RICH BLACK Trials & Treasures
1 Designers: Akeem Favor, Andrew Engelbrite, Anthony Alipio, Chris Rippee, Davae Breon Jaxon, Jocelyn Gray, Josh Gentry, J.R. Zambrano, Leon Barillaro, Lydia Van Hoy, Mellanie Black, Mike Myler, Paul Hughes, Peter Coffey, Peter N Martin, Russ Morrissey, Ryan Nock, Sarah Breyfogle, Sarah Madsen, Shane Stacks, Will Gawned, William Fischer Additional Design: Ambrose Ingram, Ari Marmell, Brandes Stoddard, Charlie Brooks, Colin McLaughlin, David Adams, Elizabeth Orchard, Eran Aviram, Erik Evjen, James Haeck, Joseph Colman, Kiel Chenier, Nicole Sparks, Robert Lashley, Thiago Rosa, Walt Ciechanowski Editing: Mike Myler Cover Artist: Marcel Budde Interior Artists: Dennis Darmody, Claudio Pozas, Dede Putra, Egil Thompson, Eleni Tsami, Erik Davis-Heim, Gui Sommer, Haclif Rodriguez, Herman Lau, Huy Mai Van, Indi Martin, Júlio Rocha, Kim Van Deun, Marcel Budde, Mark Bulahao, Rafael Benjamin, Rich Hershey, Sade, Samantha Darcy, Samantha Kanios, Savage Mojo, ShenFei, Tamara Cvetkovic, Vinicius Werneck, Yihyoung Li Art Director: Michael McCarthy Graphic Design: Frank Michienzi, Marc Langworthy Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition Logo: Handiwork Games Publisher: Russ Morrissey Special Thanks: Beau Jágr Sheldon, John Stavropoulos Playtesting provided by thousands of fans! Trials & Treasures Credits EN Publishing PO Box 1858 | Southampton | SO18 6RX | United Kingdom See the Level Up System Reference Document for a full list of Open Gaming Content.
Trials & Treasures 2
Introduction 3 Introduction 4 Running the Game 5 Gamemastery Troubleshooting 8 Player Archetypes 9 Potential Conflicts 14 Problem Behaviors 14 Safety Tools 15 How to Use Safety Tools 16 Types of Safety Tools 17 Worldbuilding 22 Creating a Campaign 23 Worldbuilding 27 The Planes 30 Encounter Design 35 Designing Encounters 36 Exploration Encounters 36 Social Encounters 36 Combat Encounters 38 Encounter Elements 46 Exploration 51 The Journey 53 Creating a Region 111 Holdenshire 115 Example of Play 116 Social Encounters 117 Exploration Challenges 124 Exploration Challenges 125 Creating Exploration Challenges 172 Maladies 174 Diseases 175 Poisons 182 Adventuring Rewards 187 Experience and Other Rewards 188 Treasure 191 Boons and Discoveries 212 Magic Items 221 Category 222 Rarity 222 Cost 222 Attunement 223 Identifying Magic Items 223 Wearing and Wielding Magic Items 224 Activating Magic Items 224 Enchanted Trinkets 225 Magic Items A–Z 225 Sentient Magic Items 334 Sample Sentient Items 335 Artifacts 341 Artifact Properties 341 Ancient Broom 342 Cane of Chaos 345 Crafter’s Codex 347 Dread Caduceus 349 Memory Leaf 351 Orb of Dragonkind 351 Raiment of the Devouring King 352 Serveros War Engine 355 Sword of Three Traditions 357 The Song of Creation 359 Veil of Fate 360 Walking Chicken Hut 361 Whispering Stones 363 Crafting Magic Items 364 Creating New Magic Items 367 Appendices 373 Appendix A: Conditions 373 Appendix B: Compatibility 381 Table of Contents
4 LEVEL UP A Story Well Told • Their materials tucked under one arm, the Narrator arrives to find all the players are ready to go: character sheets are out, they’re recounting their favorite parts of the last session, and dice are on the table. • The Narrator calls for caution as the berserker’s player cheers. “This is a group check—you need at least two of your companions to succeed too before the celebration starts.” • As the players depart the Narrator collects their materials and ponders about what to do next. First of all is to jot down some session notes before anything important can be forgotten... What does it mean to be the Narrator? This chapter covers the basics—what the Narrator does, what the Narrator needs to know, and how to do it. Narrators in Level Up are tasked with providing a whole world for the group to play in and all that entails— dungeons to explore, intrigues and subterfuge, monsters to slay, treasure to find—and though it can be difficult, there are few more rewarding things than a solid session of tabletop roleplaying so the burden is worth it. While there are plenty of campaign settings and modules to make the work of the Narrator easier, even someone making up everything on the fly can use a little help.
5 Running the Game The Narrator’s job in Level Up is to guide the story and create the world for the other players to adventure in. This includes all of the elements required to create that adventure. The Narrator builds a world and populates it with monsters, people, treasure and traps. They create villains in their towers, allies met on the road, angry blacksmiths and bar staff in posh parlours. The Narrator also runs combat, acts as rules referee, lore repository, and of course improvises when the unexpected happens. The Narrator The Narrator’s main role is to outline the adventures that the players will navigate. Usually this involves coming up with a problem for them to solve or a task to complete in order to get a predetermined reward. An adventure can be as short as a single session of a few hours, or it could involve many such sessions over a span of weeks or months. A longer running adventure such as this is called a campaign, and is generally a big adventure made with building blocks of smaller adventures each session (see page 23). For example, a single adventure may involve solving the mystery of a string of violent break-ins in a small village. That adventure could be the start of a campaign to take down a dangerous organized crime network that puts an entire realm in jeopardy. To prepare an adventure, the Narrator usually outlines locations, monsters and enemies, treasure, traps, and notable NPCs (non-player characters), as well as the overall mission for the players. How the players interact with all of these things will be unpredictable, and so a Narrator’s job is to guide players towards their end goal, adapting and changing the environment in response to their actions. How to Run a Game Most of the Narrator’s adventure or campaign planning will happen away from the gaming table. So are things handled while at the table? The Narrator is the player whose job it is to get things going and keep them on track, so other players will look to them for guidance and structure. Most rules expectations and table-specific rules can be ironed out in Session Zero, but here’s some insight into the most vital parts of a Narrator’s role. Setting Up Setting the players up so they can decide how to react is the fundamental part of the Narrator’s job. Here’s an example of how to begin a gaming session. “Okay everyone. If you remember you’d gone down to the basem*nt to investigate possible escape routes for the thief, because Oswin the innkeep said she’d heard a door slam downstairs on the night of the theft. The stairs down to the basem*nt are narrow and made of stone. Cold air along with the smell of stagnant water and mold greet you as you descend in single file. What’s your marching order please?... Okay, Naivara and Whisper, if you’re at the front, you’re the first to see the basem*nt. Water runs down the stone brick walls, they’re about ten feet high. The water has flooded the space up to about three or four feet. It doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, it’s stagnant. You hear the occasional drip echo as the water descends, but nothing else. Level Up is a Game for the Narrator Too! The Narrator is a player too, albeit one with many, everchanging roles. If any part of the Narrator role isn’t fun, there’s no rule against changing it so it is. If a Narrator doesn’t enjoy doing voices, all NPCs can sound the same. If maps and miniatures don’t work for the Narrator, encounters can be designed that won’t rely on them. Some elements of the Narrator role —such as tracking initiative or double checking rules— can even be delegated entirely to players to make things easier and more fun for the Narrator.
Trials & Treasures 6 Rotting, broken furniture floats in the murk. With your passive perception and the light from Whisper’s torch you can see that it used to be much finer and more ornate than any of the furniture in the inn upstairs... So what are you two doing? Remember Nia and Gregor, you can’t see this yet.” Here the Narrator has: • reminded the players of their actions last session. • described the next scene in their adventure. • used a few sensory cues in their description to create an immersive experience. • asked an open-ended question to give players a chance to act or ask clarifying questions. All in just a few sentences that take only a couple of minutes to run through. Dice Rolling Every table will have slightly different rules for dice rolling, and each player will have different expectations based on their previous gaming experiences. The Narrator can determine what everyone expects during Session Zero. It’s important that everybody is on the same page so miscommunications and tension don’t interrupt the adventure once it begins. Some good dice-specific questions for a Narrator to ask at Session Zero are: • Who will roll openly and who can roll in secret? • Some tables welcome the Narrator or sometimes players rolling in secret, while others may feel cheated. • Can players roll skill checks when they see fit, or should they wait for the Narrator to ask for a specific check? • Some Narrators welcome players who take the initiative, while others find it difficult to keep track of the outcomes of rolls they weren’t expecting. • Can players roll to attack without the Narrator calling for an initiative roll? • Again, some Narrators would enjoy the chaos, while others might prefer to keep a tighter handle on combat. • Can the Narrator ever make rolls on a player’s behalf? • Sometimes tension and immersion for players can be enhanced if the Narrator rolls a check on their behalf. For example, being uncertain whether a character has rolled high or low on a Stealth check in a high risk situation could make things more exciting for some players. Other players may not enjoy this, or feel as though their agency has been taken away. None of the options in the above list are right or wrong, but they’re variations that should be discussed for each table before the adventure begins, and as the person taking charge the Narrator leads these discussions. Scheduling Your Campaign Getting player schedules to line up for regular gaming sessions is magic far beyond anything described in the Level Up rules. However, some best practices include: • Maintain the same day and times for game sessions — when everyone knows to keep Wednesday night from 7 PM to 11 PM open, it’s easier to schedule time away from other activities. • If the group is social with one another, plan an appropriate amount of time for people to catch up before the session starts to better anticipate how much material will be needed with that in mind. • When it becomes clear that a player will often be late, plan in some padding time for the sessions they aren’t punctual. • Keep a group discussion going with texts or chat between sessions to keep everyone engaged, and use it to remind the players when the game is coming up.
Introduction 7 Ability Scores Another of the Narrator’s key roles is to set the Difficulty Class (DC) for skill checks, as well as deciding which skill check should be made in a given situation to move the adventure along. A player’s basic ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom, Intelligence, Charisma) affect their ability to perform the many possible skill checks a Narrator can call for. For all of the rules around skills and ability checks, see Chapter 6: Ability Scores, in the Adventurer’s Guide. Example Skill Check Gregor: Can I see any signs that a thief has come through this way? Narrator: Let’s see! Make a Survival or Investigation check for me. Gregor: I’m trying to rely on my experience with hunting, but instead of using my intuition I’m focused on keeping an eye out for clues and deducing what they could mean. Can I make an Intelligence check with Survival? Narrator: That sounds reasonable —roll it! Gregor: Can do! Got a 17. Narrator: You notice some moss on the wall to your left has been disturbed, as though someone had grabbed it to keep their balance. In some situations, more than one check may make sense, and ultimately it’s the Narrator’s decision which ability check and skills are used and how high the DC is. However the Narrator may also give a player options of which ability check or skill they use in a particular situation. Which ability score can be used with each skill depends on the circ*mstances and how an adventurer is trying to achieve an objective. In this case, Gregor wanted to use Intelligence with his Survival check because it’s his highest ability score, and his reasoning for it made good sense. Is Planning Even Possible When Player Actions Are Unpredictable? Yes! With a good Session Zero the Narrator can let the players know the rough aims and outline of the campaign or adventure (without spoilers) so they can make appropriate characters, and air any concerns they have about any topics or activities that may come up in the adventure (see Safety Tools on page 15). In the example campaign centered around taking down an organized crime network, without a Session Zero uninformed players could well create criminal or shady characters who would have no problem allying with and joining the network. A lot of the Narrator’s planning around making enemies of the network would be wasted, leaving them scrambling to improvise new scenarios for their party of ne’er-do-well adventurers each session. Conversely, a campaign designed to aid and grow the criminal network would be cut short if a largely good and law-abiding group slaughter their criminal contacts in the first session. A productive Session Zero allows the Narrator and the players to play along with each other’s expectations and make sure that everybody has fun.
8 CHAPTER 1 • As session zero begins the Narrator hands out character sheets, describing the origin system and starting with heritages, noting which the players seem most interested in. • As the last member of the party arrives 20 minutes late to the game session again, he discovers the group roleplaying in the tavern. His bard’s usual nightly serenading there is coming to an end— time to roll some dice! • While describing the ettercap’s lair the Narrator notices one of the players touch their X-card. Instead of the planned grisly description, the Narrator mentions a gem on one of the monster’s victims and asks what the party wants to do next. Being the Narrator is a gratifying and rewarding experience, but that doesn’t make it easy. This chapter is a trove of advice for running Level Up to be as engaging, enjoyable, memorable, and worthwhile as possible with a focus on two aspects of play: player archetypes and safety tools. When the group isn’t getting along, the party is led astray, or the campaign goes off track Narrators are encouraged to try to better understand the players, focusing on what they’re enthusiastic about so the story and gameplay better suit their passions. Cooperative games like Level Up are just that: cooperative. Whether gripping with mature themes or much more light-hearted quests, safety tools are an essential part of keeping everyone at the table happy and coming back for more. Gamemastery Troubleshooting
9 Player Archetypes Everyone shows up to a game to have fun, but what fun looks like is different for different people. When preparing and running a game, the Narrator wants to know what the group enjoys and how to keep them engaged. Understanding what players like helps everyone have fun and feel included in the gaming group. It’s common for players to enjoy many aspects of the game at different times, but each individual has specific motivations that really spark their imagination and immerse them in the experience. For convenience we use player archetypes to define what aspects of the game someone is particularly enthusiastic about: Character, Combat, Drama, Mechanics, Rules, Socializing, Specialization, Story, Tactics, or the World. The player archetypes listed below are not immutable. Many players have motivations from more than one archetype, and their type might change depending on their mood, what else is happening in their lives, across different games and campaigns, or even based on who else is at the gaming table. Furthermore, none of these types are inherently good or bad — they are simply different ways of enjoying the game. Character Enthusiast Other Names: Actor, Roleplay Specialist Preferred Pillars: Social These players want to inhabit their character and come to the table with strong ideas about their character’s background and personality. They thrive when given the opportunity to roleplay and portray their character’s values, and tend to prefer social engagements to fights. They are easily led to adventure by a Narrator who incorporates PC motivations, backstory and relationships. A character enthusiast is most engaged when they have the spotlight and are presented with situations meaningful to their character, and when drawing on their character’s place in the world. The Narrator should provide opportunities for character development and recruit them to create rich narrative moments that affect the campaign world. When they can play in character with other actors, they thrive — don’t be afraid to sit back and let them spend a session talking around the campfire. Potential Difficulties: “But it’s what my character would do!” Make sure the player’s character gets along with the world and other PCs; otherwise they will constantly fight against the group and frustrate everyone. Be careful not to let them bore the rest of the table either by attempting to converse with everyone and everything! An occasional conversation with a squirrel is fun, but a whole session of talking to animals causes more action-focused players to switch off. Similarly, character enthusiasts will get bored with too few opportunities to roleplay and develop their character. Combat Enthusiast Other Names: Butt-Kicker, Slayer Preferred Pillars: Combat To this type of player, a huge amount of the fun of the game is combat. The power fantasy of being able to take down dangerous foes is core to their enjoyment of the game. This may be because combat feels the most like a board game, the player wants some catharsis to blow off real-world stress and frustrations, or some other reason, but whatever the underlying cause these players perk up when the dice hit the table and hit point totals start dropping. A combat enthusiast is most engaged when adventures include regular combat encounters. Some like graphic or at least exciting descriptions of the violence playing out in the game (which may need to be balanced against the comfort level of the rest of the group). This desire for combat is typically not a big ask, but if more than one session goes by without some sort of physical confrontation these players may get bored and in some cases pick fights with friendly NPCs in an attempt to liven the game up. Another potential point of frustration for these players is when they are prevented from participating in a combat—use paralyzing attacks, sleep effects, and other agency denying mechanics sparingly on adventurers controlled by these players. The same goes for enemies with escape plans such as teleportation effects or vampires that turn to mist.
