First time playing D&D and I'm the DM. Anyone feeling helpful?

[Denalz]

So I have never actually played D&D. I spent a lot of time and money preparing to try it a few years ago, but one disgruntled player flipping the board over 5 minutes into the game later and.... yeah, I wasn't in a hurry to try again. If anyone was curious, the tantrum was because the DM decided that the PC's would be starting with the standard adventure'rs pack. It was literally the first call he made.

So this time I happen to be the DM as no one else was eager to try (we are all new players). I was hoping you guys could look over the basics of the campaign I'm going to run and tell me if you see any glaring issues. If you have any recommended changes just for the sake of making things more interesting, I'm all ears... or eyes... or... you get the idea.

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4 Lvl 3 PC's (Paladin, Wizard, Ranger, Druid), 1 potential NPC may assist in most encounters (Lvl 3 Fighter)

I hope to run this campaign over three sessions. That may be wishful thinking since we are all new and trudging through the rule books is likely to slow us way down.
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Session 1

The first session will consist of the players being shipwrecked on a tropical island near sunset. The first encounter consists of two giant crabs and one king crab (a monster of my own design). They will begin as perfect strangers. The only other survivor will be the ship's captain who tells them that this island has a trading post where a major merchant line stops every month. He refuses to say when or where however, he holds this information as incentive for the PC's to protect him. I am prepared for the possibility that the PC's may choose to interrogate him. Though I don't expect it.

The next morning, the PC's will awaken to being attacked by a giant poisonous snake. This snake will end up killing the captain. Once the PC's defeat it, they will be confronted by several tribal warriors of the Tongu tribe (my invention, based off the Maori people). These warriors, who speak their own language, will beckon the PC's to join them back to their village. I am prepared for the possibility that the PC's will refuse, or choose to fight.

Once to the village, the chief will use a translator to inform the PC's that they have been chosen by their god, Lono, to put an end to the growing threat of the snake people (Yuan-ti) who are the only other major civilization upon this island. They Yuan-ti have been abducting people at random for about a year now and their attacks have grown more frequent. The night the PC's arrived the chief's future daughter-in-law was taken. They are obliged to respond, but they lack the strength/courage to do so.

In exchange, the Tongu will arrange for passage off of the island for the PC's the next time the merchants come to trade. I am prepared for the possibility of refusal, but they really won't have a better option. Before they set off, the Chief will bless them with a ritual including the acceptance of a tribal tattoo representing their god (I need help deciding on this tattoo's effect).

The PC's will be given the option of traveling with the translator, a Lvl 3 fighter named Akira who will serve as a guide. This woman is obliged to accompany them since her younger sister was the young woman captured in the most recent Yuan-ti attack. She hopes her sister is alive and she intends to rescue her. Should they refuse her help, she will follow after at a distance, looking for an opportunity to aid the PC's in their fight against the Yuan-ti, or perhaps using their presence as a necessary distraction to rescue her sister.

The session will end with the PC's entering the jungle toward the hovel of a Tongu hag whom the Tongu believe have the secret to bringing down the Yuan-Ti.
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Here are the main things I need help with for session 1...

1. I need a minor buff provided by the tribal tattoo. It needs to be small due to the permanence of such a mark.

2. I am unsure if I should create another encounter as a condition for receiving the tattoo. I was thinking like a trial by fire or one on one combat with the tribesmen (I like this idea less as it would be time consuming individually). Any ideas?

3. I'm not sure if the events described in the first session will be enough to fill out a 3 hour block. Maybe they will be too much, what do you all think? Are there enough encounters to keep things interesting?

4. Since there are no shops on this island, what starting items (like healing potions) should I allow my PC's? They have no dedicated cleric.

5. Is it too boring to end the session without combat? Is entering the jungle exciting enough to make the players wan to return?
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If you are still reading then let me know if you would like a synopsis of the second and third session, especially if you think it would help you answer my questions for the first session. Thank you very much!

[GPS]

To #5, you should probably send a small combat your players' way. Not so much due to bourdem, more so that they can get a feel for all aspects of the game. It'll be good to aquaint them with combat mechanics, out of combat skill mechanics, all that good stuff early on.

