Copying SilverClawShift [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Kol Korran

2011-05-25, 08:25 AM

the Campaign in my sig draws heavily from SCS' Hive Mind Campaign, though i extended the venets prior to the formation of the hive mind quite a bit (the players are just coming to it in fact.)

the campaign does not really have the flavor of SCS' campaign for several reasons: i write it QUITE differently, it is set in Eberron, the pace is quite slower, and the sites are more detailed, but thus a bit less focused. it has the feel of small adventures with some overarching feel rather than one constant drumming over threat.

plus- some of the "plot points" have gone off- quite a few of the opposing team have been offed by the players.

so... it is different from that campaign, but i think it's still quite fun. i still think my players are awesome, but the feel is quite different.
take a read if you like...

Leon

2011-05-25, 08:37 AM

The question is simple, is it possible to recreate any or all of SCS's campaigns? Has anyone ever tried it? How did it work out? Can any group possibly match the awesomeness of SCS's?

Link to a collection of SCS's journals (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116836)

Its impossible to match the Awesomeness of the SCS Journals

ka_bna

2011-05-25, 11:35 AM

The journals are excellent if you seek inspiration. The campaign I run uses elements from a couple of SCS' campaigns (though yet the SCS-elements run mostly in the background), hopingly to create something remote as good as the SCS-campaigns.

Heliomance

2011-05-25, 05:02 PM

I'm running the horror campaign at the moment. Just finishing the precursor stuff to get them into it.

Nick, Roanne, or anyone else in the game - don't read this.
They're going to find out about the kython invasion next session and it'll happen the session after.

Boci

2011-05-25, 05:18 PM

Is it possible? Yes, but why would you? If you can recreate SCS's campaigns, then you are pretty much as skilled as they are, so you shouldn't need to copy their work. Drawing inspiration from a good D&D adventure is fine, but copying it rarely works out, not in the least because you may need to railroad the PCs to make it work.

Heliomance

2011-05-25, 05:36 PM

I'm a new DM, this is my second ever campaign. I like to think I'm not too bad at it, certainly, my players seem to be enjoying themselves. I can run a decent game. What I can't do, however, is come up with decent plots. I don't know why; I've tried many times in the past, for D&D, for creative writing, for goodness knows what-all. I just can't do it.

I read the SCS journals, and my mind was blown. I wished that I'd been a player in that game, but I wasn't, and I couldn't be. The next best thing I could do was run it, and watch my players' faces as they go through an adventure crafted by a master. Obviously, things aren't going to happen the same way as they did in the original. The players are different, the characters are different, they'll react to things in different ways. That doesn't mean that I can't take the scenario, take what's happening with the world, and present it to the players.

Yes, I'll have to make things up as they try to solve problems in different ways. So? I don't see that as a problem. I'm going to do my best not to railroad them, to react to what they do. I don't say I'll be perfect, as long as I do the adventure justice, and as long as my players enjoy themselves, I'll be satisfied.

Prime32

2011-05-25, 05:42 PM

*checks link*

...why did no one tell me about this sooner? After reading those logs I want to start a campaign right now.

Willfor

2011-05-25, 07:05 PM

The key is not to copy SCS, but to learn from the player dynamics at her table.

- Her DM is a person who dives into many different media forms, pulls inspiration from them, and builds worlds that aren't strictly based on D&D that has been done before.

- There are at least 3 people at the table who like to go deeply into their characters and motivations, and don't mind mixing knowledge of how they want their character to progress through levels vs. knowing they will have to adapt to the situation they are in.

- Note passing is encouraged, and players trust each other enough to play the game without getting angry at each other in real life.

SCS said a couple of times that it isn't really the DM, or the campaign or anything. It's that they all come together to do this sort of game. A team effort. In that vein, play with people who want to play in that kind of game, and make it happen.

Undercroft

2011-05-26, 12:30 PM

i'm borrowing bits of it that i thought were awesome.

For example I borrowed the changeling binder, except added the half-vampire template on to have it being the daughter of a villain for my campaign (and forced to serve, etc, to keep the whole tragic villain concept).

