DerianCypher
First Post
Uhm, I bring my PCs together in a number of different ways.
The easiest is to have them just work for the same employer
DC
The easiest is to have them just work for the same employer
DC
-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
DMs, how did you bring the party together?
- Thread starter Ashrem Bayle
- Start date
I did a variant of the tavern intro once. Each of the group members was in the tavern separately when another adventurer came in and began making a scene about how he needed some companions for a rich haul he was about to make.
My players all gathered around the table, along with some other NPCs, and made their sales pitches. The rogue was wily, the sorcerer mysterious, etc. After about five minutes of talk, the adventurer grabbed four other guys and left with them.
The PCs were all left sitting alone at the table stunned. The sorcerer looked around blankly and said: "I don't think this has ever happened to me before."
And from there the party was made.
My players all gathered around the table, along with some other NPCs, and made their sales pitches. The rogue was wily, the sorcerer mysterious, etc. After about five minutes of talk, the adventurer grabbed four other guys and left with them.
The PCs were all left sitting alone at the table stunned. The sorcerer looked around blankly and said: "I don't think this has ever happened to me before."
And from there the party was made.
Trevalon Moonleirion
Explorer
In my current campaign, I think I had a pretty damn inventive idea for getting the PCs together...well... it was inventive for me... but that's not saying much! LOL
Anyhow, for my current game, the PCs all traveled to Silverymoon in FR for Midsummer's Festival or some such thing. They were all enjoying the festivities, and got picked to play in games up on a stage or sorts in the middle of a market. I had them dice a few of the games with some skill/ability checks and whatnot to get them sort of acquainted, and then all hell started to break loose as some guy started attacking people during the middle of one of the games.
Anyhow, for my current game, the PCs all traveled to Silverymoon in FR for Midsummer's Festival or some such thing. They were all enjoying the festivities, and got picked to play in games up on a stage or sorts in the middle of a market. I had them dice a few of the games with some skill/ability checks and whatnot to get them sort of acquainted, and then all hell started to break loose as some guy started attacking people during the middle of one of the games.
re
This is how I brought the party together for my current campaign:
First, a young girl who has just run away from home because of religious differences with her family meets up with a young man who has left his corrupt and evil hometown after his mother died to seek for a better life.
The meet while the young girl is praying at a shrine to her Chosen god. They talk and decide to travel together for a time.
They obtain a job in the next town they go to. The job takes them to an out of the way village relatively far away from civiliztion.
Second, two wood elf characters come upon a group of men in the woods planning an attack on an alleged necromancer. The wood elves watch the road to see if what the men said is true.
They see a couple of travelers (aka the first two characters). They determine that they are probably not necromancers. They break up the ambush and help the first two characters.
They join up and head for town with one prisoner. They spend time trying to figure out why the men tried to ambush them.
Third, one of the first four characters was an NPC. A young wood elf priestess of Eilistraee. She is kidnapped why they are investigating disappearances in the area.
Her wood elven brother (one of the PC's who helped break up the ambush) runs to the Temple of Eilistraee in the Velarswood. He seeks aid. In come the other PC's.
Two drow priestesses of Eilistraee and two drow males (one the brother of the priestesses and the other the lover of one of the priestesses) are sent to help find the lost wood elf priestess of Eilistraee. They journey to the area where the wood elf priestess was lost and begin searching for her.
They set up a BoO in the surrounding woods and use diplomacy to obtain permission to search in the area from the local nobility.
Fourth, a wandering mage of Mystra is dispatched from the Church of Mystra in Harrowdale to look into why some arcane and divine casters have gone missing in the Haranshire area. The mage contacts Tauster who occasionally purchases spells and components from the church.
Tauster informs the mage that his apprentice is missing and that some other folk in the area are searching for his lost apprentice.
The wizard starts conducting his own search and is out on the Moors looking for some lost pilgrims that he heard about when he meets up with the rest of the party fighting Hell Hounds.
He helps them overcome the Hell hounds and they decide to work together to discover what evil is at work in Haranshire.
That is how I brought eight characters together while running the Night Below module.
I rarely use any kind of standard reason for why the adventurers come together. They must have some kind of tie to the area or some good reason for being there.
They must be of a similar temperament or have some kind of draw to each other to associate together. I can't stand trying to force square pegs into circles unless there is some extraordinary reason as to why, as in I don't like to have a thieving rogue in the same group as a Paladin when there is no good reason why they would travel together.
