I took part in an encounter writing workshop with the RPG Writers Workshops and Storytellers Collective back in June/July time. Currently its part of the "New Year, New Campaign" sale on DMs Guild.
"Encounters At The Wayside Inn" - A place to stop for the night, and where intrigue a plenty can occur. An expansion on the Wayside Inn from "Storm Lord's Wrath" - allowing the place to become a more familiar stop on the High Road to Neverwinter.
> 10 one-page encounters
> 10 unique NPCs
> 7 detailed maps
Encounters At The Wayside Inn - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild (dmsguild.com)
https://reddit.com/link/rzpid9/video/fz2wsmn5bna81/player
For Storm Lord's Wrath on Roll20, I wanted a bigger deal setting for the sacrificial ritual in the Wayside Inn. I made this is the Dungeon Alchemist beta.
https://preview.redd.it/xmy77bfg77281.jpg?width=6600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e56b113f5395cf2e5b8ad13e0865849af491997d
Here is the text that will put in all the dynamic lighting info, if you use the Dungeon Alchemist API (and pay for the D20 Pro version). Sorry, I don't know how to attach it as a file ...
!dungeonalchemist {"walls":[{"wallSection":"599 7199 2700 7199","wall3D":{"p1":{"bottom":{"x":599.9998,"y":7199.001},"top":{"x":599.9998,"y":7199.001},"average":{"x":599.9998,"y":7199.001}},"p2":{"bottom":{"x":2700.00049,"y":7199.001},"top":{"x":2700.00049,"y":7199.001},"average":{"x":2700.00049,"y":7199.001}}},"type":0},{"wallSection":"599 7199 599 6299","wall3D":{"p1":{"bottom":{"x":599.9998,"y":7199.001},"top":{"x":599.9998,"y":7199.001},"average":{"x":599.9998,"y":7199.001}},"p2":{"bottom":{"x":599.9998,"y":6299.00049},"top":{"x":599.9998,"y":6299.001},"average":{"x":599.9998,"y":6299.001}}},"type":0},{"wallSection":"899 6299 599 6299","wall3D":{"p1":{"bottom":{"x":900.000244,"y":6299.00049},"top":{"x":900.000244,"y":6299.001},"average":{"x":900.000244,"y":6299.001}},"p2":{"bottom":{"x":599.9998,"y":6299.00049},"top":{"x":599.9998,"y":6299.001},"average":{"x":599.9998,"y":6299.001}}},"type":0},{"wallSection":"899 6299 899 5399","wall3D":{"p1":{"bottom":{"x":900.000244,"y":6299.00049},"top":{"x":900.000244,"y":6299.001},"average":{"x":900.000244,"y":6299.001}},"p2":{"bottom":{"x":900.000244,"y":5399.00049},"top":{"x":900.000244,"y":5399.00049},"average":{"x":900.000244,"y":5399.00049}}},"type":0},{"wallSection":"899 6299 2100 6299","wall3D":{"p1":{"bottom":{"x":900.000244,"y":6299.00049},"top":{"x":900.000244,"y":6299.001},"average":{"x":900.000244,"y":6299.001}},"p2":{"bottom":{"x":2100.00073,"y":6299.00049},"top":{"x":2100.00073,"y":6299.001},"average":{"x":2100.00073,"y":6299.001}}},"type":0},{"wallSection":"899 5399 2400 5399","wall3D":{"p1":{"bottom":{"x":900.000244,"y":5399.00049},"top":{"x":900.000244,"y":5399.00049},"average":{"x":900.000244,"y":5399.00049}},"p2":{"bottom":{"x":2400.00073,"y":5399.00049},"top":{"x":2400.00073,"y":5399.00049},"average":{"x":2400.00073,"y":5399.00049}}},"type":0},{"wallSection":"1800 4199 1800 598","wall3D":{"p1":{"bottom":{"x":1800.00049,"y":4199.0},"top":{"x":1800.00049,"y":4199.0},"average":{"x":1800.00049,"y":4199.0}},"p2":{"bottom":{"x":1800
... keep reading on reddit ➡How did your players interact with the NPCs? Did you add any characters, or stick with the ones in the module? What details about the NPCs did you give to the players that they latched onto? Any fun quirks you added?
For context, my players are a little over halfway through Storm Lord's Wrath, and will soon be coming up on the second Wayside Inn encounter. My plan was to do the "Foul Weather at Wayside" encounters on the way back from "Aid to Phandalin," but I'm concerned that their first visit wasn't memorable enough to make the second one impactful. For one thing, it was months ago IRL, and for another, I feel like I missed a lot of the important beats (tldr and spoilers): >!I couldn't find a way to introduce them to Teega the blacksmith without awkwardly shoehorning it in, which means none of them saw the suits of armor that she made, which means they won't have any context for seeing the suits "again" when the air elemental myrmidons are attacking Emmalou. I don't think Backes made any impression on them at all, so they won't care that he's a cultist. They did chat with Tarbin the bard, but I think Silla overshadowed him, so finding out that he's been kidnapped by Talos cultists is unlikely to mean anything to them. Their main focus was on a random NPC that I accidentally made sound interesting, and I was going to roll with that and make him important, but they didn't bother to get his name, so I don't think they'd remember him either.!<
Now I'm thinking maybe I should push "Foul Weather" and give them another regular night at the Wayside Inn, while giving myself another chance to make an impression. They'll be warmly welcomed once they're recognized as the same heroes who saved the inn from a zombie attack, but that's all I have planned. I don't want the second visit to be a boring repeat of the first, so I'm looking for tips on anything you think made your visit remarkable. Thanks!
