I'm curious to learn - what are some of the best plots, story hooks/beats, subplots, adventures, etc that you've ever run, in your opinion? Have you ever run anything that absolutely WOW'd your players?
In Champions, I ran a "Crisis on Infinite Earths" plot that I think wowed the players. We had a campaign world we all GMed in during high school. Then we graduated and most folks went off to college but I stayed home (could not afford to live at college, so I commuted). I then became permanent GM for about 2 years, taking a break for part of one summer, and I did my own world (I wanted it nice and clean and free of the high school baggage). When my friends came back for the summer, we found various ways to "dimension door" their characters into my world, so there was precedent for alternate earths.
As the final multi-adventure story arc to end my campaign during the 2nd summer, I had the main villain of my world, the Egyptian god of evil, Set, team up with Darkseid from the DC Universe. I had the guys from my world and our old high school world playing alongside NPCs from the DCU (like Superman and Martian Manhunter) and we even included some cameos by James T. Kirk, Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi, and many others (since it was a Crisis across all alternate realities). The plot was that Darkseid and Set were going to use the Anti-Life equation to destroy all life, and then kill Osiris, who is god of the dead, and rule the dead. All things are dead, they rule the dead = they rule everything.
There was an epic finale in which the heroes merged into two god-like beings to take on Darkseid and Set, and one of their biggest arch-villains from the high school earth (named Overlord) helped the heroes win (and he died doing it, which was a fitting end to that villain).
It was probably the most epic thing I have run. I spent the whole 2nd year of the campaign setting it up using Horus the Avenger (son of Osiris) as the "NPC" of the hero team and we had things going on like museums being robbed of Egyptian artifacts, etc. There was even a giant map made from multiple sheets of that old fan-fold computer paper (it was about as long as the width of my bedroom, where we often played) where I had drawn the entire 12-realm Egyptian underworld (the Tuat) and labeled everything in hieroglyphics, and then gave them the means to translate it all.
I'm actually sometimes surprised at what wows (or maybe "delights" is a better word) my players. I usually run for kids, though! Much of what they loved the best was little improvised moments.
I have discovered that if I put little "easter eggs" for them to find, they think it's so cool.
A bed of 36 oysters, and "Okay guys, you each roll a d20 12 times to see if you get a pearl. 20 is a pearl." They got so into that.
A cloak of many fashions for my player who would risk her character's life to get decorative accessories.
A mini ice salamander for my player who wanted to collect mini pets. (That was by accident. They were supposed to destroy the nest, but he had to save one! He pretty much was always on the lookout for little pets.)
A magical cupcake shop (selling regular cupcakes and "potion cupcakes")--somehow everyone loved this tavern alternative.
A blink dog they rescued from a house sized displacer beast. The dog still thinks it was the hero of the story. The players thought it was useless, but loved it to pieces.
Truth be told, my favorite games have been ones where I've made a solid plot...then the players wowed me. There was a heist campaign I ran where our goblin barbarian, during the fight against the guardian, grabbed the item they were supposed to steal and leapt from a window across the city rooftops. Seeing he was betraying them, the other characters leapt after in a cinematic chase. One did not make the jump...
It's a good thing we're all friends first, players second! :-)
The same goblin later rigged an airship to collapse before Feather Falling from it with a pack of stolen goods. Totally changed the ending I'd plotted, and it was really cool!
That said, when I run mimics that spit out two "magic items" when dead, which turn into more mimics, which spit out two more items, which turn into more mimics...that's always a hit. Once, a character died to it.
I’m about to run a big plot twist in like 2-3 sessions so I will say if players like it. Can’t wait to run that encounter hehehehehehe. There is definitely some flaws with it like it being a bit railroady (not too much though and nowhere near anything bad), but will make a great twist in the end, and will keep a lot of tension up.
Although if it gets super duper mega derailed then that would be cool and I would like it but may ruin the twist a bit.
Hello fellow DMs!
I'm curious to learn - what are some of the best plots, story hooks/beats, subplots, adventures, etc that you've ever run, in your opinion? Have you ever run anything that absolutely WOW'd your players?
Please share!
Not in D&D.
In Champions, I ran a "Crisis on Infinite Earths" plot that I think wowed the players. We had a campaign world we all GMed in during high school. Then we graduated and most folks went off to college but I stayed home (could not afford to live at college, so I commuted). I then became permanent GM for about 2 years, taking a break for part of one summer, and I did my own world (I wanted it nice and clean and free of the high school baggage). When my friends came back for the summer, we found various ways to "dimension door" their characters into my world, so there was precedent for alternate earths.
As the final multi-adventure story arc to end my campaign during the 2nd summer, I had the main villain of my world, the Egyptian god of evil, Set, team up with Darkseid from the DC Universe. I had the guys from my world and our old high school world playing alongside NPCs from the DCU (like Superman and Martian Manhunter) and we even included some cameos by James T. Kirk, Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi, and many others (since it was a Crisis across all alternate realities). The plot was that Darkseid and Set were going to use the Anti-Life equation to destroy all life, and then kill Osiris, who is god of the dead, and rule the dead. All things are dead, they rule the dead = they rule everything.
There was an epic finale in which the heroes merged into two god-like beings to take on Darkseid and Set, and one of their biggest arch-villains from the high school earth (named Overlord) helped the heroes win (and he died doing it, which was a fitting end to that villain).
It was probably the most epic thing I have run. I spent the whole 2nd year of the campaign setting it up using Horus the Avenger (son of Osiris) as the "NPC" of the hero team and we had things going on like museums being robbed of Egyptian artifacts, etc. There was even a giant map made from multiple sheets of that old fan-fold computer paper (it was about as long as the width of my bedroom, where we often played) where I had drawn the entire 12-realm Egyptian underworld (the Tuat) and labeled everything in hieroglyphics, and then gave them the means to translate it all.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I'm actually sometimes surprised at what wows (or maybe "delights" is a better word) my players. I usually run for kids, though! Much of what they loved the best was little improvised moments.
I have discovered that if I put little "easter eggs" for them to find, they think it's so cool.
A bed of 36 oysters, and "Okay guys, you each roll a d20 12 times to see if you get a pearl. 20 is a pearl." They got so into that.
A cloak of many fashions for my player who would risk her character's life to get decorative accessories.
A mini ice salamander for my player who wanted to collect mini pets. (That was by accident. They were supposed to destroy the nest, but he had to save one! He pretty much was always on the lookout for little pets.)
A magical cupcake shop (selling regular cupcakes and "potion cupcakes")--somehow everyone loved this tavern alternative.
A blink dog they rescued from a house sized displacer beast. The dog still thinks it was the hero of the story. The players thought it was useless, but loved it to pieces.
etc
That is really cool. I will have to remember this.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Thanks! One of the kids was saying, "What if the Oyster King comes after us for raiding the pearls?"
And I was thinking "What 'Oyster King?' I mean, I was gonna have a shark show up, but..."
A shadow swept over them near the end of the pearl search, and it was the Oyster King! (Shark stats) The kid was like, "I knew it!!!!!!"
It tried to eat them, but they slew it and found a black pearl inside.
Truth be told, my favorite games have been ones where I've made a solid plot...then the players wowed me. There was a heist campaign I ran where our goblin barbarian, during the fight against the guardian, grabbed the item they were supposed to steal and leapt from a window across the city rooftops. Seeing he was betraying them, the other characters leapt after in a cinematic chase. One did not make the jump...
It's a good thing we're all friends first, players second! :-)
The same goblin later rigged an airship to collapse before Feather Falling from it with a pack of stolen goods. Totally changed the ending I'd plotted, and it was really cool!
That said, when I run mimics that spit out two "magic items" when dead, which turn into more mimics, which spit out two more items, which turn into more mimics...that's always a hit. Once, a character died to it.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
That is awesome. Some DMing there to give the players what they want.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I’m about to run a big plot twist in like 2-3 sessions so I will say if players like it. Can’t wait to run that encounter hehehehehehe. There is definitely some flaws with it like it being a bit railroady (not too much though and nowhere near anything bad), but will make a great twist in the end, and will keep a lot of tension up.
Although if it gets super duper mega derailed then that would be cool and I would like it but may ruin the twist a bit.