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View Full Version : Beginning of Ghouls (so much plot *twitch* grin)



Belteshazzar
2007-06-03, 10:44 PM
I am running a campaign (currently on hiatus) in which the actions leading to the creation of the first ghoul in this world have been set in motion. With the recent hiatus on my campaign I would like to refine some of the plot of my campaign (I thought it all up on the fly to fit into a custom world I enjoy running.) Anyhow I decided to ask for some evaluation and suggestions for my future storyweaving pleasure.

The BBEG has an expatriate vampire serving as one of the founding leaders of his cult. This BBEG likes to experement with the forces of life and dead and loves to display his mastery over both elements. Zombies, mummies, litches, skeletons and wrights along with most of the incorperial undead are documented in this world but I would like to run plague ridden ghouls and ghasts as an experimental derivative from the original vampire stock.

The BBEG is a powerful extraplaner being whose recent summoning into the catacombs of a large trade city (and subsequent ruination of the surrounding countryside as various tribal minions, experimental rejects and basically the entire contents of a swamp demi-plane collapsed and leaked through the holes in reality). The catacombs and sewers are relatively underutilized as far as the cult's defenses go because of limited manpower and an attempt to avoid detection. However, with the recent addition of the BBEG's homegrown minions (I used the stats for Redcaps with minor additions) They have enough manpower to prepare a significant military defense. This is not even counting of course the BBEG's significant divine powers (he is a demigod of life and death)

The city of Veschelli was overwhelmed at first but it was able to call on their protection from the Dominion because they serve as a vital trade node similar to Byzantine or Jerusalem of the old world. The Dominion has a very expansionist human-centric with the magic and scavenged technology (from old elvish cites before the fey apocalypse and their subsequent reduction to living in magical woods a la Earthdawn) to build airships, warforged(in small numbers)and a number of useful weapons such as the spike slinger (like a large metal crossbow with a powerful spring instead of a bow, it throws solid metal bolts dead accurate to 100ft), spell grenades (really expensive but nothing wipes the smile off your enemy's face like when they see you holding a ticking, rune-covered bomb the size of a thermos) and the steady supply of fine steel weapons (+1) from the dwarvish (and gnomish) underempire.

I can think of a few other minor players in this soon to be dramatic scene such as the gnollish god Anubis (whose worshipers were warned to flee the city while they still could, and whose domain over death in this area could be threatened.)The rest of the Pharionic pantheon would see fit to involve themselves in this struggle but they dislike Anubis for foretelling and bringing about the fall of the old Gnollish-Human Kingdom and nearly bringing about their own complete destruction. The Dominion apparently has its own Men in Black working in the background to take control of the area and subdue the cult before the military is forced to simply napalm it all with alchemist fire and declair the area a no-go zone. The Naga Kingdoms whose appraisal of this situation and a well timed reaction may provide a chance to deter further Dominion intrusion into their lands(this is where most of the spices come from) while gaining further control over the trade of their valuable exports. There are even Architectural Scions of Omni (a mysterious organization who claims to worship the Master Creator, you know, the guy who is really in charge) whose holy protective seal was recently uncovered near town by a gnollish ritual and was subsequently activated by a group of foolish adventurers. Heck even a Huge Deamon got summoned into the tower of local wizard by his traitorous apprentice and it was only the automatic lockdown of the entire tower(it sank into the ground) that prevented something really bad.

I say this all to say I have really enjoyed DMing my first campaign segment and have managed tenten-kill one ninja (surprise rounds suck when the enemy has 12 1d4 attack and still wins initiative) pull an electric bug zapper on the same player paying a Thri-Keen (he got pushed into a pool of mercury by aforementioned traitorous apprentice while off-balance from a fumble) The apprentice simply drew his wand of lightning and the poor guy got no save. I also made a Shaman loose both legs below the knee from an elevator and the rogue lost a foot trying to help him. Even some of the other characters managed to get a taint score from a demonic poison. All in all I have had a good start and now I simply need to weave the threads of my first story arc together.

Matthew
2007-06-08, 04:30 PM
Hmmn. Looks okay to me. Anything you specifically want to address?

huyneo
2007-06-09, 12:12 AM
i really don't know what your asking us

Call Me Siggy
2007-06-09, 12:43 AM
i really don't know what your asking us

Maybe he isn't asking anything. Maybe he's just proud of the amazing, inspired ideas that he implemented successfully. It's a rare thing for a DM to have one's ideas fully realized in the exact way you imagined it, and he felt like posting and saying that this had happened to him.

Yeah, it's probably that.

Ashes
2007-06-09, 11:28 AM
I understood his post as an invitation to read through the plot, find inconsistencies, minor flaws, things you just don't like, whatever, to help him make it better.