Friday, February 26, 2010

The City of Veneline - Part 2

Last time we looked at the history and style to the city of bridges. Now followsh a smattering of interesting places and groups to throw into it. These locations can also be used in other places in your game world. 


Before continuing, first I must rectify an omission which was pointed out by seaofstarsrpg, the military and security forces of Veneline were absent in part 1.


Military
Veneline's days as a major military power are behind her, but with such a powerful hold on the culture and economy of the land, it would be foolish for any one kingdom to attempt to capture the city without retaliation. The government does employ a small navy to patrol the lagoon and nearby waters. These ships supplement the often impressive private navies held by the more powerful merchant organizations. Venete Tam is the most visible of these, with their flagship Dreadnaught Bahadur considered possibly the most powerful vessel to sail the waves.


Veneline does not employ a traditional watch, as many other cities do. The leading Noble house in each ward is required to provide security for their holdings as well as those within their neighborhood. Each house's private guards tend to reflect the family in power, thus passing from one ward to the other could result in any number of interactions with the law enforcement. Longtime residents of Veneline can tell you the best paths to take through the city to avoid particularly malicious house guards. Most of the streets are safe, but the farther east you travel, the more cut-throat the noble's squabbles tend to be.



Notable Locales
The Harbor of the Green Drakes
The primary shipping point for locations on the mainland, this harbor is famous for the twin massive copper statues of Guard Drakes which line it's entrance. The Harbor also allows barges and smaller vessels to pass through the grand canal to the Eastern Docks.

Mac Cahail's
Mac Cahail's is a fine dining restaurant which lies near the Eastern Docks. It is a favorite restaurant of several noble families, and serves a wide variety of customers. The food is reasonably priced given it's foreign nature. Mac Cahail is originally from a northern country, and his accent has made him popular with some local youngsters.

The House of Purple Silk
This palatial complex caters to the needs and wants of a wealthy clientele, some have even called it paradise on earth, which irritates those evangelists who refer to it instead as a den of sin. The courtesans who work there are famed for their discretion and skill, thus it is a favorite location for political deals.

The Dead Noblemen
Bearing a darker name than it's pleasant atmosphere deserves, this tavern and inn serves as a welcome place for relaxed folk looking for simple food and a good story or two. They offer moderate accommodations, and have a good variety of food and drink from the many cultures which mix in Veneline.

The Old Battery
This island has only one bridge connecting it to the rest of the isles which compose Veneline (of which there are over a hundred). It once served as a military training ground for Dragonborn legionnaires. But now it's open paths and high towers serve a seedier sort. The single bridge allows the Thieves guild to control most traffic, while the proximity to East Dock allows them to move about by boat without being noticed.


Verasalle Shipyards
Veneline was once an Imperial power, visible no where else more than at the massive dockworks which occupies the eastern portion of the city. Massive dry docks and ship scaffolds surround the still pond which holds completed ships before they are put to sea. Most construction these days is by commission of private parties, though the Veneline Navy still keeps a small fleet of powerful vessels in case of threat from hostile kingdoms, or even worse the beasts of The Dragon's Maw.

The Rhemoraz Bar
A haven for the adventurous, this dangerous establishment is owned by a Shadar-kai by the title of Orde'lin (meaning Slayer of the High Beast in Shade). The structure is build like a bunker, and it's bouncers aren't known to go easy, or mind the sight of blood.

The Grand Collegium
This center of learning is renowned throughout Southern Arras, and is spoken of within any learned region. Paired with the Academy of Expression, these institutes ensure that those who can afford their services are well educated.

Basilica of Saint Melanon
This massive building was constructed in 1394, and is the largest religious building in Veneline. It is a magnificent golden structure which faces the Plaza of Lions, dedicated to Melanon's symol. This plaza also connects to the Droge Palace, which faces the Church.

Allsaints Cathedral
An open air, covered cathedral with devotion spaces reserved for hundreds of gods and saints. The walls are crafted from a series of arches, allowing patrons to come and go freely from devotions. The government commissioned the structure to keep the envangelicals off the common streets and relegated to a single location. This has resulted in an economic boom to the quarter where the Cathedral stands.

Fate's Temple
A temple devoted to The Lord, The Fate, and The Master, the three forces of Universal Law. Also houses all the dead of the city within massive catacombs.

