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dungeonmalcontent · 4 months

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Hey GMs, when your players beat a legendary monster start spreading rumors about them. Just for fun. Try it.

One of them deals the finishing blow to a mercenary warlord intent on ravaging a countryside and burning villages to the ground. The people in that area start calling them "the peacemaker". They don't even know the character's name. Just the legend. The story that some stranger risked their life for no apparent reason and brought peace to the land.

Another player beheads a mind flayer that had been hiding in plain sight in the city. They earn the nickname "octopus". The name becomes feared in the criminal underbelly of the city as someone that feels no fear, sees through all enchantments, and strikes without warning.

One player character outsmarts a vampire, knowing they stood no chance in overpowering it. The vampire is good on its word upon losing their game of wits and absconds to more obscure realms, though the character knows their for us far from done. Nonetheless, the character earns the nickname "the bloodless", a figure the vampire could not consume. It carries the impression of a cold and calculating personality, one people are not eager to cross.

#d&d #dnd #dungeons and dragons #5e #ttrpg #fantasy #writing #gm ideas

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flightyquinn · 2 days

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Years back, I had a player express to me that they found dire animals boring. For some reason, that's stuck with me. On the one hand, I get it. In a world full of fantastical creatures like dragons and chimeras, "a wolf but bigger" doesn't seem very exciting. On the other, they're a fantasy staple too, and they have decent stat blocks.

So, here's a thought...

What if they weren't just an animal, but bigger and meaner?

According to Webster's dictionary, "dire" means "exciting horror", "warning of disaster", or "desperately urgent"...so what if we took "dire animal" and really meant it?

I'm imagining a version of dire animals that only vaguely resemble the creatures that they're compared to. Things truly terrible to look upon, with an alien appearance and twisted features, or in other words, creatures that are truly monstrous.

Suppose, for example, that your "dire wolf" looked like this, and communicated with its packmates through high pitched whining and chittering. Or perhaps something even more bizarre, with too many limbs, a face too long and narrow, that's too much mouth, with clustered eyes and warped proportions. I think you could even go really nuts, and turn dire animals into aberrations, though there is something to having them be animals, just very strange and dangerous ones.

#tabletop roleplaying #d&d #pathfinder #roleplaying games #gm ideas #worldbuilding #fluff #ttrpg

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ecoamerica · 20 days

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tinylilemrys · 2 years

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i'm legit interested in the concept of people playing dnd games set in the present using the GM's home town/city as a way of travelling the world for free.

if i ran an online dnd game set in the present in cape town – as a way to tour the city without actually visiting – is that something people would be into? is that something people already do?

#i'm poor y'all 😂#it's this and google street view #dnd #d&d #dnd ideas #gm ideas #dm ideas

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amihyperfixatingagain · 2 years

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I’ve had this idea pop into my head recently for running a long-time campaign that’s RP-heavy that I want to share and see what others may think.

So you know how a lot of people come up with character playlists? What if they put together a playlist with only instrumental songs and each song is tied to moments or people in their character's lives? They’d have to be really in touch with their backstory for this. The songs could range from representing feelings to being the background song during a pivotal moment.

You’d probably want the players to avoid recognizable songs, like theme songs from movies or instrumental renditions of popular songs, etc. You want songs that aren’t already tied to other fictional characters or settings essentially. (Obviously, some movie or video game soundtracks may not be as easily recognizable as like the Avengers theme song for example. So you’d have to find the right balance in your group)

The key here is that the songs are not shared with anyone else other than the GM. This way only the player and the GM know what songs are tied to their character.

Assuming the GM uses music to set the mood at each session, they can prep certain songs to be added into the mix (or played when the time is right) to subtly tell a player this moment is tied to them and their backstory.

Maybe the party is in a tavern and the song a player chose that represents an unrequited love comes on, is that NPC there? That player character (if they’re well versed in their playlist) hopefully will pick up on it and this could add another level to their RP.

Maybe the song a player assigned to the death of a loved one starts playing as the party is walking through the woods? What does this mean for that character?

The songs could be used as foreshadowing or an extra highlight to combat. It’s a layer of atmosphere that only that character knows. Maybe that character is willing to open up about their backstory more with the right song to highlight that part of their story. Over time each playlist could be shared amongst the rest of the players as more backstory is revealed. The party itself may even start to recognize certain songs and which characters they are associated with.

