Writing my own story.

[Doomboy911]

Well a few friends of mine and I play Dungeons & Dragons. I was wondering if recording what we did and making a story out of it would sound good?

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Can't hurt.

[Dienekes]

You may need to spice it up a little (never let the truth get in the way of a good story), but I see no reason why it wouldn't.

[Doomboy911]

Yeah like I'll make jokes that would've been great at the time. Also unless the fight is important I'm going to be a bit vague like "Across the field stood a plain of goblins. If they wished to pass they'd have to either sneak past or fight. Though there never was anything sneaky about a barbarian."

[Sneak]

Execution > Idea

[Temotei]

I wrote a story once for 8th grade, then I adapted it to D&D. Some of it was incompatible (i.e. the main character was able to use small spells, was extremely powerful in melee (nearly single-handedly took down a balor and twenty undead minions), and had wealth beyond that of a character his (assumed) level).

He would have, under core, been about level 21 - 23.

If Tome of Battle is included, he'd probably be more like 18 - 20.

If I waive the whole light spellcasting thing (they were mostly cantrips and orisons), I can just say he acquired them via bonus feats or feats from the DM or something.

Then we have a character of about level 15 with items that go way beyond what should be for a level 15 character.

Just guessing.

How long is this story going to be?

[Dienekes]

Though there never was anything sneaky about a barbarian."

You need to read more Conan.

And Sneak has it right. Doing a bad idea amazing is far better than taking an amazing idea and sucking at it.

[Doomboy911]

So than how could I better execute an idea like this?

[Pharaoh's Fist]

So than how could I better execute an idea like this?

With a guillotine.

[Temotei]

With a guillotine.

I see what you did there.

To better adapt your game to a story, you'll have to bend rules for some things. Maybe exaggerate damage taken against big enemies. If a main character is dying, make it dramatic, but not stupidly so (read: Wulfgar's death).

NPC's are far more important in stories than in D&D games, in my opinion. Use that.

[Doomboy911]

Might it help if they broke the fourth wall like order of the stick. I have one scene I thought would be funny. "They watched as the mighty assassin rushed into battle slaughtering the hordes of soldiers. " He truly is a great man" said Jack lowering his hat in respect. "He's also getting all the XP" the thought dawned on them and they leaped from atop the hill into battle."

So the idea comes up whether they should break the fourth wall and know they're in game (yes it sounds like OOTS but its not a comedy.)?

[Temotei]

Might it help if they broke the fourth wall like order of the stick. I have one scene I thought would be funny. "They watched as the mighty assassin rushed into battle slaughtering the hordes of soldiers. " He truly is a great man" said Jack lowering his hat in respect. "He's also getting all the XP" the thought dawned on them and they leaped from atop the hill into battle."

So the idea comes up whether they should break the fourth wall and know they're in game (yes it sounds like OOTS but its not a comedy.)?

Order of the Stick works because it's supposed to be funny while having a serious storyline.

If your story isn't supposed to be funny, don't break the fourth wall. In fact, I wouldn't, just because doing that really is quite cliché and a little risky. It might just take away from the story.

What kind of story are you going for? Adventure, obviously, but are you going for a really long, epic adventure (campaign), or a semi-long, purposeful adventure (adventure)? Maybe even just one quest?

I'd say: Don't break the fourth wall, unless you want your story to be a comedy.

[celticbushido]

Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, wrote the Dragonlance Chronicles series, which was at least inspired in many ways by their gaming sessions. Granted TSR gave them game material with the specific intention of turning it into a novelized world, but still the game was the starting point.

One of the most important things to do in my opinion is taking what your players do and integrating that into the characters themselves. Using the DL example again, the character of Raistlin's voice a quiet whispering rasp is considering to be one of the cornerstones of his character. It creates an err of mystery for him while at the same time helping to convey his fragile health. The raspy voice was inspired by Raistlin's original play tester in Weis and Hickman's group.

In short for me anyway, the roleplaying is what makes the game, so when you're writing the overall story, don't forget the sometimes small roleplaying moments they can come to define, and create landmark characters, who may otherwise have come off as something more flat.

[Temotei]

Also, spells shouldn't be written as they're cast in the game world. No gating in some monster who casts wish three times then goes back, only for you to do the same thing again without effort.

Make high-level spells very, very powerful, and possibly energy consuming in text-form.

For example: A barbarian kills three hundred goblins, taking no damage. He would still be winded in real life, so he is in the story. Perhaps even change it so in the story, he actually did take massive injuries (since that's what is supposed to happen when you fight hundreds of enemies and survive). Point: He's winded, possibly injured, possibly badly.

The wizard casts summon monster IX to summon a really huge monster to take out three hundred goblins. After casting the spell, he's sweating, his eyes are watering, and his muscles feel weaker from the exertion of will in summoning the monster and holding it on the material plane.

That sort of thing. None of that "I'm a wizard. I cast wish. End."

[Doomboy911]

Well it well be an adventure just them going from place to place working for anyone, occasionally going on a long job as needed.The comedy would be derived from the characters not situations.The bard and barbarian always making jokes while we laugh at the others reactions to things.