Lancaster_Road
2013-11-13, 10:32 AM
I've started a new campaign, and I've a couple antagonist groups that I'm looking to flesh out and see if I'm doing the right things. The game takes place in a large city with many small "racial districts", encouraging elves to live among elves, dwarves with dwarves, halflings with halflings, etc, all walled and gated from the majority human population. Meanwhile to the west, the barbarian tribelands, previously at an uneasy peace between human, orc, goblin, giantkin and gnoll, are experiencing surprise raids among the various groups, which are moving out of their racial territories claiming they've been driven out by "demon orcs".
Group 1
The 13th house. Long ago enough that most elves think they are a legend, there was a 13th line of gold elves among the great houses. This house did not marry among the other houses or with silver and wood elf lines, but instead married its scions to demon spawn, granting the house demonic powers over the years. When the other gold elves discovered the debauchery, they allied with wood elf, wild elf and other elven subraces to exterminate the house, slaughtering every demon blooded man, woman and child. Now, ages later, rumours exist of fey'ri, demon elves, apeearing again, not the solitary few of chance breeding, but unified family lines claiming descent from the 13th house. Alongside their tanarruk (demon orc) minions and drow mercenaries, this house plans to overthrow first the human wildlands, then the elven strongholds and finally the kingdoms of the human race.
Villains
The leader of the house, a beautiful fey'ri of high charisma, leading some dozen of her brothers, sisters and cousins.
Her champion, a long since broken and controlled former lythari (wood elf werewolf) knight, possibly drugged or controlled with long term magics.
A draegloth spellcaster who leads the drow mercenaries, orphans he's collected from the streets of underdark cities
Group 2
The Church of Zarus, a LE group that wants to elevate humanity above all other races, eventually expanding to conquer all other racial lands. Currently at work in the main city to crush resistance among the non-human racial groups.
Villains
The high priest, a trained war priest and convert from Hextor. Wears his hair in curls, keeps fit and keeps a cult of personality around him at all times to avoid the "demihuman assassins" sent to kill him
The "Herald of Zarus", the high priest's personal project who he has raised since boyhood. He plans to steep the boy in alchemical tinctures and horrid magics to make him a true paragon of humanity (epic paragon template and human paragon)
An evangelist who the church swears does not work for them who rallies the common workers to the cause of Zarus. As the church appeals to the elite normally, this evangelist helps get the lower class to hate non-humans too.
Group 3
Scarlet Brotherhood from Greyhawk's Savage Tide. Ancient Suel revivalists, want to rebuild the empire on the backs of non-Suel humans and the other races. Very stealth and assassination focused. They and the Church of Zarus sometimes work together, mainly the Brotherhood being paid to eliminate demihumans and sympathizers, so long as they're not of Suel origin.
Questions
Note: The game is gestalt, and prestige classes are allowed on both sides at once of the build.
For the 13th house: I'm wondering what the builds for everyone should be? Their leader should be highly charismatic, so should that be a sorcerer, a bard, or perhaps a build similar to the duskblade 5/cyran avenger 5/suel arcanamach 4/something else X with the fluff changed so we have a highly charismatic gish warrior. If not the leader, should the draegloth be that instead, representing his being a "drow without a country"? For controlling the lythari knight (who I'm planning to have a dire wolf form instead of normal wolf), should it be magic, drugs, vampirism? If he's a (again fluff changed) Thayan Knight, then he automatically fails enchantment saves against his masters. For that matter, should I use the Red Wizard class for the circle magic provided, and if so would it suit the leader or the draegloth more?
Zarus: For the evangelist, is the evangelist class the best way to do it? What should go on the other side of the assumed bard/evangelist? Would using Bone Knight and Ordained Champion be alright for the high priest, or is the skeletal mount and armour kind of destroying the fluff of the Zarusian ideal of perfection of body, etc?
Group 1
The 13th house. Long ago enough that most elves think they are a legend, there was a 13th line of gold elves among the great houses. This house did not marry among the other houses or with silver and wood elf lines, but instead married its scions to demon spawn, granting the house demonic powers over the years. When the other gold elves discovered the debauchery, they allied with wood elf, wild elf and other elven subraces to exterminate the house, slaughtering every demon blooded man, woman and child. Now, ages later, rumours exist of fey'ri, demon elves, apeearing again, not the solitary few of chance breeding, but unified family lines claiming descent from the 13th house. Alongside their tanarruk (demon orc) minions and drow mercenaries, this house plans to overthrow first the human wildlands, then the elven strongholds and finally the kingdoms of the human race.
Villains
The leader of the house, a beautiful fey'ri of high charisma, leading some dozen of her brothers, sisters and cousins.
Her champion, a long since broken and controlled former lythari (wood elf werewolf) knight, possibly drugged or controlled with long term magics.
A draegloth spellcaster who leads the drow mercenaries, orphans he's collected from the streets of underdark cities
Group 2
The Church of Zarus, a LE group that wants to elevate humanity above all other races, eventually expanding to conquer all other racial lands. Currently at work in the main city to crush resistance among the non-human racial groups.
Villains
The high priest, a trained war priest and convert from Hextor. Wears his hair in curls, keeps fit and keeps a cult of personality around him at all times to avoid the "demihuman assassins" sent to kill him
The "Herald of Zarus", the high priest's personal project who he has raised since boyhood. He plans to steep the boy in alchemical tinctures and horrid magics to make him a true paragon of humanity (epic paragon template and human paragon)
An evangelist who the church swears does not work for them who rallies the common workers to the cause of Zarus. As the church appeals to the elite normally, this evangelist helps get the lower class to hate non-humans too.
Group 3
Scarlet Brotherhood from Greyhawk's Savage Tide. Ancient Suel revivalists, want to rebuild the empire on the backs of non-Suel humans and the other races. Very stealth and assassination focused. They and the Church of Zarus sometimes work together, mainly the Brotherhood being paid to eliminate demihumans and sympathizers, so long as they're not of Suel origin.
Questions
Note: The game is gestalt, and prestige classes are allowed on both sides at once of the build.
For the 13th house: I'm wondering what the builds for everyone should be? Their leader should be highly charismatic, so should that be a sorcerer, a bard, or perhaps a build similar to the duskblade 5/cyran avenger 5/suel arcanamach 4/something else X with the fluff changed so we have a highly charismatic gish warrior. If not the leader, should the draegloth be that instead, representing his being a "drow without a country"? For controlling the lythari knight (who I'm planning to have a dire wolf form instead of normal wolf), should it be magic, drugs, vampirism? If he's a (again fluff changed) Thayan Knight, then he automatically fails enchantment saves against his masters. For that matter, should I use the Red Wizard class for the circle magic provided, and if so would it suit the leader or the draegloth more?
Zarus: For the evangelist, is the evangelist class the best way to do it? What should go on the other side of the assumed bard/evangelist? Would using Bone Knight and Ordained Champion be alright for the high priest, or is the skeletal mount and armour kind of destroying the fluff of the Zarusian ideal of perfection of body, etc?