This post is one of many that I will be doing to help structure my own setting, while giving examples and ideas to other DM's and world crafters.
The Denizens of Villehelm:
Innkeeper - Vinn Rin Talbin
Vinn keeps the Inn, that's his job, and it's his life. He is married to Celia Talbin, and has no children. He is of average height, and is a stocky but confident man. He always wears a particular vest that is light and composed of worn faded leather. He is often happy in his work, and is the unofficial town greeter when it comes to adventurers in the village.
Blacksmith - Letigit Stripe
Letigit is an Eladrin who was abandoned during a battle for contested lands between Dwarves and Eladrin. She was mistakenly taken from the Eladrin village by a pillaging Dwarf, and was raised by a kind family in the mountains. She is exceptionally tall and muscular for an Eladrin, and gruffly makes the towns weapons by day, while drinking a gallon of ale every other night.
Doctor - Truss Wilven
Average in appearance, and deliberate in action, Truss Wilven is the most well known and respected member of Villehelm. He has straight brown hair, light green eyes, and every bit about him is completely average and ordinary. Except for his pipe. You wouldn't notice him if he was the only person standing in the center of the town square, but as soon as you get to know the Doctor, you find out what he lacks in appearance, he makes up for in actions.
The MLA Ambassador - Gunvel Slantern
What's an MLA Ambassador? Well, you'll have to ask the neighborhood gnome, Gunvel Slantern. He knows all about the MLA, and will talk about if for hours on end. It is wise to not bring up such things around him, but if you need anything that you normally wouldn't find on the beaten path, this guy is your best bet. Certifiably Gnomish.
The Town Eldest - Arthur Jonathon Thomas
A former Paladin, and defender of all that is just, Arthur is the most bullheaded and stubborn man in the village. Which is why he's in politics. The council of elders consists of 4 members plus the eldest, who is not actually the oldest, but the most revered among the elders. Arthur is easily angered, and would not be caught dead offering his own solution to any sort of conflict or problem. He is deeply religious though, and is a devout worshipper of Pelor.
The Stable Boy - Tanigan Alabhad
From far off lands, it is unkown how Tanigan ever made it to the hills before the mountains. He has a darker skin tone than other humans in this area, and he is often ridiculed by others for it. He pays little notice, and does his work diligently, and happily. Tanigan has his own dreams of becoming an adventurer someday, and it is well known that his strongest desire lies in returning to whence he came.
Well, that's a good start for now. In future posts there may be some more detailed information about one of these characters, and there will certainly be more of these mini-bio's in the future.
Showing posts with label Campaign Supplement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Campaign Supplement. Show all posts
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Formula: Making a Dungeon
Today I thought I'd share some of my ideas on how to make a dungeon. Through a step by step process, you can make a pretty sweet dungeon adventure in only a couple hours.
Begin With a Trial
I find it nice to open with some sort of challenge to the players themselves, but it can be equally fun to challenge their characters. Regardless of whether your dealing with a meta-challenge or an in-game challenge, there still manages to be some crossover between the two.
To Implement: The trial could easily be finding the dungeon in the first place. This could require players to make a series of checks much like the challenges described in the Dungeon Masters Guide. It could also be a puzzle in itself. You might have a series of clues scattered about a forest labyrinth that eventually leads them to the entrance to the dungeon within. You could also make the dungeon easy to find in itself, but difficult to initially crack into. Breaking in could be a challenge, or there might be a puzzle that when solved unlocks the path beneath. Another possibility would be to have a guardian, or perhaps a potential guide, send the heroes on a quest for a trophy to prove their worth. All of these are great side quests to get the players excited about what's actually beneath.
Start Mapping
This part is easy, and can be really fun. Navigating a dungeon could take weeks depending on how long or frequent your gameplay is. But making the dungeon itself takes less time than a single session.
To Implement: Break out your graph paper, or even your computer, and start mapping out the different levels, obstacles, traps, and whatnot that you want in your dungeon. Even if it doesn't make sense in terms of storyline or lore, you want to make the dungeon big enough so that the players will have interesting combat with different decision points in it. Make rooms with potential combat open enough that everybody will be able to find the battle accessible. You don't want people waiting outside the door for monsters or players to move out so they can actually see some action. Also, if the players do not, or try not, to surpass certain obstacles, give them another way around, but make it equally challenging in a different way. If they get stuck solving the sphinx's riddle, let them go around and use their brawn instead of brain.
