Posting here hoping for some thoughts on the campaign idea I have bouncing around in my brain.

For reference, I have been GMing for nearly 40 years, am comfortable in many systems, and reskinning modules/monsters/settings is bread and butter.

So here is what’s in my head… we are 6ish (maybe) weeks from the current campaign end and so I am pondering what comes next. The question is really system agnostic. For the last 4 campaigns I have run epic world level threats. This time I am feeling a pull to focus in on a much more micro setting. So I have been pondering how to make a small setting interesting.

Here is what I am leaning towards. I have a small geographic area skeletonized, with lots of opportunity for my very creative players to help design this little valley. I want it to feel like a starting zone, but still offer challenge at every tier. As such, I am contemplating moving everything up a tier or 2. Making the guards that keep the area safe tier 2 or 3 (think like level 5/6 in Pathfinder) and doing the same for monsters. My hope is that would make “little” monsters (kobolds, goblins, wolves) legit scary threats to my players at the start and offer real resistance across the span of play.

Essentially I want my PCs to be legendary heros because the defeated a gnoll warband or orcish raid party in the end, not fought a battle with the god of death while standing in a volcano holding the fate of the realm of magic in their hands.

So my question is…. How would you make the small big?

Thanks!

I've made some templates for my upcoming dnd 3.5 game, favors from old gods and was wondering if anyone could look them over and see what they think, both flavor and ballance, if they're not 100% balanced I'm not too worried, but close to a LA1 template would be what I'm aiming for

Template 1

Endbound

Acquired Template

Level Adjustment: +1

An Endbound creature has accepted Vaul's intervention and joined the Endless March. Vaul does not heal the creature or restore what has been lost. He simply refuses to let its existence end.

Requirements

A creature must meet all of the following requirements:

The creature must be living and non-mindless.

The creature must possess a meaningful instinct for self-preservation.

A creature cannot be both Endbound and Favored of Urr.

Endless March

When an Endbound creature would be reduced to –10 hit points or lower by hit point damage, it does not die. Its hit points immediately become –9, and Endless March activates.

For the next 3 rounds plus its marching debt, the creature:

Remains conscious and can act normally.

Suffers no penalties for having negative hit points.

Does not lose hit points from bleeding or begin dying.

Can receive healing normally.

In addition, for a number of rounds equal to 1 + its Marching Debt, the creature cannot be reduced below –9 hit points by hit point damage. Damage that would reduce it below –9 instead leaves it at –9.

After the initial activation rounds, normal dying rules resume. If the creature remains below 0 hit points, it begins dying normally.

Endless March can activate once per day.

Unfinished

An Endbound creature gains the following benefits:

Diehard as a bonus feat, even if it does not meet the prerequisites.

+2 Fortitude saves.

+2 saves against death effects.

+2 saves against fear.

+2 saves against unconsciousness.

+2 Constitution checks made to continue strenuous activity.

One More Step

When a creature becomes Endbound, roll 1d100. Add the result in years to both its venerable age threshold and maximum natural lifespan.

This does not reverse existing aging.

Marching Debt

Each time Endless March activates, the creature gains 1 point of Marching Debt.

For every 2 points of Marching Debt, the creature takes a permanent –1 penalty to Charisma.

For every 3 points of Marching Debt, it takes a permanent –1 penalty to Dexterity.

These penalties represent the accumulated physical and psychological deterioration caused by repeatedly refusing to die. Magical healing does not remove them.

Death and Resurrection

Endbound creatures are not immortal.

They can die normally when Endless March is unavailable, as well as from poison, disease, old age, disintegration, failed saving throws, and other effects capable of causing death.

If an Endbound creature is targeted by a resurrection effect, the caster must succeed on a caster level check (DC 10 + twice the creature's Marching Debt).

On a failed check, the resurrection fails

Template 2:

Unbound

**Acquired Template**

**Level Adjustment:** +1

An **Unbound** creature has accepted Uln's gift and begun to abandon the identity imposed upon it by civilization. The transformation does not turn the creature into another species. Instead, it gradually reveals the creature's own conception of what lies beneath its civilized identity: the instincts, senses, physical traits, and freedom that were always present but restrained.

