Idea for a Dark Sun campaign?

[Kris Strife]

So, I had the seed of an idea for a Dark Sun campaign, started by the thread on these boards about the 4e conversion that's supposed to happen.

Now, other than what was said there, I know nothing about the world, and doubt I'll ever get to run something in it, but I wanted to show what I've got, see what people think of it.

Someone brought up that there is only on dragon left on Athus, and I was wondering why. I came up with the idea of him having been left behind to monitor the world, and that changed to him keeping the other dragons away.

So, the idea is that after the introduction, with the PCs encountering and/or killing said dragon, he tells them that he and some of the other dragons had noticed the world's magic growing weaker and weaker, and in order to try and save it, had locked out the other dragons and many of the other magical creatures so they wouldn't drain it further. The others maintaining the barrier were killed over the ages and he alone was left. He'd found that the cause of it was the Dragon Kings (the immortal sorcerers who rule most of the planet), that they'd started stealing from the source of magic to make themselves more powerful and immortal.

Of course, having to keep the other magical beings from escaping, he couldn't leave his lair and couldn't risk getting killed. Of course, thanks to the party, things have become a bit more urgent. In a few days/weeks/months/etc the seals will come undone, the magical creatures will return and suck up the last of the magic, destroying the planet, unless the PCs use the MacGuffin (either supplied by the dragon or they have to get it themselves) to kill the Dragon Kings and absorb their power, then release it at the core of the planet's magical field before the seals break, which will restore the world back to its former glory.

Of course this requires the PCs to get along and be the type to go on a world saving quest, which might not fit the Dark Sun setting at all. I'd say have the information be on a scroll or book that if the PCs don't notice or don't grab, the campaign idea doesn't start, and the PCs might choose to simply escape the plane rather than try and save it, but I thought it might make for a good high to epic level quest. Thoughts, questions and comments? Please keep in mind, this is just a general over view, what the MacGuffin is, where they have to go, how they go about it, etc, is up to you, the players and the dice to decide.

[hamlet]

With no offense intended, no, this idea won't fly in Dark Sun.

Spoilers below, but most people should know this already.

Yes, there is only a single full Dragon on Athas, but it is not a standard D&D style dragon, but instead (in AD&D terms) a 30/30th level Psionisist/Defiler of near deific power who was one of the Champians of Rajaat, a being from centuries ago who created magic and granted it to a group of powerful human followers and instigated a brutal, genocidal war against pretty much everybody. The Champions, some time before the successfull erradication of most sentient species, turned on Rajaat and imprisoned him. The greatest of them, Boris of Ebe, was chosen to be transformed into The Dragon and to rule over the region ostensibly, but mostly to maintain the prison that contained Rajaat and ensure that he never escaped.

Magic on Athas does not function like magic on, say, Oerth. Arcane magic draws all of its energy from the life around it, killing off plants and animals if the caster is not cautious. This is called defiling and it is largely responsible for the horrifying state of the world today, a vast wasteland of desert and death. Before Rajaat literally invented magic, there was only Psionics, still the most powerful force in the world, and the most prevalent. Divine casters are also different. They either draw their power from the elements (i.e., a cleric of fire, or earth) or from the Sorcerror Kings, who are themselves dragons, but of lesser level than Boris, but on their way to join him at that level.

Dark Sun is a great campaign setting if you utterly ignore the novels and the modules and meta plot that tainted it. Grab a copy of the old (non-revised) campaign setting from the AD&D2e days, and a copy of "Dragon Kings" also from the 2e days. Those'll tell you pretty much everything you need to know about the world.

[Kris Strife]

Ah, I'd heard something about Athas having been closer to a standard setting some point in the past, and more of my ideas may have sprung from people talking about things from the novel/metaplot or what WotC was going to do to make it fit in better with 4e. So, my apologies for anyone who was bothered by it.

Edit: Know anywhere I can get those cheap?

[hamlet]

No need to apologize.

And you can get them cheap from many places, like E-Bay, Nobleknight.com, Amazon.com, or any number of used book sellers.

Personally, I recommend Nobleknight.com since, while they are not the cheapest outfit out there, they by far have the most consistant and highest quality.

[Shardan]

I don't recall Rajaat inventing magic. but the rest is dead on. (I was player and strictly hands off on the DM only material. DM's rules) I always thought that this was a somewhat standard world eons ago, but that could just be the creatures/races that died off there.

As for interplanar infestation/attack thats still a viable storyline. druids, clerics, preservers (wizards who don't kill the planet for magic), rangers, and good in general would still want to save the world
You could even drag in a sorcerer king as a foe if you are wanting to go epic (the sorcerer kings are trying to follow Rajaat's path and become dragons as well, having multiple beings of this power level and ruthlessness could kill what little life the planet has left in it.)

[hamlet]

Rajaat did create wizardly magic, or at least created the methodology that would allow wizards to cast spells. Same difference in the end.

As for interplanar stuff, actually, Athas is, as a world, separated from the rest of the multi-verse via "The Black" and "The Grey" (IIRC). It makes travel outside of Athas via planar or Spelljammer means particularly difficult if practically impossible. It does, though, happen from time to time and there are a few demons/devils lurking about, but they're mostly cheesed off that they're stuck on the dirtball that is Athas.

That, of course, doesn't invalidate the concept of interplanar invaders, it just makes their method of invasion a major issue. Just how did they punch through the barrier? Better question might be who will be interested in acquiring that ability and what will the players do with it once they learn about it?

[Kris Strife]

Wasn't invaders from another plane, it was beings who lived there when magic was more plentiful and would destroy it now, that were shut away. Not so much invasion as Sealed Evil in a Can with the PCs opening the lid.

[TricksyAndFalse]

"Dragon Kings" outlined the process by which a PC could follow the same path as the god kings and become a dragon as well. It involved dual-classing as a defiler wizard and psionicist. It had a mirror path for preserver wizards becomming a giant alien butterfly-like thing called an avangion. I will bet that Avangion will be an epic destiny in the upcoming 4E book. Dragon might as well, if the Dark Sun setting is more open to evil PCs than 4E books have been thus far.

If you want to keep you plot idea in the cannon setting of Dark Sun, you could make the party's benefactor an Avangion (I think the Dragon Kings book said there weren't any, that it was a speculative path a PC might take to become the only one, but the DM is free to have had a preserver go down that path already).

Another idea that could work in-setting is a powerful druid. In the 2E setting materials, each druid is comitted to protecting a piece of land they've dedicated themselves to, so your druid benefactor is unable to deal with the problem they're sending the PCs to deal with because of some other threat to their domain.

Another thing the 2E setting books specified was that no two intelligent undead creatures were alike. Each one was supposed to be wholly unique. There might be one vampire on Athas that works the way they do in the Monster Manual. Other undead might also suck blood, but have vastly different powers and weaknesses. Your sealed evils could each be a unique intelligent undead creature.

[triphop22k]

Dragon kings says that no one has completed the process as of yet. There are three who are on their way though, if you go off the revised DM's guide, the sorcerer-king of the northern city-state of Kurn is the furthermost along the process (being a 24 level aviagon) He also taught the secret of the transformation to a preserver from the veiled alliance in Urik. The last one is the head of the veiled alliance in Raam, though she has only just begun working on her psionics so she has a ways to go.

As far as interplanear invaders go. Any being capable of surviving a trek through the elemental planes could easily make it to Athas. There is also the planer gate (a relic left over from Athas green age) though this item is in possession of Dregoth, the undead sorcerer-king of Giustenal (a 29th level dragon, seeking a way to become the first true god of Athas) though invaders could easily play him for a patsy to gain access to the world.

[Kris Strife]

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