ETA: The second visit was excellent! I was able to emphasize the things that I glossed over before, and I think it will provide some much needed context for their third visit. The PCs recieved a warm welcome from the inn's employees, but I explicitly said that there was a weird, tense vibe in the air, and thankfully, they took that cue to do some digging.
I mentioned there was an NPC guarding the stairs, so the monk and the fighter distracted him while the druid turned into a mouse and snuck up to Martisha's room to snoop around. He didn't find anything, even w
... keep reading on reddit ➡Possibly a silly question here, but what part of the Wayside Inn is considered the Courtyard? The ‘Foul Weather at Wayside’ encounter mentions that cult fanatics “walk back and forth between the common area and the courtyard”. If the doors are locked, that would imply that they remain inside. Is the courtyard then the Stables? So confused…
Does anyone know how to Halloween up the attack on wayside inn at the beginning of storm lords wrath? Running it Sunday. Thanks!
I just stumbled across Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the "Tales of a Wayside Inn". It reminds me a great deal of the Waystone Inn, although it's difficult to say exactly why.
Maybe it's the atmosphere, certain words that seem so familiar to me from NOTW and WMF, maybe the way he describes music.
To be honest, I don't know much of Longfellow (I'm not from the US) and only read "Paul Revere's Ride" once for Uni. But I don't doubt that Pat knows his American literature well.
Just want to share some quotes with you:
One Autumn night, in Sudbury town,
Across the meadows bare and brown,
The windows of the wayside inn
Gleamed red with fire-light through the leaves
Of woodbine, hanging from the eaves
Their crimson curtains rent and thin.
As ancient is this hostelry
As any in the land may be,
Built in the old Colonial day,
When men lived in a grander way,
With ampler hospitality;
A kind of old Hobgoblin Hall,
Now somewhat fallen to decay,
With weatherstains upon the wall,
And stairways worn, and crazy doows,
And creaking of uneven floors;
And chimneys huge, and tiled and tall.
[...] Round this old-fashioned, quaint abode
Deep silence reigned, save when a gust
Went rushing down the county road,
And skeletons of leaves, and dust,
A moment quickened by its breath,
Shuddered and danced their dance of death,
And through the ancient oaks o'erhead
Mysterious voices moaned and fled.
More here.
Hello,
(new here, hope I did the tagging correctly)
My party has decided to convert the Wayside into a hub for merchants and travelers, hoping to turn it into a trading post and eventually a small fortified settlement where the Triboar Trail meets the High Road. I'm hoping to find a map of an inn/roadhouse near a crossroad, with some terrain where they can envision their plans. I'd be grateful if someone could help me out with that.
Has anyone gone to that inn and found his letter? 'Cause for years, I have been curious to know.........
My party is starting Storm Lord's Wrath tomorrow night. As the DM, I've read through all of the material twice and I feel like I have a decent grasp of things. But I have a few questions:
#1) As a group that all started D&D since COVID-19, we've never played in person and some might say that we're quite spoiled by the beautiful maps available for VTTs. I found the maps for the Wayside Inn, the House of Thalivar and the Thunder Cliffs to be adequate, but I'd like to add battle maps for some of the encounters I found lacking. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a lot out there for this area. Is anyone aware of some good encounter maps for Leilon? I'm getting pretty good at using DungeonDraft, so I could make my own - but they are really time-consuming, so I'm happy to borrow from those who have come before me.
EDIT: I neglected to say that I've already gathered a few maps that were shared by u/la_mirage in this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/DragonOfIcespirePeak/comments/hz7sv9/additional_storm_lords_wrath_maps/. Outstanding stuff!
#2) The module states that milestone leveling is used. We've never done that before and I'm interested in your thoughts on pros and cons. I'm definitely not opposed to trying something new, but my players are kind of enamored by the gaining of XP. If I tell them that we'll stick with the XP route instead of Milestone leveling are they going to get to the end of the campaign and find themselves tragically under-powered?
#3) Finally, for those who have already run these adventures - did you find the encounters to be adequately balanced? Do you have recommendations for improving them? If the fights work well as written, then I'm totally fine with leaving them alone - but I think we all hate getting to the end of what should be a climactic battle and feeling like it was lackluster.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
In the Valentine’s Day special, Zak leaves a note of his experience from Longfellow’s Wayside Inn. I thought I came across a post on here about someone who had found it. Now I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Does anyone know if Zak’s letter exists somewhere on the internet?
