't helpful, I'll be glad to answer any questions anyone has.
Sounds like exactly the kind of thing his family would do. I like it. Thanks.
Or the other obvious storyline would be an outside threat to the two towns they helped found. Barbarian raiders, cultists, Godzilla... whatever.
I've done that a couple times already, so I'd like to have some more sessions before the next one to avoid it getting stale.
It was a dark and stormy night...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
What if someone from the exiled prince's former homeland comes looking for him for a bounty? The PCs could defend him and gain favor with him if they successfully repel the attackers. I ran a similar adventure like this in which my PCs had to go after an exiled prince who was trying to orchestrate a coup on the government (and his brother the newly crowned king) of the country he was forced to leave.The PCs are part of an outcast prince's attempt to start his own country on a different continent. So far they've founded two towns and befriended both a tribe of kobolds and a nest of phase spiders. There is an overarching plot involving demons and a Lamashtu cult, but the last session before the break developed that, so I'm mostly looking for ideas for interesting things to have them do while I try to get my brain back in GM mode.
The PCs all work for the fledgling government. The indigenous population is short on core races. Except gnomes. Those guys pop up everywhere.
If that summary isn't helpful, I'll be glad to answer any questions anyone has.
^ or instead of coming directly after him, they decide to destroy his (already limited support base) and turn the locals against the settlers. Maybe the local gnomes start dropping like flies from plague that's never been seen in the area again and think that the PCs' side of things has brought it over, but in the end it's a plot from the prince-in-exile's enemies...
^ or instead of coming directly after him, they decide to destroy his (already limited support base) and turn the locals against the settlers. Maybe the local gnomes start dropping like flies from plague that's never been seen in the area again and think that the PCs' side of things has brought it over, but in the end it's a plot from the prince-in-exile's enemies...What if someone from the exiled prince's former homeland comes looking for him for a bounty? The PCs could defend him and gain favor with him if they successfully repel the attackers. I ran a similar adventure like this in which my PCs had to go after an exiled prince who was trying to orchestrate a coup on the government (and his brother the newly crowned king) of the country he was forced to leave.The PCs are part of an outcast prince's attempt to start his own country on a different continent. So far they've founded two towns and befriended both a tribe of kobolds and a nest of phase spiders. There is an overarching plot involving demons and a Lamashtu cult, but the last session before the break developed that, so I'm mostly looking for ideas for interesting things to have them do while I try to get my brain back in GM mode.
The PCs all work for the fledgling government. The indigenous population is short on core races. Except gnomes. Those guys pop up everywhere.
If that summary isn't helpful, I'll be glad to answer any questions anyone has.
Those are some tasty seeds, right there.
What if someone from the exiled prince's former homeland comes looking for him for a bounty? The PCs could defend him and gain favor with him if they successfully repel the attackers. I ran a similar adventure like this in which my PCs had to go after an exiled prince who was trying to orchestrate a coup on the government (and his brother the newly crowned king) of the country he was forced to leave.Sounds like exactly the kind of thing his family would do. I like it. Thanks.
You're welcome!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Tangent time.
(a) Somethings Should Not Be A tribe of kobolds that worship Shub-Niggurath are picking off outlying farmers and their families for appropriate sacrifices by stealth, trickery and guile. They leave booby traps behind to thwart nosy neighbors picking up their trail. The kobolds' goal is to "seed" several Dark Young in their turf to wipe out the annoying human settlements.
Depending on the APL, they're going to hopefully thwart the ritual before it is concluded, or they're going to tangle with one or more Dark Young. Best way to run something like this is to establish a timeline, during which other more mundane events are occurring. Let's see how well the players pay attention.
Are the PCs up to the task, or will a thing out of nightmare rampage through the budding kingdom?
(b) Winter is Coming or has Just Arrived. Go all Game of Thrones if you like with certain death encroaching by way of a horde of spawn-inducing frozen undead horrors, or keep it simpler. Especially for groups that lack access to plot-thwarting magic, a massive prolonged blizzard entrapping them in a creepy castle during the winter holidays is prime fodder for setting up a gaggle of "small stories" all interlocking. It snows and snows and snows, dropping a dozen feet of snow during the course of a few days. Combine The Shining, Clue, Castle Ravenloft and The Thing.
