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maglaurus
Acolyte
Canada
10 Posts |
 Posted - 29 Sep 2007 : 00:33:46
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I'm starting an FR campaign in a couple of weeks. My first adventure has two parts, as the PCs will be cleaning up after a bandit attack against a wealth, if isolated, farmstead. What I'm trying to make certain is that I'm not giving away too many goodies.
Part One: The PC's track a pack of marauding and aggressive wolves to a den where they discover an extra-planar creature that came from a ceramic jug stolen from the aforementioned farmstead. The bandit that took it, broke it and released the beast and the beast called the wolves from the surrounding hills to do its bidding. Treasure amounts to some gold coins, a couple of gems, a dram of invisibility potion, a dram of spider climbing potion, three drams of cure light wounds potion, and a dagger +1.
Part Two: The PC's work their way back to the burned out farmstead, where they find after some snooping around that the owner was a spy for a nearby wizard's guild looking for artifacts under the noses of the Red Wizards of Thay. The wizard in questions and his apprentice fled. The apprentice leaves behind a collection of spells he was about to use on his trials to move from novice to journeyman: Six 1st level, Three 2nd level, One 3rd level. There are also two wands Detect Traps and Knock (5 charges each).
So I'm bringing this to my peers because I want to know if I'm giving my PC's too much. I don't want to set them up for a disappointment later on and I don't want to overload them with magical goods that they don't because special. Any thoughts would be most appreciated.
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Aewrik
Seeker
80 Posts |
Posted - 29 Sep 2007 : 03:48:12
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The items with charges are probably allright, as I'd see them more as a temporary storage for magical power, but a magical weapon on their first adventure? Okay, I'm a little to restrictive on magic items, so it's probably fine 
The important thing when you design treasures, is motivating them. How come there are gems, potions of cure light wound, and coins in the cave? Were they sealed in the jug with the beast, or had the bandit stolen them? Had there been bandits before, who had dumped the items in the den before getting caught, now waiting to get out of jail and back to the stash?
Just handing out magic items reduces the atmosphere. If you give signs of why the items are there, at least the reward doesn't become so apparent. For example, the treasure could have been scattered over the floor, carefully wrapped in a protective blanket and stowed away in a corner of the den, or perhaps the bandit (if he is alive) is sitting with the back towards the characters as they enter, inspecting the gems and chuckling to himself.
My general DM tip is: as long as you can motivate why something is the way it is, it's plausible. If you can find a cause behind an event, you can use it without breaking the atmosphere. Give hints, but unless it's part of the plot (as in, a plot-driving character is supposed to tell the PCs the story behind it), don't say anything outright. Curiosity is a powerful tool for increasing atmosphere.
Keep the mystery alive. If the PCs are told a tale, leave unanswered questions for them to search for, if they desperately want an answer. I've led two such quests, that turned into mini-campaigns, instead of just side adventures. If the players are motivated, you don't have to do much work in order to bring the atmosphere about, as long as you have the answers to their questions, and the places where they can obtain them.
Good luck with the adventure! |
Edited by - Aewrik on 29 Sep 2007 03:57:02 |
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Darkmeer
Senior Scribe
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 29 Sep 2007 : 04:06:47
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quote:
Originally posted by maglaurus
Part One: The PC's track a pack of marauding and aggressive wolves to a den where they discover an extra-planar creature that came from a ceramic jug stolen from the aforementioned farmstead. The bandit that took it, broke it and released the beast and the beast called the wolves from the surrounding hills to do its bidding. Treasure amounts to some gold coins, a couple of gems, a dram of invisibility potion, a dram of spider climbing potion, three drams of cure light wounds potion, and a dagger +1.
Unless the +1 Dagger is used as the weakness for the creature later (and as much as I hate designing adventures around that sort of thing), I'd scrap that. A masterwork weapon, however, would be fine. Perhaps this bandit used a weapon that a character in the party uses (Say your players use a Longsword, Battleaxe, Dwarven War Axe, Longbow, and Staff/Dagger). Give the creature a masterwork version of the weapon of choice. The idea that this could be a "feral fey" of some sort could lend to a few cold iron arrows or a cold iron weapon as well (just firing ideas, I don't know what creature you're using).
quote:
Originally posted by maglaurus
Part Two: The PC's work their way back to the burned out farmstead, where they find after some snooping around that the owner was a spy for a nearby wizard's guild looking for artifacts under the noses of the Red Wizards of Thay. The wizard in questions and his apprentice fled. The apprentice leaves behind a collection of spells he was about to use on his trials to move from novice to journeyman: Six 1st level, Three 2nd level, One 3rd level. There are also two wands Detect Traps and Knock (5 charges each).
Okay, scrolls: You could use a bunch of first level spells (6), OR a handfull of second level (3), or two third level (or some combination thereof). I'd use the rule of thumb that you could add the levels to 6, and stop there. I think the third level scroll would be a bit much. The wands do not bother me at all.
there, I've said my piece, good luck and good gaming to you.
/d |
"These people are my family, not just friends, and if you want to get to them you gotta go through ME." |
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maglaurus
Acolyte
Canada
10 Posts |
Posted - 29 Sep 2007 : 16:35:06
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Thanks for the advice.
1st Adventure Treasure Redux:
Bandit's body is found in the Death Dog's den: 1 dram of spider climb potion, 1 dram of invisibility potion, masterwork kukuri, and I'm toying with the idea of a wand of magic weapon (4 charges). These treasures represent the bandit as an infiltrator and assassin. Also the bodies of who militiamen pursuing him can be found in and around the den--all chewed on by the wolves and their death dog master.
Apprentice's cache of spells and wands (hidden in the barn where he poses as a farmhand among the rest of his master's servants). The spells now total 6 levels (four 1st level and one 2nd level) and the wands remain the same. |
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Ugly is the new black
Seeker
Australia
81 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2007 : 04:07:13
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Aewrick and Darkmeer said everything I was going to say, but I'll repeat it anyway. The wands are just fine, scrap the +1 dagger in favour of a masterwork weapon, and tone down the scrolls a teensy bit. Once you do that, you're good to go.
love,
nathan. |
As he knelt on the ground with his brothers around and the taste of his blood on his tongue,
His brothers knelt by him and prayed him a prayer, and he smiled and he laughed and he sung,
"Brothers, oh brothers, my days here are done, the Dornishman's taken my life,
But what does it matter? For all men must die, and I've tasted the Dornishman's wife!" |
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Aewrik
Seeker
80 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2007 : 16:41:49
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quote:
Originally posted by maglaurus
Thanks for the advice.
1st Adventure Treasure Redux:
Bandit's body is found in the Death Dog's den: 1 dram of spider climb potion, 1 dram of invisibility potion, masterwork kukuri, and I'm toying with the idea of a wand of magic weapon (4 charges). These treasures represent the bandit as an infiltrator and assassin. Also the bodies of who militiamen pursuing him can be found in and around the den--all chewed on by the wolves and their death dog master.
Apprentice's cache of spells and wands (hidden in the barn where he poses as a farmhand among the rest of his master's servants). The spells now total 6 levels (four 1st level and one 2nd level) and the wands remain the same.
Sounds great : )
Please tell us how your players fared when the adventure is over! |
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Peer Review: 1st level Adventure
