Hey folks,
I've been running Rise of the Runelords with my group for about a year now, but our Cleric is leaving for a few months to do some travelling and since my group are best friends, we want to keep hanging out and playing every week. So, I've decided I'd do a short campaign that revolves around a group of strangers trying to escape a dungeon together. The basic premise is that our heroes wake up in individual cells with no gear, must find a way out, find their gear and break out of the tower. However, the tower is a magical entity and each floor has a unique challenge and can even change shapes, as in one floor could be a typical dungeon style level, but the next floor is a jungle and the one after that is a fiery volcano. The party must make their way to the surface above to escape.
I'm giving my players a blank check to make the most ridiculous characters (no third party stuff) so most classes/races are allowed. Doing a 20 point buy and starting at level 10. I'm mulling over how to deal with gear. When they find their stash of gear, they'll find one weapon of their choice, but with a random enchantment, one armor of their choice with a random enchantment and one random slotless magic item. I'm thinking of starting them off with 10,000 GP to purchase other items that they'll find in their chests as gear they'd like for whatever their build is. What are you thoughts on this? Too much money or not enough for a level 10 party? All loot found during the adventure will be randomly rolled.
Next, I'd love to hear about some of your favourite moments so that I can try to work them into the campaign. I want this to be just the most entertaining/ridiculous campaign to break up the serious doom and gloom of Runelords. So, what were your favourite fights, puzzles or scenarios you've experienced or run. Or have you always wanted to run something, but never got a chance? Let me know what you're dream campaign would look like!
Next, I'd love to hear about some of your favourite moments so that I can try to work them into the campaign. I want this to be just the most entertaining/ridiculous campaign to break up the serious doom and gloom of Runelords. So, what were your favourite fights, puzzles or scenarios you've experienced or run. Or have you always wanted to run something, but never got a chance? Let me know what you're dream campaign would look like!
I like making kobolds deadly. If you can make the party be AFRAID of KOBOLDS, you're doing something right. But this is a 10th level adventure, so I'm not sure...
I will say this: my favorite fights that I've GM'd have involved throwing curveballs at the players mid-fight. What looks like a simple hallway with monsters actually has traps between the players and the monsters. Enemies leap out from doors to the side. Archers up high on balconies fire down at the players while big, beefy monsters engage them in melee below. Etc.
One of my favorite low level encounters I ever ran had the players cleave through some kobolds only to have the kobold spellcaster use Animate Dead to bring them back as zombies (and promptly murder the sorcerer).
Another fun fight had the players fighting a Vampire Hydra (which I allowed to keep its regeneration and stuff that you normally lose for being undead and ALSO get the vampiric bites).
I also in 3.5 used shieldwall trained orc vikings against my players. They fought in formation and hurled javelins. That was fun.
But perhaps my favorite DM moment was when I made a custom "Confusion" effect during an ocean campaign. I told the players NO SPEAKING WAS ALLOWED AT ALL, NO COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER. Everyone but one player failed their will save for the effect. Everyone that failed their save saw something weird happening (things I picked from a list I made before hand), such as seeing monsters jump out at them, or thinking they were literally melting while their party did nothing, or thinking that alien monsters had just burst out of their allies' stomachs and were attacking them, or... you get the idea.
Basically, all those players saw something different happen, I asked them each in turn (via notes) what they did in response, and then I continued on down the initiative track. The one sane man watched his friends go insane (they were attacking each other and throwing themselves overboard and what-have-you) and had to find a way to stop it.
I guess Duck Island also had fun moments like the Quacklings, the Velociquacktors, the Duckubus, the eggs with legs that exploded in acidic yolk, and the otyugh that made obnoxious quacking noises as it fought the party. Oh, and the Quackon. A Quackon is a dragon, except it's a duck. And it sings.
Here's what I'd do: give them higher than WBL, BUT make the choices the ones that no person would ever buy. The "Specific" Magic arms & armor, like
Catskin leather, Sword of subtlety, and so forth. Give each PC 4, count 'em four items, each around 20-25000, and then a number of cheap items everyone has like a wand of clw, everburning torch, etc.
Now, if the player says his PC is a greatsword specialist, then of course it will be a greatsword. and of course armour they are proficient with.
Pure spellcasters would get a staff, a robe , ring and then a belt, boots what ever.
Each gets a "kit" (like "Rangers kit") from Ultimate Equipment.
Let them find the rest.
Dont be afraid to give the greatsword specialist a 54K Frost brand and then three much lesser items.
Should be fun.