Building new campaing.

[Whisper rider]

Hello forum, so im planing on making a new campaing for my friends, this is my first job as a DM, i've been player for a while now... They are totally new to d&d.. Except for a couple mini sesions that i runed for them.
Any ways, im planing to start a campaing, homebrew World, inspired in things like, diablo, priest (the movie), underworld and stuff like that.
So i just having a hard time thinking in the story arcs for them, and at what level should the start... (lvl 1 sucks), maybe 2-3?
Maybe the firs story ark would be something like diablo I? What do you think? I will really like ideas for the sory, my DM made a real good story arc, very complex with political things and other planes included. I will really like to do a nice story, nothing too complicated for them.

[lord pringle]

I always design my campaigns backward. I think of the end first and the beginning next. Just my humble advice.

[croaker]

So in this diablo underworld vampire inspired world that you have jumbled in your head who would be main baddy say Devil , a Vampire , Heck werewolves can be scary and dont have that weakness of sunlight.

also this depends on say if the world is infested with vampires werewolves devils ect..

so yeah could you give more information on
A. what you want to make main baddy
B.little more description on setting (say were vampires are dominant in land or something)
C.how long campaign is. say you want to end round lvl10 lvl15

[Whisper rider]

Well... About the setting, vamps are one of my favorite creatures, but in this game they wont be the main villain... Theres is this region ithat used to be dominated by vamps they started a war in wich they almost exterminated the "human" population, until the curch started training elite vamp hunting squads.. Which after the war was over they disolve, and banned people to talk to them/talk to each other... At the end the curch controls the city, and locked the remeaning vamps in some sort of reservations. (i thought about some, vamp escaping and trying to take down the city with his new army of vampires... Of course the city would not belive on the menace, and one of the guys from the elite squads would scape to try to stop them).

The demons would be interesting... As theres is this monastery in wich you can find a material door to "hell".. Of course its sealed... And the monastery was build on top to guard it but as the centuries pased its actual propose was forgotten... Heres i where the diablo influence comes... A small city With some kind of fortress where ceturies ago a demon trying to conquer the gate was defeated andtrapped in the soulgem, the king made the crown with this gem.. And became aflicted by the demon, launching attacks to all nerby city.. Until, yes you got it... A hero comes and kills him, now the demond found a more apropiated body for him and posses this hero.

Those are the concepts about those creatures..so, I think demonds would be the main villain.
The rest of the setting would be pretty standar, humans would be the dominant specie, elves are strictly appart from the human world, rarely found in other cities, dwarfs in the mountains, gnomes are very very comond, they starting to influence the world with the steam power, NO fire arms, zepellins and stuff are present., couple of under water cities..

Wizards gain their power from bounding outsiders souls to theirs so its kind of rare to see a wizard and most of the people kind of prefer to stay at a safe distance from them, sorcerers souls are part from outsiders, clerics pretty common, paladins extremly rare, druids, most of them stay away from cities.

Monstruos humanoids, such as gnolls, and goblins founded "towns" so the are even a common thing to find at a shop/tavern.

So... Any other question just ask.

[Ursus the Grim]

I expect to be swordsaged, but I'm going to take my time responding to you.

First, and foremost, there's a wonderful section of the forums for exactly what you are trying to do, where people who enjoy and specialize in evaluating and critiquing new campaigns and ideas wait to offer constructive criticism that have turned even my car crashes into pristine pieces. Look Here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=15) I especially recommend the "notable threads" sticky, which is ripe with the wisdom of the Ancients.

As for the campaign itself, as a player being introduced I'd have some questions for you to consider.


Which after the war was over they disolve, and banned people to talk to them/talk to each other...

Why? What about slaying the undead monstrousities is so taboo? Was there a dark secret, a hidden method of training that would cause controversy? Good plot hook, perhaps.


At the end the curch controls the city, and locked the remeaning vamps in some sort of reservations.

Why? Why would a church allow mortal enemies and undead evil to remain alive? They'd be easy enough to kill. (Say, permanencied Sunlight)


The demons would be interesting... As theres is this monastery in wich you can find a material door to "hell"

Which plane exactly? Why was the portal merely "sealed" and not outright destroyed. Somewhere in the world there must be someone who could properly seal a portal, permanently.


Monstruos humanoids, such as gnolls, and goblins founded "towns" so the are even a common thing to find at a shop/tavern.

Why? I don't mind monstrous humanoids in campaigns, but its worth devoting a lot of thought to why they are 'accepted', even if prejudiced against. Who makes sure they stay in line? The average gnoll is a lot tougher than the average human. Do the civlized races of your world generally have many class levels to compensate for this? Or are the monstrous humanoids such an overwhelmed minority that they fear complete extermination?

[croaker]

yeah that is pretty good. so this main demon trapped in a crown idea is pretty great for a long arc.
so yeah is this city(a) the capital or in the area that was dominated by vampires or is it in a different nation.

how would you introduce the PC's into the scenario preferably. would they stumble across some low end members of the demon-possessed-hero's operations and go on little arcs that slowly make them go up the ladder its kinda linear but as you said they are kinda new.

or are you going to make them a sandbox world though sandbox worlds usually dont have main baddy so i just answered my own question :smallsmile: .

but yeah if you have all that down what would you need help on, you created a pretty good story. do you need help filling in the gaps? if there is any.

EDIT: oh and do you have any idea what they want to be or what you want them to be?

[Whisper rider]

Well... This special unit called "priest" were yough kids recluted by the curch... The only thing the know its how to kill vampires, and they are THE best, after the war finished, as they were so focused on that, they laked other things sush as.. Social skills, or any other skill for that matter, people are afraid of them, they are killing machines for the curch, so they needed to keep them apart from common people.

The curch keeps vamps alive because they are what keeps people afraid, as long as the curch "controls" the menace... People will still belive in the power of the curch..

Hmm the door leads to the nine hells of baator, hmm think they would be devils no deamons. it was sealed WAAAAAAAAAYYY BACK in time, by ancient enchatment, maybe a group of very powerfull caster some devine, some arcane.

They are "acepted" when it comes to a time to time wanderer in town... People still afraid of them, and Still sees them as evil things, those towns i'm talking abouts are build by them, are extremly rare to find one, but its an attemp of them to rise as a new community...

[Whisper rider]

Hmm they will start as an already formed adventuring party.. At the end of their last misssion.. They will be searching for loot after defeating the boss, among other things they will find a journal, that will talk about a omen a prophecy, about the attemp of someone to unleash hell on earth, as good adventurer they will start searching for clues.... And yes i dont like to have just one main plot, so haing diferent villains, and diferent things to do will be awesome.

[LansXero]

Id check Magic's new expansion for ideas, their theme is very similar to what you have in mind:

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/stf/157