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Message: <blockquote data-quote="buddhafrog" data-source="post: 5165054" data-attributes="member: 86605">I was listening to icosahedrophilia's actual play 4e D&D podcast (five stars!), and during several of the earlier podcasts, one of the PC's had a recurring dream/nightmare.  I believe it was generally meant to help the PC's keep in mind the overall mission and not lose it in the midst of all their immediate adventures....... but it got me thinking about dreams/nightmares in campaigns.  Have you used PC dreams in your campaigns?  Any good suggestions/stories?  Did you have certain factors trigger the dreams?I'd like to use dreams but don't have any good ideas of how to use it effectively within the story.  I could just give a character a recurring nightmare - and probably one less healing surge on those nights he has the dream - that also reminds the PC about the overall mission.  However, I think I'd like to make it slightly more central to the story as well possibly have a mechanic that triggers the nightmares.One example I will probably use in one of my campaigns: A fighter PC's backstory is that he used to be a personal guard for a wealthy merchant.  His merchant's caravan was ambushed and the merchant and most of the PC's fellow guards/friends were killed.  Since then, he has a fear of failing and not protecting people he is close to.  In game terms, usually when any of his PC group members reaches 0 HP or some similar dangerous situation and/or this PC didn't protect the other PC's, that night I will make the PC have the nightmare and gain less healing surges.  The PC tossed and turned most of the night and the next day will have a headache and tired.(btw, our homebrew rule is: each night rest only equals 1~5 healing surges depending upon where and how safely, deeply the PC's can sleep)</blockquote>

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