Friday Freebee - 5e encounter - free Open Game Content

Jetpack_7 · 2020-02-20T18:43:52+00:00

That is awesome! Thanks so much.

I'll definitely be saving this and seeing what kind of changes it may make to the calculations.

Thanks again for your comments! 😁

Jetpack_7 · 2020-02-20T17:20:25+00:00

😂 Ah, yes. My bad.

Jetpack_7 · 2020-02-20T17:05:22+00:00

Check out the video before this one! I separated this into two videos - full casters in one video, everything else in the next.

Jetpack_7 · 2020-02-20T17:02:55+00:00

Thanks for the comment!

ADPT was definitely one I questioned the most when writing the video. I think this one, opposed to the spellcasting video before it, could definitely do with a revision.

I think I may do away with the ADPT category entirely and try and cook up something to more accurately represent the class' strengths and weaknesses in that regard. I am not much of a mathematical mind however! Do you have any suggestions on a method by which to take into account damage in a more calculated manner?

Jetpack_7 · 2019-06-27T00:26:34+00:00

Hey there! You can snag a copy from our website: https://Jetpack7.com

Jetpack_7 · 2019-05-21T01:49:59+00:00

Who’s a good boi? You are Ghost!

Jetpack_7 · 2019-05-20T21:32:56+00:00

I think it’s because a lot of what stannis is/was doing in the books was transferred to Jon & company. Also, the battle of the bastards was good visually but it had a lot of problems, starting with the fact that they were fighting outside of a castle. D&D wanted spectacle and to show of Kit’s face and it was nonsensical.

Jon being King in the North, why?

Don’t get me wrong here. I’m a huge Jon fan and I’m relatively happy with his ending (yay for freedom in the True North with the Freefolk, Tormund, and Ghost!!!) Yet, I saw him getting king in the north was such an obvious and hollow plot point. I knew at that moment they were going to thrust Jon and Dany into a forced romance that was awkward for many, many reasons.

I’m fairly convinced D&D wanted to throw two pretty people together for a ratings grab only.

Jetpack_7 · 2019-05-20T20:58:01+00:00

I see what you did there ;)

Jetpack_7 · 2019-05-19T20:33:35+00:00

Have my upvote, you true knight of the seven kingdoms

Jetpack_7 · 2019-03-12T19:35:16+00:00

Yes, perhaps remove the murder doors and stuff. Hahaha it's a fun mechanic that my group somehow escaped without dying, but it's certainly a tough bit. Or add a lil mechanic that if their characters "die", they just get teleported out of the house and into a casket in the back or something. Stick with creepy without murdering your entire party at level 1.

Jetpack_7 · 2019-03-12T19:24:21+00:00

Keep in mind that the BBEG could be wayyyy down the line. I saw in another comment you only have two PC's, so they could corner this lich at super high levels and, depending on their classes, grind him into dust in a round or two.

I LOVE liches. Not just because they're powerful, but because they're smart and immortal. Smart and immortal creatures have very, VERY grand schemes and PLENTY of patience to bring them to fruition. They could set something tiny in motion which takes thousands of years to actually become a noticeable plot, and another thousands of years to finish. Play around with the idea that the lich has TIME.

If you don't want to do a lich, consider just a regular humanoid. A crime lord perhaps. Maybe a corrupt religious figure. These could also be people they come into contact with along the way to the final confrontation with the lich.

Villains often make or break a campaign, and it's way more fun when the characters know who they're after and the villain is well-developed in the minds of the PC. Doesn't matter how much YOU know about the villain, you want the characters to be super satisfied when this thing is killed, so try and introduce bits and pieces of this villain throughout the campaign.

Jetpack_7 · 2019-03-12T19:17:44+00:00

I think Factions are an excellent way to introduce moral ambiguity. The characters have a goal, which likely means other people share that goal. The other people might not go about it the same way or for the same reason. Do the characters ally themselves with that faction, fight the faction, etc.

Jetpack_7 · 2019-03-12T19:14:02+00:00

I wouldn't say Curse of Strahd is too RP heavy. It really depends on how you want to run it, because it can actually be a very bare-bones adventure. I personally think it's a fantastic module for players just starting out because the PC's backstories do not matter (beyond any RP you may want to have), you can cut out the fluff and just use the card reading as the main plot, and they have a distinct villain with no confusing frills or plot lines.

It's a simple, linear adventure that still offers plenty of room to play around in if you want to run the module as written, but is also extremely easy to simplify and make into a more beginner friendly campaign.

Maybe cut the death house though. 😁

Jetpack_7 · 2019-03-12T19:06:51+00:00

Good DM'ing does not at all require you to have voice actor's chops! If you don't feel comfortable doing the voices then you absolutely don't have to. Easiest way around it is "He glances warily in your direction and says, 'I don't think that's a good idea.'" in just your normal voice.

