Hello again everyone. I am first time DM for a group of 3 friends who are also first time players! I've never played tabletop before but i've played baldurs gate, neverwinter nights, pillars of eternity and all the stuff like that.
We are starting a new campaign which i'm thinking of running from level 0-20. The players are very fond of their characters and i think they will keep them for the whole campaign! I'm going to try and weave in a deep personal quest for each of them! And i would like some feedback / suggestions on how to do this correctly!
1) A Tiefling Warlock, Undying Patron: Sort of Planescape Tormentish, seeking the answer to "what can change the nature of a man", where i will try to weave in key elements of planescape torment.
2) A Dwarven Cleric wanting to reclaim his clans lost home: I'm finding inspiration in R.A. Salvatores Streams of silver.. But i would like som feedback on how he could optain clues to the location of it? (It was blown to smithereens by an attacking force when he was away, roughly 200 years ago), i'm thinking of the following: - Meet another dwarf of the same clan who can tell him a bit. - Find a map over the area from one of the baddies who planned it. - Memory inducing potion - Suggestions???
3) A Dragonborn warrior wanting to avenge his father: "Pretty Baldurs Gate-ish", he is the child of the ancient dragon-god Bahamut, and the baddies wants that bloodline dead!!
It may be very ambitious, maybe too ambitous, but i would like to hear what you guys think about it? :)
For your Warlock and Cleric, a thing I've been doing with my players which is working pretty well is one-on-one segments after certain triggers are met. This is a good way from the patron/god to communicate information to the player.
For example; the Teifling bard in the party I'm DMing has PTSD from being a torture subject and suffers from night terrors. If she doesn't have any alcohol or if she behaves in a way that emulates her torturers, I will ask the other players to leave the room after the party goes to sleep for the night. The dream that occurs acts as a way to highlight aspects of her backstory and I, as the voice of Archdevil Baalzebul, will either goad or ask questions of the player to set up future developments; "So many paths to take... so many choices to make... what will the lost little girl choose, I wonder?"
These one-on-ones should happen before a break because it can be a little emotional for the players depending on the content. Some of the feedback I've gotten from these includes "I'm shaking.", "Dammit I wasn't going to cry." and "I feel sick."
Something else for the Cleric or for the Dragonborn would be for a sketchy merchant selling an artefact from the lost dwarven city or one of the father's possessions. Sets up a string of events automatically; Why does he have it? Where did he get it? Does he know what it is that he has? If the party goes to that location, what will they find?
Also, don't be afraid to weave these personal storylines into the main quest at certain points. It can bring certain things to light to the rest of the party that may have been secret previously.
I like the idea of each character having a large personal goal to achieve ( I think smaller scope is more common, but with player buy in, going big sound good too.), but especially if people are new then assuming you will hit 20th level is probably optimistic. So many things can happen between now and then, character death, player commitments, player interest... so it is probably best not to get too invested in long term schemes, vague ideas is fine but not much more.
Since these stories are personal to each character I think the players should have input into what they are. So I suggest that when you ask them to put together a short back story, they consider one (or several) long term goals, then at a later date have a short conversation with each about which epic quest is suitable. Or since it sounds like they may already have backstories just ask them to consider some long term goals for you to talk about after they have had some thinking time.
The other important thing that comes to mind is that these personal quests will want to be things that the rest of the party can be involved in, having them all scatter so you regularly need to run three 1-1 sessions will likely cause a lot of issues, and everyone else tagging along out of obligation is not really any better. Striking a balance of each character having a major side story without sidelining the rest of the party may be tricky.
2) A Dwarven Cleric wanting to reclaim his clans lost home: I'm finding inspiration in R.A. Salvatores Streams of silver.. But i would like som feedback on how he could optain clues to the location of it? (It was blown to smithereens by an attacking force when he was away, roughly 200 years ago), i'm thinking of the following:
- Meet another dwarf of the same clan who can tell him a bit. - Find a map over the area from one of the baddies who planned it. - Memory inducing potion - Suggestions???
