I work at a public library and we have a D&D group that is currently on hold because our dungeon master is no longer working here. We are searching for a new one so along with all of our postings I thought it would be neat to make it fun on Facebook. To begin with I posted that nefarious creatures have captured our DM...we fear for his life...blah blah...the quest begins and the information about searching for a new one. The idea I had was to make short, weekly postings from the perspective of the captured DM. Something kind of like a one man campaign. I've never played so I honestly don't know enough to do this, but here I am.
He woke up to find himself being kept in a cave deep beneath the earth. He's escaped and is trying to find his way out through the system of tunnels. He has come to a cavern that opens up with multiple options on which way he can go. He knows that some openings can go up toward freedom and some can lead deeper, but before he can make a decision he's hit with a shower of earth and rock. As he lowers his arms and searches through the dust, his gaze collides with the eyes of the Umber Hulk before him.
And that's all I got...
So now my question is how do I narrate this scene? I have no clue how he's supposed to actually fight this thing. All I've seen are words like high charisma and something about saving throws and hits and I know that applies with a DM running a campaign with the players but I'm doing this backward. I want to make it fit within the D&D world and I'm reading as much as I can but I'm stuck. I know I want him to be confused for a minute (I can make that funny) but he has high charisma😉 so he's got to break free of that. I also know I have to either kill it or I need something that will allow me to escape without it sensing me.
If anyone has any ideas, suggestions, or advice I would be so thankful!!
This is a cute idea. Given the nature of what you're doing, I don't think you should try to be a stickler for the rules, telling a fun story is probably enough.
So we're going to pretend that John Smith, level 12 Dungeon Master, is trapped in a D&D world and he's trying to fight an Umber Hulk? Let's assume he has his car keys, a wallet, and his phone. To be generous, let's also say he has a Swiss army knife and an LED flashlight on his keychain.
An Umber Hulk's gimmick is that it can mesmerize its prey before it catches them. If you've ever seen The Jungle Book, think of how the python's eyes go all pinwheel-y as it wraps its coils around Mowgli.
A level 12 Dungeon Master wouldn't fall for an old trick like that, though. If it were me, I'd probably temporarily blind this underground dweller with my LED flashlight and then mesmerize it right back with a medley of Blackpink videos played on my phone. Then I'd use a shoelace and one of the thighbones of the Umber Hulk's last victims to make a kind of selfie stick, climb up on the Hulk's back and, holding the phone out in front of it, use it like a carrot with a mule, persuading the Hulk to dig me up out of the Underdark so I could get my bearings (and find some magical way to recharge my phone) before the next adventure.
As a writing tip going forward, I wouldn't use the phone to get out of everything. Maybe the Swiss army knife next. Or better still, the library card from his wallet might get him access to a wizard school's collection so he can find out more about where he is.
Also, if you're looking for a new DM, there's actually a subforum right on this site where you could let people know. No idea if anyone's in your area, but it couldn't hurt to try.
All the best!
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ok here's the deal..
I work at a public library and we have a D&D group that is currently on hold because our dungeon master is no longer working here. We are searching for a new one so along with all of our postings I thought it would be neat to make it fun on Facebook. To begin with I posted that nefarious creatures have captured our DM...we fear for his life...blah blah...the quest begins and the information about searching for a new one. The idea I had was to make short, weekly postings from the perspective of the captured DM. Something kind of like a one man campaign. I've never played so I honestly don't know enough to do this, but here I am.
He woke up to find himself being kept in a cave deep beneath the earth. He's escaped and is trying to find his way out through the system of tunnels. He has come to a cavern that opens up with multiple options on which way he can go. He knows that some openings can go up toward freedom and some can lead deeper, but before he can make a decision he's hit with a shower of earth and rock. As he lowers his arms and searches through the dust, his gaze collides with the eyes of the Umber Hulk before him.
And that's all I got...
So now my question is how do I narrate this scene? I have no clue how he's supposed to actually fight this thing. All I've seen are words like high charisma and something about saving throws and hits and I know that applies with a DM running a campaign with the players but I'm doing this backward. I want to make it fit within the D&D world and I'm reading as much as I can but I'm stuck. I know I want him to be confused for a minute (I can make that funny) but he has high charisma😉 so he's got to break free of that. I also know I have to either kill it or I need something that will allow me to escape without it sensing me.
If anyone has any ideas, suggestions, or advice I would be so thankful!!
This is a cute idea. Given the nature of what you're doing, I don't think you should try to be a stickler for the rules, telling a fun story is probably enough.
So we're going to pretend that John Smith, level 12 Dungeon Master, is trapped in a D&D world and he's trying to fight an Umber Hulk? Let's assume he has his car keys, a wallet, and his phone. To be generous, let's also say he has a Swiss army knife and an LED flashlight on his keychain.
An Umber Hulk's gimmick is that it can mesmerize its prey before it catches them. If you've ever seen The Jungle Book, think of how the python's eyes go all pinwheel-y as it wraps its coils around Mowgli.
A level 12 Dungeon Master wouldn't fall for an old trick like that, though. If it were me, I'd probably temporarily blind this underground dweller with my LED flashlight and then mesmerize it right back with a medley of Blackpink videos played on my phone. Then I'd use a shoelace and one of the thighbones of the Umber Hulk's last victims to make a kind of selfie stick, climb up on the Hulk's back and, holding the phone out in front of it, use it like a carrot with a mule, persuading the Hulk to dig me up out of the Underdark so I could get my bearings (and find some magical way to recharge my phone) before the next adventure.
OMG that's great! I've put way to much pressure on the whole thing so this is great.
THANK YOU!
Thanks, I'm glad you like it. 😃
As a writing tip going forward, I wouldn't use the phone to get out of everything. Maybe the Swiss army knife next. Or better still, the library card from his wallet might get him access to a wizard school's collection so he can find out more about where he is.
Also, if you're looking for a new DM, there's actually a subforum right on this site where you could let people know. No idea if anyone's in your area, but it couldn't hurt to try.
All the best!