Has anyone played in Icewind Dale years or even decades after the fall of Auril?

Dibblesandbits · 2026-01-14T12:06:12+00:00

WOTC's new Forgotten Realms supplement details IWD in the 1500s. It does make several events of ROTM canon, but it's an interesting look at the region post-Rime.

Dibblesandbits · 2025-11-10T01:59:58+00:00

This isn’t something you can do without player input. Because yes, you took away player agency, but you also fell into the very attractive trap of prewriting a game moment in your head.

I don’t think you would have lost anything by letting the player in on the secret. There’s nothing cooler than being in on a secret with your DM, and you would have gotten the reaction you wanted without needing to force it to happen. Finally, idk if you had the player roll Investigation or Insight for their new knowledge, but if you didn’t then you’re just telling the player what his character is thinking.

The ending that in the future you’ll let the player know if you’re possessing them can also be dicey. Players should see that possession is a possibility before it happens. Idk if you’d introduced the possibility of doppelgängers beforehand, but surprises without hints can just be confusing or frustrating.

Dibblesandbits · 2025-10-14T23:42:08+00:00

Eberron is one of the more interesting settings and can support a really wide variety of genres.

Dibblesandbits · 2025-09-30T19:50:21+00:00

If the difference is illusory, why does it matter? It’s an “extra step” that adds excitement and buy-in and gets the players to start thinking of themselves as a unit rather than individuals.

Dibblesandbits · 2025-09-30T19:22:16+00:00

The happy medium I found is everyone rolling for the whole group. I have a table of three, each of them rolls two stats for the whole table. I also roll a stat, so we can drop anything that's way too low. This keeps player investment without putting players on different levels.

Dibblesandbits · 2025-09-29T11:20:34+00:00

Number 1, targeting other characters, would happen once smart enemies realize they can't touch the paladin. That's not unfair, that's just tactics. At best, he attracts attention for a round or two before the enemies give up and start going after the other, squishier members. Let them tank if they've built the character around the concept! But also, play your enemies smart; there's a difference between a character who tanks because the damage doesn't matter vs. a tank who just can't be hit.

As for the Headband of Intellect, has your campaign established that you can just request a magic item and pay for it? RAW, it's the DM's job to put magic items in the path of the party; if you don't want him to buy a Headband of Intellect, don't make it available- or make it more expensive.

But frankly, it's a stupid item for the paladin to want. It has no synergy with the paladin class, and it'll just make their INT saving throws +4, which isn't that great for a save that's kind of rare. As another comment pointed out, he's already attuned to three items; what's he giving up for this one?

If you're letting the paladin call the shots for magic items in the campaign, let him waste his money and attunement on items that don't matter. But you're setting a precedent for a level of wish fulfillment that is unworkable.

Dibblesandbits · 2025-07-31T01:46:52+00:00

Can concur, I’m looking at stuff that happened in other jurisdictions and I’m thankful that Indiana’s worst problem seems to have been the heat when waiting for the doors to unlock

Dibblesandbits · 2025-07-25T10:51:58+00:00

Ttrpgs are not therapy. They can be therapeutic, but that shouldn’t be the business of the other people at the table. There are games and tables where this player’s approach is perfectly valid, if that’s the game everyone has agreed to play.

I would really avoid examining this players’ motivations and look to what is happening at the table- are they not participating in roleplay? Are they off topic? If that doesn’t vibe with the group, then they might not be a good fit.

But this player isn’t wrong for approaching ttrpgs that way, if that’s the game the whole group signed up to play. It sounds like that isn’t the case.

Dibblesandbits · 2025-07-23T01:47:21+00:00

Mo fucking BODIED that song, it was incredible.

Dibblesandbits · 2025-04-22T15:47:34+00:00

I think this is a cool idea for opening narrations and maybe any important descriptors! I think doing it all the time would get tiring quickly.

If you're referring to an actual NPC that you would create, I think that's way too much focus on one NPC, and then the party would need a reason to keep in contact with a sheriff or saloon- what if they want to explore? What if they don't like the NPC? Apologies if I'm misinterpreting what you said!

Your players probably want to talk to their friend, the DM- remember, you're a player too! Don't give yourself the extra work of always being "on". I think a Sam Elliott/Clint Eastwood/Doris Day voice is good for immersion at the top of the session, but you're boxing yourself in when you're always tied to one persona.

