daemonaetea
2012-10-18, 07:03 PM
I'm nearing the start point for a campaign I've been planning for a while. So far there are two main protagonistsantagonists for the campaign, although neither will be known to the players at the beginning. The full details of the two (who have very different power levels and goals) will only become known later on. Even so, some of their abilities will have impacts from the very beginning, even if the characters don't realize it yet, so I'd like to have them mostly nailed down before the game begins.
What I'm looking for is:
1. How interesting would it be if you, as a player, were learning these things?
2. Both of them are, in part, an examination of some of the fluff that could lie behind the abilities that are central to each. As such, some of the way I'm saying they function are not spelled out, but merely my interpretation of how they may work. I think this introduces some interesting flavor, but I would like your opinion of if this goes "too far".
3. Any other comments/concerns you may have.
The First Big Bad, The Prophet Garung:
Background
Within the (homebrewed) game world, the Fair races (humans, elfs, gnomes, and the like) and the Beastly races (catfolk, Ibixian, raptoreans, and the like) fought a war several hundred years ago against the Monstrous races (orcs, kobolds, goblins, and the like). After the Monstrous races were defeated they were forced into a place known as No Man's Land. This inhospitable landscape is bordered by impassable mountains to the north and south, by cliffs and dangerous seas to the west, and by a desert to the east. In additions, the other races have maintained constant patrols ever since to ensure the Monstrous races never again trouble them.
In truth both sides shared the responsibility for allowing the war to start, but by this point in time both sides have come to only remember the transgressions of the other. At the start of the campaign a great disaster befalls the continent, resulting in the Fair and Beastly races to be greatly weakened. The Monstrous races, who were only minimally impacted by the disaster, take this as their chance to finally break free, and to be avenged.
Into this situation steps an old orc named Garung. He too leaves the No Man's Land, but he instead seeks only peace. He quickly establishes a new town just north of the old border, where he invites all races to live in harmony. It's not long before his new followers begin to proclaim him a prophet, and his vision for peace as their new guiding light.
The old man is, in fact, a Thrallherd. After escaping No Man's Land he orders two thirds of his followers to kill themselves, then waits for his psionic signal to bring him new followers, a mixture of all the races of the area. He then uses them to establish his new commune, and begin his message of peace. In this is he is sincere - he truly desires peace. He's willing, however, to sacrifice as many of his believers as it takes to achieve that end. He does not do so gladly, and he tries to do it as little as possible, but he's perfectly willing to do so. In addition, he's been using his Psionic Charm ability to influence those in the region, to build his new commune into a major hub of the region.
Ability - Believers and Thralls
The first plot hook the player's will find for this figure will be of an elf who suddenly left his home grove. In this setting an elf leaving his home is exceedingly rare - those who choose to even go as far as a neighboring village are something like living legends. They will find out that this person suddenly felt a great calling, a need to go to a certain place far away. Though he tried fighting it for almost a day, in the end he left, leaving his family heartbroken.
The thralls are being treated thusly: to suddenly be ensnared by the Thrallherds psionic call is something that cannot be denied. Once so captured no family ties, no obligations, will prevent them from seeking out the place they "know they belong". Once they have seen their Thrallherd for the first time, they are forever warped by the Thrallherd's powers. They are merely a receptacle of his will, and are incapable for going against it. If their Thrallherd dies, they will either become catatonic, continue to carry out their last ordered action until they die, or fly into a rage until they die. As such, those that have been enthralled by the Thrallherd are lost forever. So even if the Prophet is defeated, the people he has stolen will never get their lives back. And besides that... he truly is trying to forge peace. He's undoubtedly evil in his methods, but his goals are good. Is the party really willing to stop him? And if they do, are they willing to accept the animosity of all those who have become followers of the Prophet, including those who have done it of their own volition?
Ability - Psionic Charm
One of the Prophets most used ways of extending his influence is his Charm ability. Generally he will arrange a meeting with a leader, such as a Head Selectman or a Mayor. Then he will Charm them just before meeting them for the first time. Thus, from the very first moment they have met him, they will always have been on friendly terms with him. The Prophet, for his part, is kind, considerate, and immanently friendly to them and their entire town. He will then try to negotiate favorable trading conditions with the town, attempt to expand his influence, and try to attract new (willing) followers. If, even in their charmed state, the head of the area refuses, the Prophet will continue to act kindly, leaving without protest.