Find an Encounter Theme
Not every encounter has to be the same type of monster, such as a dungeon full of only goblins, but it's good to have a theme behind the encounters. Let the players guess why certain monsters have teamed up with each other. This makes for more interesting encounters, and can even give you ideas on how to bring the concept back around later on.
To Implement: Balance what makes sense with what makes for interesting gaming. For instance, if the players are heading into a dungeon that was sealed for many centuries, make sure there are plenty of undead in there. In fact, the only living creatures should be ones that are known to survive for centuries on very meager living arrangements. If you go with an only undead dungeon, switch it up. Don't just use zombies and skeletons, throw in a specter or a wight, even a couple ghouls now and then. And most importantly, tie all the undead in some how. You may not have them encounter a lich at the end, but give them a clue that there may be one in this realm, and that could be their followup quest. But in terms of tying the dungeon together, make sure you've got at least one big bad monster at the end. It could be a demon leading a horde of underling goblins and such, or whatever you think is possible under the constraints of your story.
Follow these three steps, and your dungeon might certainly guarantee fun and interest. Start with a trial, have an interesting geography, and make sure the monsters don't get stale. Also, it always helps to have a hook, a twist, or a big bang at the end of every dungeon.
This post is to make up for last Sunday. More to come later today.
-Lance of the Lazy People
Begin With a Trial
I find it nice to open with some sort of challenge to the players themselves, but it can be equally fun to challenge their characters. Regardless of whether your dealing with a meta-challenge or an in-game challenge, there still manages to be some crossover between the two.
To Implement: The trial could easily be finding the dungeon in the first place. This could require players to make a series of checks much like the challenges described in the Dungeon Masters Guide. It could also be a puzzle in itself. You might have a series of clues scattered about a forest labyrinth that eventually leads them to the entrance to the dungeon within. You could also make the dungeon easy to find in itself, but difficult to initially crack into. Breaking in could be a challenge, or there might be a puzzle that when solved unlocks the path beneath. Another possibility would be to have a guardian, or perhaps a potential guide, send the heroes on a quest for a trophy to prove their worth. All of these are great side quests to get the players excited about what's actually beneath.
Start Mapping
This part is easy, and can be really fun. Navigating a dungeon could take weeks depending on how long or frequent your gameplay is. But making the dungeon itself takes less time than a single session.
To Implement: Break out your graph paper, or even your computer, and start mapping out the different levels, obstacles, traps, and whatnot that you want in your dungeon. Even if it doesn't make sense in terms of storyline or lore, you want to make the dungeon big enough so that the players will have interesting combat with different decision points in it. Make rooms with potential combat open enough that everybody will be able to find the battle accessible. You don't want people waiting outside the door for monsters or players to move out so they can actually see some action. Also, if the players do not, or try not, to surpass certain obstacles, give them another way around, but make it equally challenging in a different way. If they get stuck solving the sphinx's riddle, let them go around and use their brawn instead of brain.
Find an Encounter Theme
Not every encounter has to be the same type of monster, such as a dungeon full of only goblins, but it's good to have a theme behind the encounters. Let the players guess why certain monsters have teamed up with each other. This makes for more interesting encounters, and can even give you ideas on how to bring the concept back around later on.
To Implement: Balance what makes sense with what makes for interesting gaming. For instance, if the players are heading into a dungeon that was sealed for many centuries, make sure there are plenty of undead in there. In fact, the only living creatures should be ones that are known to survive for centuries on very meager living arrangements. If you go with an only undead dungeon, switch it up. Don't just use zombies and skeletons, throw in a specter or a wight, even a couple ghouls now and then. And most importantly, tie all the undead in some how. You may not have them encounter a lich at the end, but give them a clue that there may be one in this realm, and that could be their followup quest. But in terms of tying the dungeon together, make sure you've got at least one big bad monster at the end. It could be a demon leading a horde of underling goblins and such, or whatever you think is possible under the constraints of your story.
Follow these three steps, and your dungeon might certainly guarantee fun and interest. Start with a trial, have an interesting geography, and make sure the monsters don't get stale. Also, it always helps to have a hook, a twist, or a big bang at the end of every dungeon.
This post is to make up for last Sunday. More to come later today.
