DMs - what do you put in your campaign packets?

[lgburton]

so, this is obviously a question for people who dm alot - what material goes into your campaign packet?

for the most part, i tend to put in:

character generation rules
acceptable rules sources (for the players, at least )
character death rules
XP / Treasure rules
table rules (enforced), and a few non-enforced suggestions
house rules

written introduction to the campaign - location, etc...
small (DC 0 - 5) knowledge local items

anyone put in anything else? that they have found useful?

 

[Crothian]

my campaign note book and any adventures I'm running. For this new cmapign it included 45 defined building of the town they are in, three fully defined adventures ready for the players to go on,. And then various campaign notes that I may need during the sessions of other NPCs and a book of names and taverns so I'm ready for anything the players want to do.

Character generation is for the players and they should have characters made before we start. Rules source, are again players area to run past me, I don't make a list. Character death rules are in campaign notes, simple enough. XP treasure table are done in between session. XP gets factored after the session, and treasure gets figured out before a session. Tables rules are not needed, my players know what they should do, they are adults.

 

[lgburton]

what do you give to your players when starting a new campaign, is more of what i'm getting at?

especially if you have new (at least, to you as a DM) players in the group?

 

[Felon]

Current ToC for my campaign primer....

I. SETTING INFORMATION 3
About the Shadow Company 3
About the Player Characters 3
About Forgotten Realms 4
About the Silver Marches 4
Recommended Books for Play 4

II. CHARACTER GENERATION 5
Ability Scores 5
Starting Level 5
Hit Points 5
Starting Money & Equipment 5

III. PLAYER CHARACTER RACES 6
Favored Classes—No hamstrings! 6
PHB Races 6
Other Humanoid Races 6
Monsters as Player Characters 7

IV. CHARACTER CLASSES 8
Base Clases 8
Bards & Paladins Gain Prestige 8
Barbarians—Frenzy & Totem Options 8
Clerics—Spontaneous Casting 9
Monks—Unarmed Damage Alteration 9
Sorcerers—Get Some Hit Points & Lose the Toad… 9
Wizards—Spell Domains & Useful Familiars 9

Prestige Classes 9
Shadow Company Prestige Classes 10
Finding a Prestige Class That Suits You 10
Prestige Class Quick Reference Table 11

V. SKILLS 12
New Uses for Skills 12
Balance—Dashing Through the Snow 12
Sleight of Hand—Flick of the Wrist 12
Survival—Camouflage Object 12
Tumble—Kip-Up 12

Modified Skills 12
Disguise---Based on Wisdom 12
Hide & Move Silently—Merged 12
Open Locks—Merged 12

VI. SPELLS 13
Modified Spells 13

VII. FEATS 14
Homebrew Feats 14
Good Non-PHB Feats to Know About 15

 

[Crothian]

what do you give to your players when starting a new campaign, is more of what i'm getting at?

especially if you have new (at least, to you as a DM) players in the group?

My bad. I don't do things that way. My group has a messaage board and I post things that they need to know there. I started with a general over view iof the known world. I talked about the races and the different countries along with a very general history. I ask for questions as I help the players understand the world and find something they thing would be fun to play.

Each player has a private forum as well so I can tell them specific things they know that the other players do not. All the players get a few points like that that will matter in the campaign and sometimes their infomraiton is contridicting.

During this time they are asking questions and I'm slowly explaining things and covering the deatils. For the new campaign I ever wrote up a five page document that was basically a tour through the city they started in.

 

[jerichothebard]

The Index (abbreviated) from my campaign doc.

