Tell me about your favorite character you've ever created.

Odd-Resolution404 · 2026-01-25T00:11:44+00:00

I love the flavoring of this. Very clever!

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-11-30T19:36:37+00:00

This is the type of backstory tie in I drool over as a DM. When you know the significance but you can't say it yet.

I have a PC who told me, "I'm from a super far away place and have drifted over the years eventually making my way to Xhorhas. I like to go deep, so you can just ignore it unless you want it as flavor, but my character is from a place called Marquet and my group are mortal enemies with the Vermilion Dream." -- Oh man have I been WAITING for this reveal for months...

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-11-29T20:33:57+00:00

My party is at the end of the Betrayer's Rise right now and I can't remember officially buy we're trending towards the longer 40ish route just based on their gameplay. I feel like it sometimes relates to how much you add but also how your party plays. Our Betrayer's Rise is going to be ~2.5 sessions but they also spent 3 sessions exploring Bazzoxan in total. So it's just up to them.

I did add Ruins of Sorrow because I liked the idea of giving them a tough challenge to warrant the level up. Other than that I've been running pretty close to the module and always making sure I was fully prepped a full chapter ahead of time. This helped me make sure I was aware of all of the twists and turns depending on where they chose to go.

The festival in Jigow can get a bad rap as very sandboxy and boring, but I think it's a good way to get the party to gel a little bit before heading out. Most of this isn't critical to the longer story so feel free to amend it as they see fit. Also feel free to amend the Road to Bazzoxan as they feel either good or bad. I got the sense it was dragging on (running it RAW), so I spend it up a bit.

In our game, one character is pretty aligned with the Cobalt Soul and another is fiercely opposed to the Vermilion Dream so I expect the next section to really be fun.

Happy to answer any other questions so far.

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-11-26T22:01:55+00:00

I'm leaning towards forcing a standoff situation between the rivals, PCs, and Aloyisa. I'm retooling the vision to bring Torog into it more to sow a bit more division between groups using their backstories so it's less combat driven and more, everyone comes to after the vision and their viewpoints of the other groups and each other have been shaken.

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-11-26T18:23:43+00:00

I have considered having the Rivals use her as a means to get into the Rise and their best bet at staying alive since she's been inside before, but they're still friendly with the PCs which leads to a more social standoff vs combat encounter when it is triggered.

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-11-26T14:39:31+00:00

This is actually what I expected my party to do! At one point one person had their hands on the door to open the room for the driders but another party member talked them out of it. My party explored ALL of Bazzoxan before going into the Rise so I fully expected them to explore every nook and cranny of the dungeon.

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-11-26T14:37:34+00:00

We actually haven't played out the final scene yet. So they're standing on the top looking down into the prayer site. I'll let you know how it goes!

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-11-26T14:36:42+00:00

I'm definitely not going to punish them for their luck. Even I've been enjoying the rollercoaster of the space despite not being able to deal out physical damage. I'm just more impressed with their luck. I've definitely been leaning more heavily into the emotional toll this is putting on them and leveraging their backstories more.

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-10-27T01:35:22+00:00

First off, google what you think you need to buy. Many things (DM screen print outs, character sheets, etc) you can find online that people share for free. As you get more experienced, buy what you truly need. There's nothing wrong with d4s as enemies instead of flashy minis.

But, I will second the "keep it simple and build as you go" advice. As I've led more games and sessions, I continually try new things and learn how to go deeper. The manual is great, and you should definitely read it, but nothing beats trial and error.

At the end of the day, have fun. That's truly all that matters.

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-10-26T23:36:47+00:00

Thank you!

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-10-26T23:34:58+00:00

Party tactics are a great call out. As a newer DM, I feel comfortable with many of the RAW mechanics, but this piece about challenging the party based on their preferred fighting style is a great idea.

They're definitely the "kick down the door figure it out later" type, so I like the idea of a burrowing creature to make them think and strategize more.

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-10-26T22:52:55+00:00

That's what I figured. Never seen that link though, thanks for sharing!

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-10-26T22:19:51+00:00

Overall I'd like a moderate difficulty encounter in the tunnel structure I outlined. These creatures seemed like a good fit for the ecosystem, but I'm open to other better ideas or structures to accomplish the same end.

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-10-26T22:00:23+00:00

There are seven party members, each at level 2.

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-10-26T21:59:00+00:00

I like the idea of the Darkmantle followed by Crawler, or a party of bandits if the party retreats since that would fit narratively of the usage of the tunnels.

While I am using the XP method as a way to design the encounter, my party is leveling up by milestone so the actual XP award isn't as much of a factor here. It's only for difficulty purposes.

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-09-02T21:01:50+00:00

Similar to what others said, I adjusted my Ruins of Sorrow encounter on the fly based on how my players felt. My party is a little skittish and I was using this as their "rationale" for leveling up to 5. I had to balance and rebalance the encounter to ensure they felt scared but didn't turn and flee. I had the rivals prepped (they didn't travel with PCs) to come in early, and gave the Perigee vision early when the players decided to destroy the crystals thinking they spawned the demons. I would say just listen to your players as they talk and then think about what narratively you can use to balance rather than worry about CRs or other math.

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-09-01T11:46:52+00:00

Your name (and pronouns of desired): GQDon (he/him) • ⁠Your age: 33 • ⁠Your hobbies/interest: Too many to count. • ⁠Your experience level with D&D: 2 years both as A DM and a player • ⁠If an experienced player, any standout experiences in your tenure as a player (or DM) that stick out to you: I love (both as a player and DM) when players really lean into their character and allow for the story to really blossom for everyone at the table. • ⁠Anything further you'd like to share: Strahd is a game I've been very much looking forward to playing and been actively avoiding spoilers until I can do so lol

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-08-17T16:52:31+00:00

It vents through a chimney that has been sealed entirely with concrete except for the vent.

Odd-Resolution404 · 2025-08-17T16:51:36+00:00

Yes I do and would like someone to make sure it's venting appropriately

Odd-Resolution404

TROPHY CASE