New Campaign - Looking for Feedback

[ScottyDoo42]

Hello everyone, I am a new member, but long time stalker, of the forums here. Recently finding myself in need of feedback, as all my friends are in the Campaign, I decided to come here.

My old Campaign, fully fleshed out, mapped, and ready to go, had to be tanked do to a recent change in our group. I now find myself struggling to re-create a campaign that is fresh, and enjoyable. So here is where i am on the Story Arc.

INFO: This is a 3.5e D&D campaign, set loosely in Forgotten Realms : Faerun

Main Arc


Start in Coralak (Made up town between Neverwinter and Waterdeep)
Find Hint of a rift in the Plane of Chaos (Or w.e. plane i can find that matches what i have in mind)
Earn Hide-Out for Reputation based stuff.
Find a book about a Ancient God who is prisoner inside a long forgotten temple atop Mnt. Waterdeep
Journey to Rescue / Kill God
Learn that the Rift is real, and poses a danger
Must find the "Master item" to help stop the rift from spreading.
Journey to find Item, find out its only one shard of it
It vibrates softly when facing East, not specific.
Journey to each item
Forge the item
Seal the Chaos Rift



This is a rough plot of the main arc. I have details on all points, ask questions if needed. Basically I want to emphasize with them, that this is not necessarily a "Must Save the World" thing, and more of a, "hmmm maybe we should look into this at our leisure." Again ANY feedback is appreciated. My old campaign was impeccable, but this one is a struggle so far for me.

[Demidos]

Sounds sorta cliche -- "its only one of the ___ pieces of the mcguffin!"

If you have creative players, perhaps have the item fail to close the rift and just allow the best idea they come up with for closing it instead. It might be more fulfilling, and unexpected to boot.

I would also suggest that they merely kill a minor fraction of the old god, else it feels contrived ("seriously, we're killing gods halfway through the campaign? These guys are weak") and else the god could simply gather the rest of the artifact for them.


Hope that didnt come off as insulting, hope it helps!

[ScottyDoo42]

No, it helps. Thank you.
It feels cliche. Trying to avoid that.

The old god is pretty much dead anyway, he is more there for an information source then an actual threat to the group. I really don't know if they will be creative enough to come up with an idea on their own.
I would love to just let them run rampant and explore w.e., but eventually they need a motive. I figured Chaos is good, have it start corrupting the world, like a great paladin goes on a rampage thinking he is doing good, or for no reason at all holy water turns people into zombies, while in yet other areas more and more chaotic "happenings" occur.

Have them truly start wondering if it is chaos or just evil messing up the world. I just don't know if a rift is where i need to go with this. Maybe something more tangible to them?