The Prophet will then ensure that the one he Charmed has the Charm renewed on a regular basis, to ensure it never wears off. He will continue this for several months before he ceases to keep them Charmed.
My idea is that, once he ceases the Charming, they will continue to see him in a friendly light. As such, even though he used Psionics on them at one point, by the time the heroes arrive the evidence will be gone. My thinking is that, after having viewed the Prophet as a friend for several months; after forming memories of friendship with him during this time; and never knowing anything but friendship with him, the Charmed people will by that point actually regard him as a friend even in their natural state.
This action has both good and evil reasons. The good reason is to ensure that the people of the area, mostly Fair and Beastly race members, do not attack the Prophet and his followers. By ensuring the entire leadership of the region views him in a favorable light, he's actually keeping his people safe. On the other hand, it also makes it very hard for the heroes to convince everyone what is going on once they learn the truth.
The Bigger Bad, Justice
Background
Several hundred years ago there was an adventuring group famous throughout the land. Over the course of their adventures they grew tremendously powerful. Eventually there were no further adventures in the lands of their birth, and so they sought out their destiny amongst the planes. They were just as successful there, and for many years their might only grew. As their ability grew, so did their overconfidence.
One day they heard of a powerful artifact that had been captured by an insane Caster, who had hid it within his domain within the Abyss. The group decided to confront the Caster, and reclaim the artifact from him. The group found the domain of the Caster and, after a long and terrible battle, managed to defeat him. Laughing in triumph, they began to search the mad Caster's lair. In no time at all they had found the artifact. They turned to one of their members, an artificer, and asked her what the item was. In player terms, she rolled a 1 - not an automatic failure, of course, but still leaving her with a result that was dangerous. For what she recalled was just enough information to make them confident in using the item, but not enough to warn them of the dangers.
"This item definitely isn't evil. I think it probably is chaotic, though. It's the Deck of Many Things, and many powerful abilities can be gained from it, based on the card you pull."
Perhaps as younger adventures they would have sought more validation before using it. But they were extremely powerful, and no longer feared anything. They urged one of their number, a cleric by the name of Varun, to draw it first. Although none of them knew it, Varun was not actually a human, as he appeared. Instead he was a gold dragon in disguise, who used his natural casting and toughness to pretend to be a martial oriented cleric. By nature he tended towards being cautious and careful, but in the preceding fight it was his actions that had clinched victory, and his party was cheering him and urging him to have first draw. All they wanted to do was to reward their trusted, valued friend. Thus he relented, and drew a single card. He drew Justice. And, in moments, the course of history was altered.
Ability - The Justice Card from the Deck of Many Things
The Justice card from the Deck of Many Things instantly alters your alignment to the complete opposite. The Lawful Good Varun became Chaotic Evil. The thoughts behind this are about what a truly traumatic experience this must be. Imagine becoming, in a single instant, the complete opposite of yourself now in outlook. For that moment, within Varun's mind, he clearly could see his two selfs, felt the contradiction of his oncoming new existence, felt his mind shatter and reassemble into something completely alien to what it was before. This moment did more than change his alignment - it drove him insane.
Filled with rage, and pain, and hate, Varun turned to his friends.
"What'd it do?" asked one of them.
And, smiling, Varun said, "Let me show you."
He had slaughtered them all within a minute, except for the artificer. For her, he had a much worse fate planned.
Varun for many years journeyed, lashing out at the world, inflicting pain. But, eventually, this no longer satisfied his hate. It was during this time that he began planning the cataclysm that opens the campaign. It was also during this time that he cast aside his name, in exchange for a new one. He accepted more than a name, he accepted an ideal: Justice. Once, he believed in the rule of law, and saw that as justice. Now, though, he knows the only justice there is, is chance.
Now, hundreds of years later, and in possession of the full powers of a great wyrm, his ultimate plan is to utilize several epic level spells and artifacts to bring about both the pain he craves everyone to feel, and the manifestation of chaos into their lives - he's going to induce a permanent affect that will result in every being in the multiverse being forcefully Plain Shifted to a random plane after a random interval, until the day they die. One minute in Celestia, then a decade in the Fire Plane, then an hour in the Abyss, then a few seconds in the Far Realms... on and on, forever, until the very last thing dies.
The heart of both the villains is an examination of just how traumatic two casually explained abilities must really be. What's it like to suddenly become a thrall under someone you've never seen before? What's it like for the people you left behind? And what's it like to have your very sense of self being radically altered against your will?
