Journeying Into Hell (Campaign Idea, lots of third party content)

[atemu1234]

I want to do a campaign with the taint and depravity systems from Heroes of Horror. My idea was this:

In this world, demons are the enemy. It's a key point, one that should exist in normal campaigns, but in this one, they are the end-all be-all bad guys. The world is divided into two factions, one who tries to bind the demons to their will magically and the other who tries to fight back the inevitable tide of demons (in this world there are no gods. Divine magic still exists, it just doesn't come from them). Note I say inevitable. This is due to the fact that almost all taint is inexorably tied to demons. Those who fight monsters quickly become them, and this time it's literal. Those fighting demons, once they die of extreme levels of taint (taint = constitution score +) become demons, usually of a CR commensurate to their character level. Now, the binders (binding, see Encyclopaedia Arcane: Demonology) have found a way to gain taint and seal it within themselves in such a way that they are no longer negatively impacted by the taint/depravity. This involves gaining the Demon Possessed template from Advanced Bestiary (minus the limits on time), and is viewed by the other faction as being amoral and leading to more corruption. This is especially driven home by the fact that while they are immune to taint, it functions similarly to lycanthropy in that under any circumstance in which they lose large amounts of hit points they stand a chance of succumbing to the demonic powers and becoming the demon, if they fail a will save when dropping into negative hit points.

The PCs are holy warriors (or paladins, if they prefer) and clerics. They have found an open gate into the Abyss. They have been sent by their order to travel into Hell and find a way to permanently sever the connection between the abyss and the material plane, preventing demons from ever entering the world again. This is closely linked to the legend of the Scythe of Agnorra, which is an artifact that can literally sever the ties between planes permanently. Unfortunately, it's somewhere in the 666 planes of the Abyss, or in one of the thousands of demiplanes cotangent to it.

The PCs are literally facing TPK most missions. The plus side is they all start at level ten and have leadership, and if they die one of their followers take their place (though they have to write up a new backstory, which may be a pain, as well as requiring them to roll up a new character).

Books used in this campaign:

Encyclopedia Arcane: Demonology
Heroes of Horror(Mostly for Taint and Depravity rules)
Player's Handbook
Dungeon Master's Guide
Advanced Bestiary
Holy Warrior's Handbook
Unholy Warrior's Handbook
Book of Fiends
Fiendish Codex I
Monster Manuals I-V, for Demons
Bestiary 1-4 + Bonus Bestiary
Tome of Horrors


I may have gotten the names of some of these books wrong, so editing will probably happen in future. I may add more books and may remove some.

This is likely the darkest campaign I'll ever have done, so any tips you guys have (adventure hooks and otherwise) will be much appreciated.

[PraxisVetli]

One, the snowflake quote in your sig, thats pretty funny.
Two, are you using DND cosmology?
Because Demons come the Abyss, not Hell. You kinda bounced between the two. Which brings a second point, are you going to be using the Demon Lords at all?

Third, my gf is soon to start a campaign that's similiar, radically different fluff, but similiar mechanic (we doing a Claymore (anime) based campaign).
Really just bringing this up because we're super stoked for it, and I hope your players are just as stoked, because you've got a pretty rockin story going here!

Fourth, and this is a problem we ran into, is that you must ensure your players know their going to die, and not get too attached.
Otherwise, it's gonna cause a lotta grief.

[Eonas]

Oh! Oooh! Neat!

How long's the campaign supposed to be? 666 infinitely-large layers of the Abyss can take a bloody long time to crawl through.

See, here's the thing. Play the whole campaign as a hardcore hacknslash, and it'll be exhausting. Probably not in a good way, either, and the more ultrahard encounters you throw at the players, the more statistical likelyhood you get of a TPK - and while the threat of a TPK is the best thing ever, actual TPKs are unpleasant and break flow. Instead, really play up the whole Hell thing: impossibly arid environments, thorns, lava. The Demons are probably perpetually fighting amongst themselves, because that's what CE characters do - some of them might even want to recruit the PCs to complete their aims. Also, remember that most denizens of Hell probably won't be demons at all, but lost souls! Really play up their torment: the rusty squeaking of their manacles, the moldy uneatable 'food' they have to eat each day, the back-breaking tasks they are required to do by their Demon masters, their inhuman screams and whimpers as they get tortured by incomprehensible devices. They should be willing to attempt impossible tasks and backstab all their friends just for a sip of pure, clean water. They are probably all backstabbers anyway - after all, the only people down in Hell are those who deserve it (or those who did something foolish like sell their soul, or had it stolen from them). Really play up the backstories of the lost souls.

Really, you should be thinking Mordor and Dante's Inferno, not Hell-themed Dungeon. Think more about atmosphere, harsh conditions, and torment than combat. Truly Dark stuff is all within the execution, not the ideas: hence why Return to Oz is far darker than, say, most Tim Burton films. EDIT: Or Sucker Punch, which is based upon almost the exact same concept as Return to Oz. It's all about the description and the atmosphere, baby.

[atemu1234]

One, the snowflake quote in your sig, thats pretty funny.
Two, are you using DND cosmology?
Because Demons come the Abyss, not Hell. You kinda bounced between the two. Which brings a second point, are you going to be using the Demon Lords at all?

Third, my gf is soon to start a campaign that's similiar, radically different fluff, but similiar mechanic (we doing a Claymore (anime) based campaign).
Really just bringing this up because we're super stoked for it, and I hope your players are just as stoked, because you've got a pretty rockin story going here!

Fourth, and this is a problem we ran into, is that you must ensure your players know their going to die, and not get too attached.
Otherwise, it's gonna cause a lotta grief.

1. Thanks! I came up with it myself.
2. Not really. No gods, probably no celestials either. So far just the abyss and the prime material.

Also, I tend to mix up hell and the abyss, but in this campaign both terms refer to it's version of the abyss.

[PraxisVetli]

Then what will you use as high level opponents?
Balors?
(Nothing wrong with that, balors rock, you're just limited to few species)

Just remembered. If you don't mind using devils as demons, I think it's Fiend Folio that has Hellfire Wyrm. CR 19-24. I'm not sure.

Also. Fiend Folio has the Alkalith. Its awesome. Its an ooze like demon, 'cept fast and 4 slams. Good with Shadow Template.

Through in Half Fiend Gibbering Mouther mooks.

Also, if you don't know it, the hell Fiendish Codex (II?) has Hellreaver, a fantastic class your players may enjoy.

[atemu1234]

Then what will you use as high level opponents?
Balors?
(Nothing wrong with that, balors rock, you're just limited to few species)

Just remembered. If you don't mind using devils as demons, I think it's Fiend Folio that has Hellfire Wyrm. CR 19-24. I'm not sure.

Also. Fiend Folio has the Alkalith. Its awesome. Its an ooze like demon, 'cept fast and 4 slams. Good with Shadow Template.

Through in Half Fiend Gibbering Mouther mooks.

Also, if you don't know it, the hell Fiendish Codex (II?) has Hellreaver, a fantastic class your players may enjoy.

I used Book of Fiends from Green Ronin to supply a good number of higher-level opponents. I'm also debating using invocations from Unearthed Arcana and consolidating demon secret naming with Truenaming from Tome of Magic, I think it was. Also debating refluffing some daemons and Devils, but not too many. I like the unique identity.

[Eonas]

What ECL do you intend the campaign to begin from and end at?

[atemu1234]

What ECL do you intend the campaign to begin from and end at?

I'd say start at ten work from there. They're basically leading an army, so however long it takes for the army to be slaughtered will probably be the length of the mission. It's supposed to have a crusade-like feel.