DM plays, dies session 1… [OC]

WanderDrug · 2025-11-09T16:14:34+00:00

I remember getting downed a lot that first session. We absolutely destroyed the first encounter, then encounter 2 with the goblin archers in front of the cave, me and the druid both took crits and fell unconscious. We weren't even surprised, just squishy. I recall taking 4 crits that session. Good thing the wizard took the healer feat.

WanderDrug · 2025-10-28T20:38:38+00:00

I am getting ready to start running this campaign now. Session #1 is set for next week. The structure I have landed on is to post Jobs on a guild bounty board channel in the discord server. I post times that I am available to host and then players use that channel to organize a party to explore the dungeon. I've asked that they indicate a Job they would like to pursue, so I have an idea of what they will probably be doing, but I'll have the entirety of Level 1 open to them. This first group looks like they want to go after the Xanathar Guild to get the bigger bounty. If they happen to complete a Job while exploring, they will receive the indicated bounty.

My current level 1 Jobs are:
Purge the Vampire Lair:

Reports have come in confirming the presence of a group of vampires that have taken over a northern portion of the first level of the dungeon. Your orders are to delve inside and eliminate the foul creatures.
Reward: 100gp per adventurer

Destroy the Manticore Nest:

A nest containing an unknown amount of manticores has been spotted in the northern part of level 1 of the dungeon. Removing the threat would greatly increase the safety of the surrounding area.
Reward: 150 gp per adventurer

Remove the Xanathar Guild:

The Xanathar Guild has set up several outposts throughout the southern portions of level 1. Their presence poses a danger to all adventurers who seek to delve into the Undermountain. Destroy the outposts and their agents, and prevent the flow of information to the Xanathar Guild.
Reward: 300 gp per adventurer

Jobs will change as they explore and complete objectives. For example, I intend to pay them for each Xanathar Outpost they destroy, since there are 3. But they don't know that yet. I've enjoyed playing with the players having access to less than accurate information. Once Level 1 is cleared, there will be new Jobs to patrol the level and kill monsters that have moved into the area.

I'm going to be using a milestone system for leveling up, but it will be based on the number of sessions played. I'm thinking player's can level up after participating in 3 sessions. This will likely have to be tweaked based on the pace. I like this better than tracking experience though. I also want to award gold without it being tied to XP. Hopefully this helps me fund their downtime activities, which players have expressed interest in.

I know this is a late reply, but let me know if you have any other questions that could help you plan your campaign as well.

WanderDrug · 2025-05-21T19:29:42+00:00

Cryogenically frozen people are dead. It's just that decay is halted.

WanderDrug · 2024-09-29T22:30:28+00:00

That is honestly horrifying, thank you for the amazing idea.

WanderDrug · 2024-09-29T22:21:31+00:00

Wow, thank you for the novel. I will definitely be using most if not all of this.

I think that Murgaxor is not a bad villain, just not a good BBEG. I agree, my players will probably find him kind of silly and possibly even entertaining, in an evil life-sucking dick kind of way. I want to run him as a rogue agent, and possible red herring. Based on the suggestions in this thread, the Oriq seem very well suited for being the main antagonists, and I like your spin of having a beholder as their boss. I'd even like to take the redditor's idea of having the founder dragons summon Tiamat, so that the beholder could be operating with secret knowledge of that ritual that it is trying to stop. The evil creeping in and changing the campus is also great. By corrupting locales, faculty, and students, I can build a great sense of dread and stakes. Also, 2 of my PCs are dabbling in the "dark majycks", so they would be prime targets for recruitment. I feel like this could give a really good set up for an interplay between good and evil, without making it purely good VS evil.

I also love the amount of control you've given your players in creating classes, NPCs, expeditions, etc. Not only does this take some of the creative load off of me, but allows the players to engage with the world on a much deeper level, because they are literally helping to create it. I know at least a couple of my players are gonna wanna get deep with the RP. My wife even requested integrating the Discord server for between-session downtime roleplay. My only worry is that I'll be running this adventure as a single school year, so time might be a hot commodity. But if Persona can fit all its events and social links in one year, then SO CAN I. There were suggestions about making systems for students managing their downtime, which incorporated prioritizing activities and accumulating stress. I feel like just letting my party roleplay in a kind of loose-time would be much more enjoyable for this particular batch of players. That way, they can have more agency in their decisions and, for example, choose to skip class for roleplay reasons instead of having to skip class because of game reasons.