Sorry for the long post. For any of you that made it this far, you have my thanks. And further thanks for any thoughts you can give.
What I'm looking for is:
1. How interesting would it be if you, as a player, were learning these things?
2. Both of them are, in part, an examination of some of the fluff that could lie behind the abilities that are central to each. As such, some of the way I'm saying they function are not spelled out, but merely my interpretation of how they may work. I think this introduces some interesting flavor, but I would like your opinion of if this goes "too far".
3. Any other comments/concerns you may have.
The First Big Bad, The Prophet Garung:
Background
Within the (homebrewed) game world, the Fair races (humans, elfs, gnomes, and the like) and the Beastly races (catfolk, Ibixian, raptoreans, and the like) fought a war several hundred years ago against the Monstrous races (orcs, kobolds, goblins, and the like). After the Monstrous races were defeated they were forced into a place known as No Man's Land. This inhospitable landscape is bordered by impassable mountains to the north and south, by cliffs and dangerous seas to the west, and by a desert to the east. In additions, the other races have maintained constant patrols ever since to ensure the Monstrous races never again trouble them.
In truth both sides shared the responsibility for allowing the war to start, but by this point in time both sides have come to only remember the transgressions of the other. At the start of the campaign a great disaster befalls the continent, resulting in the Fair and Beastly races to be greatly weakened. The Monstrous races, who were only minimally impacted by the disaster, take this as their chance to finally break free, and to be avenged.
Into this situation steps an old orc named Garung. He too leaves the No Man's Land, but he instead seeks only peace. He quickly establishes a new town just north of the old border, where he invites all races to live in harmony. It's not long before his new followers begin to proclaim him a prophet, and his vision for peace as their new guiding light.
The old man is, in fact, a Thrallherd. After escaping No Man's Land he orders two thirds of his followers to kill themselves, then waits for his psionic signal to bring him new followers, a mixture of all the races of the area. He then uses them to establish his new commune, and begin his message of peace. In this is he is sincere - he truly desires peace. He's willing, however, to sacrifice as many of his believers as it takes to achieve that end. He does not do so gladly, and he tries to do it as little as possible, but he's perfectly willing to do so. In addition, he's been using his Psionic Charm ability to influence those in the region, to build his new commune into a major hub of the region.
Ability - Believers and Thralls
The first plot hook the player's will find for this figure will be of an elf who suddenly left his home grove. In this setting an elf leaving his home is exceedingly rare - those who choose to even go as far as a neighboring village are something like living legends. They will find out that this person suddenly felt a great calling, a need to go to a certain place far away. Though he tried fighting it for almost a day, in the end he left, leaving his family heartbroken.
The thralls are being treated thusly: to suddenly be ensnared by the Thrallherds psionic call is something that cannot be denied. Once so captured no family ties, no obligations, will prevent them from seeking out the place they "know they belong". Once they have seen their Thrallherd for the first time, they are forever warped by the Thrallherd's powers. They are merely a receptacle of his will, and are incapable for going against it. If their Thrallherd dies, they will either become catatonic, continue to carry out their last ordered action until they die, or fly into a rage until they die. As such, those that have been enthralled by the Thrallherd are lost forever. So even if the Prophet is defeated, the people he has stolen will never get their lives back. And besides that... he truly is trying to forge peace. He's undoubtedly evil in his methods, but his goals are good. Is the party really willing to stop him? And if they do, are they willing to accept the animosity of all those who have become followers of the Prophet, including those who have done it of their own volition?
Ability - Psionic Charm
One of the Prophets most used ways of extending his influence is his Charm ability. Generally he will arrange a meeting with a leader, such as a Head Selectman or a Mayor. Then he will Charm them just before meeting them for the first time. Thus, from the very first moment they have met him, they will always have been on friendly terms with him. The Prophet, for his part, is kind, considerate, and immanently friendly to them and their entire town. He will then try to negotiate favorable trading conditions with the town, attempt to expand his influence, and try to attract new (willing) followers. If, even in their charmed state, the head of the area refuses, the Prophet will continue to act kindly, leaving without protest.
The Prophet will then ensure that the one he Charmed has the Charm renewed on a regular basis, to ensure it never wears off. He will continue this for several months before he ceases to keep them Charmed.