[Contrast]

I normally like level 3 as a good starting point, but if both the players and yourself are new to the game I'd suggest considering starting off at level 1 or 2 (but purposefully softball the initial combats i.e. snakes who do 1 damage on a bite).

The first few levels do a good job of introducing the key mechanics a bit at a time and also mean your casters will be able to pace themselves and learn the spells and how they work rather than getting multiple levels dumped on them at once. Getting to level up could then be the 'reward' for the tatoo.

My initial suggestion if I was running it would be to do some team bonding before dumping them on the island. Have them start on the ship, foreshadowing storm coming, captain proposes a friendly team 'wrestling' competition to give the crew something to do and stop them muttering about bad omens. Gives you an excuse to get everyone familiar with the combat rules in a non-lethal environment.

Also:


I am prepared for the possibility of refusal, but they really won't have a better option.

...That sounds like you're not prepared for the possibility of refusal then :smalltongue:

[GPS]

I normally like level 3 as a good starting point, but if both the players and yourself are new to the game I'd suggest considering starting off at level 1 or 2 (but purposefully softball the initial combats i.e. snakes who do 1 damage on a bite).

The first few levels do a good job of introducing the key mechanics a bit at a time and also mean your casters will be able to pace themselves and learn the spells and how they work rather than getting multiple levels dumped on them at once. Getting to level up could then be the 'reward' for the tatoo.
This. If my first DM had started me at level 1 instead of 5, it might have taken me less than 6 months to figure out how to play the game.

[Kane0]

1. I need a minor buff provided by the tribal tattoo. It needs to be small due to the permanence of such a mark.

2. I am unsure if I should create another encounter as a condition for receiving the tattoo. I was thinking like a trial by fire or one on one combat with the tribesmen (I like this idea less as it would be time consuming individually). Any ideas?

3. I'm not sure if the events described in the first session will be enough to fill out a 3 hour block. Maybe they will be too much, what do you all think? Are there enough encounters to keep things interesting?

4. Since there are no shops on this island, what starting items (like healing potions) should I allow my PC's? They have no dedicated cleric.

5. Is it too boring to end the session without combat? Is entering the jungle exciting enough to make the players wan to return?
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If you are still reading then let me know if you would like a synopsis of the second and third session, especially if you think it would help you answer my questions for the first session. Thank you very much!

1. Something like a Bless or Guidance spell once per short rest. +1d4 to an Attack, Check or Save once per short rest, simple and useful without being too powerful.
2. A skill challenge of some description. Ritual dance followed by climbing a particular monument around or near the village then jumping down again safely and 'confronting' some spiritual entity. Charisma (Performance), Strength (Athletics), Dexterity (Acrobatics), Wisdom (Insight). Pass at least two to earn the tattoo.
3. You'll be fine. You won't get through more than 2-3 encounters plus RP done in a three hour block if you're still learning the game.
4. Have something be scattered in the shipwreck, on the captain or provided by the tribe. 1d4+1 healing potions total should be fine, they'll have chances to rest and use Hit Die to recover.
5. That depends on you and the players. Some go to sleep if there isnt a fight every hour, others can go entire weekends without combat. You'll find the feel and rhythm of your group after a while. Most importantly: Have fun. If you're having fun theres a good chance you will be more entertaining and everyone else will have fun and be more entertaining. Thats sort of the point of playing.

[Demonslayer666]

Couple quick recommendations here.

Keep your noses out of the books as much as you can. Just make a quick ruling as DM and keep playing, make a note, and look it up later. You can look up spells to see what they do, that is pretty common, but when they want to try to do something, it either works, or they roll a d20 and add a stat modifier.

Before you start playing, lay down some ground rules to avoid temper tantrums. Go over how you will be playing and what you expect of the players, and how to resolve conflicts.