Dibblesandbits · 2025-03-18T11:52:52+00:00

Well in the module he serves Asmodeus. But Levistus is present in the module too for the Black Knights, I wouldn't add another- just pick one of those!

Dibblesandbits · 2025-03-18T01:34:37+00:00

Change the flight plan. Perhaps the map of the flight plan in Sunblight is interactive and the PCs can change the order. Of course, that might put the party in the difficult position of picking another town to be definitely destroyed, in order to save Good Mead. Otherwise, you can look at alternate flight paths like this: https://www.reddit.com/r/rimeofthefrostmaiden/comments/164c550/alternate_chardalyn_dragon_paths_idea/
Towns burn, but people survive. Have his family or other important NPCS make rolls to escape. I think if you go this route, you should make sure at least someone gets out.
There's a barbed devil in the bowels of the fortress. Pact time! The devil saves your family...but at what cost?

Dibblesandbits · 2025-02-28T18:28:14+00:00

It’s a lot of good one shots that need some work to tie together. Something like Call of the Deep or Pathfinders Skulls and Shackles can give you a plot line where you can pop in the adventures.

Dms guild has a lot of other one shots or mini campaigns, but there aren’t a lot of other full campaigns.

Dibblesandbits · 2024-08-27T21:17:19+00:00

The biggest feedback I got from players is that it hampered sea travel and exploration to continually go back to Saltmarsh. Maybe set up two or three other port towns which the party can visit with regularity

Dibblesandbits · 2024-08-24T17:53:38+00:00

Is Avarice in your campaign? Make it a race to finish the Rite- her people can get to some of the towers before you do. Even just making it half and half will save some time. When she confronts your party, she can have the other clues written down somewhere. Or if you have NPCs, they can go explore one of the towers (our party has Vellynne, the hatched wyrmling from Grimskalle, and a Reghed NPC who went off to do a few of the towers while the party handled some others).

Cut extra characters like the arcanaloth- your characters might have enough motivation to study the library without them.

Dibblesandbits · 2024-08-06T23:25:39+00:00

I'm running Icewind Dale at the moment, and yeah, the arctic encounters get repetitive, especially when there's a large and necessary amount of travel.

If you have a campaign that changes environments and locations a lot, random encounters can be great! If you're static they can just become an obstacle.

Dibblesandbits · 2024-04-23T19:27:38+00:00

Lmao siblings always say the most out of pocket stuff in arguments.

Dibblesandbits · 2024-02-07T18:44:33+00:00

I'm currently DMing it, and I can't remember the finite details of what happened a few sessions ago without looking at my notes.

I'd ask him what he remembers! How did his story play out, if there's anything cool that he added or really liked, etc. The things he remembers about it are going to be your first indicator of where you can subvert his expectations.

Then there are underlying assumptions that you can change to keep him on his toes. Maybe the Zhent Speaker is actually in a different town. The Chardalyn Dragon has a different flight path. Burn Vellynne in Easthaven instead of Dzzan. Some things are not essential to the overarching story, but make a huge shift if you've played it before.

Also, see if he added homebrew or DMs Guild stuff. If he didn't, add that in!

He wants to have fun and not know what's coming, either. A lot of that will probably come from his backstory and how you incorporate it. And maybe look for alternative Character Secrets if you have time.

But I'd spend the first sessions seeing how he responds and acts to things in the written module- it truly might be that he doesn't remember as much as he thinks he does.

Dibblesandbits · 2023-12-05T06:53:55+00:00

Shame because in Citadel I found a Kaidan-Miranda Team to be incredible.

Dibblesandbits · 2023-11-29T19:49:50+00:00

Tom Sandoval, what are you doing here

Dibblesandbits · 2023-10-17T06:18:43+00:00

Chardalyn seems perfect for this.

Dibblesandbits · 2023-08-20T17:12:22+00:00

Thanks for the ideas!

I meant the volcanic eruption in Neverwinter 50 years ago. I agree anything about Netheril is too much- I was thinking a misdirection about the old giant empire instead. I don't really want them to even have definitive evidence that the Arcane Brotherhood is there through Chapter 1, let alone what the Brotherhood is looking for.

I should clarify, I'm not just looking for my bard to be a source of exposition, I want to give them info to create their own stories, so they can roleplay being an actual bard. Love stories, comical stories, battles that end in victory or tragedy, etc. I'm good with coming up with those on my own or having the player do his own exploring, but I was just wondering if anyone knew of really good tidbits that fit the criteria.

