The Gems of Teravast

Hey guys! So I am a first time DM in a 3.5 campaign, and it is gonna be a really long campaign. I am hoping to get some advice from some other DM's on my campaign. My current plan is that there are three kingdoms, two are allied against one, and the war is a total deadlock. In the midst of it, one of the allied kings comes up with a plan to find the lost gems of teravast, artifacts of my own invention. They grant a variety of powers, and the endgame is currently to assemble the suit of armor that goes with these gems and allows the possessor of the gems to control them once they are implanted in the suit. However, because I am insane, I was thinking of making it also a quest to collect other various artifacts in the world. The endgame is still the gems, because they are ridiculously powerful, but I think the other artifacts might make it be even more interesting, and if I throw the cursed objects in as well, I figure I have a crazy campaign that is ridiculously fun. But, because this is my first time, I would like some advice. Anything you guys care to throw my way. Ways to keep the game rolling, ways to make sure it stays challenging through this madness and mayhem, any artifacts that are world breakers that should in no way ever be put in the campaign, etc. I really want to do this right, and yet still have it be fun, because most of my players, this is their first introduction to the world of D&D.

Like all things, ambition is good in moderation.

Since this is your first campaign and the players' first introduction to D&D, I caution you to make certain you are giving the players sufficient control over choice and effect. One of the great joys many find from playing D&D as opposed to playing a computer game or reading a book is that player input matters.

Do not try to script out the campaign from start to finish. Commercial APs do not have the luxury of adapting to player actions which a single DM building for a single group does. Establish some milestone expectations: "They'll get this and then that will happen and lead them here. Unless this is done first and then they'll get here via a special message from her" then let the players find their way between the milestones.

Step back for a moment and think about how much time your group will play D&D. Realistically, how many sessions will the campaign run? “Forever!” Is not an appropriate answer. How many years? How many sessions per week? How many hours per session? Got a number? Take one third of that as the expected campaign length. Do you think the players' interest can be sustained for that length of time? Do you think life changes people experience will be able to accommodate the campaign over that length of time?

How many adventures can you fit in that new figure? If you are designing (what sounds like) an adventure path, that is the number of adventures you have to work with from beginning to end.

Think about how capable you expect the characters to be at the start and how capable you expect the characters to be at the milestones of the AP. That gives you your level gain expectations over the course of the AP.

Take a look at the version of RPG you're planning to use. What are its assumptions with respect to number of encounters per level? That gives you a first-cut at a “budget” of encounters available between the start and each milestone. How many adventures can you fit between milestones? How many side quests/ secondary goals/twists can your encounter budget handle? Do you need to change the game system or the leveling sub-system to better meet the game expectations? The older versions of the game could handle this form of questing campaign better than the newer games. Once you hit “name” level, experience requirements went up dramatically and power gain went up slowly compared to the more modern versions.

Now step back a minute again. Look at your overall rewards: a suit of armour made from multiple artefacts. How many players are going to be in the campaign? How many PCs can/will want to/will be allowed to wear that armour? Will the reward structure tilt the importance of a particular PC? Is the group OK with the spotlight imbalance? What are the other PCs getting as rewards? How will you handle the situation where none of the surviving PCs want the artefact?

Make certain to sell the campaign as an AP to the player group. The last thing you need is the players zigging when you expect them to zag right out of the gate. Make certain the roles envisioned by the AP are the roles the players are interested in pursuing.

Thank you SO much for your advice. I am truly trying to make this fantastic, and your advice on how to guide them is particularly valuable. I have always enjoyed campaigns where the DM is not basically leading us down a hallway, except in dungeons, of course. The other question is how do I decide how much information to give them on the world around them? As for the suit of armor, it is in multiple pieces, and so they can divvy it out if they like, or fight each other over the whole thing. Another question I have is what is the best way to structure Dungeons. Do I make them random encounter dungeons, or plan each block out on my graph paper.
Again, thank you greatly for the advice you have given so far.

BigBro359 said:

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The other question is how do I decide how much information to give them on the world around them?

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Enough information for the players to make sensible decisions and deductions and not an iota more. Every introduced fact, event, and interaction competes for time and attention. Every piece needs to be examined by the players to determine how it fits with other things they know/assume/have been told. Player groups will rarely read multi-page world backgrounds and retain almost nothing after the first session even if they do. Depending on session duration and frequency, players will tend to forget/blur together events and personages experienced inside the campaign so subtle clues and background events are a poor way to provide data. Remember the players get to experience the world third-hand for a few hours once in a while and then a lot of life gets in the way.

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. Another question I have is what is the best way to structure Dungeons. Do I make them random encounter dungeons, or plan each block out on my graph paper.
Again, thank you greatly for the advice you have given so far.

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There are a wide variety of ways to run dungeons. As an AP, I think you'll find you'll need to use most of the encounters to drive the progression to match the PC growth rate. The size and detail of the dungeon depends on the DM's style, session size and frequency, and group preference for gaming. For a simpler method of dungeon design take a look at The five room model. Here is another link that builds on the concept some: http://www.gnomestew.com/tools-for-gms/the-nine-forms-of-the-five-room-dungeon/.

Other groups like the older-style dungeon-crawls. Even in these, try to avoid random dungeon populations in favour of appropriate inhabitants for the role the location plays inside the world. Why does the dungeon exist? What features does it have? What population has it attracted? How has the dungeon affected the world around it?

