Final Decision

[Grudge]

Here we are 5 (my) final choices. I added something next to each of them, but here I'll add adventure blurb too.

 

 

1. Curse Of Strahd Introductory Adventure
Death House is the name given to an old row house in The village of Barovia . The House has been burned to the ground many times, only to rise from the ashes time and again—by its own will or that of Strahd. Locals give the building a wide berth forward Fear of antagonizing the evil spirits believed to haunt it. The wealthy family that built the house practiced the Dark arts. Through seduction and indoctrination, they Expanded their cult to include a small yet nefarious Circle of friends. When word got out, the rest of the village Turned a blind eye to the house and the nightly debauch-eries happening within it.

The cult tried to summon malevolent extra-planar entities with no success. The cultists also preyed on visitors, sacrificed them in bizarre rituals, and hosted morbid banquets to feast on their corpses. When nothing came of these ritualized murders, the cultists’ activities are became thinly disguised excuses to indulge their lurid fantasias. The ranks of the cult thinned as members began
To lose interest in the debacle.

Then Strahd von Zarovich arrived

 

2.The Unquiet Dead

Long ago, a devil named Durgon came to our world. He brought with him fire and brimstone, and a cult arose around him. Together, they spread fear and death across the land. Eventually, Durgon was slain by a cleric of the light, a man named Davos. In order to keep the devil from
returning to our world, Davos sealed his bones away beneath a temple and placed divine wards on it to prevent Durgon's cultists from reaching them. Many years passed and Davos finally succumbed to old age, his body laid to rest in his family crypt. The cult of Durgon, ever vigilant,
saw this as an opportunity to resurrect their dark messiah. They pillaged his skull from its resting place and subsumed it in profane energy, the very act of which caused the dead around them to rise as undead horrors. Now, they work to undo the wards that bar them from their master's bones. Unless our heroes uncover the plot and reach the temple in time, Durgon will return and darkness will envelop the land. For now though, they only know that the dead have risen in an ancient family crypt and there's good coin to be made putting them back down.

 

Plot Hooks:

A Noble RequestThe characters receive a note from a
local noble. The skeletons of their ancestors have begun to
rise up in their old family crypt and they need sturdy
adventurers to put them back down. They're offering 50gp
for such services.

A Posting for HelpThe characters see a posting on
the job board in town. Skeletons have begun to rise up in
an old family crypt and they need to be put back down.
The post is offering 50gp for such services

A Matter of the ChurchThe characters are contacted
by a local member of the clergy. They tell stories of
skeletons rising up in an old family crypt. Clearly, they need
to be put down again. For such services, the church is
prepared to offer 50gp

 

3.Defiance in Phlan 

The party is summoned to receive a mission from a Harper agent.You were told that Madame Freona’s Tea Kettle was the place where adventurers could find work and avoid the hassle associated with other places in Phlan. So far, that has been true. Madame Freona, a stout and officious halfling who runs the establishment with her five daughters, has proven an excellent hostess. Although you have had to share a common bunkroom with several other adventurers, the evening meal was excellent and the atmosphere is pleasant. You are preparing to bunk down for
the evening when one of Freona’s daughters peeks into the room. She calls a few of the adventurers, including you, into the hall.

“Pardon my interruption,” says the halfling girl named Reece, one of Freona’s five daughters, just shy of adulthood. “A chap just came into the common room downstairs and asked me to fetch you. Something about some coin needing to change hands for an easy job.” She plays with her curly red hair nervously.

 

4.A City on the Edge

For the past nine years, seven Merchant Princes have ruled over Port Nyanzaru. Recently, however, a new threat has arisen that has them in a panic. An affliction the locals have come to know as the “Death Curse”. The five major factions operating throughout Faerûn have each tasked a representative to discover the source of this curse, and purge it from the region. Meanwhile, yuan-ti spies have attempted to
smuggle a cursed relic into the city with plans to advance their own goals. Though this Dreamer’s Amulet was to secretly arrive in four different parts, events have kept the pieces from being retrieved and united, forcing the spies to alter their plans in order
to reclaim them.

 

5.Something is Rotten in the City-state of Dennmarsh 

The city-state of Dennmarsh stands tall among the swamplands of northeastern Arden, a bastion of civilization in the wilds near the sea. Its port serves merchants and travelers from across the land, and ships laden with cargo from Lustra or Dureya often dock in its harbors prior to making their way south to Valhenge and the world beyond. One such trader is a man named Kazamov Volga. A black-market smuggler turned nobleman, he deals in items of an exotic nature, often bringing home gifts for his beloved nephew from halfway across the world. On his most recent business trip he came back with a small drake. Although he intended it to be a pet and friend to the young boy, the boy’s mother, Ferra, had no desire to care for the thing and, unbeknownst to Kazamov, tossed it down the storm drain while telling the boy it ran away.After weeks of gorging itself on alchemical waste and filth, it has grown to nearly the size of a man. It has built a nest in the sewers causing the city’s waste to build up and overflow. “The Fouling” as the townsfolk have dubbed it, has forced all inside as the overwhelming odor that permeates the streets renders all who inhale it violently ill. Fearing for their city, the Council of Nine, the ruling body,has ofered a reward for anyone who can end The Fouling
once and for all.

 

Plot Hooks:

Recent ArrivalsThe party just recently arrived in
Dennmarsh. As adventurers have been few and far
between since the Fouling began, the town guards
stopped the characters and escorted them to the council chambers.

