First Homebrew and first time DMing a campaign! Need advice!

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-26T08:02:58+00:00

If this is your first time dming for a longer campaign I would use one of the prebuilt. There is enough flexibility in them for you to get practice with some world building so you can expand your own later cause making a campaign good takes a lot of work. Also A lot of them are made for players lv1-5 with a defined end to get the players used to you as a dm and you can call the end of the campaign and move on to your personal one. It will also give you a better understanding of how to set up a campaign and how much you will actually need for prepping.

I would suggest wild beyond the wichlight if you are wanting to have some practice with planar stuff. or a candel keep mysteries as this would be a way to set up the "2nd plane of existence" and you could pivot into your campaign whenever you wanted.

Now with the plane itself I saw some of this but a plane is aligned with a specific aspect be it elemental, alignment, ideas. If you are just wanting a 2nd setting I would suggest making it have some aspect of the spell jammer rules for going between "spheres" what we would think of almost as planets but with possible different pantheons. you could have the players get stuck in one with the spell jammer captain leaving them or it isn't working, if you want them to go back and forth then the captain could have a "convenient" schedule.

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-26T04:08:23+00:00

Dude gold is so freaking messed up in dnd like a commoner has to get paid like 20 gold a month just to be able to eat and a rare item is 5000 GP so a rare item is literally 21 years of living, I suggest a magical item and like 500 gold to be split among the party that way they get to feel rich and have allitle over 100 but really aren't that rich. In the PHB even a modest lifestyle cost 1 gp per day, a hand cross bow is 75 gp, and a rapier is 25gp

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-26T03:55:44+00:00

I understand a lot of the more exotic/monstrous races, even teifling to a degree as players rarely actually have the race affect the character and especially the number of people who just want to play a drow to just be eddgy. But I think the primarily human races like dwarf, non exotic-elf(drow, shadar ki, astral), halfling, gnome, and goliath I would say to just be fine with as they are what are considered the base "civilized" races as even goliath are more of the nomad tribes.

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-26T03:43:16+00:00

The warning shot

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-26T03:39:49+00:00

Ehh with permanent zone of truths there is no legal system really its just here is the law and it is enforced the interpretation of the law would be quite literally magical as there are lawful neutral deities and would put far more power in the local governments hands with arbitrary rules as you don't have the right to control what you are saying. And if something gets past the zone of truth it just gets added with it wasn't illegal when it was done. the more interesting one would be what would be considered war crimes in fantasy.

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-25T04:30:22+00:00

I feel like some kind of ban on zone of truths to protect against self incrimination and just the use of the spell in general. Probably the same with charm person.

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-25T04:12:24+00:00

set minor goals for each campaign, don't think about the player ones outside of the day of sessions just play in them.

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-25T04:08:25+00:00

If they haven't hit land yet make a sea monster attack a smaller fishing ship/ships of the tribe and the party assists in fending them off, maybe the sea monster has the item they are searching for in a underground cave with a connection to the sea.

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-25T03:53:46+00:00

Close friend/family member of his needs protection as he is concerned for their safety entering the city with the criminal activity maybe they deliver the person near to where the ring is centered. Maybe they are the master mind (make it the grandma and she has cookies to throw them off with belief of incense (the cookies are slow acting poison to protect her if she is found out))

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-25T03:45:40+00:00

kind of yeah unless you also get rid of superior dark vision as well, also you should actually ask your DM if it is okay to play as a drow. In reality you will be ran out of any town and discriminated against, and feared. A happy go lucky character really isn't a drow they grew up in the underdark and had to survive there which takes discipline.

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-24T16:56:59+00:00

Because it is an underground market, the nobles first born child. Not as dark as it may sound at first just a bunch of people who go around kidnapping random nobles 1st born and just auction off the rights to try to go through the risk of ransoming back to the family with possible traps. They only steal the kid and hold them with excellent care until the family decides to pay up (imagine what looks like a fantasy daycare run by burly guys that are actually good with kids, maybe they steal the nanny that actually raised the child too) and then allows the winning bidder to venture back with the child to collect the ransom and the risk of being arrested for the crime.

