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WhT makes a good campaign?
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<blockquote data-quote="Greenfield" data-source="post: 6808357" data-attributes="member: 6669384"><p>Okay, status report:</p><p></p><p>We have a Human Rogue, planning to go Bard, then Fighter, then Eldritch Knight. (Remember, we are running DMG, PHB, MM only, at least for the moment.)</p><p></p><p>We have a Half Elf Druid who may or may not add some Ranger.</p><p></p><p>We have an Orc Barbarian</p><p></p><p>We have a Half-Orc Monk</p><p></p><p>We (probably) have an Elven Wizard.</p><p></p><p>And the last minute add on, who never checked what anyone else was running, is a female Elven Bard.</p><p></p><p>The party met with the King, who was disappointed with the turn out. He had sent word to a number of kingdoms asking for people to form a "Free Company" to fight an international threat. H had expected between 25 and 100 people. He got seven, and then two backed out. (One player, like me, prepared several characters, to be ready based on what others brought.)</p><p></p><p>He looked at the group, who were all dressed up in fine clothes (provided by the castle staff), looking for anyone with a rank, a knighthood, or even a Fighter class, someone he could assign the role of commanding officer for this company, which he still hopes will grow. Nobody qualified, so he selected a minor dandy from the attending members of court, and gave him the job, at least while they were in his kingdom. </p><p></p><p>That was one of my characters, the Wizard, and a moment of thanks for the name Cyrano De Cognac. He carries a rapier, dresses fancy and is perennially broke due to his gambling habit. (An explanation for how someone from a rich family can have no more than a standard PC's starting money.)</p><p></p><p>They were charged with the mission, to track down and deal with the source for the odd tears that were happening in space, and the monsters that came out far too often for it to be random. There was a badly disjointed message from someone calling himself the "Nightmare King", as well as the "Dark Dreamer". (They suspect it was translated to Common from some other language by someone who spoke neither very well, and without the use of magic.)</p><p></p><p>After they accepted and were dismissed, a page brought them the formal charter, bearing the royal seals of approval from at least a dozen different nations: They ahd the right to bear arms, to cross borders without challenge, and to use magic in most of the known world. As a sign of how absent minded the King is, he forgot to add his own seal to it. He also neglected to mention pay, provisions, support, or anything else.</p><p></p><p>There was a note asking them to visit "The Countessa". They were escorted to meet with her. She was visiting the castle, and was staying in guest apartments. Their escort was a Jester's Apprentice, another potential character of mine who got vetoed because one player's character has a fear/dislike for clowns.</p><p></p><p>The Countessa filled in some blanks, such as pay. She had purses, already counted out, setting on a table. Again, expecting a larger company, she had far more than there were PCs. The Bard tried to Sleight of Hand to grab an extra bag. The Countessa noticed, gave her a dirty look, but said nothing. She provided a write they should take to the stable master, who would provide them with mounts.</p><p></p><p>She also put in a personal request: The "rifts" tended to occur in clusters, with many occuring in a given area over a matter of a few days or weeks, then ceasing there only to pop up somewhere else. Currently they were showing up on her lands, so she asked that the group pay particular attention there.</p><p></p><p>The lady, being a beautiful Gray Elf, wore a very forced smile when she had to address the Orc. He was so extreme in his "Barbarian-ness" that the Half Orc seemed positively charming by comparison. But she held it together for the meeting.</p><p></p><p>The dandy, my character, was all too happy to accept pay, but was waved off. He was her son, whose gambling habits were a source of some embarassment, so she assured him that she'd apply it to his outstanding debts.</p><p></p><p>They were dismissed and left, filing down the winding stairs from her chambers in the tower.</p><p></p><p>Then, a scream and a commotion up in the area they had just left. They charged back up the stair and found a room full of monsters, two of which were struggling to drag the Countessa through a rift.</p><p></p><p>And now it got fun. I have never been so happy to have such cold dice. I'm a believer in letting the dice fall where they may, but 1st level PCs are very breakable. Rolling where people could see, my monsters run up an epic string of dice rolls in the low single digits. None of the PCs had any armor on (remember, fancy clothes to meet the King) so they were protected by DEX, and maybe fighting defensively. </p><p></p><p>The players' dice were a little better, but not a lot. It dragged out the fight and added delightfully to the tension of the conflict. Even the two larger opponents trying the drag the Countessa were rolling miserably in their attempts to maintain their Grapple and move her. She, however, was rolling even worse, so they did get her through. It took three rounds to move her ten feet.</p><p></p><p>Then came the development I couldn't have planned for. The Barbarian broke through the line of Fiendish Goblins, ignored some AoO (cold dice saved him again), and charged into the rift to save the Elven lady. A round later the Monk did a tumbling run (double-move) to follow him. And they engaged the Fiendish Orcs, who were busy trying to hold onto her. </p><p></p><p>One of them was forced to release his hold to defend the other. I realized that this left her with a hand free, at least cinematically, so she spent a round drawing a dagger (which is how that works when grappled), then rolled a crit when she needed it the most. We ruled that she had cut the monster in that most delicate of places. He released, for a moment, and she fled, back out of the rift. PCs followed and the rift closed.</p><p></p><p>There was some mopping up, but it was over, even before the guards arrived.</p><p></p><p>So the very high class Elven noblewoman owed her life to an Orc and a Half-Orc.</p><p></p><p>Couldn't have planned a better plot hook if I'd tried.</p><p></p><p>You may recall I said that part of my goal was to give them a high road, some bit of glory and a meaningful success? I had planned on her being taken, and their mission would become one to rescue the "Damsel in Distress". Okay, she wasn't a fairy tale princess, but she was close enough for government work.