-Lance of the Lazy People
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Environment: The Poisonous Mushroom Forest
Between two massive spans of treacherous mountains, engulfed on either side by furlongs of rolling mountains, lay the Poisonous Mushroom Forest. The name, as names often are, is horridly misleading however. Not all of the mushrooms are poisonous; in fact, a small portion of the mushrooms will deliver a toxin into your blood that hinders, cripples, or deceives you. The most dangerous mushrooms do much worse than poison you. A more apt name for this place would be the "Forest of Mushrooms That Poison, Burn, Sting, Bite, Melt, and Devour While Being the Home to Every Form of Vile Creature That Can Withstand the Harshness". But that was too long to fit on the signpost.
The mushrooms come in many sizes. Some are smaller than a thumbnail, some are a thousand feet or more. Many of them are thin and bend, while many more are thick and tough as tree trunks. The Golden Mushrooms of Unerden are about 40-50 feet tall, and are often used as homes by many of the denizens of the forest. They are known to have great restorative powers, and often contain antigens to some of the more horrific poisons. For instance, a deep purple mushroom with tiny thorns that underly the bottom of the cap is known as a SlackWrath mushroom. Its poison will infect one creature, and any other creature that gets near it will end up contracting the poison themselves. After about a day or two of passing on the poison, the creature will suddenly break out into a horrible rash, and be dead within a few hours. There is no pain or sensation that the creature feels, not even a slight itch where the rash breaks out, and only a large handful of Golden Unerden Musk is able to cleanse it.
The floor of the mushroom forest is truly a sight, and a sensation, to remember! Every pinch of dirt that your feet lay upon, is covered in fungi. The floor is spongy, and nearly impossible to dig under. The only underground throughout the forest is the underground that the mushrooms allow. In some parts of the forest you will find layers of interlocking myconids as far down as 300 ft. Leaving an object on the mushroom floor will certainly destroy it within weeks. Anything that remains motionless is devoured and a new mushroom starts to grow in its place.
The creatures in the mushroom forest will often make homes within the mushrooms. Some of the larger mushrooms go further into the ground than any would expect, and some of the better mushroom mining species will dig deep into the mushroom to make an elaborate home for themselves, at their own risk. Rumor has it that a certain brand of Dwarf lives deep beneath the mushroom floor, in interlocking tunnels dug out of large mushroom roots. If they do exist though, it may not be wise to approach them expecting a peaceful resolve, for they have had little to no contact with other races for many generations.
The origins of the mushroom forest are quite unclear, and next week you will be introduced to a handful of the more popular theories.
-Lance of the Hill People
The mushrooms come in many sizes. Some are smaller than a thumbnail, some are a thousand feet or more. Many of them are thin and bend, while many more are thick and tough as tree trunks. The Golden Mushrooms of Unerden are about 40-50 feet tall, and are often used as homes by many of the denizens of the forest. They are known to have great restorative powers, and often contain antigens to some of the more horrific poisons. For instance, a deep purple mushroom with tiny thorns that underly the bottom of the cap is known as a SlackWrath mushroom. Its poison will infect one creature, and any other creature that gets near it will end up contracting the poison themselves. After about a day or two of passing on the poison, the creature will suddenly break out into a horrible rash, and be dead within a few hours. There is no pain or sensation that the creature feels, not even a slight itch where the rash breaks out, and only a large handful of Golden Unerden Musk is able to cleanse it.
The floor of the mushroom forest is truly a sight, and a sensation, to remember! Every pinch of dirt that your feet lay upon, is covered in fungi. The floor is spongy, and nearly impossible to dig under. The only underground throughout the forest is the underground that the mushrooms allow. In some parts of the forest you will find layers of interlocking myconids as far down as 300 ft. Leaving an object on the mushroom floor will certainly destroy it within weeks. Anything that remains motionless is devoured and a new mushroom starts to grow in its place.
The creatures in the mushroom forest will often make homes within the mushrooms. Some of the larger mushrooms go further into the ground than any would expect, and some of the better mushroom mining species will dig deep into the mushroom to make an elaborate home for themselves, at their own risk. Rumor has it that a certain brand of Dwarf lives deep beneath the mushroom floor, in interlocking tunnels dug out of large mushroom roots. If they do exist though, it may not be wise to approach them expecting a peaceful resolve, for they have had little to no contact with other races for many generations.
The origins of the mushroom forest are quite unclear, and next week you will be introduced to a handful of the more popular theories.
-Lance of the Hill People
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