D&D 5E Jungles of Chult hexcrawl setup
Eltab
Lord of the Hidden Layer
I created a Tabaxi Ranger for ToA and part of the background is "has not been more than 1 day's travel away from civilization". The DM can give me rumors but as an L1 character I have no practical experience in the jungle. I did this, in part, to avoid the "Well of course my character knows everything" problem.
Quickleaf
Legend
My experience of a homebrewed hexcrawl-heavy run of TOA was actually the opposite – my players being natives made them all the more invested in the lore and local political environment. But I also took a lot of creative liberties.
Maybe your PCs are united in opposition to a rival explorer/party who is/are just the worst. Basically, Team Indiana Jones vs. the Nazis. The PCs may not agree at all times, and may sometimes work at cross-purposes, but the one thing they're united in is that the "Nazis" are bad news for Chult and cannot be allowed to win.
Eltab
Lord of the Hidden Layer
Group motive (requires the players to know some FR lore and history)
Baldurs Gate sponsored a colony settlement in Chult. You know they are trying to cut everybody else (Waterdeep, Amn, Tethyr, Calimshan, &c) out of the profits. We can mess them up and get -our city- a crack at the wealth too !
Baldurs Gate sponsored a colony settlement in Chult. You know they are trying to cut everybody else (Waterdeep, Amn, Tethyr, Calimshan, &c) out of the profits. We can mess them up and get -our city- a crack at the wealth too !
pukunui
Legend
I've had a few more ideas:
*I thought about just running the intro to Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, in which Volo asks the PCs to find his missing friend, and then have him 'pay' them by paying for them to accompany him to Port Nyanzaru instead of giving them the deed to Trullskull Manor. However, I didn't really enjoy that adventure last time I ran it.
*Last time I ran Tomb of Annihilation, I started at 5th level, after having run The Sunless Citadel and The Forge of Fury as separate, unrelated adventures. I could run just The Sunless Citadel as an introductory adventure before sending the PCs to Chult. Perhaps I could have Volo send them to search for his friends (the gnome cleric or a member of the ill-fated adventuring party) and then, as above, he offers to pay for them to accompany him on his trip to Port Nyanzaru for his book tour. He might then encourage them to explore the jungle so he can write about it. (He could then be the source of potential adventure hooks, introducing the PCs to various quest givers whenever they're in the city.)
*I could turn this into an Acquisitions Incorporated adventure and have the PCs go to Chult to set up their franchise. I could run the first episode of the Orrery of the Wanderer (and maybe even run subsequent episodes but set them in Chult). They could get themselves a mobile headquarters with which to explore the jungle. They could set themselves up as rivals to the Flaming Fist, too, who would be encroaching on their franchise patch (as would the Zhentarim).
*I could try and 'cut out' the opening Dead Three cultist-focused adventure from Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus and use that as an intro, tying in the connections between Baldur's Gate and Chult (e.g. the Flaming Fist stuff). Perhaps if they do well enough against the cultists, the Fists could send them to Chult to help out down there. Alternatively, if I were to end up incorporating the death curse, maybe I could tie in the Dead Three cultists somehow and have that adventure lead to Chult instead of to Avernus. I haven't fully read the adventure, though, so I don't know how integrated the Elturel/Zariel/Nine Hells stuff is.
*I could even run 'A Great Upheaval' from Storm King's Thunder as an intro adventure. I didn't use it for my SKT campaign. Perhaps the giants who seized the Nightstone took it to Chult for some reason.
One of the reasons I am thinking of running one of the above as an introductory adventure is because a) Tomb of Annihilation is one of the only 5e hardcover campaigns that doesn't have an introductory adventure and b) my 11 year-old daughter will be joining us for her first-ever D&D campaign, and I thought it would be nice to start her off with something more traditional than adventuring in the jungle.
*I thought about just running the intro to Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, in which Volo asks the PCs to find his missing friend, and then have him 'pay' them by paying for them to accompany him to Port Nyanzaru instead of giving them the deed to Trullskull Manor. However, I didn't really enjoy that adventure last time I ran it.
*Last time I ran Tomb of Annihilation, I started at 5th level, after having run The Sunless Citadel and The Forge of Fury as separate, unrelated adventures. I could run just The Sunless Citadel as an introductory adventure before sending the PCs to Chult. Perhaps I could have Volo send them to search for his friends (the gnome cleric or a member of the ill-fated adventuring party) and then, as above, he offers to pay for them to accompany him on his trip to Port Nyanzaru for his book tour. He might then encourage them to explore the jungle so he can write about it. (He could then be the source of potential adventure hooks, introducing the PCs to various quest givers whenever they're in the city.)
