Designing a D&D Campaign for a Middle School afterschool program.
Greetings, and welcome back to Modern Papyrus! Today I’ll start looking at a new series of designing a Dungeons and Dragons campaign for a group of middle schoolers that fits into a shortened time period after school. This has it’s own challenges and restrictions that require some suitable tweaks to the standard D&D Campaign. So let’s take a look!
Hi everyone! Yes, I’m alive! It’s been a minute since we last touched base, but life has been happening here. I have been making some progress on writing and creating, so I’m excited to announce an upcoming map pack for your online RPG’s entitled “Maps of the Sandsea” – This will be offered as a stand alone project in connection with my forthcoming adventure supplement “Into the Sandsea” (Into the Sandsea will include the maps, but I often find that people want maps alone to be used for a variety of other reasons. The maps will be offered in three version each – standard, nighttime, and sandstorm.
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Here’s the (not quite finished) example of a type of map you’d find in this map pack! An ancient ruin that’s been serving as a temporary waystation in the desert, stalked by a hidden beast that drags people back into the abandoned well. Trying to drink the water ensures the beast tries to attack you.
If you’re interested in such a map pack, be sure to subscribe to the blog to get the most up-to-date information on this and all my other writing projects!
The Mystery of Drav’eka Manor is now available on DM’s Guild!
The Mystery of Drav’eka Manor is an adventure module built for a group of level six to eight PCs. Investigate the Drav’eka manor, deal with a band of Searing Torchbearer cultists, and discover the roots behind why the manor was abandoned. Within this 21-page adventure module you’ll find…
Clues to the cause of the curse on the Manor
New enemies to fight with new stat lines.
An host of plot hooks perfect for any world, setting, or campaign.
Three DM maps and two player maps of the manor, with area by area descriptions!
Traps, challenges, and intrigue perfect for your newly powerful PC party!
Check here for the cover reveal for my forthcoming Mystery of Drav’eka Manor 5e adventure module!
That’s right! It’s finally here! The Mystery of Drav’eka Manor goes live this week on DM’s Guild, and here’s the cover! Created by the talented Tim Williamson, I’m absolutely in love with this cover. Hand drawn with ink, it completely conveys the mood of this story. There’s also an alternate cover, which I decided to use later on within the module itself, also created by Williamson.
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“Those cultists are another thing, I tell you. More likely to burn each other with those weird symbols of those. Some people like the smell of bacon in the morning. I think they prefer the smell of another meat instead….” – Maud the Mauler, after an encounter with the Searing Torchbearers in Pier’s Landing.
As you round a turn in the road, the signs of civilization fading behind you, you spy a dark stone mansion rising in the distance. Getting closer, the remnants of several wooden outbuildings appear, flanked by the foreboding dark woods of the surrounding forest. The burbling of a creek comes from your left. A window shutter bangs closed in the wind from an abandoned building. The manor looms before you, two large wings to either side of a balcony – covered entryway.This is the infamous Drav’eka Manor.
The announcement post for Tales From Temerrit – the Fall of Palrom the Usurper – Now available!
Happy Holidays, and Merry Christmas! I hope everyone’s holidays have been warm and bright. My latest adventure module was recently released on DM’s guild, and I realized I never actually published this post! It’s a follow up to my popular “Introduction to Temerrit” Adventure setting. You can check out a preview view posting about this module here (around the two hour mark!)
This module is designed to provide the skilled GM with everything they need to run a political intrigue style campaign based in the wild and fantastical province of Temerrit during the time of the rise, and fall, of Vincent Palrom, an oathbreaker paladin determined to achieve apotheosis. Whether the party seeks to unite the fractious members of the Northern Alliance, find common ground with the justifiably wary and war-weary indigenous Wildling tribes, or throw in their lot with the Usurper himself, choices are key to this immersive story.
This module includes three new character backgrounds, four mercenary companies with rosters of enemies, strategies and tactics, 17 maps (including some battle maps gridded & non-gridded), adventure hooks for every city and town, plus an introductory campaign designed to introduce players to the wonderful world of Temerrit.
Within this adventure setting you’ll also find a brief historical description of the time of Palrom, with an in-depth look at his plans, mercenary allies & NPC lieutenants. Many of these mercenary units use monsters from Volo’s Guide to Monsters (VGtM), but you can substitute with appropriate rosters from the Monster Manual as needed. While players can use any background & class type within Temerrit, there are three unique character backgrounds from within this setting that add extra flavor and story hooks.
Finally, the starting adventure, Smyall Worries, creates opportunities for character progression from levels one to four, while introducing players to the current political situation and a few key NPCs within the province itself. Assuming a party of four or five players, the introductory arc has PCs defending a refugee camp, fighting off Palromian saboteurs, investigating enemy spies and following them back to their hilltop base. Several potential storylines can branch from this initial story at the GM’s discretion and player’s interest, although there are many potential story hooks within each city.
Players who enjoy political intrigue, strategic planning, or simply a large amount of combat will enjoy this campaign. Players will need to consider how best to reduce the Usurper’s power and position. Ideally, this campaign is flexible enough to take characters from levels 1 to 20, but for a shorter campaign, look to go from levels one to ten, using the Oathbreaker Paladin stats later in this module along with lair actions and allies as your final encounter. Crafting a story where the PCs feel like they are actually righting wrongs and making a difference in their world is the hallmark of many great Dungeons and Dragons stories, no more so than in the Fall of Palrom the Usurper.
For more ideas about adventures, challenges, and interactions within Temerrit, check out A Field Guide to Temerrit, an adventure setting module that looks at Temerrit after the Fall of Palrom, with additional cities, NPCs, and the ever reverberating aftershocks of Palrom’s disappearance. After all, until you see the body, you never really can prove that someone is dead. And even then, check twice.
While you can purchase this module on it’s own, I’m also offering a Temerrit bundle for my lucky fans! For about 15% off, you can get both The Introduction to Temerrit and the Fall of Palrom the Usurper. That’s more than a hundred pages of background, maps, NPCs, monsters and campaign goodness for just $15 (!)
Get your copy today, and be sure to leave a review and let me know what you think!
Along the Triboar is now available for purchase for Fantasy Grounds!
I’m excited to share that Along the Triboar, my 5th edition expansion to the Lost Mines of Phandelver beginner campaign, is now available for sale on DMs Guild for Fantasy Grounds. This continues my partnership with Grim Press and provides additional opportunities for explorers to build connections to Neverwinter. It also forms a great bridge between events in Phandalin and either east towards Triboar or west towards the rest of the Sword Coast!
Check out a mention of my newest product – A Field Guide to Temerrit – on Splinterverse’s D&D New Releases Video!
Check it out! A Field Guide to Temerrit was featured by Splinterverse as part of a look at several new, 3rd party products via DMs Guild! You can hear his commentary, including compliments on the maps, around the 1 hour, 27 minute mark.
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