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JohnLynch
Learned Scribe
Australia
243 Posts |
 Posted - 01 Jun 2013 : 03:29:23
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I'm thinking of running a one-shot in the Forgotten Realms in the near future and I want to make sure my players enjoy themselves. As such the aim of this one shot is to:
- Run a one-shot adventure that captures and portrays the flavour of the Forgotten Realms
- That has a satisfying beginning, middle and end on the one day.
- To tantalise and offer hints of future adventures to encourage my players to play further "one shots" with those characters ;)
I'm going to have my regular gaming group (some of whom are quite familiar with Faerun while the others only have passing knowledge) as well as a complete newbie to anything D&D. As such I'm going to be running this as a Level 1 D&D Next game.
To try to capture that Realmsian flavour I've decided upon setting it in Cormyr. It's richly detailed and so I can portray quite a bit of flavour.
Given it's a one shot I don't have much time to get the PCs acquainted with each other so they'll be starting in the only tavern in Battlerise. The locals will be portrayed as unfriendly and suspicious when suddenly a merchant comes bursting in calling out for a cleric. His wagons were attacked by Trolls from the Vast Swamp as he was travelling to Battlerise from Sembia. His only surviving guard is badly injured.
The next morning he'll be anxious to leave but he's very much short on guards. He'll call out when the PCs are around asking for anyone to help guard his two remaining wagons. He can't offer too much gold but fortunately he's headed to Suzail and the PCs just so happen (for their own reasons) to be heading that way as well.
The PCs will travel along the Way of the Manticore without much fanfare. This will give them the opportunity to get to know each other and the merchant and his guard better. The guard is thankful to the PCs who healed him but on the whole rather quiet and reticent. The merchant on the other hand is extremely nervous for he couldn't really afford the trip to Sembia and so he borrowed some money to help pay for it. Upon leaving Sembia he was on track to repaying the debt and then some. But unfortunately he's lost most of his goods in the troll attack and he fears what his lenders will do to him when he can't repay the debt.
They'll reach Monksblade without much issue. The PCs will be given the opportunity to look around Monksblade. Here they'll have the chance to find out about the ancient monastery and potential rumours of lost treasure and secrets. There will also be a intriguing item within Wendeira's Wondery. If the PCs enter this store a magical music box that has an illusory princess and prince dancing when you open it. The music box will psionically talk to the PCs saying that its rightful owner is from <LOCATION X> and it misses it's owner so much and just wants to go home. Alas the item is being sold for a couple of thousand gold pieces. The item will refuse to talk to anyone else except that PC.
Upon leaving Monksblade they'll head on to Dreamer's Rock. Unfortunately the weather takes a turn for the worse and the cart gets bogged down and they must seek shelter in a nearby cave.
Here's where I get a bit stuck. Dreamer's Rock is the perfect site for a dungeon bash but I don't know how to make it sufficiently Realmsian or how to capture the flavour.
The original surviving guard of the merchant is actually a Cormyrean spy who was sent to Sembia. He's uncovered a plot targeting Cormyr and so is returning to report what he's found out. Should he be killed the PCs will find an encoded message in his possessions as well as a ring that identifies him as a Purple Dragon in a secret compartment of his weapon's scabbard. His death will open up a very interesting plothook for the PCs and should they go to the Purple Dragons with their tale this will give them a monetary reward (thus finishing off that story arc for the one-shot) but also introduce them to Vangerdahast and the possibility of future clandestine work for the War Wizards and Purple Dragons.
I'd like the PCs to have the opportunity to find ancient riches so that they can offer a fair chunk of these riches to the merchant guard to pay off his lenders should they so desire.
Possible ideas for the dungeon bash portion:
- Tunnels dating back to the Jhamdaath Psiocracy only recently opened by copper miners. An underground bunker was created that a bunch of commoner Jhamdaathans fled to when their civilisation was destroyed by the great tidal wave.
An ancient evil was disturbed and came up to attack and destroy the Jhamdaathans. The PCs can get some Jhamdaathan lore as well as an even older evil lurking deep below. However the problem is what is this evil's motivation. How could something destroy the Jhamdaathans over a thousand years ago and still not be overpowered against the PCs?
- A necromancer whose actually not here at the moment but his creations have been left behind to guard his secret lair. A powerful nobleman of Cormyr he keeps his predlictions and plots a deep dark secret.
