I'm about to start The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan tonight with my players and I'm having difficulties to find a good way to start the adventure.
The first room the group is falling into. But my group of player they are very "spread out and explore" and I would have trouble having them at the same location to fall into that room. I was thinking that they could have been chased by some Templers to have them fall into it but I have a barbarian that would fight 17 creatures instead of running away.
So here's what I was thinking either a) I start the adventure of them having fell into the room and telling them how they got there like a "memory" of how they got there or b) they go toward the sound of Templers having some kind of ceremony with different sound and scream.
When I ran it for my group, I had my players camping when a dinosaur stampede tore through the camp and caused the sinkhole that pulls them into the first room. Any large herd animal stampede will do.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
So I am DM'ing this one again and I noticed in the first time that my group picked out one by one the statuettes on Room 1. So pretty much handed them free XP.
How did you guy do with that room? How can I make it more difficult for this new group rather than them going one by one by one on each of the little figurines?
I hate to revive a dead thread but I'm actually doing the Yawning Portal campaign for my group. Just started Sunless Citadel and I didn't realize that the book does a poor job in connecting each adventure (once in a while they give little excerpts or advice to hook the next one which is good though).
To connect I was thinking of having sidequests for both the cleric and bard in my group. The cleric ran away from [noble] home but I had his mother reach out to him via sending stone that the family is in dire trouble and need his help, (after SC, they will reconvene in the Yawning portal -- Their central hub -- the mom will meet him in person explaining that the family has gotten hold on some rare artifacts from their art dealer/adventurer/whatever (they thought all genuine), turns out the relics/coins were cursed and they don't know how or why. Only that they know its from an ancient civilization - Tamoachan. Nothing else, and the family needs him to continue on his travels until he finds out where the shrine is and return some of the relics/coins to stop the curse. Leave it be for now.
After Fury of the Forge, have the changeling bard (one persona used to be a rogue/thief) get contacted by his old guys asking his help with this 'heist', they need him to steal the relics/coins/artifacts from the shrine of Tamoacan and that their client would like this very much. Even knowing where exactly it is.
I actually want to be some conflict between the 2 players. Maybe give a letter to the bard that only he reads it. I'm not sure if I will announce the cleric's family issues to the table, there's no real way to do it 'in-game' without announcing it to all the players. I don't want to do the note first. Besides, if I announce it to all the players the bard will (should) recognize the name when given to him from his client and he can then choose to share his heist plans or just information on how he magically heard rumors on how to help the cleric out.
That being said, how do I narrate getting to the shrine? The book recommends that it can be set in the jungles of Chult but should I have this written in the client's letter? Should I have a contact ready for them to just drive them there? Should I just say "it's in the jungles of Chult" and let them find their own way there (other than the Yawning Portal and maybe an occasional skilled worker to craft things they find materials for, I really don't plan on going too in depth into Water Deep, place is too darn big). Honestly I plan on 'fast traveling' to most locations and don't want to spend 3 sessions just traveling places (since every adventure in this book is at least a few days if not weeks away from each other) but do I 'hand wave' all the minor details?
Depends how much time you want to spend in-game getting there. A lot can happen in three sessions. Do you want it to be about as easy as your players heading to the nearest port town and booking a cruise to Chult? It can be that easy and you can drop them off in Port Nyanzaru with some need for a guide or other directions to get out there into the jungles. You could have a single sea-monster/pirate attack on the boat en-route, or you could make it more or less difficult depending on how you want things to go.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
Depends how much time you want to spend in-game getting there. A lot can happen in three sessions. Do you want it to be about as easy as your players heading to the nearest port town and booking a cruise to Chult? It can be that easy and you can drop them off in Port Nyanzaru with some need for a guide or other directions to get out there into the jungles. You could have a single sea-monster/pirate attack on the boat en-route, or you could make it more or less difficult depending on how you want things to go.
I don't mind doing either or anything but ideally I don't want to roll for an encounter/event more than twice using the character's backstories as mentioned above I was thinking that the thief boss (or the letter from the client) mention that they have a contact that will guide them through the jungles of Chult i just didn't know how to get them to the jungles. At worse, I can hand wave it but as I'm not that geographically aware of The forgotten realms not sure of anything except for the map provided in LMoP but I like where you're going. They'll be in Waterdeep/Yawning Portal any way. I can have them drop off to the nearest port in Waterdeep, take that to Port Nyanzaru (thanks for the name) then meet the bard's contact there who then guides them through the jungle to the entrance of the shrine. 1x encounter roll on the boat ride (maybe) and one (or 2) encounter roll traveling to through the jungle.
But, while we're at it, do you have any other advice? (to go off topic, I haven't even started reading Dead in Thay yet so haven't thought of anything myself yet but any ideas? Reading the summary it appears to be a 'gobal level' event where the Thayans are trying to do some world-shaking ritual. As of now, thinking of having some tremor or catalyst happen while they're relaxing (most likely at the hub - Yawning Portal) and the locals plead for their help).