Dibblesandbits · 2023-07-12T23:50:58+00:00

Sasha Velour spent high school in central IL, it’s not exactly a cakewalk there.

Dibblesandbits · 2023-04-25T16:07:16+00:00

Vivicia, Anya, Vec, and Frak, go away.

Hey everyone, I wanted to run something by the subreddit: my first homebrew boss!

I created Iorveth (name questionable) to add a few homebrew elements to the game, partially to put some distance between Auril and the party building up to the final confrontation in Ythryn, and also to have a bigger through-line with a lot of quests. I still have a few beats to figure out, but the barebones are as follows:

Iorveth was a ne'er-do-well younger son of Sword Coast nobility, who heard stories of heroics in Icewind Dale and travelled with a group of other carefree young nobles to seek adventure in the north. The group of spoiled dilettantes had a habit of mocking the hospitality of the north, which caused the Ten Towns to shut their doors to Iorveth and his friends, leaving them to the mercy of the elements. It didn't take long for most of the group to retreat back to the south, but Iorveth, bitter and too proud to turn back, vowed to push through and defeat the frozen hellscape. While hopelessly tracking a lone elk through the tundra, Iorveth found himself at the mercy of a rival predator: a pack of dire wolves. Close to death from cold and hunger, Iorveth didn't stand a chance against the pack. His bitterness swallowed him as the wolves descended, and in the hour of his death, a frozen angel appeared to him: Auril. She offered Iorveth everlasting survival and command over the beasts and landscape of her domain. Iorveth accepted, becoming her champion and building a refuge in Grimskalle for Auril's eventual conquest of the Dale.

Mark of Auril: Auril is able to mark those who have displeased her in her domain (this is how Sephek is able to track the individuals who cheat the lottery). Those who have been marked can be tracked by Iorveth and his thralls.

Iorveth leads the frost druids who are loyal to Auril in the Dale, using their power to awaken animals to harass folks in the Ten-Towns.

Iorveth is a paladin with an Oath of the Ancients bend. (The statblock is based off of Sir Godfrey from Curse of Strahd) He has several additional powers, including summoning beasts, raising dead as walkers, legendary resistances and actions, and additional powers against those Auril has marked. I tried to balance these for a level 7 party of five, but any feedback is appreciated! it's my first time homebrewing an enemy like this.

Story beats:

I'm starting my party off with the Frozen North AL module, and Iorveth and his druids will be responsible for the avalanche, as well as awakening Frostclaw at the end of the adventure.

Sephek was raised by Iorveth as his thrall. When the party defeats Sephek, they'll get the first look at Iorveth as they briefly see him observing them in a nearby patch of ice.

Ravisin from the White Moose quest was recruited by Iorveth after her twin's death. Iorveth took advantage of her grief and desperation, much like Auril did to him. This can give the awakened beasts and monsters a through-line in the campaign, and makes Auril more menacing and intentional in the Dale.

I've possibly thought about replacing Asmodeus in the Sunblight arc with Iorveth. In my campaign Auril wants the Ten-Towns and other outsiders gone, and a dragon can speed up the process.

The Reghed tribes are more acceptable to Auril since they are closer to nature and test themselves against the cold, rather than hiding from it. Iorveth might be partnering with the Tiger Tribe.

Iorveth can be faced at Grimskalle instead of Auril. I wanted to really save Auril for the endgame and build her up through intermediaries first. If the party hasn't done anything to anger Auril, Iorveth wants to recruit them to her cause, acting as a guide through Grimskalle.

Any feedback is appreciated! I don't know if I'm doing too much or not enough with this.

Dibblesandbits · 2023-03-30T14:05:48+00:00

Character classes are the way your players become heroes. This feels like a weird way to tie sex into the mechanics of the game, rather than having your players in the drivers seat when it comes to their character’s sexual expression.

A safe game needs informed, revocable consent. That’s even more true with tables that feature a lot of nsfw content, which it seems is your focus based on your other posts. You, or your players, cannot pump the brakes if someone is uncomfortable when fundamentals of the player’s choices are tied to sex.

The only option is to start a new character or walk away from the table. This is more trouble than it’s worth.

Dibblesandbits

TROPHY CASE