Collection of Starting Zones

[Pinkcrusade]

Greetings, Playground.

So, I am starting up a campaign very soon, and I -really- don't want everybody to just wander up to an inn, but I also can't have them dispersed throughout the world and then have a reason to go to a certain place (as two of them aren't making their characters until we start). So: my goal is to create a thread with a compilation of different starting zones for PCs that are not so generic you want to cry. Any suggestions / input / anything is greatly appreciated.

[Grinner]

An empty cathedral
Next to an angry ogre
Rappelling down a cliff, beside a waterfall
A ship's hold, as stowaways
A prison break
Astride a giant eagle
The rim of an active volcano
Facing down a goblin chief


More to come

[Vedhin]

So, you want something like this?

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s231/sithlord7/1317608211410.jpg


I tend to get my inspiration from awesome landscape pictures like this one. If you want, I can search up more.

[Thaxton 76]

They are answering to a call put out by the king or fill in the blank ruler title here.

They all get conscripted into the army. They get ambushed and are the only survivors. Multiple story hooks here. They can go after whatever or whoever ambushed them. Raise up against the oppressors who conscripted them. Rejoin the army and warn them about the ambush.

They are visited by a god, angel, voice..... whatever in a dream and told to meet wherever you want them to in your campaign.

They all wake up one morning in a different place than they went to sleep and now are all together.

Point is there are a ton of ways to do this. By all means take one of these or change it up and make it your own. Hope I helped.

[Faily]

The PCs are invited to a joust (either as competitors, or merely spectators).
A crippled wizard summons them to his home to give them a task he wishes to see completed before he dies.
The PCs have had one of their belongings stolen (some item of sentimental value, might be turned into plot items for the campaign), and meet eachother just as they have tracked down the thief's hideout.
The PCs are captured and start with no gear. Eventually they will work together to escape!

[Tim Proctor]

Members of an elite military special operations unit (level depending).

They are all members of a jury (what I am currently using).

They are the only survivors of a town that had a horrific event happen.

They are some of the few survivors that were under control of a mindflayer, and a group just left after murder hoboing all but them and a few others.

[cakellene]

Thread title made me think on newbie yard in North Qeynos.

[Coidzor]

An empty cathedral
Facing down a goblin chief


1. Bonus points if they're statues in the cathedral that come to life/de-petrify at the same time/in short succession.

2. Why not facing down a goblin chef? :smallamused:

[Grinner]

1. Bonus points if they're statues in the cathedral that come to life/de-petrify at the same time/in short succession.

Bonus bonus points if their physiology is quantum locked.


2. Why not facing down a goblin chef? :smallamused:

*mind blown*

[Flickerdart]

In bed with the same succubus.
On a runaway vehicle of your choice, about to collide with something very precious and/or explosive
In a kangaroo court, independently convicted of treason by a corrupt state
Trying to collect a bounty on each other's heads, as part of an elaborate trick by mutual enemies to eliminate them
In the middle of a burning city (the circumstances of the fire are up to you, but it should be heavily implied one or more of the PCs is responsible)
On a spiritual journey of self-discovery - it turns out they all share a spirit animal, who's been part-timing them all the while
Washed ashore on a deserted island in the middle of typhoon season
Victims of an epidemic suitable for your game's mood - from the bubonic plague to food poisoning - who ended up in the same hospital
The world's most weaponized amateur bowling league team

[Agent 451]

2. Why not facing down a goblin chef? :smallamused:

Swedish Chef already did that...

http://9buz.com/upload/gordon_ramsay_vs_the_swedish_chef_2013-12-10.jpg

[ben-zayb]

Each of them reflexively gasps for air as they successfully break out of thei respective melting ice tombs.

They are all invited on a royal ball.

[OldTrees1]

Slaves working to dig a prison for a planar keystone.

[Maginomicon]

1. Bonus points if they're statues in the cathedral that come to life/de-petrify at the same time/in short succession.
Or come out of Cryostasis from Curse of Spilt Water (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=305032).

[WbtE]

Victims of a shipwreck is pretty good. You can have almost any starting type character aboard and there's a strong incentive to co-operate. For extra credit, the ship went through a magical/technological portal to a far-flung place.

[Coidzor]

Bonus bonus points if their physiology is quantum locked.

*mind blown*

Quantum Locked?

I was thinking something like the Wildcat Restaurant from Breath of Fire II (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu6pj3V5qgQ), but, really, any kind of messy fight in a kitchen that's half brawl, half food fight because they're really just not supposed to be there would also work. XD

[Maginomicon]

Quantum Locked?It's a Doctor Who reference.

[Thiyr]

"The building is on fire, and it isn't your fault."

Because if those are your first words of your campaign, things can only get better from there.

[cakellene]

"The building is on fire, and it isn't your fault."

Because if those are your first words of your campaign, things can only get better from there.

It's even better if it is your fault.

[Der_DWSage]

Face up in a field, wondering how they got there, while a man to the right of them says "Thank goodness you're all alright! Come quickly we've got t-" before he's ripped asunder by the waves of time.

(A Psionic who has used Reality Revision and/or Save Point to push everyone far back in time, but has had the side effect of wiping their minds and erasing himself from the timespace continuum. Of course, there's still a big-bad to destroy...)

[Sith_Happens]

In a cave, with a box of scraps.

[Coidzor]

In a cave, with a box of scraps.

Poor Scraps. :smallfrown: