METAGAME THREAD - Stuff for the RPG Thread Out of Narrative

[_honorentheos]

I have separate questions for both Schmo and Res.

For Res - Do you intend to have Zeb join the party the same day as Yearn and Zandor arrived or are you thinking you'll wait for the next day? If he is arriving the same day, I will just plan on waiting. Yearn's next bit is after dark I think.

For Schmo - I intend to make Yearn's next part of the story include his returning the letter he took to Capt. Jasper's tent. I'm curious if you have thoughts on anything that would be interesting to have him encounter there or discover that would tie into the story arc as you are imagining it taking place? My thought being he might find a map or perhaps another letter opened and left where he could read it that might either serve as a plot point or, perhaps as a misdirection. Could you share a thought or two about what that thing might be?

[_honorentheos]

I'm also wondering about starting a second character? My idea is that they would be a fighter who is trying to become a bard but can't sing or play music to save his life. Nor can he do magic. He's all tank with a lute; an Apollyonic, good looking jock of a guy who by all rights should be dressed like a knight and swinging a two-handed sword (which he still has,...). But his backstory would be comic in that he had someone once tell him in jest he sang rather well while drunk (it is REALLY bad singing, almost to the point it COULD be magical in it's ability to force a willpower save or cause creatures and people to flee...) and it turned out in his heart he really, REALLY does want to be a renowned musician so he takes up the lute and heads out. He ends up in Harlot's Cross immediately after making this crazy decision to quit his good paying but boring job and follow his dream...

What do you think? Or if someone else out there wanted to jump in, this seems like a fun addition to our rather stoic party.

ETA: Or possibly he could be a quasi-NPC that anyone can use for discussion with their own character to move a narrative point forward? Kinda like we're using Jasper now but intended to become a member of the party? He is meant to be a bit dense, not realizing he is a bad singer and that all he needs to do is follow his bliss and eventually the gods will just HAVE to make him a renown bard. I'm thinking there is a bit of irony in his future that he could very well become infamous as a bard for being such a dedicatedly bad musician. Most of what would be story time in D&D he would be a lunkhead who would be kept busy with random unimportant tasks to prevent him from practicing his lute playing and singing. But once combat occurred, he'd naturally move to being a brutish killing machine who takes for granted that he's good at it so he doesn't realize he should give up the attempt to become a bard and keep in his obvious lane. Thoughts on that idea are welcome as well.

[_honorentheos]

As described above, I added Sir Francis Boden ("Your name is Francis? <choking sound>") to the story with the intent he could be a useful NPC party member for multiple reasons. He can be the tank when someone needs a conflict scene, or lunkhead to bounce dialog off of when it isn't realistic that the PC players can dialog in our format.

He might be more of a dick than I initially intended. The combination of great fighter but oblivious to being a bad singer kinda pulled him that way but I think it can be dialed back as he is supposed to be fairly simple in thought so he mostly reacts rather than acts.

[_Some Schmo]

I need to get back to this, honor. My time is sparse this week and I've just been doing quick hits here at the forum. I'll need to spend some time considering your stuff.

[_honorentheos]

Bump. If only for something to read that isn't about Trump or Coronavirus.

[_honorentheos]

Anyone here ever used roll20?

https://roll20.net

I've seen it used for streaming online tabletop games. Just curious.

[_honorentheos]

So my daughter and her friend group convinced me to set up and run a D&D 5e campaign for them. A couple of her friends are experienced while the others have limited experience playing a handful of one shots. They convinced me because one of them was really wanting to play a longer campaign while the most experienced guy who would normally DM wants to be a party member.

[_Some Schmo]

So my daughter and her friend group convinced me to set up and run a D&D 5e campaign for them. A couple of her friends are experienced while the others have limited experience playing a handful of one shots. They convinced me because one of them was really wanting to play a longer campaign while the most experienced guy who would normally DM wants to be a party member.

I have a feeling you'd be a pretty good DM, honor. You got a good campaign for them?

[_honorentheos]

I have a feeling you'd be a pretty good DM, honor. You got a good campaign for them?

They asked today, and I told them I'd think about it. Then I had an idea for a central narrative arc so I agreed to do it. That being overlaying a fairly innocuous adventure narrative with a main narrative of a magic form of simulation theory being at work. The campaign starts with fairly straight forward quests and boss fights, but as events progress more and more strange things start to happen that don't add up and reality seems to be warping around the edges. The end game being they eventually discover the consequence of actions from the first session resulted in their becoming trapped in a literal demon haunted brain in a vat scenario where a necromancer type is testing them as proof to one of their gods that they will fail at moral dilemmas. The culmination of the campaign coming down to how they deal and if the god intervenes to save them or the demon finally reveals himself. I have some ideas about moral dilemmas that I think would make for interesting narrative points.

Since it was kinda out of the blue I set up a survey to get a feel for the kind of campaign and arc they'd enjoy first and am just starting to work out the storyboard. Reading their responses is interesting,

[_honorentheos]

Hey Schmo, so after talking more with them and going through their survey responses I'm thinking of this as the framework but would appreciate your thoughts (or Res? anyone is welcome).

The party begins their adventure with a protection job where they're asked to travel from the town to a mine where there has been trouble. The nature of the trouble deserves some time in town asking around, which comes down to a series of earthquakes over the summer have opened fissure that allow a band of (creature class) to attack isolated miners and/or steal valuables. The short journey to the mine provides an opportunity for a low risk encounter, then they spend the time at the mine defending it. In the process they discover the earthquakes are caused by a minor earth elemental. The elemental was evoked as a consequence of an arcane magic user type who is up to something. The goal of this first adventure is to release the earth elemental from existence using means to be figured out. The revelation of the existance of, pursuit and final encounter with said magic user forms the campaign arc.

Two of the players have interest in arcane magic and one want to play a hexblade while the other wants to play as a necromancer. A third wants to play as a thief while the other two are leaning fighter/barbarian/paladins. The idea of arcane magic with adventure should provide opportunities for party motivations.