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View Full Version : DM Help Help me brainstorm the ideas for new campaing



Man on Fire
2014-10-18, 06:38 AM
I'm currently working in different country and before moving from my own, I've bid my players farewell in finishing our ongoing campaing.

If you're interested, in the finale Paladin died like a hero, supposedly-good natured Wizard joined Big Bad, supposedly psychopathic Alchemist murdered him for it in foght one on one and Druind single-hanedly beat the Big Bad so easily even most broken DM hax I could pull off didn't save it from being complete curbstomp. Beause this is what happens when you piss off Tier 1

Anyway, when I come back I plan starting new game, completely fresh start, probably different system (maybe Savage Worlds).
For now I only have the general idea, strongly inspired by one comics I've read. It's simple thing - main characters are summoned to fantasy-type world by a court wizard of the young king of small kingdom. They were choosen among many in the multiverse because of their skills as warriors, to lead kings army against powerful rulers of this realm.
The twist here is that court wizard is obviously manipulating young king into removing the only guys who, while not saints themselves, are the only thing stopping dark forces he serves from taking over the land.
I thought that maybe you might have some suggestions how to make this conflict less than a clean cut black and white, while also not making wizard obviously evil. And some good ways to motivate the characters to join the king if thy won't like to play along, without railroading.

Madfellow
2014-10-18, 09:15 AM
Sounds like what you need to do is spend a lot of quality time thinking about your characters and what they want, as well as WHY they want the things that they want. Think of them as normal, rational, balanced human beings with hopes, fears, and worries driving them. That's the best way I can think of to start. The rest will come with time and effort. Here are some resources that might help:

http://www.giantitp.com/articles/rTKEivnsYuZrh94H1Sn.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyDx5nG7koA

Good luck! :smallsmile:

Vitruviansquid
2014-10-18, 10:24 AM
Watch "King Arthur and the Knights of Justice"

Bulhakov
2014-10-20, 04:40 PM
Try to mix and match positive and negative motivations/aspects of character in all your NPCs (especially the villains).

Some examples:

- the evil wizard might be extremely competent and can actually run the kingdom very well (the "make trains run on time" trope), and can often hold in check the temper and/or stupid ideas of the king

- the good knight/paladin in shining armor may also be a racist(speciecist) and/or a misogynist

- the orc horde is led by a noble savage just trying to get their homeland back after the tribes were nearly wiped out in a systematic genocide by the elves

- the dwarven lord that was so helpful to the players might sell them out because "the money was just too good"

I also recommend browsing the "well-intentioned extremist" examples in tvtropes

Haldir
2014-10-20, 06:47 PM
The "Evil" forces are currently losing the conflict. The "current leaders" that the Young King and his Court Wizard intend to fight are very close to complete victory. The Court Wizard knows that the Evil Forces are currently keeping the Current Leaders from enacting a ritual to re-write the multiverse on their own terms, destroying the current multiverse.

Even though Evil Forces are evil, for the time being they need to be given a slight edge so that Young King and the Court Wizard can work out a way to stop Evil AND the Current Leaders for good.