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View Full Version : My 4e Campaign: "Unity"



JRKlein
2010-10-19, 09:37 AM
This is an ongoing chronicle of the 4e campaign I'm DMing. It's my first time running a campaign, so I'd appreciate any feedback or suggestions y'all might have. We've done two sessions already (which I'll talk about in my next posts) but for now, here's a plot summary.

"Unity"

The discovery of a new continent has led to a merciless land-grab, which is quickly escalating toward war. The 'civilized' races, mostly humans and dragonborn, are bickering over who should control the new land... while the natives already living there have their own ideas.

In response to the brewing conflict, an organization called Unity was formed. Its goal is simple: to resolve the conflict with minimal bloodshed. The player characters are members of Unity (or mercenaries in its employ, perhaps) and they must do all they can to prevent what could otherwise be a devastating war.

JRKlein
2010-10-19, 09:47 AM
Chapter One

The players had just arrived on the new continent. Their goal was to reach a nearby Unity outpost. But first they had to fight their way through an inhospitable jungle, slaying a handful of hostile wildlife. They then reached their destination (a tent-city; not a permanent settlement) and took an extended rest at the makeshift inn. Afterward, they met with the leader of the camp - a human warlord, who gave them a choice of two missions: fight off warmongering Humans, or deal with hostile native Halflings. They chose to deal with the halflings.

They went to the halfling camp and attempted diplomacy. However, they quickly discovered that the halflings did not speak Common, and the halflings attacked. Forced to defend themselves, they killed 5 of their 6 attackers. The fighter then rolled a successful Intimidate check to make the last one surrender. The halfling explained (in Common) that they'd learned the outsiders' language, but didn't want to dignify them by using it. This was their land, after all.

The PCs tried to explain that their intentions were peaceful, but the halfling didn't buy it. The fighter then made mention of the brewing war. Halfling didn't know what he was talking about. Fighter explained and said that his goal was to stop it from happening. He rolled a successful Diplomacy check and the halfling agreed to contact the other tribes, to see if they could help.

On their way back to the Unity camp, they found a lost dog. It was obviously someone's pet; it wore a collar and approached them eagerly. They asked it where it came from (Diplomacy check) and it indicated the Unity camp. So back they went, and they found two people hoping to claim the dog: a human girl and a half-elf woman. The half-elf was its legal owner, but the human had lost a dog that looked just like it. The PCs once again used Diplomacy to reach a compromise; both people agreed to share the dog.

And that was the end of the session. The players were rewarded with 1200 XP each (yeah... this will be a fast-paced game, at least for the first few levels) and 50 GP to split amongst themselves.

My thoughts
All in all, I was pleased. I was worried that the munchkin would be too overpowered and that the teenager would be too ... teenage. But they were both able to rein themselves in. And they reached the best possible solution - I was surprised they didn't commit any wanton slaughter. For their restraint, they will be rewarded later in the campaign.
My one complaint is that the guys aren't RPing very much. I asked them to create their characters with a backstory in mind, and to play them as having distinct personalities, but I haven't seen them doing much of that yet. I guess it's understandable though. They're used to straightforward hack-n-slash stuff.

The players
Lance- Munchkin. But thankfully, his character this time wasn't too munchkiny.
Brennan- Loud, hyperactive teenager. I was able to keep him quiet by threatening to kill his character. >.>;
Brad- Was our DM for quite a while. Now just a sometime player. He used an Essentials character which I OK'd.
Chris- former Army guy, and the most avid RPer of the four. He was the fighter whose Intimidate and Diplomacy checks brought the session to a peaceful end.

The characters
Lance- Cleric
Brad- Fighter
Chris- Ranger + Fighter
Brennan- Monk + Rogue

Future Plot Points
* The human stronghold, and the consequences of leaving it intact.
* The halflings agree to stop attacking and establish trade, but the players will have to work for their military support.
* The dog's owners and their influence on each other (hint: the half-elf woman is not a very good person)
* Unity's reputation improves since diplomatic solutions were reached.

JRKlein
2010-10-19, 09:49 AM
Chapter Two

Quite impressed by their feat of pacifying the Halflings, the human warlord quickly assigns another task to the players. This time they're charged with finding a Dwarven courier who's gone missing. The dwarves, as it turns out, are Unity's allies, or at least the enemies of their enemies. Finding this courier would further strengthen that relationship.

So the PCs head out into the jungle and start looking for signs of the courier's whereabouts. Through using their skills (Arcana, Streetwise, Nature, History) they're able to deduce that Gnomes kidnapped the courier, and that some of them are still here. They attack and battle ensues.

Against a team of well-built PCs, the four gnome scouts are heavily outmatched. But no amount of Diplomacy or Intimidation can dissuade them. A Perception check reveals that they're snarling, foaming at the mouth, etc. In other words, bat**** crazy. The PCs mercifully end their lives.

But the courier isn't here... a Nature check reveals Gnome footprints leading further into the jungle. The PCs muscle their way through the thick foliage (Nature, Endurance, Athletics) without losing much time. There they find more gnome scouts, as well as an Arcanist and a Dire Rat they apparently tamed. Behind them, the courier is locked up in a wooden cage.

The gnome scouts get the jump on the PCs, so they charge in and attack. The PCs naturally return the favor, but then the Arcanist throws them for a loop by attacking the courier. It seems they want to silence their witness. The players thankfully intervene and stop him. They fail to lockpick the dwarf's cage, but they at least keep her from taking any further damage, so they're able to free her anyway once the gnomes and their pet are defeated.

