Gamemastery

Narrators in Level Up are tasked with providing a whole world for the group to play in and all that entails—dungeons to explore, intrigues and subterfuge, monsters to slay, treasure to find—and though it can be difficult, there are few more rewarding things than a solid session of tabletop roleplaying so the burden is worth it. While there are plenty of campaign settings and modules to make the work of the Narrator easier, even someone making up everything on the fly can use a little help and that’s what this chapter is about. 

Running the Game . What does it mean to be the Narrator? This section covers the basics—what the Narrator does, what the Narrator needs to know, and how to do it.

Player Archetypes . This section offers ways for the Narrator to better understand what the members of their group are really enthusiastic about and looking to get out of a campaign, allowing for the story and gameplay to better suit their player’s passions.

Safety Tools . Cooperative games like Level Up are just that: cooperative. Whether the campaign is gripping with mature themes or much more light-hearted quests, safety tools are an essential part of keeping everyone at the table happy and coming back for more.

Creating a Campaign . The telling of epic tales at the table is a fine goal but where does a Narrator start this process? This section offers guidance on how to build a campaign from session zero to finish. 

Worldbuilding . Whether the Narrator is designing a castle for the party’s next session or planning out an entire world, they are worldbuilding. These pages are all about the process and choosing the right approach for the campaign or game session a Narrator is preparing for.

Designing Encounters . Campaigns in Level Up have three basic kinds of encounters (combat, exploration, social) that are largely concerned with other sections of this book (like the Critters and NPC appendices, Chapter 9: Exploration, and Chapter 6: Using Ability Scores), but the thinking behind how to construct them and their purpose in a game are detailed here. 

Encounter Elements . When the Narrator wants to offer a greater challenge for the adventurers or put a spin on an exploration challenge or fight there are a plethora of ways to make things more exciting. There are more than two dozen encounter elements to introduce onto the field of battle or in a dungeon, ranging from green slime to lava and yellow mold.

Experience and Other Rewards . Most adventurers increase their class levels by accruing experience points, but the Narrator has a variety of ways to employ them or advance the game through entirely different means! So too are there different ways to reward the party than new magic items or heaps of gold.

Treasure . When the battle is ended and the day won, what do the adventurers find amongst the spoils? This section is all about artwork, coin, gems, jewelry, magic items, and how to create unique hoards of treasure for the party to find in the aftermath of successful encounters.

Diseases  and Poisons . The Narrator needs options when adventurers have spent too much time in the sewers or are facing a cult of assassins, and this section of the chapter provides dozens of afflictions to choose from.

Mental Stress Effects . Often faced with horrors from beyond the mortal pale or forces of nature given form with scaled wings and fiery breath, many an adventurer has felt the effects of stress weigh heavily upon them. This section of the chapter provides short-term, long-term, and indefinite mental stress effects for campaigns interested in that aspect of play.