Using this for higher level groups it's not a matter of the weather so much as it is a matter of how many important NPCs they can keep alive and well until the weather breaks. If the characters have access to weather control spells, perhaps a particularly nasty creature is able to counter their magic with its own. A hag coven, wendigo or just a yet-to-be-revealed BBET has decided to test the capabilities of his/her/its potential foes with lesser, disposable minions. One may (or may not) possess information that gives the heroes their first clue to the lurking threat.
Will the PCs be able to save the lords and principle players of the realm, or will these persons be murdered by rivals and/or picked off by a hidden horror?
(c) Dead Reckoning An organization of bored gnomes with low moral standards, strong clannish bonds, the Fell Magic racial trait and a surplus of ambition have decided that it's time to take over for themselves. They're fond of Necromancy and during the course of Other Events have quietly been amassing an army of armored and armed zombies (variants as the NPCs are capable of, although brain-eating zombies are recommended). Perhaps these charming chaps are the gnomes that have traditionally taken care of funeral arrangements, wakes and holiday ball/party planning.
Current events have taken a toll on the trained guards et al - i.e., all of the NPCs with respectable armor and weapons training with those that knew how to handle siege engines being particularly prized. Once they feel that they have enough of a force, they stage a coup of their own. A dozen or so 3rd level clerics or 4th level oracles with lesser animate dead can field a force of at least 100-200 zombie shock troopers with skeleton archers providing ranged firepower. An extended clan of 30-50 could directly command a much larger force, especially with access to Command Undead (feat) and command undead spells. Liberal use of desecrate and a choice voidstick makes this a nasty adventure for a lower-level group to contend with. The gnomes don't know the true power of a voidstick, or they'd be bending all of their resources to acquiring a great many of them.
Will the adventurers twig to any discrepancies as Clan Fellgnome prepares its master stroke, or will a horde of brain-eating undead pour into the Holiday Ball with indiscriminate hunger?
(d) Running Amok A supposedly simple premise: a powerful demon able to possess others gets it in its head that the local orphanage or school house is a prime source of entertainment. Not by endangering the children or bringing them to harm ... oh no. By using the urchins as the hands that its skills bring to bear. Sabotage, poisonings, sneaking in to acquire blackmail materials, starting up stampedes, many things are possible.
Can the heroes determine what is going on and stop the fiend before it unleashes a fire in the crops shortly before harvest time? If it succeeds in doing so before they track it down and stop it, how will they handle the potential famine?
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
|
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
New grievance:
Somebody recruiting for a game says they want "adults", which they define as being 30+ years old. Though I myself qualify (yay?) I have friends who own their homes and have successful marriages, stable careers, and happy children; but who apparently don't count as "adults" yet just because they were born later than AD&D was.
/facepalm
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
You are part of a group of henchmen, hirelings, 1st level types, working for some experienced and powerful adventurers. You are left to hold the horses outside the dungeon.
Suddenly there's a cloud of rank dark smoke and four pairs of smoking boots appear- and a evil laugh....
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
New grievance:
Somebody recruiting for a game says they want "adults", which they define as being 30+ years old. Though I myself qualify (yay?) I have friends who own their homes and have successful marriages, stable careers, and happy children; but who apparently don't count as "adults" yet just because they were born later than AD&D was.
/facepalm
It may not be "adults", but I kind of understand their reasoning for doing a 30+ cutoff. I am f#$%ing tired of people skipping D&D games because they're hungover.
|
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
It may not be "adults", but I kind of understand their reasoning for doing a 30+ cutoff. I am f+!*ing tired of people skipping D&D games because they're hungover.New grievance:
Somebody recruiting for a game says they want "adults", which they define as being 30+ years old. Though I myself qualify (yay?) I have friends who own their homes and have successful marriages, stable careers, and happy children; but who apparently don't count as "adults" yet just because they were born later than AD&D was.
/facepalm
Uh, the exact terminology isn't the issue. It's the assumption of a threshold between tiers of maturity at the age of 30. Those same friends I mentioned earlier who are under thirty but are raising kids and nurturing marriages while working successful careers, are also not missing engagements due to hangovers. Meanwhile, here at work I'm surrounded by dozens of folks aged 40-65 whose primary recreational activities mostly center around just sitting at home drinking.
