So I was looking into the subscription "Dungeon in a box" where they send you an adventure, a mini, 2x standees & some other stuff.
I really like the free sample they gave, "The Island Green" where the party travels to the last vestige of the plant kingdom (a small tiny island), see what happened etc, at the end they find the Great Seed. The adventure is literally a page long (I added some things to it) and is very limited on descriptions, saying that your party can plant it, regrowing the island or that quest giver can sell it. The description does say that the Seed is a magical item that can cast enlarge/reduce the size of a plant (at will) & that you need to touch the targeted plant to activate it.
First, it's unclear if it can be cast on a normal target (with the plant/tree sized growth/reduction restriction) -- Ill copy the seed description in a moment.
Secondly, they have the choice to sell the seed for cash, or grow the seed. In order to make it a bigger incentive I've created 'Seedlings', little edible seeds that sprout after the great seed is planted and gives the full HP in temp hp with upon consumption, 3 charges. I feel that's a nifty item for a level 1-2 (the adventure is recommended for level 3 but plan on this being an opening for a legit campaign.
That being said, if the players decide to keep the Great Seed for themselves how should I allow it to work? I can say that leaving the island does weaken its potency but to what extent? First tell me if the description actually means ONLY plants or anything to the size of a plant/tree?
Regardless of what it actually says, should I allow it to work on ANYTHING? If so, whether on the island or not, that increases it's strength. I was thinking that if it is taken off the island, it weakens and must now be attuned and can only be cast once per day (maybe even that it must be planted overnight and refreshes at dawn once regrown --- something that the player must ACTIVELY say that they're doing, if they forget, they can't use it the next day despite the long rest rejuvenation).... even allowing it to work for creatures too, a 1x a day at level 2 is crazy, especially for one of the players being a barbarian.. It says that the seed doesn't need concentration. I can remove that.. but then it would be worthless for the barb.. It can need concentration but the barb can still use it?
Should I allow it any way? Let them be a little overpowered? is it too powerful?
The Great Seed is the size of a goose egg, with the feel and jewel-like sheen of a flawless emerald. If closely examined, a small spark of light can be seen flowing deep in its center. The Great See is a magic item, and anyone holding it can cast enlarge/reduce the size of any plant. The Great Seed must be touched to the targeted plant, and the effect does not require concentration to maintain. In all other regards it works the same as the spell of the same name.
I'd think the item description given in your last paragraph is that the Seed's effects are intended for Plants only, not humanoids or other animals. I'd recommend keeping it that way for limitations or things could get crazy too quickly and easily.
Your idea for planting it to grow Seedlings is really pretty cool, but imagine the party lugging this Seed around to lvl 15, getting full HP and regaining 150 HP at once, I'd think that's incredibly unbalanced as a DM. Not sure if you meant 3 charges = 3 Seedlings? I also could be entirely misinterpreting your intent of full hp or temp hp, too. I would definitely stay away from continuously growing Seedlings unless they are relatively weak (like a normal healing potion). Once the Great Seed is planted, no digging it up and dragging it around, so if it's going to be Planted I'd recommend it be at the Home Base where it can be controlled, kept safe, taken care of by a trustee, etc. Effectively, with proper care and putting the "work" in, the Party can have access to more free resources. If you were to consider if you planted the Great Seed, it can sprout Seedlings, but only a limited number (2d4? Per month?), and each Seedling allows to regain 1 hit die of HP or 2d4 + 2 like a normal potion of healing, I'd wager that's a pretty cool thing if I had it in my campaign.
What about 2 different kinds of Seedlings? 9 out 10 are the normal potion of healing type and look brown in appearance, but that 10th of 10 seedling is a warmer yellow color and is a one time use (if swallowed as an action) to allow the user to boom Speak with Plants or Locate Animals or Plants (limit to plants only).
To me, there's value with both the at will Great Seed enlarge/reduce to other Plants ( for a creative Party at least), and the potential for growing Seedlings, or the potential to cha ching cash in on just selling the Seed/Seedlings right away, giving the party different options on what to do with this item.
I'd think the item description given in your last paragraph is that the Seed's effects are intended for Plants only, not humanoids or other animals. I'd recommend keeping it that way for limitations or things could get crazy too quickly and easily.
Your idea for planting it to grow Seedlings is really pretty cool, but imagine the party lugging this Seed around to lvl 15, getting full HP and regaining 150 HP at once, I'd think that's incredibly unbalanced as a DM. Not sure if you meant 3 charges = 3 Seedlings? I also could be entirely misinterpreting your intent of full hp or temp hp, too. I would definitely stay away from continuously growing Seedlings unless they are relatively weak (like a normal healing potion). Once the Great Seed is planted, no digging it up and dragging it around, so if it's going to be Planted I'd recommend it be at the Home Base where it can be controlled, kept safe, taken care of by a trustee, etc. Effectively, with proper care and putting the "work" in, the Party can have access to more free resources. If you were to consider if you planted the Great Seed, it can sprout Seedlings, but only a limited number (2d4? Per month?), and each Seedling allows to regain 1 hit die of HP or 2d4 + 2 like a normal potion of healing, I'd wager that's a pretty cool thing if I had it in my campaign.
What about 2 different kinds of Seedlings? 9 out 10 are the normal potion of healing type and look brown in appearance, but that 10th of 10 seedling is a warmer yellow color and is a one time use (if swallowed as an action) to allow the user to boom Speak with Plants or Locate Animals or Plants (limit to plants only).
To me, there's value with both the at will Great Seed enlarge/reduce to other Plants ( for a creative Party at least), and the potential for growing Seedlings, or the potential to cha ching cash in on just selling the Seed/Seedlings right away, giving the party different options on what to do with this item.
So as the story is now, there are 3 endings; sell the seed, plant the seed specifically on the island & regrowing the island to its former glory as the plant kingdom or keeping the Great Seed & its magical properties for itself. But the adventure only tells you the price for selling it and the option to replant the seed ON the island with no tangible reward
Selling for gold is an obvious reward.
Regrowing the seed specifically on the island to help bring back the plant kingdom is obviously the "good ending" but we all like rewards so as an incentive, as the Great Seed had been planted it will sprout the seedlings which can not ever be replenished. Each character will have 3 uses. If they try to grab more I'll RP "as you try to grab a few more seeds they seem to just slip through your fingers like sand or water" etc. I'm not worried about the amount of temp health it gives. It has a limited replenishment and with a cleric and bard who plan on using THP spells, who now need to determine which to use. If they're patient to hold onto something for 15 levels when we dont even know if we'll get that far? Go for it. There will be no possible way to infinitely farm more seedlings. Once they're off the island they're done. Even on the island, the island's magic refuses to allow them more than 3.
The adventure as is, doesnt account for the players wanting to keep the seed's magical properties for themselves. If the seed is ONLY useable to make plants bigger or smaller it definitely reduces the usefulness of the spell. My group is meh with creative ideas. If the seed can turn anything into the size of a plant or tree it greatly increases its usefulness, especially with a barbarian in the party. I'm aware of this increased usefulness to a point where I'm worried if it's too overpowered. If it's something that should be allowed at all and if so, and a reduced potency. Meaning, I would leave the touch distance (so that the barbarian needs to hold it to use it & if being used on an enemy it needs to be in touch distance), but change the 'at will' to once a day, i would also require attunement, preventing a different item from being attuned to. I'm debating whether I should re-require the concentration but since the barbarian would be primarily using it (or should) I would allow him to be the exception so it wouldnt even matter. As an additional fluff and possible pit, I would also say that tlafter it's used the player needs to plant the (lower powered) great seed overnight to regain the enlarge/reduce spell ONLY. I can RP that it needs the light of the moon & dawning sun etc
So my question is, it too powerful to even give the great seed (with enlarge/reduce) at all in any form except for plants? Do my modifications make it a lot more manageable?
I think that having to hold the Great Seed in hand + requiring attunement + allowing its usage only once per day, as you mentioned, is a great way to keep it manageable going forward if the Party chooses to keep it. (I'm also assuming there's only one Great Seed?) .
