Getting back into DMing, need advice [3.5]

[Keinnicht]

Hey guys, as you may have gathered from the title, I've recently gotten back into DMing, and need some advice. I'd had a hankering to play Dungeons and Dragons, and, upon expressing this to a friend, played a brief game with her. She seemed to have fun, up until the point my ability to make crap up off the top of my head ran out and I called it off, to give me time to prepare.

Now, of course, I need something to prepare. I'm trying to think of adventure ideas, here's what I've got so far:

1. The initial "adventure" was the old "Something's kidnapping villagers, find out what it is and kill it, we'll give you some money" set-up. Anyways, they came to discover a cleric of Nerull living on the outskirts of town, with two zombies under his command. I then realized my mistake (He can't cast any spells to create zombies, he was only second level,) and think I may have a good hook. Upon the character's return, the mayor commented that three villagers had disappeared (Not two) but it was probably nothing.

So I figure in a few levels I'll have the third missing villager turn up as the originator of the zombies. What undead can create zombies, just in the Monster Manual I?

2. I need something to do in the meantime, I was figuring I'd hash out some campaign setting, since I'm feeling a bit stupid referring to nameless mayors and villages. I was considering rounding up some of my old Dungeon magazines and running a low-level adventure or two out of those, which would give me time to have some sort of real campaign, and also cause the PCs to make a few contacts on the way.

3. I also have broken one of the cardinal rules of DMing. I have a NPC/DMPC. He exists to increase the size of the party, especially since the player is playing a bard, which isn't the greatest solo adventurer at first level. To what extent should "my" character be involved? Right now he sort of follows around the bard, participates in combat, and occasionally expresses an opinion to nudge things along. I figure this is about his proper place. I'll probably have him leave if more players come along. Feelings/advice on this?

[Hyudra]

Hey guys, as you may have gathered from the title, I've recently gotten back into DMing, and need some advice. I'd had a hankering to play Dungeons and Dragons, and, upon expressing this to a friend, played a brief game with her. She seemed to have fun, up until the point my ability to make crap up off the top of my head ran out and I called it off, to give me time to prepare.

Now, of course, I need something to prepare. I'm trying to think of adventure ideas, here's what I've got so far:

1. The initial "adventure" was the old "Something's kidnapping villagers, find out what it is and kill it, we'll give you some money" set-up. Anyways, they came to discover a cleric of Nerull living on the outskirts of town, with two zombies under his command. I then realized my mistake (He can't cast any spells to create zombies, he was only second level,) and think I may have a good hook. Upon the character's return, the mayor commented that three villagers had disappeared (Not two) but it was probably nothing.

So I figure in a few levels I'll have the third missing villager turn up as the originator of the zombies. What undead can create zombies, just in the Monster Manual I?

Another tack might be to have the cleric in the possession of a magical item that can do the deed. A gift from his god for a task rendered, or something of the sort. Give it a high cost the PCs won't be willing to use:

Nex Skull
This black onyx skull has a stylized etching of Nerull's holy symbol on the forehead. The light around it seems to dim, giving the black skull an aura of shadow. The jaw is hinged.
Gives you the power to cast Animate Dead as a seventh level Cleric. Draws from the user's lifeforce, reducing their remaining lifespan with each use. With each use, the user's lifespan is either halved (A 35 year old with a maximum age of 90 years would lose 27.5 years, setting their lifespan to 62 years) or reduced by 1d6 years if the user's current age is within 3 years of their maximum age.
Activation: Offerings to Nerull worth an amount equal to 25g for each corpse to be raised must be placed in the skull's mouth. A short prayer to Nerull must be spoken to trigger the effect.


2. I need something to do in the meantime, I was figuring I'd hash out some campaign setting, since I'm feeling a bit stupid referring to nameless mayors and villages. I was considering rounding up some of my old Dungeon magazines and running a low-level adventure or two out of those, which would give me time to have some sort of real campaign, and also cause the PCs to make a few contacts on the way.

Try this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172248).


3. I also have broken one of the cardinal rules of DMing. I have a NPC/DMPC. He exists to increase the size of the party, especially since the player is playing a bard, which isn't the greatest solo adventurer at first level. To what extent should "my" character be involved? Right now he sort of follows around the bard, participates in combat, and occasionally expresses an opinion to nudge things along. I figure this is about his proper place. I'll probably have him leave if more players come along. Feelings/advice on this?

Shouldn't be too big of a problem, provided your player is the one making the decisions, sans pressure.

[Endarire]

Read the advice linked in my sig.

[Keinnicht]

Another tack might be to have the cleric in the possession of a magical item that can do the deed. A gift from his god for a task rendered, or something of the sort. Give it a high cost the PCs won't be willing to use:


Thanks, but the cleric is already dead. I suppose if he has something like that lying around his shack, there's a reasonable chance that some random person stumbles across it and decides raising an undead horde would be a good idea.

I might actually make it more powerful, since I figure they'll trek back later. It'd be kind of amusing if a 2nd level cleric sitting in a shack turned out to have one of the most horrid necromantic major artifacts without realizing it.

Actually...I see a campaign idea forming already. Inexperienced, lone cleric didn't realize he had a major artifact, thought it was just a doohickey to raise zombies with, some random bloke from the village comes across it, remembers legends, realizes what it actually is, everything goes to hell. PCs get dragged into some ridiculously large scale battle to kill human commoner turned insanely powerful high priest of agonizing death and reanimation, and to find and act upon the absurdly difficult method to destroy this artifact.

Well, with a little (a lot of) development that can probably take up quite a few gaming sessions.

[Schylerwalker]

Remember, evil clerics can turn and rebuke undead. The zombies could have been made by somebody else; he found them and bent the creatures to his will.

As to undead that make zombies, mohrgs are an excellent mid-to-high level opponent that create zombie minions whenever they kill an opponent with their slams. CR 8

[Hanuman]

Adventure hooks are more about the PC's than the DM really, figure out what the purpose and goal of the party is and go from there.
If your party has learned towards bounty hunting, have wanted posters around, if your party is more of a tomb raider have them research ancient lore, if your party are diplomancers start setting up social interconnections.