My problem with this is it's not very flavourful and feels a bit generic.
- Smugglers attack the PCs fearing that they will report them to the Purple Dragons. However how does this lead to an underground complex or ruins for the PCs to explore and to get some flavour and lore into the game?
I don't have to have the dungeon bash be in Dreamers Rock. It just feels like the perfect opportunity to have one. So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :)
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DM of the Realms: A blog for my Forgotten Realms adventures. |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4686 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2013 : 04:04:12
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*mutters* So you are talking about PCs show up in the Realms, a place they have not been before?
New campaign every time you want Realms play, all at level 1?
I am not understanding you well or get the impressions that you do not want to DM PCs higher then level 1. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Ze
Learned Scribe
Italy
147 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2013 : 08:05:45
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quote:
Originally posted by JohnLynch
How could something destroy the Jhamdaathans over a thousand years ago and still not be overpowered against the PCs?
Isn't this too much a grand-scale approach?
Let alone that they were defeated by elves, not by some powerful evil.
On another not, what about elans? I don't know a thing about their lore - could they fit?
At any rate, going psi does not very much feel like classic Realmsian flavor, IMHO.
I agree with Kentinal that much depends upon the starting level and if you want them to grow between one-shots.
Even more, let me add, it depends upon your players' taste.
If your aim is to draw your players into loving the Realms, I would care to start with something that might ring a bell to them.
If they already know something about Cormyr, great, go on as planned.
If they don't, you might set the starting game in places they know from novels they read, or if they never read FR novels, chances are they played the BG videogames, and they may have memories of the Sword Coast.
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Caladan Brood
Senior Scribe
Norway
410 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2013 : 09:09:17
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| If I were to give players a taste of the Realms I'd go for something that showcases the Realms in one way or the other. Maybe a portal-hopping adventure so you could show a lot of different places with a little flavor each. |
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Old Man Harpell
Senior Scribe
USA
495 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2013 : 14:06:28
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Your adventure synopsis is good. Very good, in fact. In truth, I doubt I could pack all of that into a one-off session, so my hat is off to you in that regard.
The currently-absent necromancer...what are the creations he left behind, exactly? Are any of them the bodies of rival nobility, and are they recognizable as such? How are they controlled when he's absent - some sort of necromantic apparatus, perhaps, or simply as a result of the magic used? Is the lair a nexus of some sort, perhaps necromantic/Negative Material, or dimensional/astral, or the center of a ley line network that extends to other points in the Realms? Is the necromancer in league with other unfriendlies, such as the Twisted Rune, some Red Wizards, or Zhentarim, who may have assisted him in establishing his lair, and thus (unwittingly) left telltale signs? If so, what do they hope to gain by doing so?
Lots of possibilities, and not just the one I took and expanded slightly. That's going to be a remarkable one-off, regardless of the path you take.
- OMH |
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Kris the Grey
Senior Scribe
USA
422 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2013 : 18:02:37
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John,
Excellent concepts. Level 1 characters using D&D Next eh? I'm running an event at GenCon this year basically trying the same thing. Starting level characters, try to pack in the Realms flavor, only have 6 hours to do so, use the D&D Next rules set. So, I feel for you and the challenge.
I join OMH in wondering if you are going to be able to get all you've got planned into one session? Are you doing a 6 hour session? 8? 10? 12? An overnight Mega-Session? I have honestly only played using D&D Next once, so I'm not sure how swiftly the combats run (whether they are more 1E/2E fast or 3E slow), but you've got some complex role playing goals there. You might also run afoul of the system learning curve for the players.
What era are you running in? The 'here and now' of D&D Next Realms or one of the earlier 'Classic Realms' eras?
A question. What is more important to you in this run? Combat focus, pure role-playing focus, or a mix of both?
You seem to have noticed your adventure combat elements (dungeons, etc) tend to be exhibiting a 'generic' quality. That's totally understandable, unless you are fighting Draconians on Krynn it's normal that one Necromancer fight (or orc brawl) might resemble any other on any world. You might consider keeping things to role playing mainly so as to make the setting and NPCs shine. Plots can be revealed, spies exposed, and all that good stuff without swords being drawn overmuch. I know this might be a bit dull for groups accustomed to a good fight, but it is a one shot session. If they like it enough to want to try it again then you can hit them with necromancers, and constructs, and bandits oh my! Just a thought.