The grievance I have is not the use of the word "adult", but the use of ageism as a lazy alternative to the legitimate assessment of people's actions.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Or the less classic
"It's a dark and stormy night. You're in a tavern, when you're approached by a mysterious woman, who throws a fireball at you."
I laughed way too loudly at this. Thank you for that.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
I'm about to resume a campaign after a long hiatus and I have no idea what to write for the first session.Let's hear about your campaign. Maybe someone can throw some ideas your way.The PCs are part of an outcast prince's attempt to start his own country on a different continent. So far they've founded two towns and befriended both a tribe of kobolds and a nest of phase spiders. There is an overarching plot involving demons and a Lamashtu cult, but the last session before the break developed that, so I'm mostly looking for ideas for interesting things to have them do while I try to get my brain back in GM mode.
The PCs all work for the fledgling government. The indigenous population is short on core races. Except gnomes. Those guys pop up everywhere.
If that summary isn't helpful, I'll be glad to answer any questions anyone has.
How about do a Roanoke Colony thing. The party gets word that when a messenger went to one of the towns it was entirely empty. Everyone had disappeared without a trace.
I have actually used openings like that. It helps to hasted things when the time is short.I laughed way too loudly at this. Thank you for that.Or the less classic
"It's a dark and stormy night. You're in a tavern, when you're approached by a mysterious woman, who throws a fireball at you."
You've got a table filled with energetic players and their freshly-rolled level 1 characters, no smudges on their HP box, dice all lined up nicely...
GM -
"It's a dark and stormy night. You're in a tavern, when you're approached by a mysterious woman, who throws a fireball at you. Roll reflex saves, DC 16."
Player 1: ...
Player 2: I saved! Oh, I'm still dead.
Player 3: Bro, wtf...
GM: Tee hee hee! Okay, now its your turn to GM!
15 hp shouldn't kill most 1st level PCs ... they might be squirming twitching burn ward occupants, but not guaranteed dead. Unless they dump-statted their Con for some reason. ;)
I have actually used openings like that. It helps to hasted things when the time is short.I laughed way too loudly at this. Thank you for that.Or the less classic
"It's a dark and stormy night. You're in a tavern, when you're approached by a mysterious woman, who throws a fireball at you."
You've got a table filled with energetic players and their freshly-rolled level 1 characters, no smudges on their HP box, dice all lined up nicely...
GM -
"It's a dark and stormy night. You're in a tavern, when you're approached by a mysterious woman, who throws a fireball at you. Roll reflex saves, DC 16."[dice=Fireball damage]8d6
Player 1: ...
Player 2: I saved! Oh, I'm still dead.
Player 3: Bro, wtf...
GM: Tee hee hee! Okay, now its your turn to GM!one example went like this
DM: It's a dark and stormy night. You're in a tavern, when you're approached by panicking man. He reaches you while screaming "she is coming, she is coming. Help me!"
PC: "calm down man and tells what happens"
DM: A mysterious woman enter the tavern...and throws a fireball at you. Roll reflex.
PC: "wha?"The lady in questions was a fire based sorceress who happened to be a bounty hunter and the panicked guy was the bounty. She didn't care about colateral damage as long as she could collect her money.
I guess she wasn't looking to collect on the "alive" bounty, just the "dead" one?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Wanted: Well done or medium rare.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Long pork BBQ is said to be quite the delicacy. ;)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Indeed, slow cooking is superior for the older or fattier specimens.
So, a grievance.
I have a friend and long time gaming partner who just moved to my town. Like me, he loves gaming, etc. But my grievance is this; we already have 2 games we're running and barely have time for those. He's been running a module that hasn't been much fun (and he's not that great a GM to begin with) but out of the spirit of the game we've been playing. But he won't play in our established games.
The first is a 10th level d20 Call of Cthulhu/Vampire: the Masquerade mashup set in WWII. We're having a helluva time with it, but he's not interested in it. Fair enough. The second is my campaign, a 13th level/mythic tiers 1-3 game intrigue based game that's been going for over 3 years. He says he can't play a high level character because he can't feel connected to it and MUST always start at low levels when he plays. Yet he expects us to play in his game, and when he finishes this module he wants me to co-GM an evil, city based intrigue oriented game starting at 2nd level. Well, we already have one of those except for the evil and low level, but he won't play in it. And not many people are showing any interest in his, so I do feel bad for him. But it just seems a bit unfair that he won't play in our games but expects us to play in his.
