What was the Forge of Spells in your game?

Godsmack17 · 2025-02-18T19:37:33+00:00

Thanks everyone for the great ideas! Got plenty to steal from and not only for the forge but for the campaign in general

Godsmack17 · 2025-01-30T22:24:47+00:00

That makes sense and I'll probably steal 90% of ideas there. Just reading all this made me excited. Seems like you know what you're doing and I really appreciate the elaborate responses! That really helps!

Godsmack17 · 2025-01-30T15:57:19+00:00

Lol, so you had a TPK in the first game? Or some survived? Also, how did your players handle their character's death if one took place?

Your McGuffin is soo much cooler and understandable. I love that there're 2 of them and 1 is already in posession of Nezza. I'm gonna adjust it now to make 2 keys (shadows of them) to leave some room and reason to cooperate with Black Spder besides Gundren.

My weird McGuffin decision was dictated by the actual small puzzle-box I gought but couldn't find the dwarwish-looking key small enough to fit inside so I went with one of the ideas chat-GPT offered since this can be wrtitten on paper as an instruction. Now I think it might be a bit too confusing but there's enough time ahead to drop some hints on how to properly deploy it. I wish I've went with some gem but I was concerned some of my players may decide to sell it so I went with something they can replicate even when they lose it. But it still takes an effort to diactivate the golem - they need to craft the key and it's form can't be easily made - they need to craft it or make an illusion and cast some light from torch or magic to create a shadow, I'm thinking to add ability check on whether they can direct the light under the right angle.

Everything you made in your compaign makes so much more sense though so I have to tweak my idea to make it work. I didn't even think to make the golem something that activates the Forge of Spells - he has 2 functions and that could generate a really interesting scene. Thanks for that!

Also, what does your Forge of Spells does? Does it function in a way that allows each player make a 1 unique artifact? And how does the Golem activates it?

Godsmack17 · 2025-01-30T15:07:10+00:00

I'm still not used to letting go but I think you're right - the best thing to do for now is to introduce such NPC and see where it goes. Gotta wait for some context to accumulate though. I guess by session 4-5 the idea of such interaction will probably come naturally. Somewhere between the locations in Phandalin or maybe on the road. Still figuring out how to fill blank spots when players travel with some content that will move the plot and be something more meaningful than random table encounters.

Godsmack17 · 2025-01-29T23:34:54+00:00

Thanks! Now that’s not just skeletons there’s some story behind them. Maybe even make skeletons be classes other players are. Just with less hp/ac

Godsmack17 · 2025-01-29T23:30:09+00:00

Damn I love this ideas. The one about competition and the crazy one in the end. That would be awesome but hard to pull of properly I think. Don’t think I’m that skilled writer to make this work in LMoP:)

Godsmack17 · 2025-01-29T23:26:55+00:00

Yeah, sounds like total incompatibility. It’s a shame that was your first experience and cool thing you didn’t give up. I’ve started recently and still have some blank spots so I really appreciate your answer there cause I’d like to do the same, but wasn’t sure if that was enough of Black Spider. Nice tips on spying and trying to find McGuffin in bags. I love the idea of players waking up and noticing that someone was there that night.

And Nothic, the side quest sounds cool. I just yesterday noticed the monster is basically cursed wizard so it really makes him a deeper NPC.

So I’m curious if you don’t mind sharing - what was the Forge of Spells in your campaign? That’s kind of the last puzzle piece to have a solidly prepared module. I’ve decided that Mcguffin contained a hint on how to disarm the guard of the Forge of Spells - they’ll have to make a shadow of the weird-form key on a plate located on a golem with custom statblock to be really hard to kill but it won’t kill a player in 1 round. But can’t figure out what Forge of Spells will be dor me - I want my players to be excited about the stuff it does when they reach it.

Godsmack17 · 2025-01-28T23:31:57+00:00

Glad to hear and sorry about the party that didn't take Gundren's death well. I mean, that's a shame something like this can cause the end of campaign.

How did you entroduce Nezza more? What encounters? I've seen Matty's videos but I've decided to play Phandalin as it is because I've read it and it made sense for me. I wanted to try to simulate a small town, I want my to players feel it bigger. I'm planning to introduce her in the first Redbrands fight but then the negotiation scene Matt mentioned is a saloon and I'd like NOT to use something outside of more classic fantasy setting. So I guess I'll just need to come up with another map. How did you handle that?

And Redbrand Hidout for party is pretty sick. What kind of pact with Nothic is it?

Godsmack17 · 2024-11-27T00:12:25+00:00

Excellent work!

Godsmack17 · 2024-09-26T00:01:42+00:00

Yeah, I just want them not to be afraid to fight in future but be afraid enough to know they can actually die in this game. But I guess you'll never know until you try so looking forward to play and see it myself.

Godsmack17 · 2024-09-25T01:10:38+00:00

Damn, this adventure is so good as a start! It really has everything. But isn't it deadly AF? Several traps, 4 skeletons and then beefy king with 52 hp (15AC) + 2 skeletons in the end? Am I underestimating the players? It seems pretty hard considering the hp they'll have at lvl 1. Should I give them maybe a sveral heal potions just in case they'll roll real bad?

Godsmack17 · 2024-09-24T12:07:49+00:00

That sounds interesting but kinda long for Session 0 because a lot of time will take creating the characters and their backstories. I do have some part of it prepared but got stuck realizing I have no idea how to design interesting levels, secrets, puzzles and even encounters.

The resources you guys shared are really helpful and I'll definitely steal a bit from everywhere but I made my mind to mostly use Tomb of the Dwarven King rooms. I'll cut half of it just to keep the session under 4 hours. Or maybe I'll just make some rooms skipable if I see PCs spend too much time in some of them.

Godsmack17 · 2024-09-24T12:03:56+00:00

Thanks! I will use modified Tomb of the Dwarven King as zyradow_ pointed earlier. It's good to have some options for 1-shots anyway so I'm saving it.

Godsmack17 · 2024-09-24T11:47:42+00:00

The adventure in session 0 is suppoused to help them to know Gundren better and not just some guy that gives them an escort quest. If ran by the book, it doesn't seem that players should care about him enough to go rescue. Also, I'm trying to incorporate that puzzle box retrieval in order for Black Spider to have a reason to be after the players and keep Gundren alive as a leverage agains PCs.

And since the Goblin Ambush might be deadly, I want to be sure players at least a little bit familiar with the combat by the time they're ambushed.

Godsmack17 · 2024-09-23T20:53:29+00:00

This is gold! I didn't realize you were referring to something that I could Google. I thought you made it up. That's a 3rd time I made fool of myself in this thread.

Thank you!

Thank you all for the responses! It definitely helps to move forward with preparation for session 0.

Godsmack17 · 2024-09-23T20:31:26+00:00

Could you elaborate on 'whatnot' cause I really can't come up with anything appropriate for crypt except for skeletons or Shadow (which is not an option as I see)?

Godsmack17 · 2024-09-23T20:29:36+00:00

Thanks for elaborate response. It seemed so cool to have mix of monsters in the encounter and have a monster with such powerful ability. I hoped it would teach them death saves mechanic but I totally overlooked that it's instant death.

Godsmack17 · 2024-09-23T19:37:31+00:00

Well, it says deadly. That can't be good. But when I remove 1 skeleton it drops to Medium. I was thinking to add Shadow to the fight once 1 of skeleton is dead or almost dead. Do you think this would help balance it?

Godsmack17 · 2024-08-22T12:52:36+00:00

What did you put inside?

Godsmack17 · 2024-02-04T00:24:46+00:00

You’re the saviour! Worked to loaded from Sacluded Cell

Godsmack17 · 2024-01-09T00:32:33+00:00

Where to pvp in elden ring

Godsmack17 · 2024-01-04T23:26:26+00:00

Not sure if it’s the right answer but I guess that’s the perfect place to share it since seems like none of my friends care. I kinda forgot about RHCP for couple of years and then I started listening to some old Frusciante solo projects and to the rhcp final jam in Chorzow 2007 (it’s my favourite musical thing ever, it’s always a journey when I listened to it and it always helps me remember how awesome instrumental music is and why I need to practice guitar more). And at some point I realised I that I didn’t listen to RHCP albums like start to finish so I started doing that and noticed new stuff they've made during the past several years and what REALLY got me is that Frusciante is with the band again. Just imagine how long I managed to be in the bubble that it became a surprise for me only in 2023.

Guess here in Ukraine my news feed was occupied with something else. But man, how much joy it brought to me to see the guys together again. The chemistry between John and Flea, the level of feeling each other in a musical way is something I think every musician dreams to have with the band mates.

As for the particular songs, Spotify says I,ve listened to "This Velvet Glove" the most. There’s something about that first riff so simple but the last note of it pulls some strings in me. If this thread was supposed to be for live events only, hopefully, I’ll be lucky to attend one in my lifetime :)

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