Campaign Idea- Planar Rifts

[Osiris]

I'm DM'ing for a time in this campaign, and I thought of a story idea that will last multiple sessions. The planes are breaking up. Planar Rifts are appearing at random on the Material Plane (they're like natural gate spells) and the current rift is to Mechanus, and the horrors are pouring through the rift and enslaving humanity unless our heroes can stop them.

Can anybody help me with ECL 5 Mechanus monsters or natural planar rifts? Do planar rifts already exist?

[Brookshw]

Planar breaches most certainly exist, but can I suggest somewhere besides mechanus? Super lawful creatures aren't exactly what I'd call horrors. Unless maybe you wanted a ton of overactive inevitables to invade and start the great robot mortal war. That or maybe throw the axiomatic template on a bunch of abberations (though that image kinda hurts my head).

[Osiris]

No I mean Mechanus suddenly finds more territory through the gate and decides to expand and rule the population of the Prime Material Plane. By horrors, I mean Lawful Neutral robot things from Mechanus, like Clockwork Horrors from MM2. The heroes must close the gate or the world will be overwhelmed. I dunno, it's just an idea.

[Brookshw]

Formorians would be your best bet then I think, they're all for expanding their territory. You could easily do a rogue queen or something?

Edit: Pulled this (http://monsterfinder.dndrunde.de/results.php?id=2387668878&skip=0)from monster finder for you restricting the search to outsider with lawful subtype and mechanus as a home plane. Libertad did some work on Mechanus (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=fa5sh4rcp40n4t52ogr61adjv7&topic=5581.20) (halfway down the page), maybe it'll give you some inspiration. I'll keep thinking on it. While the clockwork horrors seem reasonable I personally doubt Primus would be too permissive of a bunch of things running around dismantling the plane, though maybe, heck, why not, he had a bunch in some sort of prison and saw a good opportunity to toss the trash to another plane?

[Osiris]

Formorians would be your best bet then I think, they're all for expanding their territory. You could easily do a rogue queen or something?

Do you mean Formians (the ant monsters) or do you mean FoMOrians?
The latter is some disfigured giant IIRC.

[Vedhin]

No I mean Mechanus suddenly finds more territory through the gate and decides to expand and rule the population of the Prime Material Plane. By horrors, I mean Lawful Neutral robot things from Mechanus, like Clockwork Horrors from MM2. The heroes must close the gate or the world will be overwhelmed. I dunno, it's just an idea.

Clockwork Horrors are NOT from Mechanus. According to their lore (mainly a Dragon Magazine article), they originated on a Prime Material world, and basically became cosmic locusts. They are also Lawful Evil, unless I'm very much mistaken.
Also, Mechanus isn't expansionist, aside from the Formians, who are ant-people, not robots of any kind. And an Outer Plane trying to directly rule a Prime world would rile up the other Outer Planes, with disastrous consequences that nobody wants.

That said, the campaign idea sounds nice, but the Horrors would be coming from an alternate Prime world, not an Outer Plane.

[Brookshw]

Do you mean Formians (the ant monsters) or do you mean FoMOrians?
The latter is some disfigured giant IIRC.

Formians, sorry. Also edited my earlier post with some resources.

[Osiris]

OK well if the Mechanus Invasion is out, what other plane should invade? I want it to be Baator or something but the party is level 5, and an unoptimized level 5 as well:smallsigh: We all have fun though, mostly. So, what other plane should be invading?

EDIT

alternate Prime world
Hmmm, sounds good, but how would it work?

[Brookshw]

OK well if the Mechanus Invasion is out, what other plane should invade? I want it to be Baator or something but the party is level 5, and an unoptimized level 5 as well:smallsigh: We all have fun though, mostly. So, what other plane should be invading?

Pick your poison
Hades - Loths and lot's of other miserable things.
Carceri - Ancient imprisoned evils, various evil prisoners rushing for freedom (and more Loths)
Gehenna - It hates you. Period. (Hey, look at that, more Loths!)
Acheron - Military domination is the way to go!
Pandemonium - Crazed madness! A gate near the madhouse or Erythnul's realm could both work.

And of course the blood war comes to the Prime! (watch the Celestial's collectively sigh)

I'd suggest Acheron but it really depends on the flavor you want. Most planes have something to work with.

[Vedhin]

Hmmm, sounds good, but how would it work?

Instead of the Clockwork Horrors' normal modus operandi, space travel, they have a new method. The last world they invaded was high-technology/had magitek/etc, and the Horrors learned how to construct physical portals to other worlds, pouring hordes of Horrors out on the unsuspecting planets. Now the PCs must somehow enter one of these portals, and deal with the problem at its source-- the Adamantine Horror. They might be able to convince what few natives remain on the strip-mined world to help them, but they will also have to face whatever monstrosities have survived the apocalypse.

Sound good?

[Osiris]

I don't know, maybe. I'd better decide soon, because game night is Friday.

[Osiris]

Oh wait, nevermind, I'm not DM'ing this Friday. I still want input though, because I'm pretty sure I'm DM'ing next Friday, the 31st.

[Brookshw]

Do you have any particular types of horrors you want to you? It's a big ol' set of planes out there.

Random pitches:
Kaorti, they come in, set up a Cyst, start converting the local population.

Tsochar, always fun, "parasites" that take over bodies and burn out the victims. Take over local churches, nobility.

Limbo - a bunch of Slaad, area around the planar breach takes on the highly morphic trait of Limbo (CR would be a bit higher than you asked for, might want to tone them down).

Cranium rat swarms!

[Tragak]

What about the Inner Planes? Any interest in Elementals?

[Osiris]

Oh, elementals might be fun! Is there any plane that has all the elements? maybe there will be rifts by each of the cardinal directions, NSEW, with elementals pouring through. The thing is, as I said, we're an unoptimized level 5. I am the only one of my friends that understands Optimization, and I can't play and DM. So, I need weak elementals. Thanks, this is perfect!

[Tragak]

Oh, elementals might be fun! Is there any plane that has all the elements? Prime Material Plane? :smalltongue:

Strictly speaking, every Plane has at least some of everything from everywhere else (Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Positive Energy, Negative Energy), however the Planes that everything comes from are:

4 Elemental Planes: Earth, Air, Fire, Water
2 Energy Planes: Positive, Negative
4 Para-Elemental Planes: 1 for each combination of "Element + non-opposing Element"
8 Quasi-Elemental Planes: 1 for each combination of "Element + Energy"
8 Quasi-Para-Elemental Planes: 1 for each combination of "Element + non-opposing Element + Energy"


The thing is, as I said, we're an unoptimized level 5. I am the only one of my friends that understands Optimization, and I can't play and DM. So, I need weak elementals. Thanks, this is perfect! The basic elementals (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) can be adapted to any party level, and with all of the homebrewers on this site, you could probably get some help coming up with something more complicated.