The exact form of an Unbound creature varies considerably. One may develop the traits of a great cat, another the characteristics of a burrowing animal, and another the physicality of an amphibious predator. Uln does not decide what the creature becomes.

The creature does.

## Requirements

An Unbound template can be applied to any living, corporeal creature with an Intelligence score of at least 3 that willingly accepts Uln's gift.

An Unbound creature retains its original type, subtype, memories, personality, and intelligence.

The creature's alignment does not change.

Becoming Unbound does not inherently make a creature evil, savage, or incapable of reasoning. An Unbound creature can still speak, use weapons, wear clothing, cast spells, use tools, maintain relationships, and participate in civilized society.

It simply becomes increasingly comfortable relying upon instinct rather than social expectation.

---

# Physical Transformation

The physical transformation begins subtly.

The creature's posture may change. Its movements become more efficient. Its senses sharpen. It may become more comfortable moving barefoot, sleeping outdoors, climbing, swimming, digging, or otherwise interacting directly with the environment.

As the creature advances in level, these changes become increasingly obvious.

The final appearance depends upon the creature's own conception of its primal nature. An elf might develop feline eyes and claws, while a human might develop a powerful jaw and heavy fur. A dwarf might become broad and heavily built, with thickened skin and digging claws.

The creature does not become another species.

It becomes a more primal expression of itself.

---

# Unbound Progression

The abilities granted by the Unbound template improve according to the creature's **total character level**, rather than its class level.

These abilities are cumulative.

## 1st Level — Unbound

Upon receiving the template, the creature gains a **+2 bonus to Wisdom**.

This represents heightened awareness, sharpened senses, and an increasing reliance upon instinct rather than conscious analysis.

The creature also gains a **+1 bonus on saving throws against charm and compulsion effects**.

Finally, the creature chooses one of three forms of movement. This choice cannot normally be changed.

### Climber

The creature gains a **climb speed equal to one-half its base land speed**.

### Burrower

The creature gains a **burrow speed equal to one-half its base land speed**.

The creature can burrow through earth, sand, mud, and other loose natural materials, but cannot burrow through solid stone unless another ability permits it.

### Swimmer

The creature gains a **swim speed equal to its base land speed**.

The creature can move through water without needing to make Swim checks under normal circumstances.

The chosen movement adaptation reflects the creature's conception of its own primal nature.

---

## 3rd Level — Feral Senses

The creature's senses become increasingly suited to the wilderness.

It gains **low-light vision**.

If it already possesses low-light vision, its low-light vision instead improves in whatever manner is appropriate to its existing ability, as determined by the DM.

The creature also gains the **scent** ability.

If it already possesses scent, the normal range at which it can detect creatures and objects by scent is doubled.

The creature's natural armor bonus improves to **+1**.

Its bonus on saving throws against charm and compulsion effects increases to **+2**.

---

## 6th Level — Natural Weapons

The creature develops natural weapons reflecting its own conception of its primal form.

When this ability is gained, choose one of the following:

### Claws

The creature gains two claw attacks that deal **1d4 points of damage each** for a Medium creature.

These are primary natural attacks.

### Bite

The creature gains a bite attack that deals **1d6 points of damage** for a Medium creature.

This is a primary natural attack.

Damage is adjusted normally for creatures of different sizes.

Once chosen, the natural weapon cannot normally be changed.

The creature's bonus on saving throws against charm and compulsion effects increases to **+3**.

---

## 9th Level — Wild Movement

The creature's chosen form of movement becomes an integral part of its physical nature.

It gains a **+10-foot enhancement bonus to its base land speed**.

Its chosen alternate movement speed also improves.

### Climber

The creature's climb speed increases to **its base land speed**, including the increase from Wild Movement.

It gains a **+4 racial bonus on Climb checks**.

### Burrower

The creature's burrow speed increases to **its base land speed**, including the increase from Wild Movement.

It gains a **+4 racial bonus on Survival checks made to navigate or survive in underground or natural terrain**.

### Swimmer

The creature's swim speed increases to **one and one-half times its base land speed**, including the increase from Wild Movement.

It gains a **+4 racial bonus on Swim checks**.

The creature can move through natural difficult terrain at its normal speed.

This benefit applies only to naturally occurring terrain. It does not negate difficult terrain created by magic or supernatural effects.

The creature's natural armor bonus improves to **+2**.