*I could turn this into an Acquisitions Incorporated adventure and have the PCs go to Chult to set up their franchise. I could run the first episode of the Orrery of the Wanderer (and maybe even run subsequent episodes but set them in Chult). They could get themselves a mobile headquarters with which to explore the jungle. They could set themselves up as rivals to the Flaming Fist, too, who would be encroaching on their franchise patch (as would the Zhentarim).
*I could try and 'cut out' the opening Dead Three cultist-focused adventure from Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus and use that as an intro, tying in the connections between Baldur's Gate and Chult (e.g. the Flaming Fist stuff). Perhaps if they do well enough against the cultists, the Fists could send them to Chult to help out down there. Alternatively, if I were to end up incorporating the death curse, maybe I could tie in the Dead Three cultists somehow and have that adventure lead to Chult instead of to Avernus. I haven't fully read the adventure, though, so I don't know how integrated the Elturel/Zariel/Nine Hells stuff is.
*I could even run 'A Great Upheaval' from Storm King's Thunder as an intro adventure. I didn't use it for my SKT campaign. Perhaps the giants who seized the Nightstone took it to Chult for some reason.
One of the reasons I am thinking of running one of the above as an introductory adventure is because a) Tomb of Annihilation is one of the only 5e hardcover campaigns that doesn't have an introductory adventure and b) my 11 year-old daughter will be joining us for her first-ever D&D campaign, and I thought it would be nice to start her off with something more traditional than adventuring in the jungle.
Eltab
Lord of the Hidden Layer
Could the Frost Giants commit a raid against -wherever the new PCs happen to be - for easy-to-grab supplies on their trek to find the Ring of Winter? Revenge! gives the group a reason to track them down ... an awfully long way ... where frost giants usually wouldn't touch. What's so important to them as all that?
In this case, replace the Zhents coming to Nightstone Town with Frost Giants looking for an easy plunder stop-off (they saw the flying fortress stop and drop; this means the little-folk defenders will be out of sorts from fighting already).
In this case, replace the Zhents coming to Nightstone Town with Frost Giants looking for an easy plunder stop-off (they saw the flying fortress stop and drop; this means the little-folk defenders will be out of sorts from fighting already).
pukunui
Legend
I’m currently leaning towards running the Dead Three in Baldur’s Gate as an intro, with a modified version of the Deagon Heist intro as a close second.
My girls have both been playing Diablo 3 lately, and the Dead Three adventure has similar vibes. They liked the sound of that.
The Dragon Heist intro is shorter and simpler and I could have Volo give them a ship instead of a tavern (or just go with my original idea of having him pay for them to go with him to Chult).
My girls have both been playing Diablo 3 lately, and the Dead Three adventure has similar vibes. They liked the sound of that.
The Dragon Heist intro is shorter and simpler and I could have Volo give them a ship instead of a tavern (or just go with my original idea of having him pay for them to go with him to Chult).
pukunui
Legend
I just had a crazy but potentially awesome idea! I know I’ve been a vocal critic of Dragon Heist for being a railroady mess.
But I just had the thought that I could transpose the whole thing to Chult! I’d use Jarlaxle as the main villain so that the PCs could potentially gain his submarine, which they could potentially use to find Aremag’s lair and/or go all 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea against the pirates. (Jarlaxle and his group could be in Port Nyanzaru having just visited Lantan to pick up the submarine and some nimblewrights.)
The other thing is that the hidden treasure hoard could have been left behind by the Amnians after they were forced out. I can rework Renaer as an Amnian noble. Same with the Gralhunds. They can be colonial remnants.
Volo initiates the quest as usual. The Zhents can still be Zhents but I may have to replace the Xanathar’s Guild with some other group.
Port Nyanzaru doesn’t have sewers, so the secret hideout could be in one of the ziggurats.
Volo can still award them with a tavern in the city, and that part can be run as normal. Instead of doing faction quests, though, the PCs can do some exploring of the jungle (to make money to rebuild their tavern).
Then fireball! Gralhunds are involved. Drow are involved. Substitute Laeral with one of the merchant princes.
Final location of hoard could be in a jungle ruin somewhere (rather than hidden under the city) or it could be in one of the ziggurats.
Instead of a gold dragon, I could have a guardian the PCs actually have to fight.
Merchant princes can claim hoard for city, let PCs keep some of it.
Jarlaxle might need a slightly different motivation - he might still want to buy his way into the Lords’ Alliance, but that would benefit the Sword Coast not Chult.
Needs some further development but it could work!
But I just had the thought that I could transpose the whole thing to Chult! I’d use Jarlaxle as the main villain so that the PCs could potentially gain his submarine, which they could potentially use to find Aremag’s lair and/or go all 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea against the pirates. (Jarlaxle and his group could be in Port Nyanzaru having just visited Lantan to pick up the submarine and some nimblewrights.)
