Im a new Dungeon Master trying to create my own campaign and i have a few homebrew items and ideas i wanted to ad, aswell as a cool campaign storyline. I was wondering if DMs or players had any advice for my campaign, here's what i have so far, home brew items listed below:
The game starts when players wake up in the local Inn called The Mystic Rose, a middle-class in that they've been staying at. Each player has their own room. There is an evil elvish wizard hell-bent on reopening a portal to hell and becoming the demon king, a title with immense power and control over all of the underworld and its demonic creatures. The wizard requires five things to complete his goal, first he must amass a large enough army/group of followers that will follow him blindly, they will help him with all tasks before inevitably being sacrificed at an atler before the portal, that being one of the requirements for opening the portal, after he has amassed a large group of followers he must venture out in search of the ancient wizards from the time before times, who possess the knowledge of the forbidden spells, one of which called Eldritch Shadowrift, a spell capable of ripping a hole in reality opening a gateway to the underworld. The only problem with such a powerful spell is that it releases so much power any mortal being within ten miles will be obliterated. The Wizard needs to acquire the Liminal Nexus Amulet, a powerful artifact that can stabilize the chaotic energies released by the Eldritch Shadowrift spell. With the amulet in his possession, the Wizard will be able to successfully open a portal to the underworld without facing the catastrophic consequences of annihilating all life in the vicinity.
In his quest to complete the requirements for opening the portal, the evil elven Wizard sets his sights on manipulating and corrupting individuals in order to amass a devoted army of followers. He understands that only through sheer numbers and blind loyalty can he achieve his dark ambitions. His subtle influence and persuasive abilities begin to infiltrate the local surroundings, planting seeds of darkness in the hearts of the inn's inhabitants.
The players' journey begins as they wake up in The Mystic Rose inn, each in their own room. Unbeknownst to them, the inn and its surrounding area have become a focal point of the Wizard's machinations. As the players explore the inn, they begin to notice signs of sinister activities, with locals displaying odd behavior and secret meetings taking place in hidden chambers.
As the players delve deeper into the mysteries of the inn, they uncover clues leading them to the forbidden spell of Eldritch Shadowrift and the existence of the Liminal Nexus Amulet. The players, now aware of the Wizard's plans and the impending threat, must race against time to gather allies and prevent the opening of the portal to hell.
Their journey takes them to ancient ruins, hidden libraries, and encounters with long-forgotten beings from the time before times. Along the way, they learn of the terrible toll that Eldritch Shadowrift inflicts upon reality, leading to existential crises and moral dilemmas. The players must wrestle with the implications of wielding such immense power and the consequences that may follow.
As the players confront the evil elven Wizard and his growing army, they realize that they hold the fate of the world in their hands. The battle for control of the Liminal Nexus Amulet and the knowledge of Eldritch Shadowrift will determine the future of both realms – the mortal world and the underworld.
Now, as the players stand on the precipice of an unfolding cataclysm, they must decide whether to embrace the forbidden spell's power for their own purposes, destroy the Liminal Nexus Amulet, or find an alternative solution to protect the fragile balance between worlds. The choices they make will shape their own destinies and the course of the campaign itself.
I see. So Super Dude, this all sounds so great right? We have this awesome villain, all these cool things, homebrew stuff, what could possibly go wrong?
The problem is that it is a railroad. Everything the players will do you have already told us. It ultimately amounts to them merely reenacting a play that you have written. They need to be given agency over the game. Always remember- it is the players who drive the story. Not the GM. All the GM does is create the world and act as a referee.
So my recommendation is to take a massive step back and just create the inn, the town, and the surrounding area for them to explore. Plop a dungeon down nearby. Let them explore, interact, and drive the story.
I personally don't think any part of this sounds unreasonable. However, it is very top-level and very long-term. That's not a bad place to start at all, but there are parts where the details may be more difficult than it seems.
First of all, the early part involves the players exploring and learning about the inn and its surroundings. I think the single biggest risk in this plan is that the players assume the inn is just an inn and immediately leave. Or even if they know they're supposed to investigate it, they don't really have a direction because there isn't a specific question they're trying to answer. I'm a big fan of giving the players a common motivation that they can form their characters to suit it. Consider telling them something like:
"Your character will be investigating a sinister conspiracy in an inn in a remote town. Include in your backstory a reason your character knows of the inn's suspicious reputation and wants to investigate." (This is very general and brute-force, and works better the more the players know about the plot, which might run counter to your intentions)
"Your character will wake up to find that something valuable has been stolen from them in the night. Make sure to identify this item and why it's important to your character in your backstory." (I think this one could work well, so long as you've got a reason in mind these items might disappear, and a way to segue that question into the main plot.)