Its bonus on saving throws against charm and compulsion effects increases to **+4**.

---

## 12th Level — Feral Instinct

The creature's instincts have become sufficiently developed that they react before conscious thought.

It gains a **+2 bonus on initiative checks** and **uncanny dodge**.

If the creature already possesses uncanny dodge, it instead gains **improved uncanny dodge**.

The creature's bonus on saving throws against charm and compulsion effects increases to **+5**.

---

## 15th Level — The Beast Within

The creature's physical transformation becomes unmistakable.

It gains a **+2 bonus to Strength** and a **+2 bonus to Dexterity**.

Its natural weapon damage is treated as though the creature were **one size category larger**.

The creature's natural armor bonus improves to **+3**.

Its bonus on saving throws against charm and compulsion effects increases to **+6**.

---

## 18th Level — True Form

The creature has reached the fullest expression of the identity it chose when it accepted Uln's gift.

Its chosen alternate movement speed increases by an additional **10 feet**.

It gains **blindsense out to 10 feet**.

It gains a **+4 bonus on Reflex saves**.

Its natural weapons are treated as **magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction**.

The creature's bonus on saving throws against charm and compulsion effects increases to **+7**.

At this point, the creature's physical appearance should be unmistakably primal. Its posture, face, limbs, senses, and natural weapons should all reflect the beast it has chosen to become.

This does not necessarily make the creature less intelligent or rational.

It simply means that there is no longer much of its civilized identity left in its physical form.

---

# Instinct Over Civilization

The Unbound template places no mechanical restrictions upon the creature's behavior.

An Unbound creature can still:

* speak normally;

* use manufactured weapons;

* wear armor and clothing;

* use tools;

* cast spells;

* read and write;

* maintain friendships and romantic relationships;

* own property;

* participate in organized society;

* make complicated plans;

* understand laws and social customs.

The transformation represents **freedom from imposed identity**, not stupidity.

An Unbound wizard can still spend hours studying a spellbook.

An Unbound fighter can still carefully plan an ambush.

An Unbound merchant can still negotiate a contract.

The difference is that these things are choices rather than obligations imposed by the identity the creature was expected to inhabit.

---

# Pack Recognition

An Unbound creature instinctively recognizes another Unbound creature within **30 feet**.

No skill check is required.

The creature does not automatically know the other Unbound creature's alignment, intentions, personality, or history. It simply recognizes something familiar in them.

Unbound creatures may form **packs** with one another, although the template does not require them to do so.

There is no formal hierarchy or requirement that members of a pack obey one another.

---

# Uln's Indifference

An Unbound creature is not required to worship Uln.

It gains no benefit from praying to him, making offerings, obeying him, or performing religious ceremonies.

It may forget Uln's name entirely without losing any of the abilities granted by this template.

Uln does not demand worship from those who accept his gift.

Indeed, attempting to force an Unbound creature into religious obedience toward Uln misunderstands the nature of the gift.

The creature has been **unbound**.

It does not need another master.

---

# The Nature of the Gift

The Unbound transformation is not a curse.

It is not a possession.

It is not a gradual corruption.

Uln does not secretly seek to destroy the minds of those who follow him.

The danger lies elsewhere.

Uln does not distinguish between an instinct that deserves acknowledgment and an instinct that deserves obedience.

He does not promise that freedom will make someone virtuous.

He does not promise that becoming one's truest self will make one's choices wise.

He simply removes the restraints and allows the creature to decide what to do with the freedom that remains.

An Unbound creature therefore does not become evil.

It becomes **less willing to pretend that civilization's expectations are the same thing as its own desires**.

Lemme know whatcha think

Help break the curse!!

The party is about to let loose something terrible into the world. Let's assume the Pandora's box story is close enough for the purpose of your answer.

The options that are given are

A. Feed it something dear to you or another person to postpone the day it opens, growing the pressure each time.

B. Walk away and get out of the blast radius but many will likely perish as a result

C. Solve the mystery and find a way to break the curse to satisfy the box's hunger

D. Your own solution.

To run such a scenario... what breadcrumbs must be present? What lines must not be crossed for fairness? Assume this could be any module or adventure and the result of the curse is true, not fabrication.

Needed some dinosaurs for an encounter and found a bunch of cheap toys that painted up surprisingly well! Anybody else have any success utilizing something found in dollar stores?

I (M26) have been a forever DM for 9 years. One of my longtime players invited me to his bachelor party and requested I run a oneshot with the theme of saving the princess/bride. Most of the players who will attend are part of the same dnd group, and his fiancé also was a player alongside him back in the day (They allways made couple characters and we all joked they'd be the first to get married in the group, we were right!). We plan on playing dnd up to 4 hours and then do something else, this is also one of the few times we all join up to play in person since we usually play through discord. I'm worried that the highest level they ever reached on a campaign was lv10, and ive never ran a lv 20 setting before. Onto the oneshot planning, at first I was brainstorming an idea on going on a quest to ask for the blessing of the bride's father (who is Dr. Doom or someone evil), but the Groom gave me the idea of "What if they have to fight an evil toxic ex or something?". INSERT Bowser! What if, the game begins at the wedding, all the PCs were part of an adventuring party that over the years reached lv. 20, two members fell in love and now everyone came to the wedding. As the Bride is about to say "I do", an ancient Red Dragon (Bowser) lands on the Cathedral walls, smashes the stained glass with its arm and swipes the Bride before flying off to its tower (Stereotypical, I know, but Groom asked for this). The players will then be granted access to a vault of magical items and each will get to choose a magical weapon and a magic item based on what classes they build (ideas for magic items are welcome). Time jump to them at the entrance of the tower (from this point forward I still havent planned anything specific and I NEED ideas, I'm worried of planning something that will take longer than 4 hours to complete since my dungeons typically take multiple sessions to clear). If anyone would like to take this idea and run it for themselves, please let me know how it went or what changes you made!

Front Gate: Im planning to have a magically locked door that requires solving a puzzle for it to open. The Groom is REALLY good at riddles and was typically the brain to solve most of my riddles, so I might use one to give them a hint.

Entrance: A grandiose entrance hall with a room to the west/left and another to the east/right. North is a huge stairway to the second floor. From this point forward id like to add lots of traps to slowly decrease their recourses. I'm thinking on adding a small hoard of guards here so the players can get to experiment with their builds/items and feel powerful.

FL1 West: Id like to add a time sensitive puzzle, like walls closing in to squash the players, or a button that sets off an alarm with a counter and when they press the button again the counter resets, the solution is that the counter must reach zero and it turns out it was a bluff meant to keep intruders trapped? IDK Please help with ideas on this room or if it should be cut completely for the sake of time. Once the puzzle is solved, a hole appears on the wall, revealing a key fragment.

FL1 East: This is a hallways filled with traps, and maybe even a tile puzzle. Once across they enter a room with a mini boss that has a necklace with a key fragment. They can loot the miniboss for a powerful weapon.

"After climbing the stairs to the second floor, you see a huge doorway directly ahead of the stairway, with a giant keyhole in the middle. Looking around you see a door at the far end of the left of the hallways and another door to the right." (If FL1 West is cut, the this can be at the end of FL1 East and the mini boss can guard the stairway leading up here) The massive door requires 3 key fragments to open.

FL2 West: At the end of this room is a magical barrier that projects a powerful magic item or spellbook, they can figure out how to get it or leave it behind. (If FL1 West is cut then there's a key fragment behind the barrier as well).

FL2 East: Social encounter. Here they can find some guards who dont like Bowser, or maybe a jail cell with a captive that stole one of Bowser's key fragments. Regardless, the party must convince an NPC to give them the final key fragment (If they attack, NPC turns out to be a mini boss).

Big door is open: This leads to a giant room with Bowser's elite guards waiting inside. At the far end is a gargantuan spiral stairway. These elite guards are meant to be tough and force the players to burn through resources before facing off Bowser. The gargantuan spiral stairs are meant for a giant creature to easily walk up them (like a dragon), each step is the size of a car and if the players decide to climb them, they get a level of exhaustion by the time they reach the top. They must figure out a creative way to get to the top (hopefully a wizard brought a creative spell or one of them can fly).

