As I’m building the main plot, which will revolve around NPCs and resources found in the Feywild, it suddenly occurred to me that I had forgotten to consider how my players might get there in the first place. One PC is a Kitsune Warlock of the Archfey, with the Hermit background, and I had been trying to figure out how to use her Discovery feature. She is the last of her clan, and running from hunters, although she hadn’t decided why yet. Last night it finally occurred to me that I could use one solution to both problems: she has learned the rituals necessary to open portals to and from the Feywild. She loved the idea.
My new problem is, how on earth am I going to scale the ability so that it doesn’t OP the group? I don’t want them to get such a powerful ability right off the bat, but they’re going to need it later on. Also, the campaign will be a modified sandbox for a bit, as I finish putting the specific points into the story arc, to help my players learn the rules and lore of my world, without the pressure on me of trying to pull a complete story out of my hat, and allowing a couple of my players (who are completely new to D&D) to learn the game mechanics.
As it stands, there is one known (to some people) permanent portal in the world already. It is suitably hard to reach, only opens periodically, and requires a key, so that won’t be a problem. I know that there are high-level spells which allow planar travel; that’s not what I want. I want to figure out how to make this discovery a slow burn-type ability, limiting its usefulness at first, and allowing it to get more powerful as the group levels up and progresses through the story.
I’ve had a few ideas, such as she can only use her Discovery in certain places, at certain times, requiring the help of an NPC, only if her Patron wills it, requiring expensive or hard-to-get materials, etc. I’ve also thought about giving it a high probability of mishaps, like getting lost or causing an explosion, which would decrease with time and experience.
How often should I let them use it? How severe should the downsides be? Is there a way to connect it to the whims of her Archfey patron without making my players feel like I’m making arbitrary rulings (and thus removing player agency)? I hit a writer’s block and can’t think of anything concrete.
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I live with several severe autoimmune conditions. If I don’t get back to you right away, it’s probably because I’m not feeling well.
In fairytales portals to the other world are often places like circles of mushrooms, or henges, ponds, hollow trees, sometimes even wardrobes, rabbitholes or mirrors. ;) Of course they're not open 24/7 or only open if you're doing the right thing to access them. One time, it might be going to sleep in the circle of mushrooms, other times it might just open between 12 and 1 a.m., a henge might require an equinox, or you have to touch some of the stones in a certain order.
Let the Players hunt for portals, while the patron only gives vague clues where to find them and what to do. And even if they found some that are conveniently close to wherever they regularly stay, the portal might lead to a totally different location the next time they use it, or be one way only etc.
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As I’m building the main plot, which will revolve around NPCs and resources found in the Feywild, it suddenly occurred to me that I had forgotten to consider how my players might get there in the first place. One PC is a Kitsune Warlock of the Archfey, with the Hermit background, and I had been trying to figure out how to use her Discovery feature. She is the last of her clan, and running from hunters, although she hadn’t decided why yet. Last night it finally occurred to me that I could use one solution to both problems: she has learned the rituals necessary to open portals to and from the Feywild. She loved the idea.
My new problem is, how on earth am I going to scale the ability so that it doesn’t OP the group? I don’t want them to get such a powerful ability right off the bat, but they’re going to need it later on. Also, the campaign will be a modified sandbox for a bit, as I finish putting the specific points into the story arc, to help my players learn the rules and lore of my world, without the pressure on me of trying to pull a complete story out of my hat, and allowing a couple of my players (who are completely new to D&D) to learn the game mechanics.
As it stands, there is one known (to some people) permanent portal in the world already. It is suitably hard to reach, only opens periodically, and requires a key, so that won’t be a problem. I know that there are high-level spells which allow planar travel; that’s not what I want. I want to figure out how to make this discovery a slow burn-type ability, limiting its usefulness at first, and allowing it to get more powerful as the group levels up and progresses through the story.
I’ve had a few ideas, such as she can only use her Discovery in certain places, at certain times, requiring the help of an NPC, only if her Patron wills it, requiring expensive or hard-to-get materials, etc. I’ve also thought about giving it a high probability of mishaps, like getting lost or causing an explosion, which would decrease with time and experience.
How often should I let them use it? How severe should the downsides be? Is there a way to connect it to the whims of her Archfey patron without making my players feel like I’m making arbitrary rulings (and thus removing player agency)? I hit a writer’s block and can’t think of anything concrete.
I live with several severe autoimmune conditions. If I don’t get back to you right away, it’s probably because I’m not feeling well.
In fairytales portals to the other world are often places like circles of mushrooms, or henges, ponds, hollow trees, sometimes even wardrobes, rabbitholes or mirrors. ;) Of course they're not open 24/7 or only open if you're doing the right thing to access them. One time, it might be going to sleep in the circle of mushrooms, other times it might just open between 12 and 1 a.m., a henge might require an equinox, or you have to touch some of the stones in a certain order.
Let the Players hunt for portals, while the patron only gives vague clues where to find them and what to do. And even if they found some that are conveniently close to wherever they regularly stay, the portal might lead to a totally different location the next time they use it, or be one way only etc.