Adventure starts.

[Dryfus]

Quick question about starting an adventure.

I'm gonna be starting a game soon, and was wondering how DMs out there got their groups together(ie the characters not the players). Grew up in the same town, joined a guild, hired by NPC noble. Need some ideas, I have a few, but have used them with this group already.

 

[Crothian]

The players tell me how their characters get together and know each each other.

 

[WhimsyTheFae]

Quick question about starting an adventure.

I'm gonna be starting a game soon, and was wondering how DMs out there got their groups together(ie the characters not the players). Grew up in the same town, joined a guild, hired by NPC noble. Need some ideas, I have a few, but have used them with this group already.

I have used the following:

- Grew up in the same town/friends/related (I've done this the most)

- Hired by the mysterious guy/merchant/guild

- Served together in a war

- Gladiators/Slaves/Prisoners together

- Met in a tavern

- Met at the Challenger of Champions (from Dragon Mag) and joined together

- Came upon the "opening scene" at the same time and reacted accordingly


I think that sums up my most used party builders...

 

[shilsen]

They all woke up dead.

 

[BroccoliRage]

excerpt from Broccoli Rage's homemade guidebook to Ryetelh campaigns (ryetelth is my world)-

from time to time all dm's are lacking for adventure hooks, and they often try winging it as a method. this is bad and all dm's who do it should be hit with a rolled up newspaper and be told that they do that outside. Never fear, my random mission generation table is here.

roll 1 d12!


1 relic recovery
2 treasure horde legend
3 threat to town
4 escort mission
5 raid
6 kidnapping
7 kidnapping rescue
8 assasination
9 extermination of local nuisance
10 pilgramage
11 war, local or national, (national makes it easier to draft them) (often leads to seige)
12 break seige

this is particularly good for low levels.

(end quote)

wars are good character builders. if youd like to know a good quick and dirty way to run mass combat i can help you there as well.

have each player roll a d20 twice. the first is the glory roll and the second is the honor roll. they must get over their glory roll to survive that round of mass combat and the honor roll determines if they did something heroic to inspire their troops. clerics are usually available during wars as are physicians, so resurrection and healing are still possible. hope i was of some help. if you want a twist to bringing them together, have them start off in the local militia or they all get drafted or impressed into the local navy. a world of fun can be had with adventures at sea.....


witty phrase

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

I've done about everything.

I encourage characters to build in knowing each other into their backstories.

But, generally, I jsut use the first session to get the party together.

I make sure theu understand a little bit of "Player Character Knowledge" is used to understand why they feel a strange drawe towards this other person.

Just try not to overuse any 1 idea.

You meet in the Tavern is done to death.

Waking up chained together, naked as prisoners has also been done to death (as in more than once).

If you allow people to make disparet characters, you'll have to get creative to get them together.

 

[Dryfus]

Thanks

Thanks for all the great ideas, I'll use most of them at some point I'm, sure.

 

[Yair]

The players tell me how their characters get together and know each each other.

Precisely. Make the players work for you.

I tell the players before the campaign starts the initial plot hook: for example, an ogre living in the mountains is terrorizing a village. When making their characters, the players make up why they respond, what are they doing there, and how come they are in this together.

 

[RichCsigs]

They all woke up dead.

And your going to expand upon this now, right? Because I am intrigued.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Check out the link in my sig, regarding puppies. There's a sample from that RPG on the website that involves getting the players to tell you how they got together, and it's very simply and directly written. That's really the best way to do it, because then:

1. The players determine their own backgrounds without DM interference (although veto may have to be used).
2. They provide the DM with hooks to motivate them
3. You don't need to find a way to get them together, which always somehow seems contrived.