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Good day fellow DMs,
I'm about to start The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan tonight with my players and I'm having difficulties to find a good way to start the adventure.
The first room the group is falling into. But my group of player they are very "spread out and explore" and I would have trouble having them at the same location to fall into that room. I was thinking that they could have been chased by some Templers to have them fall into it but I have a barbarian that would fight 17 creatures instead of running away.
So here's what I was thinking either a) I start the adventure of them having fell into the room and telling them how they got there like a "memory" of how they got there or b) they go toward the sound of Templers having some kind of ceremony with different sound and scream.
What do you guys think? Am I over thinking this?
Thanks!
When I ran it for my group, I had my players camping when a dinosaur stampede tore through the camp and caused the sinkhole that pulls them into the first room. Any large herd animal stampede will do.
I have a druid, he's just waiting for the chance to see a Dinosaur!
Just read the text in the box. "You arrived at your destinations and fell in a hole (paraphrased). What do you do now?"
So I am DM'ing this one again and I noticed in the first time that my group picked out one by one the statuettes on Room 1. So pretty much handed them free XP.
How did you guy do with that room? How can I make it more difficult for this new group rather than them going one by one by one on each of the little figurines?
Thanks
I hate to revive a dead thread but I'm actually doing the Yawning Portal campaign for my group. Just started Sunless Citadel and I didn't realize that the book does a poor job in connecting each adventure (once in a while they give little excerpts or advice to hook the next one which is good though).
To connect I was thinking of having sidequests for both the cleric and bard in my group. The cleric ran away from [noble] home but I had his mother reach out to him via sending stone that the family is in dire trouble and need his help, (after SC, they will reconvene in the Yawning portal -- Their central hub -- the mom will meet him in person explaining that the family has gotten hold on some rare artifacts from their art dealer/adventurer/whatever (they thought all genuine), turns out the relics/coins were cursed and they don't know how or why. Only that they know its from an ancient civilization - Tamoachan. Nothing else, and the family needs him to continue on his travels until he finds out where the shrine is and return some of the relics/coins to stop the curse. Leave it be for now.
After Fury of the Forge, have the changeling bard (one persona used to be a rogue/thief) get contacted by his old guys asking his help with this 'heist', they need him to steal the relics/coins/artifacts from the shrine of Tamoacan and that their client would like this very much. Even knowing where exactly it is.
I actually want to be some conflict between the 2 players. Maybe give a letter to the bard that only he reads it. I'm not sure if I will announce the cleric's family issues to the table, there's no real way to do it 'in-game' without announcing it to all the players. I don't want to do the note first. Besides, if I announce it to all the players the bard will (should) recognize the name when given to him from his client and he can then choose to share his heist plans or just information on how he magically heard rumors on how to help the cleric out.
That being said, how do I narrate getting to the shrine? The book recommends that it can be set in the jungles of Chult but should I have this written in the client's letter? Should I have a contact ready for them to just drive them there? Should I just say "it's in the jungles of Chult" and let them find their own way there (other than the Yawning Portal and maybe an occasional skilled worker to craft things they find materials for, I really don't plan on going too in depth into Water Deep, place is too darn big). Honestly I plan on 'fast traveling' to most locations and don't want to spend 3 sessions just traveling places (since every adventure in this book is at least a few days if not weeks away from each other) but do I 'hand wave' all the minor details?
How would you best advise to do this?
Depends how much time you want to spend in-game getting there. A lot can happen in three sessions. Do you want it to be about as easy as your players heading to the nearest port town and booking a cruise to Chult? It can be that easy and you can drop them off in Port Nyanzaru with some need for a guide or other directions to get out there into the jungles. You could have a single sea-monster/pirate attack on the boat en-route, or you could make it more or less difficult depending on how you want things to go.
I don't mind doing either or anything but ideally I don't want to roll for an encounter/event more than twice using the character's backstories as mentioned above I was thinking that the thief boss (or the letter from the client) mention that they have a contact that will guide them through the jungles of Chult i just didn't know how to get them to the jungles. At worse, I can hand wave it but as I'm not that geographically aware of The forgotten realms not sure of anything except for the map provided in LMoP but I like where you're going. They'll be in Waterdeep/Yawning Portal any way. I can have them drop off to the nearest port in Waterdeep, take that to Port Nyanzaru (thanks for the name) then meet the bard's contact there who then guides them through the jungle to the entrance of the shrine. 1x encounter roll on the boat ride (maybe) and one (or 2) encounter roll traveling to through the jungle.
But, while we're at it, do you have any other advice? (to go off topic, I haven't even started reading Dead in Thay yet so haven't thought of anything myself yet but any ideas? Reading the summary it appears to be a 'gobal level' event where the Thayans are trying to do some world-shaking ritual. As of now, thinking of having some tremor or catalyst happen while they're relaxing (most likely at the hub - Yawning Portal) and the locals plead for their help).