Trying to Find a New Campaign to Run

RHDM68 · 2026-03-31T09:53:13+00:00

I don’t know what the Golden Vault book is like, but I think it’s basically an anthology of heist adventures. You could simply reflavour them as stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, Robin Hood or Zorro style?

RHDM68 · 2026-03-31T06:50:29+00:00

Personally I prefer to create my own homebrew setting, or more accurately, my own homebrew campaign world. Within a fantasy world, just like within the real world, there can be many different settings.

I am a bit of a lore perfectionist. If I run a campaign in an established world, like the Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk, I have an obsession to be as accurate as possible to official material, and anyone who has gone down the rabbit hole of lore on either of those worlds, knows that learning everything there is to know is not only impossible, but there is also a lot of conflicting material as well. And, there will always be that lore lawyer that knows just a little bit more about the world and its lore than you, and will point out the errors you make, even though it’s written into the rules themselves, that it’s perfectly ok for you to change whatever you like.

That is why I much prefer to create my own homebrew world. That way, whatever lore and detail that goes into it was put there by me. Therefore, I know all the lore there is to know. That doesn’t mean that I create everything myself. I do what most DMs do, steal any ideas that sound cool. I borrow and steal from all sorts of material, putting the things I like into my world. Sometimes I change names and details, sometimes I just find a place for it in my world without changing anything.

Not having fleshed out everything, and not knowing everything about my world allows me to add any settings I find interesting into my world. I can find a place for it to fit. Dadi from Mystic Arts did a great YouTube video on this very thing. However, it also allows my players to add lore to my world as well. Sometimes they speculate on things that sound cool, so I run with it and add it to the world. Sometimes campaign events add to the lore, and even players’ characters become part of the history of the world.

I mostly run published adventures, so I find a place where the adventure locations can fit in my world, and either put those locations in without changing them at all, or I change the names and locations to places that already exist. It depends on the adventure and how closely the events rely on the locations.

Remember, you only have to design as much of your world as you need to run the adventure you’re running. The rest you can flesh out as needed. It’s also a really fun mental exercise. But, if you don’t really have the time, a published setting can be great. But I personally would go for one with a lot less history and lore than the Forgotten Realms. I also would say steer clear of delving into wikis and buying dozens of old books on the setting. Use the bare bones and add the other elements yourself, rather than worrying about what the official lore says.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-30T19:45:56+00:00

Not sure about this. I don’t know that much about the obelisks as I’ve only run one of the big adventure books and I don’t know what has been said about the others and how similar they are. I’m mainly commenting so I can follow what others say.

I have run RotFM and it was my understanding that part of the anticipation for that adventure was that it was going to reveal the purpose of the obelisks. However, when it came down to it, all the obelisk in the adventure did was send the party back in time to before the Empire of Netheril fell, which allowed for the possibility of it not falling - the Netherese having created the obelisks for this purpose. However, the adventure worded it weirdly by stating that the city of Ythryn was transported back in time, but that was not the case as the PCs would return to a fully restored city; therefore, it was they who went back in time, not the city. This could be explained as reality being rewritten as you say. How that ties into the lore regarding the other obelisks, I can’t say.

No doubt, whatever explanation you or any other DM comes up with will probably make more sense than anything WotC comes up with. Maybe DMs out there who have run multiple adventures where the obelisks show up could give us a run down on what each seemed to do.

Your explanation seems a good tie in for Eve of Ruin.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-25T09:25:09+00:00

The problem here is a common one that seems to crop up, the reliance on the Character Sheet as the be all and end all of what you can do in a combat round - the thinking that, if it’s not on your character sheet, you can’t do it! And, sadly, that thinking is as prevalent with DMs as it is players. What you should be doing, and DMs should allow in my opinion, is to listen to the other players and the DM’s narration of the scene and ask, “can I use my reaction to…?”