</p><p></p><p>So now I need to replot a few things, but that's okay. I never liked railroads anyway.</p><p></p><p>Oh, and to close, one of my favorite gaming quotes: "Box-Text always wins Initiative."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Greenfield, post: 6808357, member: 6669384"] Okay, status report: We have a Human Rogue, planning to go Bard, then Fighter, then Eldritch Knight. (Remember, we are running DMG, PHB, MM only, at least for the moment.) We have a Half Elf Druid who may or may not add some Ranger. We have an Orc Barbarian We have a Half-Orc Monk We (probably) have an Elven Wizard. And the last minute add on, who never checked what anyone else was running, is a female Elven Bard. The party met with the King, who was disappointed with the turn out. He had sent word to a number of kingdoms asking for people to form a "Free Company" to fight an international threat. H had expected between 25 and 100 people. He got seven, and then two backed out. (One player, like me, prepared several characters, to be ready based on what others brought.) He looked at the group, who were all dressed up in fine clothes (provided by the castle staff), looking for anyone with a rank, a knighthood, or even a Fighter class, someone he could assign the role of commanding officer for this company, which he still hopes will grow. Nobody qualified, so he selected a minor dandy from the attending members of court, and gave him the job, at least while they were in his kingdom. That was one of my characters, the Wizard, and a moment of thanks for the name Cyrano De Cognac. He carries a rapier, dresses fancy and is perennially broke due to his gambling habit. (An explanation for how someone from a rich family can have no more than a standard PC's starting money.) They were charged with the mission, to track down and deal with the source for the odd tears that were happening in space, and the monsters that came out far too often for it to be random. There was a badly disjointed message from someone calling himself the "Nightmare King", as well as the "Dark Dreamer". (They suspect it was translated to Common from some other language by someone who spoke neither very well, and without the use of magic.) After they accepted and were dismissed, a page brought them the formal charter, bearing the royal seals of approval from at least a dozen different nations: They ahd the right to bear arms, to cross borders without challenge, and to use magic in most of the known world. As a sign of how absent minded the King is, he forgot to add his own seal to it. He also neglected to mention pay, provisions, support, or anything else. There was a note asking them to visit "The Countessa". They were escorted to meet with her. She was visiting the castle, and was staying in guest apartments. Their escort was a Jester's Apprentice, another potential character of mine who got vetoed because one player's character has a fear/dislike for clowns. The Countessa filled in some blanks, such as pay. She had purses, already counted out, setting on a table. Again, expecting a larger company, she had far more than there were PCs. The Bard tried to Sleight of Hand to grab an extra bag. The Countessa noticed, gave her a dirty look, but said nothing. She provided a write they should take to the stable master, who would provide them with mounts. She also put in a personal request: The "rifts" tended to occur in clusters, with many occuring in a given area over a matter of a few days or weeks, then ceasing there only to pop up somewhere else. Currently they were showing up on her lands, so she asked that the group pay particular attention there. The lady, being a beautiful Gray Elf, wore a very forced smile when she had to address the Orc. He was so extreme in his "Barbarian-ness" that the Half Orc seemed positively charming by comparison. But she held it together for the meeting. The dandy, my character, was all too happy to accept pay, but was waved off. He was her son, whose gambling habits were a source of some embarassment, so she assured him that she'd apply it to his outstanding debts. They were dismissed and left, filing down the winding stairs from her chambers in the tower. Then, a scream and a commotion up in the area they had just left. They charged back up the stair and found a room full of monsters, two of which were struggling to drag the Countessa through a rift. And now it got fun. I have never been so happy to have such cold dice. I'm a believer in letting the dice fall where they may, but 1st level PCs are very breakable. Rolling where people could see, my monsters run up an epic string of dice rolls in the low single digits. None of the PCs had any armor on (remember, fancy clothes to meet the King) so they were protected by DEX, and maybe fighting defensively. The players' dice were a little better, but not a lot. It dragged out the fight and added delightfully to the tension of the conflict. Even the two larger opponents trying the drag the Countessa were rolling miserably in their attempts to maintain their Grapple and move her. She, however, was rolling even worse, so they did get her through. It took three rounds to move her ten feet. Then came the development I couldn't have planned for. The Barbarian broke through the line of Fiendish Goblins, ignored some AoO (cold dice saved him again), and charged into the rift to save the Elven lady. A round later the Monk did a tumbling run (double-move) to follow him. And they engaged the Fiendish Orcs, who were busy trying to hold onto her. One of them was forced to release his hold to defend the other. I realized that this left her with a hand free, at least cinematically, so she spent a round drawing a dagger (which is how that works when grappled), then rolled a crit when she needed it the most. We ruled that she had cut the monster in that most delicate of places. He released, for a moment, and she fled, back out of the rift. PCs followed and the rift closed. There was some mopping up, but it was over, even before the guards arrived. So the very high class Elven noblewoman owed her life to an Orc and a Half-Orc. Couldn't have planned a better plot hook if I'd tried. You may recall I said that part of my goal was to give them a high road, some bit of glory and a meaningful success? I had planned on her being taken, and their mission would become one to rescue the "Damsel in Distress". Okay, she wasn't a fairy tale princess, but she was close enough for government work. So now I need to replot a few things, but that's okay. I never liked railroads anyway. Oh, and to close, one of my favorite gaming quotes: "Box-Text always wins Initiative." [/QUOTE]
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