Trials & Treasures 10 Potential Difficulties: In addition to the potential for picking unnecessary fights, there’s also a chance that these players may disengage from non-combat portions of the game. Narrators may need to proactively point the spotlight at them from time to time. One way to do this is to make their martial skill an important bit of knowledge or respect that opens doors for the party as a whole. “You’re Grogthak the wyvern slayer! Yes, of course you and your friends can come in!” Drama Enthusiast Other Names: Instigator, Pot Stirrer Preferred Pillars: Combat and social Drama enthusiasts are all about making things happen! These players love to take crazy risks and deliberately make bad choices, thriving on the chaos they sow and creating memorable campaign moments. They usually love the immediacy of combat and dislike having nothing to do. Trust these players to take decisive action (pulling levers, attacking the guards, stealing the dragon’s gold from under their nose!) especially when the adventure otherwise grinds to a halt. A drama enthusiast is most engaged when there is plenty of action and when they are in encounters that invite experimentation. Put them in a tight situation of their own making or offer high risk and high reward scenarios and they’ll be on the edge of their seats. They also love being egged on by NPCs or other players who encourage bold action. Potential Difficulties: They don’t like overplanning, rules arguments, or anything that slows the pace of play, and can be disruptive to party unity by hogging the spotlight and making impulsive choices that risk getting everyone killed. Also beware the opportunity for dramatic betrayal! When the MacGuffin is on the table the drama enthusiast is tempted to attack other PCs or allies, or snatch it and run, undermining group trust and potentially derailing the campaign altogether. If you have an instigator in your group, make sure you cover expectations around group behavior and player versus player conflict. Mechanics Enthusiast Other Names: Min-Maxer, Power Gamer, Theorycrafter Preferred Pillars: Combat and exploration These players derive a lot of enjoyment from the mechanical side of the game and spend a lot of time thinking about the interactions between various character abilities. If a player excitedly talks about their “build,” they may be a mechanics enthusiast. Another sign of a mechanics enthusiast is a focus on optimizing PCs solely for maximum effectiveness at combat (typically around a singular tactic), but exceptions exist where a player may design a character that is as competent as possible at a wide range of activities or a specific non-combat role such as stealth, making money, or diplomacy. A mechanics enthusiast is most engaged when given opportunities for their carefully-crafted PC to shine. Don’t neglect character advancement either, as these players often have planned out their character several levels in advance and will be eager to realize the next stage of their plan. These players can become frustrated when they feel like the work they put into character creation was “wasted.” This can come
Chapter 1: Troubleshooting 11 up in a variety of ways, but generally speaking the player should be allowed to “do their thing” on at least a semi-regular basis. If the PC is a stealth expert, give them places to infiltrate. If the player has built a wizard that focuses on area spells, it’s only sporting to give them a tightly-packed group of enemies to blast now and then. Potential Difficulties: Power disparity between PCs can be a real concern. Characters designed for maximum mechanical effectiveness can often overshadow ones that are not unless care is taken by the Narrator to account for the differences. Be especially aware of multiclass builds that use a single primary ability score, as those can sometimes create a “whole greater than the sum of its parts” situation. There’s also the danger of “when all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail” with these players, who may try to solve in-game problems in wildly inappropriate or implausible ways just so they can use their character’s cool abilities. Rules Enthusiast Other Names: Rules Lawyer, Sage Preferred Pillars: Anywhere to demonstrate rules knowledge (usually combat and exploration) These players find satisfaction in their knowledge or even mastery of the rules of the game —when an odd circ*mstance comes up in the game and there are rules to address it, they either know the applicable game mechanics off the top of their head or at least have an excellent idea where to look for them. Consistency and fairness are very important for these players, and they may object to the Narrator providing mechanical bonuses for doing things in a fun or entertaining way (the so-called “rule of cool”). A rules enthusiast is most engaged when their encyclopedic knowledge of the rules is put to work. The Narrator should proactively ask these players to look up and reference rules when there’s a dispute or lack of knowledge at the table. However, they can become frustrated if they feel like the mechanics they have spent so much time and energy learning don’t matter in the game. Potential Difficulties: Rules enthusiasts can sometimes attempt to hijack the game by insisting on slavish adherence to the rules at all times, and in some extreme cases will even accuse Narrators of cheating if they roll behind a screen or have game events happen by fiat. Conflict can also arise when the player and Narrator interpret a given rules passage differently. These players can sometimes exploit their rules knowledge against the Narrator or other players in an effort to get their way when they are unhappy with something in the game. Establish clear boundaries with these players up front and don’t be afraid to revisit them as the need arises. Social Enthusiast Other Names: Casual Gamer, Watcher Preferred Pillars: The pillars are the friends we make along the way The social enthusiast shows up to the game because they love being involved and spending time with friends. They might not care much for the rules, know the details of their characters, or keep extensive notes on the setting, but they are happy to hang out and focus on having fun. As such they are usually happy to fill a gap in the party roster and are great at reminding all involved to not take the game too seriously, helping calm disputes and raise spirits when the dice start betraying the adventurers. A social enthusiast is most engaged when everyone is having fun, the stakes aren’t too high, and they can socialize in and out of character. They’re happy to be prompted as necessary to use spells and features they might otherwise not recall (especially during turn-based action), but prefer not to be in the spotlight, and hate to be forced to be more involved than they want to be. The Narrator should accept that they’re often happy observing. These players may also enjoy “fourth wall breaking” puzzles or riddles to be solved outside of the game, where they can feel involved without requiring in-game knowledge or actions. Potential Difficulties: These players can slow the pace of play by not knowing the rules or what to do in character. Because they’re not as engaged in the game as they are in socializing, they can
Trials & Treasures 12 distract other players with out-of-game conversation, get lost in other activities mid-session (such as playing on their phone), or disappear from the table at crucial moments (or miss game sessions altogether). Don’t rely on these player’s characters to be movers and shakers in the game’s plot, and offer in-game reasons for them to drift in and out of scenes to avoid player absence derailing the campaign. Specialty Enthusiast Other Names: Archetype Specialist, One Hatter Preferred Pillars: Combat or social (depending on what the player specializes in) A specialty enthusiast has a particular type of character that they love to play and typically try to play in any game they participate in whether or not it’s appropriate or makes much sense. What form this takes varies from player to player— sometimes it’s a specific character class, other times it’s a broader concept such as “front-line combatant” or “healer”, or it may even be a personality type such as “edgy loner” or “paragon of virtue.” Depending on how specific the player wants to be, they may need to be told “no,” integrating their preferred character type into a setting or party may be trivial, or something in between. Sometimes these players also stick with a particular concept out of comfortable familiarity or anxiety about being able to play something else. A specialty enthusiast is most engaged when they get to embody the type of character they want to embody, whatever that means for them. Giving these players space to let them “do their thing” is the surest way to keep them invested. Potential Difficulties: Setting boundaries may be necessary with these players, especially if they’re dead set on a character that doesn’t plausibly fit in the campaign world (such as an actual ninja from feudal Japan), and some may need to find a different game if they are unwilling to bend. That said, if their preferred concept fits in the world, there’s no good reason to insist they play something else just for the sake of variety. But while insistence may be a problem, encouragement is another matter —if the Narrator feels the player has become stuck in a rut and could benefit from trying something new, convincing them to experience something different may be the best way to go. Story Enthusiast Other Names: Storyteller Preferred Pillars: Exploration and social The story enthusiast is at the table for the unfolding narrative of the fantasy world. They support the story by bringing thematically appropriate characters and a rich backstory tied to an overarching plot, though they are less concerned with any one character’s motivations and personality than with a satisfying tale. Provide a wise mentor and enough clues of the antagonist’s misdemeanors and they will happily follow the call to adventure! A story enthusiast is most engaged when participating in dramatic scenes with recurring characters and when given opportunities to develop the story through their actions and choices. These players work hard to make integrated characters and feel rewarded when their backstory is incorporated into the campaign’s narrative. They take failures and successes in stride as long as the narrative is interesting, and will often keenly record important events and encounters. Potential Difficulties: If the campaign lacks plot (consisting instead of disconnected quests and combats) the story enthusiast will get bored. On the other hand these players respect the rules of the game so long as it supports the narrative, and if the rules get in the way, telling a better tale should win! An overzealous story enthusiast might try to force the story based on their preconceived notions, dictate other characters’ actions, or argue against the rules because they don’t support the expected narrative, while more character focused story enthusiasts might also insist on being the protagonist (trying to hog the spotlight during play).
Chapter 1: Troubleshooting 13 Tactical Enthusiast Other Names: Mastermind, Planner, Tactician, Thinker Preferred Pillars: Usually combat (sometimes exploration or social) Tactical enthusiasts get a great deal of satisfaction out of watching a plan come together. Some don’t mind having a plan come unraveled, but few among them would want that outcome all the time as the thrill of outsmarting the opposition is very satisfying indeed. Sometimes making the plan is almost as enjoyable to these players as executing it. A tactical enthusiast is most engaged when one of their plans goes off without a hitch. While it may seem strange, a lot of the time these players find a good anticlimax extremely gratifying. They’ll often become frustrated if nothing ever goes according to plan or the NPC opposition seems to be able to anticipate their every move. Constantly winning is no good either — they can easily become bored if they feel like the other side isn’t even trying—but they may also enjoy puzzles, riddles, and other cerebral challenges that have to be solved by the player rather than with skill checks. Potential Difficulties: These players can be averse to risk and pessimistic, which can lead to excessive planning at the expense of actually doing something. If they start to bog the game down, introduce some time limits (in or out of game as appropriate). Also, while it is normal and fine for characters to fail, the Narrator should avoid rubbing the player’s nose in it when they do, whether they are a tactician or not. World Enthusiast Other Names: Explorer, Lore Expert, Setting Geek Preferred Pillars: Exploration. A world enthusiast is seeking new experiences through exploring the game’s setting. They love seeing new places, meeting interesting people,
Trials & Treasures 14 uncovering lost treasures, and learning facts about the world. The promise of exotic locations and different cultures is often enough to lure these players wherever the adventure needs to go. A world enthusiast is most engaged when encounters call for exploration and their curiosity is rewarded with detailed information about the fictional world. They crave atmosphere as much as combat and story, and love rich descriptions, proper names, cool maps, handouts, and props. They’re likely to be delighted by opportunities to map a location on behalf of the party, and take notes regarding the game world’s history. Potential Difficulties: A world enthusiast is likely to consume as much information about the game world as is available. Be aware of attempts to exploit player knowledge for advantage (particularly in the context of monster abilities). Worlds with a lot of published material might also become a source of disagreement when the Narrator invents or changes details instead of sticking to existing lore (“setting lawyering”). Their thirst for detail can also be overwhelming for a Narrator and boring to other players focused on other aspects for the game, and likewise they will lose interest in a setting which is inconsistent or devoid of detail. Potential Conflicts Certain combinations of play styles have fundamental incompatibilities that can cause conflicts. Drama Enthusiast and Tactical Enthusiast: A drama enthusiast wants something to happen now and doesn’t mind chaos and failure. A tactical enthusiast wants the satisfying anticlimax. The best way to resolve this conflict is to talk to the players and let them know that they need to give each other space to enjoy their respective styles of play. Rules Enthusiast and Story Enthusiast: Rules enthusiasts put the rules first and want them adhered to, come what may. Story enthusiasts think the rules should take a backseat to interesting in-game fiction. To resolve this, Narrators should explain whether the game will stick strictly to the rules or treat them more as guidelines as early as possible in a given campaign so players know what they’re getting into —then be consistent to that baseline. Problem Behaviors Level Up is a shared activity, and sometimes players (including the Narrator) behave in a way that’s disruptive or disrespectful to other players. The best way to avoid these behaviors is to set expectations before the game begins (see Session Zero on page 17), but if they crop up during a game it is helpful to understand why players might be behaving the way they are, and to have a conversation about the type of game the group all wants to enjoy. Forcing Control Sometimes friendly advice on what a character can do becomes taking over another character’s actions, denying a player their own character’s agency. This behavior comes about from a desire for a specific outcome, often to avoid the unexpected (and stay safe). A story enthusiast might force control to ensure the story happens “the way it should”, and a tactical enthusiast wants everyone in a combat or heist to follow the plan. When a player is forcing control it’s important to set boundaries. Each player only controls their own character’s actions. The narrator might stop play if necessary to remind everyone of character agency, to allow players an opportunity to do what they think is best, whether or not that is the expected or agreed upon action. Some players (social enthusiasts) might be happy having another player give them advice or being swept along by a strong narrative, but be careful to check that the player feels they are still in charge of their own character. Fudging the Numbers When a player cheats—by lying about the results of dice rolls, or adding extra money, items, or abilities to their character sheet—they’re fudging the numbers. This behavior comes about from a fear of failure or losing the game. Character enthusiasts might do this
Chapter 1: Troubleshooting 15 to protect their beloved character from death, and mechanical enthusiasts might do it to ensure the viability of their build. When the Narrator suspects that a player is cheating it rarely helps to accuse or blame the individual. Remind everyone in the group that without the potential for failure, there is no challenge and little room for character development. Encourage openly rolling dice and regularly check character sheets. When discrepancies show up, ask for explanations and correct mistakes. Provide opportunities for failure to be fun—and include exciting consequences to abate that fear. If failure would be boring anyway, why ask for a roll? This can also be an opportunity to expedite the game by reducing the amount of rolls called for, moving the story forward based on proficiencies the characters have chosen. Murderhobos A common complaint in online gaming communities are “murderhobos”, when adventurers essentially become extremely powerful wandering bandits who kill everything and everyone they meet, grab any loot left over, and then wander off in search of more prey. This can have several root causes. One is that if tactical enthusiasts feel like all NPCs are untrustworthy, they often decline to leave living enemies behind them and strike first. Another cause may be a lack of regard for the non-combat parts of the game. Combat enthusiasts or drama enthusiasts may pick fights just to liven the game up if they feel it has gotten boring. Finally, a lack of in-game consequences for PC actions can lead groups in this direction. When the Narrator realizes the characters are becoming murderhobos, the behavior should be met with out-of-game discussion and the group should try to reach a consensus about the style of play that is most appropriate for them and the campaign. Spotlight Hogging Some players love to be at the center of attention. When a player insists on making the narrative or action all about them, all the time, they’re hogging the spotlight. This behavior originates with a desire to be the protagonist of the story, or to prevent a slow down of pace through group discussion or indecision. Character and drama enthusiasts are especially prone to this, the character enthusiast wanting to maximize opportunities to roleplay their adventurer, and the drama enthusiast jumping from scene to scene (regardless of continuity) to give input on everything discovered. Narrators should also beware the lone wolf specialty enthusiast who wants to scout ahead while the rest of the party waits. When the Narrator notices one player hogging the spotlight, don’t be afraid to cut them off (once they’ve had some time to shine), to actively pass the attention to another player, and use turn-based action to ensure each player has a chance to be involved or give input to an encounter. Zoning Out At times players of any type will just stop paying attention to the game. This behavior can have a lot of root causes, and some may have nothing to do with the game itself. When the Narrator notices players losing track of what is going on, have a talk with them (ideally privately) and try to determine the root cause. If the issue is out-of-game, be as supportive as possible. If the issue is with the game itself, consider which player archetype is most relevant to the situation and use the advice above as a guide for what might be more engaging to them. Do not, however, crack down on distractions like a ruthless antiquated schoolmaster, especially given that some people actually pay attention better when allowed to fidget a bit— the game is a recreational activity and shouldn’t feel like knowledge prison. Safety Tools Roleplaying games provide a chance at escapism, an outlet for creativity, and a unique opportunity for collaboration. They are also, however, often largely improvisational. Because of this players can be exposed to potentially upsetting or distressing scenarios. Safety tools give groups an easy way to cut these scenarios short or even avoid them all together.
