Preparing an Epic Campaign - P.E.A.C.H. [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Gemini Lupus

2013-08-16, 04:29 PM

Greetings fellow Playgrounders!

Real quick, in case any of my players decide to frequent the forums, if Steve Dumples means anything to you or the names of the following characters from games: Sylvos, Nissa, Sophia, Jace, Antoine Trovold, Lavitz, Bella, Castor, or Sendal Matthews, please stop reading, I want this to be a surprise for all of you :smalltongue:

And a warning: Wall o' Text ahead.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I posted this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=292079), asking for ideas/help in preparing a campaign. Help is still appreciated and wanted, but things have started to solidify and so I am creating another thread which will serve as a sort of outline for the campaign.

From you guys, I would love feedback as to what you think of the campaign, how I can improve what I'm doing, more ideas as to make things more interesting, additional episodes/adventurers, questions, criticisms, and whatever else you want to say :smallbiggrin:. Also, if anyone would like to contribute potential NPC's, please feel free!

I will probably post two more threads in the future regarding this campaign: the campaign pack, which will include an overview of the world and character creation/houserules for the campaign, which I will be asking for P.E.A.C.H.ing; and a campaign journal, which I will *try* to keep updated and will include character profiles.

Later on, once I've got things rolling, I'll probably update this thread or maybe create another one asking for some help with creating/interweaving character-specific plots into the campaign.

I'd like to send a shout out to Mordar, tasw, and especially Arkhosia who posted in the last thread. And so without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, I present to you, the beginnings of the Epic campaign, the Legacy of the Immortals!

So, as stated in the last thread, this campaign will be relatively episodic, wherein each "episode" will have its own story and be mostly self-contained, though there will be continuity between episodes, a la shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel. There will be several seasons, each with I think 13 episodes, which I hope will correspond 1:1 episode:game session. Each season will have a big bad and be a somewhat different game than the last, featuring the same characters. Not every episode will deal with the main plot, but may be "filler" episodes that will focus on either character development, personal character sidequests, sidequests in general, or just some other adventure that I want to throw in as a distraction.

Between each episode, there will (usually) be an in-game period of 1-2 weeks, wherein characters can focus on crafting, shopping, training, their daily lives, etc.

At this point, I am only at the synopsis part of each episode, but I have an idea of what will happen in each episode and some characters involved. Of course, player agency will play a factor and if they want to get off the tracks, they are more than welcome to and I will adapt. :smallwink:

Synopsis of the Campaign: Dark times are brewing in the World of Mythopoeia, though the Age of Adventurers is in full swing and there has been a century of peace, Dark Omens are everywhere as a prophecy foretelling the return of the evil god, Valafar the Destroyer comes to fruition. The last time Valafar was on the Material Plane, was thousands of years ago, during the Time of the First Men, when a group of powerful heroes, known now as the Immortals rose up and defeated him, sealing him away (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SealedEvilInACan). In the last generation, there have been a small number of people who have been born with a mysterious birthmark, known to the Wise as the "Mark of Altana," which signals them as the Scions of the Immortals and destined for greatness. What they do is largely up to them however and some have chosen to use the greatness they are destined for to do evil or nothing at all.

The party will be made up of people who bear the Mark and will (hopefully, with player participation :smallbiggrin:) rise up to their destiny to save the world from Valafar and his servants.

As stated in the previous thread, prior to the campaign proper, there will be several prologue one-shots, sort of setting up the campaign in various parts of the world.

There will also be what I think is sort of a different focus for the story, which will be rather than trying to prevent the Sealed Evil in a Can from returning, as the villains have already half won the battle by performing most of the necessary rituals to bring Valafar back to the world, will be to combat the forces of darkness and defeat Valafar before he is able to complete his plans, which is to destroy the forces of good and enslave the remaining people and install himself as the new overlord god of the world. Not that revolutionary I know, and fairly archetypal, but I think its better to already have the villain be (nearly) ressurected already, rather than having the party try to prevent it and me through some DM Fiat have it happen anyway.

Gemini Lupus

2013-08-16, 04:30 PM

Ok, so I'm going to use this post as the season/episode synopsis post and I think the following post as a sort of NPC primer. We'll see how this works out.

