Tag Archives: plot hooks

NaNoWriMo With a TTRPG Twist: Day 2

Posted on by under NaNoWriMo

The Forgotten Starfall and the Glass Expanse

Ages ago, long before the party was soiling wee adventurer diapers, there is a story of a star that fell from the heavens. It was no ordinary star, of course, but a wishing star—the colors that spilled outward from it across the sky as it tumbled to the ground were quite the spectacle, showing any who saw it glimpses of what wonder it could bring to their lives should they manage to retrieve it.

However, the star landed in an especially treacherous desert. None who sought it ever returned, and so the star fell into legend.

Legends, naturally, have a way of creeping back into current affairs, and as luck would have it many years later your adventuring party has been summoned by the Princess of Astertide. The meeting is highly secretive, and your party pledges and oath to not reveal its nature – that she has called upon you brave adventurers to find the star so she may wish her father have a few more good years of life so that the kingdom may ease into his eventual absence.

Should the party agree to this journey, you find yourselves given an abundance of supplies for crossing the desert safely as well as means to get back to Glimmerspire Palace to fulfill your end of the bargain.

The journey through the desert leads to a curious spot not fully depicted on any maps; one where the sand gives way to a place only heard of through rumors and tall tales—the Glass Expanse. This is where the star fell, where its wishes and heat gave way to glass that became a living, shifting castle of illusions and deceptions. Dare you and your party brave a place of reflection and trickery for the sake of the kingdom?

GM Tools and Tips

Begin with the summons to Glimmerspire Palace and allow the players to accept on their terms. Play up the friendly yet guarded nature of the Princess until the meeting begins, at which point her true nature – that of a concerned daughter who wishes more for her father and for the kingdom – is revealed.

The journey through the desert should be challenging, with a number of skill checks to see how the players handle terrain and its denizens that clearly do not want them to be there. This all lets up abruptly upon their arrival at The Glass Expanse…which we’ll cover tomorrow. Stay tuned! Take care; good luck and godspeed.

NaNoWriMo with a TTRPG Twist: Day 1

Posted on by under NaNoWriMo

I’m no stranger to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), having participated a handful of times (and having succeeded…most of those times? I can’t remember). Unless the calendar is deceiving me, it appears December of 2023 has arrived, and I happened to have an idea that’s not quite a novel but instead a nerdy act of rebellion to both dust the cobwebs off from the bits of my brain that make writing happen and let me indulge in a little TTRPG-related fun.

This year’s NaNoWriMo will instead, for me, be a plot hook or other TTRPG-related thing per day. This allows me to keep it a little more relaxed since I haven’t written at length in…well, in longer than I care to admit. These are written to be plug-and-play with just about any system unless otherwise specified (because I can’t quite quit 5E despite my better judgement and I’m currently obsessed with ink by Snowbright Studios). At any rate, here’s day 1.

It Began with A Letter

Your adventuring party receives a summons from a powerful archmage to the sleepy, small town of Thistlewood. It promises an incredible journey, grand discoveries, and overwhelming treasure should your party accept.

Thistlewood, at least as it is shown on maps, does not exist upon your party’s arrival. A vast, shallow crater occupies where the town should, a series of islands floating above. The undersides of the islands as well as the crater glow with a dull purple aura of unknown magics.

Similarly suspicious: the archmage is nowhere to be found. The party faces a difficult climb upwards to learn what happened to Thistlewood, if the archmage is somehow behind this or was targeted by whoever or whatever caused this curious situation, and if Thistlewood can be restored to its former peaceful state.

Some GM Tools and Tips:

Setting up this adventure is all about building to the surprise of finding Thistlewood in its shattered state. The letter should be interesting enough to grab attention, followed immediately by a scenic but uneventful journey to the town. Play up the scenery, the calm of the trek from where the party is, and so on.

When the party arrives, allow them to explore freely. Don’t speed to letting them know the broken islands at various heights above are Thistlewood. Drop hints based on how they explore—hints about the islands, indications the archmage was indeed here, and that something occurred to cause this curious calamity.

Exploration of the islands should play out as an open-world dungeon crawl. Utilize enemies that are drawn to increased ambient magic—monsters as well as mages craving power—to help keep players on their toes. Additionally, to help build social and exploration aspects: give players a chance to accept quests from the NPCs (townsfolk as well as those who were visiting and find themselves now stuck in the Thistlewood Sky Islands) that encourage exploration and engaging in other NPCs.

Build to a conclusion that allows for a finale you find most satisfying depending on how you role played the archmage. Perhaps in one play through you’ve made the archmage the source of this calamity and therefore they must be defeated in order to restore Thistlewood. In another instance, the town was razed in such a way to trap the archmage high in the sky until they reveal the secret of why they reached out to your party. Perhaps the archmage accidentally caused this and therefore a third party is involved and must be reasoned with or bested so as to return the town to normal. Keeping this flexible allows to play this out for multiple groups at different points in campaigns as well as making it feasible for its own mini-campaign.

Most importantly: have fun.

Happy adventuring! Check back for Day 2. Take care; and, as always, good luck and godspeed.