Trials & Treasures 16 The most important part of collaborative gameplay is communication. Disruptive players, uncooperative characters — the first step to solving every problem is almost always communication. When using safety tools it is the Narrator’s responsibility to educate the table on their importance and how to use them, and a player’s responsibility to make themselves heard and to utilize the implemented safety tools properly. Without proper communication and collaboration between players and the Narrator, safety tools cannot effectively do what they’re intended to do. Consent and Boundaries Everyone has their own personal boundaries, and those boundaries may be different for every table that person plays at. It’s important for the Narrator to learn where each player’s personal boundaries lie and to respect them. In some instances — such as when roleplaying difficult situations—the group may benefit from getting consent from each player individually before moving forward with the scene. Crossing a boundary without consent, whether intentional or not, can have devastating effects on the group as well as the players themselves and should be avoided. Discovering each player’s boundaries can be done in multiple different ways. Some players may be comfortable having a frank discussion, while some may appreciate the privacy of being able to fill out a form or survey instead (see the back of the book for the Consent Checklist form). Even seasoned players and table regulars can benefit from these methods as having their boundaries respected can greatly increase anyone’s enjoyment of the game. Respecting boundaries is an important part of group play for everyone involved. When boundaries aren’t respected or lines are crossed without consent, a group can quickly fall apart. While the reason behind a boundary might not be known, it is always best to assume that others have a greater understanding of their own lived experiences and mental health—pushing someone to explain the reasoning behind their boundaries is at best rude and at worst can potentially retraumatize someone. Here are some topics that Narrators should consider when acquiring consent from players or determining boundaries: harm to animals, harm to children, blood/gore, body horror, insects, religious horror, possession, romance (on an individual basis, between PCs, between PCs and NPCs, sexual content, explicit scenes), pregnancy, abortion, miscarriage, sex work, child abuse and exploitation, hom*ophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, terrorism, war, xenophobia, genocide, slavery, people trafficking, life-threatening illness, mental illness, suicide, physical abuse, substance abuse, psychological abuse, self-harm, starvation, dehydration, torture, natural disasters, gaslighting, police, government aggression, claustrophobia, paralysis or restraints, mind control, cults. How to Use Safety Tools Implementing safety tools for the first time can be stressful, and Narrators may be worried at how other people in the group may react to them. It is important to remember that safety tools are here to increase the enjoyment of the game for everyone. If someone is distressed by certain content in the game, that can impact their fellow players; why not just avoid said content and keep the fun going, instead? To ensure they can be as effective as possible, safety tools are best used in conjunction with other safety tools. This isn’t to say that they are ineffective on their own, only that using multiple safety tools helps ensure the group’s safety and enjoyment. For example, using Lines and Veils provides great groundwork for the game, while also using What Are Safety Tools? During improvisational, collaborative play, situations may arise where one or more players and even the Narrator are stressed, uncomfortable, or just not having fun. Safety tools provide an easy way to check in with each other, learn where one another’s boundaries lie, and can help navigate difficult situations when they arise.
Chapter 1: Troubleshooting 17 the X-Card allows a group to catch anything that might have fallen through the cracks during planning. It never hurts to have a backup plan, especially when dealing with sensitive content. The best time to implement safety tools is prior to character creation and the start of a game. Session zero is an invaluable safety tool which can provide the perfect opportunity to address and begin including other safety tools. The second best time to implement safety tools is now—the Narrator can do it before the next session, or even turn a mid-campaign session into something similar to the session zero. It’s never too early to introduce a group to safety tools, but it can be too late when situations that might have otherwise been prevented cause a group to break down. Safety Tools and Online Play While most safety tools include information on how to use them in an in-person game, it can be difficult to figure out how to implement them in an online environment. To implement tools like the X-Card or Scene Change, groups can utilize a program’s chat features or use a form of direct messaging to activate the X-Card or call for a scene change. Safety tools like lines and veils can be done through messages, private chats, or even online forms. Types of Safety Tools There are numerous different safety tools out there, some of which may work in similar ways. It is up to the Narrator to determine which safety tools are the best fit for their table, and to implement them properly. When the person running the game embraces safety tools themselves it can help their group warm up to the idea faster and make the experience go smoother! Session Zero In roleplaying games a session zero is the equivalent of a job interview. It is one of the most useful safety tools, as it allows players to communicate what they expect from a campaign and what type of game they actually want to play. Below are just a few ways that a session zero can improve the game: • Allows the Narrator to prepare a story that aligns with player expectations. • Encourages collaborative character creation which can improve a party’s synergy in all pillars of play. • Provides a great opportunity for players to introduce themselves, potentially for the first time, and can help determine if players are a good fit for the game. A session zero can take place at any point during a campaign, but is the most useful when done beforehand in conjunction with character creation. It can be used as an opportunity to address things like boundaries, preferred play styles, campaign flavor, and table rules. It can also be used as an opportunity for making a truly cohesive adventuring party, and for the Narrator to work the characters’ stories into their world. Even if the Narrator feels like some of the subjects covered in a session zero don’t apply to their group, discussing things can yield surprising results that merit changes which make the game better. When planning to utilize other safety tools, a session zero is the perfect place to introduce them and lay the groundwork necessary for them to be successful. Open Door Policy The safety tool that requires the least effort is something called an “open door policy”. What this means is that players are able to leave the table or game without judgment as long as they do so in a non-disruptive way. When using this policy, the Narrator should almost always do so in conjunction with other safety tools as this method does little to solve the root of the problem.
Trials & Treasures 18 When using an open door policy, it is best to make sure players understand exactly what that means. At some tables it may mean “feel free to leave, whenever, for whatever reason without explanation!”, while at others it may mean “let us know when you feel like you need to leave the table.” Lines and Veils The most effective method of determining boundaries is having lines and veils determined by each player, prior to the start of a game or campaign. Multiple checklists for determining lines and veils are available online, or the Narrator may even choose to customize a checklist for the group or the campaign. Lines. Lines are something that is a hard boundary for a player, and should be excluded from the game with no questions asked. Veils. Veils are often softer boundaries, which are something the player may be comfortable dealing with in game as long as it isn’t explicitly described. When dealing with veils, it is usually best to take a fade-to-black or fast-forward approach. When determining a group’s lines and veils it’s best to do so one-on-one to maintain each player’s privacy, or through the use of private checklists. While this doesn’t have to be done prior to the start of a game, the earlier on it happens the better. The most common way to utilize this method is by asking players to fill out a form, marking various elements as a “line”, a “veil”, neither, or even as prefered content. This allows the Narrator to save their players’ answers to reference later during a game, or while plotting out the story in advance. The Narrator should never argue with a player on what they consider a hard line and what they consider a veil. If the lines and veils a player sets would greatly interfere with the planned game, it’s possible that campaign (or even group) isn’t the best fit for that player. Lines and veils aren’t set to ruin fun or make a game boring, they are set to protect a player, their enjoyment of the game, and their mental health. During the course of a game, a player’s lines and veils may change. This is normal as someone becomes more comfortable with a play group or their situation changes, and means it is important for Narrators to periodically check in with their players. The X-Card Of the simpler options, the use of X-Cards is the most popular. This involves a card with a large X which is placed on the table in reach of all players. If someone at the table becomes uncomfortable, all they have to do is touch or raise the X-Card. After someone touches or raises the card, the Narrator and other players should immediately alter the scene by transitioning to a new one or changing what is happening. The player who activates the X-Card should never be questioned on their reasoning, and the game should continue as normal. When introducing the X-Card it is important to remember that the introduction can be as important as the card itself. The Narrator should make it clear that the goal is for everyone to play together, that the group is more important than playing the game, and that the X-Card is simply a tool that allows everyone to take better care of each other. The X-Card is not a replacement for communication, but a tool to help facilitate it. After the X-Card has been activated, the Narrator should always check in with the group as a whole. Is everyone having fun? Is it time to take a break to process what happened? The X-Card was designed by John Stavropoulos and is used here with permission (more information can be found at http://tinyurl.com/x-card-rpg).