Okay, so here's how one way I'm planning to solve something relatively similar to that.
I have a character in the party I've been DM'ing, a changeling rogue, that has never met her biological parents, who switched her for another baby when she was little. Finding her parents is not her main priority, but I've been keeping in the back of my head that they're probably still out there somewhere and that it could be an interesting if she met them at some point.
For a completely unrelated reason, I'm currently writing a dungeon where the villain is studying magical creatures against their will. A bunch of evil creatures, who will attack the PCs on sight because the PCs block their way to freedom, and a bunch of good creatures that the characters can talk to to get information and will hopefully be persuaded to set free at the end of the quest. Mostly lowlevel stuff, but just for fun I wanted to add a secret room with a good-aligned young dragon to the mix.
So I opened the Monster Manual to read up on dragons, and this paragraph immediately jumped out at me (my highlighting):
The Persistence of Memory. Metallic dragons have long memories, and they form opinions of humanoids based on previous contact with related humanoids. Good dragons can recognize humanoid bloodlines by smell, sniffing out each person they meet and remembering any relatives they have come into contact with over the years. A gold dragon might never suspect duplicity from a cunning villain, assuming that the villain is of the same mind and heart as a good and virtuous grandmother. On the other hand, the dragon might resent a noble paladin whose ancestor stole a silver statue from the dragon’s hoard three centuries before.
I mean, that's just a plot hook served on a silver platter, isn't it? I had no intention of having this dragon being related to any of the characters' backstories in any way, but if a good dragon can recognize your bloodline by smell, and I have a character who knows nothing about her ancestors, how can I not let the dragon have history with a relative of her? If, for example, her grandfather was part of an adventuring party who befriended the dragon a century ago, and it shares this information with her, she has a name and a clue to a location to start looking for information about her family.
We haven't actually played this dungeon yet, so I can't tell you how it worked out, but assuming there's some point in your story where it makes sense to have a dragon appear, I think this looks like a very good hook for any plot about finding your family members -- straight out of the Monster Manual.
Best of luck to you -- deep personal quests are awesome!
I have not ready everything above, so I do not know if this has already been stated, but PLEASE do not have a set story from levels 0-20 and expect it to go that way lol because in D&D it hardly ever goes the way the DM thinks it will, and then it will become apparent that railroading is occuring in the DM trying to get them to stay to the beautifully crafted story they've weaved. Instead, think of your hooks and plot devices, but don't set them in its own time and space. In other words, don't say that Ringenaldus, the fighter's evil father who raised the cleric from birth and is also the patron of the party's warlock, is located in Winter's Peak only after the gauntlet of Surrealism has been taken from the Temple of Doom. Because what if the party doesn't care about the gauntlet, and realistically, hardly anyone ever wants to go to the Temple of Doom, then you have this whole line of plot that you'll have to think on the fly to railroad back in.
Keep your plot devices and sprinkle them throughout wherever your party goes. I'm speaking from experience. I had a campaign going from levels 1-11 that started strong, but once the characters hit level 3 it was already way out of whack and I needed to railroad to get the party where I needed, and that's when I realized what I had done wrong. I can only imagine what a 0-20 campaign would be like.
I love this part of the game. Taking the players backstories and using them as catalysts for future adventures/campaign elements is a great deal of fun. I always outline my campaigns around the characters like all good DMs do and set up ideas for the different stages of the story...but I'm also always adapting, tweaking and sometimes completely changing those ideas as the game progresses.
Now I won't be able to say to much because I know at least two of my group haunt these shores but I run a campaign based around the collapse of the Elven and Dwarven Empires. What's left of the civilised people have fled to a small pocket of land, hiding behind a great mountain gate, hoping for a miracle...
In my group I have a Dwarven Fighter, Halfling Rogue, Half Elf Sorcerer, Elven Cleric and Averiel Bard.
