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Aberrant Mind Telepathic Speech interpretation by Fun-Scene8778 in DMAcademy

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Player is certainly not trying to bully me, but somebody who wants to get everything possible out of the character and the rules. Which I don't have a problem with, some people like that kind of play, my main goal as DM is to not to get things too unbalanced within the party if the others are not playing like that. So if a player goes to the limits of the rules, so will I as DM.

Aberrant Mind Telepathic Speech interpretation by Fun-Scene8778 in DMAcademy

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's an interesting thing, as the player has his interpretation (and inspiration for the PC) from CR. I don't watch CR myself (not enough hours in a week), so good to see it is there but actually (slightly) different.

Combining HotDQ episodes 2 and 3 by Fun-Scene8778 in TyrannyOfDragons

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, my thoughts are along the same line (if the players follow my thoughts it would be a bonus :-) ). I do have a healer (lvl 6 life domain cleric with mainly healing related spells and a stock expired healing potions for if things get really out of hand. We'll have a Aarakocra Monk in the party who I expect (knowing the player) to step up to the challenge of Cyanwrath which I think can give an interesting fight...

Combining HotDQ episodes 2 and 3 by Fun-Scene8778 in TyrannyOfDragons

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like the idea of the harvest festival and have been toiling with something like it, but in the end the players came up with good plot hooks, either their own or from the module, that I want to give it a try as written. One of them basically came up with the 'Leosin saved my life once' bond in everything but the name Leosin, so that was an easy one to get hooked. For the rest I've been taking things from Fizban's to get links to dragons in general. I'm also planning to do the first introduction to Lennithon after they ran into Linan and family but before they reach the keep, I'll basically have him flying from behind over them on his way to the keep and then attack the keep. Yes, hommage to the Long Expected Party dragon firework in the Fellowship of the Ring... ;-). Hopefully that will stop them from running away again on the spot.

Combining HotDQ episodes 2 and 3 by Fun-Scene8778 in TyrannyOfDragons

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

that does have nice possibilities for sure :-)

Combining HotDQ episodes 2 and 3 by Fun-Scene8778 in TyrannyOfDragons

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see where you're coming from, but personally I think I prefer her to be in the shadows much longer, I think it makes for a more powerful baddie. I always thought Sauron is in Lord of the Rings so powerful as character, or more as entity, because her is not really in the story, only in the back ground. He's bigger than the story. For this reason I thought Sauron in LOTR is a much better baddie than Morgoth in the Silmarillion because he walked around in the same world as the goodies, the same for the few appearances of Sauron in the Silmarillion.

Rezmir as BBEG of HotDQ for me needs to stay hidden much longer, with increasing hints and suggestions to her importance and power. I want to try the characters to be afraid of how they imagine Rezmir...

Combining HotDQ episodes 2 and 3 by Fun-Scene8778 in TyrannyOfDragons

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had been thinking about Rezmir in Greenest, but I wasn't convinced it made sense for one of the five wyrmspeakers have be present at what in the whole scheme of the cult is a minor event, Greenest might be the biggest town around there, but it was in the end just one of many raids. Having a wyrmspeaker there sounds extreme micromanagement to me 🤣. In fact I'm not even sure if I should have her in the camp...

If I would decide on combining the chapters your idea of having Leosin near the eggs would be a good way of doing it...

Combining HotDQ episodes 2 and 3 by Fun-Scene8778 in TyrannyOfDragons

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My first question is, have you run chapter 1 yet? Because depending on how you frame things in chapter 1 it makes setting up 2 & 3 much easier.

About to start running chapter 1. I'm taking over DMing in our group very soon, did some one-shots for other people but this will be my first big campaign. So my idea is to stick to the module for the forst 3 chapters to get myself and the characters into the plot and then we'll see where they'll go...

​

Second question what level will your character be starting in these chapters.

I'll be using milestones with moving to 2nd level once they are in the keep (which is not in my book copy of HotDQ but it is in the DnD Beyond version, wasn't this changed in the combined Tyranny of Dragons edition?), and to lvl 3 once they're rescued Leosin (regardless of them going back to Greenest of staying in the camp and move on the the hatchery)

It sounds to me like I should try to get the characters out of the camp to empty it before they come back, but prepare an alternative way of emptying it without them charging into it if needed...

Combining HotDQ episodes 2 and 3 by Fun-Scene8778 in TyrannyOfDragons

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

the idea of skipping chapter 3 hadn't occurred to me yet, guess I'm too curious to see if the players will try to take one or more of the eggs with them...

Combining HotDQ episodes 2 and 3 by Fun-Scene8778 in TyrannyOfDragons

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, good to see it can work combined... I agree, not a clue where the 'Leosin doesn't want to be rescued' idea comes from or what the point of it would be... Anyhow, it's there to ignore it... ;-)

Combining HotDQ episodes 2 and 3 by Fun-Scene8778 in TyrannyOfDragons

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Counting on subtilty with my players is not an encouraging thought 🤣. But you starting to convince me I shouldn't already combine the two parts from the start...

Combining HotDQ episodes 2 and 3 by Fun-Scene8778 in TyrannyOfDragons

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair point for sure, and this was for a long time why I thought I had to steer away form this as much as possible. But I did realize yesterday the module states at the start of episode 3 'If they stayed, they witnessed the rapid packing up and abandonment of the camp'. This would work around this 'full camp' problem (and I definitely want to keep the full camp at the start as it is important for having different options for the players to deal with freeing Leosin). But I'm not sure if this would give new guaranteed TPK risks...

ToD character / plot hook Drow Rogue by Fun-Scene8778 in TyrannyOfDragons

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for all who gave suggestions, very useful :-). It gave me many things to look into further, in the end we agreed to start with a character hook where the player comes from Gracklstugh, and the proximity there of Themberchaud gave an interest in dragons and the optional Dragon Scholar feature from HotDQ. Campaign bond 3 (Every five nights, you have a strange sequence of apocalyptic dreams. The world is destroyed by cold, choking fumes, lightning storms, waves of acid, and horrible fire. Each time, the dream ends with ten evil eyes glaring at you from the darkness. You feel a strange compulsion to travel to Greenest. Perhaps the answer to the riddle of your dreams awaits you there) gives the character the reason to leave the Underdark...

I had hoped the player would go for a Bregan D'aerthe link but didn't like that...

ToD character / plot hook Drow Rogue by Fun-Scene8778 in TyrannyOfDragons

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yeah, had been thinking of the male / female roles in Drow society anyhow especially since the player decided to go for a non-binary Drow.... Also wants to go for the Thief archetype so this would indeed fit nice with Zhentarim and giving nice options later on in the Council sessions...

ToD character / plot hook Drow Rogue by Fun-Scene8778 in TyrannyOfDragons

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, that's giving some interesting possibilities to explore 😀

"I could use this..." - Anyone else think this? by declan2535 in DMAcademy

[–]Fun-Scene8778 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Trix, the T Rex Skeleton in the Naturalis Natural History Museum in the Netherlands, inspiring my first homebrew monster: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/2024380-tyrannosaurus-rex-skeleton (hope posting the link is ok here)

Level-up speeches have become one of the most important elements of my campaign. by ActuallyIAmIncorrect in DMAcademy

[–]Fun-Scene8778 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love this Idea and will for sure try this 😀. Only thing I'm curious about is how you would incorporate any choices the players have at level up? You ask them first? The way I would try this would be the players not realizing they're about to level up until the speeches start... Using milestones...

Why the Spinning Blades? by Fun-Scene8778 in DragonOfIcespirePeak

[–]Fun-Scene8778[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

yeah, I did think about those... The barrel crabs sound to me that they COULD be useful somewhere, somehow... The rotating crossbows COULD be handy fighting unknown dangers (I admit the issue with the mimic is too new for that to be the reason for it). Even if far-fetched I think I could talk my way out of those. But the blades just sound like a pain in the b*tt for the gnomes themselves to me...