All items made by prompts from the WTF Is My Ridiculous Magic Item Generator.
Steal [Our] Idea – The Red Sky Hydra: The Living Ship for GMs Who Like a Role-Playing Challenge
In the city of Valtarin, a curse caused the residents to become animate objects. While everyone else was trapped within the city limits, the guards and prisoners in the dungeon near the edge of the ocean experienced a different fate. Rather than becoming separate objects, they all became different parts of the same ship. They alone have the ability to escape the bounds of the curse, allowing them to sail the high seas… when they can coordinate long enough to do so.The Red Sky Hydra is a two-mast merchant ship equipped with a dozen cannons. It’s figurehead is an eleven-headed hydra, and it’s serpentine body stretches down the length of the ship on both sides.
Steal My Idea: The Character/Player Knowledge Paradox (and what you do about it)
Game Master (GM): The flames of the torch dim. The oppressive darkness of the dungeon pushes in. The walls feel closer. The air is thick, making each breath a notable struggle. Holding your hand out before you, the only thing you see past your wrist is the light reflecting off your fingernails.
Darkness. Dungeon. Oppression. All humans can only see 5 feet in front of them. So what do you say the one member of the party who has the ability to clearly see in the dark? Continue reading “Steal My Idea: The Character/Player Knowledge Paradox (and what you do about it)”
Steal My Idea: Should the GM Pass Notes to Players?
This post is part of a related thread: Player Knowledge VS Character Knowledge
Game Master (GM): The flames of the torch dims. The oppressive darkness of the dungeon pushes in. The walls feel closer. The air is thick, making each breath a notable struggle. Holding your hand out before you, the only thing you see past your wrist is the light reflecting off your fingernails.
Sometimes, keeping player and character knowledge separate won’t do it for you. You may find yourself purposefully wanting to keep that information away from the other players, even if those players are proficient at separating player and character knowledge. Continue reading “Steal My Idea: Should the GM Pass Notes to Players?”
Steal My Idea: The Archdemon of Greed (one-shot or campaign seed)
An ancient relic said to belong to a creature known as the Archdemon of Greed surfaced. According to legend, the Archdemon of Greed amassed an unspeakable amount of gold, relics, and other treasures. And if the uncovered relic is real, the rest could be as well… Continue reading “Steal My Idea: The Archdemon of Greed (one-shot or campaign seed)”
Steal My Idea: The Final Exam at Warthogs: University of Arkansas Wizard Program
I was surprised by how incredibly well this wizard school one-shot worked, I had to share it. You can manipulate the setup to work for any game you have with magic. It can easily be a trial in a dungeon or a competition among different parties. Any way you serve it, I hope you have as much fun with it as we did.
Continue reading “Steal My Idea: The Final Exam at Warthogs: University of Arkansas Wizard Program”
Steal My Idea: Adaptability and Dropkicking Someone Off a Horse
Last week, we started discussing the importance of not erecting a wall between combat and non-combat actions as well as making non-combat actions have an impact during combat. This week, more things you as a GM (and as a player) can do to be effective in combat instead of attacking.
Generating options as both the player and GM…
Continue reading “Steal My Idea: Adaptability and Dropkicking Someone Off a Horse”
Steal My Idea: Unique, Mildly Impressive Starting Abilities/Equipment for RPG Campaigns
I’ve been kicking around a campaign mechanic for a while, so I thought I’d document it and share it with you.
The idea is that each player character gets one useful item or ability that has a drawback or they can’t use it with too much frequency. Continue reading “Steal My Idea: Unique, Mildly Impressive Starting Abilities/Equipment for RPG Campaigns”
Steal My Idea: Swamp of Amalgamation [Encounter]
The party crosses a swamp deep in the woods. A collection of two types of carnivores and three types of herbivores drink from the swamp and wander around without fearing or eyeing one another. The creatures can be anything that fit the setting and challenge rating of the players. I’m going to use dinosaurs as my example creatures. Continue reading “Steal My Idea: Swamp of Amalgamation [Encounter]”
Steal My Idea: How Do You Keep from Railroading Players?
This is as much one method I use to keep from railroading players for others to use as it is an invitation for you to share your favorite methods with me and others. Finding the balance between planning an adventure and letting the players influence or change the outcome is a difficult task for any GM. While there are many ways to do it, here’s one I’ve used that works well.
Have a specific goal but get there in broad strokes. Continue reading “Steal My Idea: How Do You Keep from Railroading Players?”
