#I love the sidequests

[mimiyanna]

I have made over 180 original posts about FFXIV since I started playing it again in December of last year. I would say I'm sorry. But I'm not.

[emily-e-draws]

swordfighter form ✨

[lab-gr0wn-lambs]

knowing how to draw Norman Reedus is a transferrable skill

[rosdevw2]

into jttw again

[daeyumi]

🌜🎭🎊Dawn of a New Day 🎊🎭🌞

[2022]

[blorbologist]

Y'know, I think I figured out why the Hells still feel like a new low-level party to me, even though they're level 13 and almost 100 episodes in.

I don't quite think it's the lack of conversations, or the fact half the party's plot hooks are big ties to past campaigns - though that definitely plays a part.

... Bell's Hells still primarily rely on quest givers.

Most of their goals are given to them and do not feel organic to the party, and constantly remind us that the Hells are pretty much never the most powerful people in the room. Which is usually something you see with a low-level party.

NPCs offering jobs is not a bad thing; it's a very common plot hook. Matt has been extremely skilled with using NPC quest givers in those two campaigns. Not only do they provide an obvious plot thread, but they can put the party in the path of others (say, the Nein running into the Iron Shepherds while doing a job for the Gentleman and everything that came of that). And the Hells had a solid start with it too - Eshteross was an excellent quest giver!

The problem is that Bell's Hells have never really not had a quest giver.

Maybe it's a byproduct of the more plot-heavy structure of this campaign? But while prior parties have felt like they decided on their course of action and what they prioritized, Bell's Hells feels less like level 13 (13! Level 13!) experienced adventurers and more like an MMO group clicking on the exclamation point over an NPC's head. Where does the plot demand we go next? Who do we report back to?

They're level 13.

At level 13, Vox Machina had just defeated a necromantic city-state to clear their name and Percy's conscience. And, you know, the Conclave just destroyed Emon. No one was explicitly telling the group to gather Vestiges and save the world (though Matt guided them there), and they were usually among the most powerful people in the room. They chose which Vestiges to prioritize, which dragons to tackle when, even if the over-all plot was pretty clear.

At level 13, the Mighty Nein were celebrating Traveler Con (another PC goal, I'll note) after brokering peace between two nations, accidentally becoming pirates and heroes of the Dynasty. The Nein regularly chose what to do based on personal goals, not grand ones. Though definitely smaller fish than Vox Machina at this level, they were very independent and gaining solid political clout.

While we're at it: level 13 is one level lower than the Ring of Brass, who had a huge amount of sway over Avalir. They ended the world, and also saved it, while in the grand scheme of things being only a smidge more powerful than Bell's Hells are now.

Can you really see the Hells wielding that amount of influence, when they're constantly being told what to do next?

The god-eater might be unleashed, so Bell's Hells have no time to do anything but what is asked of them. No time for therapy unless stolen from Feywild time, no travel on foot and late-night watches. They haven't even had time to grieve FCG. Percy was grieved in the middle of the Conclave arc. Molly was grieved when half the party was still in irons.

Matt is in the very unfortunate spot of not being able to give the Hells the same agency as the other two parties. Not only because of the world-ending plot introduced so early on; they are surrounded by characters they know (and the cast knows) are stronger and wiser than them - the familiarity of the past PCs and NPCs is to their disadvantage.

Why would the party reasonably ignore Keyleth's task that will help save the world and go off on a romp? Why would the cast when they know well Keyleth has to be sensible and with the best intentions in mind? The stakes are just too high.

It means that the Hells still feel like they're running errands instead of pursuing their own destiny. Their accomplishments are diminished as just being parts of a to-do list, and any stakes feel padded by several level 20 PCs/NPCs standing 5 steps away ready to catch them.

This isn't Bell's Hell's fault, nor is it Matt's. It could be amended, I think, if the Hells are really left to their own devices for a long period of time without support and shortcuts (like during the party split)... which would be really tricky to pull off at this point in the campaign.

They're level 13. They're big fish, but they're stuck in a pond full of friendly sharks, so they don't feel big at all.

[eurymille]

Koana and the color green.

[xshrimpcake]

best drinksmith in penacony!!

[kneworder]

something so incredibly funny about stiles being the first and only person to notice that he's possessed. just walking around like guys i think i'm acting weird. guys do i seem like i'm acting strange and evil and not normal to you. hello. guys i think i might be doing some strange and evil things behind your backs. can anyone hear me. and then he has a full on breakdown then goes missing and does some evil shit and then comes back mysteriously and is like yeah ok fine maybe i WAS possessed but i'm good now anyways anyone wanna retrace my sexy evil steps with me and not tell my dad? and everyone immediately trusts him again. just such a strange and yet still deeply normal guy that no one can even fathom stiles not being stiles until he's got a sword through scott. backbone of that squad not in a weird pack mother way but in an always-there-and-always-invested-'and-you-still-got-me!' kind of way even though he's so incredibly weird. worst possible choice to be their normal guy rock.

[feketeribizli]

the type of vibes retired monty brings to the paddock

based on this pic of nico rosberg... continue pushing my lightning mcqueen is nico coded agenda 😁

my beautiful post here i just needed to have these side by side. by nico coded i firstly mean looks but i have a long list... dont ask tho i wouldnt be able to elaborate

[spaceprincessleia]

138 days until andor s2

[yupekosi]

ohhhhhh Sandra-Lynn Faeth my beloved. she's everything. she's a high school dropout. she's a messy bitch. she's a MILF. she's divorced. she's in a polyamorous situationship. she shagged an archdevil. she went from a single mother of one to the semi-legal guardian of a 9 teenagers, one adult, 15 cats and a gryphon. she's had multiple affairs. she lives in a haunted house. she tells Fig not to smoke and immediately takes a drag off her cloves. her taste in partners is absolutely inscrutable. she's even bisexual. truly who is doing it like her

[spooky-activity]

A little after this happened, the two ran into some remnants of the Swarm! Just what is the Trailblazer up to?

[solomiracle]

the devildom works like an open world rpg. if you leave town and walk westward for about 10 minutes you'll casually pass a valley filled with rotting bones and a slumbering ancient beast that only rises to face challengers. walk a little more and you'll find a guy selling demon weed

[kindlysludger]

am i the only one thats like pretty sure that your first dimension 20 campign you Finish finish watching all the way through no stops is like. baby's first but also your child. your darling angel. something that will irrevocably change and shape you.

mine was a court of fey and flowers and it changed me so bad that not Only is my d&d game rooted in fey dramatics- but my next campaign will most likely play in primarily a system that allows for Proper Regency Drama

i need to know if this experience is singular so desperately how did your first finished d20 campaign change you

[pocketgoats]

Little redraw from the Jumeo and Roilet sidequest

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