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View Full Version : Lawful Good vs. Chaotic Good, Campaign ideas



Mikeavelli
2010-01-11, 11:26 PM
Hello! I've started up a game inspired by an off-handed comment from one member of my meatspace D&D group. He wondered, "So, The lawful good and the chaotic good outsiders are supposed to be at each other's throats just as much as good and evil, right? What do they DO to conflict?"

Normally they just argue and talk a lot, and there's a time and a place for that to occur. But I've got a more direct conflict in mind. I'm also looking for ideas to make this even more awesome.

The situation:



The players are currently antagonizing an order of Tippylike wizards called the Order of the Inner Eye. The eye is a fraternity of the most powerful wizards on the Prime, both good and evil, whose actual goal is the protection of humanity from outer planar influences, both good and evil, and the elimination of monstrous threats to the 'Mundanes.'

The players have come in conflict with the Eye because,
1. They're a bunch of arrogant pricks.

2. They're not too picky about the methods individual members employee to accomplish their goals.

Their continuing conflict with the Eye is the overarching storyline of the campaign, but this city is where the law\chaos dispute will occur.

Several months before the PC's arrival, a powerful Daemon (Arcanaloth, specifically) was summoned for reasons I haven't quite worked out yet. It quickly schemed its way into running wild, acquired some protection from divination magic, and went about causing havoc behind the scenes politically.

The heavens, being far more proactive in this campaign world than most, have actually sent down minions to stop the 'Loth from the culmination of its schemes. In its method of acquiring freedom, the 'Loth broke one of the many obscure rules that keep Celestia and the lower planes from interfering int he mortal world - allowing Mt. Celestia to send an Agent (Archon of some sort, I haven't decided which kind) - to directly oppose him.

On the chaotic side, we have an Eladrin (Ghale? sure.) who... Just happened to be passing through, caught the scent of a powerful fiend, and set up shop trying to find it.

Both Celestials are using human guises. The Archon has set itself up as a Nobleman, using mortals as intelligence gathering services to try and figure out where the 'Loth is hiding, and what its plan is. The Eladrin has set itself up as a criminal mastermind, organizing the criminal elements in society to accomplish much the same tasks.

Both are paragons of goodness, so you've got the bizarre situations where the criminal elements of the city have begun to achieve their full potential, help out the poor, etc. Since they have wildly different methods of promoting good, and cannot see past the Lawful\Chaotic divide, AND they both have access to the same divination-blocking magic that the 'Loth is using (and so cannot confirm they're both on the side of good) - Both of them believe the other is, in fact, the fiend they're looking for.

The Archon thinks the Eladrin is a Tanar'Ri, while the Eladrin thinks the Archon is a Baatezu. Both believe the apparent good being done is nothing more than an elaborate plot of misdirection.

The Arcanaloth has a B-plan it doesn't even intend to work (I haven't even decided what it is yet) - but its real plan is to keep pushing at the edges to bring the Archon and Eladrin into open conflict, and make them fall out of pride and paranoia.

The Party will be approached by all three sides over the course of the adventure in this city, and asked to help. Mostly information-gathering missions, and to foil whatever B-plot the 'Loth is running in the background.

If the players don't figure it out, the planned Climax is to have both the upper-planars go to open war, visibly fall, and make every depressed.

If the players DO figure it out, the 'Loth gets killed in the climax.

What I need are ideas? What's a good plot a Yugoloth would use to attract attention without attracting attention? How can I work the Inner Eye into this? They certainly wouldn't summon the fiend because their entire purpose is contrary to it. Unlikely allies situation most likely.

What's a good backstory for a powerful Daemon running free in a mortal city, with the plot point that it broke some important rule to do so?

Brainstorm for me, Internets!

Harperfan7
2010-01-12, 12:54 AM
The Inner Eye fights with a fiendbinder and kills him/her, accidently releasing the binders bound arcanaloth to run free through a city (one without any special protection against powerful outsiders). The Inner Eye can't find the arcanaloth because it took an amulet of nondetection from a thief in the city (its taking over the local underworld), if they even know about it at all. The arcanaloth finds out (through his newly aquired eyes and ears in the city) that an archon and an eladrin are coming after him, so he has them spread rumors about a fiend running loose in the city while disguising itself as a celestial. Both the archon and the eladrin hear these rumors and start looking for each other. The Inner Eye may or may not be confused by this.