Grievance over. Carry on.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
A thread for venting about your roleplaying experiences. Your GM won't let you play that kitsune kineticist you're dying to try out? You killed an ancient black dragon and all you got was a lousy +2 sword? The other players make fun of you when you try to roleplay an accent? Your game has been canceled for three weeks running? Whine about it here. Please keep the tone light and friendly.
1) I am sick of being the GM all the time because
2) If I don't GM, there is no game!
3) I don't particularly like adventure paths or megadungeons, and that's all the Big Names do these days. -.-
4) Dungeon magazine doesn't exist. 'nuff said.
Thanks for letting me vent!
-The Gneech
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Uhm, what do you like?
3) I don't particularly like adventure paths or megadungeons, and that's all the Big Names do these days. -.-
I like single-adventure modules ("Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth" sized, for ex), smaller adventures, and sidetreks that I can easily string together myself. (Hence item #4, that Dungeon magazine doesn't exist. Before the emergence of adventure paths, it was far and away the best value in gaming.)
-TG
AP chapters can often be run as modules.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
My GM has changed systems midway through a game from Pathfinder to 5E, the character I'm playing is fairly non-standard and I have never played 5E before.
I have no idea how to create him, we're going to probably suffer a huge hit in ability meaning some of the things he'd done previously make no sense and a bunch of his equipment is now basically vestigial fluff. I can totally sympathize with him wanting to switch systems but I have no idea how to bring him across and I can't complain since the rest of the party are also pretty down with it and it might help a game that was going incredibly slowly speed up and smooth out.
But, a character I really enjoyed playing and don't really want to retire might end up mechanically not viable, as in I literally cannot make him.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So, a grievance.
I have a friend and long time gaming partner who just moved to my town. Like me, he loves gaming, etc. But my grievance is this; we already have 2 games we're running and barely have time for those. He's been running a module that hasn't been much fun (and he's not that great a GM to begin with) but out of the spirit of the game we've been playing. But he won't play in our established games.
The first is a 10th level d20 Call of Cthulhu/Vampire: the Masquerade mashup set in WWII. We're having a helluva time with it, but he's not interested in it. Fair enough. The second is my campaign, a 13th level/mythic tiers 1-3 game intrigue based game that's been going for over 3 years. He says he can't play a high level character because he can't feel connected to it and MUST always start at low levels when he plays. Yet he expects us to play in his game, and when he finishes this module he wants me to co-GM an evil, city based intrigue oriented game starting at 2nd level. Well, we already have one of those except for the evil and low level, but he won't play in it. And not many people are showing any interest in his, so I do feel bad for him. But it just seems a bit unfair that he won't play in our games but expects us to play in his.
Grievance over. Carry on.
I swear the more of your post I read and knowing you are from the same smallish state really makes me wonder if we either have played together or at least have some of the same players.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
My GM has changed systems midway through a game from Pathfinder to 5E, the character I'm playing is fairly non-standard and I have never played 5E before.
I have no idea how to create him, we're going to probably suffer a huge hit in ability meaning some of the things he'd done previously make no sense and a bunch of his equipment is now basically vestigial fluff. I can totally sympathize with him wanting to switch systems but I have no idea how to bring him across and I can't complain since the rest of the party are also pretty down with it and it might help a game that was going incredibly slowly speed up and smooth out.
But, a character I really enjoyed playing and don't really want to retire might end up mechanically not viable, as in I literally cannot make him.
I sympathise.
I always figure it's better to stop the campaign midway and start again if the group wants to switch systems. It's hard enough to ditch the mindset of one RPG and adopt the new one - it makes it harder still when you're trying to keep everything else "the same". Plus you'll keep getting hit by things you used to do but now can't - that's not going to help you like the new system. Fingers crossed it works out for you.
My unsolicited suggestion is to retire the PC and bring a new PC in with the new system.
Oh yeah, one-off adventures are certainly findable, but once upon a time they were delivered in my mailbox quarterly with high production values without me having to go hunting for them. Hence, my griping about it in an "air your grievances" thread. XD
-The Gneech
|
Paizo publishes shorter modules than adventure paths, and even has a subscription service, so you can get them mailed to you regularly. I've only played a few of them, but they've been very good.
Generally, Paizo does adventures very well. That's part of why I'm such a fan of Pathfinder Society, and why I still play Pathfinder, even though I'm mildly annoyed that it's reached the point of rules bloat.