I will leave you with one more thought. At the risk of sounding like a broken record (too late, Lol) I'll suggest something outside the box for you... My particular one trick gaming pony is the 'play yourself' adventure. You take your players, stat them out as 0/1 level no-buddies (unless you've got police, medics, military, or career criminals at your table) and drop them into the Realms as THEM. You do them the small favor of making common = modified English and you turn them loose on a location (or it on them). A small town in Cormyr such as what you had in mind works great. Walk them into some key NPCs, stroll them into town, and then spring your mystery on them. You can absolutely drown them in all of the little things that make the Realms unique (from local slang, to time, to food, to groups, to customs) and their general lack of combat skill (again, unless you've got SCA gamers or members of Seal Team Six) will force them to role play with every NPC in sight just to survive/get anything done.
If that's not your (or their) cup of tea I totally understand. However, I've found that using the mechanism of immersing the players into the Realms as themselves (instead of adding the layer of playing local characters) really works to showcase the particulars of the world in one shot play sessions.
(As a further aside, if you want THE ideal tomes to add little Realms flavor touches I'd recommend both the Volo's Guide to Cormyr and Ed Greenwood Presents: Elminster's Forgotten Realms . They have great local lore, slang, and what not.) |
Kris the Grey - Member in Good Standing of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, the Arcane Guild of Silverymoon, and the Connecticut Bar Association |
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JohnLynch
Learned Scribe
Australia
243 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2013 : 10:38:51
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Thanks everyone for the replies. You've all certainly helped and given me some food for thought.
quote:
Originally posted by Kentinal
I am not understanding you well or get the impressions that you do not want to DM PCs higher then level 1.
Apologies for that. I could have been clearer.
This adventure is intended as a one shot. As such the characters will be level 1 for the duration. I want a satisfying story conclusion. However I also want to include a couple of hints at future stories to try to entice my players to pick up these characters again at some point in the future. Were they to do so then their characters would be at a higher level (most likely at level 2).
quote:
Originally posted by Ze
quote:
Originally posted by JohnLynch
How could something destroy the Jhamdaathans over a thousand years ago and still not be overpowered against the PCs?
Isn't this too much a grand-scale approach?
Agreed. Hence why I included it as a possible option but I wasn't really sold on it.
quote:
Originally posted by Ze
Let alone that they were defeated by elves, not by some powerful evil.
I understand. These would have been some Jhamdaathans who sought sanctuary from the elven attack only to die to some other danger. But again. All a bit high level for mere level 1 PCs.
quote:
Originally posted by Ze
Even more, let me add, it depends upon your players' taste.
If your aim is to draw your players into loving the Realms, I would care to start with something that might ring a bell to them.
If they already know something about Cormyr, great, go on as planned.
If they don't, you might set the starting game in places they know from novels they read, or if they never read FR novels, chances are they played the BG videogames, and they may have memories of the Sword Coast.
Definitely a possibility. We've got Living Forgotten Realms players so they have a vague idea of the flavour but beyond that I'm not sure of their knowledge besides one of them loving the Drizzt novels. I'm inclined to stay in Cormyr because I really like the fact weapons need to be peacebonded. That's an element that I've almost never seen crop up outside of the Forgotten Realms. It's also fairly archetypical fantasy genre with knights in shining armour and wizards. Finally I've read Volo's Guide to Cormyr so it's the region I happen to know best ;)
quote:
Originally posted by Caladan Brood
If I were to give players a taste of the Realms I'd go for something that showcases the Realms in one way or the other. Maybe a portal-hopping adventure so you could show a lot of different places with a little flavor each.
I've been reading Elminster's Forgotten Realms and so I've styled the one shot off the flavour of Ed Greenwood's adventures/campaigns. We've got:
- Plothook upon plothook given to the PCs (tamed down somewhat to make the one shot more satisfying).
- Intrigue and secrets everywhere (guard is actually a spy)
- Premise for the adventure being a classic "guard the merchant" with merchants seeming to be the bread and butter of Ed Greenwood's campaigns
Rather than throw the PCs at a variety of archetypical physical locations I'm aiming for capturing the thematic feel for the Forgotten Realms.
quote:
Originally posted by Old Man Harpell
The currently-absent necromancer...what are the creations he left behind, exactly?
