I should be working on my current campaign, but an idea came to me so I’ve been fleshing out ideas for my first…
I should be working on my current campaign, but an idea came to me so I’ve been fleshing out ideas for my first complete adventure. Trying to design it as a one-shot or campaign starter. The idea is a no-win scenario that will allow the heroes to aid who they can, loot anything that’s not nailed down if they want, and get out alive. It should also open some doors for future campaign adventures. Below is the summary I’ve put together. Please let me know what you think.
ADVENTURE SUMMARY
In the unsuspecting island city of , while our heroes celebrate the passing of Midsummer with the locals, a monstrous, ancient black dragon appears from out of nowhere and wreaks havoc. All manner of hero charge triumphantly to their demise trying to bring down the beast. With seemingly no way to bring the dragon down, the heroes must escape the city and live to fight another day.
Buildings fall to ruin, reduced to rubble and dust in the streets. Soul-shattering cries of wanton death pollute the night’s air. Bands of looters and thugs take advantage of the ensuing chaos, praying on the weak. Mysterious cultists appear as the fire and brimstone reign down from the sky. The city watch evacuate citizens to the naval ships as a collection of wizards begin a time lost ritual that will lay waste to the city in a final act of desperation to stop this terrible foe.
Eat delicious ice-krill! Make the starfishers have a wonderful trip to the fair! Thwart villains’ plans! Ride a cloudfish chariot – and FLY TO THE VICTORY!
So, i’m a little bit stuck about the racing rules. I need some extra rule for actually running the competition, but i’m actually unable to come up with good moves.
So, i call upon the community.
The main idea is the following:
1) players and mc build the trail and the rules of the competition.
2) the MC makes or chooses a list of “hard moves” representing the opponents doing various nasty things to win. The mc can check off this list instead of making any other move.
(i need good ideas for the list.)
If the players arrive to the end of the trail – and they’re at the top, they win.
I need these moves, more or less:
– a rule to defend the chariot from enemies.
– a rule to attack other chariots.
– a rule to coerce cloudfishes to do stuff.
– a rule to maneuvr the chariot.
– maybe a rule about what happens when the chariot breaks.
Taunting enemies can also be an option.
Jeremy Strandberg Mark Tygart i summon you for help.
This is an older adventure setting written for Dungeon World that we’re finally releasing as a free download. It includes custom moves, adventure seeds, and a weird society that is far more dangerous than the undead horrors atop its buildings.
Originally shared by Bully Pulpit Games
The Rooftop Necropolis of the Blood Mummy is a short handout that details a caste-bound culture with its own challenging rules for outsiders, a culture you build collaboratively before play. Designed for Dungeon World, The Rooftop Necropolis of the Blood…
When does this Scene take place?: The Party is travelling by ship either at the start or near the end of an adventure.
Who are the Antagonists?: A Great White Selachii (Shark Man) and a shoal of his Remoran servants.
Why should the Party Care?: Because they are about to be Boarded.
The Party are travelling on a ship to (or from) adventure when off in the distance they spot another ship… and fire in the sky. The player ships crew (There should be enough to sail a ship, but not enough that they can suffer losses and safely continue their journey) attempt to signal the other ship.
Players attempting to Discern Reality at this point might notice a few silvery glimmers fall off of the ship into the water with small splashes and no crew on the other. Players who ask ‘What is about to happen’ might suspect some sort of ambush ahead.
Wether the players attempt to avoid the ship or get close to it, the only warning of what is about to happen is a crewmember (or party member) spotting silvery shapes moving below the waves… Followed by the ship hitting something.
That something is a Great White Selachii. Unlucky for the players, it’s still hungry.
There will be enough Remorans to keep the entire crew busy in the background, the only number that’s important are the ones fighting the players. You wont need many because the Selachii is going to be a significant danger for the players – use the Remorans to make hard moves against players who fail rolls.
The Deep Lungs quality is to represent that the Beast-Men are having to essentially hold their breath to fight the players, and whilst they can stay above water for a good 5 minutes before needing a quick dunk to refresh, they can’t stay out indefinitely without beginning to suffocate.
Play up on some of the tropes of sharks when describing the Selachii’s actions – have him charge towards a player with his eyes rolled back into his skull and if the players dodge, have him go straight through the guard rail in an explosion of splinters and into the water. If a player gets seriously injured and someone fails a roll, have the Selachii go into a horrific blood frenzy where it loses its caution and is only interested in killing.
Don’t be afraid to have him bulldoze someone into the water and attempt to drown them.
All whilst this is happening, describe how in the background the Remorans are Injuring/Killing the crew and, in turn are being injured and killed. When all the Remorans fighting the players die, have the ones in the background driven off victoriously by the crew.
When the Selachii dies, have the Remorans attempt to abandon ship quickly, dragging corpses with them.
And then, when everything has gone quiet and the characters have had a chance to catch their breath, point out that the ship is about to run aground on a tropical island or in known but dangerous territory.
Who knows. They might even find out why the Selachii have suddenly started attacking ships.
Sorry for so much posting! It has been a very long time since I have shared with this community, so I have a bit of a backlog. As part of my upcoming book, First Class Magic, I plan to include Places of Power for use in the Ritual move, or as sites for adventure. These will be one page adventure starters that can give some inspiration for GMs who may be looking for a location to complete a ritual. Here is a rough idea of one of the places:
The Living Rift and That Which Sleeps
At the heart of the world, where the stone flows hot and the veins of the world pulse from the source of all magic lies the Living Rift. A vast canyon where the very plate-bones of the earth come together, rumble against one another, and moan with the quaking of power. Deep beneath the crust of the world, and filled with strange deadly life lies a thriving ecosystem which feeds upon the heat and magic of the very earth and produces strange, wondrous and horrific dangers. Wise ones say there is a great slumbering thing, some say The First Dragon, pulsing with heat and mighty magick at the center of the world. They say an ancient hero bound it there, chained and drained by the ley lines of the world, in order to give magic to mortals. What would happen were it to wake?
Everyone has motives. You can plunge a dagger to take a deer’s heart, and save an innocent. You may do it to betray a friend, and take a treasure all for yourself. You may seed it deep in the ground, to call the Kind Neighbors for help.
The Woods don’t care for motives. You broke the rules.