I swear the more of your post I read and knowing you are from the same smallish state really makes me wonder if we either have played together or at least have some of the same players.
I'm sure we haven't game together, as my group is pretty insular and while we welcome new players, we haven't had any join the group from around here (he makes the drive from Memphis to here in Conway when he can get away from work). But yeah, there does seem to be a bit of similarity between our groups.. .lol. Where in the Great State of Arkansas do you live, if I may ask?
Paizo publishes shorter modules than adventure paths, and even has a subscription service, so you can get them mailed to you regularly. I've only played a few of them, but they've been very good.
Generally, Paizo does adventures very well. That's part of why I'm such a fan of Pathfinder Society, and why I still play Pathfinder, even though I'm mildly annoyed that it's reached the point of rules bloat.
Oh, I know! I used to be subscribed and probably still would be if I had the budget at the moment. It's the closest thing to what I want on the market.
-TG
I swear the more of your post I read and knowing you are from the same smallish state really makes me wonder if we either have played together or at least have some of the same players.I'm sure we haven't game together, as my group is pretty insular and while we welcome new players, we haven't had any join the group from around here (he makes the drive from Memphis to here in Conway when he can get away from work). But yeah, there does seem to be a bit of similarity between our groups.. .lol. Where in the Great State of Arkansas do you live, if I may ask?
Monticello
Yeah, that's a few hours away from me. Are you a student at UAM or just a native of that fair city?
Born and raised here but several of my old group from here moved up that way and live in or around Conway.
Born and raised here but several of my old group from here moved up that way and live in or around Conway.
That's cool. I have all the players I need, otherwise I'd have you let them know I was around and ready to Pathfind with new folks, though some people might not like our style (serious game with lots of outside the game goofiness) lol. I also bend and even break rules as needed to make something more cinematic or fun at that particular moment.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Born and raised here but several of my old group from here moved up that way and live in or around Conway.That's cool. I have all the players I need, otherwise I'd have you let them know I was around and ready to Pathfind with new folks, though some people might not like our style (serious game with lots of outside the game goofiness) lol. I also bend and even break rules as needed to make something more cinematic or fun at that particular moment.
You and I would get along very well at the table, Dungeonmaster Cal. Shame I'm on the other side of the country.
You and I would get along very well at the table, Dungeonmaster Cal. Shame I'm on the other side of the country.
That's the way it always goes.
Heck I'm just 2 1/2 hours out and I am still too far.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Heck I'm just 2 1/2 hours out and I am still too far.
I have some friends who play semi-regularly who drive from Memphis, and that's nearly 3 hours. Another is going to start driving from Dumas, about the same time frame as you, once she gets settled into her new house. She won't be a regular player, either, as her job doesn't permit her many weekends. I feel pretty honored that these folks make the long trips over once a month or so.
|
My grievance du jour: There is never enough room in a game session to really describe everything in something other than game terms.
By that I mean that what usually happens is on their turn most players announce "I attack him with my axe" or "I cast holy smite" and then resolve the attack, determine damage, move on to the next player.
What I would really like to see happening is what you might get if you were reading a book, or watching a movie and then trying to describe it verbally to someone else. Instead of "I power attack" I wish people would say something like, "I swing my axe at his head and roar like a bear!" Instead of "I cast magic missile", I'd like to hear other players (or myself) saying, "Three tiny beads of glowing force energy shoot out of [character's] fingertips, flying unerringly toward the spellcaster on the other side of the room!"
Similarly, we often use names of NPCs or monsters as shorthand when there's no in-game reason for us to use those names. We weren't introduced to those NPCs, we failed our dungeoneering or arcana checks to identify that creature - we shouldn't know their personal names or what manner of creature they are. But just as it's easier to say "I cast [spell name]" instead of describing it, it's easier to say "I attack Mystico the wizard" instead of "I attack the robed figure who seems to be casting spells". And that ruins my immersion in the game and makes me sad.
I have complained of this to my gaming friends, and one of my GMs is encouraging me to use more description when playing my wizard in his campaign. But the other players don't seem very interested in giving it a try. Though I understand that everyone may not feel as comfortable coming up with that kind of descriptive speech on the fly (I'm a writer, so it comes to me a little more easily), it still disappoints me.