LansXero
2011-01-03, 02:51 AM
Hello everyone!
This week I will be meeting with an experienced group of people who've been playin together for 12 years, for character creation, introductions and presenting a summary of the adventure. Im a bit nervous about facing people with far more experience than myself, but also very excited as I really like DMing :D
So, what kind of signs do you look for to decide if a DM is going to be good or not? Anything in particular that stands out or is a `must`when starting a group? Any potential red flags I should avoid?
As for the campaign itself, I have a couple of ideas now, and I think I have something good, but commentary would be apreciated:
Aproved material:
I plan on allowing everything published in 3.5, however I reserve the right to ban broken stuff in a case-by-case basis; this is a serious group and I don`t want to appear limited or afraid by cutting out choices. Considering a game can be broken with core spells, it really shouldnt get too out of hand. This forum has also taught me about all the broken things I should be on the lookout for :P. Im not sure about allowing Pathfinder classes/feats, as Im not very familiar with it. Would that be too problematic?
House Rules:
Common sense and verosimilitude supersede rules as written.
RAI comes before RAW.
If a rule isnt remebered off-hand, anyone who wants it ruled a certain way has 2 minutes to produce the relevant section in whichever manual applies. If he/she cant, I adjudicate it based on whatever makes the most sense at the time, and it will be looked up and resolved in the time between sessions.
NPCs are people too, meaning playes should not expect them to bend over backwards in servitude, and also there will be lots of PC-classed `monsters`running around.
Alignment is a suggestion, not a straight jacket; its prone to shifting in the middle of the campaign based on actions, and chaotic stupid will be heavily punished.
Skill checks will be used VERY liberally. In favor of a more `cinematic`experience, Ill allow them to use skills in-combat for stuff like climbing on top of a big monster and hitting its head, aimed shots, etc. It will be adjudicated on the fly, to encourage fast thinking on both DM and players.
Campaign Setting:
Homebrew, I guess. Basically, I love Eberron's gray morality and 'if its in D&Dm, it has a place here' philosophy, but I also like the Great Wheel cosmology from planescape, so it will be a mix of both. Greenskins and other humanoid races are more than just fodder, and there is more to them than meets the eye. `Monster`PC races are completely normal and actually encouraged, :P
Adventure Summary:
Im going to crib an idea I read on a thread here (Ill look it up later to give proper credit) about the PCs starting as paid mercenaries for a kingdom. This should help avoid the cliché of meeting at a tavern and the awkwardness of having to go from strangers to allies without a real reason. Also, I hope this will reflect the actual experience the players have from past campaigns. It will start at level 1, as they 'graduate' from this Kingdom's mandatory mercenary boot camp. They will be provided basic equipment and a small sum of gold as an advance and given their first mission; Im debating wheter to make the graduation ceremony a small party vs party arena combat. If they were to win, they'd start with a magic item as a prize, and a larger amount of money each; if they were to lose, well, no biggie. It would let me gauge their power level and plan accordingly, and I was hoping to introduce a rival party of adventurers this way, whio could either become hated or apreciated. The basic idea behind the whole affair with sponsoring adventurers was, in that other thread, to have Mindflayers running the kingdom in the shadows, who were flavoring the adventurers brains by having them gain experience. This rival party could serve eventually as a lead-in to that, when it goes back to the kingdom's capital for its reward and then vanishes from the face of the earth. But I get ahead of myself. . .
Their first mission would be answering a call for help from the local mining guild. A tribe of kobolds has moved into their near-by mining operation and is disrupting labors; the guild pays a yearly amount to the kingdom so that they dont have to spend manpower or resources solving this kind of problem. In turn, the kingdom responds by sending the PCs. So far so good. However, when they arrive on site they should notice that the gnome-rules mining guild is composed of a lot of lazy thugs and other people who dont seem to have ever worked a full day in their life: famblers, ruffians, etc.
If this doesn´t tip them off, when they enter the mine proper (after fighting off a small kobold party that was raiding the warehouse when they arrived) they discover that, while the tunnels are wide enough for them to walk unburdened, they can barely fit two people side by side. In other words, its impossible that it was ever a mining tunnel for medium creatures (and the gnomes are only a handful of engineers and other intellectual looking people). The kobolds will use hit-and-run tactics and judicious placement of traps throughout the mine, but Ill keep it from being a meatgrinder. If the PCs care to explore, they´ll find traces of kobold carvings, depicting the excavation of the mine, as well as the usual koboldish family scenes.
After clearing out the main shaft, they are warned by the lead gnome that they are only allowed to go up to a point, and that going any further is strictly forbidden and will reflect badly in their pay. However, when they reach that point they will be harrassed and pushed on further by the kobolds, as well as by lots of hints at a geat treasure further beyond in the tunnels. If they decide to obey the gnome at this point they will get paid and move on to their next mission. So no biggie if they get off the rails :P
However, if they choose to continue forward they will be lead to a huge cavern, where a dragon lies half-impaled by a cave in. The dragon is keeping the cavern from collapsing on top of its eggs, and a bunch of kobolds are trying frantically to dig her out, although with all the ruckus the PCs have been causing its not surprise that theyve made very little progress.
