First post here -- fairly new to dndbeyond. I'm an old-school D&D'er, started playing in 1982 (still have my 1977 blue basic book) and stopped playing in the early 2000's around the time my second daughter was born. She's 18 now, and a few years ago when 5e came out, she came home talking about a D&D club at school. I was floored that she even knew what D&D was, but knowing she wanted to play, I was all too eager to start buying books and getting back into the game.
Anyway, we've done a couple campaigns, including Horde of the Dragon Queen, but I decided it was time to create my own for our newest venture. Hosting a bunch of college kids now, there's about 5 relative D&D newbies and my daughter in the group.
Excited to share the hook, even if nobody comments :) The group is starting at level 3. Here she goes:
The Amazing Race
The party members find themselves in Port Nyanzaru, in the far southern peninsula of Chult. Magic is generally frowned upon here, and the party should avoid setting themselves against the Triceratops Society. Likely they'll see dinosaur races in the streets and other strange sights. The jungles of Chult are known for the large carnivores and herbivores that inhabit it.
Welcome aboard the Squall Princess, landlubbers! Your kind of muscle is exactly what I'm looking for! I'm Captain Percival Chandly Desiderius Merryweather, or just Cap'n Merryweather to you lot. For the last forty and odd years, I've sailed these seas, starting as a deck swab, and now more'n 20 years as Captain of the Squall Princess. I've been a trader my whole life and tasted the ocean from Maztica across the Trackless Sea to Kozakura in the Eastern Sea. I've been to places you've never heard of and put foot on sand no man has touched. I run a tight ship, tight but with a fair hand. You'll find no grumbling, drunkenness or fighting on my decks or below it. Once we put to shore, I expect any disagreements to be settled on land and resolved before setting foot back on the ship. I'm judge and jury on the water, though, and I take my job serious. The souls of all on board depend on me, and I'll not risk them lightly. And now to the reason you are here, and the reason for my need of you. Three months ago, the Princess was blown off course during a storm west of Lantan in the Trackless Sea. We landed on a small atoll; one I had no records of on my maps. While we repaired the ship, my men explored the land, there wasn’t much of it. However, they did find a partially submerged cave, and inside was a chest. We brought the chest onboard and opened it. Inside were ancient gold coins, gems, a key, and a note; to whomever finds the treasure, with the promise of more. (See below). The note was signed with a single letter, "K". Now then. Upon completing our repairs and returning to friendly shores, through great toil and research, I believe I have found this mysterious signatory "K" from the note. At first, I thought perhaps a great captain, but I now believe him to be much more. I found a story, a legend really, more than five hundred years old, of an admiral. Admiral Jacoby Krassus. Krassus styled himself an admiral, but he was as deadly a pirate there ever was. He and his fleet of ne'er-do-wells ravaged every trade route along the Sword Coast, amassing treasures and priceless artifacts untold for years. The legend goes that Krassus was ruthless and took no prisoners he could not sell and sank more ships than he captured. Until one day; he came upon a ship he could not snare, helmed by no less than an Elven Princess named Perisephone Avendaar. Perisephone's skill at the wheel was unrivaled, even by Krassus himself. Krassus was both enraged and smitten, and swore he would have her for his own; the greatest treasure he would ever plunder.
Perisephone evaded his fleet at every tack and turn, and reached her home port, where Krassus's fleet was repelled by the Elven defenders of her city. But Krassus would not be driven away so easily. Legend tells that Krassus and his fleet searched far and wide, and found the lair of a great sea devil. Some say it was a sea demon of the abyssal realm. Nobody knows for sure. What is known however, is that Krassus made a deal with the foul creature. Krassus returned to the Elven city with the beast. The entire city was destroyed, I know not how. Krassus captured Perisephone before she could get to her ship, but the ship itself escaped with the first mate and all the survivors that could get aboard in time. Krassus gave chase, determined to wipe out the survivors, lest they haunt his steps to reclaim his prize, for he knew that Perisephone and her kin would outlive him by many generations. Together with his fleet and the beast for whom his pact was made, they surrounded the ship and scuttled her, leaving no survivors. The great beast then departed, and Krassus was left with his prize for a time. But his bargain had been made, and the debt was eventually called to account. After many years of roaming the ocean with Perisephone as his prize, he disbanded his fleet of ships and sailed to meet the terms of his agreement. He was never seen or heard from again.
