“Traitor’s Feast” Soundtrack

While writing up the last full adventure that I posted, “The Traitor’s Feast” – I couldn’t help but start to hear the music that would accompany each scene. I, like a lot of DMs, have found that adding some music to the session can be a big help for atmosphere and getting players out of their “real life” brain and into their characters. (I’d argue especially in a horror game like “Call of Cthulhu” – where I once had a player request we cut the music since it was giving him the creeps)

Since this adventure took a lot of bits of its inspiration from many other literary, screen, and video game sources, I went back to some of those for musical inspiration. It might be a while before my next full post, I thought I’ share some of those:

Part I: Something to set the mood of grand halls, and the calm before the storm — “Human Nobility” – Dragon Age Origins Soundtrack

Part II: Betrayal and murder at the banquet, and the flight from ruin — “Game of Thrones Theme Reprise” – Game of Thrones Season 2 Soundtrack

Part III: Escaping the dungeons — “Hyrule Castle” – Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Soundtrack

Part III: Flight through the palace — “Horns of Hell” – The 13th Warrior Soundtrack

Part IV: Infiltrating Veyn’s apartments – “Mage’s Tower” – Dragon Age Origins Soundtrack

 

D&D Next “Funnel” Fan Adventure – The Traitor’s Feast

If I’ve been quiet lately, it’s because I’ve had another full adventure in the works! Too many projects at once has prevented me from working on the “One Page Dungeon” contest this year – which is a real shame. Instead, I’ve been plugging away, slowly and surely, on a new full adventure for those conducting the D&D Next Playtest.

Ostensibly this was also a full write-up for the first session of a new Realm Management campaign I’m planning to start up in the summer. The idea here is that the players run a dreaded “funnel adventure” to see which of their pretenders to the throne will survive. These characters will then be launched into all the intrigue and hex counting that is “Test of the Warlords.”

In a funnel, each player takes the role of several very low level (in this case, level 0!) characters with minimal resources and advantages. They use their wits, luck, and the guy standing in front of them, to survive a dungeon adventure full of more traps, hazards and tricks than actual combat. Though this adventure branches away from that archetype a bit (it takes place in a noble’s palace rather than some unexplored tomb – the players are young lordlings rather than commoners with delusions of grandeur) the intention is the same.

The goal of most funnel adventures is to serve as character-creation trial by fire. May the best man win, and move on to earn her or his status as a level 1 character. Rather than picking what you want to play, you roll up several ideas, and see what survives.

This adventure includes guidelines on how to make Level 0 characters for the D&D Playtest (Including an extensive list of “professions” held by the nobility which I am quite proud of). Part of the adventure is intended for integration with Wizard’s of the Coast’s Dungeon Tiles as well as Dwarven Forge’s Room and Passage, and Rooms sets of 3D terrain. I do love my toys.

You can download “The Traitor’s Feast” (Don’t read the title to the players! Spoiler!) here, or over on the “Full Adventures” page:

 

                The Traitor’s Feast_ – D&D Next  <—–Download HERE