Chapter 1: Troubleshooting 19 Script Change Another popular safety tool is the script change, which involves the implementation of film ratings (or another rating system) to outline the “audience” the table is playing for, and uses tools based on media controls to influence the game. A player who expects an R-rated game is likely going to want to play very different scenarios than a player who expects a PG or PG-13 rating for their game. It is also one of the most in-depth safety tools, and comprises several different tools. Ratings. To utilize this method, the Narrator first determines what rating the game they plan to run would have, then asks the players what rating of game they’re wanting to play. If the ratings don’t line up, players are asked to elaborate on what boundaries they associate with the Narrator’s rating and their own, as people can have different ideas of what a rating like PG-13 or R implies. If the ratings fall too far apart, it may not be the best fit to play that game together. If they differ only slightly, the Narrator should modify the planned game so that it can be enjoyable for all of the players. Squicks, Icks, and Picks. Content that players absolutely do not want to encounter should be recorded in the Narrator’s notes as squicks, which are things that merely make a player uncomfortable, and icks, which is content that may be triggering, traumatizing, or distressing. Content or gameplay elements that players do want to encounter should be recorded in the Narrator’s notes as picks, which can help them shape the direction of the game. Change the Script. The core tools of the Script Change are fast-forward, frame-by-frame, pause, rewind, and resume, but additional tools can be included such as highlight reel, instant replay, and wrap meeting. To make things easier, each player should have an indeX-Card for each tool to be used in a similar way to the X-Card. To call for a script change, players can simply say “rewind”, “pause”, and so on, or they can tap or raise the appropriate script change tool. When asking for a script change players can be as descriptive (“Could we rewind that statement? I don’t think my character would actually say that!”) or as vague (“I’d like to fast forward this scene.”) as they like. Like with other safety tools, there is no expectation to explain the reasoning behind requesting a script change. After resolving the script change, a player can simply say “resume” to continue the game as normal. Rewind. A rewind can be called for to help someone catch information they might have missed, or to address an issue that couldn’t be addressed during play. Rewind can also be used to rewind entire scenes, at which point the content that has been rewound is no longer considered canon and the group is creating a new story. Fast-Forward. A fast-forward can be called for when a scene has reached a logical conclusion, or a player wishes to skip difficult content. It can be used to end a scene or encounter, or for larger gaps when necessary and discussed with the Narrator. Pause. A pause can be called for when a player needs a minute to process difficult content or an intense scene. A pause can also be called simply for bathroom breaks, snack breaks, or to discuss something that might have come up during play. When the player who called for the pause is ready to play, they should say “resume” to let the table know to continue. Frame-by-Frame. Frame-by-frame can be called for to let the Narrator and other players know to take it slow through a scene. It could be due to difficult content, or even just something a player is unsure about and would like to approach cautiously. Once the player is ready for regular play to resume, they should say “resume” or “play” to let the table know to continue. Topics that a player would like to handle frame-by-frame can also be addressed at the beginning of a game or privately with the Narrator. Highlight Reel. Using the highlight reel tool takes place at the end of a session, and is intended to allow players to point out things they liked about the session. Each player should get the chance to mention something they enjoyed and
Trials & Treasures 20 the Narrator should as well. This tool is intended to be strictly positive and should focus only on the good parts of the session. Wrap Meeting. This tool provides an opportunity for the group to discuss the rest of the game that wouldn’t be addressed during a highlight reel, and also takes place at the end of a session. This can be used to get clarification on information, address problematic content, or even address problem table behaviors. While a wrap meeting does not need to be strictly positive, like the highlight reel, it should be a supportive environment where players can feel comfortable talking about issues that may have arisen during play. Bloopers and Outtakes. Like highlight reels and wrap meetings, bloopers and outtakes should be used at the end of a session. This tool focuses on constructive criticism, and self-improvement. Bloopers should have a funner, “whoopsie” vibe, while outtakes are more serious things like conflict or emotional harm. When using this tool, the Narrator should allow for 4 “reels” of sharing: 1. For the first round of sharing, players who share bloopers should use “I” statements. An example would be, “I overreacted to this scene.” 2. When sharing in this reel, players should continue to use “I” statements, but instead include statements about how the bloopers from reel 1 made them feel. 3. During this reel, players should use “I” statements to address constructive criticism or conflict within the game. Let players state their thoughts and experiences, and remind everyone to use extreme care in how they might respond. 4. Players should continue to use “I” statements, while trying to take special care to understand each other and owning any hurt they may have caused. At any point during the sharing of bloopers and outtakes, players and the Narrator can call for a pause. This can be used to take a break and allow people to cool off, or to address a situation that may have come up more in depth. Collective Understanding With the variety of games available, even when only counting tabletop roleplaying games, it is inevitable that players from different backgrounds will have different ideas on how to best play any game. With this tool, the Narrator can ensure all of their players are on the same page and hopefully avoid the clashing of playstyles. The point of using this tool is to create a clear picture of the game being played, not to attempt to find a way to combine incompatible playstyles. Prior to the beginning of a campaign, the Narrator and players should get together, in real time, to The Script Change Tool was designed by Beau Jágr Sheldon and is used here with permission (more information can be found at briebeau.com/scriptchange).a
Chapter 1: Troubleshooting 21 ask questions and go over a checklist to define the campaign. This can be done around the table in person or digitally so long as everyone can discuss and make choices together. Once together, the group can work to determine which choices work the best for the game, and why. If two players, or the players and the Narrator, do not agree on the same fundamental things this tool will not help discover common ground that isn’t there —what it will do, however, is let the Narrator and players know prior to the beginning of a game whether or not this is the right group. For each choice, only one answer should be chosen. There is room for negotiation of course, but all choices should be made as a group as the results will determine the kind of game being played. For some choices there may only be one answer that works for the game being discussed. In these cases that should be made clear when discussing that question to ensure all players are comfortable with it. Checklists to use with this method can be found online, or the Narrator can make their own with options that are tailored specifically to the game. When making a checklist, make sure to touch on the following points; • Is the point of playing to win? • Are the players expected to work together? Pursue personal goals? Work against each other? • Is the Narrator expected to wing it? Be prepared for anything? Provide a challenging game? • Are the players’ roles to follow the story? Make their own story? • Is the relationship between the rules of the game and this campaign important? Unimportant? “What rules?” Another way to ensure players are on the same page with their playstyles is to include different scenarios, and responses to those scenarios, as choices and answers on the checklist. Did all of the players choose the same answers or at least agree on most of them? If so, great! If not, the Narrator may need to find another group, or find another game for this group to play together. If the Narrator finds that the tone of the game shifts dramatically after a couple of sessions, or several sessions down the line, consider running through the checklist with the players again. Just like with setting lines and veils, a player’s (or Narrator’s) preferences and playstyle may change over time. Something Went Wrong — Now What? Eventually, regardless of how well safety tools have been used, something will inevitably happen. Players don’t always get along, characters don’t always work together, and the Narrator doesn’t always have all of the answers. When dealing with these situations it is important to remember that the players are only human (we assume). If a difficult situation arises in a group, the Narrator should try to remember the following advice: • When discussing difficult topics or navigating arguments, it’s best for all parties involved to use “I” statements. This involves saying things like, “I feel,” and, “I think,” rather than “You did,” or, “You said,”. This helps avoid placing blame and can help to keep situations civil. • The Narrator should dissuade players from confronting others in front of the group, as it puts them on the spot and can make it harder to achieve the desired outcome. If the issue is relatively small, the Narrator may try approaching the other player privately to have a discussion about what happened. For bigger or more distressing issues, the Narrator’s role might be to mediate group discussions to address the problem in an oblique manner that doesn’t alienate anyone involved. • Stepping back and taking a break, even during a session, can allow everyone time to calm down and let the group approach the problem with new eyes.
22 • Wraithstone is governed by an assemblage of powerful undead who call themselves necrocrats. They collectively govern the city, collecting immortals from the Dreadwind Vale and teaching them the value of their own survival. • The nature of Walking Forests has long been debated but they are considered a natural wonder, slowly shifting around the countryside in meandering paths. Both tree and treant alike are unconcerned with mortal trappings, obliterating small settlements overnight. • After exciting the group with some information about the setting, the Narrator turns the proverbial tables and asks the party to take part in worldbuilding with details about their hometowns! The telling of epic tales at the table is a fine goal but where does a Narrator start this process? This chapter offers guidance on how to build a campaign from session zero to finish. Then there’s worldbuilding, whether that’s designing a castle for the party’s next session or planning out an entire planet. These pages are all about the process and choosing the right approach for the campaign or game session a Narrator is preparing for. Of course few campaign settings stand entirely alone —they exist in tandem across the planes, mirrored by the Dreaming, and connected to so many more by portals and pathways considered in the dimensional backdrop of Level Up. CHAPTER 2 Worldbuilding
23 Creating a Campaign A campaign is a series of game sessions linked together over a long period of play, sometimes lasting weeks, months, years, or even decades. The conclusion of a campaign is a deeply satisfying accomplishment, creating memories that last for years. The first step in reaching that conclusion is preparation. Though it may seem like a challenge, forethought, planning, and flexibility will give players a satisfying campaign that will live on long after the game has ended. Guiding Principles Always Put the Players First: The primary goal should be to craft an experience that players enjoy. Creating 10,000 years of history or organizations with dozens of fully-fleshed out NPCs does no good if the result doesn’t directly contribute to the player experience. Similarly, if the players are excited about a classic dungeon crawl campaign, an intrigue-heavy game set in a magic academy might not be well-received. Narrators Don’t Write Stories: Though it may seem counterintuitive, a Narrator’s role is as much about storytelling as any other player’s, focusing instead on facilitating the telling stories. Level Up asks players to engage and make decisions that actively shape an emergent narrative. Instead of writing a story, a Narrator sets the stage, creates the background cast, and defines a scenario or conflict. The players create the main characters and then make decisions that produce results, mediated by dice. The story is the result of those elements coming together. Good campaigns create room for players to make decisions that affect outcomes. Great campaigns are the result of co-operative storytelling, with endings that often surprise Narrators and players alike. Don’t overplan or decide the outcomes of encounters before they happen. Try to avoid scripted events that players are powerless to interfere with. Developing a Premise Before creating adventures or antagonists, establish a campaign’s premise. A premise is a basic statement that describes a campaign in broad terms. A good premise typically includes who the player characters are, what sorts of activities they will engage in, and where the campaign will occur. It also provides focus and informs nearly every aspect of the campaign, including the game’s tone, pacing, and other details. Importantly, establishing a good premise creates shared expectations for the players. This helps to make sure that players are interested in the game and will help them to identify character concepts that fit the game. To formulate a campaign’s premise, ask some questions. These questions help to clarify the game’s vision and create a general framework from which to build. What Type of Campaign? There are many types of campaigns that encompass a variety of stories, but no single campaign can encompass them all without collapsing. The Narrator should begin with what’s exciting to them and what the players have expressed interest in. Dungeon crawls or games that are filled with thrilling combats? The court drama and shadow plays of political intrigue or the mystery of a vanished civilization? Narrators that are just getting started or without any preferences might choose to instead work with a concept that includes a variety of different experiences without creating too many complications. For example, a rebellion offers a myriad of different gaming sessions (warfare on the field of battle or in the streets, politicking, sabotage, subterfuge, and more). Who Are the Adventurers? Who are the adventurers? What is their role in the campaign? Are they larger-than-life heroes or normal people with mortal frailties? Are they destined to defeat a dark god or outcast misfits brought together by happenstance? Are they members of an organization? How are they connected? Where are they on the hero, anti-hero, and villain spectrum? When asking these questions, avoid limiting character concepts and backgrounds. Adventurers come from all walks of life, and even an organization like a thieves guild leaves room for nearly any
Trials & Treasures 24 character type. A group of magic-hunting inquisitors may put insurmountable limitations on player choice however, so keep player choice in mind. What Activities do the Adventurers Engage in? Are the adventurers hunting down and exterminating a fell cult obsessed with summoning an elder evil? Are they just trying to make enough money to survive by hunting monsters? Are they pursuing a mystery that will lead them to a magical revelation that could transform the world? In order to avoid narrative fatigue, make sure that the premise is broad enough to encompass a variety of different adventures or activities. Even dungeon-delving adventurers might get invited to a party. What are the Conflicts? Conflicts are a vital part of any compelling story. Are the adventurers pitting themselves against unfathomable evil or are they struggling to survive the mundane dangers of a harsh wilderness? Are people the real monsters, or are monsters the real monsters? A great campaign encapsulates many conflicts, but a few will likely overshadow the rest. What is the Scope? How much time will the game cover? How much geography? How many levels will the adventurers achieve? How many NPCs will they meet and form relationships with? What is at stake? Will the party be fighting to save a village or the world? Games with high stakes might help to create focus, but such stakes can quickly create narrative fatigue or force the players to ignore side content or exploration. Why would reborn heroes help a farmer discover what’s eating his livestock when they’re in a race against time to stop an alien horror from rising? Many Narrators have an urge to tell sweeping and epic tales, but often smaller and more intimate stories with personal stakes are just as if not more rewarding. The fate of a village on the edge of a crumbling empire might be more compelling than that of the empire itself because of the intimacy of the stakes. A smaller scope is also easier to manage, particularly for Narrators that are just starting out. When using high stakes do so sparingly—a group of adventurers can only save the world so many times before even that becomes stale. What is the Tone? Tone is an important characteristic in any narrative. Is the campaign a brood narrative of personal horror or a pulpy four-color action adventure? The tone of a campaign might shift over play, and may vary from session to session, but consider what each segment, act, or plot arc should convey. As with activities, varying the tone can help fight narrative fatigue. Define the Premise With this information in hand and defining the campaign’s premise, keep the focus on the adventurers. Use the examples below as a guide. • Explorers and mercenaries looting a land devastated by a magical apocalypse. • Members of a thieves guild struggling to survive in the shadows and overthrow a corrupt governor in an occupied city. • Mythical heroes reincarnated to stop the rebirth of an evil god. • Down-on-their luck adventurers hunting monsters on the periphery of a rapidly industrializing kingdom. With a premise, the Narrator can consider other questions about the structure and the flow of the campaign. Plot Structure At its core, a campaign is a collection of stories, or adventures, that are connected together by narrative threads. In an episodic campaign, these threads are loose. Each adventure is self-contained, beginning when the players are involved and ending when they’ve completed it and often lasting no more than a couple sessions. The adventurers themselves may be the only threads that connect these episodes. This works well when the stakes are low or when covering a large period of time.
Chapter 2: Worldbuilding 25 In a serialized campaign, the plot is a single long running story broken up over a series of chapters. Perhaps the whole campaign is focused on the acquisition of a powerful artifact or the defeat of an elder evil. While there will be other stories contained within, each plot and adventure builds toward a singular narrative. These campaigns tend to focus on an event with high stakes or a relatively short period of time. Practically speaking, most games exist near the middle of the spectrum. There might be an overarching plot that the game builds towards, but that larger narrative is interspersed with other adventures that might not be directly related to it. Many long form television series use this structure. The adventurers may investigate a cult, a series of monster attacks, and a group of bandits, only to discover that some of them are related as the broader story transpires. The plot structure might also shift at various points in the game based upon the players’ actions or as the campaign transitions from one act to the next as events unfold or new information is acquired. Act Structure It’s not necessary to have every single adventure of a campaign written, but sketching out a general idea of how it might end is an important step. It helps to conceptualize a campaign’s beginning, middle, and end, or Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. Act 1 is an opportunity to introduce characters, locations, factions, and plot threads. It is also an opportunity to foreshadow future events and build relationships or allegiances that will shape the campaign to come. Act 2 is often the bulk of the campaign, and much of a game’s conflict occurs here. The adventurers’ decisions should play a central role in shaping Act 3 (the conclusion). Use this act as an opportunity to provide choices and events that the players can influence or decide. Act 3 is usually the shortest segment and should be shaped by the previous acts. While there may be an urge to carefully plan Act 3 well in advance, avoid planning too much if possible. Focus on the antagonist’s motivations or plans and the broader events that serve as a backdrop, and allow the players to take part in writing the conclusion through their actions and choices in Acts 1 and 2. Pacing The pace of a campaign is an important factor and is dependent on the stakes. Unless there is a compelling reason for the adventurers to push themselves, periods of downtime create verisimilitude and opportunities to highlight relationships, communities, or other significant aspects of the setting without taking up too much table time. Campaigns and Session Zero Another important piece of preparation prior to a campaign’s start is session zero. This invaluable tool should include discussing the campaign and establishing expectations. Important topics include but are not limited to: • The campaign’ premise, the tone, and what players can generally expect from gameplay. • House rules. • A general overview of the campaign’s setting. • Who the characters are, how powerful they are relative to the setting, and their general moral orientation. • Expectations on intra party conflict. • The use of safety tools (page 17). • Logistical concerns. Session zero can also provide the opportunity for characters to create background ties and what roles they’d like to play. Many campaigns are undone by a lack of organization. Before the campaign begins, set up tools to help track characters, events, and locations. When the campaign focuses on a particular geographic area, a map can be a valuable tool as well (especially if the party can track their travels on it).
