I'm a brand new DM with a brand new group of people and none of us have ever played with anyone other than ourselves, and we've only played a couple of times, but we've all read the three main rule books (some of us closer than others).
So, I'm going to send my players through the Candlekeep Mysteries campaign (to get us all accustomed to levelling up, playing, etc. and getting us all from level 1-20), but I'm adding a little spice to it. As they go through each book, they're going to find one chapter of another book. After going through all seventeen books and collecting all seventeen chapters of the other book, the new book will tell the story of a wizard who went looking for adventure, and wanting to learn everything possible. He eventually ended up finding Candlekeep and decided to work there. For years, he progressed through the levels until he became the Keeper of the Tomes. As Keeper, Candlekeep was attacked by an Ancient Red Dragon, and it was his responsibility to defeat it. He does, without the book specifying how, and continues his reign and pursuit of knowledge. Still not satisfied with the knowledge he had, and nearing his deathbed, he decided to look for the knowledge needed to become a Lich. The book ends with him finishing the ritual and stating his name, Janussi.
Anyone who knows the Candlekeep Mysteries know this is the current Keeper of the Tomes. I need ideas for his entire story, because I'm planning on writing all seventeen chapters of the book for my players to read. I also need to know details on exactly how he became a Lich. Which rituals are involved, where did he find his phylactery, etc.? I'm planning on having most of the book talk about how he became a Lich and the quests he went on to find and use that ancient, forgotten knowledge. The books going to be in his perspective, so I'm going to need ideas for his friends, family, people he betrays, etc.
I also need ideas for making that story work with the current Candlekeep Mysteries. Should I have that be a story of what happened centuries ago and mention how every once in a while someone mysteriously disappears from the libraries? Or should I have that be a story that's happening simultaneously to the story the characters are playing through? Should I do something else? Either way, the characters are going to be fighting him at the end of the campaign. The story is going to hint (but not specifically say) that he became a Lich so he could live forever and become all powerful. The real reason is because when he defeated the Dragon, he didn't kill it. In the heat of the moment, he cursed it and hid it in his heart. It would be trapped there until he died, at which time it would be set free to destroy Candlekeep. He found a way to become a Lich without technically dying, so he took his chance. It made him partially evil, but he knew how to suppress his urges to kill. (That is until he absolutely needs to in order to stay alive, hence the mysterious disappearings.) The whole point of the story is to make the players want to kill the Lich, at which point will release the Dragon, and they'll have to kill that, too.
I think I put in all the info I need to get your ideas, but if there's something you don't understand, let me know. All ideas are welcome, especially comedic ones because three out of four of my players are messed up clowns. (In real life, not the game.)
Now, I will warn you off overprepping for level 1-20, I warn you now that I am DMing a campaign which has just finished our 26th session, for approximately 104 hours of play, and they have progressed from level 8 to level 11. So be aware that it will slow down, so you'll need to put more filler in the further you go to keep everyone interested whilst still feeding them bits of this plotline!
Now, second off I would have a quick chat and make sure everyone is up for a campaign that centres around Candlekeep so you don't spend hours making content for them to wander off into "Random Encounter Woods"!
I would suggest you plan out the content of each chapter of this book so that when they are fed to the group in pieces and out of order, they will not make a lot of sense. This may prove easier if you make them bundles of pages which end abruptly, with little cliffhangers like "Now I go to the North Tower to once and-", to get them hooked.
One thing to consider is that the Lich is suppressing his evil, and the players may well talk to him - so I would consider having a "could tip either way" scnario planned where the party can decide if he becomes a friend or an enemy, but still have a good encounter. This might result in them entering his Heart to slay the dragon. This in turn could be a twist - the Heart is the Phylactery (him not being evil, he simply sought to make this one last trick - if his phylactery is destroyed, so is the dragon. He was never concerned with hiding it!) and the dragon's soul is what is sustaining him, leading to a sad but more peaceful ending.
Thank you so much! I'm thinking that each book of the Candlekeep Mysteries would automatically make them one level higher. This would make them level eighteen when they finish, they'll become level nineteen after they kill/recruit/make a deal with the Lich, and finish with level twenty when they killed the dragon. As for keeping them in the library, I know that if my players' find the first couple of chapters, they will not stop until they find the whole book. I forgot that they might try to talk to the Lich. One of my players favorite spell is the charm person spell. I don't know how good of an idea this was, but in the session we most recently did, I let them convert a goblin and four wolves, (those nat 20's are a force to be reckoned with) onto their team, which helped them a lot. If they do join his side, I loved the idea about having them journey into his heart to defeat the dragon. I could even treat the entire world in his heart as the Dragon's lair.
I still need to know details on how someone becomes a Lich. All I know is that they do a ritual to put their soul in an object of great value to them. More ideas for the story in the book would also be great. Also what should I call the book? I know the first thing my players are going to ask is, "What is it called?" Should it even have a title? Any ideas help. Thanks.
