Talk:Catacombs of the Cold Legion (5e Quest)

Marasmusine, since you are a master in almost everything in D&D (no sarcasm) :D. I have some questions:

• What does a D&D Quest or a Campaign need to have?
• Should i make it a linear path Quest or a one with multiple options and choices?
• Does the Quest or Campaign have to be all about combat in most of the time or just doing things wandering of?
• Do you think that if the story started then it stop for a time then you finish it after some years then it stop again and start some years later then it end?

Example: You hunt a man then few years later you meet him later and he run till some years later before you meet him later for the last time.

I am planing to make it based on a story so it is going to be mostly watching characters talk and the PC interacting with them. Azernath (talk) 23:21, 22 January 2015 (MST)

There's lots of great information on making quests and campaigns in the Dungeon Master's Guide, but here are my personal answers:

• The bare minimum for a quest should be: 1) What do the party have to do, 2) What challenges will they face, 3) What are the consequences for failure, 4) What is the reward for success. You can optionally add some context such as information about the surrounding lands, history and people, but personally I prefer quests without these specifics as it makes it easier to drop into my game.
• A campaign needs: 1) An interesting hook, something that distinguishes it from a vanilla D&D campaign (I've seen lots of campaigns here that just seem to be the usual tolkeinesque world, quite boring). 2) Information on the history, land, people and organizations of the campaign area. This doesn't have to be a whole world, it could be as focused as just one city or region. 3) How do the races and classes fit into the campaign. 4) How does magic and divinity work (e.g. what is the pantheon) if it is different from vanilla. 5) Story hooks - in what ways can an adventuring group come together? Who can they work for? Give some adventure ideas. (Many campaigns here miss this step, and to me missing it makes a campaign almost unusable). And new to 5e: 6) New character backgrounds specific for your campaign.
• A quest can be linear or have choices. Players will usually appreciate having to make choices. This could simply be deciding which entrance to the dungeon to use, or it could be complex like being forced into a moral quandary. My favourite linear quest is from an old GM magazine in which the party have to deliver a shipment of illegal moonshine from one town to another. They encounter things along the road in a linear fashion, simple but effective.
• Your start/stop/start story sounds like something that can be worked into your long-term campaign (and call-backs are something that I think will naturally fall into any long running game). Marasmusine (talk) 01:49, 23 January 2015 (MST)

Great, but do you know a good way to make a good Dungeon or a manor using a Dungeon Builder or something? Azernath (talk) 20:00, 23 January 2015 (MST)

Seems this has been dead for 2.5 years, but reading through it I have a thought for room 30, which also provides a decent hook for the adventure: In room 30 is a small portal to an elemental plane of ice which has been opened and kept open through some sort of magic. This opening provides the refrigeration for the entire dungeon, and has spread throughout the entire region. In a temperate zone, this chilling effect has blighted the nearby farms and killed the trees in the nearby forest. This has affected farming, logging, and several industries. At some point, the locals will want to find a way to rid themselves of the problem, but they are ill-equipped to do so on their own. With the appropriate tools or spells, the portal can be closed, ending the freezing effect forever. - Sligo

That's a good alternative. Thanks for reading through it :) Marasmusine (talk) 09:35, 12 May 2018 (MDT)

Test Play

I need something in 4 hours and I think I am going to try to use this. It looks thorough and well laid out. Great job and I'll let you know how the party does.   ~BigShotFancyMan   talk   08:02, 14 July 2019 (MDT)

room 7 can be quite difficult after 48 hours. I think a slinger posed a decent threat to my level 2/3 party of four. In my story they wasted time and everything is thawed and they are uber scared to go near room 7. Red Leg Leo (talk) 21:56, 4 February 2020 (MST)

Featured Article Nomination

This article is a current featured article nominee as of 07:23, 25 November 2019 (MST). Featured articles exemplify D&D Wiki's very best work, and therefore must meet the featured article criteria. Please become engaged in this process and support, oppose, and leave comments as to this page's featured article nomination (engage!).

I just think this is a well written high standard for how quests should be written. Very thorough, has nice visuals and interesting mechanic, with compelling story.--Yanied (talk) 07:23, 25 November 2019 (MST)

Comment. I think a major plot hole is this is thawing, and once that many monsters are unthawed, this is no longer a task for this level of a party. Red Leg Leo (talk) 08:25, 16 April 2020 (MDT)

I tried to make the thawed prisoners more understandable, to the best of my understanding. --Green Dragon (talk) 13:15, 19 October 2020 (MDT)

Support. I like this quest. It fits well into any cold environment, and it fully completed. --Green Dragon (talk) 13:15, 19 October 2020 (MDT)

I, too, believe this is a well-written quest worthy of being a Featured Article. --IntellectMaster (talk) 22:34, 28 March 2021 (MDT)

Support. I believe this quest is interesting and well written, and the time limit of the thawing adds some much needed incentive for players to push onwards instead of taking their time. I do like the use of homebrew creatures as well, but am a bit unsure of what to do with them if this becomes a featured article. I believe they should be locked as well since they are completed pages and this page relies on them, but in the end we will just have to see.--Blobby383b (talk) 18:10, 31 October 2021 (MDT)

Support. I like it when a quest has a time limit.Sorcerer (talk) 21:37, 10 April 2023 (MDT)

Comment. I would like to see a main fight end up in the frozen pool. I am thinking of something like the Water Weird (4e Creature) (but for 5e) but a lava creature of some sort. Also an expanded description of the dwarves of Nalrim is important for the DM to integrate them into the campaign. --Green Dragon (talk) 12:35, 11 April 2023 (MDT)

Green Dragon, there already is a Water Weird in 5e.--Sorcerer (talk) 16:53, 11 April 2023 (MDT)

Integrating the dwarves with some lore sounds like a good idea. I'm wonder where that can go on the page. I personally always put that stuff before the actual dungeon...--Yanied (talk) 19:46, 11 April 2023 (MDT)