The offices of The Venete Tam Consortium
One of the largest trade consortium in Arras (or your own world), Venete Tam currently holds the lions share of trade rights with the neighboring continent of Rethelm (if you are in a single-continent world this is equally effective as rights with another large kingdom).

Tensions and Rumors
Many folks in the streets whisper about why Venete Tam requires such a vessel as the Bahadur to patrol their shipping lanes. Such a ship is better build to besiege towns and sink fleets, or at least that's how the rumor goes

The Church of the Great Three is the primary religion of Itania and Greater Erchanon. As such Veneline must pay some amount of respect to the Religious leaders of The Church. This includes the Grand Archon, who oversees the faith of the Great Three under Lord Dv'emok. Veneline's religious freedoms has earned it the ire of many of the more orthodox faithful.

Racial animosity rears it's head within the gilded streets of Veneline. The Tiefling gangs and Dragonborn thugs in particular wage a nasty shadow-war, punctuating the common noble-son's brawls with bloody battles.

The nature of the Watch in Veneline has left many merchants feeling the pinch. If you don't hire guards of your own, it's unlikely the private soldiers of others are going to protect your wares. Less scrupulous individuals have made a point of pointing out just how valuable their services are, and not all the merchants are bowing down to extortion. Perhaps some intrepid adventurers can make a coin or two out of the trouble brewing.

A particular voice has been heard throughout the streets of Veneline more and more these days. Arod Rivach is a dissenter against the political control the Noble Houses have over the city, and what's worse is that he hasn't been done away with yet. Have The Nobles assassins failed or is there more at work here?





Next - Person's of interest within Veneline.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

The City of Veneline - Part 1

Here I present a city which was created for a 4e campaign, inspired by Venice. It sits within my homebrew world, known as Arras, at the northern edge of an inland sea. The city was built in such a way that it should be possible to transpose it into any game world without a terrible amount of work. As-is it fits with the generic 4e history WOTC has outlined.

Veneline

Population: 45,000
Primary Activity: Trade port
Imports: Food, Luxury Items
Exports: Art, Fine Wine

The Republic of Veneline sits along the northern coast of the Dragons Maw ocean. While The Republic technically contains a number of cities and communities, almost all references to it pertain to the city of bridges which is it's crowing jewel, and shares it's name. Veneline is famous for it's high culture, with wines grown in it's mainland vineyards selling for hundred to thousands of gold pieces.

Veneline lies on a group of islands within a large lagoon, which protects it's inhabitants from the larger predators of the Dragons Maw. The city proper lies upon four large groups of close islands which are connected by a number of bridges. A variety of other atolls and islands within the lagoon boast villages, huts, and other permanent dwellings. The Republic's mainland city is known as Veneterra, and services the large number of farms and vineyards which populate the slopes of the mainland.

History
Originally an Arkosian city, the fortresses which defend Veneline to the north and south were constructed to form a path for ships from the southern lands onto the northern section of Arras. During the ancient war, the fortresses and the populated islands were captured by Shea'Dath (a divinely-inspired nation). Shortly before Bael'Turath made it's pact, the remaining inhabitants declared independence, and gathered together a number of small coastal villages and local dwellers. Even during the hardest times, with folk abandoning cities for fear of bandits and monsters, Veneline was never truly barren. Over time the city developed as a primary point of trade for those ships which braved the Dragons Maw, or those which followed the in-land coast north. This opened trade with The Western Plains and The Midden-Realms (a grouping of small European kingdoms) to the Southern Lands.

Veneline and the surrounding lands became part of Erchanon, or 'The Kingdom of Light' as it often referred to itself,  in the early 1100's, and the region know known as Itania was made into a province. This lasted until 1329PT when the declining state of Erchanon's holdings allowed Veneline and several other cities to peacefully separate into the League of Itania. Though there were many in Erchanon who were angered, they could not hope to force Itania back into the fold militarily.

The League of Itania's dissolution as an imperial power in 1386 created the formal Republic of Veneline.

Politics
The political sphere of Veneline is rife with deals and intrigue. The city is run by it's noble families, who each have some amount of say in the goings-on in the city. The true political power resides within the Council of Ten, who are made up of elected members of the hundred+ noble houses. The Council elects it's own leader (Droge) but this position holds no more power than the other ten. The Heads of each noble house also act as a senate which advises the Ten.