Dwarf Fighter - The group snuck their way into an occupied city to rescue the Dwarven Crown. On the flight back they needed to seek an alternative route beneath the mountain where they found the ancient weapon of the founder of the dwarven kingdom. The weapon could only be wielded by an ancestor of the ancient king. Inexplicably, the Dwarf in the party found he was able to use the weapon. When they returned with the Crown (The literal object and heir, hidden admidst the children they smuggled from the city) the Regent was both thrilled and perplexed by the Dwarves ability to use the item.
Now the Dwarf wants to find out how he is related to the royal family and if, in the future, he could be king.
Halfling Rogue -The Rogue of the group father died and he was never able to accept it. It was certain his robust dad was murdered. His investigations only heightened his suspicions - strange sightings, letters left, friends confiding in him troubling messages. Most disturbing of all is that he can't remember. Not just the event but the last few years. He gets the dates mixed up, can't recall meeting some people or being in some places. His memory is skewed.
He now searches for answers and has found evidence that his father was poisoned but by whom and for what reason. He won't rest until he uncovers the truth.
Half Elf - The Half Elf of the party is a peculiarity. He is half elvish but no one knows what the other half is. In a land when no one has even heard of humans people often guess he's half dwarven due to his beard. He was taken to the Feywild in his infancy and it was their that he developed his strange, raw ability to channel magic. When she returned back to the material plane, she stayed for the love of her son. Now he is older, his mother also told him the truth of his father - that he was a human from across the sea and that the necklace she always wore belonged to him. If he ever found his father he would recognise the necklace. A problem has arisen though, the Half Elf has returned to seek out his mother to ask for the necklace but has found that she has left with it, back to the Feywild...
Elven Cleric
Strange things have been happening to the cleric recently. His mentor, the Bishop, was revealed as an agent for the Serpent Kingdom. His power revealed to be drawn from some sort of serpent god rather than the elven god he believed. The City gate alarms went off, that detected disguised Serpents, when he went through. And, his skin changed when he walked through a Night Mirror, before returning to normal when he stepped back through. He had fled to this town as a teenager after his small village was attacked. His closest friend, his only companion. Now, she is gone, captured by a Serpent Cult and he is starting to think he isn't the ordinary elf he has always assumed he was. By why is he important to these monsters and where is his childhood friend...
Averiel Bard
Her parents are monsters. They killed her sister right in front of her. When she fled she vowed to return and kill them for taking away her closest friend. She knew something was strange even as a child. They traveled the lands in a troupe, entertaining and spying. It was the masks and the sacrifices that finally frightened her enough to try and flee with her sister, but her sister never made it. Now she has learned that her people were one of the first to join the cult. That their role has been to search, spy, track and capture for the Serpent Kingdom for thousands of years.
She is angry. She wants vengeance. Now she has learned that her parents are the heads of the cult in this land and she will stop at nothing to slaughter them just like they did her sister.
I think the biggest secret to personal quests is to make them important to all the party. You can do this by making them key elements to the plot or by the rest of the party investing in the goal because they can see how much the characters wants it. I had a villain that was really an antagonist for one of the characters in the group initially but before too long , the whole group hated him and were equally keen to dispose of him. You can also thread through some other rewards in the quest that entice the others in the group.
I think Personal Quests are great motivators and allow the party to feel like they are driving the game. That is the most important thing of all
It's good that you're thinking about this early on, but don't be afraid to leave some of them open so that you and the player both get to know the character a little as well.
As others have said, talk a little to the player - but not too much, as you really want them to react and explore the mystery with you. This is SO important for player investment in the storyline...but only if they're ready for it. They have to be willing to buy-in to it.