Trials & Treasures 26 Example Sarah is creating a campaign for her players. She asks about their preferences and learns that they want roleplay and exploration, a fair amount of combat, and some politics. Sarah is a new Narrator, and she doesn’t want to overcomplicate things. She doesn’t want to run a “save the world” plot either, opting for something more intimate: exiles thrust into a life of adventure in a town at the edge of a crumbling empire. Sarah decides to use Act 1 to establish the setting, introduce NPCs and organizations, and foreshadow events in Act 2. She decides Act 1 will cover a year of game time, ending when a civil war erupts that marks the transition into Act 2. Not wanting to inundate the players, Sarah plans a total of 6 planned adventures during that time, giving them the option for periods of downtime, wilderness exploration and ruins that she plans to seed, and hijinks. An episodic structure is the approach she opts for. The primary conflict of Act 2 will revolve around a trio of factions, the remnant of an imperial government, the heir to a hereditary throne, and a religious institution. They are all searching for an ancient repository of arcane technology, so she sketches out adventures that highlight each faction during Act 1. She wants to showcase the ancient civilization that will play a central role in Act 2 and Act 3 so she sketches an adventure that will take the party to a dungeon crawl in the ruins. Sarah also creates a list of strong characters with interesting motivations and backstories that her roleplay hungry players can delve into, then identifies where they can best be included in the setting and her adventures. She rounds out Act 1 with a prepublished adventure that she plans to modify, hooks for several adventure sites, and a job board with small tasks and bounties. Sarah knows that Act 2 will begin with the start of a civil war that sparks a struggle for control among the factions she’s created. Each wants to harness the ancient power hidden in the ruins. She develops the general motivations of each faction, but she doesn’t want to plan too far ahead, instead waiting to see what her players do in Act 1. She expects the party to pick one and support it, but she knows that players often surprise Narrators. Act 3 is months away so she keeps the details vague. She knows that she wants an ancient threat to emerge — brought about by the misuse of their artifacts — but that’s months away and she doesn’t want to limit herself with too much planning. Ultimately, she knows that the secrets concealed nearby could affect the power dynamics of the whole region. She creates the outline for an introductory adventure that will introduce the players to each other, get them to town, and provide them with some choice as to where to go next. To prepare for her Session Zero, Sarah creates a list of topics and develops questions to help her players create characters that mesh well with the campaign and each other. Using that information, she refines her first adventure, makes some modifications, and prepares to run her campaign!
Chapter 2: Worldbuilding 27 Worldbuilding Creating a world for a campaign might mean putting a castle in the Crawley Hills between Northminster and Holdenshire, including a new settlement or region in another existing setting, or building an entire world for the adventurers to discover and explore. Whether the scope of the undertaking is small or grand, clarifying the goals of worldbuilding and the approach being taken makes the task much more manageable. Guiding Principle: Player Experience First Like creating a campaign, keep the player experience at the forefront of the worldbuilding process. This focuses development on elements that players will interact with and enjoy rather than on tangential or superfluous details. Approaches to Worldbuilding Level Up presents two approaches to worldbuilding but there’s no single right way to go about it, and these aren’t the only methods. In practice, most worldbuilders do a mix of two or more approaches, depending upon their time and preferences. When deciding upon the functionalist and simulationist approaches, consider the workload that they both require before making a decision. Functionalist Approach A functionalist approach is only concerned with the elements necessary for the story or set of stories that will be told inside the setting. The narrative of a campaign identifies aspects of the world that need definition—if it doesn’t appear ‘on stage’ or ‘on screen’, there’s no need for it to exist. History is important only insofar as it serves setting and character motivation (whether an adventurer’s or NPC’s). Geography and current events exist to support the plot by creating conflict or highlighting characters. A functionalist approach to worldbuilding is similar to setting a stage. History, lore, culture, and politics are backdrops. Adventure sites and geography are stage props, and NPCs only matter if they ever make it on stage. The functionalist approach works well when it is able to draw on broader genre conventions. Many fantasy authors take this approach because it’s flexible and efficient. Do you need a mountain range filled with ruins? Make it. Unless he’s going to play a significant role in the campaign, who cares how the Queen’s cousin impacts her rule? The challenge to a functionalist approach is verisimilitude, particularly if a group of players is prone to sudden turns. Consider adding rumors or stories that imply events from beyond the scope of the game without actually detailing them until it becomes important to do so. Simulationist Approach The simulationist approach looks to create a vibrant world that exists independently of a particular narrative or story. Instead, worldbuilders create or adapt cultures, civilizations, economic systems, cosmologies, and histories. Collaborative Worldbuilding Another strategy involves harnessing the creative power of players. As players develop their characters, consider asking them to provide details about the towns, regions, or nations that their adventurers hail from. This can be a great way to engage players with their characters and the campaign setting. It also adds depth by going beyond the Narrator’s own conceptual framework. Another way to work collaboratively is during session zero or at another time prior to the campaign. Create worldbuilding exercises or shared activities around cultures, myths, gods, or any other aspect of the campaign setting. Collaborative worldbuilding can also be used after a campaign has started. If the party ventures to a new town, ask them to name taverns or a location. If the adventurers have already been to a place, ask them to share details. The Narrator can encourage players to create details during the course of their roleplay with one another or with NPCs. Unless there is a compelling reason not to, incorporate the events, locations, and characters into the tapestry of the world!
Trials & Treasures 28 If a functionalist approach to worldbuilding sets a stage, a simulationist approach seeks to build the house that a stage is trying to depict. Often, a simulation approach attempts to model economics, social systems, politics, and history as accurately as possible. Great attention is given to details that underpin the campaign setting, even if they don’t always have a direct impact on characters directly. Time and complexity are the challenges to this method. Building a setting in this fashion often requires research as well as creating a great deal of material that may never be used at the table. While certainly a more daunting and involved task, Narrators that use this approach usually have an answer, NPC, or locale prepared wherever the party’s story might take them. Create a Concept A campaign setting is a foundation upon which we tell stories. The types of stories that we want to tell should inform the world that we create. As with building a campaign, consider the types of adventures that might be run within that world. For example, a Narrator intending to run light and whimsical games that explore the secrets of a wondrous feywood are in for a tough time if playing in a campaign setting in which the gods have been devoured by elder evils that now raise mortals like cattle. Similarly, a game of gothic horror isn’t going to work in a setting where the adventurers are literal demigods. When thinking about a campaign setting concept, consider its defining or iconic elements. Is it a duchy holding to an uncertain peace or a world recently ravaged by a demonic invasion? Is it a continent that once hosted an ancient civilization whose secrets are now being plundered? What does the campaign setting look like at the beginning of play— and how will it change? Here are some example setting concepts: • A recently discovered continent that holds the secret to an ancient magical catastrophe. • A post-apocalyptic wasteland ruled by demonic overlords. • A conventional fantasy kingdom at the precipice of a civil war due to a conflict between the church and the royal wizards academy. • A recently annexed city in the midst of an industrial revolution where the body of a dead god is harvested to fuel ghastly new technologies. Work Backwards & Outwards Start with the world state informed by the concept’s premise and work backwards. While the present is predicated upon the past, often the past is unclear to the present. History becomes increasingly unclear as we move backwards. Events and individuals lose definition, are transformed into myth, or are forgotten entirely. When worldbuilding, this historical process provides the freedom to focus on the present and its immediate precursors. Similarly, start with the location of the adventurers and work outward. Pay attention to the immediate setting and allow details to blur as distance grows from the campaign’s lens. There is no need to exhaustively detail the geography of a mountain chain on the other side of the world. Remember Conflict As the name implies, a campaign setting serves to inform a campaign, and all campaigns need conflict. How does the setting assist this? What are the key conflicts? Creating a New World Regardless of which approach to worldbuilding is taken, creating a new campaign setting is an undertaking. These questions can help define some key characteristics. • Cosmogony: How was the world created? Was it literally forged by the gods or was it shaped by natural processes? • Cosmology: What are the other planes like? Is there an afterlife? How is it reached or achieved? Where do the gods reside? • Distinctive Environmental Characteristics: Is your world an arid husk? Does it experience
Chapter 2: Worldbuilding 29 extreme storms caused by magical or astronomical phenomena? • Key Powers: Who holds power? Who is oppressed? What resources create conflict? • Layout and Structure: Is your setting a spherical hunk of stone orbiting a star or does it exist entirely within the mind of a sleeping god? • Mythology: Are myths an explanation for history or natural phenomena or were the seas truly created when Jamir spilled the blood of Kareth during the Dawnfire War? • Nature and Role of the Gods: Do the gods predate the setting, or are they manifestations of natural processes or metahuman thought and emotion? • Nature of Magic: Is magic energy left over from the creation of the world or shaping the dreams of the Great Sleeper? Does power come within individuals or are they conduits? • Prevalence of Magic: How prevalent is magic? How common are magical practitioners? • Technology Level: What is the highest level of technology achieved? Do airships sail the skies, or have ruthless dragon overlords kept metahumanity in the dark ages? • World’s Age: Have the gods just finished shaping it, or does the star above gutter a dim red as it approaches death? Worldbuilding in Established Settings If the idea of building an entire world seems daunting, consider creating a smaller setting within a pre-existing campaign setting. Even the most well-developed campaign settings have gray spaces that the creators have not defined. This space can serve as a canvas for customized characters, locations, and stories. New Narrators in particular can make good use of these gray spaces as building in an established setting is an excellent way to manage the scope of new material. Additionally, being able to draw upon the cultures, history, and politics of the current campaign setting can save a lot of time and help keep these elements of the game feel cohesive with the rest. Questions Adventurers are usually curious so considering what they’ll be asking ahead of time is a reliable method for figuring out what things need to be addressed in new material when worldbuilding in an established campaign setting. • What heritages and cultures from the established campaign setting are represented? • What governmental system or economic systems are in place? • What natural resources does this region have? • What is the relationship with neighbors? • What are its primary conflicts? • What makes it distinct from other locations in the campaign setting? • What differences need to be communicated to the players?
Trials & Treasures 30 The Planes The world is vaster than anyone could explore in a lifetime with mysterious corners that promise wonder and peril, yet there are other dimensions far stranger and deadlier, called planes. Many claim to have read the truths of those other realms in books or learned them from religious dogma, or even boast that they’ve visited in person. Their accounts may not be trustworthy, but they all tell of places that pose unique challenges and offer rewards unlike anything one could find at home. A Planar Primer Everyday people know legends about strange pathways in remote forests that lead into the dream-like land of the fey. Their tales warn of bleak ruins where one can step across the threshold to a place where all joy, sound, and light have been leached away. In the dark of night they gaze at the stars and share stories of ancient heroes and gods who gave the Heavens their shape. In times of crisis they curse their enemies to Hell, and pray to gods they’ve never seen. Adventurers eventually come to understand more about the nature of existence. Clerics and scholars study the true names of demons and devils and the differences between the two. Learned wizards and theurgists research the metaphysics that provide the arcane energies of their spells. Druids and worshipers of nature perform incantations to ward against interplanar incursions. Warlocks form pacts with horrors born of the spaces between worlds, the lower planes, or even the fey. Common folk are superstitious, seeing danger in mundane shadow, but perhaps adventurers and their ilk don’t understand the nature of reality as well as they think— the fell entities that warlocks pledge themselves to might even just be clever monsters from the next county over having a good laugh. While people aren’t entirely sure of the truth of the multiverse, it is undeniable that these planes exist, and that the nature of reality elsewhere isn’t quite the same as
Chapter 2: Worldbuilding 31 here. Fools who stumble upon another world unprepared are unlikely to survive. Interplanar monsters are often more powerful and magical than average wild beasts, and the native intelligent beings have strange ways of thinking. They are seldom swayed by the same threats or persuasion that work on normal humanoids. Types of Planes The so-called ‘real’ world where most humanoids and nations exist is known as the Material Plane. Closely linked worlds referred to as Mirror Planes have the same general shape as the realms material—the same landforms, same structures, perhaps even the same people —but differ in character or the nature of magic. Two other types of planes are easily codified. Elemental Planes (sometimes called Inner Planes) are defined by some overriding physical trait, while Moral Planes (sometimes called Outer Planes) each reflect a central ideology or philosophy of being. Magic to travel between worlds makes use of the Transitive Planes, which connect multiple planes but have few noteworthy landmarks or residents. Amidst these are innumerable Demiplanes that range from lifeless pocket dimensions for bags of holding, to drifting shards that support the vestiges of dead worlds, to realms as large as continents created as prisons, crucibles, or palaces. Beyond them all exists the Far Realm, a place so alien to the minds of mortals that few can understand it or glimpse it without risking insanity. The same plane may have different names in different cultures. Explorers might erroneously think two locations on the same plane are separate dimensions entirely, or model them as different nested ‘layers’ that have the same essence but take different forms. Some planes even actively resist efforts to map them, morphing to vex codification and categorization. Travel Between Planes Monsters from other dimensions can be summoned to the Material Plane but sometimes adventurers must face strange outsiders in the realms where they originated. Spells. A handful of metal with the appropriate resonance and several hours of smithing with arcane treatments can produce the rod necessary for a plane shift spell, though discovering the proper formula might require an adventure itself. The esoteric astral projection spell lets people explore in a spiritual form, protecting their bodies at the risk of their very souls. The mighty gate spell permits immediate and precise travel, but the rare magic users capable of such powerful magic are seen as threats by many extraplanar powers. More obscure magic can also breach the veil between worlds, often through great rituals and terrible costs. Transits. Planar transits take three main forms: portals, pathways, and tides. Portals have a clear threshold between worlds, like a carved stone dragon maw that leads to the Prison Plane of the Great Pyromancer. Pathways offer a gradual transition that must be completed in full to reach the destination plane, such as the shadow labyrinth that leads to the demiplane of Phorros Irrendra, last bastion of the Taranesti elves. Tides cause a given area to shift between worlds, taking those within with it, like the shores along Bosum Strand where on the Night of the Mirror Moon those who dive into the waters holding a mirror emerge in the fey realm known as the Dreaming. By dawn however the magic fades, stranding any who haven’t found their way home. Many planar transits are ephemeral and cannot be relied on to still be there for a return trip. Some appear and vanish without discovery, brought forth by little understood conjunctions of place and planar energy— and those that are discovered often provoke fear rather than exploratory fervor. The rare permanent portal is highly valued and closely guarded. It is said the hierarchs who built the Gates of Dawn and Dusk hoped to unite their world with Heaven and Hell, but angels and devils united to punish their hubris. The hierarchs’ continent was carved out into a prison plane known as Daemonforge where the souls of the dead can never reach the afterlife.