The other thing is that the hidden treasure hoard could have been left behind by the Amnians after they were forced out. I can rework Renaer as an Amnian noble. Same with the Gralhunds. They can be colonial remnants.
Volo initiates the quest as usual. The Zhents can still be Zhents but I may have to replace the Xanathar’s Guild with some other group.
Port Nyanzaru doesn’t have sewers, so the secret hideout could be in one of the ziggurats.
Volo can still award them with a tavern in the city, and that part can be run as normal. Instead of doing faction quests, though, the PCs can do some exploring of the jungle (to make money to rebuild their tavern).
Then fireball! Gralhunds are involved. Drow are involved. Substitute Laeral with one of the merchant princes.
Final location of hoard could be in a jungle ruin somewhere (rather than hidden under the city) or it could be in one of the ziggurats.
Instead of a gold dragon, I could have a guardian the PCs actually have to fight.
Merchant princes can claim hoard for city, let PCs keep some of it.
Jarlaxle might need a slightly different motivation - he might still want to buy his way into the Lords’ Alliance, but that would benefit the Sword Coast not Chult.
Needs some further development but it could work!
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Eltab
Lord of the Hidden Layer
With no Death Curse, there is no reason for Valindra (sp?) to be in the Heart of Ubtao. Put a religious-themed guardian in there instead. The Amnian lord made a "large donation" to the shrine, confident that nobody else would come to mess with it until he returned in secret. For a twist, there is no money but valuable trade goods: silk printed in Kara-Tur, incense, relics, solid-gold altarware (with a blank spot but no holy symbols on it), historical artifacts and curiosities, rare (in Chult) woods (oak, cherry, cedar, maple), "ducal signet ring" (false). Books: Ranger tome George of the Jungle (this guy learns a new favored terrain, the hard way), Dinosaur Wildshaping: A Druid's Guide. Magic items such as a Room Cooler (temp a nice 75* and <50% humidity), Sword of the Jungle (make something up), Bracers of Animal Handling: Dinosaur.
If you put the hoard in the city, the guardian might be a shrunk-down T-Rex Zombie that vomits up an endless stream of Small-size zombies (Velociraptors?). Give them a foretaste of things to come - cue King of Feathers.
I thought about switching the Ytepka Society for Xanathar, but that alters the unique identities of both groups too much.
My Dragon Heist group got to play with the submarine. As written it goes about 1 MPH under its own power (oops); you'll have to fix that. Doing the CSS Hunley thing to the pirates does sound like fun.
Jarlaxle doesn't mind buying his way into the Lord's Alliance with other peoples' money, this is a cache that doesn't have a dragon guardian already on it, nor swarms of adventurers getting in his way seeking it. It has its own unique challenges to overcome, which is (to him) the fun part.
pukunui
Legend
Yes, the stash could be in the Heart! And yes, it should consist primarily of trade goods. Great idea. (Or maybe it could be in an extra-dimensional space that is only accessible from the Heart.)
I’m thinking I might have to come up with my own group that replaces the Xanathar Guild. I can make it a group that’s a front for Ras Nsi’s yuan-ti.
The Ytepka Society is weird because they kind of overlap / fill the Harpers’ niche, yet the Harpers themselves are also present.
The issue with Jarlaxle’s motivation is that by default, he can get the PCs on side because he says he’s just going to give the gold to Laeral anyway. While his ultimate motivation of using it to buy his way into the Lords’ Alliance can still work, by moving the adventure to Chult, he can’t convince the PCs to get on board by saying he’ll hand over the loot to the merchant princes, since they’re not part of the Alliance ... which is fine, ultimately, because when I tried to run Dragon Heist last time, I found it awkward running a villain whose goal actually wasn’t that villainous. It made sense to team up with him, in many respects.
I’m thinking I might have to come up with my own group that replaces the Xanathar Guild. I can make it a group that’s a front for Ras Nsi’s yuan-ti.
The Ytepka Society is weird because they kind of overlap / fill the Harpers’ niche, yet the Harpers themselves are also present.
The issue with Jarlaxle’s motivation is that by default, he can get the PCs on side because he says he’s just going to give the gold to Laeral anyway. While his ultimate motivation of using it to buy his way into the Lords’ Alliance can still work, by moving the adventure to Chult, he can’t convince the PCs to get on board by saying he’ll hand over the loot to the merchant princes, since they’re not part of the Alliance ... which is fine, ultimately, because when I tried to run Dragon Heist last time, I found it awkward running a villain whose goal actually wasn’t that villainous. It made sense to team up with him, in many respects.
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