I cross referenced the Enlarge side of the spell with the Barbarian's class feature page for Raging, which was leading to my initial hesitancy to possibly be a bit too much, and I decided it probably won't. Rage requires concentration, and both Enlarge or Rage already give advantage on Strength checks & Strength saving throws, and so the only real extra gained (aside from physically being bigger) is an extra 1d4 on the damage. So, not requiring concentration for the Great Seed probably won't make a real difference. It could, in fact, be much more useful for another Party member that could be in melee to make himself/herself bigger/smaller or to use against an enemy. A rogue moving in to Touch a baddie into Reduce (because it failed its Constitution saving throw, then take the Disengage bonus action is a for real solid tactic.
By having the range reduced to Touch for the spell, needing a free hand to hold it (so no 2nd hand weapon or shield), and attunement, I think you have yourself a pretty useful clutch magic item for any party member that otherwise shouldn't be too problematic compared to any other other official magic items already out there. I'd definitely throw it out as an item at my table.
For the seedlings, just for my clarity, you mention 3 charges, are you suggesting each member gets three of this little Consumable seedlings, or something else?
Thank you for the solid reply and reasoning. I had my doubt but this answers my concerns regarding the Seed. (Yes, there is only one).
The seedlings, yes, there are 3 'servings' or charges. Think of it, as the party is actively helping the plant kingdom regrow to it's former glory, the island/Seed itself is offering the party its fruitful bounty. Think of it like the 'bounty' of seeds in a sunflower plant. Each party grabs a handful of seeds, which is equivalent to 3 servings/charges. I just thought of it, as an alternative, less permanent (compared to the Great Seed, or even the gold) reward to leaving the seed to grow on the island.
Very cool. So (if I'm reading this right), it's an either/or situation, either take the Great Seed away from the island to sell or keep (not planting it, not regrowing the kingdom, but now there's an attunable item), or plant and regrow the island and get these seedlings as the reward? Sounds like solid, sensible scenarios for however the party chooses to go with it. Are you thinking of any dropped hints somehow to the party so they'll have informed decisions to make, or just roll with the exposition after the fact? You mentioned this could be the start of a larger campaign, does the regrowth of this plant kingdom become relevant for future story events?
I like how you've taken a literal one page story and extrapolated.
Very cool. So (if I'm reading this right), it's an either/or situation, either take the Great Seed away from the island to sell or keep (not planting it, not regrowing the kingdom, but now there's an attunable item), or plant and regrow the island and get these seedlings as the reward? Sounds like solid, sensible scenarios for however the party chooses to go with it. Are you thinking of any dropped hints somehow to the party so they'll have informed decisions to make, or just roll with the exposition after the fact? You mentioned this could be the start of a larger campaign, does the regrowth of this plant kingdom become relevant for future story events?
I like how you've taken a literal one page story and extrapolated.
Thank you. I saw an ad for dungeon in a box on facebook, checked it out, wasn't sure if I wanted to get a sub but they offered a free sample adventure. I downloaded it and read it. I actually really liked it, I guess since this is the DM section I can spoil it but as your quest giver tells you to meet you at the dock but he's being attacked by thugs and before you even start the voyage, the boat set sails and leaves the dock 10 feet each initiative count 0, you instantly get to the island (so I made two separate d20 tables, one for actual encounters; pirate ships, merchant ships, Atlantean emissaries, I even took some of the stuff from the Encounters of the Week (pretty much anything involving sea, shores or sahuagins -- there are like 4 or 5 actually), and another for random 'events'; as they sail they see a school of dolphins, they see a kraken in the distance... just to liven and potentially lengthen the story (say with one of the encounter of the week event triggers). There is also a cute encounter as they reach the island shores then an interesting puzzle before reaching the Great Seed but again, the story is literally a page long and not too detailed, like I don't know what to do if the characters actually lose the boat because it sailed away before they were able to stop the thugs and get on board. (I'll actually put the table in the next comment)
The story itself isn't in connection to anything but my group has been playing for a little over a year, all noobs (though 2 have played with other groups), LMoP should NOT have lasted as long as it has with us so the DM is definitely pooped. Although I am the furthest thing from a story teller, I wanted to give the DM a break for a handful of reasons & try out being a player. I had gotten this adventure months ago and offered it then that I'd try DMing for a little bit to give him a break and trying out a PC for himself.
So the hint that I would actually give is, that if they decide to sell it, I would have the quest giver, which accompanies them on the island be the little Navi from Legend of Zelda, if they get stuck at the puzzle, I would RP him as having some ideas, and the adventure actually suggests that he knows a guy who would sell it in the first place for the gold or that they can do the right thing and plant it. I would RP that after defeating the villain, and as they hold the seed in their hand they feel a pulse of life, and pull to the put back into the earth which would hint to the option of planting it on the Island, the seedlings would be a little surprise gift they would get, and if they decide to keep the seed of their own volition, that's their business but want to have the option available in my own plans.
The story itself can be legitimately done in a half hour without my additions, maybe 2 with a slow group, clearly not the break that my DM had in mind, so I actually was considering taking on the Yawning portal, I saw that it actually was a compilation of adventures from previous editions. 7 adventures similar to chapters. Each adventure short in their own right but can get the party to level 10 if they do them all. I thought that would be perfect.. If I feel that I am being overwhelmed, or not enjoying myself, or another player wants to take over, I can end it at the next 'chapter' and the characters won't be a mid adventure limbo. The next player can either take over the next chapter or start their own and it won't be a break in the campaign.
The Island Green, would be my 'session 0' for myself as a DM more than for the group (though we are 'replacing' 3 of the people (1 moved, another had twins and the 3rd may definitely come back although all 3 of them have an open invitation)). I would use the quest giver's contact, if they decide to sell the Seed to be in the Yawning Portal tavern, where they would then start their next quest, the start of the Yawning portal campaign arc.
Below is the table that I added, roll it right after the first encounter, and they start sailing the ship, although you're more than welcome to change, add or modify things yourself:
After they start sailing, I would roll from Table B (or have a player/look out roll an unmodified 'perception check' to see what he sees), just to get the environment in motion. After they settle, the PCs may take a rest or relax above deck. They can gamble with each other/quest giver or spar/duel, the wizard can work on his spells, whatever else they want to do. I have found a game called Pig, described below. After that, I would roll from Table A which would determine what they encounter, from raiding sauhagins to anything else. An Encounter of the Week (EotW) may potentially, significantly lengthen the adventure. If Table A encounter doesn't severely and dramatically change the adventure (I.E. Theyre still on the boat and will reach the island as intended) roll table B again.
Gambling -- Pig. The goal is to roll 30-0 points. The players all roll a d6 in turn, as often as they want until they decide that their turn is over. You retain your points, accumulating them each turn until you reach the required score. The issue is, rolling a 1 ends your turn & resets your score to your last turn so you don't want too risky each turn
Table A - Sea Encounters
1. Kraken - insta shipwreck (PCs land on island, shipwrecked, you can reduce their HP or even scatter them on the island and they have to find each other)
2. shipwreckEotW -- Sharkfin Shipwreck
3-5. maelstrom - shipwreck EotW - DC determines HP -- A huge storm approaches, making it difficult to see. The sound of rushing water alerts you to a whirlpool forming ahead, threatening to pull the ship in or damage it if you don’t think fast! (PCs land on island, shipwrecked, you can reduce their HP or even scatter them on the island and they have to find each other)
6 - Ghost ship - Determine the type of ship by random roll on DMG 119. Crew is 40% 1-4 skeletons (1/4), 40% 1-4 zombies (1/4), 20% 1-2 ghouls (cr1). Officers - 1 wight (CR3), wraith (Cr5), 1 ghost (CR4)
7-8 - Pirate ship, roll a d6/8 to determine mob size. Roll for party d4
1 - Orc
2 - Human
3 - Elf
4 - Assorted/Merfolk?
9. roll Table B event
10. Shipwreck- EotW -- Coral Colosseum
11. Sahuagin raiding party (roll perception/stealth to see if the sahuagins crawl up the side of the boat- they can then surprise/grapple the party into the waves etc)
12. shipwreckEotW -- Sharkfin Shipwreck
13. roll Table B event
14. A fishing net brings aboard a treasure chest that has a random magic item
15. merchant boat (non magic items - sell) The ship comes across a fairly large merchant vessel named “The Seaside Extravaganza”. The merchant who runs the ship, a stern but fair old woman named Gellie, deals in merchandise from faraway countries. She quickly becomes fond of one of the party and offers them a spot among her crew.