[Sabeta]

Story Impressions
Be ready for anything, here's a couple of suggestions.
-Why would the captain be suspicious of the players or have any reason to believe the players will abandon him? I suggest making him a friendly guide who will earnestly try to get the players to the port town, if only out of duty.
-Be ready for the potential that the players save the Captain, especially if they like him. I suggest having the Tongu ship him off the port town because he's not in the prophecy.
-Be ready for the potential that the players will then go with the Captain, and try to raise money in the port town to buy passage home, or better yet try negotiating with the Merchant/Sailor's Guild saying that they're OWED passage home for not reaching their destination.

Basically, you have a pretty well lined out story, but your players may not care for it and go in a completely different direction. The more you try to force them back into the story, the more they're going to resist. (ie: If the Tongu come and just tell them they have no choice but to help). To alleviate this, if the players ignore the Yuan-Ti menace then have them get attacked by Yuan-Ti at some point in the near future. Perhaps even to a point that one players is briefly kidnapped. (Making things personal)

TLDR: Don't expect players to follow the story.


1) I suggest that it either protect them from Yuan-Ti, or be a minor blessing from the Deity. Perhaps poison resistance or advantage on Wisdom Saves made against Yuan-Ti.

2) If your story is moving too fast, pick some island trials. If you're going too slow, skip it. Make sure the trials are somewhat easy for your players if they actually need this mark, but also try to disguise it as something difficult and rewarding.

3) You'll be fine. Even if you go to fast and hit the end before time just call it there. Use the extra time to take care of some book keeping, get player feedback, and all that good stuff. Maybe point out that you're new and still learning how to pace the game, and I'm sure they'll forgive you. Don't make a big deal out of it, and your players likely won't either.

4) Isn't there a port town with merchant ships? Sounds like there would be shops there, or at least some way that gold is kept flowing. Anyway, let them have starting gear, supplies to (hopefully) last them through the adventure, and maybe a healing potion or four. (no more than four, Paladin has access to healing)

5) In terms of standard storytelling, this is a nearly perfect breaking point. Ideally they'll have cleared their business in town, learned of their quest, and are about to embark on a character defining journey, and standing before them is a dark and menacing forest. Sounds like that moment in anime where they suddenly drop a "...to be continued". In terms of your players though? Just ask them once it's done. If they need to end sessions right before or after a battle, then that's that.

Final Advice: You're all here to play a game together. Yes you're the DM, but consider yourself a player as well. Seriously consider if you're having fun doing what you're doing, and if not ask yourself how you can get there. Don't bend to your players every whim and will or you'll probably find yourself hating the game sooner rather than later. I speak from experience when I say that bad players can make a DMing experience unfun.

I sincerely wish you the best of luck, and hope you have fun. (I would be interested in knowing how this all turns out by the way!)

[thoroughlyS]

Before you start playing, lay down some ground rules to avoid temper tantrums. Go over how you will be playing and what you expect of the players, and how to resolve conflicts.

TLDR: Don't expect players to follow the story.
Bolded for emphasis. Seriously, these are the reasons campaigns can end before they start.



I second the notion that you should start at 1st level. It really does make a difference for everybody.


1. I need a minor buff provided by the tribal tattoo. It needs to be small due to the permanence of such a mark.

2. I am unsure if I should create another encounter as a condition for receiving the tattoo. I was thinking like a trial by fire or one on one combat with the tribesmen (I like this idea less as it would be time consuming individually). Any ideas?

3. I'm not sure if the events described in the first session will be enough to fill out a 3 hour block. Maybe they will be too much, what do you all think? Are there enough encounters to keep things interesting?

4. Since there are no shops on this island, what starting items (like healing potions) should I allow my PC's? They have no dedicated cleric.

5. Is it too boring to end the session without combat? Is entering the jungle exciting enough to make the players wan to return?

Tailor the tattoo so that it helps fight the Yuan-Ti. This way, it makes the first "arc" of your game a little easier for our players. It also makes the permanent aspect less of an issue.