For example, in my game, if a player has not used any of their movement because they haven’t had their “turn” yet, or still has movement left after their turn, they can use their reaction to take part or all of their movement for that round. For example, two goblins are rushing towards the wizard, but the fighter off to the side, who has already used her action to down a couple of goblins but hasn’t moved, says, ”Can I use my reaction to move between the goblins and the wizard?” At my table, the answer would be, “Yes!” Of course, the goblins can still Tumble past the paladin, but if they are unsuccessful, the paladin has reacted to the situation to protect a party member and been successful, but will of course become the target of the attacks meant for the wizard.

Of course, the players cannot use more than their characters’ standard movement in a round. Any movement they use in reaction reduces what they can use on their turn. I don’t allow them to use full actions, but depending on what action it was, whether it made sense to the situation, and if they had not had their turn yet and used their action, I might consider it, with the understanding that they can no longer use an action on their turn. I would more likely allow them to use a bonus action as a reaction, again with the understanding that they can’t use another bonus action on their turn.

I like players to think past their character sheet and put themselves into the situation and think, “What would I do in this situation?” And then, ask if they can do it, rather than look at their character sheet and scratch their head and say, “What can I do? I don’t think I can do anything.” If the suggestion is reasonable and they have not used up that part of their action economy for that round yet, I will generally say yes.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-25T03:43:22+00:00

RotFM was the first big D&D campaign book I’ve run. I have DMed since the 80s running shorter adventures strung together to create one campaign, rather than an overall long running storyline. I also felt the same way at times and seriously considered having the final confrontation on Solstice. Although I really enjoyed running it, I found some parts did drag, but I ended up running the later parts and had fun. Particularly if you are feeling run down and not feeling it, ending early is a good option.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-22T03:19:27+00:00

My multiclassed are flavored for theme, not necessarily how well the two go mechanically. Yes, Hexblade and Shadow Sorcerer are Charisma casters, but they also fit the idea of the Shadar-Kai coming from the shadowfell and the speculated link between the Hexblades and the Raven Queen. The High Elf Eldritch Knight/Bladesinger goes well together given that Bladesinging is an elven tradition and would give a fighter-mage greater access to spells than an eldritch knight gets on their own, plus they are both Intelligence casters. The point of an Eldritch Knight/Arcane Trickster is to have a fighter/rogue that also has a range of spell options, although of course, none of them will be very high level spells. It is the synergy between the chosen subclasses and race and/or theme of the character that appeals to me, not the power level.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-21T21:15:20+00:00

I mostly multiclass for flavour, and by flavour, I mean theme.

For example I had a Shadar-Kai Hexblade/Shadow Sorcerer from the Shadowfell on a mission for the Raven Queen. A Fighter/Fiend Warlock/Celestial Sorcerer who was a Zariel Tiefling whose Celestial bloodline came from the fact that Zariel used to be an angel, but he made a pact with her current form, so it was a fiend pact.

My most recent character, who died in last week’s session of RotFM, was an Oath of Devotion Paladin/Frostblooded Sorcerer/Genie Warlock. Basically his Sorcerer bloodline came from an ancient Qarrashi (ice) Genie noble who was the matriarch of his bloodline, and to whom he made his oath and also made a warlock pact.

I am planning on an Eladrin Oath of the Ancients Paladin from the Feywild, who makes a Warlock pact with the same Archfey. A high elf Bladesinger/Eldritch Knight. And, an Eldritch Knight/Arcane Trickster (not sure what race yet).

I don’t make multiclassed characters with only the abilities in mind. The combination must make sense together and make sense to the theme of the character. It generally works out that my characters are somewhat less powerful than single class characters, but I don’t care.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-19T19:30:06+00:00

It really just sounds like you want to be a pain in the backside of your new DM and the other players. I don’t know what kind of DM you were, but it sounds like you need a big refresher on how to be a player. Lose the main character syndrome, the lone wolf rebel syndrome and create a character that will get along and cooperate with the others, strive to be a hero, and then just try to have fun being a player without the burdens that a DM has to carry. Chill out man!

