D&D 5E Brainstorming needed for DnDNext playtest: "Against the Tyranny of the Frost Giants!"

[Radiating Gnome]

It's pretty close to what's been suggested already, but I can't get the idea of a whole Chutes-And-Ladders feel for some of the exploration.

So, if the Dwarves are trying to excavate something, they probably have a whole network/warren of Medium-sized tunnels snaking around the place. Some might be smooth, for quick, sliding descent, and some might have stairs/handholds/spikes in them for climbing.

Imagine scenes where new dwarven defenders can <shunk> down a slide to join the fight.. and the PCs trying to decide if they dare to take a slide to see how far down it goes (can they figure out the strange markings the dwarves use to keep the chutes straight?).

Could be a fun way to split the party, too.

-rg

 

[Piratecat]

None of you would mind if some of this ended up in a published adventure, would you? Just, y'know, asking. *grin*

So folks know, I've respectfully asked RW not to. I'd rather that brainstorming threads stay completely uncommercialized... mine, at least. Any ideas we come up with should be yoinked with abandon for peoples' personal campaigns, of course.

 

[Piratecat]

I was pleased to see that it only took me about two hours to make eight 7th lvl PCs, and that's starting from scratch and making my own character sheets. Updating them to 9th lvl took less than 5 minutes per PC.

So here's a question: at 9th level, how many magic items (if any) should I start them with? I think there's some logic to handing out magic during the playtest but giving them none to start. Lower learning curve, cooler sense of discovery. Tenser's Troublesome Toboggan, anyone?

 

[pemerton]

Pemerton, you misunderstand; the only thing better than a frost giant is a frost giant who's dropping rotting chunks of flesh as he fights.

Clearly I've misunderstood! (And it's your dwarves, not mine, who are being cheated of victory over a genuine giant.)

Head down, always down, towards the slave pits.

I'm suddenly picturing the frost giants carving out their fortress with a slightly tamed remorhaz, cudgeling it through the glacier to carve out rooms and tunnels. It's probably imprisoned in the one stone room, fed the remains of sick and wounded mammoths. It really wants to get out; it'd make a fantastic distraction for anyone releasing it.

change the design of the dungeon so the slave pens / boss fight is at the top, you could have the PCs escape by riding (crewing?) a giant sled through the halls

Just to get this clear for when I run it (I've had some notes for running G2 in my 4e game but it hasn't come up yet, so plenty of scope to incorporate some modifications!):

* The giants' fortress is carved into a glacier by a remorhaz;

* The entrance to the fortress is at the base of the glacier, and as you advance up through the tunnels you get closer to the slave pits, where the (does it have to be undead?) giant commander is overseeing the carving of runes that will trigger the overhang's collapse;

* After beating the giant, the whole thing is collapsing and you have to get out - how? I can see at least three options: by driving the remorhaz through the ice; by breaking through the top of the glacier and jumping clear; by riding your sled back down through the icy halls. Other options I've missed?

 

[MortalPlague]

* After beating the giant, the whole thing is collapsing and you have to get out - how? I can see at least three options: by driving the remorhaz through the ice; by breaking through the top of the glacier and jumping clear; by riding your sled back down through the icy halls. Other options I've missed?

Sure. Have the wizard cast 'Teleport'.

Just kidding.

 

[Piratecat]

Buzzkill.

Pemerton, no need for the giant to be undead at all. These playtest PCs are just loaded down with anti-undead options I want to see tested in play.

 

[steeldragons]

I was pleased to see that it only took me about two hours to make eight 7th lvl PCs, and that's starting from scratch and making my own character sheets. Updating them to 9th lvl took less than 5 minutes per PC.

So here's a question: at 9th level, how many magic items (if any) should I start them with? I think there's some logic to handing out magic during the playtest but giving them none to start. Lower learning curve, cooler sense of discovery. Tenser's Troublesome Toboggan, anyone?

Hmmm. Well, this is a toughy since it is totally dependent on the flavor of the world you want to expose them to...For myself/what I see as reasonable, in keeping with the stated intentions of 5e to keep magic items uncommon...I'd go with something/thinking like this...come journey with me through the PCs non-existent history ...

1st level. Nada.
By 3rd level they've found expendables (potion/scroll) or minor item. By the time they reach 9th, they've gone through who knows how many, but have 1 (or still possess the minor item).
By 5th level they have acquired a magic weapon (no higher than +2) or something defensive (armor, shield, ring or cloak) or minor magic item (like a wand or staff of striking for casters who wouldn't be interested in magic weapons) ...Caster classes get an additional expendable or minor item.
7th level gets them a either a second weapon/armor/shield or miscellaneous/wondrous item.

9th level...the adventure begins, who knows what wonders are yet to be had?

So, just to flesh out, your starting 9th level PCs would have [totally hypothetically]
Fighter 1 picks up: (3) potion of healing, (5) Longsword +2, and (7) 10 Arrows +1 (for her short bow)
Fighter 2, a dwarf: (3) scroll of protection from undead (, (5) Shield +2, and (7) Hammer +1
Cleric: (3) scroll of 3 spells, (5) Scale mail +1 and a potion of giant strength, (7) boots of levitation.
Mage 1: (3) potion of water breathing, (5) cloak of protection +2 and a scroll of 2 spells, (7) staff of fireballs (think i just made that up, but like mages with staves more than wands.
Thief, the halfling, of course: (3) ring of warmth, (5) dagger +1, +3 vs. giants, (7) rope of climbing
Fighter/Mage...a.k.a. the elf!: (3) potion of flying, (5) longbow +1 and scroll of 2 spells, (7) cloak of elvinkind
etc..
etc...

Think that looks decent...even, maybe a bit light. Throw everyone an extra miscellaneous item? But either way, for a one shot/4 hour session seems adequate.

 

[Piratecat]

Brainstorming needed for DnDNext playtest: "Against the Tyranny of the Frost Gi

Excellent. Looks like I'm down to three or four players for this weekend; anyone in Las Vegas want to play?

 

[aike]

NICE! you can go up from VIKINGS/DEMONS , losts souls with a ghost ship , wandering for salvation !

 

[Lackhand]

I did some statistics on this a little while ago, for exactly 7th level (I wanted to run White Plume Mountain. Did run it, actually).
The math is a bit funky, but looking at the experience points you're supposed to have per level, the treasure from each encounter, assuming a four person party, etc, I got that each seventh level character could reasonably have:
2x rare items
8x uncommon items
32x common items
(assuming nothing ever got sold, none of them were consumable, etc).
The booklet suggests 1 permanent item is equivalent to 1d2+1 consumable items.
I also allowed a man-at-arms (the "human warrior" from the bestiary) or a pony to be a common item.

You might dock them some number of items which would logically have been scrolls and healing potions (and would've been drunk/read). Logically it then follows that new wizard spells are common items, too.
You might also allow swapping up or down the scale at an 8:1 ratio.

This is a lot of potential gear!
For my game, I capped players at 7+strength bonus items (things like coins, torches, throwing knives, potions could be in a pouch or bandoleer, which counted as its own item), which puts a strong cap on how many healing potions they were wandering around with.