There have been many accusations from the common folk and merchants that the Nobles do nothing for their plights, and indeed there have been rumblings of uprising in the past. Each time a prominent speaker attempts to go against the ruling class though, they have been the victim of strange accidents.

Architecture
Having such a long history has led Veneline to sport a variety of architecture second to none. The ancient Draconian spires and foundations remain in places, often abutted with the gothic walls and buttresses from the Shea'Dathi period. More modern buildings tend to be two or three stories, made from brick and stone harvested from the mainland. Most materials are made from a yellowish clay, though nicer homes may sport white-washing or even expensive foreign facad's. Due to the age of the city, and the need to re-use older structures, it is not uncommon to see a repair crew on any number of buildings along a street.



Next - Places of Interest within Veneline, and Tensions within the City of Bridges.

Friday, February 19, 2010

D&D Mini's

I'm a cheap gamer... and not by choice. This means that I can rarely engage in any purchases which might be considered blingy, no matter how much I might want to. So I usually rely on gifts and careful spending to put together any game aids I might want. This has long kept me out of the realm of Miniatures, even though I have always wanted them for my games. So in this post I thought I might ramble on a bit about my experience jumping into cheap miniatures for D&D.

The best friend to any frugal gamer, bulk lot purchases on Ebay can net you figures for under 75 cents a piece if your lucky, far better than any individual seller. After picking up a few smaller boxes and receiving a 100-piece box as a gift, I have a few notes.

- Lots of repeats: The cheaper bulk boxes usually consist of the common's the seller can't get a good price for, so expect a lot of commons and poor sculpts... and tons of Gricks. This has been a boon for me, as I'm looking to put together a solid set of each monster type, even if they're lower quality repeats. Out of a 100-box, I got 8 elves in rough armor using scimitars... and no Orcs, so as always your mileage may vary.

- No PC's: This is not necessarily a rule, but as a general observation it seems true. Out of my most recent 100, I found just over a dozen which looked like they might work as PC's, ignoring duplicate wild elves. Another box of some 13 mini's yielded 2 promising figures. So as most people could guess, bulk purchase seems better suited for DM's providing monsters.

- Cheap: This one is so obvious I almost didn't put it it, but it is worth note. Any cons must be balanced against the cheapness of this method.



I don't have more than an order or two's experience with these, but I will be gaining more and more in the future.

- Shop Around: The above link is to MiniatureMarket, which has the largest selection I have found, but it is also worth looking at places such as TrollAndToad and Auggie's Games n Movies. Each site tends to have slightly different prices and stocks of miniatures, so it's worth it to see what your cost would be at each one.

- Cost/Exactitude: The biggest boon of individual buying is that you know exactly which miniature's you're getting, perfect for finding a particular NPC or PC you have been missing. But with this comes the downside of increased cost over random figures, especially for rare ones. The nicer and more unique figures (Dragonborn especially) tend to come with bigger price-tags.


Original Random Packs

Surprisingly, it is still possible to find older random booster boxes for sale, often for less than 10 dollars. This is best used if your not looking for anything in particular however, every once in a while you get a nice surprise in the box, just don't count on it. I have not had much luck with the few boxes I have cracked open, but that means that someone out there must be getting exactly what they wanted.


Anyways, these have been my experiences with D&D miniatures, anyone else out there have any really good tricks for putting together a collection.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Meaningful choices and rewards


How do you avoid gaming on rails?
This is a common question, and one I have asked myself far more times than I can keep track of. The answer I keep coming back to is this: Choices. Meaningful, world-impacting choices. The choices may be small, but anything which changes the world around the players will help break your game off those rails, and -at least seams to- increase player enjoyment.


I have been guilty of accidentally forcing my players down rails in the past, a habit I am trying to break. To this end I put together the example which will be presented next, and it seems to have worked out fairly well. In this case experimentation has payed off.

How to work choices into a game - Rewards
I recently was rewarded by seeing my players spend at least half an hour debating whether or not to accept a reward which they have been working towards for a few sessions.

The players have been helping out around a small border town for quite a bit of their heroic career. Now returning at Paragon tier, they have been asked to clear out the same keep they first adventured in. Having done that, they were offered the keep, and support as knights in the mayors service. This gift came with a caveat, their influence was likely to be used by the mayors political games throughout the region. So, was the chance to be landed knights worth the inevitable political requirements? Unfortunately we will have to wait until next session to know, nonetheless it was great to see real thought going into a game, and some mighty roleplaying on their part.