16. roll Table B event
17. emissary offering gifts (NO magic item gifts)
18. Water spirit/gd appears. blessing PC on quest - inspiration & Temp hp
19. A fishing net brings aboard a treasure chest that turns out to be a mimic
20. emissary offering gifts (magic item gifts)
TABLE 2 - Sea Events:
1. Below the water, someone on the ship notices an enormous sunken city.
2. The fluke of a large sea monster is seen in the distance, seemingly headed towards the ship, only for the maw of a much large monster envelop it from below, breaking the surface and quickly sinking back down.
3. The ship cook has concocted the foulest, sickest looking meal, even by his standards. It’s also his birthday, and no one wants his feelings to get hurt.
4. A giant is seen walking through an ocean that only reaches his belly, in the distance.
5. A small rowboat floats next to you, a husband begrudgingly asks for directions as his wife cajoles him to have a better attitude.
6. A large object bumps against the hull of the ship. After hauling it aboard, the crew discovers it is a huge glass bottle the size of a person, with an equally large scroll inside. On it is a beautiful poem written in Giant.
7. A Pod of Dolphins Swims alongside your vessel for 1d4 hours
8. Enormous bubbles surface frequently throughout the day, they smell horrible when they pop and a faint green/yellow gas can be briefly seen. “Whale farts.” the captain explains, covering his nose and mouth with his handkerchief. Fortitude/Constitution save or be sickened for 1d4 days.
9. You see a dolphin happily follow the ship. You see that dolphin gets eaten by a shark.
10. An empty rowboat is sighted. When the ship gets close to it, it vanishes in a wet mist.
11. An iceberg floats by, when sunlight shines through it you see the ship frozen inside.
12. As noon approaches in the vast expanse of ocean, you see a ship that looks exactly like yours approaching. As the ship passes by, you see yourselves on the other ship, watching you with the same confused expressions that you have yourselves.
13. The ghostly residents of a long sunken city walk above the waves where the city streets and buildings once were. As your ship approaches, they all stop and watch you.
14. The captain makes a detour to a small, rocky island, shrouded in fog. He goes to the island for 1d4 days before returning with no explanation. None of the crew seem to be bothered by this.
15. A large sea beast follows the ship for 1d4 days. It does not appear threatening, and dives to the depths if attacked.
16. The travelers meet a traveling brothel ship titled “The Lusty Crustacean”.
17. A lump of Grey goop floats by. If collected, it proves to be the precious ambergris.
Come to think of it, is the 'plant it at night, let it grow in the moon light and dawn sun' refresh sounds interesting, but in practice it is definitely annoying (intentionally), depending how rigid I am with it, that would mean that the player would need to actively announce that they're planting it before going to bed. It would also mean that if they're in a cave overnight, without a direct view of the sky, it also wouldn't work.
Since we've established, it's strong but not too strong, especially for a barbarian who would only use the +d4, is all that necessary? I mean, I *AM* adding this recharge restriction to make it more annoying, but is it something I should attach to it?
Awesome stuff, sounds like you are stepping up into the DM seat for the first time? If so congratulations!
I'd otherwise recommend strongly against bigger encounters while taking the ship on a trip to the island. Krakens, ghost ships, sea pirates, etc. I say this because you still need to get the Party from Point A to Point B (the Island for the Great Seed). With any potential encounter that could logically destroy the ship the Party is on (sea battle with another ship, or mega monster), you'd have to see it through to its logical conclusion even if it goes bad for the PC's. So even if the Party didn't get killed outright or drowned, and end up just shipwrecked onto the Island you'd need them to be on (for story narrative), with no ship they can't logically proceed to get off island even if they'd want to. Also, ship to ship combat stuff can look really fun in theory, but it can be a real drag in practice. I ran 3 sessions of ship combat this summer in my group, the Ghosts of Saltmarsh book provides a great starting point, but I found the mechanics odd, lacking and cumbersome, and I wanted to simplify/change them. Problem became how do regular players get more involved during ship combat? Unless they were taking turns on a cannon, or were preassigned roles as Captain/Botswain/Carpenter/Surgeon/Firstmate, there's a lot of confusion for a player in "what can I do?" I think it's a lot to jump into unnecessarily especially if you're just getting your feet wet and learning/growing.
But consider that any potential scenario (like Coral Colliseum) involving a shipwreck can easily be accomplished if the Party took a Rowboat to "scout ahead" for the main ship and the rowboat can just capsize and get lost in a storm or fog. Then, after water shipwreck scenario you have, the ship is able to find them on the beach the next day.
I loved your inclusion of just random, interesting things though. Unlike fighting krakens or pirates, the smaller fluff stuff won't threaten to upend the entire trip or destroy the ship. Looks like you looked at the same d100 chart I poked around on for interesting ideas. I actually did the "cook's birthday" scenario a month ago, it was a blast! Somehow lasted almost a half hour... Just giving any role playing scenarios can bring out surprising memorable moments.
Back to the Great Seed... I totally dig the insistence that the Seed needs to be Planted nightly to recharge, in Moonlight or whatever else, but I'm also the kind of DM who wants Players to actively be aware of what an item does, how it works, etc. Much easier said than done. I think items with annoyances make them more interesting and memorable; rather than generic sword +1, the sword +1 which also turns your hair blue suddenly adds interest to the game.
Awesome stuff, sounds like you are stepping up into the DM seat for the first time? If so congratulations!
I'd otherwise recommend strongly against bigger encounters while taking the ship on a trip to the island. Krakens, ghost ships, sea pirates, etc. I say this because you still need to get the Party from Point A to Point B (the Island for the Great Seed). With any potential encounter that could logically destroy the ship the Party is on (sea battle with another ship, or mega monster), you'd have to see it through to its logical conclusion even if it goes bad for the PC's. So even if the Party didn't get killed outright or drowned, and end up just shipwrecked onto the Island you'd need them to be on (for story narrative), with no ship they can't logically proceed to get off island even if they'd want to. Also, ship to ship combat stuff can look really fun in theory, but it can be a real drag in practice. I ran 3 sessions of ship combat this summer in my group, the Ghosts of Saltmarsh book provides a great starting point, but I found the mechanics odd, lacking and cumbersome, and I wanted to simplify/change them. Problem became how do regular players get more involved during ship combat? Unless they were taking turns on a cannon, or were preassigned roles as Captain/Botswain/Carpenter/Surgeon/Firstmate, there's a lot of confusion for a player in "what can I do?" I think it's a lot to jump into unnecessarily especially if you're just getting your feet wet and learning/growing.
But consider that any potential scenario (like Coral Colliseum) involving a shipwreck can easily be accomplished if the Party took a Rowboat to "scout ahead" for the main ship and the rowboat can just capsize and get lost in a storm or fog. Then, after water shipwreck scenario you have, the ship is able to find them on the beach the next day.
I loved your inclusion of just random, interesting things though. Unlike fighting krakens or pirates, the smaller fluff stuff won't threaten to upend the entire trip or destroy the ship. Looks like you looked at the same d100 chart I poked around on for interesting ideas. I actually did the "cook's birthday" scenario a month ago, it was a blast! Somehow lasted almost a half hour... Just giving any role playing scenarios can bring out surprising memorable moments.
Back to the Great Seed... I totally dig the insistence that the Seed needs to be Planted nightly to recharge, in Moonlight or whatever else, but I'm also the kind of DM who wants Players to actively be aware of what an item does, how it works, etc. Much easier said than done. I think items with annoyances make them more interesting and memorable; rather than generic sword +1, the sword +1 which also turns your hair blue suddenly adds interest to the game.
Yea this is my first time DMing but I've read a lot into it, and D&D in general so I feel comfortable more or less, I'm looking forward to it!
So the Encounter table in Table 1 is actual encounters but Table 2 is just things.. if the kraken sighting on table 2 is rolled, its just that, a Kraken breaking the surface miles away for the players to say 'I saw a kraken!'
Table 1, with the encounters, sure I want them to get to the island, but a nat1 is still a nat1 :p on my tables, the 1-3 with the Kraken attack or maelstrom is meant to be an insta-wipe... at least for the boat and the characters will come unscathed (or at least reduced hp) on the island, but thanks for pointing out that they need a way off the island.. but I can either hope that I don't roll a 1-3 or I they're on the island, and there is a minor BBEG, they can take his boat, or make a new boat with the wood that the island would give them.
