My players are trying to figure out how to plant evidence on the hags in some sort of Oceans11 scheme to turn them against each other. Lol. If I ask for a persuasion roll y’all know damn well it’s a Nat20 waiting to happen.
I’m prepping for my next session where my players are trying to “sneak” into Loomlurch. The “plan” is to cause several disturbances outside. One on the market and the other in the garden. While the team goes through the kitchen back door.
Just nervous about having 3 bands of guards (2 outside /1 inside) and will probably have Skabatha also go outside for a bit too since they are using a NPC who agreed to help say the know where Will is hiding.
My plan was to give them (provided they don’t absolutely botch getting into the kitchen) some time in Loomlurch (mostly they are just interested in Skabatha‘s private quarters) Before they have a chance to encounter patrols outside of her private area. But at this point I’m really not sure or even if I can plan beyond that.
I also have a big reveal with my paladin. She thinks a scab stole her little sister from her at the carnival. When the reality is, her little sister ran away from her. My player being the older, big sister after their mother died, had to step in that role and be strong and take over for everybody which drove them apart from each other. Though my player doesn’t quite realize this because she had her own heart, warm feelings, caring all the stuff she wall up to protect herself from was taken, so she’s always been cold and distant to everyone now.
I was really hoping they would meet Skabatha so I could set up and plan that reveal but now I have to do it backwards with figuring out how to run into the Sister first and Skab second. Unless I have her return before they have a chance to meet, but again that’s hard to plan for without railroading it.
Anyone else run with a chaotic party who can never seem to settle on a plan? You know standard D&D. I just see a lot of people say that this area tends to be a big pivotal point in the game being a first time DM. I’m just nervous about screwing it up.
I’m ready for tomorrow nights session and next one. I could sit down tonight while still daylight and do some more tweaks and work on the 3rd session out….. Oooorrrrrr I can not and go play my drums abit before doing family things and then decide to tweak thing at like 11pm and go to bed at 1am
This is my first full campaign as DM - have done a couple of one-shots for our group. We are about half way Witchlight Carnival, and I’ve been having DM burnout. Home & work have been super stressful the last few months and I have to force myself to prep for our weekly sessions. To me the last couple sessions had not been going well. I was getting lost in my own info skipping sections and feeling very disorganized.
I finally bit the bullet and sat down with our regular DM who is enjoying being a PC for a change and talked with them. I was a little comforted by her saying it wasn’t noticeable to the table and she could only tell once or twice from her own experiences.
It was helpful and I sat down to look at an upcoming encounter (homebrew 3-part side quest for one of my PCs) Well I took a big risk and reworked the entire encounter and expanded it. The next night at the table we are nearing the end and I don’t have the time for the next big section. So I throw in her encounter. Her and 2 other PCs go to deal with it while the other two continue on.
The dice are not her friend. She fails 3 minor checks and then fails 2 of the 3 quest actions. The session ended with her squaring up against a shadow version of herself.
The next morning I get IMs from her and one of the other players both saying thank you and how much fun that encounter was! And how much they are looking forward to next week already
It’s hard to describe what those words meant to me and the physical reaction they had. I’m still stressed and burnt out a bit. But those word are giving me some much needed reassurance and spark to keep going.
Didn’t think it was a big deal but some others DMs I’ve talked with feel very differently.
In our game group chat PCs & DM one player made a very good pun. Short version - Oath of the Bronies and Neigh on Hands. Broke the chat for about 10 mins, I choked on my coffee laughing. From a players who doesn’t make a lot of jokes and on the quiet side. So I (DM) in the chat said “that was so good give yourself a D4 inspiration”
I have done this earlier in the campaign a few months back for a different players. But apparently say this is “bad DMing and breaks the game”. My players have loved it and know it is a rare thing to get/earn. Does anyone do anything like or this issue?
tldr: is it too cliché that the paladins lost item is something they already inadvertently found but because she hasn’t touched it or interacted carried it in any way hasn’t accepted the truth that it’s hers.
