So I have recently started a campaign in which my players are the heads of a clandestine expedition, funded by one of the dukes of Baldur's Gate, to a Chult that has had no contact with the outside world since the Spellplague.
Their goal is to create a settlement in the now abandoned Port Nyanzaru and show the other three dukes that this is a worthwhile venture. While at the same time dealing with the now warring factions on Chult and exploring nearby locales.
This is my first campaign and is perhaps a tad too ambitious for that but screw it, I've written like 30 pages of background already so I'm not stopping now. Lol
I'm running into a slight problem, may not even be a problem, where my players have decided they want to turtle up in the city. Should I have one of the npcs give them a nudge? Or just let them do as they've please? Or send agents of one of the factions to mess with them?
I would find a way to show that the things are still happening outside of their city to give them a sense of changing patterns, and that doing nothing has ramifications of their own. Enemies consolidating forces and supplies, maybe a potential ally being overthrown and either killed or dispossessed. That the longer they turtle, the more likely they're going to end up in a siege situation with enemies circling. They could start to harry or cut off entirely trade/supply routes. The citizens can't get in or out safely. Certain imported goods are no longer available. That could be quite the problem for magic users needing components for their spells. Normally I don't worry too much about commonly available components, but in this situation, I may point out that local stock of X is running dangerously low, and for them to continue to cast Y spell, it will cost them Z GP to replenish their stock, and eventually even that will run out, and they won't be able to cast that spell anymore. There's always ramifications.
Mad Monkey Fever / Fog ! In Tomb of Annihilation there is a disease causing fog that causes some pretty nasty effects. I've used it on my Chult game to get the players to leave a jungle ruin they were trying to fortify. It would have slowed the game to a crawl. They didn't even get to see the effects of the fog. Just me describing an eerie blue fog rolling unnaturally quickly along the ground gave them enough concern to leave. Maybe you could have the fog start to slowly creep in on the outsides of the city, and gradually start to turn anyone in it mad. Then the players would have a potentially dangerous population to deal with, or venture out side the walls and find the "source" of the fog whatever you want that to be. My players haven't asked about it yet, but should they decide to inquire about the source of the fog, I plan of having figure out that it is coming from a cave not too far away. Inside there is a necromancer/wizard/bad guy that was killed during some dangerous enchantment, and the magic item he was trying to create backfired and is stuck spewing this nasty fog of madness. Destroy the item, and end the fog. While they are away from the city, you can set up what you need to for the rest of your plot.
"A giant or humanoid that comes into contact with the mist must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become infected with mad monkey fever. The infected creature gains a random form of Long-term madness that manifests 1d6 hours after infection and lasts for the duration (1d10x 10 hours). If the madness is allowed to run its full course, the creature must repeat the saving throw at the end of the madness. If the second saving throw fails, the creature suffers another bout of long-term madness (roll again on the table) that lasts for the normal duration. The madness symptoms continue until the disease ends."
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Hello peoples of the Internet,
So I have recently started a campaign in which my players are the heads of a clandestine expedition, funded by one of the dukes of Baldur's Gate, to a Chult that has had no contact with the outside world since the Spellplague.
Their goal is to create a settlement in the now abandoned Port Nyanzaru and show the other three dukes that this is a worthwhile venture. While at the same time dealing with the now warring factions on Chult and exploring nearby locales.
This is my first campaign and is perhaps a tad too ambitious for that but screw it, I've written like 30 pages of background already so I'm not stopping now. Lol
I'm running into a slight problem, may not even be a problem, where my players have decided they want to turtle up in the city. Should I have one of the npcs give them a nudge? Or just let them do as they've please? Or send agents of one of the factions to mess with them?
What do you think?
I would find a way to show that the things are still happening outside of their city to give them a sense of changing patterns, and that doing nothing has ramifications of their own. Enemies consolidating forces and supplies, maybe a potential ally being overthrown and either killed or dispossessed. That the longer they turtle, the more likely they're going to end up in a siege situation with enemies circling. They could start to harry or cut off entirely trade/supply routes. The citizens can't get in or out safely. Certain imported goods are no longer available. That could be quite the problem for magic users needing components for their spells. Normally I don't worry too much about commonly available components, but in this situation, I may point out that local stock of X is running dangerously low, and for them to continue to cast Y spell, it will cost them Z GP to replenish their stock, and eventually even that will run out, and they won't be able to cast that spell anymore. There's always ramifications.
Mad Monkey Fever / Fog ! In Tomb of Annihilation there is a disease causing fog that causes some pretty nasty effects. I've used it on my Chult game to get the players to leave a jungle ruin they were trying to fortify. It would have slowed the game to a crawl. They didn't even get to see the effects of the fog. Just me describing an eerie blue fog rolling unnaturally quickly along the ground gave them enough concern to leave. Maybe you could have the fog start to slowly creep in on the outsides of the city, and gradually start to turn anyone in it mad. Then the players would have a potentially dangerous population to deal with, or venture out side the walls and find the "source" of the fog whatever you want that to be. My players haven't asked about it yet, but should they decide to inquire about the source of the fog, I plan of having figure out that it is coming from a cave not too far away. Inside there is a necromancer/wizard/bad guy that was killed during some dangerous enchantment, and the magic item he was trying to create backfired and is stuck spewing this nasty fog of madness. Destroy the item, and end the fog. While they are away from the city, you can set up what you need to for the rest of your plot.
"A giant or humanoid that comes into contact with
the mist must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving
throw or become infected with mad monkey fever. The
infected creature gains a random form of Long-term
madness that manifests 1d6 hours after
infection and lasts for the duration (1d10x 10 hours).
If the madness is allowed to run its full
course, the creature must repeat the saving throw at the
end of the madness. If the second saving throw fails, the
creature suffers another bout of long-term madness (roll
again on the table) that lasts for the normal duration.
The madness symptoms continue until the disease ends."