At the moment i'm doing eberron though. When i begin to use my own setting i'm pondering stealing a lot of ideas (like that desert continent from CC. magic against the law? awesome).

Seriously though. Her DM is a genius. I wish i had half of his talent.

Jude_H

2011-05-26, 12:54 PM

Copying someone else's campaigns sounds... dry.

I really liked the way the group grabbed a particular silly game idea and expanded it into a campaign premise. Normally, my approach to D&D is to go for the old-fashioned hodgepodge of dungeon dives, with random encounter tables and heaps of unplanned, unthemed traps and monsters.

Normally, I like to write a lot of monsters, customize classes, and generally avoid printed materials beyond the core books in my D&D games. I often even restrict those to only include spontaneous casting, and to omit the Monk. Books just seem like a lot of investment for a rehash of mechanics or a couple spare monsters.

The one thing that struck me about SCS's campaign logs was the way the group took published materials and actually made them worth using: instead of every monster or mechanical system representing an encounter or two, they started to look like they could all represent entire plotlines. I had "Whoa, that's neat" moments each time the familiar book-derived concepts expanded into something larger. IMO, that's where the campaign journals shined.

Draz74

2011-05-26, 01:35 PM

I personally think taking those campaigns and distilling them into a sort of "module" for the DM to base a campaign plot on is a great idea (assuming there's 0% chance that your players will already have read the journals). The five bad guys from Crystal Cantrips, for example, are a great set of memorable villains that have a lot of potential to keep the PCs' attention. (Well, the four of them that we got to know. I'm not so sure about the loser who got munched by wendigos.)

There's a caveat, though: a DM who wants to copy the basic framework of these campaigns has got to be prepared for the fact that his campaign will turn out very different from SCS's. His players will make different choices, go different places, win or lose different battles (and will probably go to That Big Tavern In The Sky more often than the PCs in the journals), and the campaign will have to adapt accordingly. Different NPCs will have to get emphasized, the timing of the bad guys' plots will have to be swapped around, and so forth.

Unfortunately, this means there is no guarantee that the campaigns based on SCS's will still end up awesome. And means that a LOT of DM skill will still be requisite.

The key is not to copy SCS, but to learn from the player dynamics at her table.

- Her DM is a person who dives into many different media forms, pulls inspiration from them, and builds worlds that aren't strictly based on D&D that has been done before.

- There are at least 3 people at the table who like to go deeply into their characters and motivations, and don't mind mixing knowledge of how they want their character to progress through levels vs. knowing they will have to adapt to the situation they are in.

- Note passing is encouraged, and players trust each other enough to play the game without getting angry at each other in real life.

SCS said a couple of times that it isn't really the DM, or the campaign or anything. It's that they all come together to do this sort of game. A team effort. In that vein, play with people who want to play in that kind of game, and make it happen.

A few more things that make their group work so well:

They play reasonably long sessions twice a week. Much to my chagrin, the maximum awesomeness that a D&D campaign can achieve is somewhat dependent on how much free time the players actually have.
The DM particularly uses note passing to make the players do some of his work for him, when it comes to plot/world exposition.
The DM is willing to kill off the party with nasty challenges, but then is also willing to let them come up with crazy ways to try to get out of certain death, and let those ways actually work. (Sometimes. I think these same players have met death and failure a few times, even though the two campaigns in the Archives were ultimately successful. If they hadn't TPK'd a few times, their respect for the challenges the DM throws at them wouldn't be so high.)
The players are willing to be creative to survive when the situation seems hopeless.
The DM has a talent for making monsters and NPCs that are the right power level for the party.
The players understand some basics of optimization but don't let it dominate their choices.

SilverClawShift

2011-05-26, 09:42 PM

Everytime I see one of these threads, I feel like I should say something. But i pretty much draw a blank for words.

So here I am. In one of these threads. Saying something.

The DM is willing to kill off the party with nasty challenges, but then is also willing to let them come up with crazy ways to try to get out of certain death, and let those ways actually work. (Sometimes. I think these same players have met death and failure a few times, even though the two campaigns in the Archives were ultimately successful. If they hadn't TPK'd a few times, their respect for the challenges the DM throws at them wouldn't be so high.)