The heavy sun bleached the stone walls white in the late evening as you came upon it. A tavern, of sorts. It seemed, at first sight, a sign of comfort. Your travels had been long, and a place to rest your head was not unwarranted. Besides, a drink and some warm supper could make a nice change.
Upon your approach, however, it began to feel foreign entirely. The angles that the walls were built at? How? No stream has ever flowed with the delight of the brook beside the Inn. The swinging sign's lettering was hard to make out, but it did seem like your native tongue.
After some time studying it, your eyes were able to fixate on the strange geometry of the letters and the name was spelled out:
"THE INN OF THE WAYSIDE ROADS"
And below:
"STAY A NIGHT, STAY A WEEK, STAY FOREVER?"
You pushed the wooden door open, but the touch of it reminded you of your home. Your home as a child. Was it the door to the house? The garden? Your bed frame?
The murmurs, music and laughs of the inside of the Inn quickly distracted your line of questioning, and you were confronted with a simultaneously neatly-laid out and shabbily designed Inn. It seemed neither here nor there, but both at once?
People of all types were sat in various places. It seemed far roomier than it had from outside. A long bar runs down the left hand side in chipped, mahogany wood. A fireplace sits at the far end with two cushioned armchairs (both "reserved") and a stack of books.
But to the right is a confusing, but spacious area of all sorts of seating and tables. At the corners you even think you can see second bars. For some reason, you can't quite gauge how many tables, or even how many visitors, could be found in the courtyard.
To your immediate left, before the bar begins, you find the stairs to the rooms. The stairs seem far too shallow to you. Sharp and jagged teeth to a very welcoming monster.
If only for a few hours, this odd place will be your warm respite.
Who are you? Where are you from? Why are you travelling? What do you believe? Where in society do you fall? What kinds of people do you drift towards? Who do you avoid?
You have been given the unique opportunity to stay at the Inn of the Wayside Roads. Here you will find many characters, from many worlds, who just like you, stumbled onto the Inn in one way or another.
Describe your appearance, and what you're doing, but only who you are through dialogue with other players. Remember that any other Inn-goer may jump into yo
... keep reading on reddit ➡
I’m really struggling to get my players to go past the Wayside Inn at night time! Twice now they’ve managed to go by during the day.
Does anyone have any ideas of how make this encounter happen??
I took part in an encounter writing workshop with the RPG Writers Workshops and Storytellers Collective back in June/July time. Currently its part of the "New Year, New Campaign" sale on DMs Guild.
"Encounters At The Wayside Inn" - A place to stop for the night, and where intrigue a plenty can occur. An expansion on the Wayside Inn from "Storm Lord's Wrath" - allowing the place to become a more familiar stop on the High Road to Neverwinter.
> 10 one-page encounters
> 10 unique NPCs
> 7 detailed maps
Encounters At The Wayside Inn - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild (dmsguild.com)
https://reddit.com/link/rzphfg/video/2qdklp6vana81/player
I took part in an encounter writing workshop with the RPG Writers Workshops and Storytellers Collective back in June/July time. Currently its part of the "New Year, New Campaign" sale on DMs Guild.
"Encounters At The Wayside Inn" - A place to stop for the night, and where intrigue a plenty can occur. An expansion on the Wayside Inn from "Storm Lord's Wrath" - allowing the place to become a more familiar stop on the High Road to Neverwinter.
> 10 one-page encounters
> 10 unique NPCs
> 7 detailed maps
Encounters At The Wayside Inn - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild (dmsguild.com)
https://reddit.com/link/rzpfdi/video/jsx1zqh7ana81/player
I took part in an encounter writing workshop with the RPG Writers Workshops and Storytellers Collective back in June/July time. Currently its part of the "New Year, New Campaign" sale on DMs Guild.
"Encounters At The Wayside Inn" - A place to stop for the night, and where intrigue a plenty can occur. An expansion on the Wayside Inn from "Storm Lord's Wrath" - allowing the place to become a more familiar stop on the High Road to Neverwinter.
> 10 one-page encounters
> 10 unique NPCs
> 7 detailed maps
Encounters At The Wayside Inn - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild (dmsguild.com)
https://reddit.com/link/rzpele/video/ideb3aey9na81/player
I took part in an encounter writing workshop with the RPG Writers Workshops and Storytellers Collective back in June/July time. Currently its part of the "New Year, New Campaign" sale on DMs Guild.
"Encounters At The Wayside Inn" - A place to stop for the night, and where intrigue a plenty can occur. An expansion on the Wayside Inn from "Storm Lord's Wrath" - allowing the place to become a more familiar stop on the High Road to Neverwinter.
> 10 one-page encounters
> 10 unique NPCs
> 7 detailed maps
Encounters At The Wayside Inn - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild (dmsguild.com)
https://preview.redd.it/s2twvpoa9na81.jpg?width=1240&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=365ae3b6f80b9ec840b402a30446f1b942473152