Regarding the other encounters, I don't plan for any actual ship battles.. anything like the ghost or pirate ship would be more like a raid. They would board the ship and psychically attack the group as a normal combat situation (how the boat got so close in the first place? I'll figure that part out) so I don't plan on having any naval battles to complicate things for all of us. Regarding upending the whole trip -- I mean I have a way for them to get to the island, but again, if they TPK (although I am carefully monitoring the CR ratings) or just do something stupid, I am prepared for.... Honestly, my biggest concern is the first encounter, where the boat drifts away from shore and the party takes their sweet time and it goes too far? The adventure doesn't account for that.. and Im afraid that if they do, they'll be SOOL since they've missed the boat... literally and the adventure makes no mention on what to do in that case.
I also like the flavor of having the removed-seed needing to be planted under the moonlight and regrown in the morning sun every day to regain it's charge, but mechanically, I've only thought of it as a slight power curb. If we've concluded that it's okay as is, other than the annoyance of having the player actively announce it every night before bed, it will also restrict the item from being used if they long rest in the day or if they're in a cave overnight. I'd be fine with them missing out on the item for that day if deemed overpowered in order to limit it, but now feel it as an unnecessary hindrance.. So if i were to add it to the description, I guess I'd just be lenient about enforcing it & not be so on top of it?
My hat's off to you, my good DM! Generally speaking you look to have your ducks in a row with contingencies with the random tables you've developed, and you're willing to just let events develop as they may. Another comment I'll make is that sometimes random encounters can seem 'forced' or 'huh?' if it doesn't otherwise connect to anything else story wise. So linking random monsters or situations into the flow of the game can take a little practice. If a Kraken is spotted (for example), probably at least one member of the Party will gung-ho wanna try to take it on. Players/characters will make their own (obviously suicidal or off-track) decisions, and you gotta roll with the punches sometimes. I'd hate to see an insta-kill TPK scenario in the first hour of your DM debut, but sounds like you're willing to take that risk.
Looks like you got plenty to work with to stretch out several sessions if you're looking to just give the other DM a break, but honestly what I percieve to be your enthusiasm in your own ideas for extrapolation on the basic one-pager you got for the Island of Great Seed is highly encouraging if you wanna take over full time.
As far as what the adventure describes (or doesn't describe or account for, as you've mentioned quite a few different things), I'd go ahead and recommend you lean into your own sensible creativity, even if it's spontaneous and improvised in the heat of the moment. If it's sensible and logical enough, go for it. If the Party "screwed up" somehow and/or they've (very literally) missed the boat, ask THEM to come up with a solution. They suddenly Wanna build rafts out of palm trees? Go for it. Maybe some skill checks to find out how Long it might take, but honestly just placing the burden onto Players leads to fun solutions.
Anyway I ramble on... A very heavy fog could help explain how an enemy ship can get so close to board unnoticed or even an overnight raid that the (drunk) NPC lookout failed to see, which then bridges the gap to a sort of otherwise realism.
Great Seed: I'm still comfortable with requiring it to be Planted in soil in Moonlight every night, it adds a little flavor and nuances as you say, and it could ultimately be something that a player/character leans heavily into to make sure to do (gaining personal investment into the game over something you personally developed can make any DM feel great). On the flipmside, I often forget half the crap, class features, and magic items my Party has at this point, even the stuff I personally created. So say that the player doesn't seem too excited about the nuance, what then? If you "forgot" to ask about if the Great Seed was Planted the previous night when the Barbarian whips up his extra d4 for damage, honestly it's no problem because breaking up the intensity and flow of a combat situation just for that could be counterproductive. And, you could always just hand-wave away any prior restrictions based on "game testing" the item and it's features. It would show yourself and the Party that you're more than willing to learn and adapt along with the Players/characters, because there's always going to have to be some sort of break-in period for any new DM.
I hope you have a fun time at your next session. You feel set and ready?
Give us all an update afterwards, what worked for you? What didn't work? What crazy unpredictable thing happened that put you immediately at ease, or panicked?
Thank you for all of the feedback and comments! I am very excited! To be honest, we've been trying to have this session for almost 2 months (since we've finished our original campaign), but 1 of the guys actually just got married that very week, some other excuses, one couldn't make it this day and another couldn't make it that day, I'm moving, another friend is actually getting married today etc etc (and for the very first session, I wanted everyone to attend, especially the 3 new guys). If there is no other issues, we're set to have it next Wednesday. It's been making all of us antsy but we survived and I'll definitely let you guys know how it went.
It also gave me more time to hash things out, ask this question etc (I had all of this set up already but with this question, it's been a lot more fleshed and planned out). So things like the Kraken sighting would be like a whale sighting breaking the surface 100s of miles away. A sight to behold but they wouldn't be able to even catch it in their little, tiny boat. The fog is a great idea, especially for the ghost ship and if the characters become too unruly, this adventure has the quest giver accompany them so he'll be there to route the boat, give hints with the puzzle or go over anything else that may be unclear to them without me, personally breaking the wall.
So I'll add the regrowth requirements for flavor but be really lenient about it, whenever I would design something homebrew, I really try to get the verbiage and written format as close to official content as possible. for the great seed, how is the line starting from attuning to it? (I'm not sure about the wording of the last line
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The Great Seed is the size of a goose egg, with the feel and jewel-like sheen of a flawless emerald. If closely examined, a small spark of light can be seen glowing deep in its center.
(While on the Island Green anyone holding the Great Seed can cast enlarge/reduce becoming the size of a plant or tree. The Great Seed must be touched to the target, and the effect does not require concentration to maintain.) -- This is part of the original text from the adventure & will stay if it stays on the island. I am debating about still leaving it or just replacing it with the below text to avoid confusion about returning to the island & gaining it's original potency back -- not against it, but no plans on returning --
Although still a powerful artifact, after being removed from the Island Green the Great Seed has lost some of its magical potency. The Great Seed requires attunement in order to cast enlarge/reduce turning the target the size of a plant or tree. The Great Seed must be touched to the target, and the effect does not require concentration to maintain.
The seed can't be used again until the next dawn.
In order for the seed the Seed to regenerate it's magic, it must be planted in moonlit soil, exposed to the dawning sun as it grows anew.
Just from a Magic Item category frame of reference, I'd swap out "powerful artifact" to something much simpler or generic (like "unique Seed"). Artifacts have a specific (extremely powerful) connotation attached to the term itself in D&D and confusion about an item's strength or usage wouldn't be helpful to you or the Party; artifacts are like a Diety's personal sword that has trapped the souls of 100s of victims and deals 80d20 damage at once. A little exaggeration, sure, but if you are interested in making exact wording of item description important I would avoid the term artifact. If you are looking to Homebrew the item into DNDBeyond platform for your Party's usage, I'd recommend the uncommon/rare category. (To avoid any potential stepping on toes of any potential copyright I wouldn't 'publish' anything similar to the adventure's Great Seed to the general DNDB community, but keep it private for your personal use).
Also from a wording perspective, I'd also suggest to remove the phrase "turning a target the size of a plant or tree" which detracts from and could cause real confusion about exactly "how big" or "how small" a target could become. The Spell itself is specific in the size categories (in regard to D&D size categories), and trust me you wouldn't want the barbarian to suddenly just say "now I'm as big as a Redwood tree" and be 200 feet tall. Or, "now I'm as Tiny as a blade of grass". It doesn't match the intent of or the real capability of the spell Enlarge or Reduce. So while sometimes it's a little distracting to have such specifics restrictions included in an item's descriptions, it's a little necessary so that there is less ambiguity of what an item CAN do and what it specifically can NOT do. If that's actually part of the original item's description and you want to keep it honest to the original source, well, at least keep this in mind.
Otherwise, love the text flavor of the overnight recharge requirement and inclusion of its attunement requirement in the item's description.