Mostly experiments he's created as he learns his craft. We've got:
- Skeletons
- Zombies
- Crawling Claws (4th ed)
- Rot Hound (4th ed)
- Ghoul Seneschal
The skeletons and zombies can also act as guards while the hands would be an experiment. The rot hound would be a pet dog the necromancer keeps around with the seneschal an intelligent ghoul who looks after his master's affairs in the master's absence.
quote:
Originally posted by Old Man Harpell
Are any of them the bodies of rival nobility, and are they recognizable as such?
I like the idea of that. I could have a skull on a plaque that names it as a member of a rival noble family with a wand of speak with dead adjacent to it along with two more empty plaques waiting for new skulls to add. However this raises the question of wands in D&D Next and why a wizard would be using a wand instead of just casting the spell? I do love the idea of a wand being adjacent to a bookshelf of skulls though.
quote:
Originally posted by Old Man Harpell
How are they controlled when he's absent - some sort of necromantic apparatus, perhaps, or simply as a result of the magic used?
The skeletons and zombies would need to be contained so they don't leave the complex without permission. One layer of security would be to have a maze that has closed doors at the exits. This causes anyone who were to walk through it have the potential of getting lost. If they manage to not get lost they've got the danger of skeletons/zombies behind every corner.
There could also be rooms in the complex that are empty except for some zombies inside (or perhaps the zombies occupy a corridor that's needed to progress further into the complex).
The necromancer would obviously be able to control them through the mere fact he created them/because he has a magical item that gives him control. The ghoul seneschal would also have the ability to give them basic commands such as "fetch me more people".
It's noted that smugglers use Dreamer's Rock and pay off the locals to look the other way. It's also noted that the smugglers sometimes kill the people they've paid off anyway to tie up any loose ends/to save in costs. What if it wasn't the smugglers killing the locals but the ghoul killing them because he's hungry?
quote:
Originally posted by Old Man Harpell
Is the lair a nexus of some sort, perhaps necromantic/Negative Material, or dimensional/astral, or the center of a ley line network that extends to other points in the Realms?
All good possibilities. Dreamer's Rock did have the mystic Ilyndrathyl meditating there until one day he disappeared in a burst of flame. So there's already some mystical connection for this site. Although I'm unsure what to try to include, if anything. Perhaps just an aura that triggers under detect magic permeating the site. This would give me the option of not having to decide while giving the PCs a reason to perhaps return to this site should they decide to play these characters again.
quote:
Originally posted by Old Man Harpell
Is the necromancer in league with other unfriendlies, such as the Twisted Rune, some Red Wizards, or Zhentarim, who may have assisted him in establishing his lair, and thus (unwittingly) left telltale signs? If so, what do they hope to gain by doing so?
Ooooh. I definitely like that. I'd love to use this as an opportunity to introduce the Zhentarim as I absolutely love the plot arc involving Manshoon vs Fzoul with Sememnon caught in the middle.
Their assistance would be in the form of discrete people to have helped build the site originally. They could also continue to offer assistance by getting rare necromantic material components for the continued experiments of the Necromancer. In return they would want support from this noble in limiting Cormyr's interference in the Dalelands and if possible perhaps even withdraw from those lands entirely.
Now the question is how to leave signs that they helped build the place? I was thinking a very high (but still attainable) DC Engineering to learn that the hinges used on the doors are in the style used in the Moonsea region. I was also thinking of simply having packing crates that bear the symbol of the Zhentarim that have been stacked off to the side near a fireplace to use as firewood.
Any better/other suggestions?
quote:
Originally posted by Kris the Grey
I join OMH in wondering if you are going to be able to get all you've got planned into one session? Are you doing a 6 hour session? 8? 10? 12? An overnight Mega-Session? I have honestly only played using D&D Next once, so I'm not sure how swiftly the combats run (whether they are more 1E/2E fast or 3E slow), but you've got some complex role playing goals there. You might also run afoul of the system learning curve for the players.
I've DM'd a fair amount of LFR and more recently Pathfinder Society so I feel like I've got a pretty good grip on timing for 3.5e/Pathfinder battles. D&D Next definitely feels like it should be looking at this time-scale for the flow of battles rather than high level 4th ed battle durations.
