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Going to post the hooks for the adventures in my campaign here, in case anyone needs inspiration and want to steal a hook. Maybe you can flesh your own thing out. #dnd
This campaigns assumes the PCs have a sailing ship that can fly and eventually teleport. In my game it's the Realms Master, a Halruaan skyship over 150 years old.
My campaign is a continuation of the Forgotten Realms comic series, but you can do whatever you want. Make the ship something else. My group is a team of magic artifact hunters on a mission.
Issue #1: Enemies at the Gate!
In the city of Westgate, a mysterious benefactor asks the PCs to transcribe the magical runes off non-functioning portals at an abandoned inn, but the heroes soon learn that things aren’t as they seem. (homebrewed)
In the city of Westgate, a mysterious benefactor asks the PCs to transcribe the magical runes off non-functioning portals at an abandoned inn, but the heroes soon learn that things aren’t as they seem. (homebrewed)
I researched 2e's Cloak and Dagger for the opening adventure. Dug deep into Westgate's lore for this one. The Inn was a planar gate back in the day. Its owner was an old wizard, ex adventurer. I used him as the PCs benefactor, it fit nicely.
Issue #2: Dead in the Water!
The PCs mysterious benefactor asks them to investigate a haunted derelict ship that drifted into Westgate’s harbor. (Based off
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/214290/99-Cent-Adventures--The-Derelict-Ship--Addon-Adventure)
The PCs mysterious benefactor asks them to investigate a haunted derelict ship that drifted into Westgate’s harbor. (Based off
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/214290/99-Cent-Adventures--The-Derelict-Ship--Addon-Adventure)
"Dead in the Water" because the ship was full of undead that came on board while the ship was on Chult, along with the fact that the ship is literally dead in the water. Yeah, yeah...bad pun. :)
This is where the party gets the ship. It's beat up, barely seaworthy. The PCs are going to have to fix it. In my game, the spirit of its previous captain lives in a soul stone on the ship's magical astrolabe. He's the party's main quest giver, and traveling companion.
"Fix it" using Downtime Activities from Xanathar's, btw. Lets me "skip" to the next adventure without having to play everything out in real time. Downtime Activities are a great fast forward button. I'm thinking ike comic books, it's why they are "issues". I'm a cheeseball.
Issue #3: Scourge of Sembia!
The PCs hunt for magical items leads them to find the truth behind sea monster attacks off the coast of Searloon.
(Conversion of Dungeon Magazine 1999 May/Jun SCOURGE OF SCALABAR by @chrisperkins)
The PCs hunt for magical items leads them to find the truth behind sea monster attacks off the coast of Searloon.
(Conversion of Dungeon Magazine 1999 May/Jun SCOURGE OF SCALABAR by @chrisperkins)
This is a straight conversion, except for the location. I placed it on Sembia, the original is a generic city. It's a super fun read, real almost ridiculous adventure that works perfectly for the tone I'm looking for.
Here's a review of the Dungeon adventure: https://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=2942
I'm running this one tomorrow night. Haven't run it yet. The other 2 were super fun. We're having a blast.
Anyway, I'm making the reward something they desperately need for the boat. But you can probably take these hooks and turn them into something of your own.
I placed it on Saerloon in Sembia because it matches the city as presented pretty well, with merchants running everything. More importantly, it's a nice enough distance away from Westgate that the PCs will get to enjoy ship travel and learn the ropes. Get their feet wet. Puns.
Haven’t thought about Issue #4 yet, but this one should take a few session. I even adjusted the scale on @roll20app so we can use the measuring tool on the map of Faerun. We’re going on a roadtrip! Maybe even to the Planes!
One of the goals I had for my next game after Avernus was to visit iconic locations in Faerun. I have a list of places I want to set adventures in. I figure a magical ship would be the best way to cross the continent and do a whole campaign around that. :)
We had fun in Westgate, and now we're off to Saerloon, in Sembia. Maybe we'll visit the Dales... Shadowdale's nice. There's an old Wizard there who knows about the Realms Master and its mission... :)
One of the things I love to do on Photoshop is create establising shots of locations. I take time to find art out there that really fits the tone.
Hey @roll20app, and chance at some fantasy fonts in the text tool? Would be cool!
Hey @roll20app, and chance at some fantasy fonts in the text tool? Would be cool!
Last night we played the first session of Issue #4 "The Scourge of Sembia!" The PCs took the Realms Master into the ocean for the first time. The ship's not in great shape, and new sails cost 500GP, so the trip took a little longer than it should have.
Next Issue coming up, “Death From Above”. The party stops in Shadowdale to see an old friend of Dwalimar’s, and discovers that the residents and outlying farms are being threatened nightly by winged kobolds causing havoc.
They are working for a blue wyrmling that’s tsken up residence in nearby Castle Krag. The PCs area asked to deal with it.