The thing is, both the archon and the ghaele will probably see through the rumors, so it needs to be more complicated. The people spreading the rumors shouldn't know the truth (so they are telling the "truth" if sense motived), and the arcanaloth should either dress himself or his lackeys up as as the two celestials and start doing some crime/terrorizing.

Roland St. Jude
2010-01-12, 01:08 AM
To answer your question, my first idea was: it was summoned by one of the Eye's and it called in a favor from some divine or other-planar to be set free. The being granted it out of hand or because it was bound to. This: 1) frees the 'loth and 2) is unfair interference. Maybe it was being summoned specifically for it's ability as an infiltrator. Maybe it's a unique being of lore. Your players may even come across the Eye whose chasing his escaped prisoner and unbeknownst to them, the party and the Eye have the same goal.

I will say that your idea seems well thought out. But I'd be worried that quite a bit happens with little or no input needed from the characters. More, "the character's face X and have a chance to learn Y/change Z/stop A" seems necessary to avoid it being your story in which the characters just exist.

Mikeavelli
2010-01-12, 02:02 AM
The Inner Eye fights with a fiendbinder and kills him/her, accidently releasing the binders bound arcanaloth to run free through a city (one without any special protection against powerful outsiders).

I like this idea, and am gonna go with it.

Give the players a lead of existing rumors in town where the Inner Eye did something, and it turns out they showed up en masse to deal with a fiendbinder.

While investigating the site of the battle, information they're capable of acquiring:

a. The most recent\powerful fiend summoned by the fiendbinder was never banished, and is still loose in the world.

b. The rule it broke. Further researching this (or bardic knowledge check, or knowledge: religion of enough DC) gives the PC's the information that breaking the rule allows Mt. Celestia to send in force to stop it.

c. The Inner Eye doesn't trust, speak with, or even interact with outer planar creatures except to banish them.

d. The fiendbinder wanted a unique bit of lore only this particular Arcanaloth could give him. Plot hook for even further down the road.



called in a favor from some divine or other-planar to be set free.


I like this being the rule it broke.



and the arcanaloth should either dress himself or his lackeys up as as the two celestials and start doing some crime/terrorizing.

Not quite what I'm looking for actually. I want to give it a specific plot it's seemingly going for that the Players (and celestials) can uncover. Maybe tie it into the lore it was summoned to get in the first place, a forgotten artifact of doomy doom it's apparently trying to recover now that it's summoner is dead.

Hell, this could be the reason it called in that favor to free it in the first place.


I will say that your idea seems well thought out. But I'd be worried that quite a bit happens with little or no input needed from the characters. More, "the character's face X and have a chance to learn Y/change Z/stop A" seems necessary to avoid it being your story in which the characters just exist.

This is all backstory until the moment when the players actually enter the story. I like to set up characters, locations, backstory, etc. of a campaign, sandbox style, then let the players come in and **** it up. Since if I have a one true narrative (railroading) they'll derail it as soon as they figure out what's supposed to happen.

ondonaflash
2010-01-12, 05:10 AM
Its plan could be (And this is a list of plans I've used before...) To dig up an ancient artifact buried below the city; to unleash Abbaddon, Bringer of Darkness by breaking the four seals that bind him within the earth; To tear open a portal to the lower planes, unleashing a swarm and/or horde of demons on the foolish and unsuspecting populace; to spawn a score of mortal progeny who will sow chaos in their passage (okay, I'll admit that one wasn't mine specifically...); to eat children; to overthrow the current rulers of the city and bring about a new dystopian state where his evil is law... aaaand thats all I can come up with in a minute.

*Edit* More Evil Plots! *Edit*

Cast a ritual that will burn away the lives of everyone in the city to create an artifact of unspeakable evil, which he will then unleash upon the world. (I am inclined towards it being a sword of some kind); Kill the child of prophecy who is set to be born in the city within a short span of time. (Painfully cliche, but it can lead in to other things); Find the ancient library of a Demonologist Lich-Vampire (or something), and make its vile knowledge public; awaken the thousand year old war machine, left behind from a bygone era; Set the city on fire (Think "Burning of Rome"); Turn the entire city into cybermen Warforged; Retrieve the hidden Spear of Destiny, whose blade can pierce the flesh of the gods, and use it to overthrow the lord of... Yugolothia. (Not sure about that home plane.);