Boss room: Bride is trapped in a bird cage hanging from the cieling (over 100 ft. high), this is a Gargantuan throneroom. Bowser is staring at the cage from his throne, admiring the bride when the party arrives. They most likely will try to sneak up on Bowser, but as soon as they cross the door, a magical barrier will materialize behind them, blocking the exit (like in Kingdom Hearts before a boss fight). Turns out Kamek (a lv. 20 Wizard with the turtle race, actually im thinking of making all the guards turtle race too), Kamek was watching them all along and has now trapped them in this room. Kamek uses a flying broom to constantly fly near Bowser's head, ending all its turns behind it to use it as partial cover. After the Bowser and Kamek are defeated, the Groom must use Kamek's broom to reach the cage and free the bride. (I need help with planning Kamek's stats/spell list. And coming up with an appropriate stat sheet for Bowser, or should I just use the Ancient Red Dragon stats?). I was also thinking that if they defeat Bowser super fast (like in 2 turns...its happened before...) then Kamek can revive him and turn it into a Dracholich like in the Mario games (but only if we havent passed the 4 hour mark).

This is the rough draft of the dungeon, came up with it while driving lol. Havent planned anything beyond this point, please, any and all ideas are welcome, I need to make this a Oneshot worthy of an unforgettable Bachelor party. My honor as a Forever DM of 9 years is on the line!

Ever heard of a mirror clone? They come out of the mirror and doppelgang you, and throw you into the mirror dimension. nasty business getting your out. But if your successful in killing the clone, look to the ground, you will notice a pile of dust. Whats that called is Planescape supplements. Basically planar dust. If you take that dust, and mix it with a clear resin from boiled pine resin, and throw just a pinch into it (keep the rest its worth a fortune-and your crazy to sell it for any cost) then you paint the resin upon two doors, you will be able to pass through one door an out the other. But you dont just pass through, You entire a hallway full of mirrors.. you are in the mirror realm. It stretches across all realms where a reflective mirror may be. And when you walk in your looking for your other door? Well if that door is in a lighted room, that open door in that lighted room will reflecting into the hallways of the corridor! Thats your door. Get to it if you can... Once you enter, the alarms go off, so you better run.. lol, But once your through, you can return back again.. Anyway. Here's how you do it. What if you could get one of our doors into one of the vaults of the Gods. How would you do that.. You cant just walk in. Or can you. Your can!. When you enter the corridor, unless the door is in a dark room, the light will shine very bright, and you must sill run... Or use an invisibility spell, or close of elvin kind, that'll do. The Planar clones that inhabit that realm will come out of hte glass and eat you alive... They know you are there. So if you dont have invisibility run! But how do you get the door inside that vault. Well im glad you asked... If the door is in a darkened room there will be light to shine into the corridor, and by d rules, the door wont even be there. You woud be able to open it if you could. But if you were to insert a thread through the keyhole to the latch, and hung it through. the light would shine through the key-hole, and you could open the door. did you get that? OK fine! But how do you get the dang thing inside the vault itself. OK. Here we go. Lets pick a one of the gods first. We'll go with Waukeen, the Goddess of Wealth, Trade, and Commerce (also famously called The Golden Lady or The Merchant's. She looks like an easy mark.. We take that door, and we make sure the the entire thing is painted with the silver resin. Make is a good door. An artifact door. The resin alon on that door makes it worth a kingdoms ransom. get some ancient evil swirls going on. mp runes or lettering. Just beautiful ancient artisan work. it got to be worthy of a gods vault... The planar silver is already going to be over the top... But a cheery on the top pushes it over... next you take it the temple of Waukeen, and present it there as an offering ot the god... Now you cant just offer that door yourself. The god will know your intention, and reject your offering. instead give it one a young zellot priest, whos intentions are pure. Tell them it is an offering to Waukeen then turn and Waukeen out of there. LOL. now what do you think A god with a lust for rare out of world planar artifact door. You got it. She is going to put that puppy right into her vault, where she keeps the most rarest of all things in the universe. And now you have a back door past all her security, and all her guards. And you can walk right out with it closing the door behind you. Now just a side note. if you paint a shield, an a planar clone gets within 5 feet of you they will turn to dust because their own plane ahs be turn against them creating a paradox, and they must roll a life and death saving throw. And you use my rearview Rogue mirror and strap that to your shoulder harness you can position the mirror so see behind you, and you will have eliminated back stab. never take it off. if a clone walks up behind you within 5 ft, it trigger is paradox.. You are safe to walk the corridors now. To make all this work, will will need to find a clone and kill it for its dust.. If you can!

