PDA

View Full Version : [4.0] Campaign with a Zombie Flavour



Tyrmatt
2009-02-17, 02:57 PM
Hey folks, wouldn't mind some advice on creating a campaign.
It's a first time 4th ed campaign for all of us (myself as DM and up to 4 others, though it could potentially wind down to just me and one dude playing 4 sheets. ) and the players have a real thirst for zombies and general undeadery.
Story (and thus RPing) will be largely optional as these guys aren't seasoned RPGers but I've got it all prepared should they want a bit more immersion and so far most of what I've written encounter-wise is built around 4 players, the classic Fighter, Cleric, Wizard, Rogue party.
But while I've got a main overarching villain all set up, replete with backstory, numerous lairs and suchwhat, I want to shake things up a bit between fighting off this guy. I think a general undead theme is still preferred but anything particularly interesting could be worthwhile.
I've got PHB, MM, DMG, OG and I can probably lay hands on any of the 4th ed splatbooks that are lying around so feel free to use them if you know of a good twist.
So

- All currently available rulebooks valid
- Major undead theme
- Mostly scaled for 4 adventurers
- Want to avoid continuous fights against mindless zombies.
- Encounters that are cool for the sake of cool are actively encouraged. Anything to engage these guys more deeply is wanted.
- Stuff for between levels 5-10, 15-20 and any minor "Gain a level" sidequests are champion.

If it helps, the BBEG is a lich who has a long-running goal that requires a lot of research and thus when the PC's foil his current designs, he's more likely to simply retreat with a particular precious item and continue other avenues of his research somewhere else. When the PC's face him for the second time (approximately level 15 or so), they should hopefully destroy his physical body and this puts him in the mind that they should be exterminated for peace and quiet's sake.

Tygell
2009-02-17, 03:16 PM
If you have a DDI subscription, they just released an article detailing a city of undead that might help you. I can't link it from work though, so you'll have to search for it.

Tyrmatt
2009-02-18, 03:56 PM
@Tygell: I don't happen to have a subscription though I might have some spare cash lying around for one. It'll have to wait til I can move money to my VISA account though.

As a minor tie in to the BBEG, I thought about the players possibly unleashing something almost akin to the RAGE virus from 28 Days Later. The Open Grave has some stats I believe for "un-undead zombies" and thought about perhaps them having to quest to find a particular order of clerics/monks who could help them manufacture an airborne cure.
The BBEG is going to be researching a particular disease anyway and it will likely get modified in the course of his magical tinkering. Of course, his undead nature makes him immune anyway and he's careful to avoid unleashing a lethal plague. It could rob him of potential research subjects and slow his dark designs, not to mention harm the fruits of his labours. So I figure that in the confusion of the first lair breakup, a spazzing out mind-controlled slave accidentally shatters open a vial of plague. The cleric's deity will grant the party immunity in order to make them the only ones capable of bringing about a cure.
Refusal to cooperate will bring constant zombie attacks and eventually, plague symptoms on the party. Yeah it's railroady but this is the fate of the world here. Can our intrepid heroes really turn their backs on that?

Archpaladin Zousha
2009-02-18, 04:16 PM
It goes without saying that Open Grave is indispensible.

hamishspence
2009-02-18, 04:24 PM
It would be nice if they provided stats for Zombie Plague though- Worms of Kyuss is not quite the same (11th level, for one thing)

Maybe in the next errata.

RTGoodman
2009-02-18, 11:21 PM
Well, one thing that could work is to make some Zombie attacks deal damage in the form of lost healing surges. That's enough to scare players, especially ones with not that many to begin with.

Making up a Zombie Plague or Rage Virus disease would be a good step, too. I haven't looked at 4E diseases much, but check out those and I think you might be good.

Tyrmatt
2009-02-19, 07:21 AM
I had a minor breakthrough with this idea of a plague. Who are the ideal people to seek help from, apart from a reclusive order of monks who venerate water elementals?

