Have you ever written a detailed and complex history for your campaign only to watch it gather dust as your players focus on the now and not concern themselves with the prior events of your campaign world? As a player, have you ever been intrigued by a campaign settings rich history only to find that your GM never uses anything from the campaign’s past? Providing interesting and detailed histories for your campaign can really help the world come alive on the table and within your players, however it is far to easy to create a detailed history and then focus on the current and future events of your game. This doesn’t have to be the case; some of the more interesting games and adventures can be fuelled by events that have happened in the world before your adventurers even arrived. Below is a detailed scenario in which new adventurers can become involved in a historical event that never concerned them.
The Planar Orphan
Eladrin of the Feywild are an enigmatic people. With a natural detachment from events that occur on the material plane, these creatures can seem heartless and uncaring. However those that have the privilege to call an Eladrin friend know the true extent of their love and compassion. Five hundred years ago, the Eladrin now known as Loch was sentenced to death for unspeakable crimes. Fleeing to the material plane, Loch has continued his lifelong experiments in hiding. After hundreds of years of experimenting with planar magic, the Eladrin wizard finally nears his goal – a creature merged with the essence of both the Feywild and the Shadowfell.
Star Crossed Dragons
Dragons are one of the most feared creatures within any fantasy setting. Their thick scales, razor sharp talons, brilliant minds and feared breath abilities make them one of the greatest threats to groups of adventurers and kingdoms alike. With this fearsome persona it is easy to forget that these cunning and sometimes sinister creatures are also capable of love.
The Melias Prophecy
Prophecies and predictions can play a large part in any RPG campaign. Cryptic messages and foreboding tales can herald apocalyptic destruction or miraculous saviours. The kingdom of Melias worships one such insightful text and after generations of zealous worship, the time for prosperous glory has almost arrived for the people of this kingdom. As the people of Melias wage war with the nomadic tribes of Orcs that infest their homeland, they place their hope and faith in the hands of a young king, heralded as the Kelliha, bringer of glory. Unfortunately one of the kingdoms sages has stumbled upon a cipher that shows the Melias Prophecy in new and devastating light.
Is It The Beards?
Standing on average between 4’8” to 5’6”, Half-Dwarves retain the muscular stature of their Dwarven heritage. The barrel-like frame of the Half-Dwarf means their weight usually exceeds both of their parent’s averages at 180lbs to 240lbs. Skin tone, hair and eye colour tend to come from the Human parent with the grey and sandstone skin tones of the Dwarves rarely occurring amongst the mixed race. Hair and beards remain thick amongst the males, whilst females grow either very little or no facial hair.
Ashes to Ashes, Death to Life
Character death. Total Party Kill. These words have long been the bane of DMs and players. DMs face scornful players and upset friends when a beloved character dies, and a possible coup when a TPK comes around. While players see their invested time, work and creation disappear before them with a single roll of the dice. Nobody, DMs and players alike, enjoy the idea of starting again or losing a beloved character within the game. However if death is never an option, if DMs fudge rolls so nobody dies, then the thrill and tension of grand battles can very quickly dissipate and the campaign can grow stale.
Inq. of the Week: PHB3 Classes?
With D&D XP behind us now, the Battlemind class out in the open, and the Runepriest nearly confirmed it seems like a good time to look at the Player’s Handbook 3 that is coming out in March this year and figure out which class is the most hotly anticipated.
Railroading in a Good Way
The term ‘railroading’ usually sends a shiver down the spine of any tabletop RPG player because of the negative implications that come along with it. To be honest, most DMs dislike the term as well and railroading is generally referred to as a problem with an RPG.
The Fighting-Man, Magic-User, Cleric, and Thief
The original classes of Dungeons & Dragons, their foundation of the current classes, and the current state of the edition wars.
Review: “The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos”
The Plane Below is the first of several 4th Edition D&D books that delve into a bit more detail on specific planes and the kinds of adventures that can be found within them, as the title indicates this one focuses on the Elemental Chaos and everything pertaining to it.
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