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Avegrin
2012-11-24, 09:35 AM
So, I'm running a campaign with two night elves (a druid and a mounted scout), a human warrior, and a dwarf, who wants to switch his character into a human warlock. I want to bring him in with a story, where his unique talents would be needed, but the rough idea I have so far isn't up to par to my expectations. So, now I'm here to see if you have any ideas to contribute.

The setting is post-Cataclysm, but before Pandaria got discovered. Azeroth is rebuilding itself and preparing for the inevitable, upcoming war.

Here is what happened so far (TL;DR version on the bottom): The characters arrived in Sentinel Hill after they got a tip that there is a shortage of hired blades to deal with the problems in the area.
In an audition with Marshall Gryan Stoutmantle, they get the job to collect a report from a logging camp in the southwest, near the shore, because neither their report nor their shipment has arrived for days, and with the unusually aggressive gnoll tribes in the west, he's worried.
The characters survived a gnoll ambush on the way, then camped, but they are woken up by the sounds of battle. Over the nearby hill, they see a half-empty gnoll camp being under attack by murlocs, which is once again odd, since they rarely come this far from the water and attack gnolls even more rarely. The party waited out the battle, the murlocs have won and then ran back west, the surviving gnolls escaped. In the morning, they checked the scene, finding signs that these gnolls are Riverpaw gnolls, who are usually camping near the shores.
Arriving at the logger camp, they see barricades and they are greeted by cheer and excitement by the worried, tired lumberjacks and their accompanying militia, and they explain the situation - the murlocs have become unusually aggressive and organized all of a sudden a few days ago, they couldn't complete the shipment because they had to fight back and protect themselves against their raids.
They are awaiting their scout now to report on the situation. The party is invited in to eat, but they are interrupted by the scout coming back, reporting a huge gathering of murlocs on the shore, led by a naga witch and her two bodyguards, set on conquering the shoreline. The party is led there by the scout, they attack and defeat the murlocs and the naga, only a few murlocs managing to escape. They are celebrated back at the camp, and the work can continue. The local militia leader explains that although they aren't done with the usual 10 carts of wood, they have 7, which they can deliver with the help of the party. They agree, they camp halfway in the usual halfway-stop of the usual caravans, drink and celebrate, go to sleep drunk, but the lookout wakes them up pointing at an incoming, vengeful gnoll army.
They fight. This is where we are now.
TL;DR version: The party is in Westfall for a mercenary job to help out the militia, the shipment from a logger camp in the southwest is late. During their travel they fight gnolls, see gnolls and murlocs at war, and when they arrive at the logger camp, they learn that the murlocs are being led by some nagas. They kill them, they return, and lead the caravan of uncomplete shipment back home when they are attacked by a remaining group of the local Riverpaws at night.

After this, they'd arrive in Sentinel Hill, Gryan is thankful, now they can finish the official Town Hall or something, the work can continue, etc. Their reward would be (since Westfall is poor and barter is more common, they can't reward gold too much) is some gold, and a voucher from Gryan - usable back in the capital at the main supplier of the forces of Stormwind to buy equipment at a discount.
Now I got the party back in Stormwind, and I need a storyline with a good reason for the warlock to join in, (like they need his help for some reason) and it should include a dungeon, mansion, tower, or base, because all encounters were outdoors so far. I have some floating, separate ideas, they have some magical items from nagas, and a recommendation from an Alliance Marshall, and they are in the capital city with mage guilds and underground warlock cults. There is an adventure here, but I can't make them into an exciting story.

Can anyone help me out with some ideas, good story hooks I could use, or modules that I can rewrite for Warcraft?

hymer
2012-11-24, 09:41 AM
Just for clarity (while I think): Druid, warlock, etc. Are you using these as D&D terms or something else? What level are we talking, so we know what a 'warlock' may have of special talents to use.
Just for my curiosity: What racials do Night Elves have in thsi campaign?

Avegrin
2012-11-24, 09:49 AM
These are official classes in the Warcraft RPG. The party is currently on 2nd level. As for the warlock, I thought he could have insider info about a warlock cult or something, not level-related help.

The night elves only have low-light vision by default, the other racial abilities are unlocked by taking a level in your race.

hymer
2012-11-24, 09:50 AM
Ah, well, I have no experience with that game, sorry.

Avegrin
2012-11-24, 09:53 AM
I'm looking for a story, you only need to be familiar with the setting somewhat.

Larkas
2012-11-24, 10:46 AM
Why not make something related to Karazhan?

Avegrin
2012-11-24, 10:57 AM
They are low level, we are far from the place, and I'd rather make something new.

Let's narrow it down: I need a story against warlock (or general dark magic) cults.

