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View Full Version : What about this?? (3.5, campaing)



Whisper rider
2012-02-18, 10:01 AM
Greetings everyone, thanks in advance for your time reading this...

So, this is my first try as a real-time DM... I have run a couple of adventures for a group of friends, but this is the first time making a long term campaign [3.5], so i got this huge idea that definetly will take players from lvl one to beyond epic i think...but right know i just need to focus on the first stage.. Lets say.. Something aout lvl 1-lvl4, i would really love any help anyone could give...
Well, some things you need to know:

-Chromatic Dragons, rule the world... Or at least, thats what people been thinking for the past 200+years..
-reptilish/dragon-ish creatures... Aka lizardfolks, half fragons, kobolds etc etc, are extremly common, as now they are the dominant races.. It means there are.. Half dragon kings, governors, and alike... You get the idea.
-dwarves, have Locked up in the mountains, defending their most important and strong cities.. As the outside world, its way too vulnerable..
-halflings, and humans, have lost most of their settlements, except for a couple of major cities, maybe metropolis, or really small towns way appart from the capitals, in locations extremly defendable, with people strong enough to help defend the city(most likely, my players will begin in one of this small towns..)
-elves are in danger of extintion, eventually will... As the dragons are hunting the whole race down. The players only know that elfs (high elfs), are really uncommon now, seeing one its almost imposible
-half orcs, they return to their savage roots, and now are found only in places with orcs around.
-goblinoids have a couple of settlements, nothing relevant.

The idea of the first chapter, is making my players learn how to actually play their characters, get to know the setting, have some fun, and really get attached to their characters so they wont just go around making mistakes that can be avoided, and will end in some of them getting killed, dont take me wrong, off course there will be mistakes, but some of them are easy to avoid, but its a players mistake.. Not a PC, per se, mistake.
Any how... Here's what i need help with, the encounters, and development of the chapter... This chapter will have around 4 or 5 scenes... Those scenes will be called...
1-arrival to scale-swamp? (just made up the name..)
2-heroes of scale swamp
3- revelations
4- treason
5-the scape

The general idea is, they will get in this town, scaping from some bad-ass kobolds... They will be aided by some scouts from scale swamp who would take them back to town... They will meet the council its formed by 5 people... (no idea... What /race/class/features etc... Some of this im making it up as i go..)
The city will be attacked that very night by a large amount of kobolds lizardfolks etc... Including, the first recurrent enemy (X1) they will meet.. (any ideas about him..? What race, template, class?// im looking for something like.. A lvl 2 ogre barbarian vs a lvl 2 party... As an example... Something that will scare the crap out of them..) they will defend the city, eventually will notice that someone let them in... Or they got a key to the city...
The will go explore the swamp, and realice that he's just a minion, for X2 (mini boss, maybe a wyrmling black dragon... Not as strong than X1 but way more influential... (need help here...)
They will return to the city, after getting some intel... About X1/X2 and off course finding the stolen key or objcet taken from the city..

They will return to the city to once more been sent to the swamp to take out X1, off course with reinforcements... The leader of the council will go with them.. And off course it wont come back ;)

They wont be able to take out X1, they will be crawling back to town.... To find out that the council was attacked and #4 y #5 members of the council were killed... So theres just #2 elder council man/woman... Very influential... And #3 youngh noble, ambitios, rich boy... #2 will declare the party as heroes, and accuse #3 ( not publicly) just for the party to know... Of treason, and give them the hint that he brought some "artifac" and since its arrival the city have been attacked non stop.... And it was "stolen"
Party will go one last time, and take out X2 (and as a side quest if they want X1)
After X2 is killed.... Big trasure... Finding this "artifact" .. And going back to the city..
Now with the artifact at hand, and the heroes of town as "witness" #2 will publicly accuse # 3 of treason and sentenced to death... A his head rolls.... A big black dragon will attack the town... Killing avery body and searching for the ones who killed X2 (oh oh mommy its on the house... DUNH DUNH DUUNHH!!) ... Demanding the precense of them.. For 1) give back the fancy loot... And 2) their liveees .... #2 will star talking to the dragon as an old friend... Guess what.... They are old friends.. How?? No idea yet... #2 will pay mommy dragon... Spearing the party life...
Now that they know who their real traitor was... And knowing that things around here will get nasty... Since now #2 has this artifact at hand, they will steal it ... And GTFO, heading to the last elven refugee "known"...

END OF CHAPTER 1.... Please... I know it seems like i got this under control.. But will love some ideas, about the combats, how to develop some of this ideas, and maybe some side quests. And side plots.. I dont like railroad.

:smallbiggrin:

Ceaon
2012-02-18, 10:21 AM
I think you prepared well. Maybe a bit too well: players are bound to do something different than you expected. So the most important preparation for yourself is to be flexible. Your setting sound great, good luck!

Medic!
2012-02-18, 10:25 AM
The best advice I can give for running an Epic campaign (not to be confused with Epic Level) is to be very careful about scripting. It was a running joke at our table that out of the couple of us who DM, we could plan for a week on every option or eventuality that the party might end up taking....only to be surprised and blind-sided.

Having set-in-stone NPCs eventually leads to "the party killed [NPC] and now the campaign cannot be finished/is ruined/etc."

Having hard-set event triggers or setting things up so that "when the party does [thing] [next thing] will happen on a plot scale is, in short, a trap.

What usually works at our table is laying out a general outline as opposed to a script or a series of chapters. Party is going after this artifact, if they get it, Bad Guy will send minions to recover it, if they hide it, Bad Guy will search for it, if they decide to be evil bastards with it, Good Town will ostracize them (and probably lose its entire population because that seems to be the way things go).

I think adventures make amazing stories, but stories make sub-par adventures, if that makes sense.

YMMV, just my 2cp

EDIT: A special note on NPCs, expect to be surprised at your player reactions, depending on your group. They may be the type that will hate the NPCs they're supposed to love on purpose, or by accident. They may think an NPC that's supposed to be impressive or sophisticated is just a snotty brat, etc. You never know how players will react to an NPC until it's said and done. I once had a ferryman NPC that was originally nothing but a name and an accent that ended up being on a PC's "to-kill" list over the course of an entire campaign.

elvengunner69
2012-02-18, 10:26 AM
Really like the setting with some nice ideas - You could add an Elf twist with maybe a Drow invasion at some point from an underdarkish type realm perhaps?

Would add some intrigue at any rate... :elan:

agree with above post too - be flexible as players tend to change things up on you but that is okay - ultimately you want them to enjoy what they are doing so be ready for quick changes.

Overall looks like you have a great template :cool:

Whisper rider
2012-02-18, 10:33 AM
I think you prepared well. Maybe a bit too well: players are bound to do something different than you expected. So the most important preparation for yourself is to be flexible. Your setting sound great, good luck!

Haha, thanks :smallbiggrin:... Yes,i know they will probably will end up doing something that i did not see coming at all.. Thats why i would really like, some... Help with side quests, or some other plots to develop. I really don't like the rail roads... Maybe a couple of minor plots... For them to feel that they actually got a choise....:smallamused:



@medic!... You are completly right... Adventurers make amazing stories, but stories make sub par adventurers. Y just got to keep my mind open... Sounds good enough jaja