New DM, player for almost 2 years but well knowledgeable in the game itself. Took over for our previous DM to let him try out as a PC. I decided to do the Yawning Portal Campaign. I figured each "mini"-adventure was good for me to avoid overwhelming me with an enormous campaign adventure. I have a 2 part question, I know it's not necessary but I would like to connect each adventure as much as possible; either leaving seeds & hooks throughout previous adventures or having a direct travel to the next. The yawning portal can be a central hub or they can directly travel to the recommended town/settlement.
I would also like a little help by anyone who is familiar with the entire campaign on how I would be able to incorporate any backstories/locations on when/where to give specific items to the players (more details below).
I've pretty much memorized the first adventure; the Sunless Citadel, just started reading the next one, the Forge of Fury and briefly skimmed over the others.
I know that this book is more of a compilation of popular adventures from other editions that they put into one book (another reason I decided. If I do get overwhelmed I can step down without it being 'mid'-campaign), so there's no direct path A to path B.
I actually started a small 1 shot to dip myself into the DM pool. Traveled to an island for a mystical remnant of an ancient plant kingdom. Heroes could have sold it for a large sum or replanted it to regrow the kingdom. If they sold it, I would have had the buyer be at the yawning portal and either the buyer or another patron lead them to the sunless citadel. The party decided to plant the seed, negating that purpose of visiting the yawning portal and only the next day I realized I could've hooked the citadel by letting the players find strange apple seeds on the BBEG druid along with a note from Belak and his gulthias tree, so I'm looking like hooks like that.
For example, I'm thinking about in the citadel where there are reliefs & shrines to Ashardolon I can also have depictions of battles between him and Nightscale (or an ancestor of) & they were bitter rivals.. Dragons have hoards of treasure which should attract them to the next one, The Fury of the Forge. Other than that, Fury of the Forge actually recommends that there is a bedchamber that has a secret cache that the DM can place items to use as a hook.
To be honest, I haven't really read too into the others but is there any one with more information or more ideas on how to lead into the next.
My next question, which can be a thread of it's own is how I can incorporate the characters (all level 2) & any ideas on tailor-made magic items for them, official or [balanced] homebrew is okay.
Barbarian: Pretty much Kratos's story from Gd of War. He's been away so didn't ask him how accurate he wants it to the game & at which point he wants to be at (all fine). During the very first battle he asked if he can swipe his great axe, hitting multiple at once (cleaving), it's actually something I figure'd he'd want before we started playing & wanted to give him a weapon 'of cleaving' type. 1st, I'm looking through the campaign. There's tons of melee weapons, would be underwhelming to give him a weapon for cleaving when there are so many. 2nd, if I were to give him a weapon, how would I implement the magic weapon? Let him make an attack roll for each enemy (within a 5ft space).. but then that gets too long with the multiple rolling, make it like green flame blade and do an auto-hit? how much damage? 1 weapon die? is that too OP? just the STR modifier? I know that the DMG has a variant rule for minions that if you reduce an enemy to 0, & the attack roll would hit, the remaining damage would transfer. I can allow that to all players but that takes away from him & it may be too OP if I don't. Since there are so many good melee weapons in the campaign should I make it a gauntlet or something with attunement? I dont want to make it a feat. He rolled mediocre & needs the ASIs
Also I want to give him the Javelin of Lightning, whether or not he killed Zues in his backstory, I can make a demigod appear to challenge/avenge him, but at what level? Also, what can I give/let him encounter at later levels?
Changeling Bard. Interesting Character. Grandma died, busked as a human, didn't make money. Got into a gang as a tabaxi, didn't like the thug life. returned to music, found a more fulfilling life, became a legit bard. Other than the bardic instruments what else can I give him/let him encounter? I plan on bringing out his old gangmates but since he's now in human/bard form how's the best way for them to reach out to the tabaxi?
Cleric. still working on details but born a noble albino loxodon, family had plans for him. escaped to join the clergy to make his own destiny. What can I give him other than prayer bead and healing staff? May leave a wanted note from his family in search of him to come home but dont know much after that.