[b][i]Background Information (Character Knowledge)[/i][/b]
[b]The Land of Crescent[/b]
World Overview
The Crown of the Moon
The Forest of Illumination
The Plains and Deserts
The Iron Hills
The Sae duChaad
The Island of Lost Souls

[b]History[/b]
Overview
Timeline

[b]Religion[/b]
Overview
Major religious holidays
Cosmology

[b]Magic[/b]

[b]Politics[/b]
Overview

[b]Social Classes[/b]
Social and Political Groups

[b]Orders of the Church[/b]
The Sacred Orders
The Divine Orders
The Devout Orders

[b]Secular Organizations[/b]

[b]The Profane[/b]

[b][i]Game Play (Player Knowledge)[/i][/b]

[b]Character Creation[/b]
Ability Score Costs
Races
Racial Notes Table
Planetouched
General Planetouched Traits
The Blessed
The Tainted
Genasi – Air
Genasi – Earth
Genasi – Fire
Genasi – Water
Naming Conventions

[b]Character Classes[/b]
Barbarian
Bard
Cleric
Druid
Fighter
Monk
Paladin
Ranger
Rogue
Sorcerer
Wizard
Multiclassing

[b]Prestige Classes – General Notes[/b]

[b]Church-Related Prestige Classes[/b]
Loremaster
Contemplative
Hunter of the Dead
Exorcist
Church Inquisitor
Divine Voice
Mage Hunter
Holy Archer
Consecrated Harrier
Divine Crusader
Radiant Servants of ORB
Sword of Righteousness
Wonderworker

[b]Combat-Oriented Prestige Classes[/b]
Devoted Defender
Drunken Master
Duelist
Ghostwalker
Outrider
Lasher
Vigilante
Master Thrower
Invisible Blade
Tempest

[b]Skill and Ability-Oriented Prestige Classes[/b]
Shadowdancer
Dread Pirate
Dungeon Delver
Tomb Raiders
Thief-Acrobat
Virtuoso
Animal Lord
Horizon Walkers
Masters of Many Forms
Beastmaster
Windrider
Tattooed Monk
Spymaster

[b]Arcane Prestige Classes[/b]
Arcane Trickster
Blood Magus
Elemental Savant
Fatespinner
Mage of the Arcane Order
SpellSword

[b]Feats for this Campaign[/b]
Available Feats
General Guidelines
New Combat Feats
Anything Goes Long [General]
Normal

[b]Skills[/b]
Performance
New Skills
Craft – Tinker [Int]
Skill Types
Craft Skills
Knowledge Skills
Profession Skills

[b]Spellcasting[/b]
Overview
Spell Changes
Detect Magic
Animate Object
Searing Light

[b]Metamagic[/b]
How it Works
Uses per Day
Cost
Spell Level Adjustment
Multiple Metamagic Feats on a Spell
Magic Items and Metamagic Spells
Counterspelling Metamagic Spells
Metamagic Feats
Table 1: Metamagic Feats

[b]Combat[/b]

[b]Turning Undead[/b]
Bolstering Undead:
Greater Turning:
Turning Feats
Extra Turning [General]
Improved Turning [General]
Widen Turning [General]

[b]Equipment[/b]
Equipment Availability
Special Monk Weapons:
Escrima
Tonfa

[b]Firearms[/b]
Overview
Advantages
Disadvantages
Sample Firearms
Firearm Descriptions:
Firearm Feats
Salvage Ammunition [General]
Mishaps
Explosives
Sample Explosives
Explosives Descriptions

If you're interested in reading it drop me an email. It's a pretty large file, though - around a megabyte.

jtb

 

[Venport]

Hey Felon is there some way that i could get a copy of your PreGame info? i would love to see how you have adjusted things

 

[Aidan mac Culloch]

I include many similar elements to those listed above, with two additional items that I haven't seen mentioned thus far:

1. Occassionally, if the campaign warrants it, I include some specific "paths" characters can incorporate into their creation. These paths are designed with particular organizations or the like in mind, and the primary benefit is deeper roleplay. There are a few mechanical advantages but they are minor.

2. Almost always require familiarity with a town that is intended to be a "base" of operations, especially at earlier levels. So I usually have extensive fluff about a town, with a map and other miscellaneous info.

 

[James Heard]

Cyanide pills.

 

[Davmeister84]

Hey Felon is there some way that i could get a copy of your PreGame info? i would love to see how you have adjusted things

Seconded on that!