This can be used for great story effect. Say for example your cleric receives a vision from their deity of impending doom, setting the party on their quest. Your warlock receives dreams of a demon lord passing over into our world, giving the party a ticking clock to seal them. Whatever it is, the party will often take whatever happened in the dream to be fact.
My problem with this is dreams don't work this way. Say your friend comes up to you one day and says they dreamt a meteor was heading for Earth. Would you automatically assume you need to start digging a bunker? No. I get that this game is fantasy, but I feel we should treat dreams a similar way – not always some prophetic vision of the end times, but sometimes just a reflection on what the character is going through.
Below I'll go through some tips to make your players question dream sequences more, rather than just taking them as fact, and how to add more variety to your long rest sequences.
Dreams aren't always literal
One thing I've noticed is that when a player character goes through a dream sequence, it shows them exactly what is happening. As an example, the DM wants to show a demon lord is rising, summoned by a corrupted druidic cult in a forest known as The Obsidian Grove. They show them a vision of the creature rising through a portal in the exact location it will happen, surrounded by cultists in robes bearing their symbol. The party know who is coming and the group they need to go after.
But dreams don't operate on logic. They operate on symbols, metaphor, omens. In this scenario, rather than seeing the literal ascension, perhaps they dream of a seed growing in a dark wood, the trees made of jet block stone. As the sapling sprouts, fire spreads to the surrounding area, corrupting it or turning it to ash. The pattern of the trees creates a strange symbol that the party have never encountered. The trees limbs twist into those of animals, reaching out towards the fiery eruption and pull it out of the earth towards the heavens.
All of these symbols point to what is coming – the trees of dark stone hinting at The Obsidian Grove – the trees morphing into animals hinting at the druidic cult – the fire rising from the ground hinting at the demon's ascension, but none of it is explicitly said. This gives the party the opportunity to talk through the dream and share knowledge. Maybe one of them comes from a village near the grove and can put it together. Maybe the party's cleric recognises the tree pattern as a symbol of the demon lord. It gives the players the opportunity to figure things out, rather than just being given the story on a platter. I've often found this is far more rewarding, and makes the player's feel more involved in the story, rather than just being along for the ride.
Not every dream is prophecy
When a DM pulls out a dream sequence like the one above, it can feel a bit like a railroad. The party aren't following the right thread, so the DM is giving them a glowing sign to point them in the right direction. If done properly, with the party able to figure out the path, rather than just being told, this can work well. However, if this is all you do, you're missing out on a great opportunity for different storytelling and character moments.
Sometimes when a character is going through a particular conflict, a dream sequence can be a great way to explore this. For example, my changeling cleric serves a god that forbids them from ever seeing their true face. On the night of their initiation, in all their nerves and panic, they let their form slip and caught a glimpse of themselves in a mirror. Racked with guilt, they vowed never to tell anyone and to try to forget it ever happened. So, in dreams, I would often be surrounded by mirrors, trying desperately to avoid my reflection. It would appear as a shadow, smoke, chasing me. This only got worse as they were forced to choose between their faith and the relationship they had found in the party after leaving their monastic order. Self or duty, with that face the symbol of the renunciation of their faith.
None of these sequences were meant to affect the quest. It wasn't a prophecy of what was happening in the world. It was my character trying to make sense of their internal conflict. It made the character feel so much richer and helped me connect to their struggle so much more. By letting these internal conflicts play out in the game through dreams, you can help your players role play so much more effectively, as they fully grasp the intricacies of their character.
Let the player's take the wheel
Another great way to explore characters through dreams is to take a step back as the DM, and let the characters narrate their dreams for you. I wouldn't advise doing this every long rest, but it can be a great way for the table to pick up certain things that their character may not know, and add to the collective story you are all telling.
To do this, simply go around the table and ask each player what they thing they would be dreaming about. If challenges come up in the course of their narration, feel free to add in a few skill checks to make this more dynamic and engaging. This gives players the opportunity to share aspects of their story that don't come up in conversation, and inform the story going on in the waking world.
-
Sometimes a dream can just be a dream. Not every sequence has to hold incredible significance. But it's important to remember them as a tool in your DM arsenal, and remember there are lots of different ways you can use them to build your story together. Sometimes a player may get a vision of the end times, speak to their god, or be granted a divine revelation, and sometimes they just ate some bad cheese before making camp. That decision is entirely up to you.
Comments
Post a Comment