I'm getting pretty interested to get your first session's post game report at this point. Not sure if you play all with miniatures or you just intend to verbally just generalize what is happening or in combat (theatre of the mind), but I think it'd be a real treat to either print off a ship template or get a full-on 3d printed ship for the Party's amusement and fun over the next few sessions to get deeper in the theme of nautical shenanigans. Buy yourself a Pirate tri corner hat and eyepatch, and wear them when speaking as the NPC captain of whatever the ship is called; feel free to make yourself look so dedicated to the point that it gets everyone amused, at ease, as well as have them realize you are excited/serious to be behind the DM screen. I'm not even kidding. My first major NPC (a gnome captain) had a corn cob pipe, and sure enough I'm walking around the table behind all the players with the pantomiming taking deep or rapid puffs from the pipe, and leveling insults at them like calling the goliath out to "watch his step, Bigfoot". Have fun, roll with whatever happens.
Hey guys! Had the session about a week & a half ago and it was a success!! We even completed the 1 shot.... in one session! I'm actually really looking forward to continuing (although I'm really missing working and progressing one specific PC).
We started off as planned, the set & random encounters went smoothly although since the adventure recommended a team of four level 3s I did pad some of the attacks throughout the adventure since it was set for four level 3s & I was working with 6 lv1s (although looking back I could have been a little more damaging).
I had to lengthen a small part here cuz the night was still early then shortened another part so it wouldn't get too late.
They actually did pretty well with the puzzles although I admit I could've 'reset' the puzzle (there was like a 10 second in-game time that passed that the puzzle should have reset) but they were doing well with it plus didnt want to reset the whole battle. I feel I did well with the mechanics of monsters.. with their behaviors, etc.
The barbarian had to leave before the last hour so we missed the last puzzle/encounter but the group decided to replant the seed onto the island giving them the seedlings which they were more than happy to get as a reward.
I was intending to have them meet a contact at the Yawning portal - the start of the real campaign.. but they didnt want to sell the seed so have to reason to go there now... only AFTER did I realize I could have left some gulthias apple seeds on the druid BBEG with a note from Belak (the druid BBEG from the 1st 'chapter' of the yawning portal campaign). We left before they left the island. I was talking to one of the players & told him to remind me that he also found strange looking apple seeds & I'll go more into it (he was the one that looted him).
So now as I'm reading the entire campaign I'm keeping in mind where to leave seeds/hooks for both PC backstories & to continue to the next adventure (since yawning portal isnt that streamlined)
The biggest thing is that I need to streamline my encounter set ups & rounds. It took me a little long to add all PCs & monsters, work their initiatives & hp but I think I'm getting the hang of it.
The previous DM mentioned the same thing, a player there's a lot of downtime between turns that he didnt realize, yet when you're DMing you're CONSTANTLY running 10 different pages of things in and out of battle. He actually created an excel sheet which I've learned to use which should help.
Secondly, which I'll admit I may be biting off more than I can chew is that i want to incorporate custom items (whether homebrew or even well-tailored existing ones) & possibly side quests/backstory incorporations.
The scariest thing is that I'm working with 6 players, possibly a 7th.. one from the previous campaign may join us again. A little overwhelming, especially if I'm working with 7 back stories... and if I'll be honest I'm even a little peeved because we only had 3 constant players when I was a player (all damagers.. no tanks or heals)... which really affected our party composition and now we have an abundance
Sounds like you ran a great first session! Isn't it funny how all the best laid ideas and planning for contingencies ends up being a little academic? The party re planted the Great Seed and got Seedlings instead of holding on to the Great Seed as a Magic item. Keep all your notes and usages for the Great Seed for later. An entirely different Seed can pop up later on down the line for whatever rhyme of reason You choose. That's what's great about being the DM. Anything fun, cool, or dangerous that didn't quite make it in during a session or story line can show up later whether it's an item, monster, shrine, whatever. Just re-skin and go. You can end up with a whole list of fun stuff you create off-hand, and eventually create your own random tables for if/when it shows up.
Looks like you also made good on the fly decisions about monster challenges, puzzles, and overall good session timing. It's half the battle just timing these things no matter how many players due to length of combat rounds, long/short roleplay, players chasing down rabbit holes, etc. So realizing what may or may not add to the overall fun for that particular session is challenging, but sounds as if you're already getting a good handle on it.
My recommendations on some othere things you mentioned if you're willing to give it a shot:
**Delegate! Such as, I haven't once calculated my own initiative order, I ask someone else at the table to do it and I just tell them what initiative number the monster(s) has. Or, have a per session dedicated map maker, who keeps up with how you describe the size of the rooms, etc. Anything basically that doesn't absolutely need you to do it personally is up for delegation.
**6 or 7 players could feel a little overwhelming I admit. When it comes to backstories, some players care a lot, others don't care at all. (Honestly, I've asked one of my most dedicated players if/how he wants me to incorporate backstory stuff and he doesn't want it at all, but prefers to make leaks by himself every so often; so he's on autopilot as far as I'm concerned). could just be helpful to just reach out individually to each to get a good gauge, but also leven the expectation to everyone that Hey, I'm going to do my best to incorporate big picture or specific things from backstories as much as practical, but feel free as a player to help describe in-session if/how your Characters relate/react to certain situations in reference to backstories. Could be you choose 1 or 2 characters per session to give more of a backstories focus, with everyone understanding that there'll be a narrative focus rotation.
**Homebrew items/monsters: very fun to create, and very easy to screw up and have major imbalance. I screwed up major my first go around and wisely learned my lesson. I think your reaching out to these great Forums initially concerning the Great Seed would be very advisable moving forward for any other good ideas you want opinions or feedback for. But I'd advise putting off any major homebrew for at least a few months just to get yourself settled into the DM chair, especially as there is already so many cool items potentially to be found through the many adventures in Yawning Portal.
I wouldn't be too worried about what plot hook you wanna take between this current island and moving on to the Sunless Citadel; the players all seem to want to show up and have a good time, you can just as easily start the next session quickly narrating how the Party left the island and moved to so and so other island, reaching the small fishing village of Oakhurst wherein they are immediately besieged with the local fishers chattering on and on about these apples seeds and the goblins mysterious lair ruins the locals call the Sunless Citadel. To me that's a good link to the Apple seeds they found at the last island, and the code words ruins & goblins ought to be enough to get them to look for the Sunless Citadel.
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So I was looking into the subscription "Dungeon in a box" where they send you an adventure, a mini, 2x standees & some other stuff.
I really like the free sample they gave, "The Island Green" where the party travels to the last vestige of the plant kingdom (a small tiny island), see what happened etc, at the end they find the Great Seed. The adventure is literally a page long (I added some things to it) and is very limited on descriptions, saying that your party can plant it, regrowing the island or that quest giver can sell it. The description does say that the Seed is a magical item that can cast enlarge/reduce the size of a plant (at will) & that you need to touch the targeted plant to activate it.
First, it's unclear if it can be cast on a normal target (with the plant/tree sized growth/reduction restriction) -- Ill copy the seed description in a moment.
Secondly, they have the choice to sell the seed for cash, or grow the seed. In order to make it a bigger incentive I've created 'Seedlings', little edible seeds that sprout after the great seed is planted and gives the full HP in temp hp with upon consumption, 3 charges. I feel that's a nifty item for a level 1-2 (the adventure is recommended for level 3 but plan on this being an opening for a legit campaign.
That being said, if the players decide to keep the Great Seed for themselves how should I allow it to work? I can say that leaving the island does weaken its potency but to what extent? First tell me if the description actually means ONLY plants or anything to the size of a plant/tree?
Regardless of what it actually says, should I allow it to work on ANYTHING? If so, whether on the island or not, that increases it's strength. I was thinking that if it is taken off the island, it weakens and must now be attuned and can only be cast once per day (maybe even that it must be planted overnight and refreshes at dawn once regrown --- something that the player must ACTIVELY say that they're doing, if they forget, they can't use it the next day despite the long rest rejuvenation).... even allowing it to work for creatures too, a 1x a day at level 2 is crazy, especially for one of the players being a barbarian.. It says that the seed doesn't need concentration. I can remove that.. but then it would be worthless for the barb.. It can need concentration but the barb can still use it?
Should I allow it any way? Let them be a little overpowered? is it too powerful?
The Great Seed is the size of a goose egg, with the feel and jewel-like sheen of a flawless emerald. If closely examined, a small spark of light can be seen flowing deep in its center. The Great See is a magic item, and anyone holding it can cast enlarge/reduce the size of any plant. The Great Seed must be touched to the targeted plant, and the effect does not require concentration to maintain. In all other regards it works the same as the spell of the same name.
Almost 50 people has viewed this and not one can give advice on how to balance a magic item? Really guys? Come on. I need some help!
