I anticipate starting the Sword Coast Sandbox campaign in Red Larch, for the simple reason that it is situated between Phandalin in the north and Daggerford in the south. In Red Larch, I'll have a handful of adventure hooks the PCs can choose to pursue, and also hooks that will take them to Phandalin and Daggerford if they choose.
However, I won't receive Princes of the Apocalypse until early next week, so I'm going to begin my preparation in Daggerford. This is the location of many of the adventures detailed in the playtest modules: Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle, Scourge of the Sword Coast, and Dead in Thay.
Again, my goal is to use as much of the adventure content as possible while decoupling the adventure locations from the scripted story. The premise of the campaign is that the PCs are adventurers looking for wild lands to explore, monsters to battle, tombs and lost ruins to plunder and great treasures to win. For adventurers like that, the locations around Daggerford have much to offer.
In Daggerford itself, I'll use most of the in-town locations and NPCs as described in GoDC and SotSC, but there will be no scripted events, no rakshasas or succubi manipulating affairs from the shadows. It's just an interesting town, with some interesting characters and some interesting challenges to confront and overcome.
Here are the adventure hooks available to the PCs when they first arrive in Daggerford:
The Lizard Marsh (GoDC): The ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Amanautor are hidden somewhere in the swamp. I'll garnish this rumor with the legend of a powerful religious relic that was lost when the temple fell.
Julkoun (SotSC): There has been no contact with the village of Julkoun for more than a tenday. This hook will come with the promise of the good will and healing arts of a Daggerford cleric.
Harpshield Castle (SotSC): Orcs have been raiding outlying farmsteads and communities along the Delimbiyr Route from the highlands north and east of the Floshin Estate. One of the locals helped outfit an adventuring company for an expedition to the keep about a month ago. They hoped to recover a lost treasure trove from the time of the Kingdom of Man, but they never returned.
Each of these adventures will in turn "unlock" further adventure hooks. I'll also include some adventure hooks linking back to Red Larch, which I can modify based upon what (if anything) the PCs accomplished in the Dessarin Valley before heading to Daggerford. That way, the players always know that adventure is waiting for them elsewhere: At all times, there should be several enticing opportunities for them, even if that means packing up and leaving town.
In the posts that follow, I'll discuss The Lizard Marsh, Julkoun and Harpshield Castle in more detail, laying out how I plan to use them.
However, I won't receive Princes of the Apocalypse until early next week, so I'm going to begin my preparation in Daggerford. This is the location of many of the adventures detailed in the playtest modules: Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle, Scourge of the Sword Coast, and Dead in Thay.
Again, my goal is to use as much of the adventure content as possible while decoupling the adventure locations from the scripted story. The premise of the campaign is that the PCs are adventurers looking for wild lands to explore, monsters to battle, tombs and lost ruins to plunder and great treasures to win. For adventurers like that, the locations around Daggerford have much to offer.
In Daggerford itself, I'll use most of the in-town locations and NPCs as described in GoDC and SotSC, but there will be no scripted events, no rakshasas or succubi manipulating affairs from the shadows. It's just an interesting town, with some interesting characters and some interesting challenges to confront and overcome.
Here are the adventure hooks available to the PCs when they first arrive in Daggerford:
The Lizard Marsh (GoDC): The ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Amanautor are hidden somewhere in the swamp. I'll garnish this rumor with the legend of a powerful religious relic that was lost when the temple fell.
Julkoun (SotSC): There has been no contact with the village of Julkoun for more than a tenday. This hook will come with the promise of the good will and healing arts of a Daggerford cleric.
Harpshield Castle (SotSC): Orcs have been raiding outlying farmsteads and communities along the Delimbiyr Route from the highlands north and east of the Floshin Estate. One of the locals helped outfit an adventuring company for an expedition to the keep about a month ago. They hoped to recover a lost treasure trove from the time of the Kingdom of Man, but they never returned.
Each of these adventures will in turn "unlock" further adventure hooks. I'll also include some adventure hooks linking back to Red Larch, which I can modify based upon what (if anything) the PCs accomplished in the Dessarin Valley before heading to Daggerford. That way, the players always know that adventure is waiting for them elsewhere: At all times, there should be several enticing opportunities for them, even if that means packing up and leaving town.
In the posts that follow, I'll discuss The Lizard Marsh, Julkoun and Harpshield Castle in more detail, laying out how I plan to use them.
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