At this point, the gnome leader will appear and explain to them that they never had any interest in the mine itself; they found the kobolds and the dragon´s nest and decided to collapse the cave on top of her, to steal the eggs and harvest her corpse for magical components. The mine is a bonus, sort of speaking. Depending on the PCs attitude, the gnome may either threaten or bribe them to keep quiet and help deal with the remaining kobolds.
At this point the kobold leader, a dragonwrought, appears and challenges the PCs and the gnomes. The remaining kobolds ready for their last stand, while the dragon keeps begging them to flee, trying to shake loose from the impaling debris. If the PCs join the gnome, the dragon will eventually let her own eggs get crushed, so the whelps dont get sold into slavery. This will enrage the gnome, who uses a scroll to finish the dragon off. The kobolds, enraged at their loss, will then hurl themselves at the PCs, foregoing their usual tactics and basically comitting sucide by going on a frontal assault.
However, the PCs may (and I hope I make them do so) have second thoughts about the whole thing. If they decide to attack the gnome, the kobolds will consider them with caution, but given their HUGE hatred of gnomes, will ignore them until they are dealt with. The eggs will probably get broken and the dragon zapped either way, though, unless someone has a better suggestion.
Anyways, if they side with the gnomes they come back to town richer, and darker. Maybe the rival party found out what was going on, and while they rest at an inn one of them comes and spits in the ground in front of them, showing their disgust at their amoral greed. If they side with the kobolds they will begin gaining some insight about the kingdom they serve, and how maybe not everything is what it seems. Not sure where to take it from here either. . .
Woah, wall of text. Well, besides that. . .
Other stuff:
As for maps, I was planning on using a cardboard grid covered with a plastic sheet I can draw on as they advance. I always liked on-site improvisation, using cellphones as houses, etc. and I think it adds a measure of suspense to the exploring; sort of a fog of war lifting from the game map. Would this be ok, or would it look too amateurish?
Also, I love drawing the places and scenes they are looking at while I do the description. Basically, Ill begin saying something like `you arrive to the mining site, a camp of a half-dozen leather tents surrounded by hammocks, where a couple of large, bearded men are noisily snoring in their sleeps" and then hand them a piece of paper with a rough sketch of that and tell them 'its something like this'. Now, Im not very good drawing, and it keeps me from making eye contact while I describe, so maybe its not a good diea?
Thats all I can think of at the moment. I realize its a lot to read, so probably no one will bother, so if you could just answer the question at the top that would be enough to earn you a hundred cookies :D
This week I will be meeting with an experienced group of people who've been playin together for 12 years, for character creation, introductions and presenting a summary of the adventure. Im a bit nervous about facing people with far more experience than myself, but also very excited as I really like DMing :D
So, what kind of signs do you look for to decide if a DM is going to be good or not? Anything in particular that stands out or is a `must`when starting a group? Any potential red flags I should avoid?
As for the campaign itself, I have a couple of ideas now, and I think I have something good, but commentary would be apreciated:
Aproved material:
I plan on allowing everything published in 3.5, however I reserve the right to ban broken stuff in a case-by-case basis; this is a serious group and I don`t want to appear limited or afraid by cutting out choices. Considering a game can be broken with core spells, it really shouldnt get too out of hand. This forum has also taught me about all the broken things I should be on the lookout for :P. Im not sure about allowing Pathfinder classes/feats, as Im not very familiar with it. Would that be too problematic?
House Rules:
Common sense and verosimilitude supersede rules as written.
RAI comes before RAW.
If a rule isnt remebered off-hand, anyone who wants it ruled a certain way has 2 minutes to produce the relevant section in whichever manual applies. If he/she cant, I adjudicate it based on whatever makes the most sense at the time, and it will be looked up and resolved in the time between sessions.
NPCs are people too, meaning playes should not expect them to bend over backwards in servitude, and also there will be lots of PC-classed `monsters`running around.
Alignment is a suggestion, not a straight jacket; its prone to shifting in the middle of the campaign based on actions, and chaotic stupid will be heavily punished.
Skill checks will be used VERY liberally. In favor of a more `cinematic`experience, Ill allow them to use skills in-combat for stuff like climbing on top of a big monster and hitting its head, aimed shots, etc. It will be adjudicated on the fly, to encourage fast thinking on both DM and players.