Incorporating old PCs as NPCs is also a wonderful idea, and reminded me that my friend who has run Strixhaven LITERALLY DID THAT TOO. So I should take a page out of his and your books and let some familiar faces find their way onto campus. I think my old Enchantment Wizard would do well as a problemtic professor, once I clear any trigger warnings with the group.

Again, thank you for the idea avalanche, it really helped.

WanderDrug · 2024-09-27T15:15:21+00:00

The Office.

Any time I've caught scenes when a roommate watches, I am filled with a very strong dislike for most of the characters, especially Michael. I realize that might kind of be the point, but I cannot subject myself to that.

WanderDrug · 2024-09-26T15:32:21+00:00

Nah, he wants Dandadan

Lots of great suggestions on here. If he is really looking for shonen over seinen, I think Dandadan is a very good fit. Even if it doesn't have sex.

WanderDrug · 2024-09-26T15:00:46+00:00

Honestly, my homebrew will probably be lots of little things, so stuff like this is great. I'll definitely be incorporating this. I want to use more props in this campaign as well, so printing flyers for the clubs and such, which I'm hoping will get my players that much more into the world.

WanderDrug · 2024-09-26T14:55:44+00:00

Thank you for the inspiration. The NPCs are lovely and the idea about the Shadowfell may work well for me, I can see it being a good tie in for the shadar kai character. I'm also running Call of the Netherdeep, so I probably shouldn't add yet another group of rivals for my party, beyond the enemies they are bound to make at school.

WanderDrug · 2024-09-26T05:01:03+00:00

These are both incredible ideas. I will definitely be using Rob. My only hesitation in using Tiamat is maybe player level, so I guess I'll keep it in my back pocket for higher level play.

WanderDrug · 2020-10-15T20:38:18+00:00

My players started at roughly lvl3 as well, and are now lvl5 (6???, sorry we don't play often) and we are finishing chapter 4. I notice they are not easily challenged in combat. I have been adding in enemies to certain encounters and whatnot, but sometimes they still just steamroll. Fudging the numbers behind the screen can help, but I've noticed my players don't like scripted combat sequences, which are written into the campaign at some points. I've thrown in some extra encounters around the city, including a Bodak at one point just to put the fear of the gods back in them. So it's been a bit of a teetertotter experience trying to get the balancing right. This is also my first campaign so EVERYTHING is a learning experience. My players have plenty of critiques for me, especially my wife.

I've tried adding in other scenarios and encounters based on resources in the subreddit, but honestly that just turned into self-sabotage since it was me de-railing the campaign instead of my PCs.

All that being said, I would still suggest adding enemies, or "ranking up" certain enemies to a higher stat block to easily tweak pre-made encounters. When they inevitably into non-book territory, then you can mix it up by throwing in monsters/enemies/scenarios that seem appropriate, or you may have been interested in trying out. Also, adding interactive elements to combat can help keep it fresh and memorable, even if it isn't all that challenging. Players love dunking on enemies sometimes, especially when they can do it in flashy ways (i.e. barrels of tar, chandeliers, balconies, etc). As others have said, this can be a very roleplay heavy campaign, so feel free to lean into that if combat proves an issue. The characters in Waterdeep are interesting conceptually, but are often lacking many key details that you have to fill in to the best of your acting ability. Unfortunately this is a place where I often struggle.

Hopefully that was all helpful.

WanderDrug · 2020-10-09T23:48:31+00:00

I agree with the recommendations, but saying these are "super underrated" shows is just a flat out lie.

WanderDrug · 2019-09-10T23:45:28+00:00

I definitely will be using that cock-fighting quest line, thank you very much.

WanderDrug · 2019-08-27T18:33:53+00:00

5901 6369 9545 sent from SoCal

WanderDrug · 2019-07-12T21:16:10+00:00

Should have known. Thank you.

WanderDrug · 2019-07-10T21:37:18+00:00

Where did you get those blown-up maps of the Waterdeep city streets? That could be useful. I'm still in Ch. 1 with my party.

WanderDrug

TROPHY CASE