I would do immunity to the Yuan-Ti's racial suggestion. Be sure to still try using that ability on the PCs during the fights (even though it will fail), otherwise it doesn't actually accomplish anything.
I would approach this a different way. If the group accepts the mission, they get the tattoo as a boon to help them face the threat. If they refuse, they are cast out into the island (where they will eventually run in to the Yuan-Ti anyway, because it's an island). Have the Tongu make it clear that the player's will probably be attacked, so that they are more likely to agree. Akira should still follow them either way.
I do not see this taking less than 3 hours, but if it does, just get into a quick fight with a Yuan-Ti Pureblood. This also solves problem 5.
Just give them the starting gear from the Player's Handbook. You don't actually "need" a dedicated healer in this game any more.
Reading through your description, I thought the game would start with a combat encounter (the crabs). If that's the case, just throw 4 crabs and 1 giant crab at them. Creating content when you are not used to the rules of the game can create problems.

I also have some general recommendations for the game as well:

Starting the players off as strangers seems like a good roleplaying opportunity, but it also has the possibility of causing inter-party conflict (especially if That Guy is lurking at your table). When I DM, I always try to have as many characters start off friendly as possible. This is no different when I'm a player, because I recognize the potential for there to be a problem.

Killing off the captain seems kind of irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, so I would leave it up to the players. If they do let him die, the game goes exactly as you have planned. If they manage to keep the captain alive until you meet the Tongu, he can become a recurring ally in he campaign. Need to get somewhere quick? Talk to the captain. Need a good deal on supplies? Talk to the captain. Need an adventure hook? Talk to the captain. He may even thank them when they get back to mainland, perhaps in the form of a magic item.

Have Akira be level 2, to provide some bulk to the party. Also, try to fill a role that your party doesn't have, like rogue or bard.


Keep your noses out of the books as much as you can. Just make a quick ruling as DM and keep playing, make a note, and look it up later. You can look up spells to see what they do, that is pretty common, but when they want to try to do something, it either works, or they roll a d20 and add a stat modifier.
On the other end, try to have the important things readily available. Keep the stat blocks for the crabs, tribal warriors, captain, and Akira on hand. Familiarize yourself with the mechanics of combat: initiative, actions, how to attack. The rules for ability check (including skills) are simple to remember. If there is no consequence for failure, they succeed, if it's a normal challenge DC 10, if it's hard DC 15.

5. That depends on you and the players. Some go to sleep if there isnt a fight every hour, others can go entire weekends without combat. You'll find the feel and rhythm of your group after a while. Most importantly: Have fun. If you're having fun theres a good chance you will be more entertaining and everyone else will have fun and be more entertaining. Thats sort of the point of playing.

Final Advice: You're all here to play a game together. Yes you're the DM, but consider yourself a player as well. Seriously consider if you're having fun doing what you're doing, and if not ask yourself how you can get there. Don't bend to your players every whim and will or you'll probably find yourself hating the game sooner rather than later. I speak from experience when I say that bad players can make a DMing experience unfun.

I sincerely wish you the best of luck, and hope you have fun. (I would be interested in knowing how this all turns out by the way!)

[CaptainSarathai]

So I have never actually played D&D.
So this time I happen to be the DM as no one else was eager to try (we are all new players).
Sounds like a perfect reason to buy the $20 Starter Set and play the level1-5 Lost Mines of Phandelver campaign contained therein.
Seriously, it gives you an easy(er) way to learn how to DM, and is designed to introduce players to aspects of the game in a gradual and comprehensive way.
Really, please do this. Because...


4 Lvl 3 PC's (Paladin, Wizard, Ranger, Druid), 1 potential NPC may assist in most encounters (Lvl 3 Fighter)

If you want to play a character, find a DM for your group, or find another table to play at as a PC. DM PCs almost never end well, are almost never well received, slow the game down to a crawl in combat, look like Mary-Sues, end up railroading the party, and take a pretty delicate hand to make work at all. You are a first time DM.
Unless you are Nerd-Jesus, you are none of those things as a first time DM.
Besides, 4 PCs actually makes encounter balance SUPER easy, because the game is balanced around setting Monster CR as equal to 4 characters. ie a CR3 monster, is a fair fight for 4, level3 characters.

I hope to run this campaign over three sessions. That may be wishful thinking since we are all new and trudging through the rule books is likely to slow us way down.

