D&D turned up to 11.

TKDB · Jun 8, 2012

ThaDium said:
So far, my long term plan is to give the PC's an evil artifact, possibly the Hand/Eye/both of Vecna

Somehow I misread that at first as "Hand/Eye/tooth of Vecna"...

Dannyalcatraz · Jun 8, 2012

"I'm VECNA, beeeyotch!"

ThaDium · Jun 8, 2012

Of yeah, the grill of Vecna! (and I'll be using that picture, I'm just not sure how yet.

For reference, there are 3 PCs, all split class. A Ranger/Rogue, a Wizard/Cleric (soon to me Mystic Theurge), and a Barbarian/Druid.

Dordledum · Jun 8, 2012

you need at least a flumph and a beholder encounter.

just saying.

TarionzCousin · Jun 8, 2012

The PC's will need to kill a deity eventually.

Have the person who hires them for some quest turn out to be the BBEG.

The innocent halfling guide hired to lead them somewhere either leads them in to an ambush, or tries to steal from them while they're asleep.

TKDB · Jun 8, 2012

If they haven't already, they need to get a quest hook from a shady hooded stranger brooding in a dark corner.

Also, I dearly hope they all met in an inn.

Loren Pechtel · Jun 9, 2012

An artifact guarded by a whole bunch of traps. This wouldn't be rogue-only, he would be able to find them but they would have to be defeated by other means.

ThaDium · Jun 9, 2012

There will definitely be a trap filled dungeon. And though they did not all meet in an inn, I'm planning a bar brawl for the next game. The city they are in can best be described as Mos Eisley meets Las Vegas. It's a big mage run city filled with casinos and high rise hotels err... inns. The city tends to draw folks of many races as well. I'm using it for the all important "We're not in Kansas anymore" moment now that the PCs are on the road. The core of the Thieve's Guild alone is made up of an Ogre Mage, a Medusa and a Minotaur*.

(Was that too many cultural references in one paragraph. I didn't realize I made so many until the "turn it up to 11" thing went over like a lead balloon.)

Anyway, as time permits, I'll post more about the game world. The geography is based on the Mediterranean region, largely because it saved me time in map creation and gives me lots of options for adventures and travel.

Thanks for all the reminders of classic DnD motifs. I had forgotten about beholders and illithids. They just never did much for me. But I'll be using them none the less.

(*Minotaur can't get lost. The fact that I never though to use one as an enforcer for a city's thieve's guild before amazes me. It seems so obvious now.)

Samloyal23 · Jun 12, 2012

Dandu said:
Scantily clad virgin princesses in need of rescue.

Flip the script--- The princesses are actually all transvestites.

GhostBear · Jun 12, 2012

ThaDium said:
My question is, what classic D&D tropes would you want to experience if you were in a game that was intended to be as pure and over the top a D&D experience as possible?

There also needs to be a tavern brawl if that hasn't happened yet. In fact, if your party didn't meet in a tavern, then you may have missed out on the biggest trope of them all... (o:

The apprentice digs into his master's books while the master is away, and ends up summoning something rather vile (and perhaps embarrassing). Bonus points if the PCs have to grab a bucket and a mop afterward.

The recurring villain is also a good trope, and it can add a thread of consistency between otherwise completely unrelated adventures. Make it an exceptionally annoying fan of the PCs who knows everything about them, but is deeply insulted at one point. He was able to keep tabs on the PCs before, but now he's doing so to help their enemies. A gift that keeps on giving.

Eventually, I expect a God to come down and say, "Dude, um, I'm in trouble - need your help!"