Preparing for ‘Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus’ – DnDBeyond September 24, 2019Zoltar THIS IS A AN AUTOMATIC CAPTION TEXT from YouTube, so it’s not “perfect”.<br /> My advice is to use it just to help people like me that are not english speaking, to understand the Video/Podcast<br /> and do you recommendations for like</p> <p>classes yeah I mean I mean you are like</p> <p>the lead writer on this so maybe you</p> <p>have the inside scoop like I would</p> <p>prepare a little bit yeah</p> <p>well here’s the weird thing it’s like</p> <p>this game this this adventure can go in</p> <p>so many different directions because</p> <p>it’s it’s if you run a a bunch of like</p> <p>paladin’s and clerics which which kind</p> <p>of is maybe the first impulse that</p> <p>players my B’s like oh there’s there’s a</p> <p>hellish realms well I’m gonna I’m gonna</p> <p>run somebody who’s very holy that can go</p> <p>well for you you know you can</p> <p>there are boons and benefits that you</p> <p>can get from being a holy player or holy</p> <p>character that will serve you well in</p> <p>the infernal realms and then there’s</p> <p>items that you can encounter through</p> <p>there that can help you out that and and</p> <p>then you’re able to resist the</p> <p>temptation and corruption of avarice and</p> <p>that’s really a good thing it’s also a</p> <p>difficult thing because we’ve designed</p> <p>it in such a way that the righteous path</p> <p>is the most difficult path so so it is a</p> <p>double-edged sword if you run a tiefling</p> <p>character that is has predilections</p> <p>towards evil that can also help you out</p> <p>you can actually skate through some of</p> <p>these things that you wouldn’t a good</p> <p>character would normally have a lot of</p> <p>problems with you might be able to get</p> <p>through it</p> <p>however there’s so many temptations that</p> <p>you could wind up being a corrupted mess</p> <p>and a slave to an arch devil before you</p> <p>even get to the goal of the adventure so</p> <p>so in that case you know you can see the</p> <p>two different you know ways that a new</p> <p>player going into this and like you said</p> <p>you’re gonna find out about what your</p> <p>who your character is by the end of this</p> <p>adventure or at least halfway through it</p> <p>you know you’re gonna understand like oh</p> <p>we’re in way over our heads here or</p> <p>you’re gonna be like oh my gosh this is</p> <p>defining Who I am as a hero you know I</p> <p>know myself and I think I think I’m</p> <p>gonna do good down here</p> <p>you can have two of those things so as a</p> <p>DM as a new DM going into this I think</p> <p>it’s a</p> <p>Great Adventure because it’s it’s going</p> <p>on a lot of resonant tropes it’s going</p> <p>on a lot of things that you already</p> <p>understand as a consumer of fantasy and</p> <p>as a consumer of myth good at versus</p> <p>evil the light in the darkness</p> <p>that Devils are evil and scheming and</p> <p>conniving and you’ve got to be able to</p> <p>resist the temptation people all across</p> <p>the world understand that so and this</p> <p>this story and this campaign hits on</p> <p>that it’s on that note so if I just come</p> <p>to D&D for the first time I’m like I</p> <p>want to run adventure I get it</p> <p>I already get the premise of this</p> <p>adventure and I already understand how</p> <p>to run it as a storyteller so it’s not</p> <p>something that’s so abstract like if I</p> <p>was a new player and I wanted to play</p> <p>like a really obscure world that we have</p> <p>in D&D that I’m like I don’t really</p> <p>understand this I don’t understand who</p> <p>these people are and why are they mad at</p> <p>them and is this sci-fi is this fantasy</p> <p>like I’m not sure where I’m at</p> <p>like everyone might be a little bit</p> <p>difficult for a first-time DM to run if</p> <p>you go like if you can tell them like</p> <p>it’s about noir detective noir Pulp and</p> <p>then they’re like okay I get that I</p> <p>understand that then they can might be</p> <p>able to muddle their way through</p> <p>everyone there’s a lot of kind of</p> <p>upfront reading you have to do</p> <p>understanding like what is the last war</p> <p>about what it’s corvair because that’s a</p> <p>political intrigue yes yeah and there’s</p> <p>you know okay you can think of the</p> <p>dragon more houses as corporations and</p> <p>they’re evil or and they’re trying to</p> <p>get as much you know so so we’re trying</p> <p>to keep resonant