Example from my time DMing:
The party Ranger and Cleric came to know each other originally as she was fleeing her country and he was smuggling her across the border. However, something went wrong and they fell foul of the authorities - the two PCs were the only ones who escaped, but the Ranger's crew were captured and arrested. All of this was pre-campaign backstory. Sometime later, as part of our regular downtime, the Ranger is approached by one of the crew he abandoned - and wants him to bail her out by stealing some valuables from the Cleric they were smuggling and making sure she gets the payoff she was promised. The Ranger, guilt-ridden, decides to help her and attempts to steal from the party Cleric in her sleep. This backstory event lasted maybe half a session but was massive in terms of the character development of both PCs - as the Cleric discovered his actions and confronted him, and he started to admit his feelings for her. Both players got to flex some different RP skills and push their characters into an exciting new dynamic.
Hello again everyone.
I am first time DM for a group of 3 friends who are also first time players!
I've never played tabletop before but i've played baldurs gate, neverwinter nights, pillars of eternity and all the stuff like that.
We are starting a new campaign which i'm thinking of running from level 0-20. The players are very fond of their characters and i think they will keep them for the whole campaign! I'm going to try and weave in a deep personal quest for each of them! And i would like some feedback / suggestions on how to do this correctly!
1) A Tiefling Warlock, Undying Patron: Sort of Planescape Tormentish, seeking the answer to "what can change the nature of a man", where i will try to weave in key elements of planescape torment.
2) A Dwarven Cleric wanting to reclaim his clans lost home: I'm finding inspiration in R.A. Salvatores Streams of silver.. But i would like som feedback on how he could optain clues to the location of it? (It was blown to smithereens by an attacking force when he was away, roughly 200 years ago), i'm thinking of the following:
- Meet another dwarf of the same clan who can tell him a bit.
- Find a map over the area from one of the baddies who planned it.
- Memory inducing potion
- Suggestions???
3) A Dragonborn warrior wanting to avenge his father: "Pretty Baldurs Gate-ish", he is the child of the ancient dragon-god Bahamut, and the baddies wants that bloodline dead!!
It may be very ambitious, maybe too ambitous, but i would like to hear what you guys think about it? :)
Hiya,
For your Warlock and Cleric, a thing I've been doing with my players which is working pretty well is one-on-one segments after certain triggers are met. This is a good way from the patron/god to communicate information to the player.
For example; the Teifling bard in the party I'm DMing has PTSD from being a torture subject and suffers from night terrors. If she doesn't have any alcohol or if she behaves in a way that emulates her torturers, I will ask the other players to leave the room after the party goes to sleep for the night. The dream that occurs acts as a way to highlight aspects of her backstory and I, as the voice of Archdevil Baalzebul, will either goad or ask questions of the player to set up future developments; "So many paths to take... so many choices to make... what will the lost little girl choose, I wonder?"
These one-on-ones should happen before a break because it can be a little emotional for the players depending on the content. Some of the feedback I've gotten from these includes "I'm shaking.", "Dammit I wasn't going to cry." and "I feel sick."
Something else for the Cleric or for the Dragonborn would be for a sketchy merchant selling an artefact from the lost dwarven city or one of the father's possessions. Sets up a string of events automatically; Why does he have it? Where did he get it? Does he know what it is that he has? If the party goes to that location, what will they find?
Also, don't be afraid to weave these personal storylines into the main quest at certain points. It can bring certain things to light to the rest of the party that may have been secret previously.
I like the idea of each character having a large personal goal to achieve ( I think smaller scope is more common, but with player buy in, going big sound good too.), but especially if people are new then assuming you will hit 20th level is probably optimistic. So many things can happen between now and then, character death, player commitments, player interest... so it is probably best not to get too invested in long term schemes, vague ideas is fine but not much more.
Since these stories are personal to each character I think the players should have input into what they are. So I suggest that when you ask them to put together a short back story, they consider one (or several) long term goals, then at a later date have a short conversation with each about which epic quest is suitable. Or since it sounds like they may already have backstories just ask them to consider some long term goals for you to talk about after they have had some thinking time.
The other important thing that comes to mind is that these personal quests will want to be things that the rest of the party can be involved in, having them all scatter so you regularly need to run three 1-1 sessions will likely cause a lot of issues, and everyone else tagging along out of obligation is not really any better. Striking a balance of each character having a major side story without sidelining the rest of the party may be tricky.
