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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BookTenTiger" data-source="post: 8407296" data-attributes="member: 6685541">The next step in using the Dragon’s Hoard is to involve the players! After the first adventure, as the players get used to their characters, I usually have a Session 0 Part 2 and ask them to answer these questions:The Dragon’s Hoard: What does your character want more than anything? What will make them feel like they have “won” and not need to adventure any more?My Dragon’s Hoard: ___________________________The Dragon: What is preventing your character from achieving their goal? What is actively or passively obstructing them?My Dragon: ___________________________The Cave: Where will this goal be achieved? What is special about this place?My Cave: ___________________________The Sword: What is something that will help your character achieve their goal? Is it a special object, an important NPC, or a piece of information?My Sword: ___________________________The Old Man in the Tavern: Where does your character go to get more information about their goal? Who do they seek for help or advice?My Old Man in the Tavern: ___________________________Now when I design adventures, I can pull elements from a Character’s Dragon Hoard. Let’s zoom in on one character as an example.Agatha HearthheartDragon’s Hoard: Agatha’s ultimate goal is to help reclaim Amberhold, a dwarven fortress town taken during the Goblin Wars.Dragon: Amberhold is currently held by goblins led by powerful Hobgoblin Warlock named Allfather Hexbloom.Cave: Amberhold is a dwarven fortress town built in a wooded valley between tall mountains. Agatha grew up there, and was present in the battle when it fell.Sword: There’s a secret entrance into the heart of Amberhold, which is known only by a few living dwarves.Old Man in the Tavern: Agatha’s uncle Faldirk is a survivor of the Battle of Amberhold. He’s a heavily scarred veteran with a peg leg and an eye patch who now spends his life living in isolation and tending his garden.When I sit down to design an adventure, I can pull elements from Agatha’s Dragon’s Hoard into my template. As an example, I will redesign the Master of Slimes adventure with more elements from Agatha’s Hoard.First, here’s the version we had before:Master of Slimes (Variation 0)Dragon’s Hoard: Wolfbiter, legendary dwarven axe stolen during the Goblin WarsDragon: Skirovan, a mad wizardCave: The Wizard’s LaboratorySword: An abandoned and profaned temple leads to the laboratoryOld Man in the Tavern: A criminal contact looking to trade information on lost treasureNow I’m going to replace one element with something from Agatha’s Hoard.Master of Slimes (Variation 1)Dragon’s Hoard: Wolfbiter, legendary dwarven axe stolen during the Goblin WarsDragon: Skirovan, a Hobgoblin Wizard working for Allfather HexbloomCave: The Wizard’s LaboratorySword: An abandoned and profaned temple leads to the laboratoryOld Man in the Tavern: A criminal contact looking to trade information on lost treasureJust by changing the mad wizard to a hobgoblin, I’m now including elements from Agatha’s Hoard. This will help further Agatha’s story, and engage her player.Alternately, I could do something like this:Master of Slimes (Variation 2)Dragon’s Hoard: Wolfbiter, legendary dwarven axe stolen during the Goblin WarsDragon: Skirovan, a mad wizardCave: The Wizard’s LaboratorySword: Uncle Faldirk has been keeping track of dwarven items stolen during the Goblin WarsOld Man in the Tavern: A criminal contact looking to trade information on lost treasureNow we can have a scene in which Uncle Faldirk reveals his conspiracy wall, full of sketches of dwarven treasures, maps of dungeons, and a crazy web of twine connecting it all!Or maybe it’ll be something like this:Master of Slimes (Variation 3)Dragon’s Hoard: Map of the secret tunnel to the heart of AmberholdDragon: Skirovan, a mad wizardCave: The Wizard’s LaboratorySword: An abandoned and profaned temple leads to the laboratoryOld Man in the Tavern: A criminal contact looking to trade information on lost treasureRetrieving this map would put Agatha a large step closer to retaking her hold and completing her story arc!One of the great powers of the Dragon’s Hoard is that you can plan out character arcs through multiple adventures. For example, I might plan on Agatha Hearthheart taking back her hold after a three-adventure arc. Planning these adventures, I could set up something like this:Adventure 1Old Man in the Tavern: Uncle FaldirkAdventure 2Lost Villagers: A map of the secret tunnel to the heart of AmberholdAdventure 3Dragon: Allfather HexbloomCave: Amberspire, the tower at the center of AmberholdAdventure 1 launches with an encounter with Uncle Faldirk, who can drop some exposition about retaking Amberhold. In Adventure 2, a side-quest rewards Agatha with a map of the secret tunnel that passes under the walls and defenses of Amberhold, straight to Amberspire, the tower at the center of the dwarven fortress town. In Adventure 3, the characters fight Allfather Hexbloom and his goblins, freeing Amberhold and completing Agatha’s story arc.Personally, I love it when the players in my campaign get to act as collaborators. The Dragon’s Hoard is a great way to have your players build more of a stake in the game!</blockquote>

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