"You are each separately acquainted with [some NPC or other]. You've each received a letter from him, expressing concern about sinister happenings in his town, saying he doesn't know who he can trust in the area, and asking you to come help." (The shared acquaintance as quest giver is a favorite hook of mine.)
"You are mercenaries hired by a wealthy merchant in town for a quest which doesn't make a great deal of sense, but has certainly piqued your curiosity." (Maybe the quest giver themself is untrustworthy and they initially are asked to do something which advances the wizard's ends, only to be betrayed. The quest giver disappears, and they must investigate to learn more about what happened and hopefully claim what they're owed.)
Your next challenge is mysteries in general. Unavoidably, players have to think their way through a mystery, but unlike the protagonist of a linear story, it's very easy for them to hit a wall and have no idea what to do. Just make sure to plant a lot more clues than you think you need for everything you want them to discover, and have backup plans (preferably ones which result in some negative consequences but still move the plot along) in case they miss conclusions.
Generally, players want to follow the plot because that's where the game is, but they need motivation and they need to know where to start. (I don't think you've done anything wrong at all; this is just the next step.) I generally define "railroading" as negating a player choice without a good reason. I don't think it can exist before the players have a chance to actually make choices, so all you have to do to avoid it is be aware that they may do something unexpected at any point and have a couple contingencies in mind for some of the more plot-damaging choices you can imagine. (e.g. In my last session, the players just outright decided to abandon the dungeon without finishing it. Whoops. But I knew ahead of time that one of them is kind of naturally contrarian and that there was nothing actually forcing them to finish the dungeon after they'd found the information they were looking for, so I'd prepared for the boss to chase them if they tried to leave so there'd at least be a climactic confrontation. They got no treasure and we wrapped up early, but there was at least a complete story.)
Great advice from SireSamuel and BatJamags. I've only been DMing for a couple of years, but for me I've found that this works for me:
1. Overarching general plot that you've roughly sketched out. Evil Mage/a cult that is planning to open a portal to the Abyss/ kidnapped Golden Dragon Egg that needs rescuing. With a rough idea of where these things are going to take place - so if you are planning on running a campaign that takes a few sessions then you might plan for the kidnapped Dragon Egg to be on Moonshae Isles and you're in Neverwinter - then you've got various locations and travel where things can happen.
2. Work on an 'episode' basis. You probably know roughly how long each of your sessions lasts because you know your group. So I plan week to week thinking about the next week's episode, so that I can take into account what the guys have found out from the last time and roughly what they're thinking about doing next. So I find it makes it easy to take into account the overarching plot and where you are trying to get the characters to, without making it feel like a film.
3. Have fun with clues. Completely agree on the common motivation thing mentioned above so that there is something they can hold on to - particularly at the beginning. It gets the game going quickly and gives them things to find out. You can have some fun with this - burnt fragments of a letter in a fire/someone they were supposed to meet has been murdered. I tend to have some physical things - like printed out fragments or symbols that they find scratched on a wall. It gives them something to think about. And make some unexpected things difficult so it's not all about fighting. (I speak a little German, so to convey the sense of them not being able to understand the language of the Lizardfolk, I spoke German whenever they were trying to speak to the LFs so they had to use sign language and noises to communicate - it was very funny.)
4., Not all options need to be real options. The players do not know what you have planned - so you can sometimes give the impression of loads of choice but actually give them less choice. For example, say there is a choice of 5 doors and each player has to choose to go through one, and you really need Player X to go through the door with the Portal behind it - then you just make whichever door Player X chooses the 'right' door. This applies to lots of things, like finding an object or a clue or whatever if it's important to the story. So you'd planned that they would find the secret panel in the room in the Belching Dragon in Nashkel which has some essential information. But the idiot players haven't bothered to go there? Just make the panel turn up somewhere else.
This is my first post on here, so hope it's helpful.
I just want to mention that at no point (of any real length) should the players be left not knowing what they are supposed to be doing next. Having multiple options to choose from is fine, but having no options, as in no real idea what to do is extremally frustrating.
You used the phrase "gradually discover" at the beginning of your description, and that's what I'm commenting on.
