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jebob
2010-10-26, 04:01 PM
Alright, I expect you've all heard this before, but here goes:

I am running a game of Warrior, Rogue and Mage (http://krainboltgreene.tumblr.com/post/877841478) for my brother and two cousins. We played Legend of the Silver Skeleton (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20061017a), during which they screwed up my idea for a campaign.
The Setting:
Basic idea is there was a great empire that collapsed five hundred years ago, leaving behind a group of warring city states surrounded by barbarians (mostly kobolds and undead, but with elves, dragons and other magic monstrocities thrown in for good measure.)

The game takes part on the frontier of 'civilised' land. Here many kobolds have been accepted into society as second-class citizens.

The party:
Swordfish (Male Human Fighter). Has a big sword, and massive Defence (armour). Not a roleplayer, but does like his hack n slash.
Draco (Male human artificer). Has nice lightning bolts, doesn't always get on with the other players
Fern (Female Elven Squishy Wizard). Kleptomaniac, has a nice assortment of spells. Orphaned, and rescued by a hermit and brought to the area where the adventure begins.
Genne (Kobold Monk). Only joined us for the one session, so he's unimportant.

The scenario:
Ealy talks went pretty well, with Swordfish being sucessfully restrained by the others and Genne getting a nice diplomacy bonus for being a kobold. They got the skeleton and took the ring BEFORE they beat the cube, so it didn't regenerate. After getting a strong evil aura from the skeleton, they decided to sell it ASAP

After the scenario, I was planning for Euldecia (the scuubus) to take them along the next railroad, but thats pretty much over. So what am I to do?

EDIT: Also, how do you guys stop players passing round a ring of regeneration until everyone is fully healed for free between encounters?

Lord Bingo
2010-10-26, 05:20 PM
To address your latter question first: I guess I'd simply make them re-read the Ring of Regeneration's entry in Dungeon Master's Guide:smallwink: A ring of regeneration only heals damage you suffered while wearing the ring.
Other than that your characters must be very high level to have acquired such a wondrous item as it is worth nearly 100000GP so the fighter alone would still take several days to heal.

Regarding your campaign I think you should stop railroading your players. In the end all it will result in is them fighting you. Try to motivate them and listen to what they would like to experience. I always have a basic dungeon crawl in my drawer for when I am out of Ideas. Spend a few sessions running around. Also, remember that every plot you come up with does not have to be worthy of song.

jebob
2010-10-26, 06:42 PM
As to the ring, I think thats a good idea... I don't have the DMG, we're playing a non-DnD rpg. Unusual, I know... :smalltongue:

As to railroading, we have just finished a game designed to railroad, which put the 'f' in 'rail' (D&D adventure boardgame, don't ever play it). We have also never played a true sandbox game, so I'm wondering what to do.

teslas
2010-10-26, 06:45 PM
Out of curiosity, what level was your party going in to that?

I hate that damn module. A lot. Fail two checks if/when you get trapped and TPK with nothing you can do about it unless you metagame to the point where it's not fun anymore (and even then you might still very well die). Horrible design.

And yeah, as a DM, if at all possible, read everything about every item you intend to include in your session before you begin. Now that you've given your players such a ring, it would be rather cruel to simply say "DIDN'T HAPPEN." Let them use it for a time and then have it revert to a normal ring due to "the enhanced magic was used up" or some crap. I dunno, words it so it sounds better. And since they have that item, you can have some fun as a DM. Beat the absolute snot out of them for several encounters in one day. MAKE them use the ring.

And if I remember correctly, the skeleton in cube probably wouldn't have an evil aura, unless it were not the paladin as described in the module. Removing the ring borked it all up anyway, that's hilarious.

As far as your question. Have someone pass through the Inn and brag about how he knows of a fortune to be made. Make him be the inspiration for the next course of action. If they don't hear him or care to listen, have them meet him on the road at night and have him already be drunk.

-Maybe he's trying to lure stupid people into something?
-Maybe he's a drunkard that is opening his big mouth before meeting with his own adventuring party?
-Maybe he's lying and when the party gets to the destination they find something else instead, but it gives you a session's worth of random encounters and a short dungeon (who is going to complain about xp and loot?) crawl to stall on more storyline. Then they also have someone to find and enact revenge upon, if that's their thing.

edit-
Just saw that you're not playing true D&D. Disregard my thoughts on the module, then, as you probably didn't encounter a lot of it.