I love to come up with interesting ways to bring the characters together. Makes for a better story and a better game.
This is how I brought the party together for my current campaign:
First, a young girl who has just run away from home because of religious differences with her family meets up with a young man who has left his corrupt and evil hometown after his mother died to seek for a better life.
The meet while the young girl is praying at a shrine to her Chosen god. They talk and decide to travel together for a time.
They obtain a job in the next town they go to. The job takes them to an out of the way village relatively far away from civiliztion.
Second, two wood elf characters come upon a group of men in the woods planning an attack on an alleged necromancer. The wood elves watch the road to see if what the men said is true.
They see a couple of travelers (aka the first two characters). They determine that they are probably not necromancers. They break up the ambush and help the first two characters.
They join up and head for town with one prisoner. They spend time trying to figure out why the men tried to ambush them.
Third, one of the first four characters was an NPC. A young wood elf priestess of Eilistraee. She is kidnapped why they are investigating disappearances in the area.
Her wood elven brother (one of the PC's who helped break up the ambush) runs to the Temple of Eilistraee in the Velarswood. He seeks aid. In come the other PC's.
Two drow priestesses of Eilistraee and two drow males (one the brother of the priestesses and the other the lover of one of the priestesses) are sent to help find the lost wood elf priestess of Eilistraee. They journey to the area where the wood elf priestess was lost and begin searching for her.
They set up a BoO in the surrounding woods and use diplomacy to obtain permission to search in the area from the local nobility.
Fourth, a wandering mage of Mystra is dispatched from the Church of Mystra in Harrowdale to look into why some arcane and divine casters have gone missing in the Haranshire area. The mage contacts Tauster who occasionally purchases spells and components from the church.
Tauster informs the mage that his apprentice is missing and that some other folk in the area are searching for his lost apprentice.
The wizard starts conducting his own search and is out on the Moors looking for some lost pilgrims that he heard about when he meets up with the rest of the party fighting Hell Hounds.
He helps them overcome the Hell hounds and they decide to work together to discover what evil is at work in Haranshire.
That is how I brought eight characters together while running the Night Below module.
I rarely use any kind of standard reason for why the adventurers come together. They must have some kind of tie to the area or some good reason for being there.
They must be of a similar temperament or have some kind of draw to each other to associate together. I can't stand trying to force square pegs into circles unless there is some extraordinary reason as to why, as in I don't like to have a thieving rogue in the same group as a Paladin when there is no good reason why they would travel together.
I love to come up with interesting ways to bring the characters together. Makes for a better story and a better game.
Eosin the Red
First Post
I had everybody roll up 1st level characters, together we made up a lame excuse why they were travelling with a pilgrimage. The excuse involved some unusal happen stance.
About 30 people in total. Then a being of light and fire appears in the air before the whole group and I asked the party to make a reflex save for 1/2 damage vs a DC of 38 or take 86 paoints of damage (if they saved the first level characters only took 43 points).
Next they found themselves in a strange oasis. One of the people explained that they had been taken from the world by an infernal or celestial being before their alloted time. They were required to wait here until the end of their natural life span. Of course they manage to escape together and in doing so free themselves of destiny. They are a force outside of the rules nature - they cannot be scried, they are immune to charm, and they have lots of free time to kill but to everyone in their past life they are dead.
About 30 people in total. Then a being of light and fire appears in the air before the whole group and I asked the party to make a reflex save for 1/2 damage vs a DC of 38 or take 86 paoints of damage (if they saved the first level characters only took 43 points).
Next they found themselves in a strange oasis. One of the people explained that they had been taken from the world by an infernal or celestial being before their alloted time. They were required to wait here until the end of their natural life span. Of course they manage to escape together and in doing so free themselves of destiny. They are a force outside of the rules nature - they cannot be scried, they are immune to charm, and they have lots of free time to kill but to everyone in their past life they are dead.
Mustrum_Ridcully
Hero
In my campaign, they were imprisoned after the goverment of the space region they were decided to put all nonhumans and potential troublemakers into prison.