I could add that many campaigns solve this by starting the players off with a side quest that is only slightly connected, and sometimes entirely disconnected, from the main quest. You could do that, and then give some of the hints for the main quest while they do the side quest, then bring the side quest to a definite conclusion so as to move onto the main quest.
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
You could create your scenarios as modular situations...
If you have an idea for a dungeon and the party doesn't go that way, make some quick changes between sessions and place the dungeon along a path they are traveling down. If you design your adventures as modules that can fit together like puzzle peices, you can make them fit anywhere with a big enough hammer.
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Im a new Dungeon Master trying to create my own campaign and i have a few homebrew items and ideas i wanted to ad, aswell as a cool campaign storyline. I was wondering if DMs or players had any advice for my campaign, here's what i have so far, home brew items listed below:
The game starts when players wake up in the local Inn called The Mystic Rose, a middle-class in that they've been staying at. Each player has their own room. There is an evil elvish wizard hell-bent on reopening a portal to hell and becoming the demon king, a title with immense power and control over all of the underworld and its demonic creatures. The wizard requires five things to complete his goal, first he must amass a large enough army/group of followers that will follow him blindly, they will help him with all tasks before inevitably being sacrificed at an atler before the portal, that being one of the requirements for opening the portal, after he has amassed a large group of followers he must venture out in search of the ancient wizards from the time before times, who possess the knowledge of the forbidden spells, one of which called Eldritch Shadowrift, a spell capable of ripping a hole in reality opening a gateway to the underworld. The only problem with such a powerful spell is that it releases so much power any mortal being within ten miles will be obliterated. The Wizard needs to acquire the Liminal Nexus Amulet, a powerful artifact that can stabilize the chaotic energies released by the Eldritch Shadowrift spell. With the amulet in his possession, the Wizard will be able to successfully open a portal to the underworld without facing the catastrophic consequences of annihilating all life in the vicinity.
In his quest to complete the requirements for opening the portal, the evil elven Wizard sets his sights on manipulating and corrupting individuals in order to amass a devoted army of followers. He understands that only through sheer numbers and blind loyalty can he achieve his dark ambitions. His subtle influence and persuasive abilities begin to infiltrate the local surroundings, planting seeds of darkness in the hearts of the inn's inhabitants.
The players' journey begins as they wake up in The Mystic Rose inn, each in their own room. Unbeknownst to them, the inn and its surrounding area have become a focal point of the Wizard's machinations. As the players explore the inn, they begin to notice signs of sinister activities, with locals displaying odd behavior and secret meetings taking place in hidden chambers.
As the players delve deeper into the mysteries of the inn, they uncover clues leading them to the forbidden spell of Eldritch Shadowrift and the existence of the Liminal Nexus Amulet. The players, now aware of the Wizard's plans and the impending threat, must race against time to gather allies and prevent the opening of the portal to hell.
Their journey takes them to ancient ruins, hidden libraries, and encounters with long-forgotten beings from the time before times. Along the way, they learn of the terrible toll that Eldritch Shadowrift inflicts upon reality, leading to existential crises and moral dilemmas. The players must wrestle with the implications of wielding such immense power and the consequences that may follow.
As the players confront the evil elven Wizard and his growing army, they realize that they hold the fate of the world in their hands. The battle for control of the Liminal Nexus Amulet and the knowledge of Eldritch Shadowrift will determine the future of both realms – the mortal world and the underworld.
Now, as the players stand on the precipice of an unfolding cataclysm, they must decide whether to embrace the forbidden spell's power for their own purposes, destroy the Liminal Nexus Amulet, or find an alternative solution to protect the fragile balance between worlds. The choices they make will shape their own destinies and the course of the campaign itself.
Homebreww item/spell:
Spell Eldritch Shadow rift
Item Liminal Nexus Amule
I see. So Super Dude, this all sounds so great right? We have this awesome villain, all these cool things, homebrew stuff, what could possibly go wrong?
The problem is that it is a railroad. Everything the players will do you have already told us. It ultimately amounts to them merely reenacting a play that you have written. They need to be given agency over the game. Always remember- it is the players who drive the story. Not the GM. All the GM does is create the world and act as a referee.
So my recommendation is to take a massive step back and just create the inn, the town, and the surrounding area for them to explore. Plop a dungeon down nearby. Let them explore, interact, and drive the story.
I personally don't think any part of this sounds unreasonable. However, it is very top-level and very long-term. That's not a bad place to start at all, but there are parts where the details may be more difficult than it seems.