Okay, so here's how one way I'm planning to solve something relatively similar to that.
I have a character in the party I've been DM'ing, a changeling rogue, that has never met her biological parents, who switched her for another baby when she was little. Finding her parents is not her main priority, but I've been keeping in the back of my head that they're probably still out there somewhere and that it could be an interesting if she met them at some point.
For a completely unrelated reason, I'm currently writing a dungeon where the villain is studying magical creatures against their will. A bunch of evil creatures, who will attack the PCs on sight because the PCs block their way to freedom, and a bunch of good creatures that the characters can talk to to get information and will hopefully be persuaded to set free at the end of the quest. Mostly lowlevel stuff, but just for fun I wanted to add a secret room with a good-aligned young dragon to the mix.
So I opened the Monster Manual to read up on dragons, and this paragraph immediately jumped out at me (my highlighting):
I mean, that's just a plot hook served on a silver platter, isn't it? I had no intention of having this dragon being related to any of the characters' backstories in any way, but if a good dragon can recognize your bloodline by smell, and I have a character who knows nothing about her ancestors, how can I not let the dragon have history with a relative of her? If, for example, her grandfather was part of an adventuring party who befriended the dragon a century ago, and it shares this information with her, she has a name and a clue to a location to start looking for information about her family.
We haven't actually played this dungeon yet, so I can't tell you how it worked out, but assuming there's some point in your story where it makes sense to have a dragon appear, I think this looks like a very good hook for any plot about finding your family members -- straight out of the Monster Manual.
Best of luck to you -- deep personal quests are awesome!
I have not ready everything above, so I do not know if this has already been stated, but PLEASE do not have a set story from levels 0-20 and expect it to go that way lol because in D&D it hardly ever goes the way the DM thinks it will, and then it will become apparent that railroading is occuring in the DM trying to get them to stay to the beautifully crafted story they've weaved. Instead, think of your hooks and plot devices, but don't set them in its own time and space. In other words, don't say that Ringenaldus, the fighter's evil father who raised the cleric from birth and is also the patron of the party's warlock, is located in Winter's Peak only after the gauntlet of Surrealism has been taken from the Temple of Doom. Because what if the party doesn't care about the gauntlet, and realistically, hardly anyone ever wants to go to the Temple of Doom, then you have this whole line of plot that you'll have to think on the fly to railroad back in.
Keep your plot devices and sprinkle them throughout wherever your party goes. I'm speaking from experience. I had a campaign going from levels 1-11 that started strong, but once the characters hit level 3 it was already way out of whack and I needed to railroad to get the party where I needed, and that's when I realized what I had done wrong. I can only imagine what a 0-20 campaign would be like.
Published Subclasses
I love this part of the game. Taking the players backstories and using them as catalysts for future adventures/campaign elements is a great deal of fun. I always outline my campaigns around the characters like all good DMs do and set up ideas for the different stages of the story...but I'm also always adapting, tweaking and sometimes completely changing those ideas as the game progresses.
Now I won't be able to say to much because I know at least two of my group haunt these shores but I run a campaign based around the collapse of the Elven and Dwarven Empires. What's left of the civilised people have fled to a small pocket of land, hiding behind a great mountain gate, hoping for a miracle...
In my group I have a Dwarven Fighter, Halfling Rogue, Half Elf Sorcerer, Elven Cleric and Averiel Bard.
Dwarf Fighter - The group snuck their way into an occupied city to rescue the Dwarven Crown. On the flight back they needed to seek an alternative route beneath the mountain where they found the ancient weapon of the founder of the dwarven kingdom. The weapon could only be wielded by an ancestor of the ancient king. Inexplicably, the Dwarf in the party found he was able to use the weapon. When they returned with the Crown (The literal object and heir, hidden admidst the children they smuggled from the city) the Regent was both thrilled and perplexed by the Dwarves ability to use the item.
Now the Dwarf wants to find out how he is related to the royal family and if, in the future, he could be king.