A campaign over 3 sessions is not a campaign. It's an Adventure. Multiple Adventures make one Campaign, like chapters in a book.
For an idea, groups that meet weekly, for 4hr sessions, usually get to level 15 in six months. Campaigns are long. D&D is a slow game.

Session 1

The first session will consist of the players being shipwrecked on a tropical island near sunset. The first encounter consists of two giant crabs and one king crab (a monster of my own design).

As a new DM, you feel qualified to create your own monsters based on experience with...
Seriously, you can re-skin other monsters, and it's a tried-and-true way to keep things balanced for your players. That way things aren't too easy or too deadly.
My suggestion (away from books) would be to use rats or wolves, and dire rats/wolves for your crabs.

They will begin as perfect strangers.

They have just been on a seavoyage together. Unless this is a massive ship, like, modern cruiseliner size, and none of them were crew, they would know each other. I would use the ship as the reason their backstory intertwines - ask each player why they were on the ship to wherever it was destined, and what they were hoping to gain. But you should never start the party as strangers. There's no roleplay reason for them to trust one another or work together if they have no bonds to the rest of the party.
The only other survivor will be the ship's captain who tells them that this island has a trading post where a major merchant line stops every month. He refuses to say when or where however, he holds this information as incentive for the PC's to protect him. I am prepared for the possibility that the PC's may choose to interrogate him. Though I don't expect it.

Forcing players to work with an NPC because that NPC is with holding information necessary to making a minor advancement in the plot, is just going to frustrate them. I would wholly expect 4 people to attempt to torture this guy for information that could help them escape their predicament. D&D is good for figuring out which of your friends is a sociopath like that.

The next morning, the PC's will awaken to being attacked by a giant poisonous snake. This snake will end up killing the captain.

His only job in this whole scenario, has been to tell the PCs that there is a merchant route on this island, and then die.
Later, they meet a translator and an indigenous tribe that tells them about the merchants. The captain is 100% useless, and interacting with him just takes up time at the table.

There is no way for them to prevent the captain's death? Even after you make it clear that he's trying to use them as bodyguards and is, so far, the only one who knows how to get off the island?? That's a cheap shot. What if they set up watch? Will they have a chance to catch the snake sneaking into camp? What if they nuke the snake with all of their daily abilities before it can even get to the captain's tent?
You are forcing them into a situation with only one outcome and telling them, "no matter what you do, this NPC dies because I am god."
May as well just have the captain have a heart-attack on the beach.

Once the PC's defeat it, they will be confronted by several tribal warriors of the Tongu tribe (my invention, based off the Maori people). These warriors, who speak their own language, will beckon the PC's to join them back to their village. I am prepared for the possibility that the PC's will refuse, or choose to fight.

So, thus far, I've read through your scenario, and the only the captain (dead now) and this tribe, know how to get off the island.
If the PCs choose to fight, or even just choose not to follow a bunch of strangely gesturing natives, back to their camp - you may as well roll credits. They end up skipping EVERYTHING you have prepared. Or, even if they don't, they still have no idea where these merchants are to get them off the island.

Once to the village, the chief will use a translator to inform the PC's that they have been chosen by their god, Lono, to put an end to the growing threat of the snake people (Yuan-ti) who are the only other major civilization upon this island. They Yuan-ti have been abducting people at random for about a year now and their attacks have grown more frequent. The night the PC's arrived the chief's future daughter-in-law was taken. They are obliged to respond, but they lack the strength/courage to do so.

In exchange, the Tongu will arrange for passage off of the island for the PC's the next time the merchants come to trade. I am prepared for the possibility of refusal, but they really won't have a better option.

And that's railroading
Before they set off, the Chief will bless them with a ritual including the acceptance of a tribal tattoo representing their god (I need help deciding on this tattoo's effect).

The PC's will be given the option of traveling with the translator, a Lvl 3 fighter named Akira who will serve as a guide. This woman is obliged to accompany them since her younger sister was the young woman captured in the most recent Yuan-ti attack. She hopes her sister is alive and she intends to rescue her. Should they refuse her help, she will follow after at a distance, looking for an opportunity to aid the PC's in their fight against the Yuan-ti, or perhaps using their presence as a necessary distraction to rescue her sister.