This is true on both counts. He'll gut us for failing, but he'll applaud us when we decide to try planeshifting to hell to avoid dying to a pack of dire wolves, or whatever crazy idea pops up in our head for whatever dumb reason. At least it makes things more interesting.

SCS said a couple of times that it isn't really the DM, or the campaign or anything. It's that they all come together to do this sort of game. A team effort.

This is true, but, it is worth pointing out that our DM approaches Joker like levels of outside the box thinking. He regularily outwits all four of us. While we actively team up against him. While he scribbles notes on ways to make our struggle more entertaining.
It's worth mentioning that he literally has no set plan for his campaigns. He has concepts. Villains he'd like to introduce and scenarios he'd like to see happen. It can be hard to wrap your head around that fact from both sides of the table, because the encounters CAN'T end in a way he doesn't expect, because he doesn't expect them to end a certain way.
His mind is impressive the same way a tornado is. In a horrifying, "I hope that doesn't notice we're here" kind of way.

When I DM, we all still have fun for sure, but it's just not the same. Still, practice makes perfect.

He prepares a lot and DMs a lot, so there's a reason he's on the ball.

There is one piece of advice he gave me that's always stuck out. Start with a flash of inspiration, build up with it in the same vein. Compliment it. Reach its natural conclusion in your mind.
But also make sure to break the theme with stuff that doesn't fit it at all. Oddball pieces that you have to find interesting ways to make fit.

The Hive Mind campaign was a great example of that. You have a random insect monster from some book, a Verminlord(maybe?) who is using them, the idea of a mind controlling parasite, and the plans to shape reality by infecting a deity.
But then you have a roster list of intriguing villains who have literally nothing to do with that plan. How do you fit a mute changeling, a wire-fu brawler, and a creepy priest into that story? His thought process was probably "eh, I'll think of something".

It's also a great example of how nothing in his stories are locked down until we stumble on them. What would have happened if we'd gone to the artic first and the spot with the creepy priest last? We might have found out who that nameless dead dude in the snow was. Maybe the changeling would have been dead from a cave in and she would have never been a character. Who knows?
How would it have changed the story?

Iunno.

But I bet my DM had SOMETHING interesting in his notes he would have dropped on us...

************

And also, thank you for the kind words everyone. I'm not good at getting praised. I never know what to say. but thank you.

MrRigger

2011-05-26, 09:48 PM

Well, you know, as long as you have fun, that's the most important part. And I think I get where you're coming from. You're getting complimented for something you do for fun. It can be weird.

That said, any time you want to do another campaign journal, I'll read it.

MrRigger

Morph Bark

2011-05-27, 06:30 AM

*snip*

Your DM sounds like a swell fellow that I could learn from in the sense of preparation. I think I'm a pretty good DM, but I take way too little time preparing. Luckily, I've become good at winging it thanks to that, but it can be hard to wing it if you have to wing entire encounters, environments and loot.

Have to say though, winging loot made me come up with the stuff my players loved the most, like instant fold-out swords.

I bet if I manage to prepare more and if my players get into their characters more, things will go down. I may also need to practice my note-passing a bit more, as I've only done it thrice before - once as a player.

Arbane

2011-05-27, 12:45 PM

One other thing I noticed is that the DM isn't too tied to their setting - he's perfectly willing to lay waste to entire continents, kill off any and all NPCs, and re-arrange the metaphysics of the setting in the course of a good story.

Demon 997

2011-05-27, 11:57 PM

SilverClawShift, I just want to say that I'm reading through the campaign journals again, and enjoying them just as much as before. Also you're destroying my productivity. Anyway, any chance of more journals, or are you still too busy?

Demon 997

2011-05-28, 12:52 AM

And computer/internet stupidity caused me to double post again. Sorry.

SilverClawShift

2011-05-28, 07:02 PM

Anyway, any chance of more journals, or are you still too busy?

I'm making a "Necropunk" artificer that I'm pretty excited about. The idea is a scientist artificer with an eternal wand of Animate Dead :smallamused:. And one of my ultiamte goals is to find or build a portal gun (an item with plenty of dimension door uses).

