Skip to main content

The Importance of the Little Details

 Tonight I started a segment in a small village with a straightforward plot. A seer, that the party needs to get a prophesy from, is having terrible nightmares. Since the nightmares block his prophetic dreams, they have to figure out how to get rid of them. Seeing how the party is all monster hunters, they suspect a monster.

I improvised a lot.

The rich local who ran the caravan stop, trading post, and stables, with a walled compound is not to be trusted -- the local healer told them so. It was clear she hated him. 

When talking to the old man, he spoke to them through a small window in his front gate and quickly sent them away.

They sent in their little invisible mascot, a mischievous sprite named Freelay with a penchant for apples, into the compound to check things out. When he didn't return, they sent his mount, a Tibetan mastiff named pip to track him and found he was still inside. They talked to the man again and gained entry after some good social skill usage. He was obviously hiding something. He had an orchard and a small building where they tracked Freelay to. The man didn't let them into the shed, but he coerced Freelay out, who was now drunk. It quickly came out that the man was making hard cider from his orchard and was hiding the fact he wasn't paying taxes on it.

He also told them not to trust the healer. The hatred was there too.

With social interaction, the story came out. The rich man and healer were engaged, but she wanted to remain a healer and he wanted a wife to live and stay in his manor. 

Enter Odin -- the party's eccentric old coot who never skips an opportunity to fix a wrong. He drags the man to see the healer, makes them sit down and talk. By the end he helps to heal their differences, and after 15 years, they agree to marry. The local caravan master marries them. The players are all laughing and having a great time.

All improvised. Had I not added these heartfelt little details of things going on behind the scenes, not necessarily relevant to the plot, the party wouldn't have experienced the most wonderful story. 

Being a GM isn't just about organization and planning. Sometimes it is about adding random details and figuring out as you go how they might fit together in some bigger story that isn't part of the plot. Let the attention of the party guide you and give them the story they seem interested in.

Comments

  1. LauraOctober 21, 2020 at 8:16 AM

    Hi there! I couldn't find contact info for you, but I have a question regarding the (awesome) tweet you made a couple years back about PC rumors to distribute at character creation. I've used it in games and love it. :)

    Could you shoot me an email at Lhirsb at geemail? Thanks so much! ~Laura

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5E Starting Gold and Equipment for Higher Levels

The DMG has a rough recommendation for starting gold and equipment for higher levels, but with my groups running one-shots, we wanted to nail it down to level by level. Here's my DMG-inspired table. Generally I allow equipment to be traded in during character creation for half book value, where applicable. I also, as a GM, offer to make custom magic items for players who can't choose. A list of magical items by rarity can be found here  with stats available in the DMG. I also generally allow players to buy healing potions (2d4+2) for 50gp and greater healing potions for 250gp (4d4+4). PHB items are available at book cost at creation. I do not allow other equipment to be purchased except in game. This is generally based off the "high magic" campaign. Level Starting Gold Starting Equipment / Magic Items 1 - 160gp  OR Standard starting equipment 2 210gp Standard starting equipment 3 285gp Standard starting equipment 4 365gp Standard sta
2 comments
Read more

Rules for Flying Creatures in 5E

I'm not one for just throwing my players willy-nilly into something new without an idea of how it would work.  Flying races are on the horizon for one of my games, so here are my clarifications for flying creatures: A flying creatures requires a minimum space of at least 3 times their height in all directions in order to flight. For example, a 6 ft tall flying creature requires a room to be at least 18 ft in all dimensions before they can fly in it. A flying creature can attempt to grapple a creature.  If the the target or grappler are flying, grapple attempts are at disadvantage. If neither are flying, grapples are per RAW.  The state of flying or walking is determined by the last square you have moved.  To change between walking and/or flying, you must use at least 1 space of movement.  Movement rules per RAW apply (PHB pg 190 "Using Different Speeds") A successful grapple check by a flying creature can allow the flying creature to potentially carry the creature
Post a Comment
Read more

Exploiting Weakness in D&D 5e: A Guide for the Evil Plotting GM

I wrote a similar article to this on Pathfinder, and though this is a pretty evil topic, it has been of use to a lot of folks out there.  So, now, I think, is the time to start a similar article for D&D 5e.  This will be a living document to be updated with suggestions and more information as I find better methods. In general, 5e is a lot more challenging for a GM, because the classes are reasonably balanced and because the game mechanics don't have a lot of scale over the 20 levels. Here's a general list of things to increase the difficulty for the party: Increase the number of foes and the CR (ignore the book CR system if it isn't offering a challenge) Spells against the PCs low saves.  A high level sleep spell, for example, could take out a party with no elves. Drag out the opportunity for the long rest.  After 2 short rests, the 3rd battle of the day is tough. Hit the most vulnerable PC first. It almost always forces another teammate to take an action to a
1 comment
Read more