The session will end with the PC's entering the jungle toward the hovel of a Tongu hag whom the Tongu believe have the secret to bringing down the Yuan-Ti.
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Here are the main things I need help with for session 1...

1. I need a minor buff provided by the tribal tattoo. It needs to be small due to the permanence of such a mark.

treat it as a +1 item. It's +1 to Attack, and +1 to Damage when attacking a Yuan-Ti.

2. I am unsure if I should create another encounter as a condition for receiving the tattoo. I was thinking like a trial by fire or one on one combat with the tribesmen (I like this idea less as it would be time consuming individually). Any ideas?

You're already short on Encounters. D&D assumes 6-9 encounters per day, with 2-3 Short Rests.
Messing with this balance (1 fight per day) messes with the balance between classes. Some classes are Long Rest dependent, and therefore can do a LOT of damage in one fight, or have to budget their abilities over multiple fights. Other classes are Short Rest dependent, meaning that they can do less in any given fight, but can keep doing it all day long.
If this is problematic for you, then you can change the timescale for short and long rests, so that you only need about 3 fights per day (a nights sleep becomes a Short Rest) and every 2-3 days the party needs to stop for a Long Rest of a day or two.

3. I'm not sure if the events described in the first session will be enough to fill out a 3 hour block. Maybe they will be too much, what do you all think? Are there enough encounters to keep things interesting?

Hard to tell, really. I'm thinking too much because the combats will be sort of slow, especially if you have any spellcasters.
However, if they don't take much time talking to your NPCs, and they follow your railroad without deviating, they might breeze right through this stuff.
It also depends on how well you, as DAM,
keep the players on task. You'd be amazed at how much time they can waste making Month Python jokes.

4. Since there are no shops on this island, what starting items (like healing potions) should I allow my PC's? They have no dedicated cleric.

They start with gear. If you start at 1st level, that's enough. For 3rd level, it's still really enough. Especially since they have no place to spend gold, they don't really need level appropriate gold. So that's easy.
Without a cleric, no big deal. They can recover a Hit Dice every short rest, and some classes also have some built in healing or can take healing spells. You don't need a dedicated healer any more in 5e.

5. Is it too boring to end the session without combat? Is entering the jungle exciting enough to make the players wan to return?

It should be fine. You has 2 combats in there already. If they had fun, if the combat was fun and your NPCs were entertaining, they should be excited to come back.


I don't mean for this post to put you off DMing or playing D&D. I just have had recent experience with a DM who did not tell us up front that he had never played D&D before, and when he finally told us, suddenly a lot of very un-fun elements of his campaign made perfect sense.
We were all new DMs at one point. It's not easy. Very few of us were also entirely new to D&D - I was, too. I just wish that someone had taken the time to beat me about the head and shoulders with a pre-written module, so that I could have learned the right way to DM good campaigns, instead of making my friends sit though several very bad ones. Worse still, those bad campaigns made them poor players, so now that I've been away from that group, learned good DMing, and come back, it's very hard to DM for them because they're not used to proper campaigns with things like roleplay and free will in them.
I hate seeing this happen to any group of players - I hate seeing people have bad experiences with what should be a wonderful and enjoyable game.

[Denalz]

Thank you everyone for all your detailed and thoughtful responses! I am so grateful that you would take your time to help me out. Seriously :smallsmile:

***WARNING*** The following is a terribly long winded response to everyone’s advice. Skip it if you have better things to do.

I wish I had time to respond to each one individually, but instead I’ll just go ahead and tell you what I’ve taken away from your collective advice (some of the changes I’m making are from advice I received on another forum).