The first part was to use a non-monetary reward as the pivot point. While I have not tried it firsthand, it seems that the draw of gold is too ingrained into character power and level. Using the Keep allowed the players to look at it from their characters perspective, rather than their characters pocketbooks.


The second part was to tie it into an existing storyline, easier said than done. Since I had not planned this side-quest and related choice into the main storyline, it took some tinkering and liberal use of a hammer before i figured out how to do it. If the choice seemed arbitrary and capricious, i worried that my players would rebel or check out and simply go for power.


As it stands, and as the players saw it, the acceptance of the reward would result in the characters taking more of a stance in the political skirmishes surrounding the local cities and states. It also makes it harder for them to travel abroad at their whim, which is a very real concern I had not considered. This choice could very much affect the future tone of the campaign, and whether the players face coming danger as intrepid hero's, or as powerful guardians and leaders of men.


I personally can't wait until our next session, and seeing where the players choices take the game. Handing some story power over to the players has been hard, but I believe it will be more than worth it.



Friday, February 12, 2010

The Spell-Shapers Sands

This magical region might appear in any large desert or drylands as a fantastic location. Given the manner of it's magic it could also appear almost anywhere that magic has been misused. This fits into a Points-of-Light game as a remnant of one of the ancient wars that wiped out it's fighters.

The Spell-Shapers Sands

The location of an ancient magical battle, there is a palpable scar upon the land. The golden sands scintillate under the beating sun, such rich colour would be beautiful anywhere else, but here it is a mark of the destructive power of uncontrolled magic.

There are some who try to cross the sands and survive, others come out changed if they survive at all. With magical beasts roaming the land with a hate for anything even remotely magical, this is a truly dangerous land for adventurers.

Environmental Effects
The Spell-Shapers Sands is a magical desert, thus it follows normal rules for exposure and heat danger. In 4E this is usually represented with endurance checks and loss of Healing Surges to represent the fatigue and dehydration which sets in. In addition to mundane effects, the Spell-Shapers Sands has another unique danger.

Residuum Storm
A searing, stinging winds whips up, carrying along razor-sharp bits of pure magic. This magical weather effect fills a roughly spherical area of approximately 2d4 miles in diameter. Arcane spell-casters may use an Arcana check DC (moderate) to calm the storm. This check requires that the Caster be inside the area of the Storm. Every minute of exposure causes a +12 vs. Fortitude attack on any creatures within the Storm, if hit by this attack, the target takes 1d6 untyped damage, and 1 random magical item -determined by the DM- loses all function until the next extended rest outside the storm.

Template

Beast of Spell-Shaped Sand  Elite Controller
Beast or Magical Beast (Magical Beast)  XP Elite
Defenses +1 AC; +2 Fortitude, +2 Will
Resist 5 fire at 11th level, 10 fire at 21st level
Saving Throws +2
Action Point 1
Hit Points +6 per level + Constitution score
POWERS
Magical Form
 The Sand-Shaped Creature gains a +1 bonus to all defenses against attacks with the Arcane Keyword.
Residuum Body
 Gain the Encounter Power Residuum Body





Residuum Body

The creature's form wavers and collapses into sand, but in it's place appears a glowing golden shape hovering in the air.
Encounter        Arcane
Immediate Reaction      Personal
Trigger: The first time it becomes bloodied in an encounter
Effect: The creature becomes insubstantial until the end of it's next turn. Each time it is hit with a power with the Arcane keyword it gains temporary hit points equal to it's level.

Feel free to drop this location anywhere you wish, and if the material is at all useful to you I would love to hear about it.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Floating-point locales

What is a floating-point locale? I define it as a location which you the GM have created, but that doesn't have a particular location in your game world. When creating content for a Homebrew world, I like to put together a handful of settlements and interesting places (The Screaming Cliffs, The Spell-Shaper Sands, The Village of Arns'Borough, etc). These places have stories, and encounters, maybe they tie together in a quest. The point of having them floating is to not tie yourself to a decision you may later regret.