They can even continue to add songs to their playlist from moments in the campaign. Maybe characters end up with some of the same songs on their playlists. And at the end of the campaign, the group has a shared soundtrack that tells their story.

I just think this could add some really interesting depth to the characters that feels cinematic and immersive on a different level. It’s just another way to add to the storytelling.

#long post #dnd #ttrpg stuff #pathfinder #d&d #dm ideas #gm ideas #text post #idk if any of this makes sense or even if you could implement it into gameplay but my brain said it was cool so

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unnerd · 2 years

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Places you should add to your little town/city in your fantasy world!!

Post offices. Wild, I know. But give me the unhinged kind. Pingeons and little postal dragons all over the place. You enter. The most disgusting smell fucking assaults your nostrils. You know what it is. Letter in hand, you go up to the counter. The postal worker is just a slightly bigger pigeon. You shed a tear.

PLAYGROUNDS!! Create the most dangerous kinds of playgrounds, the ones suburban moms would TRIP if they ever saw one. Monkey bars that are way too tall, swings that go full circle... The metal slide stays the same, it's already painful enough.

PARKS!! MAKE IT ALIVE!! Show people going on walks, reading beneath trees. C'mon most of them are already hundred years old (And are going to die after that CR 15 creature wrecks the town) anyways!! Show couples and picnics, show a family enjoying the sunday, give me someone picking flowers for their loved ones.

A bakery! Do you know how much these places are underrated? And do you know how much plot potential they have? Every good story starts with food poisoning or granny's recipe! Give me a place your players/readers are going to treat like home and, for once, it's not a tavern or a guild.

Government buildings! Give me a town hall that has a kilometric line in front of it. Give me a registry that is as old as this town. Give me police stations! Give me courtrooms! Make one of your players get arrested and now all of the party has to go through burocracy like a bunch of normal people!

(Who am I kidding? You don't need to make them get arrested. They are going to do that for you.)

Touristic attractions! Give me a full-on statue of the country's leader! Give me museums! Give me streets, ruins and whatnot that attract thousands of tourists everyday! Give me an annoying city guide that tries to get the party's attention everytime!

Magazine stands! Magazines don't exist? Newspaper stands! From the Queen's Journal to the most questionable new piece of Fox's Tailtracker, you have it all! Make your players doubt what's actually happening, sprinkle a little fake news... Or is it fake at all?

...Toy stores. OK HEAR ME OUT. Make magic toys; miniature skyships that actually fly, metal toy dragons that expel fire, little wands that make little light spells, wooden creatures that can move and make noises... Make children happy! And your players too because they will waste their money on these stuff.

Instrument store!! Make your bards happy with special instruments or just weird ones! Give me a battle in one of those that is just filled with funny noises and the worst battle soundtrack ever!!

Not exactly a place but... Cleaning carts!!! Show me people cleaning the streets, picking up the trash, cutting trees!! Make the town look clean!! Give me an old man that is really proud of his work!!!

(or ways to make your players feel even worse when the villain destroys the town later on :) )

#dnd #dnd ideas #d&d 5th edition #d&d memes #tabletop games #dungeonsanddragons #npc ideas #dnd homebrew #campaing ideas #gm guide #worldbuilding #worldbuilding prompts #critical role #5e #ttrpgs #homebrew

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probablybadrpgideas · 9 months

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Oh no!

You mixed up your GM (Game Master) and GM (General Manager)!

#rpg #roleplaying game #generic #meta #gm idea

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doctorslippery · 3 months

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#black market #d100 list #open source gaming #nondenominational rpging #d20 #rpg #gm #game ideas #role playing game #game on #play on

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genericdndpun · 2 years

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“So you remember that tragic part of your backstory?”

#dnd #dm #dnd shenanigans #critical role #dnd memes #dnd homebrew #dnd 5e #dnd ideas #dnd stuff #gm #dnd tag #dnd campaign #meme #dungeons and dragons #memes #players #homebrew #text #d&d #backstory

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egophiliac · 2 years

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I know tis not the season but I am curious about what your opinion was on ghost marriage, both the first run and the re-run where they actually remembered to dress Idia up for his own fake wedding

if Fairy Gala is a Leverage episode then Ghost Marriage is the zany hijinks comedy movie. I think it probably wins for wackiest event just because it is nonstop bonkers ridiculousness from beginning to end:

Idia leaves his room for five minutes and is immediately kidnapped by a ghost.

everyone has to be physically threatened into giving a shit.

the plan they come up with?

seduce the ghost.

literally gather the handsomest animes and throw them at her in the hopes one of them will be hot enough to distract her.

it goes so, so badly.

smash cut to a couple hours later, Epel has gone feral and is tearing ghosts limb from limb, Riddle has set the school on fire because someone called him short, Crowley is regretting all his choices, it is absolute madtown and I am loving every second of it

#art #twisted wonderland #i think idia's gm groovy also canonized that his hair changes color according to his mood #which is such a delight i never get tired of typing that sentence out #idia you special little sparkle boy #anyway never forget that sebek's idea of flirting is to just loudly scream about how cool malleus is #(you know regular sebek)#i love him

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rabbit-exe · 7 months

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I very much do want to see the betrayer gods again because they are some hilariously petty bitches who would definitely try and pull some absolute bullshit, but also I will Never be able to picture Lolth the Spider Queen or Asmodeus the Lord of the Hells, in mannerism, in voice, or in appearance, as ANYTHING other than Aabria Iyengar and Brennan Lee Mulligan. they did it too good and now it's Them Forever

#these two... iconic #aabria did such a perfect job as lolth. the playfulness. the warped affection in her voice. the cloying sweetness of rot. gah!!#brennan did asmodeus more than justice in his portrayal (made even more compelling by the fact that he as the gm also played evandrin!)#literally obsessed with the idea of lolth and asmodeus Interacting. you KNOW they're the bitchiest sister-brother duo in all the realms #collaborating over the inevitable end and squabbling the entire time... I Want To See It #critical role #lolth #lolth the spider queen #asmodeus #the lord of the hells #cr lolth #cr asmodeus #aabria iyengar #brennan lee mulligan #I just want them to come on as guests and do their nasty betrayer god thing again. it's so COMPELLING #exandria unlimited #exu calamity

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thefirstknife · 8 months

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Getting real sick of a certain subset of Destiny players complaining that it’s a baby game and crying to Bungie to nerf exotics and abilities when their ENTIRE POINT IS TO BE STRONG in specific ways as if they are being locked into using them.

IF YOU WANT AN EXTRA CHALLENGE STOP BEING SUCH A DPS GOBLIN AND JUST EQUIP SOMETHING THATS NOT TOP TIER META AND STOP COMPLAINING JESUS FUCKING CHRIST

MOOD. Go off.

It's incredibly annoying to me. They always use the argument of "the game should FORCE me to do things, I should not SELF-IMPOSE challenges." And like. ? I'm sorry but what? It's a video game for a big audience, it's here to be playable and accessible to the widest possible playerbase. There are plenty of ways to make the game difficult for yourself, so knock yourself out if that's your thing, but don't force others into it.

Like, I enjoy hard content, I regularly at least attempt day 1 raids, I do master raids, GMs, solo and solo flawless content and all that. But only when I want to. Sometimes I don't and I don't want to suffer in a patrol zone or struggle in a seasonal activity I'm doing for the story. The majority of the players don't want that. Designing games for the professional gamers only has NEVER been a good idea and never will be. Fifty streamers can't sustain a video game. It needs casual players who will want to come back to the game instead of feeling defeated.

One of the reasons I really enjoy helping others is because I know that casual players tend to struggle in stuff that's basic activity for me. I've seen people unable to get through a strike. I've sat for 10 minutes rezing someone who couldn't do the jump in a seasonal activity. I want those people to be able to play basic content without feeling frustrated and I want them to know that there are people out there who will help them out.

And this doesn't apply just to basic content, although it should start with that. I think all dungeons and raids and everything should be things that all players can complete. Fine, doing a master raid with all challenges should be tough, but it should be achievable with time and practice, not impossible. What a lot of these "pros" want is just completely divorced from reality.

It takes days and days of practice every time a new master raid is out for me and my team (all with thousands of hours of playtime) to get comfortable to finally finish it. We're far from casual players and it still takes a lot of time to be able to finish hard content. Making it even harder is insane to me. Like, if something is so hard that my team full of people, each with 5000+ hours of playtime and a coordinated team that's been raiding together for years now can't finish it, that means it's absolutely impossible for probably 90% of the playerbase. That's wild to me. Raids and GMs should have more people playing them. If master raids are too easy for you, Mr. I-Play-Destiny-For-A-Living, that's on you buddy. Unequip the super god tier god roll meta guns and loadouts or play something else.