I keep clicking on the thread but it won't go over 47 views. Sorry.
I'd think the item description given in your last paragraph is that the Seed's effects are intended for Plants only, not humanoids or other animals. I'd recommend keeping it that way for limitations or things could get crazy too quickly and easily.
Your idea for planting it to grow Seedlings is really pretty cool, but imagine the party lugging this Seed around to lvl 15, getting full HP and regaining 150 HP at once, I'd think that's incredibly unbalanced as a DM. Not sure if you meant 3 charges = 3 Seedlings? I also could be entirely misinterpreting your intent of full hp or temp hp, too. I would definitely stay away from continuously growing Seedlings unless they are relatively weak (like a normal healing potion). Once the Great Seed is planted, no digging it up and dragging it around, so if it's going to be Planted I'd recommend it be at the Home Base where it can be controlled, kept safe, taken care of by a trustee, etc. Effectively, with proper care and putting the "work" in, the Party can have access to more free resources. If you were to consider if you planted the Great Seed, it can sprout Seedlings, but only a limited number (2d4? Per month?), and each Seedling allows to regain 1 hit die of HP or 2d4 + 2 like a normal potion of healing, I'd wager that's a pretty cool thing if I had it in my campaign.
What about 2 different kinds of Seedlings? 9 out 10 are the normal potion of healing type and look brown in appearance, but that 10th of 10 seedling is a warmer yellow color and is a one time use (if swallowed as an action) to allow the user to boom Speak with Plants or Locate Animals or Plants (limit to plants only).
To me, there's value with both the at will Great Seed enlarge/reduce to other Plants ( for a creative Party at least), and the potential for growing Seedlings, or the potential to cha ching cash in on just selling the Seed/Seedlings right away, giving the party different options on what to do with this item.
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So as the story is now, there are 3 endings; sell the seed, plant the seed specifically on the island & regrowing the island to its former glory as the plant kingdom or keeping the Great Seed & its magical properties for itself. But the adventure only tells you the price for selling it and the option to replant the seed ON the island with no tangible reward
Selling for gold is an obvious reward.
Regrowing the seed specifically on the island to help bring back the plant kingdom is obviously the "good ending" but we all like rewards so as an incentive, as the Great Seed had been planted it will sprout the seedlings which can not ever be replenished. Each character will have 3 uses. If they try to grab more I'll RP "as you try to grab a few more seeds they seem to just slip through your fingers like sand or water" etc. I'm not worried about the amount of temp health it gives. It has a limited replenishment and with a cleric and bard who plan on using THP spells, who now need to determine which to use. If they're patient to hold onto something for 15 levels when we dont even know if we'll get that far? Go for it. There will be no possible way to infinitely farm more seedlings. Once they're off the island they're done. Even on the island, the island's magic refuses to allow them more than 3.
The adventure as is, doesnt account for the players wanting to keep the seed's magical properties for themselves. If the seed is ONLY useable to make plants bigger or smaller it definitely reduces the usefulness of the spell. My group is meh with creative ideas. If the seed can turn anything into the size of a plant or tree it greatly increases its usefulness, especially with a barbarian in the party. I'm aware of this increased usefulness to a point where I'm worried if it's too overpowered. If it's something that should be allowed at all and if so, and a reduced potency. Meaning, I would leave the touch distance (so that the barbarian needs to hold it to use it & if being used on an enemy it needs to be in touch distance), but change the 'at will' to once a day, i would also require attunement, preventing a different item from being attuned to. I'm debating whether I should re-require the concentration but since the barbarian would be primarily using it (or should) I would allow him to be the exception so it wouldnt even matter. As an additional fluff and possible pit, I would also say that tlafter it's used the player needs to plant the (lower powered) great seed overnight to regain the enlarge/reduce spell ONLY. I can RP that it needs the light of the moon & dawning sun etc
So my question is, it too powerful to even give the great seed (with enlarge/reduce) at all in any form except for plants? Do my modifications make it a lot more manageable?
I think that having to hold the Great Seed in hand + requiring attunement + allowing its usage only once per day, as you mentioned, is a great way to keep it manageable going forward if the Party chooses to keep it. (I'm also assuming there's only one Great Seed?) .
I cross referenced the Enlarge side of the spell with the Barbarian's class feature page for Raging, which was leading to my initial hesitancy to possibly be a bit too much, and I decided it probably won't. Rage requires concentration, and both Enlarge or Rage already give advantage on Strength checks & Strength saving throws, and so the only real extra gained (aside from physically being bigger) is an extra 1d4 on the damage. So, not requiring concentration for the Great Seed probably won't make a real difference. It could, in fact, be much more useful for another Party member that could be in melee to make himself/herself bigger/smaller or to use against an enemy. A rogue moving in to Touch a baddie into Reduce (because it failed its Constitution saving throw, then take the Disengage bonus action is a for real solid tactic.
By having the range reduced to Touch for the spell, needing a free hand to hold it (so no 2nd hand weapon or shield), and attunement, I think you have yourself a pretty useful clutch magic item for any party member that otherwise shouldn't be too problematic compared to any other other official magic items already out there. I'd definitely throw it out as an item at my table.
For the seedlings, just for my clarity, you mention 3 charges, are you suggesting each member gets three of this little Consumable seedlings, or something else?
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Thank you for the solid reply and reasoning. I had my doubt but this answers my concerns regarding the Seed. (Yes, there is only one).
The seedlings, yes, there are 3 'servings' or charges. Think of it, as the party is actively helping the plant kingdom regrow to it's former glory, the island/Seed itself is offering the party its fruitful bounty. Think of it like the 'bounty' of seeds in a sunflower plant. Each party grabs a handful of seeds, which is equivalent to 3 servings/charges. I just thought of it, as an alternative, less permanent (compared to the Great Seed, or even the gold) reward to leaving the seed to grow on the island.
Very cool. So (if I'm reading this right), it's an either/or situation, either take the Great Seed away from the island to sell or keep (not planting it, not regrowing the kingdom, but now there's an attunable item), or plant and regrow the island and get these seedlings as the reward? Sounds like solid, sensible scenarios for however the party chooses to go with it. Are you thinking of any dropped hints somehow to the party so they'll have informed decisions to make, or just roll with the exposition after the fact? You mentioned this could be the start of a larger campaign, does the regrowth of this plant kingdom become relevant for future story events?
I like how you've taken a literal one page story and extrapolated.
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Thank you. I saw an ad for dungeon in a box on facebook, checked it out, wasn't sure if I wanted to get a sub but they offered a free sample adventure. I downloaded it and read it. I actually really liked it, I guess since this is the DM section I can spoil it but as your quest giver tells you to meet you at the dock but he's being attacked by thugs and before you even start the voyage, the boat set sails and leaves the dock 10 feet each initiative count 0, you instantly get to the island (so I made two separate d20 tables, one for actual encounters; pirate ships, merchant ships, Atlantean emissaries, I even took some of the stuff from the Encounters of the Week (pretty much anything involving sea, shores or sahuagins -- there are like 4 or 5 actually), and another for random 'events'; as they sail they see a school of dolphins, they see a kraken in the distance... just to liven and potentially lengthen the story (say with one of the encounter of the week event triggers). There is also a cute encounter as they reach the island shores then an interesting puzzle before reaching the Great Seed but again, the story is literally a page long and not too detailed, like I don't know what to do if the characters actually lose the boat because it sailed away before they were able to stop the thugs and get on board. (I'll actually put the table in the next comment)
The story itself isn't in connection to anything but my group has been playing for a little over a year, all noobs (though 2 have played with other groups), LMoP should NOT have lasted as long as it has with us so the DM is definitely pooped. Although I am the furthest thing from a story teller, I wanted to give the DM a break for a handful of reasons & try out being a player. I had gotten this adventure months ago and offered it then that I'd try DMing for a little bit to give him a break and trying out a PC for himself.
So the hint that I would actually give is, that if they decide to sell it, I would have the quest giver, which accompanies them on the island be the little Navi from Legend of Zelda, if they get stuck at the puzzle, I would RP him as having some ideas, and the adventure actually suggests that he knows a guy who would sell it in the first place for the gold or that they can do the right thing and plant it. I would RP that after defeating the villain, and as they hold the seed in their hand they feel a pulse of life, and pull to the put back into the earth which would hint to the option of planting it on the Island, the seedlings would be a little surprise gift they would get, and if they decide to keep the seed of their own volition, that's their business but want to have the option available in my own plans.
