THE WHEEL OF TIME: Domain Cycles

Like this, but the figures represent levels
(the nice calendar from
The Blacktongue Thief)

In my ideal D&D ruleset player advancement would stop short of 10th level. I think the 9th-level domain goal is a wonderful one and any advancement after 9th by the player should feed into that. And in fact, I would try to being domain leveling into lower levels in my ideal D&D.

Then the play loop begins again in a (hopefully) changed the world.

But this got me thinking that a table could refer to these loops as "cycles"-- spongy units of time that more mark change in the game state than they do in actual specific amounts of time per se.

I could imagine a table saying remarking something like this: 

"Ha ha remember in the 2nd Cycle when Susan leveled her fighter far enough to get that sweet keep, but we never found the lich so we started the 3rd Cycle trying to mount defences against an army of the undead?"

 Marcia of Traverse Fantasy had the suggestion of also doing a sorta interlude to discuss the implications of the end of one cycle to the beginning of another cycle-- Like a "Cycle Downtime?"

I think this would be a good thing too. In this sorta downtime setting maybe each character NOT at domain level could gain something of value or maybe it allows full development of a downtime institution or relationship:

• Building investments complete
• PC gain a non-landed title status
• Guild standing increases
• A crucial piece of research is completed

Basically something cool that is not quite a level gain, domain attainment, or a +2 sword but still intersting and adds to the world.

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD: Ossuaries & Reliquaries for Your Clerics

In my current game of D&D (LINK), my two players have both rolled up clerics. In an effort to both provide an objective for dungeon delving and bring domain-level play to lower levels, I have tried to come up with some outlines for building an ossuary and reliquary for the abbey.

In the in-game fiction, each is desired by the abbot to attract pilgrimages to the abbey. More pilgrims, more coin in the coffers, and more influence in the region (which I think will be Beyond the Borderlands). The mechanical benefits are described here (based somewhat on this shrine idea):

RELIQUARY

CONDITIONS & BENEFIT: There will be three that need to be decorated with 3 minor magical items each and can be prayed to as a way to provide a small boon. Since the players have already recovered 3 minor magical items they can "power" one of them. The three are named after the motto of the clerical order: LIGHT, ORDER, BENEFICENCE. I might allow them to only pick one to pray at each day.

• The LIGHT of AZLN: The cleric's holy symbol may is embued with a Light spell as a scroll of the same level as the cleric
• The ORDER of AZLN: The cleric will receive a +1 to their first Turn Undead roll
• The BENEFICENCE of AZLEN: The cleric may re-roll their first failed save

OSSUARY

CONDITIONS & BENEFIT: There is room for 3 skeletons of saints which will attract followers, rolled on a 1d6 table, who will join the PCs due to inspiration by the abbey and the order. The followers attracted will depend on the saint placed into the ossuary. And as more saints are added, the table fills up.

For example, the two players have recovered the bones of Saint Ulther listed in Dyson's Delve as being associated with wizardry, large-eyes, and bringing in a ship safely to harbor against a stormy sea. So, I decided this saint would attract fighters (sailors) and magic-users. Here are a few more saints I've placed in the larger crypt-rooms of Dyson's Delve:

1-8 | Crypt of St. Ulther the Sorcerer Priest = fighters (sailors) & magic-users [RECOVERED]

1-10 | Crypt of the unnamed assassin (cursed) = thieves & were-rats

1-10 West | Crypt of St. Serene the Beheaded = fighters & zealots (fire-associated clerics)

3-3 | Crypt of St. Pry-Sim the Child of AZLN = acrobats & halflings

3-4 | Crypt of St. Nemo the Dreamer of AZLN = magic-users & elves

Ossuary Pilgram Table (roll 1d6)

1 | MU, St. Ulther

2 | Fighter, St. Ulther

3 | none

4 | none

5 | none

6 | none

When I rolled for the follower they will receive I got a "1", so now time to make a 2500 XP BX magic-user.

MAKING A LASTING IMPRESSION: Downtime & institution building

Sidney Sime

I think a key element of D&D abandoned by editions after 2e is the notion of domain level play. The promise of griffin riders at 9th level as a 2e fighter was a dream that always kept me going and still motivates a lot of my characters presently.

Creating a thieve's guild, starting a cult, growing wizard's tower or other "keeps" is not only a great sink for the hoards of coin players haul in, but it firmly shifts the momentum of the campaign's plot into the hands of the players. Then the DM is playing and reacting almost to ~90% of what the players are interested in grown from the campaign's soil (which is what the DM is interested in). This combination, I think, makes for a more enriching campaign.

Factions, in general, are roughly the same thing.

A lot has been written on this, but what I like about Ben's take on factions and "keeps" is that he's developed a pretty light way of tracking these types of actions. Which is what you need in a game-- just good enough to make it work.

Also Sime