Trials & Treasures 32 Overlays. While a planar tide carries creatures in an area between worlds, sometimes the elemental or moral energy of a plane bleeds into the Material Plane, such as the haunted peak of Cauldron Hill where the veil to the Bleak Gate is thin. Overlays—also called coterminances or manifestations — can vary greatly. One might be temporary, linked to some celestial convergence, or permanent, perhaps the result of a great magical cataclysm, and its borders might simply mark a return to normalcy or could serve as a way to travel to another plane. Mirror Planes Like a reflection or echo of the realms material, Mirror Planes take the familiar and imbue it with a sense of fascination or repulsion. The land called the Dreaming is a verdant, shifting landscape where time and distance conspire for the sake of dramatic events, ensuring travelers reach their destination at the moment that will yield the greatest conflict or catharsis. The fey population’s strange behaviors make a whimsical sort of half-sense, even if their goals are cruel. Promises made in the Dreaming are dangerous to break, and accepting gifts can oblige their recipient to the giver. The most famous figures of the Dreaming are the lords of the Unseen Court— served by the implacable riders of the Great Hunt—who threaten war but can be appeased with offerings of songs and riddles. But the fey vary based on the cultures and myths of the lands they reflect. Around temperate farmlands pixies cavort with leaves in their hair and hags lure children into the woods with tempting sweets, while in vaunted cities of high art the pixies might take the shape of figures from famous paintings and hags call gullible schoolchildren down into sewer drains. In opposition to the vibrant life of the Dreaming is the somber emptiness of the Bleak Gate. Here buildings sit hollow and abandoned, and even the brightest magic cannot illuminate much farther than a stone’s throw. The air lies still and windless. The only sounds are the scattered whispers and lonely moans of the recently dead, whose souls linger for a time before passing on to some final reward. Without sun or stars time here becomes almost meaningless, unconsidered by the beings of shadow and decay that reside within. Uneasy spirits haunt their old houses, cursed mortals and condemned penitents roam in caravans seeking absolution or simply a way home, and exiled fey of the Bleak Court trade in souls, their servants often seen at the sites of great tragedies to enslave the recently slain. Other Mirror Planes are possible. Some conceptions of Hell depict it as the Material Plane in the aftermath of some fiery cataclysm. Temporal magic that flows around a crux of fate might create two splinter realities branching from different outcomes of a pivotal event— perhaps in that world, an adventurer’s double longs for everything that their counterpart has, and would kill to get it. Transitive Planes If you were to write down details of each plane, the Ethereal Plane is like the page the words are written on, and the Astral Plane is the book itself. Both dimensions have little in the way of interesting landmarks or natives, and even most planar travelers pay them no mind. But certain magic relies on them. Thought reigns in the Astral Plane—disembodied souls navigate by will and distance means nothing, the world fading to silvery gray in every direction. Most of the dimension is empty, though errant ideas can sometimes manifest crude matter. The personal mindscapes of dreamers may form links to the Astral Plane, and those trapped in perpetual sleep may create permanent dream bodies that eventually degenerate into monsters. Ur-ideas can take the form of leviathans that swim the astral like a psychic sea, and it is rumored an entire empire of psychic beings has learned to control these creatures. Magic like dream and astral projection can untether the soul from the body, using the astral to reach other minds and other worlds. Travelers can move to other planes through convergences, which mortal minds often perceive as swirling pools of color or other sensations that evoke the feeling of the destination. The Ethereal Plane is what allows incorporeal creatures to move through solid objects, and nearly every plane has its own ethereal. Beings in the ethe-
Chapter 2: Worldbuilding 33 real usually are invisible to those in the plane they originated from, but can perceive a small swath of the dimension they left. Matter and energy from that world cannot affect them, nor even gravity, but other ethereal beings can interact with or harm them, and spells like wall of force extend into the Ethereal Plane. Usually the only thing for a traveler to do in the ethereal is to watch their plane of origination, explore, and emerge at some other spot in that same world, though sometimes two dimensions abut the same Ethereal Plane, and a creature can slip between them like poking a hole in a sheet of paper. It is also possible for ethereal travelers to metaphysically wander away from their origination plane—they find themselves swept up in mists, and might become lost forever or emerge in a random dimension. Elemental Planes Most magical traditions define four cardinal elements—air, earth, fire, and water. These are often depicted as vast wedge-like realms floating together in a roiling Elemental Chaos. The cores of the Elemental Planes are simple expanses of pure elemental energy. Some regions are almost like the Material Plane just with an exaggerated presence of one element— huge flocks of birds might nest on islands that float through storms in the Plane of Air, gems might rain as hailstones upon endless mountain ranges of the Plane of Earth, city-sized forges might gather ore from molten seas on the Plane of Fire, and luminescent kelp might support civilizations of fish folk in deep benthic gorges on the Plane of Water. The cardinal elements are sometimes categorized alongside four esoteric elements—death, life, space, and time. The Plane of Death has dark grottos, vacuous expanses of drifting asteroids, and rivers of negative energies that awaken undead. The Plane of Life thrums with positive energy, nurturing light, endless tangles of jungle, and rains that cause animals to sprout from rich soil. The Plane of Space is known for geometric palaces and platforms of pure force that orbit, interlink, and fold upon themselves in mindbending tesseracts and optical illusions brought to life. Sphinxes watch over the Plane of Time, a place where mirages of the past and flickering glimpses of possible futures cause travelers to forget when they are, and the only signs of civilization are enigmatic monoliths and bones upon bones of fallen empires. Moral Planes The Moral Planes are the homes of gods, or at least things that claim that title. As with the Elemental Chaos, the great majority of these planes are hard for mortals to conceive and exist more as ideas than as places. Even so certain regions can be explored and visited, and are home to creatures that are motivated by strong ideologies or overpowering impulses. Deities may claim domain to some regions where they can shape the world and set the rules. Goodness elevates the heavens and other Upper Planes while evil seethes in Hell and similar Lower Planes, but from those generalities each dimension’s texture is nuanced with diverse philosophical manifestations of that core morality. On a single plane that is suffused with lawful essence, one divine domain might be a gallery garden that shifts to fulfill a visitor’s every hedonistic pleasure, another a stolid yet vaunted bureaucracy working to ensure a stable price for diamonds and pearls across the cosmos, and a third a holy bastion under constant siege by demons. Mortal souls are thought by most to find their way to Moral Planes after death where they may be transmogrified into servants or receive rewards for their service. Others wait in purgatory, endure punishment for sins, or are simply absorbed into the plane’s spiritual core where perhaps the choices they made with their free will in life will help shift the scales of the moral multiverse. Otherworldly Oddities Most dimensions are not so neatly codified as the Elemental, Moral, Mirror, and Transitive Planes. Planets The Material Plane has other planets orbiting other stars, and some are suffused with a different mix of elemental and moral energies. In the Zeitgeist setting travel to most planes is nearly impossible, but plane shift and planar transits
Trials & Treasures 34 allow some journeys between worlds around the same star. Each has a supernatural influence on the primary world, Amsywr—the planet Jiese, the Fire of Industry has spurred technological innovation, the influence of Mavisha, the Mysterious Deep means divinations do not work well on islands or at sea, and Caeloon, the Paper Wind lifts spirits in the face of tragedy and produces magic to help with graceful flight. Mindscapes Psychic magic can draw energy from the Astral Plane to create small ephemeral dimensions where one’s thoughts can shape subjective reality almost like a god. Here the limits of flesh and physical laws bend to a strong will, and weak minds can be overwhelmed and forget that what they see isn’t real. These planes are almost always temporary, but in the Burning Skies setting a perpetual and massive mindscape exists deep underground, guarded by dragons. The dreamborn beings within (called trillith) reflect various desires and fears of some great sleeping entity called the Mother of Dreams that is trapped in the depths of the mindscape. Within this world one must have the right mindset to reach their destination, and those who find common purpose with a trillith might bond with it and receive occult powers. Pocket Dimensions Mortal magic can attempt to emulate the divine power necessary to create planes, but few can create more than mere pocket dimensions a few score feet across. Without a true divine spark, most of these artificial planes cannot support life. Inanimate objects made of wood or fabric can endure for weeks or years, but still degrade rapidly. Food is sapped of its nourishing essence and becomes tasteless within hours if not faster. Creatures placed within might die within minutes. Water, even in sealed vessels, becomes infused with energies that makes it undrinkable. The Gyre and The Far Realm In some distant reach of the multiverse floats The Gyre, a graveyard of planes where the last vestiges of dead worlds are drawn into a churning cloud and ultimately obliterated. Perhaps their energies are then used for the creation of new worlds, or maybe the whole of the multiverse will be consumed one day, but those pieces of worlds that survive long enough to reach the Gyre are homes of the most dreadful and powerful beings–often those who brought about their own apocalypses. How many of those worlds have been destroyed by corruption from the Far Realm? Few even begin to understand the alien concepts of that place, and those with the insight can become threats themselves. To most the aberrations birthed by contact with the Far Realm are terrifying, yet some come to see that very unnaturality as something be desired and shared with others. Adventurers should be careful when staring into that maddening abyss— lest they become like the monsters they fight. The Nature of Reality One theory sees other planes as wellsprings of elemental essences and morality that underpin reality. The elemental energies mingle to create the diverse physical form of the realms material, and the balance of moral energies ensure that free will is innate to the mortals native to the Material Plane. No shortage of theories disagree. Some think other planes are simply places like any other, and that they exert no sway on reality. Others claim the planes are actually created by mortals and their beliefs, and that there was no Hell before there were people to consider the nature of evil, no Plane of Earth until there were mortal minds to think of rocks as being distinct from water. This may seem a distinction without a difference, but it has ramifications for the meaning of life and the purpose of existence. Perhaps mortals are fairly inconsequential relative to the vast scale of the planes, their actions drowned out by forces far greater than them —yet if the planes are shaped by belief, then a person with the right idea can remake the multiverse.
35 • Looking over the hillside at the horde of raiders, the fighter motions for his orc companion to pass over an enlarging elixir. If the warlord was by herself it wouldn’t be necessary, but she knows the party is about to face too many enemies for an easy battle. • The gnome’s good ear perks up as a dripping sound softly echoes around the room. She notices the sound is muted and it saves the rogue’s life—she jumps backwards as the chest, chairs, and bed before her reveal snapping jaws! • The herald confidently jumps over the marked floorstone and ahead of their companion’s torchlight, enveloped by the darkness ahead. A moment later they feel a strange warmth on their feet, crying out in pain as they realize green slime is eating through their boots! Campaigns in Level Up have three basic kinds of encounters (combat, exploration, social) that are largely concerned with other sections of this book, but the thinking behind how to construct them and their purpose in a game are detailed in this chapter. Whether the party are up against monsters or an unlikely obstacle, there are more than two dozen encounter elements to introduce onto the field of battle, in a dungeon, or on the countryside—ranging from green slime to lava and yellow mold — to offer a greater, more exciting challenge or to put an unlikely twist on something the adventurers think they know how to handle. CHAPTER 3 Encounter Design
Trials & Treasures 36 Designing Encounters Whether the party spends the night cavorting in the tavern, forging ahead through a furious storm, or subduing a camp of bandits they are having encounters. Each game session should be a mixture of three basic kinds of roleplaying that represent the pillars of Level Up: exploration encounters, social encounters, and of course combat encounters. Exploration Encounters Exploration entails traveling from one location to another and overcoming whatever challenges the world throws at the adventurers. These are primarily encapsulated by Exploration Challenges (detailed in Chapter 5: Exploration Challenges) and includes dozens of different scenarios which provide exciting and engaging obstacles provided by nature or circ*mstance. Dungeons. What constitutes a dungeon can vary widely— adventurers may be trekking through catacombs and crypts, navigating a labyrinth of subterranean tunnels, or making their way through the body of a creature as big as a kingdom — but so long as there’s a floor beneath their feet, walls around them, and a ceiling overhead with danger lurking around each corner they’re exploring. Planar Travel. When a campaign gets the party beyond the realms material and into other dimensions they’ll encounter unfamiliar flora and fauna, denizens they may not even recognize as sentient beings, and wonders they’ll never forget. These journeys can be especially perilous and the powerful magic usually required for them will take adventurers far from their homes, but inspire tales that are retold for centuries. Urban. Whether wandering through a village, making their way across the bustling streets of a metropolis, or sneaking in the sewers beneath a city there’s plenty of exploration for adventurers to engage in wherever civilization clusters. Settlements are also the primary places where social encounters occur, but can offer a number of challenges and obstacles that require more to be done than what a bit of sly talk can accomplish. Wilderness. Most exploration roleplay happens between other types of encounters as the party makes their way through the world, whether by air, land, or sea. The weather and other obstacles that nature puts in the way of the adventurers depends on the regions they are journeying through, and some places can prove to be just as lethal as any dragon or fiend. Social Encounters The most roleplay-intensive part of campaigns occurs between journeys and initiative checks in the halls of royalty, courts of import, amid the market, and in the streets of settlements. Whenever the adventurers are interacting nonviolently with NPCs (or maybe sometimes just a little bit violently) they are having some kind of social encounter. There are more kinds of social encounters than any other type of encounter, but they all generally serve a few different purposes. Combining Combat Encounters and Exploration Challenges When battle breaks out in the middle of an exploration challenge as long as one complicates the other, to calculate the encounter CR add the challenge rating of each together just like multiple monsters. For example, if goblins attack the party while they’re crossing a rope bridge the encounter is complicated and increases the encounter CR, but if they can do the fight before dealing with the rope bridge each is treated as a separate encounter. Likewise, a party dealing with counterfeit goods that they’re using as armor or weapons has complicated combat encounters, but not if the counterfeit goods are jewelry or other items that have no impact on a battle.
