Matrota
2020-07-14, 01:37 AM
I'm the DM of a 5th edition campaign titled "The Six," a revamp of my very first 3.5e campaign I ever made. I recently decided to add a house rule to future campaigns that every race will get a bonus feat at level 1, outlawing variant humans as an option in the process. Since this is a recent decision, players in The Six didn't have that option at campaign start, and I wanted to give back in some way. Here's how:
The players just encountered one of the 5 seals keeping an ancient evil at bay, having been contacted by its previous guardian right before his death. They defeated the challenges on the way and have arrived at the seal, triggering the necromancy spell that conjured the dead spirit of the previous guardian. The guardian claimed someone must take his place and bind themselves to the seal in order to keep the magical defenses up and prevent the cult of the Shal'Khorizarr from unsealing him and his armies, letting them loose upon the world once more. The entire party wants to take the test he will administer and split the burden of binding themselves to the seal, which I see as the perfect opportunity to give them feat-equivalent boons as a reward for passing the guardian's trials to see if they are powerful enough to power the seal's defenses.
The guardian who set all this up was an immortal snow elf warlock (https://docs.google.com/document/d/133vIkrSV_Zomrw9rkBgv5988vbXVDnBK6hp-y0WPfI8/edit?usp=sharing) with the help of many other powerful spellcasters such as a draconic sorcerer, a fiend warlock, a light domain cleric, and a college of whispers bard thousands of years ago. This seal is unique among the other five as it has offensive power as well as defensive power. The party will face the guardian's trial, consisting of a series of challenges I've yet to work out, and at the end of this they will be able to bind themselves to the seal's location and re-empower the defenses around it, gaining permanent boons in the process.
I'm starting to come up with some ideas, but any more input from you generous giants would be appreciated. I want to give the players boons that they will appreciate that will be useful to them but not necessarily outright overpowered. Also, if you have experience running "tests of worthiness" what worked well for you and what didn't?
Here's the party composition for reference. They are all 8th level, and are likely going to be 9 within one or two sessions of finishing the seal's challenge.
Locke, a Fated (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pvsF2ZFGe14me9GLSN_HHqARtYPsBRFWdnGDy7jNSkg/edit?usp=sharing) Twilight Domain cleric who serves my homebrew goddess Lady Nesilia (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LlYRwY1i0z7Lcjyr5Lq02gMRQwmhR6hRwM6uN2LpOsw/edit?usp=sharing), a LN fey goddess of fate and the grave. He's a fan of Inflict Wounds and is somewhat of the leader of the party. A cynical and practical man who reveres the sacredness of the grave and serves Lady Nesilia faithfully after her church took him in as a Twilight Penitent when he committed manslaughter and wished to repent. Locke has the War Caster and Lucky feat.
Lord Seryvan, a Child of Khyber (Morgrave 3rd party book) Revenant Blood Oath Paladin (page 1 (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/279683278246641664/633134375747321888/image0.png), page 2 (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/279683278246641664/633134392780259368/image0.png)) who is seeking his elder brother, the one who turned him immortal (revenant race). Seryvan wishes to defeat his brother so that he can truly die and have a final rest after outliving most his loved ones. He's gotten mixed up with the party and the plot in the process, and hopes these higher powers may hold the secret to breaking his immortal curse. Seryvan has the Abberant Dragonmark and Greater Abberant Dragonmark feat from Morgrave, which essentially gives him access to sorcerer spells 1/day and a feature similar to half-orc's Relentless Endurance.
Lidia Tadriel, a Spirit Folk (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m81qeMsIFu1Ybq4kZnwWNoK5AvdoZPT8XVF6D67Tlvc/edit?usp=sharing) Revised Ranger with the Swarmkeeper Conclave from UA. Her swarm is flavored to be fey firefly spirits. She was raised by a fey spirit in a woodland region of the world closely tied to the feywild, and she's one of the party's hardest hitters. Her favored enemies are Monstrosities and Abberations. She has a vested interest in either keeping Shal'Khorizarr sealed forever or killing him herself, as his cult is responsible for the death of someone very close to her. She has the Sharpshooter feat.
Declan Frostleaf, a Stout Halfling Circle of the Moon Druid 5 and Totem of the Bear Barbarian 3. He's from a viking-type tribe in the north who is on symbolic exile as part of their people's culture, where he cannot return to the tribe until he has found his destiny and place in the world, growing stronger in the process. He believes stopping Shal'Khorizarr is likely part of his destiny, as is taking the burden of the seal to protect the Frosted Lands from Shal'Khorizarr's influence. Declan has the tough feat.
Reza Roshanara, a Wood Elf Kensei Monk who used to be part of a secretive government force in a neighboring Empire until the leaders of his organization turned traitor. Reza left the order and sailed to another nation to live as a hermit, but modern events have driven him out from his seclusion and now he is working with the party to protect the world at large from the threat of Shal'Khorizarr and his armies. Reza has the Elven Accuracy feat.