And ofc, another excuse they make is "if I don't use meta, I am not going to win a raid race!" Then don't. Idk. Let me play you the tiniest violin. This affects literally nobody except a grand total of 50 people. Run your meta in day 1, and play with random shit otherwise. Play raids with all white weapons. Play without mods. Play without a HUD. Do things solo only. I don't know, make up a way to spice things up for yourself. I'm not interested in that and neither are 99% of the players out there. The game is genuinely hard enough for the majority of the players. On top of that, I am here to feel like a powerful space fantasy superhero. I am NOT here to die to dregs in patrol zones. If there's ONE thing that I know for a fact that put people off from Lightfall (as in this year of Destiny), it's the difficulty changes. They're annoying, frustrating and for some a barrier to entry more than anything else.

#destiny 2 #gameplay #ask #long post #i really do love helping but i can't not feel bad because once the people i helped are out of my fireteam...#...there's no telling what other experiences they'll have #there's so many speedrunners and people who don't care and people who just aren't helping and are instead mocking others #you can only do so much for a few people you see in activities #this season's activities are super tough. every time so far I've played everyone in the team was struggling #i'm gonna have to start going into altars of summoning with my full support build warlock just to sit in there and help people #istg the 'pros' have to get their loadouts restricted. go play with non-god tier armour sets and guns #equip the same loadout that some casual player has available and let me see you then #this idea that everyone has minmaxed best equipment available at all times is bizarre. please get your head out of your ass #'i have perfectly rolled all artifice armour with perfect stat exotics for every loadout because i have infinite time to grind' okay dude #most of us aren't being paid to play destiny. lmao #'the game used to be hard' no. you got better. you mastered it #why is this so difficult to understand. everything is hard when you first start. 5000 hours later it no longer is #the game is fine. the 'health of the game' is fine. you mastered it and outgrew it #either impose challenges on yourself or find something else #like. when i first started GMs they were almost impossible for me #now i play them for fun. they're still challenging but they're not the same level of hard and I'm fine with that #i enjoy them as content and they're still entertaining #and when a new GM comes out it's a new challenge to master so it'll be hard at the start #as everything ever in the world #if that's no longer enough for you then you just outgrew the game and should probably move on #the only reason why some things used to be hard was poor quality of life that got improved over time #not being able to mantle in d1 is not difficulty. it's just not good design. it was fixed and improved #the bitching about light 3.0 as well. man. just don't use the 'OP' fragments. it's so easy to unequip them #i personally love the variety and all the options i have now as opposed to before #okay tag essay done. fhkajhakfhksjf

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public-trans-it · 19 days

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I'm already know for being very opinionated and having some Hot Takes, but I still usually keep it in line and fairly reasonable. Typical "Unpopular (but still somewhat safe to voice) Opinion" territory, where I might get some blocks and some scowls, but like, nothing major.

However I'm... gonna be posting an uncharacteristically rancid take this time.

I cannot fucking STAND vibes based design. Its become a trend lately to explain game systems by vibes, and it feels EXACTLY like the tropification of romance novels. A thing so many other people have complained about far more than I have, where so many works of fiction are now just being advertise as "Its a queer little slow burn, found family story that features enemies to lovers" OKAY, BUT WHATS THE FUCKING BOOK ABOUT?

And I feel like over the past 15-20 years, the TTRPG industry has been having the exact same issue. I can go through dozens of listings on itch.io for indie games and not see a single fucking game mechanic mentioned, and its frustrating. "This game is about gathering your friends to turn your local farm into a sustainable commune!" WHAT KIND OF FUCKING DICE DOES THE GAME USE? DOES THE GAME EVEN HAVE A GM?

And like, this isn't just about the feel good warm and fuzzy games. OSR is JUST as fucking guilty in this. "This game is a black metal death crawl through your worst nightmares." IS IT A RETROCLONE? IS IT A RULES LITE D6 SYSTEM? HOW THE FUCK DO I RESOLVE AN ACTION? DO ENEMIES USE STATBLOCKS?

If a video game showed absolutely no gameplay in any of its advertisements, only showing concept trailers and cutscenes and talking about its plot, you would probably shy away and think the game isn't worth playing if it can't even stand on the merits of its own gameplay. So why the fuck are we accepting that as the norm in TTRPGs?