Town RegularsThe party has spent some
considerable time in Dennmarsh prior to the Fouling.
When it began, the council sent word that they’d like to
meet with the characters to discuss securing their services in putting an end to it.

Glory SeekersThe party heard about the Fouling while
traveling and decided to try their luck selling their services to the city council.

 

 

 

Edited June 11, 2022 by Grudge (see edit history)

[FrancisJohn]

I voted for Strahd for the following reasons:

 

not huge fan of all things undead

already in a Phlan game

fast leveling is good

kind of cool to do the main introductory adventure 

[rauhric]

Sewer game sounds fun. That is my vote.

[FrancisJohn]

If these polls had ranked choice voting, that would have been my number two. 

[Grudge]

31 minutes ago, rauhric said:

Sewer game sounds fun. That is my vote.

Lol then presses the button so I can see it in results dammit. 😂 I was seeing two posts and just 1 vote and automatically thought I screwed something up.

 

Edit: Also, since we have 4 players I won't vote unless the vote is needed for a tiebreaker.

Edited June 11, 2022 by Grudge (see edit history)

[Grudge]

31 minutes ago, FrancisJohn said:

If these polls had ranked choice voting, that would have been my number two. 

There is possibility for multiple votes but I'm not sure are they ranked, so that would be just headache where everyone votes twice and then in the post says what's number one and what number two while I keep actual notes of it.

[Root]

Strahd was my vote because I have never played in any game even related to Ravenloft.

Phlan would be my second vote but really I could play any of them and be content

[Grudge]

Well it would appear No1 wins. Some preliminary lore stuff, everything that happened there lore-wise happened before Barovia got separated by the fog. So once characters enter "Death House" time will get kinda wonky about the same as they are already in Strahds domain. It's kinda gateway of sorts.

[hoverfrog]

In order my choices were. 

1. 2. The Unquiet Dead - Undead are cool.
2. 5. Something is Rotten in the City-state of Dennmarsh - This is such a simple and straightforward premise that it really appealed to me.
3. 3. Defiance in Phlan - I can never turn down a redhead but it always gets me in trouble.
4. 1. Curse Of Strahd Introductory Adventure - It just doesn't grip me like a classic game should. I don't know why.
5. 4. A City on the Edge - I'm playing in a Tomb of Annihilation game already.

Regardless, Strahd has been chosen so let us stock up on garlic and holy symbols and kick some vampire bottom.

[Grudge]

8 hours ago, hoverfrog said:

In order my choices were. 

1. 2. The Unquiet Dead - Undead are cool.
2. 5. Something is Rotten in the City-state of Dennmarsh - This is such a simple and straightforward premise that it really appealed to me.
3. 3. Defiance in Phlan - I can never turn down a redhead but it always gets me in trouble.
4. 1. Curse Of Strahd Introductory Adventure - It just doesn't grip me like a classic game should. I don't know why.
5. 4. A City on the Edge - I'm playing in a Tomb of Annihilation game already.

Regardless, Strahd has been chosen so let us stock up on garlic and holy symbols and kick some vampire bottom.

If it's any consolation, I don't think you'll even see Strahd's shadow here. You need to whack undead cultists over the head until they become nice dead cultists. Than of course boss fight but we don't talk about that. 😂

[hoverfrog]

12 hours ago, Grudge said:

If it's any consolation, I don't think you'll even see Strahd's shadow here. You need to whack undead cultists over the head until they become nice dead cultists. Than of course boss fight but we don't talk about that. 😂

For full disclosure my first foray into 5e was Curse of Strahd. We didn't get very far and I understand that the book is sort of random in setting the adventure. However Strahd did make an appearance and mocked us for our weakness. That may have been a novice GM playing around but it kept me away from 5e for a while.

[Grudge]

4 hours ago, hoverfrog said:

For full disclosure my first foray into 5e was Curse of Strahd. We didn't get very far and I understand that the book is sort of random in setting the adventure. However Strahd did make an appearance and mocked us for our weakness. That may have been a novice GM playing around but it kept me away from 5e for a while.

Actually, I think that's exactly how far I got with the Adventure.😂 Is it that part where the large coach appears with odd driver, and he pops out and his shadow is doing weird stuff? That's as far as I got too. I think 1 fight in.

[hoverfrog]

Honestly, I don't remember much about it other than the BBEG turned up at the beginning and we pooped our pants and thought we were going to get beaten up by the GM for the entire game.

[rauhric]

Can anyone give me a quick tutorial on how to resize photos and float text around them?

 

BTW, I don't like this site. I think if you were going to make the effort of build a new site you should have started with a Virtual Table Top. That is where this hobby is going. Theater of the Mind is behind us. Just my opinion. 

 

Building characters sheets should be either editable PDF sheets or other sources like DnD Beyond. The old Mythweavers really allowed for some nice creations.

[Grudge]

9 hours ago, rauhric said:

Can anyone give me a quick tutorial on how to resize photos and float text around them?

 

BTW, I don't like this site. I think if you were going to make the effort of build a new site you should have started with a Virtual Table Top. That is where this hobby is going. Theater of the Mind is behind us. Just my opinion. 

 

Building characters sheets should be either editable PDF sheets or other sources like DnD Beyond. The old Mythweavers really allowed for some nice creations.

@rauhric Welcome to the party, about 80% of what you said was already mentioned and we are all waiting for a change. As for the concrete question I know a bit about pics but never tried the text (It's all in that icon Table) but before you drive yourself crazy as I am check Homebrew part of the forum. You might find template that's like 70% there and then experiment the rest of the way.