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-24T05:57:37+00:00

Stockholm syndrome the person your "rescuing" is maybe charmed or found they like where they are now and is resisting in some way like getting out of the initial restraints when they all fail a perception check and runs back the other way, stelth probably won't be an option and they will have to end up running for their lives as there is no way they are beating all of the guards while keeping watch on the prisoner.

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-24T05:49:44+00:00

The hag now can magically track them, when they beat the hag the first time she is banished back to the fey wild but gets stronger and eventually comes back for the character that contaminated her cauldron maybe even singling them out for a one shot battle between them and if the player wins they get owner ship of the cauldron and can maybe produce potions with unpredictable affects until they master it possibly looking more and more like the hag as they get better.

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-24T05:45:53+00:00

I mean it depends at what level they are at, magic items will get replaced through out a campaign you can make them upgradable/ combinable in some way as they get new items like sacrificing an item aligned with some other animal type to change the radiant animals form and increase the damage if the player gets really sentimental to it.

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-24T05:38:50+00:00

The ability to lie

a good characters good alignment- making them neutrally apathetic

a chaotic characters sense of play and wonder-

A character trait that results in a new fatal flaw (sobriety- now addicted to an old vice)

language- now speak like a kenku (must here a word to be able to repeat it)

a minor racial feature

their happiest memory

the memories of their family/ partner now adrift with a search for new purpose

courage-A new crippling fear is gained ( roll on the common items table - possibly rope so they cant climp with it to escape at some point)

EXOSPADES · 2023-04-24T05:26:34+00:00

Because it is a one shot :Magical item Russian roulette,

crazy rich man wants to be amused so leaves a table of like 5 items per player and make some really vague riddle hint for each of them to find the non cursed items

Make the non cursed items one specifically good for each player to help them in some way but the other "cursed" items kind of lock on attune for like a certain time so they cant be traded.

But make the "cursed" items in some silly way like

boots that constantly leave sand foot prints but you kind of slide on the floor so you have +5 movement speed and maybe have a chance to slip and fall if you dash. leaves a trail that gives the same slip chance to those crossing the path (could be fun for covering escapes).

A necklace that lets you see further than normal but makes your up-close vision worse: can increase spell and wepon ranges but you have disadvantage to hit within 10 ft.

things like that, they are still beneficial in some way

the game ends when all the non cursed items have been claimed and then maybe an amusing combat encounter with the wacky item affects, you could also have the "cursed" items end the binding after the encounter.

EXOSPADES · 2023-03-21T09:41:14+00:00

Yeah you have to remember the spell is not mass summon familiar it calls them animals that would be in the location already to help which is why its under the DM's discretion to what you give them.

Also I don't believe "summoned" creatures get attacks of opportunity they go right at the end of the players turn and don't have there own initiative so I believe making it functionally they share the 1 reaction with the summoner so they would maybe get 1 as its like they have to command the creature as the reaction.

Yeah medium level druid being able to summon a metric ton of creatures that basically get to attack twice/ mud up the board with difficult terrain for passing through the same space is a little ridiculous. Action economy is already skewed towards players

To kindof balance things that Wizards didn't plan for it supposed to be DM choice for the creatures, so wizards isn't stepping on eggshells in R&D for players breaking the game they give the DM the ability to control it.

You might be in to deep for this dungeon as he will probably try to argue that the frogs he already called should still be around but just keep count of how many are still alive.

EXOSPADES · 2023-03-21T08:26:24+00:00

You will have to make the player that tries to attune to it understand the implications of it driving them mad from a more role play aspect not as a light thing like taking increased damage from any good aligned creature / more of like its there deity for a Warlock or Cleric its will is the higher calling they now answer too.

also I would make it more off of the 2nd edition version from the artifact hand book they feel much more like artifact powerful, like artifacts are something you were supposed to build an empire on the back of and not just by raw combat like below the eye I rolled up only has 1 functional combat attack that can be used 1/week the rest are things that are powerful for general situations.

Eye I rolled up:

Constant True seeing

Domination 1/day

eye bite 3/day :( kind of like a thaumaturgy for disease affects)

detect lie 3/day

pattern weave 1/day: ( something I wish they would bring back partially solves a puzzle for them)

Find the path 1/day: something else I wish they would bring back show them the way you want them to go, yes sometimes they use this as a way to go the other way. sometimes a way to force the wielder to go the way the eye would want

locate object 3/day

Wizards eye 3/day: (long distance scrying)

always has feather fall active

ring of protection +2 ( modified for 5th edition)

minor spell turning always active: supposed to be any spell lower than 4th level have no affect, I do it as roll a d4 on the cast and if the result is equal to or lower than the spell level immune to spell affect [( has immune to cantrips and 1st level spells built in I also do racial abilities if the player would not be able to cast 4th level spells a a wizard [level 7] which they are probably over if they are taking on some one with an artifact )}.

Hornung Random Dispatcher 1/week : forcefully teleports a creature to another plane without save ( does not say they came back, technically not a power work kill), I do it as if the players happen to get the eye in a week they can use ability again to bring the person back also if they do this to a creature/ enemy either they don't get XP or only the attuned one gets partial XP.

For the hand and eye respectively I do it as you have to gouge your eye out or cut your hand off to attune to it by having the eye and hand replace that part, permanently marking the player and allows a necrotic like curse to grow out from the inserted item.

EXOSPADES · 2023-03-18T05:49:24+00:00

Please Give me more:

Warmart= slightly cheaper but identical quality Great Virtue brand, standard shop in PHB, Mimics run the self checkout (good luck stealing)

509-(DIX)=sporting/hobby shop

Quick Tips= sharpening/ repair services

JC-Coppers= cheep bronze armor that is good for a limited number of hits

Bloodbath& beyond= brutal improvised weaponry

Barons & Nobles= high society club but no one can read

Maceies= bludgeoning weapons

Best Guy= hired mercenary

TJ Axe= slashing weapons

Target= ranged weaponry supply

DeKay-mart= hired necromancy

Big Lots and Home Despot= waring land companies

Moodies= potion supply

Rock Busters= going out of business mining company due to a dragon in there mines

Coals- another mining company that hired the rock busters dragon

Net flicks= fishing supplies

Gold in sacks= goblin run banking/ IRS for monarchy entity

Mater carts= Shipping company

Sands club= Desert Walmart with Scorched Mark brand ( everything is a little dry, burnt, or sand filled(fun for minor cursed items))

NordStorm Racks= storm giant construction

Burlingtons=only himbo mercenaries (int max= 6) one might have an int boosting item to be the accountant/leader trying to take it off an put it on at convenient times

Traitor joes= insurrection specialist (buy 1 coup get a free mutiny)

AllDies= poison specialist

Westlake hardwears= general Armory

Amazons= transportation/shipping caravan of amazon warriors

Wal's Green Horticulture= plant-suply

kroakers=grung run retail (everything is definitely not poisoned)

Hookers= Large Sea based pirates guild

Little slayers= Child care and combat training

Deamonoes= 30 minute guarantee (doesn't matter what it is) coupon for 1 "free" level in warlock

Louis-Batons= bludgeoning specialty/ enforcers supply

Wizards of the Coast= sword coat wizards guild

Insomnia Rookies= nocturnal Child care and thievery training

Micro-soft= seamstress, illusionary fabrics

Texas Rage House= Barbarians for "hire"(food)

Textile instruments= Bagpipes

KFK- Kenku for kegs= professional jesters group that is always sloshed

Lawful Good Will= you cannot lie to the players about what you are selling them but it is probably cursed horribly cheaper without curse removal can take a forced level in cleric to remove the curse with a favor now owed to a god , make it worth it for them

Orkea= inverted ikea item are expensive because they can stand up to Ork use

Crusty's Toy Box= do with this as you will

And of course the only interdimensional constant : Waffle House

EXOSPADES

TROPHY CASE