Olfgar
2012-03-28, 12:27 PM
So, as you can tell from the title, Im a new DM, and im gearing up for my campaign. I have some ideas for encounters settings (not really WHAT they will fight though, but I have some ideas).
First off, I guess I will explain how whats happening to them. Im thinking that they will be travelling on an airship (custom campaign setting, but with a couple of flavour things added in, such as air ships), and they will be travelling near the boarder of a part of the continent where the worst and most gruesom fighitng of a war that took place a few centuries before hand took place. An entity will corrupt the land during that time and turn it into a dark domain, and the entirety of that ancient empire will have since been abandoned and no one dares venture in. Something will go horribly wrong, such as the steering for the air ship responding and it going into these lands, an un natural gale forcing it in, etc. and it will crash.
When the PC's wake up, they wont have any direct recollection of where they are, only that they had set out to travel somewhere. There surroundings will look completly normal and give no hint as to whats coming...yet... and here are some possible scenarios.
1st) The party will be entering a city on the eve on a festival that is a common occurance in my world. celebrating the end of one of the wars. As they partake in the festival, everything seems normal. Lots of laughter and games, the revelers earing masks, and they will be given their own so they fit in, and some very basic fireworks displays (think of the kind of fireworks or sparkler type things youd find in the renasance). However, over the course of the night, they will notice some thigns seem off, or strange. Torches or fire works explosions may not seems as bright as they should. The masks of seem of the festival goers may seems more old and worn down, or grotesque, some of the noises may be abscent, like laughing children, or tents or buildings seems like they are more run down in some spots,etc.
Now depending on if the party stays together, or seperates to enjoy them selves, ive thought of 2 seperate ideas. If they stay together, im thinking perhaps have them attack by (a) Grey Jester(s) or something similar.
If they seperate, have them fight doplegangers of the other PC's.
2nd idea) Have an NPC who seems to be important to them ask them to meet them at the Opera or something similar to discuss a matter of business they are on. When they arrive, make it seem like they were the first ones there, and have an aide, or messenger approach them, showing them to thier seats and apologizing on the other NPC's behalf, saying he is running late but will meet them during the show. The show could be of a woman singing, with people behind her playing music, the violin, harp and such. The PC's will notice that there are few, if any other onlookers at the beggining, but as it goes on, more and more will show up, and none of them seemt o pay the PC's any attention, but the more of them there are, the more it seems wrong. The air might become stale and musty and cold. there could all of a sudden be dust hangign in the air. some of the paint or decorations on the walls could look old and peeling. It will look like a spot light on the singer, and some of the lyrists, but it ill infact be due to holes in the roof which now looks deteriorated, with moonlight shining down on them. The seats will now start to look mroe run down and ruined. And the light shining now, not only on those on stage but some of the audience will now look spectral or pale. The music and singing will now sound out of tune and as if it was being played backwards.
Once the performance ends, either by reaching the end, or the PC's leaving in such a manner to interrupt it, or cause a commotion, the rest of the illusion ends, and all the other people in the building are now undead of some sort, such as allips, ghouls, or things more dangerous depending on the party level, and will begin to attack, no longer, seemingly entranced by the music.
After the encounter, have everything around them start changing or disappearing, slowly, to show a run down and destroyed city, with scatterd remains of skeletons, burnt out buildings and such, and while this is happening, have them begin to remember the crash.
First off, I guess I will explain how whats happening to them. Im thinking that they will be travelling on an airship (custom campaign setting, but with a couple of flavour things added in, such as air ships), and they will be travelling near the boarder of a part of the continent where the worst and most gruesom fighitng of a war that took place a few centuries before hand took place. An entity will corrupt the land during that time and turn it into a dark domain, and the entirety of that ancient empire will have since been abandoned and no one dares venture in. Something will go horribly wrong, such as the steering for the air ship responding and it going into these lands, an un natural gale forcing it in, etc. and it will crash.
When the PC's wake up, they wont have any direct recollection of where they are, only that they had set out to travel somewhere. There surroundings will look completly normal and give no hint as to whats coming...yet... and here are some possible scenarios.
1st) The party will be entering a city on the eve on a festival that is a common occurance in my world. celebrating the end of one of the wars. As they partake in the festival, everything seems normal. Lots of laughter and games, the revelers earing masks, and they will be given their own so they fit in, and some very basic fireworks displays (think of the kind of fireworks or sparkler type things youd find in the renasance). However, over the course of the night, they will notice some thigns seem off, or strange. Torches or fire works explosions may not seems as bright as they should. The masks of seem of the festival goers may seems more old and worn down, or grotesque, some of the noises may be abscent, like laughing children, or tents or buildings seems like they are more run down in some spots,etc.
Now depending on if the party stays together, or seperates to enjoy them selves, ive thought of 2 seperate ideas. If they stay together, im thinking perhaps have them attack by (a) Grey Jester(s) or something similar.
If they seperate, have them fight doplegangers of the other PC's.
2nd idea) Have an NPC who seems to be important to them ask them to meet them at the Opera or something similar to discuss a matter of business they are on. When they arrive, make it seem like they were the first ones there, and have an aide, or messenger approach them, showing them to thier seats and apologizing on the other NPC's behalf, saying he is running late but will meet them during the show. The show could be of a woman singing, with people behind her playing music, the violin, harp and such. The PC's will notice that there are few, if any other onlookers at the beggining, but as it goes on, more and more will show up, and none of them seemt o pay the PC's any attention, but the more of them there are, the more it seems wrong. The air might become stale and musty and cold. there could all of a sudden be dust hangign in the air. some of the paint or decorations on the walls could look old and peeling. It will look like a spot light on the singer, and some of the lyrists, but it ill infact be due to holes in the roof which now looks deteriorated, with moonlight shining down on them. The seats will now start to look mroe run down and ruined. And the light shining now, not only on those on stage but some of the audience will now look spectral or pale. The music and singing will now sound out of tune and as if it was being played backwards.
Once the performance ends, either by reaching the end, or the PC's leaving in such a manner to interrupt it, or cause a commotion, the rest of the illusion ends, and all the other people in the building are now undead of some sort, such as allips, ghouls, or things more dangerous depending on the party level, and will begin to attack, no longer, seemingly entranced by the music.
After the encounter, have everything around them start changing or disappearing, slowly, to show a run down and destroyed city, with scatterd remains of skeletons, burnt out buildings and such, and while this is happening, have them begin to remember the crash.