I might end up writing about her, and whatever campaign she winds up in. But if I were honestly gonna do that, it'd kinda be better of me to go write up the (awesome) big city campaign journal I never finished, because that story turned out pretty great.

So Iunno.

bartman

2011-05-28, 07:18 PM

I'm making a "Necropunk" artificer that I'm pretty excited about. The idea is a scientist artificer with an eternal wand of Animate Dead :smallamused:. And one of my ultiamte goals is to find or build a portal gun (an item with plenty of dimension door uses).

I might end up writing about her, and whatever campaign she winds up in. But if I were honestly gonna do that, it'd kinda be better of me to go write up the (awesome) big city campaign journal I never finished, because that story turned out pretty great.

So Iunno.

I have to say I was heartbroken when the Big City campaign just sort of... stopped...

It was such an awesome read, and an absolutely brilliant idea.

As an aside, does your DM post on these forums at all?

NineThePuma

2011-05-30, 03:57 AM

Holy crap, SCS is alive.

Can I get your autograph? :smallbiggrin::smalltongue:

Crystal Cantrips was an AMAZING journal that spawned a couple of my own ideas, and the Kython Invasion was something I've been tempted to emulate in some fashion for quite some time. When I finally do, it'll probably be a swarm of 'Icecrown Orcs' with White Dragons. Because nothing says "OH CRAP, RUN!" like a swarm of dragons. And orcs.

Did you know, SCS, that your campaign journals have been Recommended (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanficRecs/DungeonsAndDragons) on the TvTropes wiki?

Dragonmuncher

2011-05-30, 09:10 PM

Hah, that's awesome about the TVTropes rec.

And SCS, I've said it before, I loved your writeups because they were in the traditions of the very best Lets Plays. You talked about awesome stuff, but you also went off into tangents, explained some behind the scenes stuff, and accepted input from the "audience."

As for trying to recreate the campaigns, OP, I'd say go for it. By the nature of D&D and the source material, there's no way that it will be identical to SCS's game, but that doesn't mean your own won't be equally awesome. Just try and draw upon the archives for inspiration, and try and be prepared for when your players inevitably go off-book.

::goes off to reread the archives::

SilverClawShift

2011-05-31, 08:52 AM

I have to say I was heartbroken when the Big City campaign just sort of... stopped...

It was such an awesome read, and an absolutely brilliant idea.

As an aside, does your DM post on these forums at all?

I really didn't mean to. I felt terrible leaving the story half finished, but I just couldn't get it all down in text and keep up on day to day life. A real tragedy.

And I know my group either reads or has-read OOTS, and I told them I post here, but if they're around they haven't told me. Paranoia paranoia....

Did you know, SCS, that your campaign journals have been Recommended (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanficRecs/DungeonsAndDragons) on the TvTropes wiki?

:smalleek: Wow, that's intense. Flattering, but intense.

Apparently I could never handle being famous. Knowing my thread is linked to on TVtropes has me sweating from the pressure.

Ducklord

2011-05-31, 10:17 AM

Ok, it's settled then, I'll try and run SCS's Crystal Cantrips campaign. If anybody is interested I'll report how things are going and stuff.

Also obligatory compliments to SCS on having such an awesome group and being a great writer and roleplayer herself. You are probably tired of this all this praises, but you have clearly earned them, so there you go :smallsmile:

ka_bna

2011-05-31, 11:21 AM

Ok, it's settled then, I'll try and run SCS's Crystal Cantrips campaign. If anybody is interested I'll report how things are going and stuff.

Of course we're interested! It is better to copy someone good, than to be a bad original:smalltongue:

Morph Bark

2011-05-31, 11:54 AM

Of course we're interested! It is better to copy someone good, than to be a bad original:smalltongue:

"Good artists borrow, great artists steal"? :smalltongue:

Actually, wouldn't people who haven't read that particular campaign be best as players, so that none of it would be spoiled for them?

ShellBullet

2011-05-31, 12:30 PM

Ok, it's settled then, I'll try and run SCS's Crystal Cantrips campaign. If anybody is interested I'll report how things are going and stuff.

