Love it when a plan just comes together

[Telonius]

Sometimes during campaign prep, things come together just perfectly, whether it's worldbuilding, character building, or anything else. What are some of the times something was just so astonishingly convenient you feel like you just couldn't have planned that any better?

One that happened just now. I'm putting together an Eberron campaign, and at one point the party's going to visit House Tharashk's outpost in Sharn. House Tharashk is the Mark of Finding, so I'm thinking I'm going to play it up full Film Noir. I need to get a name for the secretary. I look up the name of Sam Spade's secretary, and find that it's Effie Perine. Okay, Effie, change it slightly to Ginny. I read on and find that the description of her in the books is: "a lanky sunburned girl whose tan dress of thin woolen stuff clung to her with an effect of dampness." Obviously, a Water Genasi; and just as obviously where she got the nickname.

[thorr-kan]

Not campaign prep, but player's class and kit choices.

I run an AD&D 2E Al-Qadim campaign. Kits are mandatory. We started the campaign as 0-level kids caught up in a slaver raid. Their benefactor (not rescuer; they resuced themselves) was priest of Kor, the god of wisdom. One of the players decided to be a priest of Kor as well. Two other players decided to be holy warriors of Kor.

Boom. Instant group coherence and plot hooks. The players have leaned into it, and other two players have worked with it too. It's led to some seriously epic moments over that last 22 years.

[xRazoZane]

In one of the campaigns I was running, the barbarian had acquired an axe that has an opportunity to make him go crazy when he is hit. This forces him to attack the nearest target. this may include his allies if there are multiple people next to him. He is also the main damage dealer of the group. During the dungeon, he only went into this frenzy once and all the group had to do was close the door to leave him alone in a room. Fast forward to the final fight of the module, they are about to finish off the last boss and the fight has been pretty easy. BAM! the barbarian gets hit and goes into a frenzy. The group was more terrified of him than my boss. It was worth the wait to see it all unfold at the climax of the dungeon.