Season 1 This season will be mostly about the party coming together and establishing themselves as heroes in a sizable city that is being governed by a servant of Valafar. For this season, the players will be playing an essentially e6 game, where once they achieve level 6, all exp. will go to a separate pool for them to gain bonus feats.

Episode 1: Origins: This episode will be broken up into several parts, which will be one-on-one sessions with the players. The backstory of each character will be played through, culminating in their arrival at the city of Finborough, the Fair City.

Episode 2: Many Meetings: Through a variety of circumstances, the characters meet one another and (hopefully) join forces against a common foe, a street thug whose gang is terrorizing the citizens of Finborough.

Episode 3: The First Adventure: The party is contracted by a man to retrieve an ancient spellbook known as the Ildatch for him from the catacombs beneath the city. For those of you who have read Terry Brooks' Shannara series, you know what the Ildatch is :smallbiggrin:.

Episode 4: The Brigands: Bandits that have been raiding the city attack once more, and despite the City Watch's efforts, once again steal more of the city's goods. So, the Captain of the Guard asks the party to retrieve the town's goods from the brigands, who make their base in a cavern.

Episode 5: Nights of the Living Dead: As the party becomes more well known for their exploits, a priest of the local church approaches them about investigating the dead coming to life at night in the Crypts (different location from the Catacombs).

Episode 6: Into the Sewers: The Captain of the Guard asks the party go down into the sewers of the city and get rid of the foul beasts that have made it their home. (Yes, I know that this trope has been done to death, but my group has actually never done it and I want them to fight gelatinous cubes :smallbiggrin:)

Episode 7: The Governor's Honor: The Governor of the City, Aldren, has heard tell of the party's exploits and invites them to his palace, where he honors them with a feast, where there is an assassination attempt.

Episode 8: New Friends and Old Enemies: A traveler comest to the city and makes friends with the party, but it seems that he is on the run and being pursued by an old foe of one of the party members.

Episode 9: Rebels of the Sacred Heart: Governor Aldren calls on the party to investigate the assassination attempt, which his sources say was instigated by the an insurgent group known as the RotSH, but they are not what the governor portrays them as...

Episode 10: The Cult of the Old One: The party meets a mysterious man who asks for their aid in investigating a cult that has set up in the Catacombs and is attempting to bring an Old One to the Material Plane.

Episode 11: Retaliation: Governor Aldren retaliates against the party and the RotSH, attacking their homes and allies so that he can take them out before they ruin his plans.

Episode 12: The Battle for the City: The party rallies the city against those loyal to the governor and do battle for the soul of the city, climaxing in a battle between Aldren and the party. (The episode will end just before the fight with the governor, serving as a cliffhanger for the next episode.)

Episode 13: The Battle for the City part 2/New Heroes:The final confrontation between Aldren and the party followed by the aftermath of the battle, where the party is honored for their role in saving the city.

The season will end with a break of several in-game months, where the party will be able to pursue other goals, such as joining organizations or preparing to enter prestige classes, though they won't be able to until their next level up :smallbiggrin:.

Season 2 This season will have the party becoming more involved with the greater plot of the story, encountering a new Big Bad and achieving a new level of power. They will become major players in the region and join an organization that has dedicated itself to protecting the world from the forces of evil. Think the Harpers from Forgotten Realms, the Grey Wardens from Dragon Age, or the Jedi, sort of.

Episode 1:The Faire: The party reunites after several months for a festival where there are games, food, wine, women, and song, as well as a plethora of martial competitions for them to participate in, but also a dark warning... (This episode will be fairly lighthearted and a chance to just blow off some steam. Also I've always wanted to run a tournament-type thingy but not have the characters be at a level where there is either no chance of winning 1st or no chance of losing 1st lol.)

Episode 2: Bad Moon Rising: As a werewolf stalks the city streets during a full moon, a new, powerful foe reveals himself as an agent of Valafar and there to finish the job that Aldren couldn't and challenges the party, showing them that they must become more powerful.