The story itself can be legitimately done in a half hour without my additions, maybe 2 with a slow group, clearly not the break that my DM had in mind, so I actually was considering taking on the Yawning portal, I saw that it actually was a compilation of adventures from previous editions. 7 adventures similar to chapters. Each adventure short in their own right but can get the party to level 10 if they do them all. I thought that would be perfect.. If I feel that I am being overwhelmed, or not enjoying myself, or another player wants to take over, I can end it at the next 'chapter' and the characters won't be a mid adventure limbo. The next player can either take over the next chapter or start their own and it won't be a break in the campaign.
The Island Green, would be my 'session 0' for myself as a DM more than for the group (though we are 'replacing' 3 of the people (1 moved, another had twins and the 3rd may definitely come back although all 3 of them have an open invitation)). I would use the quest giver's contact, if they decide to sell the Seed to be in the Yawning Portal tavern, where they would then start their next quest, the start of the Yawning portal campaign arc.
For anyone interested, I recommend checking out the site for their subscription, at the very least, get their free adventure -- the Island Green
https://dungeoninabox.com/
Below is the table that I added, roll it right after the first encounter, and they start sailing the ship, although you're more than welcome to change, add or modify things yourself:
Come to think of it, is the 'plant it at night, let it grow in the moon light and dawn sun' refresh sounds interesting, but in practice it is definitely annoying (intentionally), depending how rigid I am with it, that would mean that the player would need to actively announce that they're planting it before going to bed. It would also mean that if they're in a cave overnight, without a direct view of the sky, it also wouldn't work.
Since we've established, it's strong but not too strong, especially for a barbarian who would only use the +d4, is all that necessary? I mean, I *AM* adding this recharge restriction to make it more annoying, but is it something I should attach to it?
Awesome stuff, sounds like you are stepping up into the DM seat for the first time? If so congratulations!
I'd otherwise recommend strongly against bigger encounters while taking the ship on a trip to the island. Krakens, ghost ships, sea pirates, etc. I say this because you still need to get the Party from Point A to Point B (the Island for the Great Seed). With any potential encounter that could logically destroy the ship the Party is on (sea battle with another ship, or mega monster), you'd have to see it through to its logical conclusion even if it goes bad for the PC's. So even if the Party didn't get killed outright or drowned, and end up just shipwrecked onto the Island you'd need them to be on (for story narrative), with no ship they can't logically proceed to get off island even if they'd want to. Also, ship to ship combat stuff can look really fun in theory, but it can be a real drag in practice. I ran 3 sessions of ship combat this summer in my group, the Ghosts of Saltmarsh book provides a great starting point, but I found the mechanics odd, lacking and cumbersome, and I wanted to simplify/change them. Problem became how do regular players get more involved during ship combat? Unless they were taking turns on a cannon, or were preassigned roles as Captain/Botswain/Carpenter/Surgeon/Firstmate, there's a lot of confusion for a player in "what can I do?" I think it's a lot to jump into unnecessarily especially if you're just getting your feet wet and learning/growing.
But consider that any potential scenario (like Coral Colliseum) involving a shipwreck can easily be accomplished if the Party took a Rowboat to "scout ahead" for the main ship and the rowboat can just capsize and get lost in a storm or fog. Then, after water shipwreck scenario you have, the ship is able to find them on the beach the next day.
I loved your inclusion of just random, interesting things though. Unlike fighting krakens or pirates, the smaller fluff stuff won't threaten to upend the entire trip or destroy the ship. Looks like you looked at the same d100 chart I poked around on for interesting ideas. I actually did the "cook's birthday" scenario a month ago, it was a blast! Somehow lasted almost a half hour... Just giving any role playing scenarios can bring out surprising memorable moments.
Back to the Great Seed... I totally dig the insistence that the Seed needs to be Planted nightly to recharge, in Moonlight or whatever else, but I'm also the kind of DM who wants Players to actively be aware of what an item does, how it works, etc. Much easier said than done. I think items with annoyances make them more interesting and memorable; rather than generic sword +1, the sword +1 which also turns your hair blue suddenly adds interest to the game.
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Yea this is my first time DMing but I've read a lot into it, and D&D in general so I feel comfortable more or less, I'm looking forward to it!
So the Encounter table in Table 1 is actual encounters but Table 2 is just things.. if the kraken sighting on table 2 is rolled, its just that, a Kraken breaking the surface miles away for the players to say 'I saw a kraken!'
Table 1, with the encounters, sure I want them to get to the island, but a nat1 is still a nat1 :p on my tables, the 1-3 with the Kraken attack or maelstrom is meant to be an insta-wipe... at least for the boat and the characters will come unscathed (or at least reduced hp) on the island, but thanks for pointing out that they need a way off the island.. but I can either hope that I don't roll a 1-3 or I they're on the island, and there is a minor BBEG, they can take his boat, or make a new boat with the wood that the island would give them.
Regarding the other encounters, I don't plan for any actual ship battles.. anything like the ghost or pirate ship would be more like a raid. They would board the ship and psychically attack the group as a normal combat situation (how the boat got so close in the first place? I'll figure that part out) so I don't plan on having any naval battles to complicate things for all of us. Regarding upending the whole trip -- I mean I have a way for them to get to the island, but again, if they TPK (although I am carefully monitoring the CR ratings) or just do something stupid, I am prepared for.... Honestly, my biggest concern is the first encounter, where the boat drifts away from shore and the party takes their sweet time and it goes too far? The adventure doesn't account for that.. and Im afraid that if they do, they'll be SOOL since they've missed the boat... literally and the adventure makes no mention on what to do in that case.
I also like the flavor of having the removed-seed needing to be planted under the moonlight and regrown in the morning sun every day to regain it's charge, but mechanically, I've only thought of it as a slight power curb. If we've concluded that it's okay as is, other than the annoyance of having the player actively announce it every night before bed, it will also restrict the item from being used if they long rest in the day or if they're in a cave overnight. I'd be fine with them missing out on the item for that day if deemed overpowered in order to limit it, but now feel it as an unnecessary hindrance.. So if i were to add it to the description, I guess I'd just be lenient about enforcing it & not be so on top of it?
My hat's off to you, my good DM! Generally speaking you look to have your ducks in a row with contingencies with the random tables you've developed, and you're willing to just let events develop as they may. Another comment I'll make is that sometimes random encounters can seem 'forced' or 'huh?' if it doesn't otherwise connect to anything else story wise. So linking random monsters or situations into the flow of the game can take a little practice. If a Kraken is spotted (for example), probably at least one member of the Party will gung-ho wanna try to take it on. Players/characters will make their own (obviously suicidal or off-track) decisions, and you gotta roll with the punches sometimes. I'd hate to see an insta-kill TPK scenario in the first hour of your DM debut, but sounds like you're willing to take that risk.
Looks like you got plenty to work with to stretch out several sessions if you're looking to just give the other DM a break, but honestly what I percieve to be your enthusiasm in your own ideas for extrapolation on the basic one-pager you got for the Island of Great Seed is highly encouraging if you wanna take over full time.
As far as what the adventure describes (or doesn't describe or account for, as you've mentioned quite a few different things), I'd go ahead and recommend you lean into your own sensible creativity, even if it's spontaneous and improvised in the heat of the moment. If it's sensible and logical enough, go for it. If the Party "screwed up" somehow and/or they've (very literally) missed the boat, ask THEM to come up with a solution. They suddenly Wanna build rafts out of palm trees? Go for it. Maybe some skill checks to find out how Long it might take, but honestly just placing the burden onto Players leads to fun solutions.
Anyway I ramble on... A very heavy fog could help explain how an enemy ship can get so close to board unnoticed or even an overnight raid that the (drunk) NPC lookout failed to see, which then bridges the gap to a sort of otherwise realism.