Game play Changes/Comments

Side note: The “session zero” has already been in progress for two weeks via facebook messenger. The conversation concerning characters, rules, dynamics, etc has been going on at length nearly every day. This session began with me submitting 8 different potential settings/plots. This island adventure that I have created was their top pick. Had I known more about learning to be a DM before-hand I probably would have chosen a premade adventure, but quite frankly, I’ve invested way too much time into this endeavor and I’m just going to go with it at this point. The players are also in agreement that this game is kind of a throw-away game, just to get our feet wet. We hope that this campaign will be relatively short. They are not even sure they want to keep their characters for the next game we play and if the session doesn't grab anyone, we will start again once we have a better idea of what everyone wants.

One of the main things I keep hearing is that the PC’s need to know each other before we get started. This was my initial request for my players, but they couldn’t agree on intertwining back stories so they just decided to be strangers. After reading your posts, I decided to insist that they figure it out. I suggested various voyage activities that may have provided potential bonding experiences. They are still working on it but they have agreed to figure it out.

Another reoccurring piece of advice you guys keep saying it to start our characters at level one. For some reason I was under the impression that starting at a higher level would make it easier for me to plan more interesting encounters and this is why I recommended level 3. I’m afraid it’s too late to tell my PC’s to redo their character sheets for level 1 and I’m worried they will become vexed. Especially since our game is on May 7th and all our players are adults with full time jobs. Not to mention, I would have to go and rebalance all of the encounters and I’m not sure I have time for it.

In response to those who worry about my designing my own monsters, I should have been more clear. All I really did was adjust the HP, AC, or damage slightly to make them more appropriate for my player’s level. I recycled the templates for similar monsters as best I could since I don’t trust myself to be able to design a balanced monster right now.

As far as some people being worried that I’m railroading by PC’s or that I’m not truly prepared for alternative possibilities, I guess you’ll just have to trust me that I really mean it since I don’t have time to type out PLAN B, C, D for every scenario. Though the most common issue I see people worrying about is “what if they don’t go with the Tongu tribesmen? What if they fight instead?”. My plan in that event is that Akira (the translator) will eventually seek them out and relay all the information they would have gained at the village and attempt to enlist their help to rescue her sister. She will vouch for her tribe in getting the PC’s off the island. This will bypass the village scenes entirely and I will be forced to move the campaign along to the second act where they set off toward the hag’s hovel. I have those encounters ready to go just in case. I have more back up plans prepared and I will rely on improvisation a fair bit, but I hope I’ve demonstrated that I really do mean it when I say that “I am prepared for the PC’s to go a different direction”. Though I’ve never played D&D I’ve been a play-by-post role-player for 11 years, so I do have an inkling on how to improvise, though admittedly not under timed pressure. We will see how it translates.

I think I’ll go with someone’s recommendation that the tattoo will provide three instances of poison damage, fading a bit each time it is used until it disappears entirely. Either that or it will provide resistance against the Yuan-ti’s “suggestion” ability. As for the condition to receive the tattoo, how about something simple like walking over hot coals. I could use a constitution check to determine how stoically/gracefully this is performed. It may provide a bit of amusement and role playing fun.

I told my PC’s to be prepared that this island will not have any shops (it is terribly primitive), so purchase any necessary items from their starting gold before-hand. I will narrate that they escaped from the ship as it crashed in a lifeboat and that they have their starting gear with them. To clarify, the trading post where the merchant line comes through is not a town. It is little more than a bay where the Tongu meet the tradesmen every month. It would be difficult (but not impossible) for the PC’s to find on their own as they would have to circle the island coast which would be quite dangerous. Once they get there, they would have a nearly impossible time bartering passage off the island because the traders will not be willing to sacrifice their trade relationship with the Tongu who may hold this over the PC’s heads to get them to help. I doubt it would ever get to this point as my players are the ones who decided upon this adventure.

Story Changes/Comments

I decided to take some advice on the captain. I will not automatically kill him off anymore. I will make him a bit of a prick and a coward. He will warn the PC’s of how perilous this island is and how they must get to the trading post with his help. When the snake encounter begins, he will run and hide. Once the PC’s kill it, they will immediately be confronted by the Tongu (who will take them sleighing the snake as an omen that Lono has chosen them to defeat the Yuan-ti). The captain will warn he PC’s not to go with the Tongu and will lie about their wild nature (in truth he is afraid to be left alone and he is also afraid to go with the Tongu because he knows someone will recognize him as a slave trader who has harvested them from this island in years past). I expect my PC’s will choose to go with the Tongu, not respecting the word of this captain (If not, Akira would eventually approach the group on her own and recognize the captain, revealing his dishonesty to the group if they refused to go to the village).

