2 questions regarding a "linear" campaign

I'm running a 5e campaign set in the Wilderlands of High Fantasy. The party is 3rd level, and has just acquired the first piece of the Rod of Seven Parts. They don't know what it is just yet. At some point, though, it's going to tell the cleric who is wielding it (who is conveniently already lawful neutral) to "go east".

I have the Rod of the Seven Parts boxed set, but mostly I don't care for the different vignettes in there. I might review them again in order to scrounge for some ideas. It's also 2nd edition stuff, so it would take some conversion.

As far as locales, the Wilderlands has me covered in spades. Literally all I need to do is throw a dice at a random map and I could put the next rod section "there", and the Wilderlands has a sufficient amount of detail, that I'd never be at a loss for being able to describe the journey. But I'm a little concerned about the campaign feeling a little bit linear. Go here, then here, then here, etc., might get a little bit old after a while. And while I don't think it would happen, the party could just abandon completing the rod at some point and just say "to hell with this". I'll obviously have to deal with that if it happens, not that I expect it to. But the first question is - what are some ways you've dealt with an obviously linear campaign? It's not my fault exactly that this campaign has to be linear, and I don't want to be really be heavy-handed with side-quests, although my current thinking along those lines is to just make sure that the party understands destination isn't the goal, but the road they take to get there.

Second question is - I need locations. Ok, a request, not a question. I'm underwhelmed with Tales of the Yawning Portal, although I want to want it, but I don't. I've got some smoldering ideas for where I want the 2nd and 3rd pieces, but I haven't started thinking about the rest. Any recommendations (PDF or otherwise) that people have found to be useful here would be appreciated. I'm talking about just sort of random "plop it anywhere" type dungeon locales. Although, for the 7th, I want to put it somewhere near the same village they started in. I think that'd be hilarious.

Hi der_Kluge - I really wouldn't call this a linear campaign, it's more of a goal-directed hexcrawl. The PCs can have tons of liberty how & when they travel from A to B. They have a goal in mind but travelling the Wilderlands will throw up all sorts of unexpected stuff that can develop in all sorts of ways. Who knows what long term allies and enemies they'll make on the way? What are the other factions up to? Are some seeking the Rod?

Re resources, One Page Dungeon contest entries are great, as is anything by Dyson Logos - google eg Dyson's Delve, the Charmed Grotto, Erdea Manor etc, or buy Dyson's Delves I & II on Lulu. Dyson's barebones approach is perfect for adding your own detail.

It wouldn't hurt to put some pieces in classic Wilderlands locations like (all available on rpgnow.com): Tegel Manor, Fortress Badabaskor, the Caverns of Thracia (which IMC is set in the Ghinarian Hills of Barbarian Altanis), the Dark Tower ...even the Glory Hole Dwarven Mine.

Don't be afraid to put the pieces in weird or unusual locations, or even offer distractions to the players.

Maybe they pass a drow carnival on the way to collect the next piece? That sight alone should be unusual enough to keep them distracted for a session or two. But make it clear that while they have goals, if they want to spend six weeks hunting truffles they can.

Which, basically, is how a lot of sandbox RPGs work.

S'mon said:

It wouldn't hurt to put some pieces in classic Wilderlands locations like (all available on rpgnow.com): Tegel Manor, Fortress Badabaskor, the Caverns of Thracia (which IMC is set in the Ghinarian Hills of Barbarian Altanis), the Dark Tower ...even the Glory Hole Dwarven Mine.

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Caveat: be advised both Caverns of Thracia and Dark Tower are huge adventures - if your real-world time to play the campaign is open-ended, no problem; but if you're on a time-crunch maybe think twice on these. That said, if you can run Dark Tower, do it: it's a blast! (I'm running it right now)

Otherwise, perhaps instead of telling the cleric to "go east" have the cleric get pulls in 6 directions at once (i.e. the other 6 parts of the rod are calling) and let them find the bits in whatever order they like.

As for module suggestions - one idea might be to pick up Princes of the Apocalypse and kitbash it a bit. If you ignore the backstory and adventure path business and just treat the book as having 15 or so stand-alone modules in it you're gold. Oh, and do away with the connections between the upper and lower bits for each element e.g. in the book the surface "earth" module has a physical connection with the underground "earth" module - split 'em out. Ditto for the connections between the underground modules; and just for kicks you might want to change up some of the occupants in each place...or not, up to you.

So, you get a bunch of reasonable-sized modules - more than you'll need for just 6 more rod bits so some can be side treks and others can be what comes after they've put the rod together. Scatter 'em around the hexes and away you go.

Biggest advantage: you're running 5e and PotA is a 5e product, so no system conversion needed.

Lanefan

Lanefan said:

Caveat: be advised both Caverns of Thracia and Dark Tower are huge adventures - if your real-world time to play the campaign is open-ended, no problem; but if you're on a time-crunch maybe think twice on these.

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Well, rem you don't need to clear the dungeon - and the Rod doesn't have to be in the final room on the deepest level.

S'mon said:

Well, rem you don't need to clear the dungeon - and the Rod doesn't have to be in the final room on the deepest level.

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True that, but really: who doesn't want to clear a dungeon once in it?

Lanefan said:

True that, but really: who doesn't want to clear a dungeon once in it?

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Depends on the dungeon and who's following me. A horde of still-living monsters can make arresting me for accidentally blowing up Neverwinter pretty hard to accomplish...

Lanefan said:

True that, but really: who doesn't want to clear a dungeon once in it?

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My Wilderlands sandbox players have shown very little interest in clearing Dyson's Delve or Caverns of Thracia. They may try to clear one level mini-dungeons though. So I think it varies by scale.

Why not try making your own dungeon? It's easier than it seems with a good stocking procedure.

I found this post at Delta's D&D very useful when I started making my own dungeons.

The 5e DMG is not very helpful here. The advice about location based adventures is too vague and the random dungeon generator at the back is too complicated.