I would be interested as well. I love horror campaigns, especially when there is so many interesting elements in the play.

Heliomance

2011-05-31, 05:39 PM

As I said, I'm running the first campaign at the moment. They're going to find out about the kython invasion next week. If this thread hangs around, I may keep it updated with how it's going.

(Spoilered text in case any of my players are reading)

Ducklord

2011-06-07, 02:22 PM

Some of you requested I post notes on the progress of my clone campaign, so here we go! Today's session.. didn't happen :smallsmile:

The players failed to inform me they will be a hour late, so I cancelled it. We will play next week however and I would appreciate some input from you guys.

In the beginning of the original campaign SCS wrote that they were attacked by some pirates or somesuch on their way to the central island. I would love to have an initial sidequest, to bring the PCs together, but would really like to avoid using pirates, because they are being overused in the campaigns we play. What could be a good and fun mini adventure to start my first session?

NineThePuma

2011-06-07, 02:23 PM

Water Trolls. =3

Ducklord

2011-06-07, 02:33 PM

You do know the campaign starts at lvl1, right? :smallsmile:

Oh, by the way, we'll actually start at lvl2. I have 3 players instead of 4, so I'll have to compensate. Also we're playing Pathfinder. I don't know what kind of characters they want to play, we'll have to wait until next session for that.

NineThePuma

2011-06-07, 02:40 PM

Then make it ONE water troll. ;D

Gadora

2011-06-07, 03:55 PM

You could have a few sahuagin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/sahuagin.htm) climb onto their ship.

Morph Bark

2011-06-07, 04:12 PM

Then make it ONE water troll. ;D

Water Troll BABIES.

1 HD, Regen 1, Medium size, lower Str and Con by 2.

Heliomance

2011-06-07, 08:43 PM

Dralnu

2011-06-08, 02:23 AM

My evil campaign (see sig) is borrowing a certain overarching plot device from the journal, namely:
Trying to avoid the summoning of Tenebrous into the world.

It's been highly successful so far.

Master_Rahl22

2011-06-08, 10:21 AM

@SCS: Don't worry about "pressure" or anything like that. The reason your campaign journals have been so enjoyed by many people is that you have a truly excellent group, and you do a good job of capturing the fun that you and your friends have. It's an example of what D&D should be like every time, and it happens to be very entertaining to read about as well as play.

Heliomance

2011-06-14, 08:18 PM

My guys just had the Great Kython Battle. They managed to acquit themselves fairly well, only losing two party members. I think I was too nice. Out of a Druid, Wildshape Ranger, Archivist, Dread Necro, Incantatrix and Duskblade, they lost the ranger and the duskblade. Ranger will be rolling up a new character, Duskblade is probably dropping out due to unavailability over summer.

As no-one returned from the strange ethereal death bit, they still have no idea what's going on. They're also not planning on going anywhere near the Kython caves to find out there. I never did work out how SCS's group figured that was a good idea.

The Dread Necro has just picked up an imp familiar, though, which has Commune 1/week. That lets me give them the necessary infodump, though I'm really not certain how to justify not giving too much info, as the devils really do know what's going on.

Gadora

2011-06-14, 08:42 PM

NineThePuma

2011-06-14, 10:06 PM

Technically, the devils SHOULDN'T know either. Demons are the ones going at it.

MrRigger

2011-06-14, 10:55 PM

They only have six yes or no questions 1/week. Granted, a fair amount of information can be gotten from that, but only if the have the right questions.

