dnd for 1 homebrew campaign

[wizuriel]

so continuing on from this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115012) I figured would be best off making something for m GF than trying to find a module. In a nutshell looking to make a short D&D game for 1 lvl 5 druid and debating if should make a DM PC to help her. if I do was thinking of a lvl 4 cleric.

So the world I have is divided in kingdoms. She will be working for an archdruid of magelore. Magelore is the biggest city in the world and 3rd largest kingdom (their city is so big they are considered their own kingdom). The city is the self proclaimed bastion of knowledge and research. It is ruled by a council of 10:
a wizard
a sorcerer
a warlock/Incarnate (people that use their soul to power stuff)
a bard
an armored mage (duskblade, beguiller, hexblade ect)
a cleric
a druid/ranger (nature user)
a necromancer (or something that can construct and infuse magical creations)
a psion
a true namer / dragonfire adept (something that uses external signs to use magic)

Every 8 years an election is called and each section of the city votes in who they want to lead, the 9th year is the election and the 10th year is a transaction between the 2 counciles (the old council teaches the ways to the new one while dumping any long term projects on their laps).
Now the system is pretty horribly flawed. Only the clerics and armored mages really care, the rest of the city considered being elected a nuisances since they rather research magic then try to run the city. As a result change is slow and the law rarly gets upheld, the armored mage police force tends to only solve simple cases (or make them simpler even if wrong). Most of the city hires adventurers to act as body guards and to run errands.

So in a far away land this creature no one has ever heard of before destroyed a heavily fortified city. It took a small army of paladins to finally slay the thing. the archdruid in Magelore has recently been studying the effects of this substance known as crystal and how its energies is corrupting animals and humanoids and birthing monsters. So the people of the land brought the creature for the archdruid to study. Anyways the archdruid is pretty unpopular as he is trying to actively get the council to help better the world and send out research teams to study crystal (and no one wants to abandon their own research to help someone else's research). A lot of the upper inhabitants are also jealous of the archdruid being able to study this never seen before creature (which was suppose to be a secret).

So the archdruid decides to hire a new bodyguard which will be my GF.

So what is going happen is the first night of her job the BBEG of my world who summoned the creature is going posses my girlfriends druid and kill the archdruid and set fire to the place. this is when she will wake up.

Now the city guard are uncharacteristically all over this case. They are convinced she killed her master for power (which isn't unusual in the city). So she is going have to be dodging the city guard and either try to escape the city or prove her innocence. I can't think of a way for her to really prove her innocence so escape will be her best option. Though if she does try to prove her innocence the archdruid had a lot of enemies she can investigate into


so encounters looking at:
1) avoiding the city guard as she sneaks around
2) The druid section of town is a small woodlands area. There some wild creatures that might have escaped or some of the archdruids "friends" could be looking for her
3) can have various things in the city go wrong, like some wizards losing control of their undead servants.
4) shes going need to interact with people to try and get out of the city (best way probaly through the sewers).

if she does get caught going put her in a prison. She and her animal companion should be able to escape it though into the sewers.

pretty much looking for some things can do in the city for her to test out different skills and than in the sewers will introduce her to combat.

[wizuriel]

mm thought of a slight problem of my plan. Being a druid with no party there isn't much to stop her turning into some kind of aerial animal and just flying away, or turning into some kind of dog and just blending in and escaping the city.

was planning and using the PHB2 shifter variant since will be easier on us for her shape shifting ability.

think might have to use a DM PC to try and keep her from just shape shifting and running (at least make it a moral dilemma to do that).

[TheYoungKing]

Maybe just block aerial forms?

[Pyrusticia]

In any city this heavily populated with magic users, it should be fairly standard for the guards to be equipped with some means of penetrating illusion, polymorph, etc. Otherwise they would have magical thieves & assassins running rampant throughout the city.

