I'm a first time DM (been a PC for just about 2 years now) and I'm running the ToA adventure for my group. Long story short - I'm starting my party at 5th level so we can basically rock up to Port Nyanzaru, run a dinosaur race, have a few conversations and hit the road. Trying to sell the "time is of the essence" approach.
But beyond saying "the Soulmonger is somewhere on the island, go forth" - what leads did you guys give to guide the players rather than just aimless wandering? Thinking NPCs with the information we need, but unless I'm mistaken there's not a whole lot of specific direction around guiding the players around Chult. Just wondering for inspiration - what have you done with this adventure to give the party a lead / multiple leads, to feel like they're actually heading out to achieve something rather than wander aimlessly.
I found the vision of Grandfather Zitembe very useful. They are heading south, they will surely make contact with either Valindra or the Naga in Orolunga.
In case of emergency, you can make them encounter Artus Cimber, and go with him in Orolunga.
Awesome, thank you :D. It’s just so much to take in! I bloody well love it though, and I’m really getting in to it because I know how bad the DM of our other game/s really wants to be a PC, so I thought I’d give it a shot.
I LOVE this campaign. I've been running it for a few months now and my players just hit level 6. The book alone gives you TONS of ways to tease them into the jungle. I definitely suggest reading it. For example, just about every guide has an agenda. There are at least 10 quests or something like that under the side quests you can exploit. There are many merchant princes who may summon them to do some thing or investigate some legend or info of some place on the island. If you are trying to figure out how to tell them where to go, first off use the guide they hire and have them mark a few known places, maybe ones in easy that are not hidden like firefinger or or camp righteous as locations that all guides know about but fear to venture. Then after the first night or two have him tell a legendary tale about the oracle of orolunga or the story of the man and the crocodile, or the idsappearing city, or the old woman on the plateau etc... Then once they accomplish one of them maybe they find ingots from the wyrmantle mine in the south or a slaughtered flaming fist patrol with contraband that hints at a corrupt leader and her involvement with pirates....
Also I would warn against leaving the port so fast. My guys spent 4 sessions in the port before they got ready to leave. There is TONS to do there. I started them at lvl 1, and they were level 3 just after arriving and getting off the slaver ship they showed up on.
My group headed straight to Fort Belurian and down to the Firefinger. They just hit Orolongo and decided to make a quick stop at Mbala on the way part to Port.
@DasAmigo, we’re starting at Level 5 so they’re well and truly ready to hit the region (island, in our case - it fits into our home brew world) from a character readiness stage, but when I’d asked the question i hadn’t got too far through Chapter 2 of the book :). Reading further ahead in that gave a LOT more clarity around what information is available and you can then start to line up how it all interacts. I’ve got to prepare for the eventuality that my group don’t take a guide, because of the way one of the characters has set up to have been a Chult native monstrous race, so I’ve placed their “village” close in proximity to Nyanzaru, but I know they’re going to try and stooge their way out of having a guide. I think there’ll be some good RP in that, having the group decide whether or not to take on a guide. I’m starting to get a good understanding of how being a DM works too :D.
@Preacher23 I’m really looking forward to getting to Orolunga - I think I’ll be coaxing my guys in that direction somehow. Thanks for the tips :)
We had one guy who couldn’t make it one night and since the we’re out looking for vorn I just had them wake up to find him getting kidnapped by goblins etc so they tracked him to yellyark and knocked it out yo get him back in time for the next one.
They have climbed to the top of firefinger and are about to have it crash into the jungle and be trapped in an underground dungeon (which is the hidden shrine of Tamiachan from tales of the yawning portal)
if youre ever strapped for ideas I’m your guy lol. I wouldn’t give up on the guides though they don’t have to BE a guide. Maybe have an npc from the players village take on the same story as one of them. Their quests are too good and make fantastic links to the continent. Same with the side quests in port. Instead of having the harbormaster dole out the pirate quest the ended up rescuing him and his daughter from his offices when it was attacked by pirate raiders and he gave them the quest then.
Remember er the material is just a framework. Get crazy with it.
Thanks @DasAmigo :D i like the idea of sending a guide or two out after them if they don’t take one, and say that they’re on the mission too or something like that. In terms of reading ahead, I’m just about at Chapter 3 and a whole bunch of stuff makes sense now! And I’m also starting to think a bit more like a DM and trying to weave the narrative together, and it’s making a lot more sense to me now.
The only thing is that due to work/life commitments we can’t even start our first session til mid February, and even then, I’m worried I’m going to get a work trip popping up :( So excited to play this damn campaign!!
That said, i need to start getting my head into my PC for tonight... Our party is defending a city against a siege in a home brew adventure... it’s going to be a shit storm.
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Hey gang!