They were in the same "cell block" when the ship that transported them to a mining colony went under attack and made a crash landing. They had (without any equipment) to fight against some of the orcish raiders and than work together with the surviving crew to get off the planet (Not that it was a "bad" planet, just a bit.... primitive by the standards of space faring cultures. The standard "pseudomedieval" D&D world is nothing for real adventures)
Mustrum Ridcully
They were in the same "cell block" when the ship that transported them to a mining colony went under attack and made a crash landing. They had (without any equipment) to fight against some of the orcish raiders and than work together with the surviving crew to get off the planet (Not that it was a "bad" planet, just a bit.... primitive by the standards of space faring cultures. The standard "pseudomedieval" D&D world is nothing for real adventures)
Mustrum Ridcully
Ashrem Bayle said:For me, this is always one of the toughest parts of getting a game together. So how did you get all the characters together for the first time?
Me? What have I used?
1. All of the characters began as mercenaries and where guarding the same caravan.
2. "You are all sitting in a tavern..."
3. All of the characters where about the same age and lived in the same village when it was attacked by looting, pillaging, slaver orcs.
A possibility for my next game:
Somewhere, deep with an underground cavern, a small chamber houses a set of four metallic sarcophagi. Suddenly they all open in unison. Green smoke boils forth revealing four sleeping bodies. As one, their eyes pop open. They know not who they are, how long they have been here, or where they came from.
..er.. or something like that.
What about you?
Yup, used ALL of those... Even "The Sons of Canthor (and Melan)!"
Usually, letting the players create their PCs' histories, then work it out between them how the rest fit in works best.
The "you met along the way and joined together for safety, when SUDDENLY..." method is as bad as the "You meet in the inn" version, to me. In the current party, we have an Elf, Half-orc, and Dwarf among the crew!...
One scenario I used had each PC come to town for different reasons... One came because he heard the temple was understaffed, and wanted to be a Priest. One was lost, and fleeing bandits. One had stolen the bandit's loot, and was looking for a place to hide. One had spotted the looter's and bandits' track upon the road, and followed them in. One was a knight, heading home from an unsuccessful quest when he encountered another young armiger upon the road! They travelled together, for a while, and of course, the next town they came to just happened to be...
Ah, you guessed it!
Desdichado
Hero
Wow, that's an interesting twist. I might just steal this someday!RedCliff said:
MarauderX
Explorer
As a current player, the DM gives out rewards for writing up a back story that involves the world he created as well as tying in with all of the other players. It was a good way for us to meet each other and become aquainted, as each of us were also given motivations or tasks to complete that we were allowed to work in ourselves.
As DM, I also worked out the way of 'the strongest will survive' where the PCs and about 15 other NPCs are in a military patrol when they are attacked and their leader slain. Then it's up to all of the survivors to make it back home to report the attack, only they are being hunted the entire time. 1st level characters are afraid of a lot, so it doesn't take much to make them flee from a 3rd level evil druid in command of a pack of wolves, since they can't hide from them (scent) and they can't outrun them. Tehy get ambushed by the wolves on several occasions (1st level spot checks are pretty bad), they will stare in horror together as they watch an overloaded fighter get torn up while they were trying to run away.
I had a problem with the rogue PC who wanted to stay and fight, and a quick cure for this would be how the wolves use strategy. I used yet another doomed NPC to demonstrate how the wolves surround, trip, and pounce on opponents. I think this got the PCs used to one another and how they would behave in various dangerous situations.
In the end, almost all of the NPCs are dead, and the PCs survive the trek into the last village they had been. It was a good time, and making PCs check Intuit Direction as well as keeping track of fatigue for not sleeping left them weakened enough to stay on the run instead of trying to stay and fight.
As DM, I also worked out the way of 'the strongest will survive' where the PCs and about 15 other NPCs are in a military patrol when they are attacked and their leader slain. Then it's up to all of the survivors to make it back home to report the attack, only they are being hunted the entire time. 1st level characters are afraid of a lot, so it doesn't take much to make them flee from a 3rd level evil druid in command of a pack of wolves, since they can't hide from them (scent) and they can't outrun them. Tehy get ambushed by the wolves on several occasions (1st level spot checks are pretty bad), they will stare in horror together as they watch an overloaded fighter get torn up while they were trying to run away.
I had a problem with the rogue PC who wanted to stay and fight, and a quick cure for this would be how the wolves use strategy. I used yet another doomed NPC to demonstrate how the wolves surround, trip, and pounce on opponents. I think this got the PCs used to one another and how they would behave in various dangerous situations.
In the end, almost all of the NPCs are dead, and the PCs survive the trek into the last village they had been. It was a good time, and making PCs check Intuit Direction as well as keeping track of fatigue for not sleeping left them weakened enough to stay on the run instead of trying to stay and fight.