Now, as to the treasure we found, I have no idea who's come before me, or if it has already been found a century ago or more. I intend to sail through the Bore to find out. If the clue is still to be found on the other side, I intend to hunt it down. And this is where you come in, my friends. As the note says, there'll be others hunting this treasure, and my sailors are not fighters. I need muscle to protect my ship, and adventurers to help find the clues. I offer my ship, and my sailing expertise, and the promise of treasure. As for the split? 70/30 seems fair. I've a lot of men under my command to pay, the ship, the clue, and the ability to get there.
The Note
To ye who finds this hidden hoard, A promise, a threat, and a might bit more. For though these trinkets are yours to keep, I promise a treasure to make men weep.
If you've the courage to follow my lead, And the skill to sail at breakneck speed, Go through the bore at Tides Break End, I leave the next clue for you to tend.
Incentive I give should you thirst for more, Each chest double the one before. At each leg thus, I give my bond, Riches and more in the deep beyond. Be wary lads, for this buried chest Is not the only one at rest. I've hidden the same on many a shore, Only ye best shall have my score.
Why you ask, do I part with my pride, And place my treasures upon the tide? That, you'll learn in the course of time, Should you prove worthy and be inclined.
Pirate scavenger hunt? Sounds like a solid hook, particularly for a bunch of new players, giving them a clear goal but not making it seem completely on rails. Good luck!
First post here -- fairly new to dndbeyond. I'm an old-school D&D'er, started playing in 1982 (still have my 1977 blue basic book) and stopped playing in the early 2000's around the time my second daughter was born. She's 18 now, and a few years ago when 5e came out, she came home talking about a D&D club at school. I was floored that she even knew what D&D was, but knowing she wanted to play, I was all too eager to start buying books and getting back into the game.
Anyway, we've done a couple campaigns, including Horde of the Dragon Queen, but I decided it was time to create my own for our newest venture. Hosting a bunch of college kids now, there's about 5 relative D&D newbies and my daughter in the group.
Excited to share the hook, even if nobody comments :) The group is starting at level 3. Here she goes:
The Amazing Race
The party members find themselves in Port Nyanzaru, in the far southern peninsula of Chult. Magic is generally frowned upon here, and the party should avoid setting themselves against the Triceratops Society. Likely they'll see dinosaur races in the streets and other strange sights. The jungles of Chult are known for the large carnivores and herbivores that inhabit it.