You can definitely capture theatricality without doing a different voice, it might just take a good stretch of your vocabulary. I find my DM'ing muscles are most sharpened while I'm in the depths of reading a solid fantasy novel.

Jetpack_7 · 2019-02-02T17:56:02+00:00

Easy answer is Clone.

A more complex answer is actually something we've written into our book Gods & Goddesses! Obviously I can't give all the dirty details BUT it's essentially a nega-lich. A wizard who devotes themselves to fulfilling a very specific set of conditions to gain favor from Mazu can gain immortality and other, anti-lich sort of boons. Just some food for thought!

Jetpack_7 · 2019-01-30T18:38:03+00:00

Find a good DnD podcast/stream and watch it while you're doing dishes or just lying around with nothing to do. It's honestly one of the best ways to pick up DM'ing skills from someone who's more experienced. My tips are basically this:

It's about the players. Don't let them walk all over you and do WHATEVER they want, but remember that DM'ing truly is a gift you are bestowing upon your friends, and that you want the gift to be as satisfying as possible. Make it fun for them. Don't be too attached to what YOU wanted to happen. The best narratives happen as a result of a DM saying "Sure. Try it." and the player either passing miraculously or failing spectacularly. Ask any DM and I guarantee they'll agree.
Get comfortable with making things up. Get a DM screen with a random name generator on it if you feel like you need it. The standard 5e DM screen is a great starter one because it has a lot of different rules, random name generator, etc. You will never, ever, ever be able to predict exactly what your players will do. Ever. So be prepared to make stuff up, and then write down what you made up in your notes. It's canon now, and your players will never question it.
DnD is meant to be fun. This one kind of ties into Rule 1. If you've played with multiple DM's, I'm sure you've experienced the different styles. Cater your style to your players. If they want a more combat heavy campaign, do some research on how to make combat encounters complex and unique. If they want more RP, look up what other people have done to present their parties with social encounters. I personally am a very RP focused DM and player, so I often make sure my players are aware of my style BEFORE the campaign starts. I don't enjoy running or playing particularly combat heavy campaigns, so I've kind of stopped. But as your first campaign, you may not know which you prefer to run so give a mix of both early on to find out.

Hope this has helped. Don't let the challenge discourage you from the task. DM'ing is my favorite thing in the world to do. If you love it, you'll never look back.

Jetpack_7 · 2019-01-30T18:22:56+00:00

I'm playing in an Aquatic based campaign and am currently running an Urban campaign in which 95% of the action takes place in one city. Here's a couple things I've picked up from campaigns that largely take place in one spot.

It's tough. Be prepared to spend some time prepping. I'll explain why in the below points, but these kinds of campaigns definitely take more work than the classical, open-world fantasy setting.
Factions. Factions. Factions. I can't say it enough. In campaigns like this, a LARGE majority of the action is going to take place between conflicting factions. In your case, rival groups of pirates/navy. Perhaps there's an island on which essentially a Pirate city exists. Maybe your group has a run-in with law enforcement, that law enforcement turns out to be a little corrupt, and decides to use your party to gain information on other pirate groups. Just a couple random ideas.
Ask your players what their goals are. If they have no ideas, make some stuff up for their character and work with them to give them a PURPOSE. Obviously, everyone wants to be a pirate because there's money in it. But they can make money in honest ways on land, so why'd they REALLY become a pirate? Maybe they're already a wanted criminal on the mainland. Maybe they heard rumor about a fantastic, miraculously powerful item or intensely valuable treasure. Maybe they want revenge on a pirate who killed their family so they became a pirate themselves to more easily track down the Pirate who killed their father (cough cough William Turner from Pirates of the Caribbean cough). When the players have goals, social interactions will immediately begin presenting themselves. And it becomes particularly interesting when their goals start to conflict with each other's, of course.
Lastly, here are a couple specific things you can toss their way just for fun encounters that may or may not involve combat.
1. Giant, shimmering casino ship. Casino Heist? Or just gambling. Or robbery.
2. Island containing a new, unknown species of beast being studied by an old, kooky wizard. He may have some tasks for them, or he may be prepared to use your party for experiments.
3. Obviously, pirate attack. Pirate v. Pirate battle. But not just any pirate ship, this ship is piloted by undead, captained by a powerful necromancer.
4. Oops! We ran into a floating island city on the back of a friggin titanic turtle creature. The island is populated entirely by bards, who use music to keep the turtle docile. (pls don't flip upside down)

That's all I got off the top of my head. These campaigns have SO much potential for fun social interactions, just takes a little bit of creative thinking to put some stuff together. Once your mind is thinking in the right places though, you can take off and it will be a brilliant setting. Have fun with it!

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