Post by dmslythytoves on Mar 3, 2022 14:24:59 GMT
I know we DMs absorb and adapt from everything around us, but I have a particular advantage in my group: I'm the only one with kids. Which means I am also absorbing media intended for children that my players have absolutely no reason to know anything about and it is paying off in spades!
Lemme lay this out: the party has been exploring a confusing underground river and cave system in the Feywild. I've been throwing entire cave systems based on emotional foci at them and it has been delightful. The very naive bard-lock has already forgotten her name and the paladin is planning a retirement village near a cave full of ropers.
But here's what I want to talk about: There is a strange pillar of stone and metal that is twisting the Feywild, essentially a root of Shadowfell. This pillar has been pulling the party closer, but it is at the bottom of an immense funnel shaped cavern. The path they have to follow spirals round as it descends, but is lined with large, dangerous brambles and the air is full of giant stirges (none of them have recognized the stirges yet, not even my veteran players), so they have to stick to the path.
To make this interesting, every circuit of the funnel brings them to three obstacles and a fight. After the fight, a path opens up back to the top of the funnel. This is important because the first thing party encountered along the path was a Myconid who tended to a tree made of stone. The stone tree was covered in odd glyphs. They were told that it was A Wishing Tree.
The bard was given a stone branch, called a Wand of Wishing, which could hold three wishes at a time. Each of the glyphs on the Wishing Tree represented a powerful, but limited Wish. One wish can increase or decrease the size of something or someone. Another can create gusts of wind. Another can adjust temperature. Another can track sound, and another can track smell.
Each of the obstacles can be overcome in a variety of ways using the Wishes. I am so delighted with this whole set up, because I've been planning all of this while my daughters watch cartoons after homework!
Also, bonus points to any other parents out there who know the show of inspiration!
Lemme lay this out: the party has been exploring a confusing underground river and cave system in the Feywild. I've been throwing entire cave systems based on emotional foci at them and it has been delightful. The very naive bard-lock has already forgotten her name and the paladin is planning a retirement village near a cave full of ropers.
But here's what I want to talk about: There is a strange pillar of stone and metal that is twisting the Feywild, essentially a root of Shadowfell. This pillar has been pulling the party closer, but it is at the bottom of an immense funnel shaped cavern. The path they have to follow spirals round as it descends, but is lined with large, dangerous brambles and the air is full of giant stirges (none of them have recognized the stirges yet, not even my veteran players), so they have to stick to the path.
To make this interesting, every circuit of the funnel brings them to three obstacles and a fight. After the fight, a path opens up back to the top of the funnel. This is important because the first thing party encountered along the path was a Myconid who tended to a tree made of stone. The stone tree was covered in odd glyphs. They were told that it was A Wishing Tree.
The bard was given a stone branch, called a Wand of Wishing, which could hold three wishes at a time. Each of the glyphs on the Wishing Tree represented a powerful, but limited Wish. One wish can increase or decrease the size of something or someone. Another can create gusts of wind. Another can adjust temperature. Another can track sound, and another can track smell.
Each of the obstacles can be overcome in a variety of ways using the Wishes. I am so delighted with this whole set up, because I've been planning all of this while my daughters watch cartoons after homework!
Also, bonus points to any other parents out there who know the show of inspiration!