MrRigger

Ducklord

2011-06-17, 03:21 PM

Ok, we had our first introduction session and as I promised here's how it went. Firstly the party:

Half-orc Barbarian 1/ Fighter 1
Half-orc Sorcerer 2(draconic bloodline and blasting oriented as it seems)
Half-orc Druid 2

Yep, I'v got a half-orc party on my hands :smallsmile:

Since I ran out of time I just threw some pirates at them, thinking it'll play out more or less as SCS's campaign did, but boy was I wrong. The barbarian joined the fight when the pirate ship was around 30ft from my PC's ship and immediately tried to jump from one ship to the other. Of course he fell straight into the ocean. But his climb modifier was so high he actually managed to climb onto the pirate ship! In the meanwhile the other two took out a fair bit of pirates trying to board their ship, enough to make the pirates wanted to retreat at this point, but this was just about the time the barbarian climbed onto their deck and the massacre started :smallsmile:

The pirates were caught off guard, nothing but crossbows in hand and he made quick work of them. The only one of them that could provide challenging for him was their captain, but he rolled a critical hit on his first attack and killed him outright. The rest of the pirates jumped off deck when they saw this, except for one, that was hiding inside the crow's nest on the mast. The barbarian actually found him, but the pirate said he was just a sailor form their ship hiding there and the barbarian failed his sense motive check so hard he bought it :smallbiggrin: The pirate stayed hidden there for two days without food and water. I HAVE to find an excuse for them coming across him again in the future.

Anyway, the PCs sailed to the starting city of the central island with an extra ship which raised all sorts of questions from the authorities, but the sorcerer managed to convince them their story was true and they got on the island without any problems. The ship was however confiscated.

That's where the session ended since we lost most of the time on character creation. Next session they will probably fight the spellcasting bugs. Does anyone have any idea what their stats should be like? I was thinking:

3 hp
AC: 14
+1 bite melee(1d3-1) or +1 ranged touch(1d3 acid or frost)<-only if they are of the right type
etc.

Heliomance

2011-06-18, 03:53 AM

Oh, are you running Crystal Cantrips as opposed to the horror game?

TurtleKing

2011-06-19, 10:58 PM

SilverClawShift let me say that you are one of the two I squee for when I see one of your posts. Saph is the other one.

I already know that I won't make a good DM. Considering that was planning on showing your campaign journals to my DM and Storyteller. So I'm wondering how do you think a 4th Edition or White Wolf game would work inspired by your journals? Could something similar be pulled off using one of those two systems or does it need to be 3.5?

NineThePuma

2011-06-19, 11:33 PM

I'm not SCS, and I'm hardly the best story teller ever, but I have accomplished similarly sweeping storylines. I did them using a free form RP system.

The system doesn't matter, so long as you have a group willing to work together toward the story.

SilverClawShift

2011-06-21, 05:54 AM

The biggest (only?) benefit to 3.5 is the huge variety of.... STUFF that's just strewn around for it ready to use or twist into fitting a story. Mechanically D&D 3.5 kinda bogs down and takes forever if you don't hand-wave a lot of stuff, but there's mountains and mountains of fluff (monsters classes groups gods spells artifacts worlds) ready to drop and plug in. It's like a big horrible pile of legos. Takes forever to pick through, ultimately rewarding when you find the right parts. And featuring the ocasional solid gold diamond encrusted piece.

That said, the system really doesn't matter. It's all about who you're playing with and how on-their-toes the DM is willing to think. We've played other games and the tone and flow is usually about the same (we actually got yelled at in our early days of gaming by some nameless neckbeard for "Playing D&D like it was shadowrun". Because our DM was making up numbers and we were rolling to hit them.)
It's all about who you're with and the way the story unfolds.

Ducklord

2011-06-21, 09:06 AM

@Heliomance:

Yes, I'm running Crystal Cantrips. It felt more suitable for my gaming group.

@SilverClawShift:

Since it looks like you're still reading, what do you think the stats for the main villains should look like? I'm especially interested in Therrin, since he's the first of them they'll be meeting and there's a good chance they might try and pick a fight with him. I was thinking something like an unarmed Warblade. Level 12 or something.. If they die they die, I warned them this world is dangerous and not everyone they meet is a level appropriate encounter.

Draz74

2011-06-21, 12:39 PM

Since it looks like you're still reading, what do you think the stats for the main villains should look like? I'm especially interested in Therrin, since he's the first of them they'll be meeting and there's a good chance they might try and pick a fight with him. I was thinking something like an unarmed Warblade. Level 12 or something.. If they die they die, I warned them this world is dangerous and not everyone they meet is a level appropriate encounter.