Larkas
2012-11-24, 11:04 AM
Karazhan is one map away to Westfall. Besides, you don't need them to actually go TO Karazhan, as much as having something to do with it. Warlock cults have lots of reasons to be interested in Medivh's tower, and maybe the characters merely have to foil them getting hold of a key to it :smallwink:

Avegrin
2012-11-24, 11:17 AM
That'd still mean a high-class dungeon for early characters, "one map away" still means a long travel (weeks by foot/horse, at least). I need something smaller, closer to home.

Larkas
2012-11-24, 11:26 AM
Okay, then... How about a cult digging beneath the city trying to collect what is left of the Park's Moonwell energies to summon "Your Generic Demon" (tm) (or anything like that)?

Jeraa
2012-11-24, 11:50 AM
Westfall was one of the regions that fell to the Horde in the First War. Small Shadow Council groups could still be in hiding there.

I think. I know they were in Duskwood and Elwynn. The Shadow Council was in hiding near the ruins of Stormwind when Doomhammer learned of their location from Garona, and destroyed them. "Near Stormwind" could means somewhere on the border of Westfall.

Edit: Yep, the Horde did take Westfall, specifically the town of Moonbrook in the western region. So a hidden portion of the Shadow Council, or someone claiming to be Shadow Council, could still be in hiding somewhere.

Clistenes
2012-11-24, 12:24 PM
There is a doubt I have about the Warcraft RPG (not the "World of Warcraft RPG" that came later)...

Can a Healer take levels in both the Priest and Shaman prestige classes? Rules wise nothing prevents it, but reading the fluff makes me think it shouldn't be possible (maybe if the character converts from spirit-worship to deity-worship but keeps his/her Shaman abilities?).

Avegrin
2012-11-24, 12:41 PM
Larkas: Including the Stormwind ruins may not be a bad idea, but I think I figured something out.

Jeraa: The Third War was decades ago, orcish Shadow Council members in Westfall is a bit aged and unlikely scenario.

Clistenes: We are playing second edition, so it is technically the WoW RPG you're talking about. Warcraft RPG is the general, edition-free term.
Do you mean taking levels in both Priest and Shaman? By the rules, you can do it, lorewise, it's unlikely. I can imagine troll priests, who get their powers from the Loa, could have both kinds of powers, but otherwise no, unlikely.

I have a story idea by now. The warlock cult is taking in and recruiting mage students with the promise of easy success, but this, on top of showing the Mage Guild in a bad light, makes them lose many students, as only few of them succeed in their new training, and the cult doesn't seem to tolerate failure and risk being found out by letting the failed students go. (the PCs don't know that the situation is this serious). The party, being new in town and bearing the recommendation of Gryan Stoutmantle, are sent to investigate, accompanied by a warlock student who successfully escaped/could help getting into the hidden entrance in a shady inn the cultists are using as their base (but actually, it just contains a portal that teleports the party to the actual base). The group is to enter the base and smash up the cult, free who wants to be freed, retrieve magic books, and get the leader. (Who will probably escape, leaving behind clues for the next adventure or something).

Agamedes
2017-07-27, 06:24 AM
I am currently DMing a WOW RPG, where my campaign setup was rather simple: What if Kairoz, instead of springing Garrosh Hellscream from Jail, instead decided to go back to an alternate Azeroth (which was pretty much exactly the same as ours) to the time where World of Warcraft was just beginning and attempted to free Deathwing. Honestly, I thought Kairoz's motivation made more sense in my campaign (free Deathwing and help him win, as a result of which dragons don't lose their extra powers, which was pretty much what he wanted anyway.

Stopping him took about 9 months (we played once in about 2-3 weeks, but each session lasted for 8-10 hours). During this overarching campaign the PCs changed so much of the world (destroyed Tiragarde Keep, accidentally let Dun Garok be annihilated, restored the Kingdom of Stromgarde (even though it is considerably smaller than originally), accidentally helped Dark Iron Dwarves and Trolls overrun the Hinterlands, accidentally helped Grand Apothecary Puttress, making him and Varimathras much stronger (and allowing them to start their rebellion much sooner), accidentally started a war between the Alliance and the Horde, accidentally ruptured reality in Karazhan, as a result of which they need to somehow find Khadgar (even though he's in Outland and the Dark Portal is off), or Azeroth is doomed) that right now it is dramatically different from what it would have been without them. And they did manage to kill Kairoz just in the nick of time.

Right now the campaign is focused on two things: 1. Helping Sylvanas in the civil war (the Horde cannot, as it is busy losing the war to the Alliance), who was helpful when retaking Stromgarde and is unaware that it was their fault that the rebellion started in the first place, and 2. Finding Doomlord Kazzak (a very, VERY bad demon) who is rumored to know how to open the Dark Portal, though nobody has any clue as to what they'll do after finding him, as he's absurdly overpowered.