Making a good economy in any RPG is a challenging affair. Many players have noticed how the current edition of Dungeons & Dragons has trouble providing things for characters to spend gold on. So, what happens when you invent a new currency for an adventure that the players can spend on stuff? Well, what’s most likely to happen is that the designers don’t think through … Continue reading Economy is Hard: Soul Coins
I am fascinated by the process of designing adventures to be published and used by others. There are many, many factors to consider. I came up with three – which I posted on Twitter – then M.T. Black offered some more. The three I posted: You want to present a path through the adventure You want enough detail so the players can go beyond that … Continue reading Thoughts on Designing Adventures for Publication
In Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus, the characters are looking for the Sword of Zariel. They learned in Chapter 2 that their holyphant companion, Lulu, abandoned the sword in an alabaster castle surrounded by a red scab. In the early stages of Chapter 3, the amnesiac Lulu remembers where it is. She is wrong. After that, she has divine inspiration and points the characters to … Continue reading Running Descent into Avernus part 11: Starting the Path of Devils
There are times when it is all about the framing of the encounter. Haruman’s Hill, to me, represents all the problems Descent into Avernus has. Lulu brings the characters here as she thinks it’s where the Sword of Zariel is. Instead, it isn’t, and it fatally undermines Lulu as a character. From this moment on, Lulu is mostly useless. She’s not guiding the characters; she’s … Continue reading Running Descent into Avernus, part 10: Haruman’s Hill
Once the characters leave Fort Knucklebone, we are into the section where they cross Avernus repeatedly. From place to place doing quest after quest. I will have more about those quests in the next post, but I just wanted to make some comments on travelling through Avernus. Infernal War Machines I assume that the primary way to travel through Avernus is to be by Infernal … Continue reading Running Descent into Avernus, part 9: The Wastelands of Avernus
With Fort Knucklebone, the action moves into Avernus proper. Fort Knucklebone is a minor quest hub; it allows the characters to get used to some of the aspects of Avernus and undertake some missions before heading off on the bulk of their quest. It is worth stating why the characters are here: Lulu remembers a pair of kenku called Chukka and Clonk at Fort Knucklebone. … Continue reading Running Descent into Avernus, part 8: Fort Knucklebone
The second half of Elturel concerns the rescue of Duke Ravengard and the revelation of what the players need to do next. Except, as you have probably guessed, the “revelation” is rather badly handled. The rescue of the Duke is nicely done. Here are the basics of the set-up: Duke Ravengard travelled to the cemetery to discover why there are so many undead there. In … Continue reading Running Descent into Avernus, part 7: Duke Ravengard
By the time the characters enter Elturel, they should have two NPCs with them: Lulu, the winged hollyphant, and Reya, the Hellrider of Elturel who has been doomed (with the rest of Elturel’s defenders) to Hell. As noted in my last instalment, the reasons for them descending are muddy in the adventure-as-written, but I suggest that they have already learned of the need to gain … Continue reading Running Descent into Avernus, part 6: Entering Elturel
I’m going to keep this relatively short. I’ve had problems running Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus that began when the characters reached Candlekeep. Some of these are easily overcome. But others require more reworking. Candlekeep’s chief function is to move the characters down into Avernus, the first layer of hell. They have in their possession the infernal puzzle box, and they have a contact: a … Continue reading Running Descent into Avernus, part 5: Candlekeep
Losing Fai is a four-to-six-hour adventure for level 5-10 characters set in Avernus. It is the eleventh of the Season 9 D&D Adventurers League adventures. The characters must investigate the disappearance of Fai Chen, the wandering merchant, and all of his duplicates. After a trilogy of adventures in which the characters sought to free allies from various places in hell, Losing Fai finally brings the … Continue reading 5E Adventure Review: Losing Fai