My idea is that, once he ceases the Charming, they will continue to see him in a friendly light. As such, even though he used Psionics on them at one point, by the time the heroes arrive the evidence will be gone. My thinking is that, after having viewed the Prophet as a friend for several months; after forming memories of friendship with him during this time; and never knowing anything but friendship with him, the Charmed people will by that point actually regard him as a friend even in their natural state.
This action has both good and evil reasons. The good reason is to ensure that the people of the area, mostly Fair and Beastly race members, do not attack the Prophet and his followers. By ensuring the entire leadership of the region views him in a favorable light, he's actually keeping his people safe. On the other hand, it also makes it very hard for the heroes to convince everyone what is going on once they learn the truth.
The Bigger Bad, Justice
Background
Several hundred years ago there was an adventuring group famous throughout the land. Over the course of their adventures they grew tremendously powerful. Eventually there were no further adventures in the lands of their birth, and so they sought out their destiny amongst the planes. They were just as successful there, and for many years their might only grew. As their ability grew, so did their overconfidence.
One day they heard of a powerful artifact that had been captured by an insane Caster, who had hid it within his domain within the Abyss. The group decided to confront the Caster, and reclaim the artifact from him. The group found the domain of the Caster and, after a long and terrible battle, managed to defeat him. Laughing in triumph, they began to search the mad Caster's lair. In no time at all they had found the artifact. They turned to one of their members, an artificer, and asked her what the item was. In player terms, she rolled a 1 - not an automatic failure, of course, but still leaving her with a result that was dangerous. For what she recalled was just enough information to make them confident in using the item, but not enough to warn them of the dangers.
"This item definitely isn't evil. I think it probably is chaotic, though. It's the Deck of Many Things, and many powerful abilities can be gained from it, based on the card you pull."
Perhaps as younger adventures they would have sought more validation before using it. But they were extremely powerful, and no longer feared anything. They urged one of their number, a cleric by the name of Varun, to draw it first. Although none of them knew it, Varun was not actually a human, as he appeared. Instead he was a gold dragon in disguise, who used his natural casting and toughness to pretend to be a martial oriented cleric. By nature he tended towards being cautious and careful, but in the preceding fight it was his actions that had clinched victory, and his party was cheering him and urging him to have first draw. All they wanted to do was to reward their trusted, valued friend. Thus he relented, and drew a single card. He drew Justice. And, in moments, the course of history was altered.
Ability - The Justice Card from the Deck of Many Things
The Justice card from the Deck of Many Things instantly alters your alignment to the complete opposite. The Lawful Good Varun became Chaotic Evil. The thoughts behind this are about what a truly traumatic experience this must be. Imagine becoming, in a single instant, the complete opposite of yourself now in outlook. For that moment, within Varun's mind, he clearly could see his two selfs, felt the contradiction of his oncoming new existence, felt his mind shatter and reassemble into something completely alien to what it was before. This moment did more than change his alignment - it drove him insane.
Filled with rage, and pain, and hate, Varun turned to his friends.
"What'd it do?" asked one of them.
And, smiling, Varun said, "Let me show you."
He had slaughtered them all within a minute, except for the artificer. For her, he had a much worse fate planned.
Varun for many years journeyed, lashing out at the world, inflicting pain. But, eventually, this no longer satisfied his hate. It was during this time that he began planning the cataclysm that opens the campaign. It was also during this time that he cast aside his name, in exchange for a new one. He accepted more than a name, he accepted an ideal: Justice. Once, he believed in the rule of law, and saw that as justice. Now, though, he knows the only justice there is, is chance.
Now, hundreds of years later, and in possession of the full powers of a great wyrm, his ultimate plan is to utilize several epic level spells and artifacts to bring about both the pain he craves everyone to feel, and the manifestation of chaos into their lives - he's going to induce a permanent affect that will result in every being in the multiverse being forcefully Plain Shifted to a random plane after a random interval, until the day they die. One minute in Celestia, then a decade in the Fire Plane, then an hour in the Abyss, then a few seconds in the Far Realms... on and on, forever, until the very last thing dies.
The heart of both the villains is an examination of just how traumatic two casually explained abilities must really be. What's it like to suddenly become a thrall under someone you've never seen before? What's it like for the people you left behind? And what's it like to have your very sense of self being radically altered against your will?
Sorry for the long post. For any of you that made it this far, you have my thanks. And further thanks for any thoughts you can give.