Warforged!
Yep, I'm gonna send my hapless PC's into a Warforged town, where they're gonna have to prove their worth to get them to lead them up to the monks monastery. The Warforged, immune to disease as they are (or will be if they aren't), will be quite willing to just fend off the zombies without fear of infection or destruction. However, they do know where the monks live, possibly due to them mining required metal from the mountain and I'm sure there are a few jobs for the heroes to do, including the recovery of a certain warforged who is...a little special.

Yeah, the special Warforged is a big nod to a running joke amongst the group so I think they'll be pleased to save him.

@rtg0902: I like that idea. Given the popularity of Left 4 Dead amongst our little group as well, I'm bashing out some stats later today for the Boss Infected (Boomer, Smoker, Hunters, Witches), so I think perhaps Boomer bile will sap healing surges and perhaps attract other zombies to attack the biled players.
I also like the idea of the Smoker's ranged drag and pin attacks. I think the mechanics for the Hunter are already statted in or can be very quickly added to Skulk Zombies. Playing the Hunter scream as the prelude to a surprise round is going to scare the bejesus out of a few folks :p

Oh and for the life of me, I can't remember where this is, if someone could help: It was an ability or feat that allowed a particularly fat monster to fold his flab (or muscles or whatever) around an attacking weapon and hold it fast. My brain is convinced I read it somewhere and I can't think where.

eepop
2009-02-19, 11:48 AM
The was also an article in dungeon/dragon in DDI that had I think 10 new types of zombies to supplement the Open Grave release (these new ones are not in OG).

Tyrmatt
2009-02-19, 01:03 PM
The was also an article in dungeon/dragon in DDI that had I think 10 new types of zombies to supplement the Open Grave release (these new ones are not in OG).

Would love if you could give me the number of those articles since I just bought me a subby.

Yakk
2009-02-19, 01:24 PM
There are abomination pseudo-undead (people infected by far realm contact) in the monster manual.

I'd be tempted to include at least one phase shift, where the BBEG changes tactics. Maybe the players disrupt the BBEG's connection to Orcus, and the BBEG grabs power from the Far Realm...

The idea is that you want a mixture of opponents in each sub-tier, to keep things interesting. As you move to the next tier, you want the "omg, that's a scary one" bad guys to fade to being mere "grunts", and a new more dangerous set of opponents to slide in.

Ie, one possible pattern might be:
Zombies/Skeletons -- level 1 to 5 grunts
Cultists/Ghouls -- level 6 to 10 grunts
Abominations/Demons -- level 11 to 15 grunts
Devils/Angels -- level 16 to 20 grunts

with lines up with an arc of the players starting out dealing with a relatively mundane undead problem, followed by going after the cult that is the source of the problem. This disrupts the Lich's connection to the cult of orcus, which results in the Lich making bargains with the Far Realm, and more use of summoned Demons in the early Paragon tier (which is a good spot to switch the game to post-apocalypse -- ie, the far realm abomination effect is infectious!)

They defeat the Lich around level 15, and the lich gets annoyed. The lich then starts using pacts with Devils and actual Angels (4e angels, remember) to oppose the player's actions.

In each 5 level step, include "mini bosses" from the next 5 level step to scare the crap out of the players, and minions/weak opponents from the previous 5 level step. This generates the feeling of growing power in combat that can be reflected in the plot.

The actual example of the semi-tier layout of planned oppponents is an example -- the idea is to make them quite distinguishable, however, so that the players _feel_ the difference between "oh, another zombie" and "oh crap, a ghoul!" The fear for ghouls needs to be developed initially, then the players reach the point where ghouls are less of a problem, then they reach a point where ghouls are something you deal with using 'splash damage'.

Of course, this is on a longer arc than you might reach. You can do the same thing in smaller arcs.

In each individual adventure, you can go from skeletons being the serious opponent, to at the end the skeletons being faced are minions, over a 3 level adventure.

...

Any of that useful?