This also calls back to the comic book, there were a few issues there where they were dealing with dragons in Shadowdale, so I wanted to reference that too. In this case, the party is very low level, so a wyrmling will suffice. :)
So Issue #4 “Death From Above” will have party traveling to Shadowdale to meet Elminster, who holds a deck of cards describing Faerun’s most dangerous artifacts. It was once In Dwalimar’s possession, and they’re coming to get it back...
Once there, they learn of the blue wyrmling living in Castle Krag causing trouble in the area with his winged kobolds...
Tonight we may finish issue 3, and start Issue 4, "Death From Above!" Winged Kobolds and a wyrmling causing trouble in the Dales...
Finished Issue 3 last night. The party was ambushed by bandits sent by Westgate’s Night Masks before departing Saerloon. They’ve made a powerful enemy in the Night Masks. They left to Shadowdale aboard their ship and its new flying sails.
We ended in a cliffhanger... The why are the streets of Shadowdale empty? Why are the roofs of the houses destroyed?
Adding to this thread, here’s the Issue 4, Death From Above, plot... Kobolds are attacking Shadowdale on behalf of a wyrmling holed up in Castle Krag. Livestock stolen, farms destroyed...
The real enemy is a mad druid bent on destroying Shadowdale due to what he perceives as too much logging from the village, he has poisoned the young wyrmling’s mind and is behind the attacks, manipulating events in his favor.
The wyrmling is a bronze dragon... a potential future ally for the party.
So last night’s game was cool. Made the dragon a copper instead. The party tracked the Kobold Attacks to Castle Krag outside Shadowdale, where they eventually were granted an audience with Grixx, the copper wyrmling.
Here’s a lesson for PCs... never discount trinkets, they can be useful... when the campaign started, I had the players roll for trinkets foubd aboard the Realms Master. One player found Foxy’s book of Halfling Jokes....
So anyway, Grixx, being a copper, loves jokes, so at the start of her meeting with the PCs, the first thing she said was “make me laugh”. Out came the Book of Halfling Jokes, allowing the roll to be made with advantage. Grixx laughed. I also asked the player to say the joke. 
I am really enjoying this campaign. I think the players are too, they keep coming back. Last night we played from 8-2am 
The party is in Shadowdale looking for Elminster's list of artifacts from the Realms, which the crew of the Realms Master had in the comics. The new crew of the Realms Master needs it to continue the hunt for artifacts. I love dropping easter eggs from the comics into my game.
I basically opened 2e's Book of Artifacts and am using that as the list. The list comes in the form of playing cards.
Downside is, now I have to figure out where to put shit like the Seal of Jafar al-Samal in the Realms. Good thing we have an airship. 
Issue 5 of my campaign will take the crew of the Realms Master to Calimshan and into “The Temple of the Desert’s Eye”.
Their search for magical artifacts leads them to an abandoned temple in the desert, where this relic sits.
It’ll be a pulpy trek along the desert and into a dungeon. I plan to mine the 3.5 “Sandstorm” sourcebook for ideas.
We finished Issue 4, Death From Above tonight.... and in two weeks we begin Issue 5... Eye of the Desert... off to Calimport.... art by: https://www.behance.net/Zychu
I'm hoping to have fun in the desert. Going to stretch that out a little bit. They are on the hunt for the first real artifact from Dwalimar's list, The Seal of Jafar al-Samal from 2e's Book of Artifacts.
I'm really loving this campaign.
Haven’t updayed this thread in a few days, we are still in Calimport (well, out in the desert) at a tomb, looking for an item that will buy us information on an artifact we’re hunting.
Alright. Revisiting this thread. We are probably finishing Issue 5, Eye of the Desert tomorrow night.
Here’s the adventure hook. Partly inspired by an @MTBlack2567 hook.. The party is searching by for an artifact here in Calimport, when they are hired by a socialite who asks them to help her retrive a ring from a family burial site out in the desert.
She can provide info for the artifact in exchange. She says they need to be careful, a nephew of hers is after the ring as well. The ring will provide one of them the opportunity to gain better standing with their merchant family and lead them.
Last week we ended at the necropolis where the ring was, after the PCs retrieved it. This week, nephew will show up and claim that dear auntie is not who she seems to be. She’s a doppleganger. In fact, the entire temple of Deneir, where the artifact they seek is, has been...
...taken over by dopplegangers serving a Gauth feeding on the magic items stored in the lower vaults of the temple. Guess where they’ll need to go!
This will also help me riff off one of the PCs being a scribe, as Deneir is a scribe god... and I am toying with making the nephew a Harper, to introduce Harper allies to the campaign (this campaign is full-on about major Realms touch points).
Here’s the item they are seeking in Calimport. It’ll go into a pocket dimension for safe keeping.
Next Issue in my campaign will include the @jvcparry adventure, The Wizard of Zo. Bought it last night on DMs Guild. Looks fun.