Welcome aboard the Squall Princess, landlubbers! Your kind of muscle is exactly what I'm looking for! I'm Captain Percival Chandly Desiderius Merryweather, or just Cap'n Merryweather to you lot. For the last forty and odd years, I've sailed these seas, starting as a deck swab, and now more'n 20 years as Captain of the Squall Princess. I've been a trader my whole life and tasted the ocean from Maztica across the Trackless Sea to Kozakura in the Eastern Sea. I've been to places you've never heard of and put foot on sand no man has touched. I run a tight ship, tight but with a fair hand. You'll find no grumbling, drunkenness or fighting on my decks or below it. Once we put to shore, I expect any disagreements to be settled on land and resolved before setting foot back on the ship. I'm judge and jury on the water, though, and I take my job serious. The souls of all on board depend on me, and I'll not risk them lightly. And now to the reason you are here, and the reason for my need of you. Three months ago, the Princess was blown off course during a storm west of Lantan in the Trackless Sea. We landed on a small atoll; one I had no records of on my maps. While we repaired the ship, my men explored the land, there wasn’t much of it. However, they did find a partially submerged cave, and inside was a chest. We brought the chest onboard and opened it. Inside were ancient gold coins, gems, a key, and a note; to whomever finds the treasure, with the promise of more. (See below). The note was signed with a single letter, "K". Now then. Upon completing our repairs and returning to friendly shores, through great toil and research, I believe I have found this mysterious signatory "K" from the note. At first, I thought perhaps a great captain, but I now believe him to be much more. I found a story, a legend really, more than five hundred years old, of an admiral. Admiral Jacoby Krassus. Krassus styled himself an admiral, but he was as deadly a pirate there ever was. He and his fleet of ne'er-do-wells ravaged every trade route along the Sword Coast, amassing treasures and priceless artifacts untold for years. The legend goes that Krassus was ruthless and took no prisoners he could not sell and sank more ships than he captured. Until one day; he came upon a ship he could not snare, helmed by no less than an Elven Princess named Perisephone Avendaar. Perisephone's skill at the wheel was unrivaled, even by Krassus himself. Krassus was both enraged and smitten, and swore he would have her for his own; the greatest treasure he would ever plunder.
Perisephone evaded his fleet at every tack and turn, and reached her home port, where Krassus's fleet was repelled by the Elven defenders of her city. But Krassus would not be driven away so easily. Legend tells that Krassus and his fleet searched far and wide, and found the lair of a great sea devil. Some say it was a sea demon of the abyssal realm. Nobody knows for sure. What is known however, is that Krassus made a deal with the foul creature. Krassus returned to the Elven city with the beast. The entire city was destroyed, I know not how. Krassus captured Perisephone before she could get to her ship, but the ship itself escaped with the first mate and all the survivors that could get aboard in time. Krassus gave chase, determined to wipe out the survivors, lest they haunt his steps to reclaim his prize, for he knew that Perisephone and her kin would outlive him by many generations. Together with his fleet and the beast for whom his pact was made, they surrounded the ship and scuttled her, leaving no survivors. The great beast then departed, and Krassus was left with his prize for a time. But his bargain had been made, and the debt was eventually called to account. After many years of roaming the ocean with Perisephone as his prize, he disbanded his fleet of ships and sailed to meet the terms of his agreement. He was never seen or heard from again.
Now, as to the treasure we found, I have no idea who's come before me, or if it has already been found a century ago or more. I intend to sail through the Bore to find out. If the clue is still to be found on the other side, I intend to hunt it down. And this is where you come in, my friends. As the note says, there'll be others hunting this treasure, and my sailors are not fighters. I need muscle to protect my ship, and adventurers to help find the clues. I offer my ship, and my sailing expertise, and the promise of treasure. As for the split? 70/30 seems fair. I've a lot of men under my command to pay, the ship, the clue, and the ability to get there.
The Note
To ye who finds this hidden hoard, A promise, a threat, and a might bit more. For though these trinkets are yours to keep, I promise a treasure to make men weep.
If you've the courage to follow my lead, And the skill to sail at breakneck speed, Go through the bore at Tides Break End, I leave the next clue for you to tend.
Incentive I give should you thirst for more, Each chest double the one before. At each leg thus, I give my bond, Riches and more in the deep beyond. Be wary lads, for this buried chest Is not the only one at rest. I've hidden the same on many a shore, Only ye best shall have my score.
Why you ask, do I part with my pride, And place my treasures upon the tide? That, you'll learn in the course of time, Should you prove worthy and be inclined.
K
Sounds great! But I’d be wary of giving such a massive lore dump: it’s no fun for the players. Maybe the captain just introduces the treasure hunt up front and they discover the backstory along the way?
This is cool! How did the players meet this captain? Perhaps it would be helpful to roleplay the beginning interactions with the party. Let them find a notice written by him, and then meet up with him, introducing themselves, and he can introduce the mission after that.