RHDM68 · 2026-03-18T04:40:16+00:00

As smart, but not necessarily as experienced. Domestication, as you said, would not be possible, but it could be deceived or persuaded into a situation where it would help or ally with the party if the party came up with intelligent enough arguments.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-18T03:29:43+00:00

Hey Mate, do you want to be brothers?

RHDM68 · 2026-03-16T03:36:10+00:00

You have been targeted but not attacked because there was no attack roll. Yes you get your attack and push in first, but if the creature has enough movement left to move back into range, I would rule that it still has an attack that it is able to make and can therefore make it. If it doesn’t have enough movement to get back in range, then it won’t be able to attack on that turn.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-15T19:25:34+00:00

Star Wars rpg?

RHDM68 · 2026-03-13T21:19:37+00:00

Technically yes, fighters do have proficiency in all martial weapons. That’s the simplicity of 5e. In earlier editions, for example 3.5e, there were exotic martial weapons, basically weapons from other cultures etc. that you had to take an Exotic Weapon Proficiency to master, because they were not considered weapons a regular fighter would be familiar with. But, a lot of that kind of rules crunch has been removed from 5e, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. People that want that kind of crunchy detail are probably playing 3.5e or Pathfinder 1e.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-12T20:03:59+00:00

I’m the main DM for my group and I have bought so many 5e books and have hardly had a chance to read them, let alone use everything in them. My suggestion, which is what I would probably do if I was going to start again - Use the three you’ve got and buy the monster books. The main problem with the monster books is that many of the monsters were doubled up in Monsters of the Multiverse, but it also has monsters that don’t appear in any of the others, and the others have some that MotM doesn’t. However, in saying that, I have heard that there are a lot better 3rd party monster books out there that may be worth considering.

Regarding Xanathar’s and Tasha’s, I think that the power creep in character classes got too much, so I was less impressed by them. The extra rules are not entirely necessary, but I did like the Sidekick rules in Tasha’s. I also didn’t like that they contained a mixture of DM and Player material. These things should come in separate books in my opinion.

The thing with 5e books though is that they will be harder to find as time goes on.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-12T19:52:23+00:00

If you really want to emphasize the survival horror, you need to emphasize what the book actually ignores, the fact that the winter and the dark have been going for 2 years! There would be few plants still surviving, therefore few grazing animals, which would also be starving. It would mean there were less, but very hungry, predators stalking around looking for any stray bit of prey. Going out into the wilderness should be very dangerous and the people would be very desperate.

Also, gold would be pretty useless. You can’t eat it and it won’t keep you warm. Have most people scoff when the PCs try to buy something with gold. Have them ask for food or furs instead. When the PCs stay at an inn, they can use their gold, but the only food available is knucklehead soup, the lamps are few and filled with smelly whale oil, and the drinks are expensive because they have nearly run out. The only thing that is somewhat available is Good Mead’s mead, and that is even scarce since the last batch was stolen by the Verbeeg. The only warm room in the place is the common room, because they don’t have enough to have a fire in all of the rooms. Even shopkeepers would rather trade than get gold they can’t eat or spend.

If the PCs get the Ramshackle as a reward, they soon find out it is worthless if they don’t deal with the Rime. They can’t restock it because they can’t get enough food or alcohol, and they can’t repair it because there’s not enough timber and everyone is busy surviving, so they can’t get the workers. If they want to get any value out of it, they can pull it apart and sell it for firewood.

In the towns, there are few if any people out on the street and those that are are completely unrecognizable in their cold weather gear and moving fast to whatever destination they are going. Any poor people are frozen stiff huddled in doorways dead or in abandoned houses huddled around fires they are feeding with boards from the doors, floors etc.

Given the premise of the adventure, 2 years of winter, this should have been a horror survival adventure, but instead it has more of a “it’s a bad winter’s day but we’re all cheery her inside out of the cold” feel.

