so I've been getting into dm-ing and I want to start a new campaign where they will mostly be in the under dark but I don't know how to start it off like how do they meet each other do they know each other if someone can help me that would be great I have an idea on how they get into the underdark it is where they explore to find a missing person but a powerful wizard traps them in the underdark anyway if someone could give me some suggestions that would be great
A secret tip is to ask the players themselves to come up with the reason. Pick where you want them to start then tell the players to come up with a reason for why their characters are there.
Another idea, in case some of the players cannot decide why they are there, would be to have amnesia and make it a side quest that some underdark creature such as a mind flayer ate part of their brain so they lost those relevant memories as to how they arrived there.
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- Igglywiv the Wizard
I played every class, now playing every sub-class.
You would not believe how much ADHD helps with creating campaigns!
A secret tip is to ask the players themselves to come up with the reason. Pick where you want them to start then tell the players to come up with a reason for why their characters are there.
I recommend you ask your players to also come up with how they know and trust at least one other group member, if not all of them. It is worth doing everything you can early to avoid a bunch of mysterious, brooding loners who won’t meet up, talk or work with each other because they are all too cool for school. This common trope works well in fiction and has produced all kinds of compelling characters people want to emulate in the game. Unfortunately, it encourages main character syndrome and is very disruptive at an RPG table where it is very difficult for everyone to enjoy themselves when the group, and therefore the DM’s attention, is split. In my groups, it is an absolute must that characters come to the table with onboard reasons to muck in and work as a team.
An NPC specifically recruited each of them for their skills/backgrounds/reputation
They share something in common that they don't realize yet (a mysterious tattoo, debt to a loan shark, physical similarity to famous adventurers, etc.) and meet investigating it
They were assigned an adventuring mission by a guild or a judge and are gathering to talk strategy
They actually have known each other for years and the campaign starts at a reunion party
They won an all-expenses paid trip and bump into each other at the travel agency
They recognize each other at a bard concert but can't remember why
Giving players agency to establish why they're adventuring and how they end up someplace is always fun, as other posters have mentioned. Personally, I love having pre-existing relationships when I start a campaign - even if it's with just one other character. Gives my character somebody they know they can trust and stick with.
I highly encourage a Session Zero to talk about this stuff and set expectations!
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so I've been getting into dm-ing and I want to start a new campaign where they will mostly be in the under dark but I don't know how to start it off like how do they meet each other do they know each other if someone can help me that would be great I have an idea on how they get into the underdark it is where they explore to find a missing person but a powerful wizard traps them in the underdark anyway if someone could give me some suggestions that would be great
A secret tip is to ask the players themselves to come up with the reason. Pick where you want them to start then tell the players to come up with a reason for why their characters are there.
thanks for the tip
Another idea, in case some of the players cannot decide why they are there, would be to have amnesia and make it a side quest that some underdark creature such as a mind flayer ate part of their brain so they lost those relevant memories as to how they arrived there.
- Igglywiv the Wizard
I played every class, now playing every sub-class.
You would not believe how much ADHD helps with creating campaigns!
Happy Pride Month!
I recommend you ask your players to also come up with how they know and trust at least one other group member, if not all of them. It is worth doing everything you can early to avoid a bunch of mysterious, brooding loners who won’t meet up, talk or work with each other because they are all too cool for school. This common trope works well in fiction and has produced all kinds of compelling characters people want to emulate in the game. Unfortunately, it encourages main character syndrome and is very disruptive at an RPG table where it is very difficult for everyone to enjoy themselves when the group, and therefore the DM’s attention, is split. In my groups, it is an absolute must that characters come to the table with onboard reasons to muck in and work as a team.
Here are some other ideas:
Giving players agency to establish why they're adventuring and how they end up someplace is always fun, as other posters have mentioned. Personally, I love having pre-existing relationships when I start a campaign - even if it's with just one other character. Gives my character somebody they know they can trust and stick with.
I highly encourage a Session Zero to talk about this stuff and set expectations!