Ranger. village killed by giants. found by ranger mentor, trained to get revenge. I actually plan on having a few things for him in the Against the Giants adventure. I didn't really get too into it but I wanted to do where the adventure giants know something about the pillager giants & they're enemies so he has an eternal struggle about killing all giants or 'teaming up' with these to hunt the ones that killed his family? Need to read that adventure more on how I can do it.
Also, need help with some items? Other than a bow what else would you give a ranger? Bow being mentioned, other than Oathbow, there are NO bows. other than giant slayer what can I give or make for him?
Aasimar dragon Sorcerer. New player. not an RPer to begin with. Just a power hungry sorc. As he learns the game & his character ill give staves & other things to enhance his spells. if he wants I was working on a story about him being a descendant of either tiamat or bahamut & his purpose & all that.
Kraken Warlock. Probably went the most in depth with - & the most I thought to add. A drowned captain who was saved. Doesn't know the extent of his powers. I actually want to give him a few things - Tentacle Rod given by a grasped tentacle (lady of the lake style) - based off the hit +9 I Was thinking at like lv6-8. that night he gets a vision (he gets them throughout the campaign but this is a surprise one from me) that his patron is being attacked by Olhydra & he needs to kill her. I was thinking about then diverging into the princes of the apocalypse but that may way too big. Otherwise in White Plume Mountain there is a giant pool with a colossal crab which I can replace with Olhydra (or someone else if it will mitigate Olhydra's power). I could either than give him Drown or Wave?
While reading through the entirety of the book, you don't realize the EXTENT of magic items that are found. The magic item index only lists the unique ones. Is there any appendix or whatnot because without even realizing it, White Plume Mountain has Azureedge, Wave, Whelm and literally dozens of other items. There even is a javelin of lightning & drow with a tentacle rod. I've afraid leaving these items in randomly will mitigate the significance of me granting these 'unique items' to the players. I can always just remove them or make them unobtainable.
Please help me with what else I should add... or am I adding too many unique magic items that with an already large party (there is also a assassin rogue) and I making my DM encounters too difficult for me? and someone with more experience with the actual campaign, where is the best place to have all of these things located? both magic items and specific events/side quests?
Hey guys,
New DM, player for almost 2 years but well knowledgeable in the game itself. Took over for our previous DM to let him try out as a PC. I decided to do the Yawning Portal Campaign. I figured each "mini"-adventure was good for me to avoid overwhelming me with an enormous campaign adventure. I have a 2 part question, I know it's not necessary but I would like to connect each adventure as much as possible; either leaving seeds & hooks throughout previous adventures or having a direct travel to the next. The yawning portal can be a central hub or they can directly travel to the recommended town/settlement.
I would also like a little help by anyone who is familiar with the entire campaign on how I would be able to incorporate any backstories/locations on when/where to give specific items to the players (more details below).
I've pretty much memorized the first adventure; the Sunless Citadel, just started reading the next one, the Forge of Fury and briefly skimmed over the others.
I know that this book is more of a compilation of popular adventures from other editions that they put into one book (another reason I decided. If I do get overwhelmed I can step down without it being 'mid'-campaign), so there's no direct path A to path B.
I actually started a small 1 shot to dip myself into the DM pool. Traveled to an island for a mystical remnant of an ancient plant kingdom. Heroes could have sold it for a large sum or replanted it to regrow the kingdom. If they sold it, I would have had the buyer be at the yawning portal and either the buyer or another patron lead them to the sunless citadel. The party decided to plant the seed, negating that purpose of visiting the yawning portal and only the next day I realized I could've hooked the citadel by letting the players find strange apple seeds on the BBEG druid along with a note from Belak and his gulthias tree, so I'm looking like hooks like that.
For example, I'm thinking about in the citadel where there are reliefs & shrines to Ashardolon I can also have depictions of battles between him and Nightscale (or an ancestor of) & they were bitter rivals.. Dragons have hoards of treasure which should attract them to the next one, The Fury of the Forge. Other than that, Fury of the Forge actually recommends that there is a bedchamber that has a secret cache that the DM can place items to use as a hook.
To be honest, I haven't really read too into the others but is there any one with more information or more ideas on how to lead into the next.
My next question, which can be a thread of it's own is how I can incorporate the characters (all level 2) & any ideas on tailor-made magic items for them, official or [balanced] homebrew is okay.