Great Seed: I'm still comfortable with requiring it to be Planted in soil in Moonlight every night, it adds a little flavor and nuances as you say, and it could ultimately be something that a player/character leans heavily into to make sure to do (gaining personal investment into the game over something you personally developed can make any DM feel great). On the flipmside, I often forget half the crap, class features, and magic items my Party has at this point, even the stuff I personally created. So say that the player doesn't seem too excited about the nuance, what then? If you "forgot" to ask about if the Great Seed was Planted the previous night when the Barbarian whips up his extra d4 for damage, honestly it's no problem because breaking up the intensity and flow of a combat situation just for that could be counterproductive. And, you could always just hand-wave away any prior restrictions based on "game testing" the item and it's features. It would show yourself and the Party that you're more than willing to learn and adapt along with the Players/characters, because there's always going to have to be some sort of break-in period for any new DM.
I hope you have a fun time at your next session. You feel set and ready?
Give us all an update afterwards, what worked for you? What didn't work? What crazy unpredictable thing happened that put you immediately at ease, or panicked?
Boldly go
Thank you for all of the feedback and comments! I am very excited! To be honest, we've been trying to have this session for almost 2 months (since we've finished our original campaign), but 1 of the guys actually just got married that very week, some other excuses, one couldn't make it this day and another couldn't make it that day, I'm moving, another friend is actually getting married today etc etc (and for the very first session, I wanted everyone to attend, especially the 3 new guys). If there is no other issues, we're set to have it next Wednesday. It's been making all of us antsy but we survived and I'll definitely let you guys know how it went.
It also gave me more time to hash things out, ask this question etc (I had all of this set up already but with this question, it's been a lot more fleshed and planned out). So things like the Kraken sighting would be like a whale sighting breaking the surface 100s of miles away. A sight to behold but they wouldn't be able to even catch it in their little, tiny boat. The fog is a great idea, especially for the ghost ship and if the characters become too unruly, this adventure has the quest giver accompany them so he'll be there to route the boat, give hints with the puzzle or go over anything else that may be unclear to them without me, personally breaking the wall.
So I'll add the regrowth requirements for flavor but be really lenient about it, whenever I would design something homebrew, I really try to get the verbiage and written format as close to official content as possible. for the great seed, how is the line starting from attuning to it? (I'm not sure about the wording of the last line
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The Great Seed is the size of a goose egg, with the feel and jewel-like sheen of a flawless emerald. If closely examined, a small spark of light can be seen glowing deep in its center.
(While on the Island Green anyone holding the Great Seed can cast enlarge/reduce becoming the size of a plant or tree. The Great Seed must be touched to the target, and the effect does not require concentration to maintain.) -- This is part of the original text from the adventure & will stay if it stays on the island. I am debating about still leaving it or just replacing it with the below text to avoid confusion about returning to the island & gaining it's original potency back -- not against it, but no plans on returning --
Just from a Magic Item category frame of reference, I'd swap out "powerful artifact" to something much simpler or generic (like "unique Seed"). Artifacts have a specific (extremely powerful) connotation attached to the term itself in D&D and confusion about an item's strength or usage wouldn't be helpful to you or the Party; artifacts are like a Diety's personal sword that has trapped the souls of 100s of victims and deals 80d20 damage at once. A little exaggeration, sure, but if you are interested in making exact wording of item description important I would avoid the term artifact. If you are looking to Homebrew the item into DNDBeyond platform for your Party's usage, I'd recommend the uncommon/rare category. (To avoid any potential stepping on toes of any potential copyright I wouldn't 'publish' anything similar to the adventure's Great Seed to the general DNDB community, but keep it private for your personal use).
Also from a wording perspective, I'd also suggest to remove the phrase "turning a target the size of a plant or tree" which detracts from and could cause real confusion about exactly "how big" or "how small" a target could become. The Spell itself is specific in the size categories (in regard to D&D size categories), and trust me you wouldn't want the barbarian to suddenly just say "now I'm as big as a Redwood tree" and be 200 feet tall. Or, "now I'm as Tiny as a blade of grass". It doesn't match the intent of or the real capability of the spell Enlarge or Reduce. So while sometimes it's a little distracting to have such specifics restrictions included in an item's descriptions, it's a little necessary so that there is less ambiguity of what an item CAN do and what it specifically can NOT do. If that's actually part of the original item's description and you want to keep it honest to the original source, well, at least keep this in mind.
Otherwise, love the text flavor of the overnight recharge requirement and inclusion of its attunement requirement in the item's description.
I'm getting pretty interested to get your first session's post game report at this point. Not sure if you play all with miniatures or you just intend to verbally just generalize what is happening or in combat (theatre of the mind), but I think it'd be a real treat to either print off a ship template or get a full-on 3d printed ship for the Party's amusement and fun over the next few sessions to get deeper in the theme of nautical shenanigans. Buy yourself a Pirate tri corner hat and eyepatch, and wear them when speaking as the NPC captain of whatever the ship is called; feel free to make yourself look so dedicated to the point that it gets everyone amused, at ease, as well as have them realize you are excited/serious to be behind the DM screen. I'm not even kidding. My first major NPC (a gnome captain) had a corn cob pipe, and sure enough I'm walking around the table behind all the players with the pantomiming taking deep or rapid puffs from the pipe, and leveling insults at them like calling the goliath out to "watch his step, Bigfoot". Have fun, roll with whatever happens.
Boldly go
We started off as planned, the set & random encounters went smoothly although since the adventure recommended a team of four level 3s I did pad some of the attacks throughout the adventure since it was set for four level 3s & I was working with 6 lv1s (although looking back I could have been a little more damaging).
Sounds like you ran a great first session! Isn't it funny how all the best laid ideas and planning for contingencies ends up being a little academic? The party re planted the Great Seed and got Seedlings instead of holding on to the Great Seed as a Magic item. Keep all your notes and usages for the Great Seed for later. An entirely different Seed can pop up later on down the line for whatever rhyme of reason You choose. That's what's great about being the DM. Anything fun, cool, or dangerous that didn't quite make it in during a session or story line can show up later whether it's an item, monster, shrine, whatever. Just re-skin and go. You can end up with a whole list of fun stuff you create off-hand, and eventually create your own random tables for if/when it shows up.
Looks like you also made good on the fly decisions about monster challenges, puzzles, and overall good session timing. It's half the battle just timing these things no matter how many players due to length of combat rounds, long/short roleplay, players chasing down rabbit holes, etc. So realizing what may or may not add to the overall fun for that particular session is challenging, but sounds as if you're already getting a good handle on it.
My recommendations on some othere things you mentioned if you're willing to give it a shot:
**Delegate! Such as, I haven't once calculated my own initiative order, I ask someone else at the table to do it and I just tell them what initiative number the monster(s) has. Or, have a per session dedicated map maker, who keeps up with how you describe the size of the rooms, etc. Anything basically that doesn't absolutely need you to do it personally is up for delegation.
**6 or 7 players could feel a little overwhelming I admit. When it comes to backstories, some players care a lot, others don't care at all. (Honestly, I've asked one of my most dedicated players if/how he wants me to incorporate backstory stuff and he doesn't want it at all, but prefers to make leaks by himself every so often; so he's on autopilot as far as I'm concerned). could just be helpful to just reach out individually to each to get a good gauge, but also leven the expectation to everyone that Hey, I'm going to do my best to incorporate big picture or specific things from backstories as much as practical, but feel free as a player to help describe in-session if/how your Characters relate/react to certain situations in reference to backstories. Could be you choose 1 or 2 characters per session to give more of a backstories focus, with everyone understanding that there'll be a narrative focus rotation.
**Homebrew items/monsters: very fun to create, and very easy to screw up and have major imbalance. I screwed up major my first go around and wisely learned my lesson. I think your reaching out to these great Forums initially concerning the Great Seed would be very advisable moving forward for any other good ideas you want opinions or feedback for. But I'd advise putting off any major homebrew for at least a few months just to get yourself settled into the DM chair, especially as there is already so many cool items potentially to be found through the many adventures in Yawning Portal.
I wouldn't be too worried about what plot hook you wanna take between this current island and moving on to the Sunless Citadel; the players all seem to want to show up and have a good time, you can just as easily start the next session quickly narrating how the Party left the island and moved to so and so other island, reaching the small fishing village of Oakhurst wherein they are immediately besieged with the local fishers chattering on and on about these apples seeds and the goblins mysterious lair ruins the locals call the Sunless Citadel. To me that's a good link to the Apple seeds they found at the last island, and the code words ruins & goblins ought to be enough to get them to look for the Sunless Citadel.
Boldly go