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Message: <blockquote data-quote="THEMNGMNT" data-source="post: 8222109" data-attributes="member: 6809274">Storm King's Thunder gets a bad rap around here, but I DM'd most of that adventure and really liked it. Some pointers:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Since you'll be playing through Lost Mind of Phandelver and/or Dragon of Icespire Peak, you can throw out the intro portion of SKT and just skip to the giant lairs. However, there are some interesting locations and encounters from the first couple chapters, so don't throw out the baby with the bath water. I ran a really fun adventure in Goldenfields, for example.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You'll want to change the overall plot structure. SKT has the PCs run across the North in a rather nonsensical fetch quest just to figure out how to get to a key location. You can cut that entirely. Moreover, the adventure only requires PCs to visit 1 or 2 giant lairs, which means that over 50% of the adventure goes unused if played as written. Instead, just give the PCs a common sense reason for visiting each giant lair. Like, for example, defeating the giant chief/jarl/king in each lair because they are attacking civilization. Or maybe each has a piece of an artifact that the PCs need.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Related to that, there's a secret villain pulling the strings in SKT. I'd suggest that you add an agent of the secret villain to each giant lair to hint at the villain's master scheme.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The giant lairs are all brilliant and lead to very different play experiences. Each takes 2-5 four hour sessions to complete. They're satisfying but never wear out their welcome.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Find ways to make the chief giant in each lair more prominent. You want them to be truly villainous. Foreshadow them, have them appear in other adventures, create opportunities for players to interact with them in non-combat situations, etc. And make them bastards.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Don't feel obligated to include each and every giant lair. Choose the ones that really speak to you.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Feel free to change the climax if you wish. For my climax, I borrowed Skyreach Castle from Hoard of the Dragon Queen and had the PCs fighting storm giants, an ancient blue dragon, and three archmages in the middle of a thunderstorm...and then the whole thing crashed to the earth!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Give your PCs a break from giants by putting an adventure or two in between each giant lair. Variety is the spice of life.</li> </ul>Good gaming!</blockquote>

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