Stuff I want (From you 3pp People)

[Scribble]

From what I'm gathering from this thread, folks seem to be wanting more DM tools from third parties, leaving the player tools to WotC/Character Builder.

So things like adventures, settings, monsters, and other things are the desired result.

Sound about right?

DM tools are probably the best bet for me, but even then what's more important, for me at least, is that they work WITH what I have, and not try to replace it.

 

[crash_beedo]

Yes, 3PP can't compete with the monopoly created by DDI and CharBuilder - why would they even want to?

Let's see - I want books with DM aides - traps, short encounters and delves, hazards. New campaign settings, maybe a 4E sandbox? I would find something like the rogues gallery useful, a book of statted NPC's or 'companion characters'. That may not fly with the GSL, though.

I need to look hard at Azgar's Book of Rituals... that's a potential player book that may not be co-opted by DDI.

Oh - and Deities and Demigods for 4E, or something similar. WOTC seems to have no interest.

 

[buddhafrog]

I would also like something like a book of "minor" quests. Things I can throw in as "side jobs" for the PCs to pick up while on the bigger quests. Basically a big book of minor activities (On your way past Freetown deliver this note to Gruman the Dwarven smith...) I can randomly plop into the game to bring it to life.

I also want a bunch of skill challenges. As many as you can think of. A big huge book filled with skill challenges for various situations would be awesome.

I also wouldn't mind a big book of traps, and a big book of usable terrain like in DMG2 (not sure if you can release that stuff.)

I'd also like just plain terrain elements. Give me unique things I can put into a dungeon to add color or give bonuses or penalties... (Like the stuff in the last Dungeoncraft... give me a TON of that stuff I can brows through and pick from...).

Agree completely. I'd love a "Dungeon Delve" but NOT in dungeons -- adding a little more detail to make it a very minor quest.

A book of traps, skill challenges (and maybe the terrain elements, not sure on that one) would be tremendously helpful for this new DM. I'd buy for sure.

 

[Rechan]

I also wouldn't mind a big book of traps, and a big book of usable terrain like in DMG2 (not sure if you can release that stuff.)

I'd also like just plain terrain elements. Give me unique things I can put into a dungeon to add color or give bonuses or penalties... (Like the stuff in the last Dungeoncraft... give me a TON of that stuff I can brows through and pick from...)

I agree with this.

Book of Treacherous Footing

I've been clamoring for this stuff every time this topic comes up. A book of Fantastic Terrain is something I'd buy in a heartbeat. As well as the Dungeoncraft dungeon dressing and plot ponts.

Sites of Interest

A book of adventure sites. Not mini-adventures, not encounters (per se), but stuff to make my brain go "ooh". Wotc's "Worlds and Monsters" Preview book had good examples, where they mentioned an underdark Troglodyte fortress made of hollowed out fungi, and the sentries would hide inside flaps of the fungus, etc, so they could surround a party. Another examlpe I just thought of, "Here is a hot spring that gushes from the pure heart of the Frozen Mountain. Water from the spring is said to wash out any poison, but the hot spring is the domain of Cragstrider, a surly satyr who can dry up the water with a glare."

I want something that invokes a feeling of wonder or mystery or magic, or anything that would be a great place to have the PCs hear about in legend or in local rumors or have to find in order to do X. That is what I truly need for my games.

Two product lines which correspond with the above (published under 3e) were "En Route" and "Foul Locales". En Route was just "random encounters" that you could have during travel. Foul Locales were adventure sites (map, background, etc). I would like to see something somewhere in the middle - some adventure sites only need a paragraph to three. Others need a little encounter writeup. (I'd also like to see roleplaying encounters; En Route had quite a few of those).

Objective Based Encounter design

One other thing. I want to see someone with writing finesse to tackle Objective Based Encounters. The DMG2 mentions it, but doesn't go far enough. This thread is on the right track, but I want to see someone take these ideas and iron them out into a smoothly running model. "Here's a specific example/encounter. Here are the rules for it." Design the parameters of the mini-game.

[sblock="Example"]
Situation: The Zombic Cult is going to engage in a ritual involving five sites of interest inside the town. If they succeed, a zombie-curse will start to spread (and bad things happen).

Objective: Disable all sites. If an active Ritual Site is not stopped in time, the curse starts. For every site that succeeds, the more powerful the curse.

For the GM: Start with the first Ritual Site. PCs have X rounds to stop the site once it has gone Active.

PCs must do A or B to stop the ritual/deface the glyph/destroy the material (similar to the Countermeasures for a trap, plus any creative idea the PC has).