Campaign Setting:
Homebrew, I guess. Basically, I love Eberron's gray morality and 'if its in D&Dm, it has a place here' philosophy, but I also like the Great Wheel cosmology from planescape, so it will be a mix of both. Greenskins and other humanoid races are more than just fodder, and there is more to them than meets the eye. `Monster`PC races are completely normal and actually encouraged, :P
Adventure Summary:
Im going to crib an idea I read on a thread here (Ill look it up later to give proper credit) about the PCs starting as paid mercenaries for a kingdom. This should help avoid the cliché of meeting at a tavern and the awkwardness of having to go from strangers to allies without a real reason. Also, I hope this will reflect the actual experience the players have from past campaigns. It will start at level 1, as they 'graduate' from this Kingdom's mandatory mercenary boot camp. They will be provided basic equipment and a small sum of gold as an advance and given their first mission; Im debating wheter to make the graduation ceremony a small party vs party arena combat. If they were to win, they'd start with a magic item as a prize, and a larger amount of money each; if they were to lose, well, no biggie. It would let me gauge their power level and plan accordingly, and I was hoping to introduce a rival party of adventurers this way, whio could either become hated or apreciated. The basic idea behind the whole affair with sponsoring adventurers was, in that other thread, to have Mindflayers running the kingdom in the shadows, who were flavoring the adventurers brains by having them gain experience. This rival party could serve eventually as a lead-in to that, when it goes back to the kingdom's capital for its reward and then vanishes from the face of the earth. But I get ahead of myself. . .
Their first mission would be answering a call for help from the local mining guild. A tribe of kobolds has moved into their near-by mining operation and is disrupting labors; the guild pays a yearly amount to the kingdom so that they dont have to spend manpower or resources solving this kind of problem. In turn, the kingdom responds by sending the PCs. So far so good. However, when they arrive on site they should notice that the gnome-rules mining guild is composed of a lot of lazy thugs and other people who dont seem to have ever worked a full day in their life: famblers, ruffians, etc.
If this doesn´t tip them off, when they enter the mine proper (after fighting off a small kobold party that was raiding the warehouse when they arrived) they discover that, while the tunnels are wide enough for them to walk unburdened, they can barely fit two people side by side. In other words, its impossible that it was ever a mining tunnel for medium creatures (and the gnomes are only a handful of engineers and other intellectual looking people). The kobolds will use hit-and-run tactics and judicious placement of traps throughout the mine, but Ill keep it from being a meatgrinder. If the PCs care to explore, they´ll find traces of kobold carvings, depicting the excavation of the mine, as well as the usual koboldish family scenes.
After clearing out the main shaft, they are warned by the lead gnome that they are only allowed to go up to a point, and that going any further is strictly forbidden and will reflect badly in their pay. However, when they reach that point they will be harrassed and pushed on further by the kobolds, as well as by lots of hints at a geat treasure further beyond in the tunnels. If they decide to obey the gnome at this point they will get paid and move on to their next mission. So no biggie if they get off the rails :P
However, if they choose to continue forward they will be lead to a huge cavern, where a dragon lies half-impaled by a cave in. The dragon is keeping the cavern from collapsing on top of its eggs, and a bunch of kobolds are trying frantically to dig her out, although with all the ruckus the PCs have been causing its not surprise that theyve made very little progress.
At this point, the gnome leader will appear and explain to them that they never had any interest in the mine itself; they found the kobolds and the dragon´s nest and decided to collapse the cave on top of her, to steal the eggs and harvest her corpse for magical components. The mine is a bonus, sort of speaking. Depending on the PCs attitude, the gnome may either threaten or bribe them to keep quiet and help deal with the remaining kobolds.
At this point the kobold leader, a dragonwrought, appears and challenges the PCs and the gnomes. The remaining kobolds ready for their last stand, while the dragon keeps begging them to flee, trying to shake loose from the impaling debris. If the PCs join the gnome, the dragon will eventually let her own eggs get crushed, so the whelps dont get sold into slavery. This will enrage the gnome, who uses a scroll to finish the dragon off. The kobolds, enraged at their loss, will then hurl themselves at the PCs, foregoing their usual tactics and basically comitting sucide by going on a frontal assault.
However, the PCs may (and I hope I make them do so) have second thoughts about the whole thing. If they decide to attack the gnome, the kobolds will consider them with caution, but given their HUGE hatred of gnomes, will ignore them until they are dealt with. The eggs will probably get broken and the dragon zapped either way, though, unless someone has a better suggestion.
Anyways, if they side with the gnomes they come back to town richer, and darker. Maybe the rival party found out what was going on, and while they rest at an inn one of them comes and spits in the ground in front of them, showing their disgust at their amoral greed. If they side with the kobolds they will begin gaining some insight about the kingdom they serve, and how maybe not everything is what it seems. Not sure where to take it from here either. . .
Woah, wall of text. Well, besides that. . .
Other stuff:
As for maps, I was planning on using a cardboard grid covered with a plastic sheet I can draw on as they advance. I always liked on-site improvisation, using cellphones as houses, etc. and I think it adds a measure of suspense to the exploring; sort of a fog of war lifting from the game map. Would this be ok, or would it look too amateurish?
Also, I love drawing the places and scenes they are looking at while I do the description. Basically, Ill begin saying something like `you arrive to the mining site, a camp of a half-dozen leather tents surrounded by hammocks, where a couple of large, bearded men are noisily snoring in their sleeps" and then hand them a piece of paper with a rough sketch of that and tell them 'its something like this'. Now, Im not very good drawing, and it keeps me from making eye contact while I describe, so maybe its not a good diea?
Thats all I can think of at the moment. I realize its a lot to read, so probably no one will bother, so if you could just answer the question at the top that would be enough to earn you a hundred cookies :D