First of all, the early part involves the players exploring and learning about the inn and its surroundings. I think the single biggest risk in this plan is that the players assume the inn is just an inn and immediately leave. Or even if they know they're supposed to investigate it, they don't really have a direction because there isn't a specific question they're trying to answer. I'm a big fan of giving the players a common motivation that they can form their characters to suit it. Consider telling them something like:
Your next challenge is mysteries in general. Unavoidably, players have to think their way through a mystery, but unlike the protagonist of a linear story, it's very easy for them to hit a wall and have no idea what to do. Just make sure to plant a lot more clues than you think you need for everything you want them to discover, and have backup plans (preferably ones which result in some negative consequences but still move the plot along) in case they miss conclusions.
Generally, players want to follow the plot because that's where the game is, but they need motivation and they need to know where to start. (I don't think you've done anything wrong at all; this is just the next step.) I generally define "railroading" as negating a player choice without a good reason. I don't think it can exist before the players have a chance to actually make choices, so all you have to do to avoid it is be aware that they may do something unexpected at any point and have a couple contingencies in mind for some of the more plot-damaging choices you can imagine. (e.g. In my last session, the players just outright decided to abandon the dungeon without finishing it. Whoops. But I knew ahead of time that one of them is kind of naturally contrarian and that there was nothing actually forcing them to finish the dungeon after they'd found the information they were looking for, so I'd prepared for the boss to chase them if they tried to leave so there'd at least be a climactic confrontation. They got no treasure and we wrapped up early, but there was at least a complete story.)
Medium humanoid (human), lawful neutral
Great advice from SireSamuel and BatJamags. I've only been DMing for a couple of years, but for me I've found that this works for me:
1. Overarching general plot that you've roughly sketched out. Evil Mage/a cult that is planning to open a portal to the Abyss/ kidnapped Golden Dragon Egg that needs rescuing. With a rough idea of where these things are going to take place - so if you are planning on running a campaign that takes a few sessions then you might plan for the kidnapped Dragon Egg to be on Moonshae Isles and you're in Neverwinter - then you've got various locations and travel where things can happen.
2. Work on an 'episode' basis. You probably know roughly how long each of your sessions lasts because you know your group. So I plan week to week thinking about the next week's episode, so that I can take into account what the guys have found out from the last time and roughly what they're thinking about doing next. So I find it makes it easy to take into account the overarching plot and where you are trying to get the characters to, without making it feel like a film.
3. Have fun with clues. Completely agree on the common motivation thing mentioned above so that there is something they can hold on to - particularly at the beginning. It gets the game going quickly and gives them things to find out. You can have some fun with this - burnt fragments of a letter in a fire/someone they were supposed to meet has been murdered. I tend to have some physical things - like printed out fragments or symbols that they find scratched on a wall. It gives them something to think about. And make some unexpected things difficult so it's not all about fighting. (I speak a little German, so to convey the sense of them not being able to understand the language of the Lizardfolk, I spoke German whenever they were trying to speak to the LFs so they had to use sign language and noises to communicate - it was very funny.)
4., Not all options need to be real options. The players do not know what you have planned - so you can sometimes give the impression of loads of choice but actually give them less choice. For example, say there is a choice of 5 doors and each player has to choose to go through one, and you really need Player X to go through the door with the Portal behind it - then you just make whichever door Player X chooses the 'right' door. This applies to lots of things, like finding an object or a clue or whatever if it's important to the story. So you'd planned that they would find the secret panel in the room in the Belching Dragon in Nashkel which has some essential information. But the idiot players haven't bothered to go there? Just make the panel turn up somewhere else.
This is my first post on here, so hope it's helpful.
I just want to mention that at no point (of any real length) should the players be left not knowing what they are supposed to be doing next. Having multiple options to choose from is fine, but having no options, as in no real idea what to do is extremally frustrating.
You used the phrase "gradually discover" at the beginning of your description, and that's what I'm commenting on.
I could add that many campaigns solve this by starting the players off with a side quest that is only slightly connected, and sometimes entirely disconnected, from the main quest. You could do that, and then give some of the hints for the main quest while they do the side quest, then bring the side quest to a definite conclusion so as to move onto the main quest.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
You could create your scenarios as modular situations...
If you have an idea for a dungeon and the party doesn't go that way, make some quick changes between sessions and place the dungeon along a path they are traveling down. If you design your adventures as modules that can fit together like puzzle peices, you can make them fit anywhere with a big enough hammer.