Here are some obstacles in their way (typical enemies/protections at ritual site).

After Y rounds, one of the 4 sites (roll d4) becomes Active. PCs know when a site becomes Active.

(This Objective can be reskinned to goblins setting fires in a forest to cause a blaze, terrorists setting up bombs, or even NPC enemies attacking five important sites like force field generators/wards, and the PCs must defend them once they start attacking that site. The important thing is getting the rules parameters of the Objective set.)
[/sblock]

Facing the Fair Folk

I would absolutely adore a book dealing with Fey. And I do not mean a book that just says "Here's some stats, have fun". No, I want Fey psychology discussed. How do they act? How do they SEE the world? The PLayers? How about some rules for a fairy revelry (where people can be trapped for all time if they stay at the party and partake of drink/food or dance). Making deals with the fey. Riddles, encounters of non-combat sorts (a pixie prank, challenging a powerful fey to a musical duel).

Misc

The aforementioned Book of Side-Quests or Arcana Unearthed (but BALANCED) wouldn't be a bad investment.

 

[Derulbaskul]

There are some really cool suggestions in this thread already. While I am duplicating some of those suggestions what I want is as follows:

1. Generic adventures. WotC has dropped the ball, IMO, with the adventures that they have published so there is room for more adventures in the market. Three requests for prospective adventure publishers:

- If I wanted the names William and Sarah I would play d20 Modern or some sort of pulp names. I like fantasy names but remember that apostrophes should be used to indicate possession, not to make it sound like an NPC received their name from someone with a speech impediment.
- Please include good maps. If you can, hire Ed Bourelle (or almost any of the WotC cartographers): clean, simple, easy to map but they look great too.
- Hire an editor. Yes, one who is fluent in English. Please.

2. A book of encounters, interesting terrain and delves so I can drop things into my own adventures (but see the points in 1 above). (Rechan's idea for the Book of Treacherous Footing/Fantastic Terrain is great.)

3. I would love to see a book giving a unique description to all the magic items in the GSL and if the item appears at different levels, a unique description at each level with a generic, but interesting, history. It's just something that would save me time but would really add to the flavour of my games.

4. I would like to see a book of monster and NPCs with sample lairs for the monsters and personality traits/"seven sentence NPC"-descriptions for the NPCs.

 

[Jhaelen]

Sites of Interest

A book of adventure sites. Not mini-adventures, not encounters (per se), but stuff to make my brain go "ooh".

We'll get two of these from WotC in the first half of 2010:
1) Hammerfast due in April, and
2) Vor Rukoth due in July

 

[Rechan]

We'll get two of these from WotC in the first half of 2010:
1) Hammerfast due in April, and
2) Vor Rukoth due in July

Yeah, no.

See, that's like ordering a big steak dinner, whereas I'm requesting a ton of sample sizes on toothpicks.

That WotC is dong is just saying "Here's an entire city to insert into your campaign". I'm talking about "Here's one to three paragraphs of a small location you can drop into your campaign".

I mean like an interesting shrine. A forest made of glass. Any spot where it's basically a unique blip on the radar the PCs can stumble into for a quarter of a session.

Why? With a book of bite sized ones, you get tons and tons of them. As opposed to ONE that is exceedingly fleshed out. It's a matter of options (as well as scope).

 

[Bluenose]

In addition to many of the other things people have suggested in the 'DM Tools' range, I'd like to see a book of Patrons (using the Traveller term). People who have small jobs that need doing, that can be easily inserted into any campaign. Say there's someone who's desperate to get out of the city but claims they're wanted by the Watch, and they want the PCs to do it. Keep them open-ended enough to fit in many situations, and add a few suggested twists for the DM - perhaps the person isn't wanted at all, or they're actually a changeling assassin, etc.

 

[Rechan]

Are there any 3PP representatives reading this thread? Taking note?

What's funny is that this stuff isn't hard, necessarily. We in this thread are saying "book", but a 10, 20 page PDF would suit some folks needs here, in this department. It'd sell.

 

[buddhafrog]

Are there any 3PP representatives reading this thread? Taking note?

What's funny is that this stuff isn't hard, necessarily. We in this thread are saying "book", but a 10, 20 page PDF would suit some folks needs here, in this department. It'd sell.

Yeah, the ideas here have similar themes and wouldn't require a full book even -- put this together and a 3PP would have a great seller, I think.

I also agree that several pages designated to minor NPC's to grab from, just a few lines each, but most with some sort of small need/mission/quest that could also be pulled.

Where is this book?