Episode 3: Limit Break: A mysterious man comes to the party and offers to help them ascend to a new level of power, in exchange for help with a greater cause... (The man will be an agent of the Fianna, which is the Harper/Grey Warden organization who will want to enlist in their help fighting Valafar.)

Episode 4: The Fort: A giant who has moved into a nearby abandoned fortress and kidnapped the daughter of the Teyrn (local king, the nation that the party is in is based on Arthurian Britain, where there are lesser kings and a High King) and slaughtered most of her retainers. (The plan is that the party will take up residence in the fort and begin to attract people to live there, including NPCs who will be a reliable source of info, magic items, etc. as well as a base of operations.)

Episode 5: The Old Knight: An aging knight comes to the fort seeking help in rescuing his companions from a pack of orcs and ogres who waylaid them. (The knight will actually be an NPC who was popular with my players from a few campaigns ago and he and the living companions will form the beginnings of the party's personal army/warband.)

Episode 6:The Mark of Altana: A Loremaster finally explains to the party what their birthmarks truly are and what it means for their destinies.

Episode 7: The Fianna: The party is finally called upon by the Fianna for their first mission, which is to find an ancient artifact said to contain the light (to be determined later, possibly the Holy Grail).

Episode 8: The Dark Warlord: Belphegor, the agent of Valafar, returns to the region with a force, to do battle against the Teyrns, destroying the armies of the nation to prepare the way for Valafar and to seek out an artifact known as the Dark Chalice.

Episode 9: The Dark Chalice: As Belphegor's quest comes to a head, the party is tasked by the Fianna with stopping him from using the Chalice (effects to be determined, suggestions?).

Episode 10: The Heir: As the Armies of the Teyrns clash against those of Belphegor, the party seeks out the true heir of the Ard Rhys (High King), who may be closer than they guess...

Episode 11: The Circle of Black Thorns: Belphegor summons a group of demon sorcerers to end the party's meddling once and for all...

Episode 12: The Immortal: The party must seek out one of the Immortals from the Time of the First Men to find a way to defeat Belphegor once and for all... (suggestions?)

Episode 13: The End of Belphegor: Armed with a way to defeat Belphegor, the party must first find a way into the Dark Castle that Belphegor raised, then through the castle to defeat him.

Season 3 This season will have the party going on a world-traveling mission from the Fianna to help other nations of the continent combat the forces of Valafar. At the same time, they will be tapped by the Guardian of the World to seek out the Seven Seals, which will...I'm not sure what they will do yet. Something regarding either a blow to Valafar or a boost for the party...not sure yet. Suggestions?

As this season will involve a lot of traveling, much of it will be skimmed over as occurring in between episodes unless something important happens. Also, episode order is subject to change as geography is solidified/player agency takes over.

Episode 1: A New Quest Begins: Though their own nation is saved from Valafar, for now, other nations are suffering at the hands of his servants and so the Fianna send the party out to help the other lands in the struggle against Valafar. At the same time, the Guardian of the World appears to them in a dream and tasks them with seeking out the Seven Seals.

Episode 2: The Rangers of the North: As the party travels through the Wildlands, they are waylaid by a warband of orcs lead by a powerful chieftain and assisted by a patrol of Rangers, who take them to their secret base.

Episode 3: The Mystic Wood: Once the party enters the Elven Realm, they encounter a group of Hunters (who react much like the Elves of Lorien when the Fellowship enters the Golden Wood) who take them to the capitol city, where the children are being kidnapped by a Witch.

Episode 4: Valafar's Chosen: A man who calls himself the Dark Prophet shows himself & his lieutenants to the party and taunts them, saying that their quest is doomed to fail.

Episode 5: Caer Bannog: The party arrives at Caer Bannog, the headquarters of the Order of the Magi, but beings called Shadowen are terrorizing the people of the city and the Magi themselves.

Episode 6: The Empire: The party travels to the city of Deltora, the capitol of the Deltora Empire, but one of the Judge Magisters, who are tasked with maintaining order in the Empire, has taken control of the Empire from the Emperor.

Episode 7: The Mines of Altay: As the party traverses the Altaic Mountains, they come upon the Dwarven capitol and are asked to delve into one of the mines, which is being plagued by an Elder Evil. (Think the Balrog of Moria.)

