In the recent vein of Discern Realities dungeon starters, I humbly present to you “The Curse of Drazhu”. This is a rough draft that I whipped up from a combination of the original Discern Realities starter, Jeremy Strandberg’s excellent elaboration and “The Curse of Strahd” conversion. I recently introduced a big group of friends to DW with Jason Morningstar’s “Slave Pit of Drazhu” game demo. They dug it so I thought I’d spin it into a larger tale.
Please have a look and comment on the doc or below in the comments with your feedback. I’d especially love some suggestions for more unique choices as some of them currently are ripped straight from the excellent work that came before. Thanks and I hope you like it.
Drazhu was my go-to for DW intros, but I was recently given greater awareness of the risks involved in handling stories of slavery. When I go back to it, it will be with that in mind, and this in hand. Thanks!
Matt Horam Thanks Matt. Definitely a good caveat to keep in mind regarding the slavery aspect of the scenario.
D. Kenny My groups have all been so pure I never considered how dark it could get in the hands of the wrong people, let alone how the wrong words could ruin the experience of the right people.
<3
Is there a link to it?
Edit: Dumb question… my client was delayed in showing it. sorry.
Wait – “Curse of Strahd” conversion?
ThatRob BushGuy, I don’t know if D. Kenny is talking about my Discern Realities starter version, but if he is, here’s a link to the thread:
plus.google.com – Here’s a Curse of Strahd starter I threw together on my lunch break. I did i…
It can be played without any familiarity with Curse of Strahd, but if you and/or your players are familiar with it it could only enhance the game.
Brian Holland Thanks!
Brian Holland, that is exactly the Strahd Conversion I was talking about. Thanks for the inspiration and for sharing.
I’m going to do one for Eberron too. I’ve never even looked at Eberron before a couple days ago and I found a LOT of great stuff that can easily fit into the DR Campaign Starter format! I like this format a lot because it not only gives you a great start, but gives you other bits to pull from later in the campaign.
Brian Holland Agreed, I’ll be testing out “The Curse of Drazhu” this weekend and taking note of the stuff they almost pick as much as the stuff they go with. I love how much gets packed in. Looking forward to reading your Eberron starter!
D. Kenny, here’s the first draft of the introduction to my Eberron Starter. There’s a lot of things NOT covered here, but I wanted to keep it to three paragraphs and fill in some of the blanks with the Discern Realities entries, all while still giving plenty of room for customization:
The Last War “officially” ended less than two years ago at the Treaty of Thronehold. It ended in reaction to a terrible cataclysm known as The Mourning that ripped through the center of the continent of Khorvaire and completely destroyed the nation of Cyre in an area now called The Mournland. Now Cyran refugees are shunned for fear they carry their nation’s doom with them, a Shadow War of sabotage and espionage rages as each of the four remaining nations of the kingdom of Galifar – Aundair, Breland, Karrnath, and Thrane – attempt to consolidate power, and new nations seek recognition as separate and sovereign powers. The Next War always feels as though it is right around the corner!
Meanwhile the Draconic Prophecy, read, interpreted and even influenced by the dragons of the continent Argonnessen since the beginning of time, tells of the impending destruction of the world as a consequence of The Mourning. Or it tells of the savior of the world for the same reason. OR it tells of any number of possibilities waiting to come to fruition if the correct circumstances come to pass; circumstances that many dragons and powerful people wish to direct to further their own ambitions.
The twelve Dragonmarked Houses, so named because of intricate birthmarks which are part of the Draconic Prophecy, are powerful forces that operate independently of national borders and seek to consolidate power for themselves. Whether by directing assassinations, thefts or preventing the same in “Sharn: the City of Towers” or the long dead and ruined giant empire on the continent of Xen’drik or by seeking treasure and magic left behind in The Mournland, the Dragonmarked look to be the likely inheritors of Galifar.
Brian Holland are you aware of this group?
Giovanni Lanza put together a bunch of race-as-class DW classes which I recall being pretty well done. Also, a class for a Dragonmarked Heir.
Eberron Dungeon World
I was not. Thanks Jeremy Strandberg!!
Well put together! Even the opening die rolls are worth thier weight.
Thank you for sharing
Robert Doe Thanks. I just put my starter into use last night for the first time. The players rolled very low overall and had a long, interesting discussion about where best to spend their points so as not to end up in an ambush. It was awesome!