stuff in that new</p> <p>players to the game can get so that the</p> <p>least have something to hold on to as</p> <p>they go on their crazy quest of</p> <p>imagination but you know ultimately</p> <p>there’s things that are kind of easier</p> <p>to understand and things that are harder</p> <p>to grasp so for something high fantasy</p> <p>like what we do a lot in The Forgotten</p> <p>Realms which is kind of our high fantasy</p> <p>setting which and I think that’s why</p> <p>it’s probably our most popular setting</p> <p>is that people understand it you know</p> <p>players understand it you can come from</p> <p>anywhere in the you know however you</p> <p>consume your media and game stuff you</p> <p>come to D&D and you’re like oh I get it</p> <p>this is you know I’ve encountered maybe</p> <p>Lord of the Rings or I’ve encountered</p> <p>you know</p> <p>Game of Thrones and so I have a baseline</p> <p>where as you get into like and was</p> <p>secure set like like let’s say we did</p> <p>the dune role-playing game it’s like I’m</p> <p>ass out our car or Bremen like what you</p> <p>know I’m a dub the Atreides clan what am</p> <p>I doing here and what are what’s the</p> <p>voice and what’s the weirding way like</p> <p>so but but this is true for players as</p> <p>well</p> <p>yeah like players who consume all of</p> <p>these different comics all these</p> <p>different yes all these TV shows</p> <p>understand like if you were a fan of</p> <p>penny dreadful or you’re a fan of</p> <p>Constantine or Doctor Strange or</p> <p>supernatural or you know even you know</p> <p>if there’s just so many different shows</p> <p>and books and novels about this subject</p> <p>matter like he was a player you’re like</p> <p>I get it yeah like I am on that slippery</p> <p>slope like Constantine is always like</p> <p>he’s always just writing that middle</p> <p>line between heaven and hell yeah he’s</p> <p>always that type of character and like</p> <p>you know the brothers brothers and</p> <p>Supernatural are always fighting the</p> <p>demons they’re trying to get through and</p> <p>so I think players automatically get it</p> <p>they get that struggle yes like</p> <p>characters and I think that’s why it’s</p> <p>something that resonates immediately</p> <p>yeah the other thing that I like about</p> <p>it I’m just going to this entire</p> <p>interview rock and roll man oh but the</p> <p>action is like really resonates because</p> <p>when you tell someone you’re in combat</p> <p>you’re like okay here here I go I am</p> <p>playing Dean D for the first time I</p> <p>swing my sword that cast my spell but</p> <p>now you’re telling them you are on a</p> <p>fertile war machine yeah that is what</p> <p>you’re doing you are in a blasted</p> <p>landscape there is almost virtually no</p> <p>plant life is like a desert hell</p> <p>dimension you are an infernal war</p> <p>machine and you’ve got all these weapons</p> <p>and this thing that screams and this</p> <p>thing that vomits and and you’re just</p> <p>fighting each other and they’re warlords</p> <p>and everyone who’s seen Mad Max</p> <p>understands okay this is the kind of</p> <p>combat I’m seeing in my head right now</p> <p>yeah yeah totally I mean I mean one of</p> <p>the things you could do is like you know</p> <p>with your players before you you run</p> <p>this adventure</p> <p>is you could go and just be like let’s</p> <p>have a fury road viewing and let’s have</p> <p>like a Hellraiser constatine viewing</p> <p>yeah and just that’s watch those two</p> <p>movies and you’ve got you’ve kind of got</p> <p>the vibe like for a player who who kind</p> <p>of hasn’t sort of you know immersed into</p> <p>that yet just watching those two movies</p> <p>then then you play this and you’ve got</p> <p>visual contacts complete visual context</p> <p>and also context is to like like the</p> <p>slippery slope and like how like the</p> <p>danger of where you’re going you know</p> <p>like you know as as the the plot</p> <p>thickens in to send to a furnace you</p> <p>know a DM all they have to do is you</p> <p>know say well you know now you can you</p> <p>smell of the wind of the sulfur coming</p> <p>at you and you can see the the sandstorm</p> <p>you know howling the distance and</p> <p>there’s biting flies buzzing around you</p> <p>and and the players are like oh man now</p> <p>we get it now we know what we’re in for</p> <p>this is this is going to be screwed you</p> <p>know and how do we survive down here you</p> <p>know and then then that moment of I mean</p> <p>I