Chapter 3: Encounter Design 37 Coerce. A fundamental reason for the party to interact socially with NPCs is because they want something—maybe it’s help with a monster, or some information, or permission into protected territory, or one of a thousand other reasons. The primary means of coercing others will be their actual roleplaying (what the adventurers say and do), and at the GM’s discretion the use of social skills like Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion. This isn’t to suggest that other skills (like Arcana, Culture, History and so on) don’t have a role here, but unless it’s a specific situation (such as distracting a fellow mage, an aristocrat, or an historian) they are not the primary means of achieving what the party is after. Develop. One of the most rewarding things about roleplaying is defining and learning who the characters in the game are! Every social encounter is an opportunity for players to make it clear who their adventurer is, what they’re about, and to discover how they are changed by the world around them and the conflicts they’ve endured. When returning from a year on the road where they’ve slayed a dragon and saved a kingdom, how do the adventurers view their quaint hometown? What are the reactions of their friends and family? These interactions are vital in making a group feel like they have a stake in what’s going on in the campaign, and can provide narrative resources that might become powerful motivators for other important factors in the game. Challenge Rating The difficulty of a fight against a monster, besting an exploration challenge, or overcoming an encounter element (page 46) in either is measured by challenge rating, or CR. A challenge rating helps guide the Narrator in choosing appropriate challenges for a group of adventurers and denotes the amount of experience points to be rewarded afterward. TABLE: CHALLENGE RATINGS AND EXPERIENCE POINTS CHALLENGE RATING EXPERIENCE POINTS 0 0 or 10 1/8 25 1/4 50 1/2 100 1 200 2 450 3 700 4 1,100 5 1,800 6 2,300 7 2,900 8 3,900 9 5,000 10 5,900 11 7,200 12 8,400 13 10,000 14 11,500 15 13,000 16 15,000 17 18,000 18 20,000 19 22,000 20 25,000 21 33,000 22 41,000 23 50,000 24 62,000 25 75,000 26 90,000 27 105,000 28 120,000
Trials & Treasures 38 Entertain. Of course sometimes a night in the tavern is just a night in the tavern and there’s nothing wrong with having fun. Social encounters don’t always have to have hidden motives or intended goals, and giving players the opportunity to simply exist in the campaign gives the experience a certain sense of realism. There are other stories being woven around them, not every conflict bears an imminent threat, and even for adventurers there can be pleasant lulls between lethal battles and deadly dungeon delves. This can also be a handy thing for the Narrator to keep in mind —when the material they’ve prepared has run its course and there’s still an hour of gaming left to do, a social encounter with no aim but to entertain is a good way to finish out a session without having to rely on too much improvisation. Inform. Probably the most likely reason for social encounters is to provide information to the players. This information could be elements of a campaign’s story, or an investigation with clues and leads, or surprising revelations in the royal court, or a great many other things. The important thing is that the social encounter conveys the information to the party (a royal proclamation for example) or gives them access to it (finding a secretive note on their tavern seat left there by an unknown person). Occlude. Just as there are times when the adventurers are trying to convince someone to do something, there are occasions where adventurers will need to act so that someone does not do something by concealing important information (thus removing the impetus to act). Typically this is a matter of Deception but might also be a Stealth check or opposed Investigation check to hide a crucial report amongst easily disregarded forms, using calligrapher’s supplies to forge a document and Sleight of Hand to put it into an official’s satchel, or making a perfect replica of a noble’s prized statuette using mason’s tool’s and then Persuasion to convince them it’s the original. For some examples and suggested social encounters, refer to Table: Random Social Encounters on page @@. Combat Encounters There are two main ways to build a combat scene: Challenge-Based Encounter. The Narrator may set out to prepare a fun, challenging combat encounter and chooses opponents accordingly. A set-piece battle in an important dungeon room or the climactic battle in a story arc are often built to challenge the adventurers. Story-Based Encounter. Often the story and player actions determine the nature of a conflict. If adventurers antagonize the city watch they may have to fight guards, and if they anger an archmage they may be forced to battle the archmage. There’s no guarantee that a fight is winnable: the party must deal with the consequences of their choices. In either case, the Narrator will want to know whether a fight is likely to be trivial, unwinnable, or somewhere in between. In a challenge-based encounter, the Narrator wants to aim for a middle ground of difficulty. In a story-based encounter, the Narrator may want to signal to the adventurers when they’re about to bite off more than they can chew. It’s rarely fun when a crushing defeat or an easy victory is a surprise to everyone (including the Narrator). To determine the likely challenge posed by a battle, compare its combat encounter difficulty and its maximum monster CR to the party’s capabilities. Combat Encounter Difficulty Combat encounter difficulty is evaluated by comparing the encounter CR (the total CR of all opponents) to the total party level. The ratio of these two numbers determines the challenge presented by the matchup. Allies. If the adventurers have monster or NPC allies, add their CR × 3 to the total party level. Elites. When calculating the encounter CR, double the CR of elite monsters. Encounter challenge ratings are flexible and can allow for many different types of battles. For instance, a CR 10 encounter could consist of one CR 10 monster, two CR 5 monsters, one CR 5 leader with five CR 1 minions, and so on. Here’s how adventurers stack up against monsters:
Chapter 3: Encounter Design 39 Easy Matchup • A battle in which the encounter CR approximately equals 1/6th the total party level. • A fight which isn’t in doubt that drains little or no resources from the party. • An easy battle is an appropriate challenge for a Tier 1 party, which can probably handle three or four such encounters before needing a long rest. Higher-level parties can face many easy battles in a row. Medium Matchup • A battle in which the encounter CR approximately equals 1/3rd the total party level. • A fight which isn’t in doubt but may cost the adventurers a few spells or healing resources. • Between long rests, the party can probably fight at most two such battles per tier (2 medium fights at 1st level, 8 medium fights at 17th level). Hard Matchup • A battle in which the encounter CR approximately equals 1/2 the total party level. • A fight in which the adventurers must spend significant resources to triumph. Losing is possible but the odds are on the party’s side. • Between long rests, the party can probably face 1 such battle per tier (1 hard fight at 1st level, 4 hard fights at 17th level). • For a Tier 1 party, a hard battle can easily prove to be deadly. Deadly Matchup • A battle in which the encounter CR approximately equals 2/3rd the total party level. • A fight in which winning and losing are both possible. The party must spend its best resources. • A well-rested party of at least 5th level can handle 1 such battle. • Tier 1 parties should rarely if ever face deadly battles. Impossible Matchup • A battle in which the encounter CR equals or exceeds total party level. • A fight which is almost certain to result in the adventurers losing. • A high level party of optimized adventurers might be able to routinely win some battles which are rated as impossible. Low Level Adventurers and Low CR Monsters Tier 1 adventurers, especially at 1st and 2nd level, are not extremely tough yet. They have very few hit points and spell slots, as well as limited access to area attacks. A low level party can be easily swamped by large numbers of low CR monsters. When determining encounter CR for Tier 1 adventurers, treat any monster with a CR below 1 as if its CR were one step higher. Thus a CR 0 monster is effectively a CR 1/8 monster when calculating encounter CR, a CR 1/2 monster is effectively a CR 1 monster, and so on. For example, a group of three 1st level adventurers (total character level 3) against two goblins (effective CR 1/2 each, encounter CR 1) is a medium challenge. For a short, easy-to-remember summary of these rules, judge a potential encounter by asking the following questions: • Is the total Challenge Rating of all the monsters close to half the total party level? If so, the combat encounter will be hard. If the total CR is lower than this, the battle will be easier; as the CR gets higher, the battle gets harder. If the total CR equals or exceeds the total party level, the combat may be impossible to win! • Are there any monsters with a CR 50% higher than the average character level? If so, the battle may be deadlier than anticipated. • Are the adventurers level 4 or lower? Keep battles on the easier side, especially against many foes! For low-level adventurers, a few unlucky die rolls can turn a possible battle into an impossible one.
Trials & Treasures 40 TABLE: TIER 1 EFFECTIVE ENCOUNTER CR ACTUAL MONSTER CR EFFECTIVE CR 0 1/8 1/8 1/4 1/4 1/2 1/2 1 Party Optimization The Combat Encounter Difficulty guidelines assume a party with a standard amount of magical treasure, a healthy but not overwhelming interest in tactics, and a balanced composition of classes that includes a spellcaster or two. If adventurers are more interested in story immersion and character than in combat, or they possess fewer magic items than usual, then they may prefer mostly easy matchups with a few medium ones thrown in. Similarly, some party compositions, like an all-rogue party, are best suited for easy combat challenges and difficult exploration and social encounters. If a party is composed of highly experienced players looking for a combat challenge, and they’re playing optimized adventurers of 5th level or higher, the players may relish frequent hard and deadly matchups. They may even want to try their hands at impossible matchups. Similarly, battles can be made more difficult in a campaign rich with magical treasure. Maximum Monster CR An encounter’s maximum monster CR is the challenge rating of the single toughest opponent in the encounter. Adventurers are rarely able to fight a satisfying battle against a monster with a CR that’s much higher than a single adventurer’s level. Such a monster has a high chance of dropping an adventurer from full health to 0 hit points in a single hit, and its defenses and saving throw DCs may make it more deadly than expected. Even if a battle looks possible when comparing the total character level and encounter CR, it is an impossible matchup if the maximum monster CR is higher than 1.5 × the average character level. For example, nine 5th level adventurers (total character level 45) have a total character level equalling three times the challenge rating of an adult green dragon (CR 15), suggesting a medium matchup. However a single blast of the dragon’s breath could potentially drop all 9 adventurers! Any number of 5th level adventurers will have a hard time with a monster of CR 8 or higher. Example Combat Challenges • Two CR 1/2 worgs (encounter CR 2) are a hard matchup for four or five 1st level adventurers (because the Tier 1 rule rounds up each worg to CR 1). An ogre (also encounter CR 2) is an impossible matchup for this same party, since its CR is above their maximum monster CR. • A demilich (CR 18) is a medium battle for four 14th level adventurers. This same party will face deadly peril against the Skull of Medon, an elite CR 18 demilich.
Chapter 3: Encounter Design 41 TABLE: ENCOUNTER CR FOR DIFFERENT PARTY SIZES CHARACTER LEVEL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH 5TH 6TH 7TH 8TH 9TH 10TH 11TH 12TH 13TH 14TH 15TH 16TH 17TH 18TH 19TH 20TH Maximum Monster CR 1 3 4 6 7 9 10 12 13 15 16 18 19 21 22 24 25 27 28 30 Easy battle for 2 adventurers 1/4 1/2 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 Medium battle for 2 1/2 1 2 3 3 4 5 5 6 7 7 8 9 9 10 11 11 12 13 13 Hard battle for 2 3/4 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Deadly battle for 2 1 3 4 5 7 8 9 11 12 13 15 16 17 18 20 21 22 24 25 26 Easy battle for 3 adventurers 1/2 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 Medium battle for 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Hard battle for 3 1 1/2 3 5 6 8 9 11 12 14 15 17 18 20 21 23 24 26 27 29 30 Deadly battle for 3 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 Easy battle for 4 adventurers 3/4 1 2 3 3 4 4 5 6 6 7 8 8 9 10 10 11 12 12 13 Medium battle for 4 1 3 4 5 7 8 9 11 12 13 15 16 17 18 20 21 22 24 25 26 Hard battle for 4 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 Deadly battle for 4 3 5 8 11 13 16 18 21 24 26 29 32 34 37 40 42 45 48 50 53 Easy battle for 5 adventurers 1 2 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 10 11 12 13 14 14 15 16 Medium battle for 5 1 1/2 3 5 7 8 10 12 13 15 17 18 20 21 23 25 26 28 30 31 33 Hard battle for 5 2 5 8 10 13 15 18 20 23 25 28 30 33 35 38 40 43 45 48 50 Deadly battle for 5 3 7 10 13 17 20 23 26 30 33 36 40 43 46 50 53 56 59 63 66 Easy battle for 6+ adventurers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Medium battle for 6+ 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 Hard battle for 6+ 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 Deadly battle for 6+ 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 51 55 59 63 67 71 75 80
Trials & Treasures 42 Using Elite Monsters An elite monster is a powerful opponent designed to provide a tough challenge to a large group of players. Often, an elite monster is a variant of another monster: a leader, champion, or even a named individual. For example, Belethias, Commander of the First is an elite pit fiend. An elite monster has approximately twice the hit points and deals around 50% more damage than a normal monster of its CR—and it usually becomes more dangerous as the battle goes on. An elite monster poses the same challenge as two non-elite monsters of its challenge rating. For example, the tarrasque (an elite CR 30 monster) is as dangerous as two normal CR 30 monsters. It should provide an epic fight for four or five well-optimized adventurers of 20th level, or a hard fight for six or seven 20th level adventurers. When determining encounter CR, double the challenge rating of an elite monster (for instance, an encounter featuring the elite CR 30 tarrasque has an encounter CR of 60). However, elite monsters have attacks, defenses, and saving throw DCs that make them suitable opponents for lower level adventurers. When determining the maximum monster CR of an encounter, use its actual CR (thus, the maximum monster CR of a tarrasque encounter is 30, so it’s an appropriate encounter for 20th level adventurers). Using Legendary Monsters A legendary monster is designed to be an interesting combatant for multiple adventurers. With up to 3 legendary actions, and possibly extra bonus actions and reactions as well, it has the extra turns it needs to keep up with as many as three adventurers.
Chapter 3: Encounter Design 43 As with any other monster, a legendary monster is at its best when its CR is, at most, 1.5 × the average character level. A maximally tough legendary monster like this is a hard matchup for 3 adventurers, a medium matchup for 4 adventurers, and will probably be easy for 5 or more adventurers. When designing a climactic, set-piece battle against a legendary monster, make sure to provide it some allies or minions if it’s facing 4 or more adventurers. The Adventuring Day As a rule of thumb for how many battles a party can likely handle before it needs a long rest, use a daily budget of encounter points. • A party at Tier 0 (1st–2nd level) has 1 encounter point. • A party at Tier 1 (3rd–4th level) has 2 encounter points • A party at Tier 2 (5th–10th level) has 4 encounter points. • A party at Tier 3 (11th–16th level) has 6 encounter points. • A party at Tier 4 (17th–20th level) has 8 encounter points For each encounter point it possesses, a party can face one medium encounter before needing a rest. An easy battle costs half an encounter point. A hard battle costs 2 encounter points. A deadly battle costs 4 encounter points. A low level party can face four easy battles or two medium battles before needing a long rest, and a single hard battle could drain them of resources. A high level party could expect to win through a deadly battle and still have resources to spare, though a second deadly battle might put them in a perilous situation. This encounter budget is an estimate, and is superseded by the Narrator’s experience with a particular gaming group — some adventurers may not have the resources to meet these benchmarks, and some may blow past them. There’s no rule that says that a party needs to fight a certain number of encounters before bedtime, and the pacing of the adventuring day should be based on the desires of the players and the needs of the story. Combat Encounter Types One of the ways to keep combat fresh is to vary the types of battles that the players face. If a game session includes multiple combats their difficulty should be varied. A steady diet of hard encounters can be exhausting for adventurers so a few medium or easy battles should be included if the story allows for it. The composition of battles can vary too. Some class features and attacks (like a rogue’s Sneak Attack) are very effective against a single monster, while others (like a wizard’s fireball) shine against large groups. Varied encounter composition gives everyone a turn in the spotlight and, conversely, forces everyone to improvise when their go-to moves aren’t optimal. Here are some typical combat encounter compositions. Solo Fight. Sometimes the story dictates that the players battle a single enemy, such as a dragon. It’s possible to make this a challenging and satisfying battle, though the opponent is starting off at a disadvantage —no matter how much damage a normal monster dishes out, it’s limited by the number of turns it can take compared to a party of heroes. Legendary and especially elite monsters make the best solo opponents. A legendary monster with a challenge rating equal to or 50% higher than average party level can provide a medium to hard battle against three or four adventurers. For a larger party, an elite monster of this challenge rating is required to provide the same challenge. For example, an elite great wyrm green dragon (equivalent to two CR 22 monsters of) could be a hard fight for five 17th level adventurers. Boss and Minions. If circ*mstances require a big showdown with a single tough opponent, it often makes a lot of sense for this tough enemy to be accompanied by lesser monsters. An archmage or a powerful demon will never let itself be caught alone. A tough monster with a CR equal to the average party level can keep two or three adventurers busy. For each additional adventurer, add monsters with a CR of 1/3 the adventurer’s level.
