13ones
2012-04-24, 03:26 PM
So I've gotten my first proper taste of pen and paper games through pathfinder this year and I've had several ideas in my head that I think would make stellar settings. There are just a few small problems that seem to come with this interest in being a DM. The first issue is, I've never done it before so I have no idea how to properly stat things, how to build creatures and encouters nor do I have any idea what would be level appropriate. Secondly I'm not certain which of my three ideas would be the best received by the people I would be inviting to play it. Thirdly...every single idea is something I'D want to play in, so it's rather hard to want to DM when I'd rather play them. What I'm looking for are simply beginner guides on how to DM as well as some advice. Oh...and below are brief summaries of the ideas I have in mind.
City in the Sands
The Desert kingdom of Durand is a bloody dictatorship that controls vast swaths of desert and parts of the surrounding mountains. The players find themselves in the processing chambers at Kara'hm City. A vast prison made of everything from the worst criminals of the kingdom, to political prisoners, prisoners of war, unlucky adventurers caught breaking one of Durand's many laws and even members of Durand nobility thought to be a threat to the king. The prison just kept swelling to the point it became a sprawling city of inmates watched over by brutal guards. The city is surrounded by walls and domed in by a massive cage that is cursed so that any who touch it have all magic dispelled and are set ablaze. The players would be given the option to join with one of the many factions fighting for control of sections of the city, or to fight against them all to keep the innocent people safe and eventually break them free. Depending on who they side with and what they do it will change the encounters and eventually the final encounter. Also I was thinking of throwing environmental effects into this as well.
The War of Tarem
The continent of Tarem was made of a dozen kingdoms, mostly human with a single elven kingdom and several Orc tribes. The kingdoms are mostly on good terms with one another, and it's a fairly peaceful part of the world. From the Eastern most corner of the continent however a darkness falls across the rest of the land. An army of undead beings is spreading from the ruins of a kingdom long since left to decay. One by one the other kingdoms fall until only the kingdom of Avalon, a kingdom of pure white buildings and holy paladins. The paladins act as both the nobility, police force and elite wing of the army, while the king of this kingdom is a sort of Battle Chaplin, a warrior priest. Since this is the last remaining human kingdom it has refuges from all the other kingdoms, ambassadors from the Elves and it's own populace. The story would follow the party from battling the undead at the walls to fighting all the way to the base of the Necromancer behind all of this...and so much more. (i have a bit of a twist for this if asked I can reveal)
Temple of Jan-harim
The setting is a deep jungle area, far to the south of any civilized kingdoms. The party comes across a village that is the last civilization before a sprawling jungle. The village beset by cultists, attack them in the night and dragging off villagers to be sacrificed in a temple within the near by jungle mountains. The villagers ask the party to go into the temple to exterminate the cultists and rescue anyone they can find from the village. The party heads into the caves only to be ambushed by a creature that collapses the tunnel out. The mountain eventually opens up into a Caldera that is filled with water, with the temple resting in the very centre of this lake. the party ventures across to enter the temple where they will be attacked by numerous cultists, undead and a multitude of reptile and other lizard based creatures (From Lizard-men to Dinosaurs). As with the second idea this one also has a bit of a twist I could reveal on request.
So what do you think? Any of these ideas sound appealing? Any of them sound fun? And could people offer any help with these?
City in the Sands
The Desert kingdom of Durand is a bloody dictatorship that controls vast swaths of desert and parts of the surrounding mountains. The players find themselves in the processing chambers at Kara'hm City. A vast prison made of everything from the worst criminals of the kingdom, to political prisoners, prisoners of war, unlucky adventurers caught breaking one of Durand's many laws and even members of Durand nobility thought to be a threat to the king. The prison just kept swelling to the point it became a sprawling city of inmates watched over by brutal guards. The city is surrounded by walls and domed in by a massive cage that is cursed so that any who touch it have all magic dispelled and are set ablaze. The players would be given the option to join with one of the many factions fighting for control of sections of the city, or to fight against them all to keep the innocent people safe and eventually break them free. Depending on who they side with and what they do it will change the encounters and eventually the final encounter. Also I was thinking of throwing environmental effects into this as well.
The War of Tarem
The continent of Tarem was made of a dozen kingdoms, mostly human with a single elven kingdom and several Orc tribes. The kingdoms are mostly on good terms with one another, and it's a fairly peaceful part of the world. From the Eastern most corner of the continent however a darkness falls across the rest of the land. An army of undead beings is spreading from the ruins of a kingdom long since left to decay. One by one the other kingdoms fall until only the kingdom of Avalon, a kingdom of pure white buildings and holy paladins. The paladins act as both the nobility, police force and elite wing of the army, while the king of this kingdom is a sort of Battle Chaplin, a warrior priest. Since this is the last remaining human kingdom it has refuges from all the other kingdoms, ambassadors from the Elves and it's own populace. The story would follow the party from battling the undead at the walls to fighting all the way to the base of the Necromancer behind all of this...and so much more. (i have a bit of a twist for this if asked I can reveal)
Temple of Jan-harim
The setting is a deep jungle area, far to the south of any civilized kingdoms. The party comes across a village that is the last civilization before a sprawling jungle. The village beset by cultists, attack them in the night and dragging off villagers to be sacrificed in a temple within the near by jungle mountains. The villagers ask the party to go into the temple to exterminate the cultists and rescue anyone they can find from the village. The party heads into the caves only to be ambushed by a creature that collapses the tunnel out. The mountain eventually opens up into a Caldera that is filled with water, with the temple resting in the very centre of this lake. the party ventures across to enter the temple where they will be attacked by numerous cultists, undead and a multitude of reptile and other lizard based creatures (From Lizard-men to Dinosaurs). As with the second idea this one also has a bit of a twist I could reveal on request.
So what do you think? Any of these ideas sound appealing? Any of them sound fun? And could people offer any help with these?