[wizuriel]

yeah. The main guard are composed of duskblades, beguilers ect. Will just say as standard uniform they have an item that gives them true sight or something to see magical auras and just rule that while they can't identify it is her, they can tell the difference between a normal beast, an animal companion and a shape shifted druid. Will have the guards have a sorcerer with them with fly and some kind of entrapment spell (so yeah her best bet is to hide from these guards). Can also have some flying guard type since this is a huge city.


So going change the story a bit. Will have her run some errands for the archdruid so she learns the city a bit, a key thing going need to drop is a seer in the psionic section that has become somewhat famous for revealing hidden messages in a persons dreams. Later some night her character will have a very weird dream and wake up with the archdruid dead and her weapon covered in his blood. The guards will uncharacteristically be all over this case, however they are more concerned hunting down the archdruids helpers than solving it. In the confussion of the guards hunting down the helpers the binder that made her kill the archdruid will steal the creatures corpse. Will have the druid run into my BBEG of the campaign and together they can try to hunt down the binder and prove her innocence, or she can try to escape the city (which case the BBEG won't help her and continue looking for the binder).

From the druid section a few of the "friends" of the archdruid might suggest she check out the necromancer section since the archdruid had a few enemies. Main challenge her will be knowing who to trust and when to run.

So based on what she knows the archdruid has had issues with necromancers in the past, if she goes there can encounter some zombies that have broken free from people and terrorize a tavern or shop. The necromancer section is pretty much a dead end.

If she focuses on the dream she had when she killed the archdruid she can head to the psionic district to try and learn what it means. From there will have a seer that can inform her that there some weird elements that are common amongst some binders (and 1 in particular).

When she confronts the binder the BBEG will incapacitate the binder in a flashy way and suggest that my GF patrol the area and he will find the creature. Petty much will force her to do that or he will knock her unconscious. Either way when she comes back the binder will be dead, the creature gone but she will find a journal where the binder admits to killing the archdruid to study the creature. The BBEG is a worm that walks so will also find his robe (creating just enough evidence for the city guard to think she is innocent, the creature is gone and this case is now too hard to solve so they are better off leaving it)

Now along the way if she stays for too long in an area or creates too much noise with a random encounter the city guards will show up. If they capture her they will imprison her for the night. Will make it possible for her to escape and sneak into the city sewers from the prison. Down there will be some failed experiments, undead and vermain for her to play with. Again she has the choice of fleeing the city or sneaking back in to prove her innocence. If she makes it to the binder after being caught the BBEG will have found the binder already (so same scenario).

So key challenges are stealth, finding people and information, knowing who to trust (some people epically in the druid section will try to stall her and turn her into the guards). In the city can have random encounters with some rogues, failed experiments ect.


The binder to know advanced oneiromancy has to be be lvl 8 min. His feats will more or less be wasted on oneiromancy and 1 of his vestigages will be the star emperor (so that does next to nothing for him in combat). He might actually be a good boss fight for a lvl 5 druid. She is also going have shape shifting variant and an animal companion.

[wizuriel]

So if my GF and the BBEG make it to the binder without getting caught the fight will be

well my binder
human, lvl 8
str: 8
dex: 10
con: 13
int: 14
wis: 14
cha: 17

HP: 43
fort: 7
ref: 2
will: 8

AC 15

items:
+2 cloak of charisma
+1 chain shirt
masterwork dagger
leaving me 3800 to spend on random stuff (any suggestions)

feats:
1)dream telling
1) spell like ability focus
3) oneiromancy
4) improved binding
6) improved oneiromancy

going house rule that since he can summon 5th level bindings he can use the improved oneiromancy spells once per 5 rounds (or day with the puppet spell)

will have amon and Dantalion bound.

so general strategy would be to teleport and firebreath, can than stop anyone from attacking him for 1 round to kill time till firebreath is ready again. While waiting for those abilitiys can charge in. When ability is ready teleport out of combat and breath away.

Encountering the BBEG will drive him mad so he will fight to the death. Unless the fight goes on to long the BBEG for the most part will stand back.


now to make a sewer boss in case she gets caught

edit: I think the sewer will have some formians down there. a warrior and some workers should be a good boss fight for that route