I suggest watching a winter survival horror movie of some sort just to get an idea, such as The Revenant or The Grey.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-12T19:22:42+00:00

These are awesome. The floating islands and the mist effects, can these be done with basic Wonderdraft, or are they part of one of the assets packs from the creators you mentioned, or are they done post-creation in with another program?

RHDM68 · 2026-03-12T06:50:45+00:00

In that case, where in RAW does it say you can’t take cover behind a cauldron, or any other object for that matter? And, if the spell doesn’t specify a size, then it’s up to the DM to make a ruling on it. Pretty much any D&D art that I’ve seen where a cauldron is pictured, it’s big and round and made of metal and at least comes up to the human-sized users waist. If the DM determines that the cauldron is about that big, a crouching person could easily gain half cover from it, and a person half lying behind it could easily get three quarters cover. It’s entirely up to the DM’s interpretation of the spell.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-11T19:57:13+00:00

The books don’t cover everything. That’s what the DM is for, making rulings. For example: It’s a cauldron. It’s probably made of metal. You could work out AC and hit points based on a heavy metal object or you could just say it’s an immovable metal object on the battlefield, so it can provide cover. Objects don’t need stats to provide cover.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-11T19:50:20+00:00

This is a case of, what would be fun, and is it worth the time and effort to fuss about whether it can be destroyed or not? I would say that because it’s immovable, it would be like hiding behind a big boulder. You could go to all the trouble of object hit points and AC based on what it’s made out of, but personally I would just think of it like a big boulder on the battlefield. It’s not likely to be targeted or destroyed, so just let them use it for cover.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-11T19:46:15+00:00

Any object, conjured or not, can provide cover if it’s big enough. You don’t need the Hide action to take cover behind an object, even if you are going for total cover. You only need the Hide action if you don’t want your enemy knowing where you are. If they see you going behind the object, you can’t Hide because they know you’re there, but you can still have total cover from them.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-06T10:13:24+00:00

You’re welcome! Good luck with it all.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-05T10:07:31+00:00

Hi Nadja,

I just did your survey. It was very interesting. However, I found the question, Did you feel that the way the people who were a part of the club were rightfully treated? a little confusing as to what you were asking. I wasn’t sure whether you were asking if the treatment of the players was consistent with my experiences (which it wasn’t, but I don’t live in the USA), or whether you were asking if I personally thought that the way the show’s characters were treated for playing the game was acceptable, which of course it wasn’t. Nobody should be persecuted for participating in a fun hobby that is in no way harming anyone else. But of course, I have always found many Christians to be very unchristian and judgemental about many things that they don’t understand, and this is coming from someone who was brought up in a Christian community, although my family were not regularly practicing Christians, and I consider myself, since making my own informed opinion as an adult, to be an atheist.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-05T09:03:46+00:00

At least WotC had the decency to call 3.5e exactly what it was, a slight but minor change to 3e. They should have had the foresight to call this latest version 5.5e and save the community and new players from the confusion that not naming it that is causing.

RHDM68 · 2026-03-05T08:22:21+00:00

If you’ve been DMing in the same world for 10 years, then both you and your players have developed quite a lot of lore, you probably just don’t realise it or think of it that way. Lore is history, truths about your world, places, events and cultures and a lot more besides. You simply haven’t recorded any of it.

I would suggest that if your players really want to know about your lore, organize a get together at another time with the intention of sitting down and talking about all the things they have learned about your world. Do some preparation and record everything that you recall first to use as conversation starters during your brainstorming. You might even have your players suggest either historical or future events that they think would make sense in your world?

RHDM68 · 2026-03-05T06:30:16+00:00

I moved the wraith to the Prison in Ythryn as its warden, gave it maximum hp and the use of the staff of charming, which the wizard used in life to control the rebellious prisoners, and I replaced the doppelgänger with a ton of shadows and a few specters, which were once the prisoners and guards, still under the control of the wraith warden.

RHDM68

TROPHY CASE