Nagol said:

Other groups like the older-style dungeon-crawls. Even in these, try to avoid random dungeon populations in favour of appropriate inhabitants for the role the location plays inside the world. Why does the dungeon exist? What features does it have? What population has it attracted? How has the dungeon affected the world around it?

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So if, and this is an example from the current world layout, I have an island that has a massive black mountain on it. All of the sailors refuse to go near it, no one who goes there ever returns, and more dark foreboding introductions. There are many rumors about the place that the characters can find if they talk to the right people. Some say it is the home of cultists and devil worshipers, some say it is an ancient volcano crawling with monsters, and some say it is the home of a dragon.

Under your advice, I would stock it with cultists and fire monsters, and maybe make a dice chart so that it can have a bit of unpredictability, but, at the same time, stay under a certain theme? I assume that the traps should also be similarly related to the dungeon?

Some other questions to the community: What are ways to get the group to work together? What are ways to try an pull it apart? How should I prepare for scenarios where they have to role play? Are there any good ways to set up NPC's? Last but not least, what charts and tables should I have marked for quick reference?

I am kind of looking for literally any advice you guys have on being a DM.

Random tips acquired in ~20 years of off-and-on DMing:

Above all else, know your group. No two tables I've ever sat at (as a player or DM) played the game in the same way. I've been around heavy RPers where an entire session can go by without a single die being thrown. I've been in groups that love the puzzle solving aspect of the game - either in surmounting certain challenges or investigating for clues to crack the case. My last table had a very strong video game/tactical board game background and they gravitated heavily towards the thrill of very challenging combat encounters. That's not to say there weren't examples of all 3 elements in each group, only that certain groups gravitate more towards some themes. There's no "right" way to play D&D, only what's right for your specific crew. Try to get a feel for what they enjoy most and tailor your sessions to lean in that direction.

When in doubt, ask them. I conducted a fair amount of campaign business via email in between sessions. Not only does it help you gauge their interests and be a better DM, it can eliminate some of the "busy work" that might bog a session down - like going over crafting rules and some of the other micromanagements.

Encourage one of your players to be a journal keeper. In our group one of the players brought a day planner booklet and jotted down notes from each campaign day. Then, once the campaign has ripened after a while and some seeds you laid in an early adventure are approaching fruition, the players will have an easier time recalling past events if the journal keeper has it written down. Remember, the players will NEVER know your world, your story, your details as well as you do. As the creator and the guy doing most of the work, it is your baby and you can't expect them to recall Charles the Bartender in that town they all visited 8 months ago and that the medallion he wears around his neck looks exactly like the shape of the depression engraved in the block of stone they just discovered in some dark crypt.

Have fun. Keep it loose, joke around both in game and out of game, but don't let the session get away from you. Sometimes players should be reined in a bit. We used to have a really chatty guy that would start every session by basically spilling his real life story each week, telling us everything that happened to him since the last session. So we made a house rule that he could roll a d4 when we all arrived and that's how many "stories" he was allowed to tell before we got down to business.

Ok, but these guys have never played before. My brother, the only one that has played before, is going fishing for the weekend. So how do I prepare for them?
I have one that is kind of a hipster, but I suspect will chose a bard based on his love of music
I've got a hunch back who will likely end up as the anarchist of the group. No idea what he will play, but he will definitely be Chaotic to the core
I've got a couple of my best friends, both of them are physically large, and huge metal heads. One intends to be a barbarian and call himself and act like a viking, and the other is planning on being some kind of halfling druid.

The point is, I am not entirely sure how to prepare for them specifically, not because I don't know them, but because they have never played before.

Your journalist idea, however, is a REALLY good idea. I will definitely encourage them to keep a journal. Our first session is an overnight thing, but I will absolutely encourage them to keep the journal.

BigBro359 said:

So if, and this is an example from the current world layout, I have an island that has a massive black mountain on it. All of the sailors refuse to go near it, no one who goes there ever returns, and more dark foreboding introductions. There are many rumors about the place that the characters can find if they talk to the right people. Some say it is the home of cultists and devil worshipers, some say it is an ancient volcano crawling with monsters, and some say it is the home of a dragon.

Under your advice, I would stock it with cultists and fire monsters, and maybe make a dice chart so that it can have a bit of unpredictability, but, at the same time, stay under a certain theme? I assume that the traps should also be similarly related to the dungeon?

Click to expand...

Pretty much.

Ok, sounds really good. Another question (believe me, I will probably keep asking them until people stop answering them) is how do I keep in funny and goofy, but at the same time, get them to play in game. That is honestly my biggest concern. I want them to have fun, and enjoy the same joy I have gotten from D&D, but I also want them to play it correctly, and stay in role. I don't want them to LARP, of course, that is way too far. I'm not real sure how to teach them that. Any suggestions?

On a slightly different note, the main DM I have played with in the past use to play the roles of his NPC's a little. He never went overboard and dressed up for each one, but if the NPC was, say, a gnome, he would squat and change his voice a little. If it was a king, he would do that cliche pose with a yardstick as his sword and balance his hands on the "pommel." Overall, though, he primarily would change his stance and voice to match his NPC. Does this do anything to help the players? Should I adopt this strategy? Does it help?