Episode 8: The Exile: The party is met by a man who was exiled from his homeland and seems to be seeking redemption by doing acts of random goodness, but he may not be what he seems...

Episode 9: The Onyx Tower: The party comes upon a village under the influence of a powerful lich who oppresses the people of the village, but opposes the return of Valafar, forcing the party to make a choice.

Episode 10: The Hidden Village: They party stumbles into a village that is hidden from the outside world and inhabited by members of the race known as the Ancients or Builders and the race of the Fae and find solace in the peace of the village.

Episode 11: The City of Dragons: The party arrives at the gates of the City of Dragons, where the Dragon Council is currently meeting to discuss what must be done about the Fallen Aspect. (Basically Blackwing from the Warcraft Universe.)

Episode 12: The Gathering: As the party makes their way to a great meeting of the leaders of Cyro, they are ambushed by the Dark Lieutenants while the Dark Prophet attacks the meeting directly, dealing a devastating blow to the forces of good.

Episode 13: The Void Walker Rises: In the aftermath of the slaughter, the Dark Prophet faces off against the party and summons Jezith Fae, a powerful being known as a Void Walker, who wields powerful, dark magic.

Season 4 This will be the last season of the campaign and will consist largely of the party making preparations to combat Valafar before he can regain his full power. It will include a MacGuffin quest as well as any opportunities for the party to finish up any sidequests/personal stories.

Episode 1: The Airship: The party meets an old pirate who claims that he once owned an airship and wishes to enlist the party in helping recover it.

Episode 2: The Harbinger: The High Priest of Valafar comes to the party and extends an invitation to join forces and be on the side of victory when Valafar returns to the world. (The remainder of the season is based on the assumption that they do not go to the dark side, but if at least one of them does turn, well that can make for interesting story...muahahahaha!)

Episode 3: The White Council: The party begins the preparations to counter Valafar's return and a council of the Wise is called, where even the Guardian makes an appearance and informs the party of three stones which may be able to contain Valafar's power and allow the party to combat him directly.

Episode 4: The Lands of the Fae: The party travels to the land of the Fae, where one of the Sacred Stones are kept and meet with the Lord of the Fae, Oberon.

Episode 5: The Realm of the Gods: The party must first find a way to travel to the realm of the gods, then a way to convince the Celestial guardians to give to them the Sacred Stone.

Episode 6: The Offer: The party is offered a chance to remain in the realm of the gods and leave the troubles of the mortal realm to others and when/if they decline, are shown a way to Hell and given the means to return to the mortal realm.

Episode 7: The Descent into Hell: The party finds themselves in the Infernal Plane, where they must not only survive against the denizens that roam the land, but also the Lord of Hell himself, Asmodeus.

Episode 8: The Legendary Smith: Upon their return to the Material Plane, the party is met by the Rakshasa messengers of the Guardian, who tell them of a particular smith who lives in the wilderness and may be willing to help them, for a price...(what could this price be?)

Episode 9: The Calm Before the Storm: All is quiet on the Western Front as the forces of good rally together in preparation for the coming battle. Old friends and even some enemies come to the world's Megiddo analogue to join in the battle that will determine the fate of the world.

Episode 10: Ascension: As the party and the forces of good make their final preparations for the coming of Valafar, the party is told of an ancient temple that was once inhabited by the Immortals and may hold some secret that will grant them, and others who bear the Mark of Altana, one last boost of power before their confrontation.

Episode 11: Apocalypse: Valafar finally takes material form and summons forth an army with which to conquer the Free Peoples as well as a flying castle to make his home.

Episode 12: The Last Battle: The armies of the world ready for the battle against Valafar's forces as the party and a group of other adventurers/heroes make their way into the castle to combat Valafar directly.

Episode 13: The Power of Humanity: As armies clash and things look bleak, the party finally confronts Valafar and activate the Sacred Stones. Should they be victorious, the armies of Valafar shall crumble and the castle will fall from the sky. Cue epilogue where everyone has a happy ending. If they fail? Well, that'll make for an interesting conclusion...

*Edit: Changed the name of 1.3 from the Gathering to Many Meetings. Updated to include Season 4 and removed Season 5.