I'm not SCS, but I always got the sense that Therin started off as Level 5 or something. Less likely to cause a TPK than Level 12. Then he leveled up about half as fast as the party did, so he would still be a strong challenge to them for a good long while.

And since he's an over-leveled NPC, just the Monk class can work just fine. (I always guessed his weird throat-slashing maneuver is the Versatile Strike feat.)

randomhero00

2011-06-21, 01:02 PM

I think part of SCS's charm is also her writing. So they may seem slightly bigger than life when you read them, but her writing + leaving out any downtime or minor disagreements make it seem a bit better than it is. Don't get me wrong though, that is one talented gaming group. I'd love love to play with them.

But I have to give props to my old DM who wove amazingly complex stories, so much so that you couldn't see it all until the very end (campaigns tended to last 1-2 years). He even incorporated old characters from old campaigns into the new ones as dead NPCs that had had a big affect on the history of the homebrewed world.

Not only that, but he handled random off plot, off plan stuff SO SO well. My character ended up joining the BBEG, **openly** and he still managed to weave a story so that our group had a reason to stay together. That one campaign still blows my mind. I'm tempted to make some journals myself, but its not really my campaign, and my memory is pretty fuzzy now.

PS
And since he's an over-leveled NPC, just the Monk class can work just fine. (I always guessed his weird throat-slashing maneuver is the Versatile Strike feat.)
Or just very good detail about a combat a monk was in...since monks can fight with any part of their body, and their unarmed attacks are lethal, if a monk "one-shots" somebody so to speak you could describe it as anything from ripping off heads, snapping necks, kicking their foot into a ribcage, some sort of kung fu heart strike, to ripping out throats.

IIRC those guards were very low level, 1-2. Therin would only need to be 8th level to practically be certain of killing them both in one round. That's personally what I pegged him as, an 8th level monk.

Heliomance

2011-06-21, 07:10 PM

Not a terribly productive session today. My players refused to go anywhere near the kython caves, but I managed to infodump what they needed to know using an NPC oracle I'd already thrown in. Session fell apart in random chat - just one of those things.

vartan

2011-06-28, 10:17 AM

nyarlathotep

2011-06-28, 01:10 PM

I dunno if this has ever been pointed out, but the Wendigo from the Crystal Cantrips campaign seems like it was drawn and modified from a creature in this free module.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20040529a

I was just surprised to find this little tidbit, and I think that SCS made a comment about not knowing if it was original or not.

Seemed just like the bog standard fiend folio wendigo to me. Sad that such a cool creature was marred by a terrible picture. Thankfully the pathfinder portrait was much improved.

Arbane

2011-06-28, 01:38 PM

(Much coolness snipped)

Anyway, the PCs sailed to the starting city of the central island with an extra ship which raised all sorts of questions from the authorities, but the sorcerer managed to convince them their story was true and they got on the island without any problems. The ship was however confiscated.

That hardly seems fair. They should've at least gotten a reward.

Does it count as "salvage rights" if you're the reason the original owner had to abandon ship? :smallwink:

Kol Korran

2011-06-28, 02:02 PM

i've written a log that was inspired by Crystal cantrips, but also has a lot of my influences in it. it takes place in Eberron, and so far the party have... complicated things, which i of course just adore! :smallsmile: so far they have:
- killed my campaign's Therrin. (weretiger shifter berserker)
- Killed my Priest. (a bone knight cleric necromancer)
- saved my Angel ( a guardian naga... long story)
- failed to even glimpse the meaning behind it all. they know it's about these weird insects, but...
- they will reach the point of ritual-transforming-into-body-snatching-insects in the next session. i can't wait to see where it goes! :smallbiggrin:it took them considerably more time to get there, because we meet far less often, and because i expanded on the investigation quite a bit.

the group is quite good, but more focused on relaxed play than on a serious one. but we do have our moments.

the log isn't gaining much support though, probably due to the way i write it- from the DM's point of view, including design notes and so on, and less like a cool story. perhaps next log... :smallamused:

good luck to all of you who run similar campaigns! it would be interesting to read any logs you might write.