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Captainocaptain
2010-03-24, 10:13 PM
Need Help Pleeeeeease!
Ok, so I've DM'ed games that go over several levels, but I want to bring one up into the epics. So any advice for how I should proceed?
Here's what I've got so far:
1) The system is D&D 3.5
2) I am only allowing SRD. If its not in SRD it doesn't exist.
3) No Psionics. My players have abused them too much already.
4) Players start out at level 16.
5) I want undead to play a major role as villians. (either minions of the real big bad guy, or some kind of undead is the big bad guy, or both.)
6) I am perfectly willing to use homebrew stuff for the game, though the players might not have access to it.

Please advise.
All the players are going to be using fresh characters.
I don't want it to be a silly kind of game, and I want it all to tie together in the end, but I don't want to start the game as some kind of angst infested story, nor do I want a story that reveals my main plot right away.
Sorry if this is a little wordy.
But anyway, I'll take any suggestions and hopefully post how it goes. Thanks to anyone who can help.
Also, if you can give me some advice for dealing with high level players, I'm kinda nervous. Its the first game where my players will have gotten above 10th level. :smallredface:
EDIT: well there was one, but it didn't go too, well. See: why I dont want to use Psionics.
THANK ALL OF YOU WHO CAN HELP!!!!
EDIT (again, sorry): Outsiders and other planes will not be a part of this world for the most part. Finding an outsider is like finding a turkish embassador to chili in a mcdonalds in California, it could happen, but... well it really doesn't. As for other planes, well they exist, but as for visiting them, well unless you die.. not really.

Geiger Counter
2010-03-24, 10:37 PM
There is the good old fashioned dracula in the enormous trap filled llabarynthian castle stealing away virgins to add to his enthralled harem. His castle is guarded by the usual undead, flesh golems and lycanthropes.

There is undead army taking over the world, 28 days later, resident evil, army of darkness.

krossbow
2010-03-24, 10:41 PM
An ancient Lich thousands of years ago split his phylactery into 1001 phylacteries; unfortunately, this tore his soul apart as well, essentially making him 1001 individual entities of significantly smaller power.

One of them has been finding and "consuming" the others for thousands of years to become whole again, and has recently found tales of an artifact that would let him easily locate each and every other part of his essence; you must gain this artifact and stop a lich of untold power from reemerging into the world once more; additionally you must contend with other fragments of himself that seek the same thing along the way.


If that fails, chuck the head of vecna at them.

nyarlathotep
2010-03-24, 10:42 PM
I would second the dracula notion. After all does everyone love castlevania? :smallbiggrin:

Captainocaptain
2010-03-24, 11:10 PM
I like the Lich idea. I can really build a meaty adventure around that. its got a nice touch between, contesting evils and stop-the-evil-whatsit-from coming back. I just need a good starting place then for the players. Maybe they were hired to kill an evil lich (one of the pieces) and end up in the middle of a battle between the devouring-lichpiece and the one they were hired to kill. Hmm. I think I can have a lot of fun with chucks of lich soul.
It would be easy to run even several liches if they all have the same character sheet information.
I dont know what I want to use though: Should each soul have their own Philactrophy, or should they all just lack one?
Or maybe they have to kill/devour the others to reconstruct a usable philactrophy? what do you all think?
(btw: Thanks for the responses)

Geiger Counter
2010-03-24, 11:22 PM
If I were to use the lich Idea I wouldn't stat them all the same, they would all be liches, but instead of sy having levels in sorcerer they each have a few spells at will. Give each lich 4 random spells and one decent evocation or conjuration. And maybe some of the have teamed up.

krossbow
2010-03-24, 11:26 PM
I'd go with each having a portion of the phylactery; that means that there'd be a MAJOR incentive for each portion to stop your party from destroying another's phylactery, even if they're all out to devour one another eventually.

If one phylactery gets dusted, thats a portion of their soul/power that they can NEVER recover by devouring it; essentially, by killing another of them, then you'd have just robbed them of something irreplacable.

edit: *doctor claw voice* I'll get you next time gadget, NEXT TIME!

Geiger Counter
2010-03-24, 11:39 PM
And i also like the idea of each of them possessing different spells; you could have them have the same stats, but each of them only knows a certain spell (or certain spells by having devoured others).

Lol I just ninjaed you.

Captainocaptain
2010-03-26, 04:05 PM
Thanks Everyone for their input.
I think what I'll do is make a master character sheet for the original lich and then just split his spell list between the hundred or so lich-fragments. That way each gets a couple of spells, and each will be at different power levels, so no two encounters will be the same. So when one of the fragments devours another, he gains the spells and such.
I think each fragment will be about 1/4 as powerful as the original lich, or even like 1/8th or 1/10th depending. That way each one wont be ridiculously easy (like each fragment 1/1001 the power) or too hard (each fragment is as powerful as the original lich but with a smaller spell list).
Thanks again.