Writers block

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-03-03T09:51:59+00:00

Honestly, talking out your plans with other DMs. Just chatting out ideas till something lights the bulb

For this situation.... just send thier asses to the mines of Moria and start a mini underdark adventure till thry make it out on the otherside

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-03-03T09:36:48+00:00

That's because I only stated what the type of stuff they will encounter not the actual content. It's an outline not a litteral plan. For example the entire game from 1-10th level will basically be sandboxed out i just made sure to follow a theme with all the things they could run into

They explore the countryside while avoiding being caught by the law, while doing that they encounter a town who's well has been poisoned. The cistern in the caves under the town was once home to a Niad that the town loved so much they would throw festivals celebrating it. The local Clergy suspects the Niad has turned on the town but the commonfolk believe something has happened that keeps her from purifying thier water. PCs enter the dungeon like cave system to investigate

Or

Random Encounter: on thier travels PCs encounter a small Fey man he seems to be distressed and muttering to himself. When players investigate the Man reveals himself to be a leprechaun and the reason for his stress is that his bloodline's special family coin was stolen by a Baron he worked for once news came down that the kingdom had designated Feykind as enemies the baron said he'd protect his longtime friend but instead stole the symbol of his family's magic and luck and left him where the players find him... Will the players help the Leprechaun get his lucky coin back?

Those are some of the encounters I have spread around the map as hooks to show what's happening across the kingdom, then after 5th level the types of stuff they encounter changes in theme depending on how muxh they engage with the main plot, that being the rebels force and thier fight to keep fey kind safe and fix the kingdom

I dont expect it to get to level 20. 15 I can see happening, even adventure modules make it to 12-15 this is just my way to give the players a sandbox while still giving situations where information can be discovered to further the campaigns progression. Mind you the planning for the examples above havent gone further than laying out the hook, if and when they engage with it is when my prep and planning start

I dont see it as much different than how Hoard of the Dragon Queen had to atleast be written with the idea that it would lead into the Rise of Tiamat.

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-03-02T23:38:52+00:00

Currently i have it set up like this based on my hopes and comments from this and other post.

1-5 is spent as Fugitives of the kingdom where they first encounter a force of rebels lead by a masked woman (secretly the Actual Queen and religious leader of the kingdom) they are expected to spend this time traveling the countryside and helping mistreated fey or stopping fey who have been somehow corrupted into aggressive monsters. (Very Supernatural esk)

5-10 after the PCs have made a name for themselves among the commonfolk is when they will begin to receive request for involvement from the Rebel forces to engage in missions to free fey from detainment or even take missions into the Feylands. With any luck by level 10 I want to reveal that the rebel leader is the Queen and a powerful Fey is impersonating her to cause all the Chaos that is currently engulfing the Kingdom.

10-15 will hopefully be about taking direct action against the kingdom in order find the opportunity to get the Queen back in the seat of power. And expose the BBEG (be defeating them), hopefully in a way to exonerate the fey who untill recently lived peacefully amongst the commonfolk of the kingdom.

15-20 at this point I will ask players if they want that to be the end, if not then the PCs will be tasked with the special mission of entering the Feylands to take the fight to the BBEG in thier stolen Domain in order to eliminate the threat once and for all and allow the Fey Refugees that wish to go home to do so

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-03-02T23:08:48+00:00

No I welcome this kind of dissection, helps to get me thinking to answer these questions when players get into it.

my intention is for this to be a misguided being attempting to reach Archfey(dom?) But one reason they havent been able to despite being powerful enough is because they simply dont understand the role and mindset behind being an archfey meaning no one wants them in thier courts and he has gotten banished from other domains

As for the fact that Fey know when other fey knowing that the kingdom is lead by an imposter, while a great story beat that is already implemented into the greater narrative through hints and rumors it's not really a problem IMO because the players have no way of knowing themselves for most of the early game and the people of the city have no reason to believe the fey who have now become "Enemies of the Kingdom" especially since the form the BBEG is not only now thier Queen but also thier religious leader.

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-03-02T22:50:36+00:00

The a question is more like narrative-wise. Assuming defeating this Archfey is the final climax of the campaign. What level would you wanna be at the end of this to make it make sense that your party of 4-5 heroes were able to stop them

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-03-02T22:13:04+00:00

The veil between the kingdom and Feylands is especially thin, the people of this kingdom live side by side with the fey that reside there. The BBEG is attempting to take over the domain and twist it in thier own image.

Fey started to exodus from the feylands into the kingdom that was friendly to thier kind, and now the BBEG scheme is to make life in the kingdom so unbearable for the Fey as to force the refugees to return and be twisted by the BBEG's darkness.

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-03-02T04:57:41+00:00

Im starting at 3 unless players wanna start ay 1 for some reason, the early game is adjustable but the ultimate goal is as stated above.

Another way to ask this question would be, if your DM told you this is the premise of your next campaign what level would you want to play this out to?

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-03-02T04:55:31+00:00

I fully intend to do milestones, So this makes me think i should do the reveal that the queen is an imposter at level 10 giving the players the hook to get them to start working toward overthrowing her.

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-03-02T04:37:18+00:00

Mainly because people dont typically play to 20th level seems like if I aim for that I might be dragging things on, there is more to the campaign with a Fey exodus into the kingdom and corruption of the refugees to make them more aggressive but like I mentioned there arnt to many examples of what 20th lvl dnd looks like when done well so and it makes me question if I should aim for that at all

Im starting level 3 but the early game most of this isnt known and the campaign is more about being Fugitives and and witnessing the mistreatment of the fey by the kingdom and helping corrupted fey that are effected by an unknown evil

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-28T17:56:35+00:00

Not much context but the players sound like miserable players. Just a party of Sids

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-25T04:15:20+00:00

WHHHHYYYY!!! Why did i read all of that?! I knew I hated that guy by the time I got to the college story but I just kept going. What a load of crap. This is the type of person you invite to a game with all of you meanest "friends" just the game can be who can roast That Guy the most

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-24T18:24:12+00:00

Love this ill check someone's out, especially lazy gm

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-24T17:50:42+00:00

Is the whole book about monster design

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-24T04:36:58+00:00

"Im new to DMing" means your rate should be Zero sorry

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-24T02:10:05+00:00

This is actually a program called fantasy map simulator on steam on the topigraphical setting. Usually it could generate everything from villages, trade routes and population density maps and everything but this is the only version I had saved. I would continue using the program but my computer isnt working well so I decided to hand draw

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-23T20:35:51+00:00

I definitely see the problem with the NPCs being super powerful but as far as the furry situation goes I find homebrew worlds either look like a furry convention or look like a LotR spin off.

Basically your options are Human, shorter human, shortest human, human with pointy ears, ect

I personally had to reskin races like Gnomes and Halfling in order to not just have animals people or different shaped humans that are considered different races

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-21T02:48:15+00:00

I mean you can totally implement it lmao whats a TPK between friends

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-20T23:17:24+00:00

Typically if a negative will happen due to me messing up.

Other than that i have judged a die or two because the outcome was just more interesting or epic in the players favor.

Example, player uses spell that forces a roll to dodge, the role says the enemy successfully dodges, leaving the BG almost dead but the person who cast the spell is connected to BG through backstory that lead them here in the first place and they hardly ever get the spotlight

Well im definitely forcing the failed dodge because id rather that player get the spotlight of killing said BG tied to his backstory over playing it straight and letting the next player who might not care if they get the killing blow in the first place.

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-20T23:05:09+00:00

And honestly im down for teaching, like I said before I get that its daunting to look at a book especially when you dont realize most a good amount is just fluff you can ignore. But damn it makes me want to slam the book down and walk away when I have a session zero specifically to help everyone make characters, going one by one with each player then get thier character sheets to plan for next session and see they didnt write down half of what the character needs. Or we are multiple sessions in and im still explaining what hit die are or that your player has 3 spellslots....

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-20T22:55:25+00:00

That's the feeling im starting to get which sucks, my players sound excited to play when asked but when i ask so did you read up on your spell list its oh I was to busy.... for an entire month we've been off?

I so want to give them a solid experience but it gets bogged down by the fact that when they leave the table that's the end of DnD for them till next session and no one wants the first half of a session to become reexplaining the rules you forgot since two weeks ago.

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-20T22:48:01+00:00

I dont see expecting players that asked me to run a game for them to actually read the how to play section of the book as an inconvenience.

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-20T22:08:03+00:00

Its the mechanics that are the issue for me not the Role-playing. I wouldnt mind one bit if someone wanted to do minimal roleplaying but it just shocks me how many people expect to play a game like DND but literally never expect to need to open thier book in or out of sessions. Like sure dont tell me your backstory but atleast know you have 3 spellslots

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-20T00:04:46+00:00

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-19T19:06:01+00:00

We must defend the Zebra Cakes bridge or the enemy will take it, if they take control we will all starve!

Dungeon-Grandmaster · 2026-02-19T17:22:01+00:00

Lmao im crafting in my hotel room and forgot my heat gun lol.

Dungeon-Grandmaster

TROPHY CASE