The Tradition Model
Not to say that this is a bad style, but I have seen GM's build together a massive world with every city on the map and dungeon complexes riddling the hills. The problem arises when the GM has a plan and a story, but needs the players to travel to a certain town. If the players want to go somewhere else however, this can turn into railroading, and quickly sap the fun from the game.

Floating-Point Model
What if you want your players to run into the Tall Tower of Terror, but they took a left turn instead of a right at the Stinking Swamp? Easy, just reposition the tower to be somewhere else. It only exists in a place once you describe it there, a little like Schroedinger's Dungeon.

My favorite style for this is with towns. Creating all the NPC's necessary to populate a town that sticks in the players memory can be time consuming, and you want them to experience it. So create that town, but don't set it down into a location until the players are ready to find a good resting spot between adventures, then you can bust out the Dwarven Blacksmith and Tiefling Merchant you've been practicing. Making the world exist around the players might not fit into every campaign, but it is a usefull trick up your sleeve.

So what are the downsides?
Well, the biggest one is cohesion, does your world make sense? This method of location placement can lead to some strange situations if not handled properly or abused. "You mean Dracula's Castle showed up in Saudi Arabia?" Like any technique, this hinges on the GM to make everything work right, and it shouldn't come at the expense of your players or story. It is simply another tool for that toolbox.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Yamil Zacra - Homebrew

So I was reading an interesting post on The Other Side by Tim Brannon. His link and writeup of the star Yamil Zacra was very interesting, and was a Lovecraftian horror I had never heard of before.

Soon I will be starting a new campaign, and one of my players is planning on playing a Starpact Warlock, so what better time to create Yamil Zacra as a Pact Patron. This will follow the basic outline from the Dragon articles concerning Warlock Patrons.


Patron: Yamil Zacra
The dark reddish glow is barely visible, and yet there is a malevolent glee present in you as you stare into the sky, it is almost as if a thousand tiny points of fire are tracing themselves through your veins... It is exhilarating.
Origin: Watching silently from a distance, It has always had interest in the world. Sending tiny sparks of it's own evil essence to bury themselves within the flesh of mortals. These motes of malevolent flame trace their microscopic path through all mortal things. Fanning the fires of evil, and garnering those of the greatest strength to join others who live upon it's single planet in glory. What the goals of this cosmic center of evil are cannot be known, and yet the call of eons of evil knowledge and power draws many to these sparks of malevolence.
Goals: Yamil Zacra only has one goal. Baleful Power. It is the draw of all who choose to embrace the Red Star's sparks. If you can prove before the servants of Yamil Zacra that you are of the greatest power on the planet, then perhaps it will see fit to take you to that massive orb of rock which orbits it, where yet more unimaginable challenges await.
Interaction: Trying to contact Yamil Zacra directly would be deadly to all but the strongest warlocks, but timidness shall not mar your path. First one must learn the secrets of the stars which burn within your body before the evil of Nemesis (Yamil Zacra's other name) can be yours. Communing with the memories of evil stored in the star-sparks is painful beyond imagining, with the fires racing through your bloodstream and setting alight the synapses of your brain, leaving ancient curses in their wake. Sometimes the star-sparks are responding to the bearers call, but sometimes the sparks choose to exercise their will on an unsuspecting person. A normal life might be turned upside down by the revelation of the power which sits latently within ones flesh.
Communication: Attempting to speak with Yamil Zacra does not happen, rather one must learn the lessons of their star-sparks. These sparks will impart their knowledge through the dreams of the Warlock, but only in response to an act of great evil, such as the murder of an innocent family. The greater the atrocity, the greater the knowledge imparted by these malevolent motes of fire.
Pact Boon: Yamil Zacra's motes of fire respond to the death of powerful enemies, imparting a flash of knowledge to you, yearning for you to use it to cause even greater destruction.
Roleplaying: You know of the power of Yamil Zacra, but can any know the dark star's intentions? Do you seek to understand the unknowable, or would you rather let it guide you to it, and bask in it's infinite malevolence. Questions abound about Yamil Zacra, yet answers do not come easily. While the entity and it's fiery spawn are entirely and completely evil, might you use the power it gives for the furtherment of other works? Can you harness this knowledge it grants without being drawn to the side of the massive star... Only time will tell if your mind remains your own.
Suggested Traits: Sadistic, Hidden, Disturbing, Fiery, Visible Power, Dangerous




