cfmcdonald
Explorer
Have other people noticed a tendency in modules to give all sorts of cool backstory to the DM that it's impossible (or nearly so) for the players to ever learn about, so that what seems like a really cool set-up to the DM is incoherent and/or meaningless from the perspective of the players?
I've noticed this in quite a few places, for example in Grasp of the Emerald Claw there's a monster that, according to the DM backstory was grown by the inhabitants of the dungeon since it was young and was fed with human sacrifices. To the players it's just a big monster in an empty room.
Off the top of my head, I also recall that in Lost City of Barakus there's a magic item that's dedicated to a certain god and which can only be retrieved by someone wearing another magic item dedicated to that god. Without bardic knowledge or legend lore (which is way beyond the intended level of the adventure) there's no way that PCs will make any connection between these items or know that they are dedicated to said god.
I've noticed this in quite a few places, for example in Grasp of the Emerald Claw there's a monster that, according to the DM backstory was grown by the inhabitants of the dungeon since it was young and was fed with human sacrifices. To the players it's just a big monster in an empty room.
Off the top of my head, I also recall that in Lost City of Barakus there's a magic item that's dedicated to a certain god and which can only be retrieved by someone wearing another magic item dedicated to that god. Without bardic knowledge or legend lore (which is way beyond the intended level of the adventure) there's no way that PCs will make any connection between these items or know that they are dedicated to said god.