I'd be looking at a full day session which would consist of 8 hours of gaming (excluding lunch breaks and with people having created characters before the session). As such I estimate 1 hour for getting the plothook, 1 hour for roleplaying in Monksblade and finally 1 hour for post-Dungeon bash roleplaying (post-Dungeon bash can always be hand waved if people are really sinking their teeth into the dungeon bash). That gives 5 hours for roleplaying in the dungeon bash portion of the adventure. Worst case scenario that's 3 fights and 2 hours worth of roleplaying.
The great thing about dungeons and not drawing the map out ahead of time is that the dungeon can suddenly shrink if necessary to speed the game along. The monsters I've listed above are potential monsters to throw at the PCs. The maze can easily end whenever desired. And rooms and corridors can also shrink away.
quote:
Originally posted by Kris the Grey
What era are you running in? The 'here and now' of D&D Next Realms or one of the earlier 'Classic Realms' eras?
1357 DR! Before any of the RSEs have occurred.
quote:
Originally posted by Kris the Grey
A question. What is more important to you in this run? Combat focus, pure role-playing focus, or a mix of both?
For me a mixture is important. I instinctively focus on roleplaying and build up that while neglecting the combat areas. However given a good portion of the purpose of this is to show the new person "what Dungeons & Dragons is all about" I do want to include some combat.
quote:
Originally posted by Kris the Grey
You seem to have noticed your adventure combat elements (dungeons, etc) tend to be exhibiting a 'generic' quality. That's totally understandable, unless you are fighting Draconians on Krynn it's normal that one Necromancer fight (or orc brawl) might resemble any other on any world.
Good point. I do feel a bit better in having the Zhentarim having helped build the Necromancer's lair. However I'm just unsure on how to convey this in a cool way to the players without just dumping a big "ZHENTARIM WERE HERE" neon sign.
quote:
Originally posted by Kris the Grey
You might consider keeping things to role playing mainly so as to make the setting and NPCs shine. Plots can be revealed, spies exposed, and all that good stuff without swords being drawn overmuch. I know this might be a bit dull for groups accustomed to a good fight, but it is a one shot session. If they like it enough to want to try it again then you can hit them with necromancers, and constructs, and bandits oh my! Just a thought.
As I'm building up the Necromancer's lair I am adding more interesting touches that help make the dungeon part more exploratory and less smashing through 20 more skeletons.
quote:
Originally posted by Kris the Grey
At the risk of sounding like a broken record (too late, Lol) I'll suggest something outside the box for you... My particular one trick gaming pony is the 'play yourself' adventure. You take your players, stat them out as 0/1 level no-buddies (unless you've got police, medics, military, or career criminals at your table) and drop them into the Realms as THEM. You do them the small favor of making common = modified English and you turn them loose on a location (or it on them). A small town in Cormyr such as what you had in mind works great. Walk them into some key NPCs, stroll them into town, and then spring your mystery on them. You can absolutely drown them in all of the little things that make the Realms unique (from local slang, to time, to food, to groups, to customs) and their general lack of combat skill (again, unless you've got SCA gamers or members of Seal Team Six) will force them to role play with every NPC in sight just to survive/get anything done.
If that's not your (or their) cup of tea I totally understand. However, I've found that using the mechanism of immersing the players into the Realms as themselves (instead of adding the layer of playing local characters) really works to showcase the particulars of the world in one shot play sessions.
I've seen you suggest this in other threads and it certainly piques my interest. Although part of the reason I'm using the Forgotten Realms for this one shot instead of another setting such as Dark Sun is that the Forgotten Realms are classic D&D. So I think for this adventure I'll stick to the more classical D&D adventure.
quote:
Originally posted by Kris the Grey
(As a further aside, if you want THE ideal tomes to add little Realms flavor touches I'd recommend both the Volo's Guide to Cormyr and Ed Greenwood Presents: Elminster's Forgotten Realms . They have great local lore, slang, and what not.)
One step ahead of you ;) I think it took me an hour looking at several maps of Cormyr (including one I've cobbled together from the maps in Volo's Guide to Cormyr) before deciding on the starting location and the adventure sites.
So for the Necromancer's lair I'm thinking that it will have a maze that will most likely be an extension of natural cavern tunnels that were already there.
The main lair would include traps and such that contain more undead (can all be removed if running low on time). Finally the main rooms would contain a study that includes some books. Some book titles I've been thinking up are:
- The Vampiric Conspiracy: A retelling of the history of Tethyr as recounted by a former thrall
- Libris Mortis - Pretty much every necromancer needs a copy.