Helter Skelter is a Kobold Artillerist Artificer who learned his craft from a gnome mentor that took him in and taught him craftsmanship when Helter Skelter asked to learn. He's an intelligent and skilled craftsman whose begun doubting himself after a longstanding party-member died in front of him fighting a yeti. Helter Skelter hasn't chosen a level 8 feat/ASI yet as he's missed two sessions.
The players just encountered one of the 5 seals keeping an ancient evil at bay, having been contacted by its previous guardian right before his death. They defeated the challenges on the way and have arrived at the seal, triggering the necromancy spell that conjured the dead spirit of the previous guardian. The guardian claimed someone must take his place and bind themselves to the seal in order to keep the magical defenses up and prevent the cult of the Shal'Khorizarr from unsealing him and his armies, letting them loose upon the world once more. The entire party wants to take the test he will administer and split the burden of binding themselves to the seal, which I see as the perfect opportunity to give them feat-equivalent boons as a reward for passing the guardian's trials to see if they are powerful enough to power the seal's defenses.
The guardian who set all this up was an immortal snow elf warlock (https://docs.google.com/document/d/133vIkrSV_Zomrw9rkBgv5988vbXVDnBK6hp-y0WPfI8/edit?usp=sharing) with the help of many other powerful spellcasters such as a draconic sorcerer, a fiend warlock, a light domain cleric, and a college of whispers bard thousands of years ago. This seal is unique among the other five as it has offensive power as well as defensive power. The party will face the guardian's trial, consisting of a series of challenges I've yet to work out, and at the end of this they will be able to bind themselves to the seal's location and re-empower the defenses around it, gaining permanent boons in the process.
I'm starting to come up with some ideas, but any more input from you generous giants would be appreciated. I want to give the players boons that they will appreciate that will be useful to them but not necessarily outright overpowered. Also, if you have experience running "tests of worthiness" what worked well for you and what didn't?
Here's the party composition for reference. They are all 8th level, and are likely going to be 9 within one or two sessions of finishing the seal's challenge.
Locke, a Fated (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pvsF2ZFGe14me9GLSN_HHqARtYPsBRFWdnGDy7jNSkg/edit?usp=sharing) Twilight Domain cleric who serves my homebrew goddess Lady Nesilia (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LlYRwY1i0z7Lcjyr5Lq02gMRQwmhR6hRwM6uN2LpOsw/edit?usp=sharing), a LN fey goddess of fate and the grave. He's a fan of Inflict Wounds and is somewhat of the leader of the party. A cynical and practical man who reveres the sacredness of the grave and serves Lady Nesilia faithfully after her church took him in as a Twilight Penitent when he committed manslaughter and wished to repent. Locke has the War Caster and Lucky feat.
Lord Seryvan, a Child of Khyber (Morgrave 3rd party book) Revenant Blood Oath Paladin (page 1 (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/279683278246641664/633134375747321888/image0.png), page 2 (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/279683278246641664/633134392780259368/image0.png)) who is seeking his elder brother, the one who turned him immortal (revenant race). Seryvan wishes to defeat his brother so that he can truly die and have a final rest after outliving most his loved ones. He's gotten mixed up with the party and the plot in the process, and hopes these higher powers may hold the secret to breaking his immortal curse. Seryvan has the Abberant Dragonmark and Greater Abberant Dragonmark feat from Morgrave, which essentially gives him access to sorcerer spells 1/day and a feature similar to half-orc's Relentless Endurance.
Lidia Tadriel, a Spirit Folk (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m81qeMsIFu1Ybq4kZnwWNoK5AvdoZPT8XVF6D67Tlvc/edit?usp=sharing) Revised Ranger with the Swarmkeeper Conclave from UA. Her swarm is flavored to be fey firefly spirits. She was raised by a fey spirit in a woodland region of the world closely tied to the feywild, and she's one of the party's hardest hitters. Her favored enemies are Monstrosities and Abberations. She has a vested interest in either keeping Shal'Khorizarr sealed forever or killing him herself, as his cult is responsible for the death of someone very close to her. She has the Sharpshooter feat.
Declan Frostleaf, a Stout Halfling Circle of the Moon Druid 5 and Totem of the Bear Barbarian 3. He's from a viking-type tribe in the north who is on symbolic exile as part of their people's culture, where he cannot return to the tribe until he has found his destiny and place in the world, growing stronger in the process. He believes stopping Shal'Khorizarr is likely part of his destiny, as is taking the burden of the seal to protect the Frosted Lands from Shal'Khorizarr's influence. Declan has the tough feat.
Reza Roshanara, a Wood Elf Kensei Monk who used to be part of a secretive government force in a neighboring Empire until the leaders of his organization turned traitor. Reza left the order and sailed to another nation to live as a hermit, but modern events have driven him out from his seclusion and now he is working with the party to protect the world at large from the threat of Shal'Khorizarr and his armies. Reza has the Elven Accuracy feat.
Helter Skelter is a Kobold Artillerist Artificer who learned his craft from a gnome mentor that took him in and taught him craftsmanship when Helter Skelter asked to learn. He's an intelligent and skilled craftsman whose begun doubting himself after a longstanding party-member died in front of him fighting a yeti. Helter Skelter hasn't chosen a level 8 feat/ASI yet as he's missed two sessions.