Show notes
For the first time ever, we brought the whole team together to recap DM Tony’s very highly customized version of Storm King’s Thunder. Hear what all 5 players and Tony thought of the game and what they have to say about the CRAZY MAGIC ITEMS in it, his changes to the campaign, fitting in their backstories, and more! Along the way, we talk about fighting the Kraken, befriending (most) of the giants, and how we all became The Avengers in a Halloween game. If you’re wondering just how far a DM can push a book module beyond what’s written before your players balk, this is the episode for you. You’ll hear how Tony pulled off his tricks, how the players reacted to them, and the secret backstories and DM canon we never got to see. 1:00 Introducing the players3:00 A high-magic party for a high-magic campaign4:00 Jacob: The middle-aged police detective turned dad-rage barbarian with his dead wife playing ancestral spirit.7:00 RO4M: The “repurposed” Warforged warlock with a random personality track9:00 Wilhelmina Draughall: The Sorcerer-Warlock dedicated to convincing the Raven Queen to save her brother’s life. And her pet alcoholic imp, Morningstar10:00 Roderick R.R. Draughall: The dying nobleman based on Vincent Price from The Fall of the House of Usher14:00 The Draughall’s secret backstory and how the big campaign plots battled with personal storylines for airtime21:00 Playing Zhang Fei: A lawful neutral samurai bugbear raised up from a slaughtered goblin warren by his cruel Daimyo25:00 Enter Erasmus the half-giant DMPC replacement wizard34:00 How Tony worked PC backstories into the wider SKT plot, one plot twist a player vetoed, and one we never got to 37:00 The 3 Guardians of DM Tony’s SKT: Zephyros, Elios and Traxton the Troll King (Hint: two of those aren’t in the book)41:00 DMing a party that talks its way out of half the encounters45:00 What you gain and lose when the players don’t share their backstories with the party – and the stolen Wish!49:00 Jacob’s secret backstory (and Erasmus’s)53:00 How much of Tony’s story and headcanon did the players actually catch?58:00 Bryn Shandar: Where the party started making friends and influencing giants64:00 Our favorite moments from the campaignGoing ham on the Hill GiantsRacing the Frost Giant demigod Tagrim’s dragon-drawn Spelljammer longship for The Ring of Eternal Winters Recovering Jacob’s memories (which included the murder of the Queen)Wielding the fulling empowered Hammer of Thunderbolts71:00 The Weapons of Legend!81:00 Other items, boons and buffs DM Tony showered upon the party86:00 Why DM Tony doesn’t think jacked attribute numbers matter87:00 Running the Kraken fight against 11th level characters90:00 Final thoughts and the Avenger we each became in the Halloween game