Halfling Rogue -The Rogue of the group father died and he was never able to accept it. It was certain his robust dad was murdered. His investigations only heightened his suspicions - strange sightings, letters left, friends confiding in him troubling messages. Most disturbing of all is that he can't remember. Not just the event but the last few years. He gets the dates mixed up, can't recall meeting some people or being in some places. His memory is skewed.
He now searches for answers and has found evidence that his father was poisoned but by whom and for what reason. He won't rest until he uncovers the truth.
Half Elf - The Half Elf of the party is a peculiarity. He is half elvish but no one knows what the other half is. In a land when no one has even heard of humans people often guess he's half dwarven due to his beard. He was taken to the Feywild in his infancy and it was their that he developed his strange, raw ability to channel magic. When she returned back to the material plane, she stayed for the love of her son. Now he is older, his mother also told him the truth of his father - that he was a human from across the sea and that the necklace she always wore belonged to him. If he ever found his father he would recognise the necklace. A problem has arisen though, the Half Elf has returned to seek out his mother to ask for the necklace but has found that she has left with it, back to the Feywild...
Elven Cleric
Strange things have been happening to the cleric recently. His mentor, the Bishop, was revealed as an agent for the Serpent Kingdom. His power revealed to be drawn from some sort of serpent god rather than the elven god he believed. The City gate alarms went off, that detected disguised Serpents, when he went through. And, his skin changed when he walked through a Night Mirror, before returning to normal when he stepped back through. He had fled to this town as a teenager after his small village was attacked. His closest friend, his only companion. Now, she is gone, captured by a Serpent Cult and he is starting to think he isn't the ordinary elf he has always assumed he was. By why is he important to these monsters and where is his childhood friend...
Averiel Bard
Her parents are monsters. They killed her sister right in front of her. When she fled she vowed to return and kill them for taking away her closest friend. She knew something was strange even as a child. They traveled the lands in a troupe, entertaining and spying. It was the masks and the sacrifices that finally frightened her enough to try and flee with her sister, but her sister never made it. Now she has learned that her people were one of the first to join the cult. That their role has been to search, spy, track and capture for the Serpent Kingdom for thousands of years.
She is angry. She wants vengeance. Now she has learned that her parents are the heads of the cult in this land and she will stop at nothing to slaughter them just like they did her sister.
I think the biggest secret to personal quests is to make them important to all the party. You can do this by making them key elements to the plot or by the rest of the party investing in the goal because they can see how much the characters wants it. I had a villain that was really an antagonist for one of the characters in the group initially but before too long , the whole group hated him and were equally keen to dispose of him. You can also thread through some other rewards in the quest that entice the others in the group.
I think Personal Quests are great motivators and allow the party to feel like they are driving the game. That is the most important thing of all
It's good that you're thinking about this early on, but don't be afraid to leave some of them open so that you and the player both get to know the character a little as well.
As others have said, talk a little to the player - but not too much, as you really want them to react and explore the mystery with you. This is SO important for player investment in the storyline...but only if they're ready for it. They have to be willing to buy-in to it.
Example from my time DMing:
The party Ranger and Cleric came to know each other originally as she was fleeing her country and he was smuggling her across the border. However, something went wrong and they fell foul of the authorities - the two PCs were the only ones who escaped, but the Ranger's crew were captured and arrested. All of this was pre-campaign backstory.
Sometime later, as part of our regular downtime, the Ranger is approached by one of the crew he abandoned - and wants him to bail her out by stealing some valuables from the Cleric they were smuggling and making sure she gets the payoff she was promised. The Ranger, guilt-ridden, decides to help her and attempts to steal from the party Cleric in her sleep.
This backstory event lasted maybe half a session but was massive in terms of the character development of both PCs - as the Cleric discovered his actions and confronted him, and he started to admit his feelings for her. Both players got to flex some different RP skills and push their characters into an exciting new dynamic.
How does one get involved in a quest? I just have characters and more place to play them.