- Faerunian Minerals - A bit out of place. But there'll be a bookmark on a page that contains information on Lazurite with an offhand comment about the fact that the dead sometimes spontaneously rise as intelligent undead when buried in regions that have large deposits of it.
- Necromancers and their role on the Battlefield - A book that goes on about tactics that can be used when utilising an undead army rather than a living one
- A History of Liches - Mostly tales recounting now presumed destroyed liches or information on their lives before becoming an undead lich
Any suggested books I could throw in?
There'd also be a bedroom/kitchen/laundry/private quarters for the ghoul (perhaps with a villager child that the ghoul has been tormenting). All the usual trappings a noble would require.
There'd also be a back exit (which would be the main exit/entrance. After all. Who the hell traps the main entrance that they use all the time?) that would be protected by powerful magic (protected from the outside coming in that is). This would consist of an underground stables with wagon tracks (for transporting bodies to/from Wheloon).
I do have another question: Are maces/qaurterstaves peacebonded? If they can't be peacebonded, are these the go to weapons by those who don't want to pay for a charter? After all. What's the real difference between a thick stick and a club? |
DM of the Realms: A blog for my Forgotten Realms adventures. |
Edited by - JohnLynch on 03 Jun 2013 10:48:59 |
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Ze
Learned Scribe
Italy
147 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2013 : 13:10:53
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I love the books list, let me just be punctilious on one thing:
quote:
Originally posted by JohnLynch
LibrisLiber Mortis - Pretty much every necromancer needs a copy.
...unless you're giving the real book to the player - in that case I agree you'll need to stick to Bad Latin. 
On a less jobsworth note, you may want to check the wonderful books lists hosted here in Candlekeep. They are very inspiring to me. Here's a couple:
http://www.candlekeep.com/library/articles/booklist.htm
http://www.candlekeep.com/library/articles/scrolls.htm
Check them all out in Alaundo's Library, among the Traveler's Notebooks, on the Various Unofficial Lore shelf.
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Ze
Learned Scribe
Italy
147 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2013 : 13:12:19
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Oh, I was forgetting - I am totally stealing your work here, you know?
I may need a one-shot too...
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4686 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2013 : 13:20:42
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Peacebonding:
Yes maces and quarterstaves are peacebond should the local law require such.
Maces or either like swords tried to belt or wrapped in cloth with many knots holding the cloth in place.
Quarterstaves of course can only be wrapped in cloth and tied with knots.
Oh clubs also tend to be peace bonded as well.
Local law applies of course, in my little domain the weapons are collected at the gate unless a weapn permit is purchased, which includes a bond for improper use of a weapon. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Caladan Brood
Senior Scribe
Norway
410 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2013 : 13:30:53
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quote:
Rather than throw the PCs at a variety of archetypical physical locations I'm aiming for capturing the thematic feel for the Forgotten Realms.
Ah, I see, in that case I totally agree that merchants and trade is very Ed Greenwoodish. There's a lot of it in many sourcebooks, I've even thought that what culinary dishes is to George RR Martin, trade and bartering is to Ed :) |
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Kris the Grey
Senior Scribe
USA
422 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2013 : 17:47:39
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After last night, do NOT get me started on George RR Martin...
John - You have done a truly admirable job writing your adventure with an eye to the clock and keeping it laced with Realmslore throughout. It's thus not too surprising that you got to the two best sourcebooks before I had a chance to even recommend them. Lol. I'm sure that your adventure will be a pleasure for your group to play, I echo Ze in saying that you did us a service by sharing it.
Oh, and I further commend you for setting it in the OGB era of the Realms. Truly the classic period.
As to the Necromancer lair and little touches throughout, I assume you've also got access to the 2E era tome "Lords of Darkness"? That's got some good stuff, as does the "Complete Necromancer's Handbook" (also of 2E fame).
Best of luck with it all and let me know if you ever get around to trying out PYS at some point! |
Kris the Grey - Member in Good Standing of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, the Arcane Guild of Silverymoon, and the Connecticut Bar Association |
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thebaron
Acolyte
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2013 : 21:00:29
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| Well, you could make the necromancer part of the cult of the dragon and they have tons of minions and allies. |
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A One-Shot in the Forgotten Realms