Barbarian: Pretty much Kratos's story from Gd of War. He's been away so didn't ask him how accurate he wants it to the game & at which point he wants to be at (all fine). During the very first battle he asked if he can swipe his great axe, hitting multiple at once (cleaving), it's actually something I figure'd he'd want before we started playing & wanted to give him a weapon 'of cleaving' type. 1st, I'm looking through the campaign. There's tons of melee weapons, would be underwhelming to give him a weapon for cleaving when there are so many. 2nd, if I were to give him a weapon, how would I implement the magic weapon? Let him make an attack roll for each enemy (within a 5ft space).. but then that gets too long with the multiple rolling, make it like green flame blade and do an auto-hit? how much damage? 1 weapon die? is that too OP? just the STR modifier? I know that the DMG has a variant rule for minions that if you reduce an enemy to 0, & the attack roll would hit, the remaining damage would transfer. I can allow that to all players but that takes away from him & it may be too OP if I don't. Since there are so many good melee weapons in the campaign should I make it a gauntlet or something with attunement? I dont want to make it a feat. He rolled mediocre & needs the ASIs
Also I want to give him the Javelin of Lightning, whether or not he killed Zues in his backstory, I can make a demigod appear to challenge/avenge him, but at what level? Also, what can I give/let him encounter at later levels?
Changeling Bard. Interesting Character. Grandma died, busked as a human, didn't make money. Got into a gang as a tabaxi, didn't like the thug life. returned to music, found a more fulfilling life, became a legit bard. Other than the bardic instruments what else can I give him/let him encounter? I plan on bringing out his old gangmates but since he's now in human/bard form how's the best way for them to reach out to the tabaxi?
Cleric. still working on details but born a noble albino loxodon, family had plans for him. escaped to join the clergy to make his own destiny. What can I give him other than prayer bead and healing staff? May leave a wanted note from his family in search of him to come home but dont know much after that.
Ranger. village killed by giants. found by ranger mentor, trained to get revenge. I actually plan on having a few things for him in the Against the Giants adventure. I didn't really get too into it but I wanted to do where the adventure giants know something about the pillager giants & they're enemies so he has an eternal struggle about killing all giants or 'teaming up' with these to hunt the ones that killed his family? Need to read that adventure more on how I can do it.
Also, need help with some items? Other than a bow what else would you give a ranger? Bow being mentioned, other than Oathbow, there are NO bows. other than giant slayer what can I give or make for him?
Aasimar dragon Sorcerer. New player. not an RPer to begin with. Just a power hungry sorc. As he learns the game & his character ill give staves & other things to enhance his spells. if he wants I was working on a story about him being a descendant of either tiamat or bahamut & his purpose & all that.
Kraken Warlock. Probably went the most in depth with - & the most I thought to add. A drowned captain who was saved. Doesn't know the extent of his powers. I actually want to give him a few things - Tentacle Rod given by a grasped tentacle (lady of the lake style) - based off the hit +9 I Was thinking at like lv6-8. that night he gets a vision (he gets them throughout the campaign but this is a surprise one from me) that his patron is being attacked by Olhydra & he needs to kill her. I was thinking about then diverging into the princes of the apocalypse but that may way too big. Otherwise in White Plume Mountain there is a giant pool with a colossal crab which I can replace with Olhydra (or someone else if it will mitigate Olhydra's power). I could either than give him Drown or Wave?
While reading through the entirety of the book, you don't realize the EXTENT of magic items that are found. The magic item index only lists the unique ones. Is there any appendix or whatnot because without even realizing it, White Plume Mountain has Azureedge, Wave, Whelm and literally dozens of other items. There even is a javelin of lightning & drow with a tentacle rod. I've afraid leaving these items in randomly will mitigate the significance of me granting these 'unique items' to the players. I can always just remove them or make them unobtainable.
Please help me with what else I should add... or am I adding too many unique magic items that with an already large party (there is also a assassin rogue) and I making my DM encounters too difficult for me? and someone with more experience with the actual campaign, where is the best place to have all of these things located? both magic items and specific events/side quests?
Sorry for the extremely long question(s).