I'm a brand new DM with a brand new group of people and none of us have ever played with anyone other than ourselves, and we've only played a couple of times, but we've all read the three main rule books (some of us closer than others).
So, I'm going to send my players through the Candlekeep Mysteries campaign (to get us all accustomed to levelling up, playing, etc. and getting us all from level 1-20), but I'm adding a little spice to it. As they go through each book, they're going to find one chapter of another book. After going through all seventeen books and collecting all seventeen chapters of the other book, the new book will tell the story of a wizard who went looking for adventure, and wanting to learn everything possible. He eventually ended up finding Candlekeep and decided to work there. For years, he progressed through the levels until he became the Keeper of the Tomes. As Keeper, Candlekeep was attacked by an Ancient Red Dragon, and it was his responsibility to defeat it. He does, without the book specifying how, and continues his reign and pursuit of knowledge. Still not satisfied with the knowledge he had, and nearing his deathbed, he decided to look for the knowledge needed to become a Lich. The book ends with him finishing the ritual and stating his name, Janussi.
Anyone who knows the Candlekeep Mysteries know this is the current Keeper of the Tomes. I need ideas for his entire story, because I'm planning on writing all seventeen chapters of the book for my players to read. I also need to know details on exactly how he became a Lich. Which rituals are involved, where did he find his phylactery, etc.? I'm planning on having most of the book talk about how he became a Lich and the quests he went on to find and use that ancient, forgotten knowledge. The books going to be in his perspective, so I'm going to need ideas for his friends, family, people he betrays, etc.
I also need ideas for making that story work with the current Candlekeep Mysteries. Should I have that be a story of what happened centuries ago and mention how every once in a while someone mysteriously disappears from the libraries? Or should I have that be a story that's happening simultaneously to the story the characters are playing through? Should I do something else? Either way, the characters are going to be fighting him at the end of the campaign. The story is going to hint (but not specifically say) that he became a Lich so he could live forever and become all powerful. The real reason is because when he defeated the Dragon, he didn't kill it. In the heat of the moment, he cursed it and hid it in his heart. It would be trapped there until he died, at which time it would be set free to destroy Candlekeep. He found a way to become a Lich without technically dying, so he took his chance. It made him partially evil, but he knew how to suppress his urges to kill. (That is until he absolutely needs to in order to stay alive, hence the mysterious disappearings.) The whole point of the story is to make the players want to kill the Lich, at which point will release the Dragon, and they'll have to kill that, too.
I think I put in all the info I need to get your ideas, but if there's something you don't understand, let me know. All ideas are welcome, especially comedic ones because three out of four of my players are messed up clowns. (In real life, not the game.)
First off, welcome to the game!
Now, I will warn you off overprepping for level 1-20, I warn you now that I am DMing a campaign which has just finished our 26th session, for approximately 104 hours of play, and they have progressed from level 8 to level 11. So be aware that it will slow down, so you'll need to put more filler in the further you go to keep everyone interested whilst still feeding them bits of this plotline!
Now, second off I would have a quick chat and make sure everyone is up for a campaign that centres around Candlekeep so you don't spend hours making content for them to wander off into "Random Encounter Woods"!
I would suggest you plan out the content of each chapter of this book so that when they are fed to the group in pieces and out of order, they will not make a lot of sense. This may prove easier if you make them bundles of pages which end abruptly, with little cliffhangers like "Now I go to the North Tower to once and-", to get them hooked.
One thing to consider is that the Lich is suppressing his evil, and the players may well talk to him - so I would consider having a "could tip either way" scnario planned where the party can decide if he becomes a friend or an enemy, but still have a good encounter. This might result in them entering his Heart to slay the dragon. This in turn could be a twist - the Heart is the Phylactery (him not being evil, he simply sought to make this one last trick - if his phylactery is destroyed, so is the dragon. He was never concerned with hiding it!) and the dragon's soul is what is sustaining him, leading to a sad but more peaceful ending.
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Thank you so much! I'm thinking that each book of the Candlekeep Mysteries would automatically make them one level higher. This would make them level eighteen when they finish, they'll become level nineteen after they kill/recruit/make a deal with the Lich, and finish with level twenty when they killed the dragon. As for keeping them in the library, I know that if my players' find the first couple of chapters, they will not stop until they find the whole book. I forgot that they might try to talk to the Lich. One of my players favorite spell is the charm person spell. I don't know how good of an idea this was, but in the session we most recently did, I let them convert a goblin and four wolves, (those nat 20's are a force to be reckoned with) onto their team, which helped them a lot. If they do join his side, I loved the idea about having them journey into his heart to defeat the dragon. I could even treat the entire world in his heart as the Dragon's lair.
I still need to know details on how someone becomes a Lich. All I know is that they do a ritual to put their soul in an object of great value to them. More ideas for the story in the book would also be great. Also what should I call the book? I know the first thing my players are going to ask is, "What is it called?" Should it even have a title? Any ideas help. Thanks.
This is what I have so far. Let me know if I have anything wrong. Still need new/creative ideas: