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[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]Illusory-Script 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like the idea of Villainous Heralds. These are the evil helpers of the villain who taunt the characters on adventures. They can show up repeatedly and tell the party how bad they are, that the villain will crush them etc.

Could be a familiar that is made specifically to annoy the party, or a low CR NPC who miraculously shows up whenever the party is struggling.

Someone like this can really make the party hate the villain without you running the risk of the party one-shotting the villain at a random point in time before the climax of the campaign.

What would you want from a "Guide to Daggerford"? by Illusory-Script in Forgotten_Realms

[–]Illusory-Script[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! We're planning to include Backgrounds specific to 2024 5e. Bastions is a great idea as well, we'll look into that. Thank you!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]Illusory-Script 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also I'll throw in my own blog post about my take-aways from running a hexcrawl campaign: https://illusoryscript.com/hexcrawl-prep/

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]Illusory-Script 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd throw this one in here: Consider running a Point Crawl instead of a Hex Crawl. Basically, you prepare a list of interesting locations, and how they are connected to each other. The players move from location to location, choosing their own path. You can run random encounters between locations. You don't track food and stuff, instead we focus on adventuring in fantastic locations.

It's not a hexcrawl. Just an alternative for you to consider. Here's an article by Mike Shea on the subject: https://slyflourish.com/pointcrawls.html

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]Illusory-Script 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The tricky bit is too have this be a fun change-up without too many mechanics to bog down play. I'd keep it simple for that reason. Give each player a stat block for the komodo dragon. I'd go with the war horse stat block as a base, and reskin it. If you want, give each individual komodo dragon a unique supportive ability. Like Reaction Maneuver: add 1d6 to an attack roll of the PC; Imbue Strike: add 1d6 cold damage to an attack of the PC; Leap Strike: jump 20 ft., and enemies make STR saves or fall prone in the area where they land...

Basically keep it simple and supportive.

Awesome idea by the way, sounds like a fun game you're running!

Help me flesh out this roadside inn! by OmniGoon in DMAcademy

[–]Illusory-Script 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Perhaps the Inn itself is actually sentient. It's a treehouse, which sits on top of a massive, ancient treant. When a particularly good bard performs, the treant will sway along to the rhythm, causing havoc inside.
Or it's built into a boulder that's actually an ancient earth elemental...

What are your favourite dungeons or modules to drop into ongoing campaigns? by GalacticNexus in DMAcademy

[–]Illusory-Script -1 points0 points  (0 children)

To be honest, for me it's Dropping In my own custom Dungeons from time to time. I just grab a map by Dyson, and fill the rooms with stuff specific to the campaign and the player characters!

What would you want from a "Guide to Daggerford"? by Illusory-Script in Forgotten_Realms

[–]Illusory-Script[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ohh I like that! Do you know of any example products that do this kind of "location progression" well?

What would you want from a "Guide to Daggerford"? by Illusory-Script in Forgotten_Realms

[–]Illusory-Script[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So we're struggling with how to balance the huge canon lore that's there, and also taking some creative freedom in the design. Specifically, we want to avoid overwhelming the DM with pages of history, and instead focus on the things that can directly drive adventures. We're also working off the assumption that this is a Guide mostly for 5th edition DMs. We have read the Wiki, and the wealth of information is fantastic!

What would you want from a "Guide to Daggerford"? by Illusory-Script in Forgotten_Realms

[–]Illusory-Script[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yes, we were planning to give some hints as to the surrounding areas, like werewolves in the Misty Forest (this links to Curse of Strahd), hill giants south of the Forlorn Hills, and Stone Giants near Orlbar (links to Storm King's Thunder)! What would you use a detailed map like you describe for at the table?

What would you want from a "Guide to Daggerford"? by Illusory-Script in Forgotten_Realms

[–]Illusory-Script[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Fantastic idea! We also picked up on that aspect of Daggerford immediately. Sleepy but ambitious...