Pika...
2010-01-31, 02:23 AM
Basic Plot Premise:
The PCs do a single 1st level basic dungeon crawl in an ancient mansion/castle full of undead (perhaps Castle Gygax?).
At the dungeon's end they get an unusually large treasure for level 1.
Among the treasure they find an old book at it's center. It's covers is divided into four equal sides with a circle in the middle. The parts are colored as such: Upper Left is red, Upper Right is Black, Lower Left is White, Lower Right is Grey, and the center has a HUGE diamond embedded in the center circle.
The book has a latch which the PCs SHOULD obviously open.
When they do from it's pages suddenly thirteen different creatures of various types and forums (Knowledge Planes and possibly a higher Knowledge Religion check will reveal they are different outsiders).
Later on after they (hopefully are smart enough to) flee the castle.mansion they are greeted by a very PO'd looking man in a cloak who introduces himself (in a very mocking and annoyed way) as Mr. Vanghoul of the Western Continent's (a continent in my homebrewed setting, but you can change it as you need) vampire clans.
The vampire proceeds to tell them that they the creatures they just released are among the most destructive (note I did not say evil) creatures to have ever entered the Prime Material from other realms of existence. He then tasks them with recapturing them, for only they can due to having unleashed them from their book. He technically could as well since he did it originally, but he has no "desire" to go through all that again.
Hence the party is forced to set out and recapture these powerful entities.
Ideas for the outsiders I have so far:
Rogue Modron "Order Bringer #1" as he calls himself. This rogue Quadrone took the strict and rigid ways of the lawful Modron hierarchy to a new extreme. One which boarders on fanaticism.
Order Bringer's fanaticism runs so deep it has corrupted his very programing. So powerful has this "taint" become that it can even be spread to others of his kind. Other base Modron merely touched by Order Bringer #1 become infected (see disease in the PHB) with his frantic desire to bring absolute order through impeccably detailed and unquestionably followed laws and regulations. If said base Modrons fail a DC16 Will Save they immediately become rogues, and take on the designation Order Bringer #XX. What type of Base Modron the rogues are has no baring on their standing in this new hierarchy.
Order Bringer #1 is also capable of infecting other constructs. Constructs of a lawful nature, but not of Modron Origin (such as Inevitables or Lawfully Aligned Warforged) must pass DC12 Will Save or become infected. Constructs of a neutral alignment require a DC10 Will Save, while chaotically aligned constructs require a mere DC6 Will Save.
Whatever the case of the construct's former origin, once infected their alignment switches lawful on the Law vs. Chaos axes, though their Evil vs. Good axes remains unchanged. The construct(s) gain an Order Bringer designation/rank, and join the Order Bringer Hierarchy (much like the Modron Hierarchy, though in a straight direct line to #1). They also gain the ability to infect others themselves immediately upon their own infection.
In all the above cases a Modron or other construct who succeeds a save against an Order Bringer's Will Save is immune to further infection attempts for the next 48 hours.
Whether Order Bringer #1, or by extension his corrupt mock hierarchy, is capable of infesting Hierarch Modrons is uncertain, for his first and so far only "infection" of the Modron hierarchy was cut-down shortly before Regulus's perimeter after his mysterious and sudden disappearance centuries ago. However, explorers have confirmed that the Modron race has performed massive mock battles (or as some have described them epically large games of armed tag) in an attempt to gain statistical data on how low it might take for a reemergence of this infection to reach one of Primus' four Secunduses. Whether or not any such experiments have been performed to determine a time frame for Primus' infection is uncertain at this time.
Idea? Suggestions? Fixers?
The PCs do a single 1st level basic dungeon crawl in an ancient mansion/castle full of undead (perhaps Castle Gygax?).
At the dungeon's end they get an unusually large treasure for level 1.
Among the treasure they find an old book at it's center. It's covers is divided into four equal sides with a circle in the middle. The parts are colored as such: Upper Left is red, Upper Right is Black, Lower Left is White, Lower Right is Grey, and the center has a HUGE diamond embedded in the center circle.
The book has a latch which the PCs SHOULD obviously open.
When they do from it's pages suddenly thirteen different creatures of various types and forums (Knowledge Planes and possibly a higher Knowledge Religion check will reveal they are different outsiders).
Later on after they (hopefully are smart enough to) flee the castle.mansion they are greeted by a very PO'd looking man in a cloak who introduces himself (in a very mocking and annoyed way) as Mr. Vanghoul of the Western Continent's (a continent in my homebrewed setting, but you can change it as you need) vampire clans.
The vampire proceeds to tell them that they the creatures they just released are among the most destructive (note I did not say evil) creatures to have ever entered the Prime Material from other realms of existence. He then tasks them with recapturing them, for only they can due to having unleashed them from their book. He technically could as well since he did it originally, but he has no "desire" to go through all that again.
Hence the party is forced to set out and recapture these powerful entities.
Ideas for the outsiders I have so far:
Rogue Modron "Order Bringer #1" as he calls himself. This rogue Quadrone took the strict and rigid ways of the lawful Modron hierarchy to a new extreme. One which boarders on fanaticism.
Order Bringer's fanaticism runs so deep it has corrupted his very programing. So powerful has this "taint" become that it can even be spread to others of his kind. Other base Modron merely touched by Order Bringer #1 become infected (see disease in the PHB) with his frantic desire to bring absolute order through impeccably detailed and unquestionably followed laws and regulations. If said base Modrons fail a DC16 Will Save they immediately become rogues, and take on the designation Order Bringer #XX. What type of Base Modron the rogues are has no baring on their standing in this new hierarchy.
Order Bringer #1 is also capable of infecting other constructs. Constructs of a lawful nature, but not of Modron Origin (such as Inevitables or Lawfully Aligned Warforged) must pass DC12 Will Save or become infected. Constructs of a neutral alignment require a DC10 Will Save, while chaotically aligned constructs require a mere DC6 Will Save.
Whatever the case of the construct's former origin, once infected their alignment switches lawful on the Law vs. Chaos axes, though their Evil vs. Good axes remains unchanged. The construct(s) gain an Order Bringer designation/rank, and join the Order Bringer Hierarchy (much like the Modron Hierarchy, though in a straight direct line to #1). They also gain the ability to infect others themselves immediately upon their own infection.
In all the above cases a Modron or other construct who succeeds a save against an Order Bringer's Will Save is immune to further infection attempts for the next 48 hours.
Whether Order Bringer #1, or by extension his corrupt mock hierarchy, is capable of infesting Hierarch Modrons is uncertain, for his first and so far only "infection" of the Modron hierarchy was cut-down shortly before Regulus's perimeter after his mysterious and sudden disappearance centuries ago. However, explorers have confirmed that the Modron race has performed massive mock battles (or as some have described them epically large games of armed tag) in an attempt to gain statistical data on how low it might take for a reemergence of this infection to reach one of Primus' four Secunduses. Whether or not any such experiments have been performed to determine a time frame for Primus' infection is uncertain at this time.
Idea? Suggestions? Fixers?