Our first session is this Friday. I have 2-3 ways in which they might meet the captain, just in case they get goofy and unpredictable! The captain is searching the town for a group of adventurers, so there's a few possibilities there as well.
Also, Merryweather is not what he seems, and the plot twists fairly early in the adventure. Merryweather will become the party's chief antagonist after stranding the group and stealing the next clue for himself. The very magical ship that was scuttled in the hook's story wasn't actually scuttled, and becomes the party's new transportation once they discover it and lift the curse on it. After that, it truly becomes an amazing race!
Sounds great! But I’d be wary of giving such a massive lore dump: it’s no fun for the players. Maybe the captain just introduces the treasure hunt up front and they discover the backstory along the way?
I agree about the lore dump -- I will deliver it piecemeal, but I included it all at once here for the tale. There's also some deliberate mistakes, missing pieces and inaccuracies in the story that the party will learn about as they go along through the poetry and so on.
First post here -- fairly new to dndbeyond. I'm an old-school D&D'er, started playing in 1982 (still have my 1977 blue basic book) and stopped playing in the early 2000's around the time my second daughter was born. She's 18 now, and a few years ago when 5e came out, she came home talking about a D&D club at school. I was floored that she even knew what D&D was, but knowing she wanted to play, I was all too eager to start buying books and getting back into the game.
Anyway, we've done a couple campaigns, including Horde of the Dragon Queen, but I decided it was time to create my own for our newest venture. Hosting a bunch of college kids now, there's about 5 relative D&D newbies and my daughter in the group.
Excited to share the hook, even if nobody comments :) The group is starting at level 3. Here she goes:
The Amazing Race
The party members find themselves in Port Nyanzaru, in the far southern peninsula of Chult. Magic is generally frowned upon here, and the party should avoid setting themselves against the Triceratops Society. Likely they'll see dinosaur races in the streets and other strange sights. The jungles of Chult are known for the large carnivores and herbivores that inhabit it.
Welcome aboard the Squall Princess, landlubbers! Your kind of muscle is exactly what I'm looking for! I'm Captain Percival Chandly Desiderius Merryweather, or just Cap'n Merryweather to you lot.
For the last forty and odd years, I've sailed these seas, starting as a deck swab, and now more'n 20 years as Captain of the Squall Princess. I've been a trader my whole life and tasted the ocean from Maztica across the Trackless Sea to Kozakura in the Eastern Sea. I've been to places you've never heard of and put foot on sand no man has touched.
I run a tight ship, tight but with a fair hand. You'll find no grumbling, drunkenness or fighting on my decks or below it. Once we put to shore, I expect any disagreements to be settled on land and resolved before setting foot back on the ship. I'm judge and jury on the water, though, and I take my job serious. The souls of all on board depend on me, and I'll not risk them lightly.
And now to the reason you are here, and the reason for my need of you. Three months ago, the Princess was blown off course during a storm west of Lantan in the Trackless Sea. We landed on a small atoll; one I had no records of on my maps. While we repaired the ship, my men explored the land, there wasn’t much of it. However, they did find a partially submerged cave, and inside was a chest.
We brought the chest onboard and opened it. Inside were ancient gold coins, gems, a key, and a note; to whomever finds the treasure, with the promise of more. (See below). The note was signed with a single letter, "K".
Now then. Upon completing our repairs and returning to friendly shores, through great toil and research, I believe I have found this mysterious signatory "K" from the note. At first, I thought perhaps a great captain, but I now believe him to be much more. I found a story, a legend really, more than five hundred years old, of an admiral. Admiral Jacoby Krassus.
Krassus styled himself an admiral, but he was as deadly a pirate there ever was. He and his fleet of ne'er-do-wells ravaged every trade route along the Sword Coast, amassing treasures and priceless artifacts untold for years. The legend goes that Krassus was ruthless and took no prisoners he could not sell and sank more ships than he captured. Until one day; he came upon a ship he could not snare, helmed by no less than an Elven Princess named Perisephone Avendaar. Perisephone's skill at the wheel was unrivaled, even by Krassus himself. Krassus was both enraged and smitten, and swore he would have her for his own; the greatest treasure he would ever plunder.