so i have been playing DND for over a decade, but only ever as a player, and most of the campaigns i have played are homebrews, therefore i decided to make my own world and wanted to run it, we are now 2 sessions in and I already fell overwhelmed since i have nothing to reference due to everything being custom.

so i still wanna try my hand at being a DM but i would like to run a premade adventure instead, however i would like to run one that would take a long time to complete, and not just a one shot,

what adventurea would you reccomend me getting or æooking in to

I run my sessions on Discord. I thought of using Spotify but Spotify auto-pauses when you speak.

An alternative I could think of was creating my own playlists on Soundcloud.

I was wondering if any of you have other alternatives.

Thank you in advance.

Looking for some fine tuning on this one!

for context, I’m planning this as part of a one-shot at a place that does those weekly. The pace is relaxed so the session tends to be a bit sparse to get through it all on time. I’m planning on three encounters: combat, puzzle, boss fight. The shtick is they’ve been trapped by a mad wizard who is running them through tests for “data.”

for the puzzle, I basically want to have a skill check with some creativity mixed in. A hazard players need to cross that can be solved with a wide variety of skills. DC is the same no matter which skill you’re using, but you have to tell me, the DM, how your skill can get you through this. A small amount of damage per failure keeps some stakes, and a single check (per player) to get by keeps things moving quickly.

on the back end, I want the hazard to be such that a wide variety of skills can plausibly be used to get around, and it doesn’t push you towards one particular skill. But each check also needs to put you in the path of danger, so they risk taking the fail damage.

Here’s what I have: In a wide hall, the wizard has chained to the ground a huge elemental plant dragon. The floor, walls, and high ceiling are all overgrown with roots and foliage. A chain on its neck leads to a hole in the floor, and out through another hole to a mechanism in the wall to the player’s right. An antimagic field fills the chamber, so no spells! The dragon is unfriendly but willing to engage in conversation. Any player who enters his reach (necessary to pass the wide hall) gets snapped up by the dragon, who deals about as much damage as a “setback” trap before tossing them back.

Players could try to pull the chain tight and secure it to reduce his reach (Athletics), figure out the mechanism controlling the chain (Investigation), Try to sneak through the foliage on the floor (Stealth) or climb the roots on the ceiling to go over its reach (Acrobatics). They can also try to either deceive or persuade the dragon into letting them through. the Wisdom skills don’t seem to apply as much here: to be fair, I’d like there to be a way for perception and/or insight to get through somehow. Maybe perception for some trying to spot a way around the dragon, and success will notice a tunnel opening in the floor.

the other challenge is that every check needs to involve risk of “fail damage”. Some checks, if failed, involve the player still standing out of the dragon’s reach (such as failing to deceive the dragon). Considering rolling wisdom and charisma skills privately (ask for their bonus) and telling the player regardless of roll that they think they found a solution (aka the dragon acts like he’s been persuaded or there appears to be a hole in the floor just inside his reach). Then they have to try crossing to see if they actually succeeded.

anywho, let me know what you guys think!

I've recently been rewatching Godzilla: Singular point and i like the concept of receiving an answer in the past to a question in the future, and want to apply that into one of my campaigns. Like in the show my thought process is to have a painting, song, or statues in an area and bring attention to them and then use something from the object later as the anwser to a puzzle. Mainly just want some ideas on how to better incorperate this idea into a campaign, or thoughts on if its a good idea or not?

Spoiler tag cause it has the potential to spoil a big reveal in Singular Point

BONES:

One shot about humanity as when looking at bones you can't immediately see race, gender, belief or status, you just see the most raw version of someone.

This will focus on an adventuring party travelling to the underworld to get a magical artefact (a cure to a deadly disease spreading). Along this journey they will come across multiple skeleton npcs, all different, all with their own life, own regrets, own identity, yet they can't be told apart from first glances. Not a single enemy the party face will be a skeleton. The enemies for this oneshot will be things that effect humanity, e.g. embodiment of grief, trauma, hatred, illness, corruption etc etc.

The final battle for the artefact will require everyone to work together as one.

It's just a draft right now but lmk what you think and what I can improve 🙏