So my paladin believes her little sister was taken from her for the lost things hook. The reveal will be nothing can be taken that isn’t yours. And that the little sister ran away from her big sister at the carnival and went willingly with Sowpig (for the most part). Her actual lost item that was taken was basically her own heart, her own sense of joy and warmth and love. After there’s mother‘s passing a couple years before the carnival the paladin as the big sister took over duties as being the mother raising and protecting and being the big responsible one. Guarding her own heart against heartbreak and sorrow so much so that she didn’t realize it was gone.
Here’s the thing the other two players the warlock in the bard found the beating heart in bavlornas fridge room cottage, but have no idea who it actually belongs to because they kind of skipped over a lot of that and weren’t paying attention. I now have the opportunity to make that heart potentially belong to the paladin as her lost item. Before I start figuring out the reasons why Bavlorna would have it instead of skabatha maybe it was traded between them or is it too cliché to do?
Our bard regained his lost item when he Bavlorna. His lost item was songs and memories of his homeland. He knew songs from everywhere else, but nothing from home or his childhood. In their bargaining with Bavlorna to leave Hither, he offered to do anything to get his lost item back. I couldn’t pass up the chance and in exchange for his item, he would have to break Skabatha’s mirror. Failure would mean she gets all his memories.
Here’s the crux of the issue. in table conversations since then, the party has talked about it as long as they break the mirror everything is fine. I have NPCs made mentions upon arriving in Thither that the wording of the deals are vital important. Do I have Lamorna or Will basically spell it out for them and ask exactly what the deal was to try remind them that basically he has to break the mirror no one else
***Background / Backstory. PC is a female paladin oath of the watcher. Call her M, has little sister R.
M remembers as a happy family until Mother got ill passed away. M still young took on roll to raise younger R as father was broken and not helpful - depressed and turn angry. M was always a good role model and responsible while R was carefree and mischievous. So lost things prelude sneak into carnival with others but become separated. Almost immediately she begins to feel effects and has the taken lost thing moment.
I did narrate this moment and described them as different events but little time between them. She has assumed this whole they were the same thing / linked together. At home father kicked her out and she became orphan joining the military and becoming a watcher Paladin****
Okay, now the PCs just arrived in Thither and are about to learn of the workshop and children there. Now I’ve always planned that R was not taken but lured away/went “willingly”. This was established with the proposing halfing at hall of mirrors and a PC who had to leave the game early and M chased after and saw her walk with sowpig into the mirror. R walked away from M on purpose all those years ago. Her sister was no fun and R resented her perfect older sister M. Especially for thinking she was her mom and had to take care of her. Sowpig promised R a place where she was in charge and could do and have all the toys and clothes she could see. I plan for her to think she is “in charge” of the textile area or something like that. But she agreed to have all the things as long as she promised to never leave.
—- my problem is I’ve never really nailed down what M lost thing actually is once she finds out it’s not actually her sister like she has assumed. I’ve always loosely had it written that she lost her childhood and innocence. All those happy carefree days as a child now weighted / colored with a sense of heavy purpose and responsibility. In the fear of turning out like her father, having inherited his anger issues, which she has done a great job of role-playing. I should note this player is our regular DM. Who finally gets a break as I am leading, whichlight Carnival for my first time. She gave me a great detailed backstory so I’ve spent a bit longer crafting and weaving her story into little things up to this details. Not that I’ve slouched on anyone else’s, but she hasn’t played a character in years so I really want to live up to expectations I’ve set.
****My question is her actual lost thing two generic or is there a better way I can adapt it. I don’t want her to be able to free her sister at this point. The only way for that to happen would be through rescuing Zyblina. Because I’m planning the dark carnival ending. Where they learn from Isolde who turns out to be the real villain kind of in the shadows, helping to encourage and trying to manipulate the hags to get revenge on Zyblina. This frames M for keeping Zyblina locked - on par with her oath versus freeing her sister.
I’m also thinking of R can only be freed by Skabatha willingly since R made a deal with her of her own free will. Since they will likely kill the hags at the palace.