If they go with the tribe, the captain will follow, having no better option. He will be recognized and the Tongu chief will want to execute him. The PC’s will then have the chance to argue his case if they so desire. I think this will provide good conflict/RP opportunity, not to mention they can make some persuasion/intimidation/deception checks

I need advice on Akira

Here is the rundown on this character. Let me know what changes you suggest.

Akira is a hunter and spend much of her time in the wild. She had a very close relationship with her younger sister despite their opposite nature. That is, until her sister became engaged to the chief’s son. Out a jealousy and a fear of abandonment that Akira doesn’t quite understand, she seduced her sister’s intended and is now secretly pregnant with his child. Racked with guilt, she is motivated by more than heroic loyalty to rescue her sister from the Yuan-ti.
This character will be used as a guide/translator. Though she can fight, I don’t intend on her being overly helpful during the encounters. She may not even be present if the encounters take place on holy ground where she is forbidden to go (she is very superstitious). Her main purpose is to make the story more interesting and provide RP opportunities and dilemmas….. such as the following…

1. The hag they meet will reveal to the party that Akira is pregnant and demand the child as a price for her help (see hag lore for more info). If all members refuse, then she will make a different request which will involve them destroying something sacred and beautiful in the forest. Both options will be terrible as the paladin’s back story includes a proclivity to protect mothers and their children while the druid’s back story is that of a forest guardian. The hag will revel in the discord this moral quandary sows. They can either comply with her requests, try to trick her, or attack her. Their choice. Side note: regardless of what they chose, in the end the hag will double cross them and attack Akira to attempt harvesting the child.

2. At the end of the second act, I intend for Akira to be captured by the Yuan-ti while she is out hunting. This will provide the opportunity for the party to be heroic rescuers toward a character they may actually care about, and it will also remove her from the possibility of stealing any spotlight in the third act. Or they could let her die, it doesn’t really matter to me.
What do you guys think?

***One more note about Akira***

I assume many of the people reading this are men. I happen to be a woman and I am running a game for all male players. Is Akira’s story too… I don’t know… girly/soap opera-ish? Being the only female at the table I am super self conscious that my players will be tempted to roll their eyes at some of my story telling themes. What do you think? Is Akira’s story too corny for men to be interested in?

[ThurlRavenscrof]

For the minor buff, I would give the players a +1 to a saving roll mod of their choice. It's small enough that it won't throw off game balance. It's personalized because players get to choose their stat. It's flavorful because tribal tattoos are often for protection

[thoroughlyS]

I assume many of the people reading this are men. I happen to be a woman and I am running a game for all male players. Is Akira’s story too… I don’t know… girly/soap opera-ish? Being the only female at the table I am super self conscious that my players will be tempted to roll their eyes at some of my story telling themes. What do you think? Is Akira’s story too corny for men to be interested in?
I'm liking it so far. The only thing about characters like this (characters with secrets to hide) is revealing their backstory. Most people go one of two ways on this:

Never explain the backstory, so most of their in-character decisions seem arbitrary to the other players.
Reveal everything almost immediately, which kind of ruins the point of having secrets.

In my opinion, it is a very hard concept to pull off convincingly. That being said, the story as presented is actually really engaging. I want to know more about this person and how they act.

[Mandragola]

My advice to anyone DMing for the first time is to buy the starter set and play that, letting the players make whatever 1st level characters they like.

The starter set is a seriously good adventure, and it is as easy to DM as you could hope for. It will get your players from lvl 1 to 4 or 5, by which point you'll be much more experienced as a DM and able to run stuff for the players.

This isn't a criticism of anything you've written yourself, it's just my honest advice. You've got an easy way to give your players a fun adventure and get experience for yourself. Use it.