I'm a first time DM (been a PC for just about 2 years now) and I'm running the ToA adventure for my group. Long story short - I'm starting my party at 5th level so we can basically rock up to Port Nyanzaru, run a dinosaur race, have a few conversations and hit the road. Trying to sell the "time is of the essence" approach.
But beyond saying "the Soulmonger is somewhere on the island, go forth" - what leads did you guys give to guide the players rather than just aimless wandering? Thinking NPCs with the information we need, but unless I'm mistaken there's not a whole lot of specific direction around guiding the players around Chult. Just wondering for inspiration - what have you done with this adventure to give the party a lead / multiple leads, to feel like they're actually heading out to achieve something rather than wander aimlessly.
Thanks heaps!
I found the vision of Grandfather Zitembe very useful. They are heading south, they will surely make contact with either Valindra or the Naga in Orolunga.
In case of emergency, you can make them encounter Artus Cimber, and go with him in Orolunga.
Awesome, thank you :D. It’s just so much to take in! I bloody well love it though, and I’m really getting in to it because I know how bad the DM of our other game/s really wants to be a PC, so I thought I’d give it a shot.
I LOVE this campaign. I've been running it for a few months now and my players just hit level 6. The book alone gives you TONS of ways to tease them into the jungle. I definitely suggest reading it. For example, just about every guide has an agenda. There are at least 10 quests or something like that under the side quests you can exploit. There are many merchant princes who may summon them to do some thing or investigate some legend or info of some place on the island. If you are trying to figure out how to tell them where to go, first off use the guide they hire and have them mark a few known places, maybe ones in easy that are not hidden like firefinger or or camp righteous as locations that all guides know about but fear to venture. Then after the first night or two have him tell a legendary tale about the oracle of orolunga or the story of the man and the crocodile, or the idsappearing city, or the old woman on the plateau etc... Then once they accomplish one of them maybe they find ingots from the wyrmantle mine in the south or a slaughtered flaming fist patrol with contraband that hints at a corrupt leader and her involvement with pirates....
This wall of text can go on and on...
Also I would warn against leaving the port so fast. My guys spent 4 sessions in the port before they got ready to leave. There is TONS to do there. I started them at lvl 1, and they were level 3 just after arriving and getting off the slaver ship they showed up on.
My group headed straight to Fort Belurian and down to the Firefinger. They just hit Orolongo and decided to make a quick stop at Mbala on the way part to Port.
This will get interesting.
Thanks guys!
@DasAmigo, we’re starting at Level 5 so they’re well and truly ready to hit the region (island, in our case - it fits into our home brew world) from a character readiness stage, but when I’d asked the question i hadn’t got too far through Chapter 2 of the book :). Reading further ahead in that gave a LOT more clarity around what information is available and you can then start to line up how it all interacts. I’ve got to prepare for the eventuality that my group don’t take a guide, because of the way one of the characters has set up to have been a Chult native monstrous race, so I’ve placed their “village” close in proximity to Nyanzaru, but I know they’re going to try and stooge their way out of having a guide. I think there’ll be some good RP in that, having the group decide whether or not to take on a guide. I’m starting to get a good understanding of how being a DM works too :D.
@Preacher23 I’m really looking forward to getting to Orolunga - I think I’ll be coaxing my guys in that direction somehow. Thanks for the tips :)
We had one guy who couldn’t make it one night and since the we’re out looking for vorn I just had them wake up to find him getting kidnapped by goblins etc so they tracked him to yellyark and knocked it out yo get him back in time for the next one.
They have climbed to the top of firefinger and are about to have it crash into the jungle and be trapped in an underground dungeon (which is the hidden shrine of Tamiachan from tales of the yawning portal)
if youre ever strapped for ideas I’m your guy lol. I wouldn’t give up on the guides though they don’t have to BE a guide. Maybe have an npc from the players village take on the same story as one of them. Their quests are too good and make fantastic links to the continent. Same with the side quests in port. Instead of having the harbormaster dole out the pirate quest the ended up rescuing him and his daughter from his offices when it was attacked by pirate raiders and he gave them the quest then.
Remember er the material is just a framework. Get crazy with it.
Thanks @DasAmigo :D i like the idea of sending a guide or two out after them if they don’t take one, and say that they’re on the mission too or something like that. In terms of reading ahead, I’m just about at Chapter 3 and a whole bunch of stuff makes sense now! And I’m also starting to think a bit more like a DM and trying to weave the narrative together, and it’s making a lot more sense to me now.
The only thing is that due to work/life commitments we can’t even start our first session til mid February, and even then, I’m worried I’m going to get a work trip popping up :( So excited to play this damn campaign!!
That said, i need to start getting my head into my PC for tonight... Our party is defending a city against a siege in a home brew adventure... it’s going to be a shit storm.