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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BookTenTiger" data-source="post: 8528826" data-attributes="member: 6685541">Seeds of Hope One of the central metaphors of the Amnesis campaign is the idea of Seeds of Hope. The world is corrupt, but if the characters plant Seeds of Hope, they will grow into a better world. Characters carry Seeds of Hope within them; this is what makes them different than those who are corrupted or those who are hopeless. Communities have Seeds of Hope, but they are tempered by the Rot of Corruption. It is an adventurer’s job to nurture or liberate the Seed of Hope by eliminating the Rot of Corruption. Amnesis is home to many factions; without a central government, factions constantly battle each other for control of the realm. Each faction has a Seed of Hope and a Rot of Corruption. Adventurers can work to influence factions towards Hope, or use the Corruption to destroy the faction. The Seeds of Hope are important when imagining what a typical adventure actually looks like. In standard 5th Edition, an adventure might look something like this:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Arrive at a new location</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Find out about a local dungeon</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Explore the dungeon: kill creatures, find treasure</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Return to town to collect rewards</li> </ul>In Amnesis, an adventure will look something like this:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Arrive at a new community, or encounter a new faction</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Identify the Seeds of Hope and the Rot of Corruption</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Work to nurture the Seeds of Hope<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">by exploring a nearby dungeon</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">by fighting bad guys</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">by retrieving a magic item from Vaulten Hall</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">by traveling to somewhere dangerous</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">etc</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Use Downtime to secure the community and help it grow.</li> </ul>In order to mechanically support this adventure structure, Amnesis will use milestone levelling. Each community or faction will have a number of Seeds of Hope that will grant Milestone Experience. Adventurers can also receive new Gifts of Hope (magic items, feats, proficiencies, property, titles, etc) by securing communities through Downtime. Here’s what that might look like: Toadstone HollowToadstone Hollow is a village in the middle of a steep, wooded valley flanked by tall mountain slopes. It has traditionally been a mining village, digging into the nearby mountains for masonry stone. Toadstone Hollow is well known for its tradition of folk songs about the mines, mythology, and magic of the mountains. Since the fall of Vaulten Hall, Toadstone Hollow has suffered from a corruption of its mines. Strange voices echo from deep within the tunnels, causing nightmares and madness in those who listen. Most villagers attempt to block out or ignore the voices, but some have formed a cult worshiping the strange susurrations and trying to appease it with blood sacrifices. Seeds of HopeAdventurers can return hope to Toadstone Hollow by…<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Silencing the Voice in the Mines<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The voice is coming from the cursed corpse of Doreah, a woman who the musician Jonas Goldenrod sacrificed deep in the mines in order to make a deal with a fiend.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Repair the Mining Equipment<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The mining equipment was scavenged for parts during the war.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Disassembling the Whispering Wardens<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">This cult has been seduced by the Voice in the Mines, and have been sacrificing souls in order to gain infernal power.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Discover the Source of the Nightmare Melody<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Jonas Goldenrod plays a haunting melody at night that gives his enemies nightmares.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Reestablishing the Folk Guard<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">These armed bards used to patrol the valley, but were broken up during the war.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Reopening the Toadstone Valley Trade Route<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">This trade route has been blocked by a band of ogres who demand a hefty bribe or an impossible contest of strength.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Holding a Music Contest<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The folk singers of Toadstone Hollow used to gather for a contest every year, but it hasn’t been held since the war.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Returning the Blessed Stonecarving Tools<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A local family of sculptors want to retrieve their ancestor’s magic stonecarving tools.</li> </ul></li> </ul>Once each Seed is completed, the characters would gain XP as if defeating an Easy, Medium, Hard, or Deadly Encounter (depending on how many Seeds there are, the pace of leveling, and so on). DM’s would also be encouraged to grant Milestone Experience for other tasks the characters choose to take on in order to improve the lives of the Toadstone Hollow villagers. Rot of CorruptionOnce the adventurers begin to spread hope in Toadstone Hollow, the Rot of Corruption will spread.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">After the first day, Jonas Goldenrod will begin to sing his Nightmare Melody. During a Long Rest, characters will have to make a Wisdom Saving Throw DC 10 or suffer from terrible nightmares or visions while a haunting song plays in their heads, and will not receive the benefits of a Long Rest.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Once the characters enter the mines, the Whispering Wardens will attack the Stonecutters Guild Hall, taking it over and transforming the statues into gargoyles.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If Jonas Goldenrod is not caught, after three days he will start to curse the other folk singers with his magic. Jonas will corrupt 1d4 musicians the first day, and then 1 each day after. As long as one of the musicians is free and cursed, they will continue to play the Nightmare Melody each night.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If the Voice in the Mines is not stopped after a week, Jonas Goldenrod and the other cursed musicians will spread their music to other communities. Any community the characters enter will have a 10% chance of having a cursed musician, who will play the Nightmare Melody when the characters rest.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If the Whispering Wardens are not stopped a week after taking the Stonecutters Guild Hall, they will open a portal to the Nine Hells, summoning fiends into Toadstone Hollow.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If the fiends are not stopped, they will take over Toadstone Hollow and carry all the villagers’ souls to the Nine Hells. Toadstone Hollow will be an abandoned town, desecrated and smelling of brimstone, the sound of whispering carried in the hot, dry wind.</li> </ul>Gift of HopeOnce the Voice in the Mine is silenced, and the Whispering Wardens have been defeated, the adventurers will be asked to guard Toadstone Hollow while the Stonecutters Guild rebuilds Stonesong, an amphitheater used before the war. The characters will have to spend three weeks in Toadstone Hollow, during which they may complete Downtime Activities. After three weeks, Stonesong will be opened. The amphitheater will provide a number of benefits:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Characters who attend a one-hour performance will gain the benefits of a Long Rest.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If the Folk Guard has been reestablished, bards from Toadstone Hollow will begin touring the realm, performing music celebrating the achievements of the adventurers. There is a 10% chance that any community the adventurers arrive in will have heard of their accomplishments. If so, the characters will have advantage on Persuasion checks made with citizens of the community.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If the Toadstone Trade Route has been reopened, music merchants will arrive and set up a market by Stonesong. They sell Masterwork Instruments that grant +1 to all ability checks made with them, and Bard Scrolls up to 2nd Level.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If the characters invest 500 gold pieces into the amphitheater, they will become owners of it. The chance of a community having heard one of the Stonesong musicians increases to 25%.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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