Stormthroe
2017-02-07, 09:21 AM
Good morning/afternoon/evening Playgrounders!
I would like some input from all of you fantastically-minded fellows on a campaign I am building. I am trying to put together a Witcher-themed campaign with some major changes that will allow my players to take up the role of monster hunters. I am using sources from all across the web, but much of my notes is coming from Quickleaf's lovely Witcher in DnD 5e over at ENWorld, as well as some personal conversions I've put together over time.
Essentially, my campaign is set in an alternative storyline to the Witcher 3; the Witcher orders have all but been eradicated and what few Witchers remain are exiles and in hiding as the war between Nilfgaard and the North rages.
The protection of towns and villages has instead turned to smaller mercenary companies with their absence, and this is what I intend my players to be. As far as a plot, I essentially want to mold the Wild Hunt into a tool being used by a powerful, demigod-like Shadow Dragon/Dracolich from another plane (Shadowfell, I was guessing, or possibly an interdimensional prison) to open a portal into the Witcher world. I think that this end goal really lines up with the Witcher storyline, as the second Conjunction serves as an excellent end-game for such a big bad. It would allow the entity to enter the world, and the introduction of additional monsters and possibly races would give the BBEG plenty of new servants.
However, where I'm running into a problem is with the theory of magic differences between D&D 5e and the Witcher. As Quickleaf points out in his documents, the Witcher setting is very Tolkien-esque when it comes to magic. I have never run a low-magic campaign, so it really is uncharted territory for me, and I feel like D&D 5e does not really lend itself well to the low-magic setting.
I had intended to use the optional variant from the DMG for Spell Points, as opposed to slots, as well as alter the rules for class restrictions on spell lists to better reach the Witcher theory of Magic Without Borders. I also am planning on using the optional rule Quickleaf offers for Overchanneling; the ability to cast higher spells than what a character level would normally be able to with the chances of miscasting and suffering exhaustion. For those who have run low-magic games, how did you do it? What optional rules and variants did you use?
The second issue I am seeing is that Monsters in the Witcher are typically very strong compared to the average adventuring party of D&D. As a matter of fact, this is really what makes the Witcher setting so fascinating to me is that even well-trained soldiers in this setting can have a hard time facing off against the beasties and must hire a professional monster hunter to do the job. I believe I will be adding the optional rules for injuries, morale, and critical fails into my game to show this, but I also want to balance the grittiness a certain amount to not just outright kill players all the time. This is especially important, as resurrection is not a thing in the Witcher setting; even the gods tend to shy away from it, though, there are a few extremely powerful entities that are willing to bargain with mortals to return them to life, usually with some alternative motive. How have other GMs made D&D 5e more lethal, while preventing TPKs every session?
These are my biggest questions so far, but as far as anything else is concerned, I'd like input from all of you! If you were a player in my game, what do you think would be cool? What would you shy away from? For a plot, what would you find interesting? This thread is as much a clarification for where I'm stuck as much as a brainstorming session for further ideas.
(TLDR: What are tips on running a low-magic campaign? How do you make D&D more lethal, while balancing it? If you were to take part in a Witcher-themed campaign, what would you want and not wish to see, and what would you find particularly interesting?)
I would like some input from all of you fantastically-minded fellows on a campaign I am building. I am trying to put together a Witcher-themed campaign with some major changes that will allow my players to take up the role of monster hunters. I am using sources from all across the web, but much of my notes is coming from Quickleaf's lovely Witcher in DnD 5e over at ENWorld, as well as some personal conversions I've put together over time.
Essentially, my campaign is set in an alternative storyline to the Witcher 3; the Witcher orders have all but been eradicated and what few Witchers remain are exiles and in hiding as the war between Nilfgaard and the North rages.
The protection of towns and villages has instead turned to smaller mercenary companies with their absence, and this is what I intend my players to be. As far as a plot, I essentially want to mold the Wild Hunt into a tool being used by a powerful, demigod-like Shadow Dragon/Dracolich from another plane (Shadowfell, I was guessing, or possibly an interdimensional prison) to open a portal into the Witcher world. I think that this end goal really lines up with the Witcher storyline, as the second Conjunction serves as an excellent end-game for such a big bad. It would allow the entity to enter the world, and the introduction of additional monsters and possibly races would give the BBEG plenty of new servants.
However, where I'm running into a problem is with the theory of magic differences between D&D 5e and the Witcher. As Quickleaf points out in his documents, the Witcher setting is very Tolkien-esque when it comes to magic. I have never run a low-magic campaign, so it really is uncharted territory for me, and I feel like D&D 5e does not really lend itself well to the low-magic setting.
I had intended to use the optional variant from the DMG for Spell Points, as opposed to slots, as well as alter the rules for class restrictions on spell lists to better reach the Witcher theory of Magic Without Borders. I also am planning on using the optional rule Quickleaf offers for Overchanneling; the ability to cast higher spells than what a character level would normally be able to with the chances of miscasting and suffering exhaustion. For those who have run low-magic games, how did you do it? What optional rules and variants did you use?
The second issue I am seeing is that Monsters in the Witcher are typically very strong compared to the average adventuring party of D&D. As a matter of fact, this is really what makes the Witcher setting so fascinating to me is that even well-trained soldiers in this setting can have a hard time facing off against the beasties and must hire a professional monster hunter to do the job. I believe I will be adding the optional rules for injuries, morale, and critical fails into my game to show this, but I also want to balance the grittiness a certain amount to not just outright kill players all the time. This is especially important, as resurrection is not a thing in the Witcher setting; even the gods tend to shy away from it, though, there are a few extremely powerful entities that are willing to bargain with mortals to return them to life, usually with some alternative motive. How have other GMs made D&D 5e more lethal, while preventing TPKs every session?
These are my biggest questions so far, but as far as anything else is concerned, I'd like input from all of you! If you were a player in my game, what do you think would be cool? What would you shy away from? For a plot, what would you find interesting? This thread is as much a clarification for where I'm stuck as much as a brainstorming session for further ideas.
(TLDR: What are tips on running a low-magic campaign? How do you make D&D more lethal, while balancing it? If you were to take part in a Witcher-themed campaign, what would you want and not wish to see, and what would you find particularly interesting?)