With the courier safe, they return to the Unity camp and the warlord thanks them for finding her. He wonders why the Gnomes have been hostile lately. The dwarf reveals that the gnomes were driven insane by the Fey, and that some dwarves have turned to the occult also.

But that will be a future concern. For now, the players can take a well-earned rest. They are also given +1 weapons as reward for their service.

My thoughts
This session was pretty satisfying. A little more straightforward than the first one, but there was still a secondary goal (protect a friendly NPC) which the players wasted little time in pursuing. I'm proud of them for actually being Good Guys instead of just killing stuff.

The players
Same as last time, except instead of Brad, there was a guy named Ryan. He's a friend of Brennan's, I think, but he's considerably less loud/hyper.

The characters
Also mostly the same. Ryan was a Fighter, and Lance used a Warlock instead of his Cleric due to a mistake on my part. (I couldn't remember what character he used last time.)

Future Plot Points
* The fate of the Gnomes.
* The influence of the Fey.
* The Dwarf cultists, and the cause of their corruption.
* The human warlord - thus far he has no name, backstory, etc. (I'm open to suggestions.)
* Unity's reputation improves for rescuing the courier.

JRKlein
2010-10-19, 09:54 AM
So that's what has happened so far. I've got everything ready for our next session, though that isn't happening until next Friday. Still, I'll be sure to post about it once it happens.

Regarding the human warlord: I now have some ideas about him, though I'm still not entirely sure about a lot of things. I'm still open to suggestions. But here's what I've decided so far:

His name is Patton.
He is 28 years old.
He is a military officer, with a rank equivalent to an Army captain.
He is not the leader of Unity, just a lieutenant.
He is married to a woman named Megan.

So yeah. How am I doing so far? Suggestions, opinions, ideas... feel free to tell me what y'all think.

hohmeisw
2010-10-19, 12:16 PM
It sounds like something I'd like to play in. Plenty of possible plots to pursue.
Is there an overarching story, or is it a sandbox style game?

JRKlein
2010-10-19, 12:55 PM
There's an overarching story. Right now the campaign is following a kind of episodic structure, but a more complex story arc will develop later on.

JRKlein
2010-10-23, 07:55 AM
Bump

Still hoping for more feedback on this.

JRKlein
2010-10-28, 04:59 PM
Next session will be tomorrow night, so expect to see a post about that soon.

JRKlein
2010-10-30, 10:10 AM
Chapter Three

The warlord Patton has another assignment for the players, this one of possibly vital importance. He reveals that the human fort nearby (the ones the players chose not to attack in Chapter One) is hosting a peace talk between its general and one of the Dragonborn generals. The players are asked to go there and make sure it goes smoothly.

They arrive to find the human general (a paladin of Erathis) arguing with the dragonborn general, who seems to be an inexperienced warlord. The paladin is carrying on about his race's "grand destiny", to "enlighten the world" with human society. The dragonborn is taken aback and somewhat nervous, but he manages to point out that both humans and dragonborn have plenty to offer.

During this, the players are mediating, generally taking the side of the dragonborn warlord. Finally, after two hours of debate, the human paladin seems to relent. He disappears into his private chamber, to convene with his advisors.

The players await the paladin's return, enjoying the cool breeze from the windows. But suddenly, from the window behind him, the dragonborn warlord is attacked... and with such precision that he is instantly killed. The assassin then turns his blade on the players. They respond in kind and slay him.

At this point, the paladin returns and sees two dead bodies lying on the floor. He comes to the logical conclusion, and he and his guards attack. The ensuing battle is challenging for the players, but they manage to wound the paladin badly and Intimidate him to surrender. His guards are baffled but continue to attack. The fighter rolls Diplomacy to convince them of the players' innocence. He succeeds, and they also disarm.

The players search the assassin's body and find his contract, written in Goblin (or the closest Common approximation of it, since Goblin doesn't have a written script). None of the players know Goblin, but one of the guards does... according to the guard, the assignment was to kill the dragonborn "and any others present". He then notes that it's signed by "E.H." and for a moment, he looks like he knows what that means... but he ultimately draws a blank.

The PCs decide to search the paladin's private chamber. Inside, they find an exact copy of that same contract, along with many other documents in the same handwriting. The paladin's handwriting... he arranged this. The players confront him with this. He tries to deny it, but they see right through him. Finally he surrenders, and asks to be given a fair trial by the proper authorities. The players agree to those terms. The paladin seems to grin a bit, as though he knows he can still weasel his way to freedom.

Unaware of whatever he has planned, the players take the paladin to the Unity camp, where he will be detained until time for his trial. Patton is troubled by this turn of events, but he knows the PCs did all they could. He thanks them again for their service, and with that, the session ends. At the end of the session, The players gained enough XP to reach level 3.

My thoughts
This session was unsatisfying. Only two players showed up, and they really didn't take it seriously. They seemed to be aching for some gratuitous violence, and I had to nudge them around quite a bit.

I also realized that three D&D nights in a row leaves me quite burnt out. At this point I am playing Encounters on Wednesday, Brad's campaign on Thursday, and whatever else on Friday. (Chris wanted to run a campaign too, so we agreed to alternate between us each Friday.) I'm gonna talk to the guys and see if they'd be okay with switching to Monday.

Players
It was just Chris and Brennan this time.

Characters
Same characters as usual. (Chris: Fighter, Ranger; Brennan: Monk, Rogue). Brennan also used a Cleric since I knew they'd need a Leader for this session.

Future Plot Points
* Human-Dragonborn tensions increase.
* The human paladin's trial and punishment... or lack thereof.
* Unity's reputation is unchanged. (The players did the right things, but only after I practically spelled it out for them. Not gonna reward them for that.)