Delve Ideas. - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

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#1 mathius78 Mar 31, 2011 10:20:44	Just looking to do a little idea mining here. Here is my how I run my campaign. 1. I use AngryDMs boss monster system for solos (makes these fights more memorable) 2. Not sure the name of the system but PCs get 1/3 surges every combat, dailies recover every 3rd fight, AP every combat, extended rest is just and extra encounter. (No more grind encounters, no more easy encouters) 3. A level consists of either two 3 encounter sequences or one 5 encounter sequence. Campaign Arc Lvl 5 gather magic compentents to buff out thier brand new gallion. Lvl 6-8 Journy home Lvl 9 Problems on the home front Lvl 10 5 encouter adventure leading to level 14 red dragon. I need help with adventurn ideas to fill level 6-9. They will either happen on the boat or an island on the way home. No Island will more the 1k population and the will the most powerful force of good around. Once they get home they will be the most powerful fighting force on the island and among the most powerful individuals there. They are nobles on their own island as well. Mathius
#2 noblesix Apr 07, 2011 8:34:37	In a lot of classical literature, the trip is often the longest part of their journey, usually because whatever they encounter delays them; see The Odyssey. If you're going for a full-on epic, check out the process of the hero's journey. It's a cycle of story events that are common in a lot of heroic stories. Admittedly, it's hard to find an internet source that doesn't seem to conflict with another, but it's basically the same. The way you describe your campaign, the first bit seems like a glorified fetch quest, and the heroes don't encounter the main conflict until they return home. There should be a continuing narrative from start to finish that allows for growth and characterization. Magic items are great, but they should be a secondary reward, not a goal. At any rate. For the sea journey, it sounds to me like your characters would just be passing the "first threshold" of the hero's journey, which means they would pass the point of no return by encountering the Belly of the Whale and the Road of Trials. The Belly of the Whale represents symbolic death for the characters; they are reborn by passing through the Road of Trials and emerging with renewed resolve, and greater strength. The Belly of the Whale is what's going to really shape the characters into heroes, because it serves as their transition point from the world they knew to the world they will shape; think about when Anakin left Tatooine as a kid to become a Jedi. The Road of Trials the heroes encounter is usually the core of the story, where the heroes have to fight challenging enemies, encounter various dangers, or travel to strange places. The Road also, however, almost always contains the following: Show 1a) The Goddess. The hero encounters unconditional love and/or self-unification. While this is often a love interest, it doesn't have to be; in a tabletop RPG, those can get annoying. It represents how the hero stops thinking of himself in dualisms by finding what means the most to him. Some examples: when Scott Pilgrim tells Ramona he loves her and later when he defeats Nega-Scott; when Nathan Algren commits himself to Bushido. 1b) The Shapeshifter, or Trickster. The hero encounters someone who can help her but may not be entirely trustworthy, or even helpful; it's up to the DM to decide if the Shapeshifter is a help or a hindrance in the long run. In either case, the hero needs the Shapeshifter if only temporarily. Gollum, the Venom symbiote, or Sun Wukong could be counted as this character. The Goddess and the Shapeshifter can appear in either order, it doesn't matter which. 2) The Temptress. The hero is faced with various temptations that could lead him off the path of heroism. Like the Goddess, this doesn't have to actually take the form of a woman or even a person. Grendel's Mother to Beowulf, Sam's addiction to demon blood in Supernatural, or a full pardon offered to Jack Sparrow by Beckett could all be considered as such. 3) Atonement with the Father. The hero faces the person who ultimately holds power in the hero's life. This must be a conflict (though keep in mind that not every conflict is violent), and it is one of the defining moments of the hero's journey. The hero (and sometimes the authority figure) must "die" in a symbolic way so that she can emerge as a new and stronger person. The entire story has been moving up to this point, and everything that follows it will be affected. Of course, who or what the hero confronts may not be important; what matters is that the hero confronts that which holds sway over her life. Examples include Luke Skywalker's battles with Vader at Bespin and aboard the second Death Star, Bruce Wayne's fight with Raz Al-Ghul in Batman Begins, the Bride's showdown with Bill in Kill Bill Vol. 2, and Evey's confrontation with her own fears in V For Vendetta. 4) Apotheosis. This is the brief period of rest, reflection, and growth the hero takes before preparing for the final challenge out of the Belly of the Whale and the Return. This is where the heroes stop, free of all strife and external conflict, and consider who they have become and how they now define themselves. Some examples are Homer's spirit journey in The Simpsons Movie, John Marston's final days with his family, or when the crew of Serenity decides to tell the 'verse the truth about Miranda. These usually have the same loose order, but the Apotheosis is always the last step before the final challenge and the Return. Once the hero has completed the Apotheosis, they move on their final challenge and obtain the Boon that comes from their efforts.

Show

1a) The Goddess. The hero encounters unconditional love and/or self-unification. While this is often a love interest, it doesn't have to be; in a tabletop RPG, those can get annoying. It represents how the hero stops thinking of himself in dualisms by finding what means the most to him. Some examples: when Scott Pilgrim tells Ramona he loves her and later when he defeats Nega-Scott; when Nathan Algren commits himself to Bushido.

1b) The Shapeshifter, or Trickster. The hero encounters someone who can help her but may not be entirely trustworthy, or even helpful; it's up to the DM to decide if the Shapeshifter is a help or a hindrance in the long run. In either case, the hero needs the Shapeshifter if only temporarily. Gollum, the Venom symbiote, or Sun Wukong could be counted as this character.

The Goddess and the Shapeshifter can appear in either order, it doesn't matter which.

2) The Temptress. The hero is faced with various temptations that could lead him off the path of heroism. Like the Goddess, this doesn't have to actually take the form of a woman or even a person. Grendel's Mother to Beowulf, Sam's addiction to demon blood in Supernatural, or a full pardon offered to Jack Sparrow by Beckett could all be considered as such.

3) Atonement with the Father. The hero faces the person who ultimately holds power in the hero's life. This must be a conflict (though keep in mind that not every conflict is violent), and it is one of the defining moments of the hero's journey. The hero (and sometimes the authority figure) must "die" in a symbolic way so that she can emerge as a new and stronger person. The entire story has been moving up to this point, and everything that follows it will be affected. Of course, who or what the hero confronts may not be important; what matters is that the hero confronts that which holds sway over her life. Examples include Luke Skywalker's battles with Vader at Bespin and aboard the second Death Star, Bruce Wayne's fight with Raz Al-Ghul in Batman Begins, the Bride's showdown with Bill in Kill Bill Vol. 2, and Evey's confrontation with her own fears in V For Vendetta.

4) Apotheosis. This is the brief period of rest, reflection, and growth the hero takes before preparing for the final challenge out of the Belly of the Whale and the Return. This is where the heroes stop, free of all strife and external conflict, and consider who they have become and how they now define themselves. Some examples are Homer's spirit journey in The Simpsons Movie, John Marston's final days with his family, or when the crew of Serenity decides to tell the 'verse the truth about Miranda.

These usually have the same loose order, but the Apotheosis is always the last step before the final challenge and the Return. Once the hero has completed the Apotheosis, they move on their final challenge and obtain the Boon that comes from their efforts.