Trials & Treasures 44 For example, a vampire (CR 10) with two vampire spawn (CR 4 each) would be a hard to medium fight for four or five 10th level adventurers. Commander and Troops. This is similar to a boss and minions battle, but the troops (not the commander) make up the bulk of the challenge. The commander may provide boosts to its allies. A monster with a CR of up to 1/2 the average party level can match one adventurer. Each additional adventurer can handle two monsters with a CR up to 1/4 their level each. For example, a boggard sovereign (CR 3) and four boggard bravos (CR 1/2 each) are a medium encounter for three 6th level adventurers. Team vs. Team. In this type of battle the numbers of adventurers and monsters are roughly equal. Depending on the desired level of difficulty, the CR of the opposition could be between 1/3 and 1/2 average party level. For example, a 10th level party of three to five adventurers can handle four elementals (CR 5 each), although the fight would be dangerous for only a trio of adventurers. Horde. Sometimes a party finds itself wading through an army of lowly mooks. This kind of battle will be very easy for adventurers with access to area attack spells like fireball. On the other hand, it might overwhelm a party of rogues or other adventurers that specialize in damaging a single enemy. Depending on its composition, a party might be able to deal with a force up to five times its size as long as the total CR of all enemies isn’t higher than half the total party level (remember that for Tier 1 adventurers, fractional CRs are doubled!) For example, four 5th level adventurers are in good stead to defeat 20 hobgoblins (CR ½ each). If the party has two spellcasters, it’s likely they wipe the floor with the hobgoblins. If the party has only melee combatants like rogues or fighters however, they might have a tough time or even be overwhelmed. Combat Encounter Complications There are many ways to vary combat encounters other than altering the number of combatants. Unique details of terrain, goals, and enemy strategies create story, add vividness, and unlock tactical options. Alternate Goals. When an encounter isn’t a battle of attrition, the outcome is determined more by story and circ*mstance than by encounter guidelines and challenge rating. In a fight featuring a complex trap or other goal, the party is trying to perform some noncombat task while surviving an enemy onslaught. For example, half of a party might be trying to protect the other half as they disarm a trap, or the party might be trying to survive long enough to convince their attackers that they come in peace. Two sides might be racing to reach the same objective — perhaps a magic jewel across the room, or an NPC on the other side of a city—while attacking and sabotaging each other. The party might be trying to steal something from their enemy, or guard an object from theft: a well-executed plan might avoid bloodshed altogether. Plenty of adventurers might desire a dragon’s treasure but have no stomach to fight the dragon itself! Ranged Attackers. Ranged attackers, like archers and spellcasters, do best when they’re difficult to reach. Intelligent ranged attackers will arrange to fight behind a barrier, such as a wall or a melee bodyguard. If behind a wall or on a high ledge, bow-armed goblins can fight well above their weight class. The success of ranged opponents depends on party composition. Kobold slingers give melee fighters fits, but aren’t much good against bow-wielding rangers and spellcasting wizards. Shifting Alliances. Instead of two, a battle might be composed of three or more factions. The two weakest sides might form a temporary alliance in order to prevent the stronger side from reaching victory—but betrayal is likely. For example, the party and one of their old adversaries might band together to battle a demonic invasion, finishing their vendetta afterward.
Chapter 3: Encounter Design 45 Terrain and Hazards. Every conflict is set somewhere, and a vividly described location enhances a scene on a visceral and tactical level. A battlefield with high ground, obstacles, and difficult terrain allows both sides to seek advantage. Usable objects beg adventurers to interact with them. A boiling cauldron will inevitably be spilled, and a feasting table will probably be climbed on or tipped over. Choke points like doors are tactically useful— so much so that they can come to dominate a battle, causing gridlock. When there’s a strategically important choke point like a door, it can be good to add an alternate route so that clever attackers can outflank defenders. As choke points go, bridges can be more fun than doors (creatures can be pushed off bridges). Hazards like steep cliffs and lava pools can be treated like a combatant, boosting the encounter CR of the fight. See Encounter Elements on page 46 for common combat hazards like frigid water, lava, and yellow mold. Waves. When reinforcements appear halfway through a fight the overall combat is easier than if both groups had appeared together, but harder than two successive battles with a chance to rest in between. This technique can be used to calibrate the difficulty of a battle and to increase tension as the fight goes on. A second group might notice and respond to a conflict, or it might be scheduled to arrive as part of a regular patrol. Possibly an enemy rings an alarm bell or runs to call for reinforcements, and the second wave doesn’t arrive if the messenger is stopped. Failure in a Combat Encounter When preparing a combat encounter— especially a challenging one —it helps to consider what failure might look like. Not every battle is a fight to the death with no quarter given, and while failure may lead to consequences and further difficulties for the adventurers, it doesn’t need to be bad news for the players. They’re playing Level Up because they want to overcome difficulties. The Narrator probably has an idea of what will occur if the adventurers are triumphant in a battle. But if the adventurers lose, what happens next? • Do the adventurers escape but suffer a plot setback? What does that look like? If the party is pursuing an important item, it might mean that their enemies obtain it instead. A mission to retrieve it—perhaps a heist—could be a fun followup adventure. • Does the plot change course? Perhaps a party’s ship is attacked by pirates. On a failure, the adventurers might find themselves chained to oars in the pirate galley, and the next session’s mission is to escape and recover their equipment from the captain’s cabin. • Are the stakes heightened? A failure may advance a villain’s plans, bringing the world one step closer to a cataclysmic event. Perhaps it results in danger to a valued NPC ally. A combat failure might give the adventurers a glimpse at what’s at risk, propelling the campaign towards a more dramatic finale. • Are the adventurers killed? Death does happen. If the plot demands it, failure might result in death for an adventurer or even a dreaded total party kill. However, if a battle will be difficult and failure will result in death, make sure the players are aware of the stakes beforehand. Give them a choice about whether and when to engage in the battle. Unless everyone is on board, it’s unwise to stake the future of a campaign on a battle that’s unavoidable, deadly, and difficult to win. Elite Monsters and Failure A battle against an elite monster can be one of the riskiest and most taxing combat challenges in Level Up. In such a battle, consider alternatives to total victory or crushing defeat. If a party manages to reduce an elite monster to half its hit points, they’ve already done very well. They’ve dealt enough damage to defeat a normal monster of its type. Their reward, of course, is that the monster starts hitting twice as hard. The battle becomes more dangerous just when the party may have used up its best resources—which heightens the tension, and not coincidentally, the danger of the encounter.
Trials & Treasures 46 When adventurers are down to their last few hit points and spells, and an elite monster is bloodied but not beaten, consider whether the monster really wants to fight to the death. An intelligent creature may be ready to retreat or be amenable to a truce, perhaps even offering treasure if the party will leave it alone. After all, it’s been beaten half to death itself and it could probably use a rest! The adventurers may have earned its grudging respect, and it might want them alive as captives or even allies. There are many ways that a valiant but unsuccessful battle against an elite monster can lead to a partial victory. Encounter Elements The world can be a dangerous place and the environment might pose a deadly threat all by itself. In addition to their inherent danger, encounter elements offer ways to enhance the perils of exploration challenges or combat to make both more satisfying. A duel atop a bridge or traversing a narrow crossing is all the more exciting when deadly lava runs below rather than rushing water, and a hallway fight or dungeon trap with a plethora of green slime is a different kind of challenge altogether! Acid A creature that touches acid takes 5 (2d4) acid damage. When a creature first enters into an area of acid or starts its turn there, it takes 10 (4d4) ongoing acid damage. A creature submerged in acid takes 25 (10d4) ongoing acid damage. This damage persists for 3 rounds after the creature leaves the acid. A creature ends all ongoing damage from mundane acid by using its action to wipe away the corrosive liquid. Brown Mold Brown mold subsists on heat, drawing away warmth from the environment and creatures around it. Most patches of brown mold have only a 10-foot radius, but the temperature in a 30-foot radius around it is unnaturally cold. When a creature moves within 5 feet of the brown mold for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it makes a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, Challenge Rating Increase The challenge rating of a combat encounter or exploration challenge can be increased when an encounter element is included so long as it poses an active threat— a cage match near a volcanic pit is more dramatic, but no more dangerous than usual. TABLE: ENCOUNTER ELEMENT CHALLENGE RATINGS ENCOUNTER ELEMENT CR INCREASE Acid +2 Brown mold +2 Crowd +1 Darkness +½ Dense smoke +1 Extreme cold +1 Extreme heat +1 Falling +1 per 30 feet (maximum +4) Fire +2 Frigid water +1 Green slime +1 Heavy precipitation +½ High gravity +2 Lava +4 Low gravity –1 Magnetized ore +½ Memory crystals +½ Miring Ground +3 Poisonous plants +1 Rushing liquid +2 Strong winds +½ Underwater +1 Vacuum +3 Webs +½ Yellow mold +2
Chapter 3: Encounter Design 47 taking 22 (4d10) cold damage on a failure, or half damage on a success. Brown mold is not only immune to fire damage but rapidly grows when exposed to flames. When any source of fire — the effects of a spell like fire bolt, a lit torch, and so on—happens within 5 feet of a patch of brown mold, the brown mold rapidly expands to surround it in a 10-foot radius. However, any amount of cold damage instantly destroys a patch of brown mold. Crowd Throngs of humanoids are difficult terrain, and a creature surrounded by a crowd has disadvantage on hearing- and sight-based checks to perceive outside of it. In addition, making attacks in a crowd risks collateral damage and the wrath of the throng. When a creature attacks from within a crowd or attacks a target within a crowd, on a miss by 10 or more the attack hits a crowd member and the creature makes a Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion check (DC 13 + 2 per previous check) to convince the crowd not to attack it. On a failure, the crowd transforms into a commoner mob and attacks, fighting until the creature is reduced to 0 hit points or the commoner mob is bloodied. Darkness Darkness comes in two varieties: magical and nonmagical. In nonmagical darkness, creatures with darkvision can see out to the range specified by that trait as if it were dim light. In magical darkness, all vision is blocked. Creatures without darkvision cannot see in mundane or magical darkness. In addition, a frightened creature unable to see because of magical darkness is rattled. Dense Smoke Creatures and objects in an area of dense smoke are heavily obscured. When a creature that needs to breathe starts its turn in an area of dense smoke, if it is not holding its breath it makes a Constitution saving throw (DC 10 + 1 per round previous turn in the dense smoke, maximum DC 20) or it begins to suffocate (see Chapter 7: Adventuring, in the Adventurer’s Handbook). A creature that covers its mouth and nose with a damp cloth has advantage on this save. Finally, smell-based checks to perceive or track creatures that have spent more than 1 round in an area of dense smoke have advantage until the creature finishes a long rest or takes at least 10 minutes to clean the smoke from itself. Extreme Cold At the end of every hour a creature is exposed to temperatures at or below 0° Fahrenheit (–18° Celsius), it makes a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or suffers a level of fatigue. Resistance to cold damage, immunity to cold damage, or wearing cold weather gear grants an automatic success on this save. Creatures native to an extreme cold environment also automatically succeed on their saving throw. Saving throws made against effects or spells that deal cold damage have disadvantage.
Trials & Treasures 48 Extreme Heat At the end of every hour a creature is exposed to temperatures at or above 100° Fahrenheit (38° Celsius), it makes a Constitution saving throw (DC 4 + 1 per hour spent in extreme heat) or suffers a level of fatigue. Resistance to fire damage, immunity to fire damage, or keeping a light pack (less than half carrying capacity) grants an automatic success on this save, whereas a creature wearing medium armor, heavy armor, or heavy clothing has disadvantage. Creatures native to an extreme heat environment also automatically succeed on their saving throw. Saving throws made against effects or spells that deal fire damage have disadvantage. Falling The quickest way to severe harm (or even death) is from falling. Whether from a rooftop, cliff’s edge, treetop, or flying mount, falling can deal a devastating amount of damage. When a creature falls, it takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it falls (maximum 20d6) and lands prone. A creature that falls into water takes half damage, or no damage if it dives with a successful Athletics check (DC equal to the distance it falls divided by 5). Fire An area of fire sheds bright light to 10 feet beyond its edges and dim light an additional 10 feet. A creature that touches fire takes 7 (2d6) ongoing fire damage. A creature may end ongoing damage from mundane fire by spending an action to extinguish the flames. Smoke and heat shimmer lightly obscure anything within or on the other side of an area of fire. Frigid Water After being in frigid water for a number of minutes equal to its Constitution score, a creature makes a DC 10 Constitution saving throw at the end of each minute or it suffers a level of fatigue. Resistance or immunity to cold damage grants an automatic success on this save. Creatures native to an extreme cold environment also automatically succeed on their saving throw. Green Slime This sticky, vibrantly green, slopping slime clings to and mercilessly eats away at flesh, plants, and even metal. Green slime covers a 5-foot square area or larger, though rarely greater in size than a 20-foot radius. Although it is alive and able to sense with blindsight to a range of 30 feet, green slime has no Intelligence or other ability scores. When green slime senses movement underneath it, it drops towards the ground. A creature in the green slime’s area makes a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw, becoming slimed on a failure. A slimed creature takes 5 (1d10) ongoing acid damage until the green slime is scraped off with an action. Green slime is destroyed by sunlight, any feature, spell, or trait that cures disease, or any amount of cold, fire, or radiant damage. Wood or metal exposed to green slime instead takes 11 (2d10) acid damage. Heavy Precipitation Heavy snowfall makes an area lightly obscured, and Perception checks relying on sight are made with disadvantage. Heavy rain has the same effects, also affecting Perception checks that rely on hearing and extinguishing any open flames. High Gravity The ranges of ranged weapons are halved, as are all jump distances. When a creature makes its first attack in a round using a weapon that does not have the dual-wielding property, it makes a DC 12 Athletics check or subtracts 1d4 from its attack rolls for 1 round. Falling damage is treated as twice the distance in the area and there is no maximum amount of damage that can be taken from a fall. For every hour spent in the area, a creature not acclimated to it makes a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + the number of hours spent in the area) or gain a level of fatigue (maximum 4 levels of fatigue).