think this is one of those adventures</p> <p>where the the DND players are gonna</p> <p>understand all about the party like the</p> <p>party working together like wow powerful</p> <p>it is that we stick together and we help</p> <p>each other and taking rests and making</p> <p>sure that nobody is gets separated off</p> <p>because you know one of the things we’re</p> <p>trying to do in a virtus is to make it</p> <p>scale as different down here it’s it’s</p> <p>different you know distances are</p> <p>deceiving you know the the landscape</p> <p>moves and changes because it’s a</p> <p>supernatural plane it’s a magical plane</p> <p>of existence so the feeling that you’re</p> <p>small and you’re out of your own element</p> <p>and you’re sort of alone in this it’s</p> <p>it’s a predatory realm like and it’s</p> <p>it’s a arcane predatory realm like it’s</p> <p>coming at you from the supernatural and</p> <p>so anybody who’s like watch you know</p> <p>like or read old Conan in comics you</p> <p>know and the Lovecraft like that feeling</p> <p>of you’re not sure and you know the</p> <p>thing that prickles the sense of</p> <p>prickles up on your back in the neck</p> <p>and then there are demons that are</p> <p>coming through portals and you’re never</p> <p>sure what you’re going to encounter that</p> <p>stuff is just like food to generate this</p> <p>feeling of you know we are completely</p> <p>out of our element we’re completely in a</p> <p>different world and now now how do we</p> <p>how do we survive we have to use every</p> <p>scrap of our ingenuity we have to use</p> <p>every scrap of our magical power to</p> <p>survive down here and that’s fun I have</p> <p>a very specific question about descent</p> <p>into a furnace was a holly font okay why</p> <p>is this so adorable yeah so holly fans</p> <p>are they are a I believe they’re a</p> <p>second edition creature that we that we</p> <p>they’re Celestials and you know when</p> <p>there was a when we were designing this</p> <p>this adventure coming with a story we</p> <p>knew that it was going to be bleak and</p> <p>so there had to be some sort of levity</p> <p>and some sort of thing that breaks the</p> <p>tension and so there needed to be kind</p> <p>of a light-hearted character that went</p> <p>with you and so I thought about Jiminy</p> <p>Cricket in Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket</p> <p>kind of acts as your conscience as</p> <p>you’re going as Pinocchio is kind of</p> <p>going through his trials and</p> <p>tribulations and I thought well Holly</p> <p>fat would be a great character and I</p> <p>believe it was his Matt’s turn it</p> <p>actually came up with like it could be</p> <p>this this this Holly Fant creature so</p> <p>but anyway that was like that’s perfect</p> <p>that’s perfect so we put this character</p> <p>in there to just act as that thing to</p> <p>guide the characters through the</p> <p>adventure and so then in the next part</p> <p>of it was in the story we connected it</p> <p>to sort of the main plot line that the</p> <p>holla Fant</p> <p>was once a connected was Ariel the arch</p> <p>devil and she’s lost the the howl</p> <p>offense in this is called Lulu she’s</p> <p>adorable and but she’s lost her memories</p> <p>and she doesn’t know she has vague</p> <p>recollections of things so when you go</p> <p>to a</p> <p>furnace this hall event is is there to</p> <p>kind of guide you and she’s also a</p> <p>celestial being so she’s pure of spirit</p> <p>so she’s reminding you in times of</p> <p>temptation like oh don’t do that</p> <p>you know don’t Oh stay away from them is</p> <p>that the official canon voice it could</p> <p>be you know so so that that is a it’s a</p> <p>tool for the DM to you know either you</p> <p>know dissuade characters from making bad</p> <p>choices humor and Ed humor and add</p> <p>levity and had fun and laughs but yeah</p> <p>that’s where Lulu evolved from so it’s</p> <p>it’s an old D&D monster from way back</p> <p>and but and they are very quite powerful</p> <p>as written in the in the second edition</p> <p>or is it the second Monster Manual –</p> <p>it’s one of the other I’m clear on that</p> <p>but they’re quite powerful but Lewis and</p> <p>she has has lost her memories</p> <p>she’s been nerfed a bit so she’s not as</p> <p>powerful but as you go through and as</p> <p>Lulu starts to regain her memories she</p> <p>becomes more and more powerful and more</p> <p>and more of a presence and stays</p> <p>adorable</p> <p> Share this:TweetWhatsAppTelegramEmail