Heroic Tier Powers
Fires of Dark Knowledge                                                                 Warlock Utility 6 
You call out to the tiny specks of stellar matter which fill your body, they respond in  
a burning flash of malevolent inspiration.                                                                      
Encounter <> Arcane                                                                                                     
Minor Action          Personal                                                                                          
Effect: Take 5 points of fire damage (this bypasses any fire resistance you may have),
in return, you gain a +1 power bonus on the next D20 roll you make before the end   
of your next turn.                                                                                                             




Black Curse of Impediment                                                       Warlock Encounter 7
Briefly your appearance is replaced with a dark void, except for a faint red glow       
which burns like a raging fire. The words you utter may be alien, but the victim         
knows full well their implication.                                                                                    
Encounter <> Arcane, Implement, Necrotic                                                                
Standard Action         Ranged 10                                                                                  
Target: One Enemy                                                                                                         
Attack: Charisma vs. Reflex                                                                                           
Hit: 3d8 + Charisma Modifier Necrotic Damage, and the target is slowed (save ends)
   Star Pact: The target takes a penalty on all attack roles against you equal to 1 +    
your Intelligence Modifier until the end of your next turn.                                             




Yuhz's Black Corona                                                                  Warlock Daily 10     
A ghostly image of Yuhz, Yamil Zacra's midnight binary, appears behind you. Those  
nearby see the power you hold at your fingertips, as the waves of dark fire                
emanations sear their flesh.                                                                                           
Daily <> Arcane, Fire, Fear, Implement                                                                      
Standard Action           Close Burst 2                                                                           
Target: Each creature in burst                                                                                         
Attack: Charisma vs. Reflex                                                                                            
Hit: 3d6 + Charisma modifier fire damage.                                                                       
Effect: Gain a +5 bonus to Intimidate checks for the rest of the encounter.                       
   Star Pact: The damage is considered to be composed of half Necrotic damage, and     
you gain an additional bonus to Intimidate equal to your Intelligence modifier.                    

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Non-Monetary Rewards, continued

After writing my previous post about my own experience with Non-Monetary Rewards (NMR? Catchy?) I got to thinking about a more general list of such things. The DMG or Players Handbook (depending on your preferred system) generally contains a list of the types of treasure players expect to find in their adventures. Art Objects, Magical Tomes, +1 Swords, and the ever-popular pile of gold coins.

But why are these things always available? Other than the fact that they are a cornerstone of the genre... Treasure is another measure of power, just like XP, a bit more fluid, but a direct measurement of the characters power. But what other types of treasure might populate the DM's notes?

NMR
Pets/Followers - From a pet panther named Gwenhwyvar, to a little Kobold showing you the way through the mountain, pet's and followers can be found in all manner of Fantasy RPG's. The services and combat utility they offer are probably the most directly beneficial to the adventurers. Companion characters/cohorts also fall into this category, often complimenting the player's combat ability.

Possessions/Holdings - A mountain stronghold, the sacred texts of the sun god. These sorts of treasures may not be very useful for bashing the ogres skull in, but they can open up story routes that would have otherwise been closed. As long as these sorts of treasures don't cut too deep into the players budgets, they can really help drive a story forward. It is also possible for these places to grant material benefits on a players character sheet. Keeping up your training within a personal archery range, or studying texts in your library can grant small bonuses to a characters attack and damage without edging out weapons and other equipment.

Access to Resources - Ancient Libraries, the Great Smithy of the Dwarves. These treasures are great rewards for plot arc's. They give the players a big bonus, something the Bards can sing about, but without unbalancing the economy with a massive lump-sum of gold. Giving the players a resource at the end of an Arc can see the players returning there during future adventure's, and become a good source of plot hooks. Be sure to let the characters use this resource in following adventures. If the players are constantly fighting back local goblin uprisings, perhaps that library has a tome regarding the weaknesses of goblin combat techniques, or the Smithy has blueprints for a Sting-style blade which aids against goblins.

Political Support/Army - Need to get into the Lord Lich's Fortress of Darkness? Have a troublesome army of Orc's in the way? Time to call in a favor from the King of Castle Orledin to march his knights against the darkness. Support from a powerful third party brings more options to the table, and players love options.


I hope this helps you add a little more variety to the rewards for your next adventure.