Lazy D&D Prep: Rime of the Frostmaiden Session 1 - Foaming Mugs

[@bassett_green]

An NPC interaction I made that went over really well after the party recovered the iron: A druid with her companion winter wolf interrupts their trip back. She thinks that the mining of Kelvin's Cairn is what has pissed off Auril, so she tells off the party thinking they are miners. Easy spot to reinforce the lore of the long winter, Auril, etc. Party has to convince her they are just recovering the goods or fight her.

[@euansmith3699]

Antlers 2: There's a Moose loose aboot the hoose. I think that, "Yeti tracks and a slaughtered Polar Bear" could have been more sinister and frightening for low level PCs.

[@kwith]

As someone who actually LIVES in Moose Jaw, it's funny to hear the city name said so often haha

[@emirhan3576]

I got a really busy year ahead of me, things are hard. I am planning to run this adventure on 1st of July 2022. I don't know why am I watching these videos now but they are really hypeing me up. You are great. I hope to reply to this comment a year later. Wish me luck!

[@SlyFlourish]

Good luck!!

[@JoshuaMeehan]

I was finally able to become a patron! Thanks for making it easier to run all these adventures!

[@SlyFlourish]

Thank you so much for your support!

[@notme1559]

I am starting a campaign tonight and have never been a good dm. This video has helped more than you know. Thank you sir.

[@SlyFlourish]

Awesome!!

[@herryoung]

Great content! I couldn’t have a cult of oral in my group, though, as the giggling would never end....if I run this, I’ll definitely rename the cult!

[@SlyFlourish]

Well, its Auril, but whatever. Cult of the Frostmaiden?

[@solarisdevorak]

The children of winter would also be a cool name

[@CritAcademy]

I'm foaming at the mouth. Some great shit bro!

[@SlyFlourish]

Thank you! Glad you dig it!

[@bassett_green]

5:20 re ghouls: yup, they aren't really much of a challenge. I'm running my Monday group through White Plume Mountain and there's a hallway that heats metal (forcing PCs to ditch armor). Even with that handicap, four level 5 PCs took down the eight ghouls that ambush on the other side before the the end of the second round. Low AC, low HP, and weak action economy.

[@SlyFlourish]

We could always give them two claw attacks to make them pretty nasty.

[@euansmith3699]

@@SlyFlourish Maybe have a two-claw-attack version for Elder Ghouls, and two-claws-and-a-bite for Ancient Ghouls. Hmmm... Dire Ghouls? Everything sounds more threatening with the word "dire" in front of it; like Dire Rear, nobody wants to deal with that.

[@AmineTilikete]

Heya! Thanks for this video series, I never managed to catch up on your Eberron campaign but I'm glad I can do it for this one. One question: how long is your Sunday session?

[@SlyFlourish]

Three hours

[@Darth_Insidious]

Ghouls seem like the kind of creature that would get exponentially harder to deal with the more they outnumber the players. So at higher levels of play I think thier CR might make sense.

[@krispalermo8133]

Before 4e, .. ghouls were deadly against low to mid level parties. Other than fighter or cleric classes with go saving throws to Fort saves. Ghouls getting the drop on rogues or wizards resulted in over kill.

[@kencollins2002]

So I'm running this in 2 months. Still brainstorming parts. I like your Children of Auril. Great idea. In your game, have they been there a while and only come to the forefront over the last two years? I think it would make them more accepted. Do the sacrifices actually stave off worse conditions? I'm trying to figure out what would keep the people from striking out at or blaming the preists since its all began. Or are they just to powerful for the militia (or an uncontrollable or unreasonable mob) to handle?

[@nathanjacobson4128]

New DM here. Do you read through these adventures before you start prepping them? As I watch you fill out your scenes and secrets you seem to just smoothly pull NPCs up and tie in locations with little effort. I feel like I’d be so lost as where to start!

[@Ironfranko]

Great one! Good luck with the second Frostmaiden. Is in your experience with the other group feasible to complete one quest per session, at least for the initial ones?

[@SlyFlourish]

Not always. Some of those quests are pretty big. I'm just stopping where we stop.

[@piens51]

Have you tought of giving a shield or some other piece of equipment (or just a one use relic) that can cast Fire Shield spell x amounts a day? When I played the Frost Maden QM gave our warior a +1 shield with that and it came in handy couple of times both because the cold resistance (that he did not have naturaly) and the backlash fire damige when he got hit.

[@SlyFlourish]

Fire shield is pretty powerful. It really changes the threat of a character.

[@piens51]

@@SlyFlourish Maybe in the tresure valut of Sunblight's fortres? Obiously not anywhere 1st or 2nd chapter. Maybe even caves of hunger or the city itself.

[@melissaharris3389]

As Canadian Moose Jaws just brings to mind a boring city in Saskatchewan.

[@euansmith3699]

Major of Moosejaw, "We can't shut down the Curling Lake; there's a big tournament this month!" Sheriff Brody, "But there is a Great White Moose on the loose!"

[@kwith]

I live in Moose Jaw thank you very much. That's it. That's all I had to say. Not arguing with you. lol

[@chrishawkins313]

I've seen you use 'X spell 1/day" on magic items in different places, but you usually don't go into numeric detail. When you use them in game, how do you typically determine spell attack modifiers or save DCs? Do you base them on the PC stats or use a flat mod/DC when it first gets used?

[@SlyFlourish]

Yeah, I make them up. Usually what a reasonable DC or spell attack would be for that level.

[@davidpeacock8276]

Wait a minute.....how did the ghouls get in Bryn Shander? They are undead raised by Orcus. You can change that, but then who raised them?

[@SlyFlourish]

As icy ghouls, Sephek Kaltro can summon them. They're "gifts" of Auril.

[@solarisdevorak]

I know you are a very busy man and do lots of videos. And you may have done this but I may have missed it. Would you do a tutorial on notion how you use it? I see a lot of useful information and how you're using it but I'm struggling a little.

[@SlyFlourish]

slyflourish.com/lazy_dnd_with_notion.html

[@solarisdevorak]

@@SlyFlourish you sir are a beast! Can't wait for your new book to drop. I'm prepping rime of the frostmaiden now for a kickoff in January. Between you and Bob I feel very prepared!

[@bassett_green]

do you share any of your session notes with the players?

[@SlyFlourish]

I don't. They can take their own session notes =)

[@MonsiourPotatoHead]

Is that software you use open source? For looking things up and making notes?

[@SlyFlourish]

It's Notion.so. You can see all about it in the video notes including the templates I use.

[@MonsiourPotatoHead]

Thanks so much! Not all hero’s wear capes 🤙🏻