Perisephone evaded his fleet at every tack and turn, and reached her home port, where Krassus's fleet was repelled by the Elven defenders of her city.
But Krassus would not be driven away so easily. Legend tells that Krassus and his fleet searched far and wide, and found the lair of a great sea devil. Some say it was a sea demon of the abyssal realm. Nobody knows for sure.
What is known however, is that Krassus made a deal with the foul creature. Krassus returned to the Elven city with the beast. The entire city was destroyed, I know not how. Krassus captured Perisephone before she could get to her ship, but the ship itself escaped with the first mate and all the survivors that could get aboard in time.
Krassus gave chase, determined to wipe out the survivors, lest they haunt his steps to reclaim his prize, for he knew that Perisephone and her kin would outlive him by many generations. Together with his fleet and the beast for whom his pact was made, they surrounded the ship and scuttled her, leaving no survivors.
The great beast then departed, and Krassus was left with his prize for a time. But his bargain had been made, and the debt was eventually called to account. After many years of roaming the ocean with Perisephone as his prize, he disbanded his fleet of ships and sailed to meet the terms of his agreement. He was never seen or heard from again.
Now, as to the treasure we found, I have no idea who's come before me, or if it has already been found a century ago or more. I intend to sail through the Bore to find out. If the clue is still to be found on the other side, I intend to hunt it down.
And this is where you come in, my friends. As the note says, there'll be others hunting this treasure, and my sailors are not fighters. I need muscle to protect my ship, and adventurers to help find the clues. I offer my ship, and my sailing expertise, and the promise of treasure.
As for the split? 70/30 seems fair. I've a lot of men under my command to pay, the ship, the clue, and the ability to get there.
The Note
To ye who finds this hidden hoard,
A promise, a threat, and a might bit more.
For though these trinkets are yours to keep,
I promise a treasure to make men weep.
If you've the courage to follow my lead,
And the skill to sail at breakneck speed,
Go through the bore at Tides Break End,
I leave the next clue for you to tend.
Incentive I give should you thirst for more,
Each chest double the one before.
At each leg thus, I give my bond,
Riches and more in the deep beyond.
Be wary lads, for this buried chest
Is not the only one at rest.
I've hidden the same on many a shore,
Only ye best shall have my score.
Why you ask, do I part with my pride,
And place my treasures upon the tide?
That, you'll learn in the course of time,
Should you prove worthy and be inclined.
K
Pirate scavenger hunt? Sounds like a solid hook, particularly for a bunch of new players, giving them a clear goal but not making it seem completely on rails. Good luck!
Sounds great! But I’d be wary of giving such a massive lore dump: it’s no fun for the players. Maybe the captain just introduces the treasure hunt up front and they discover the backstory along the way?
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
This is cool! How did the players meet this captain? Perhaps it would be helpful to roleplay the beginning interactions with the party. Let them find a notice written by him, and then meet up with him, introducing themselves, and he can introduce the mission after that.
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
Our first session is this Friday. I have 2-3 ways in which they might meet the captain, just in case they get goofy and unpredictable! The captain is searching the town for a group of adventurers, so there's a few possibilities there as well.
Also, Merryweather is not what he seems, and the plot twists fairly early in the adventure. Merryweather will become the party's chief antagonist after stranding the group and stealing the next clue for himself. The very magical ship that was scuttled in the hook's story wasn't actually scuttled, and becomes the party's new transportation once they discover it and lift the curse on it. After that, it truly becomes an amazing race!
I agree about the lore dump -- I will deliver it piecemeal, but I included it all at once here for the tale. There's also some deliberate mistakes, missing pieces and inaccuracies in the story that the party will learn about as they go along through the poetry and so on.
Thanks for the feedback!