Hedgehog Wizard
2017-01-10, 04:52 AM
Hello folks. I'm not really sure this is the right way and place to post this, but no harm in trying, right?
I'm running a campaign for 2 of my friends, we're all pretty new to the fold, and I need to brainstorm some new ideas to flesh out the storyline and make our first experience a good one. If this was a painting, I would find respite in knowing that I could just toss it if I failed. But this is an experience shared by three newcomers, and I would really hate to spoil that by going the wrong way. We're 2 sessions deep, so the action is already underway but there's plenty of room for change.
I'm using a custom dark-fantasy themed world. The story so far goes as follows:
A council of druids, the one and only of its kind, commonly occupied with keeping balance and relative peace throughout the realm, has received news of strange happenings in the Borderland Forests. People have gone missing, animals are reported to go feral, and dark magic has been suspected by some superstitious souls. As part of the initiation rite, a young druid has been sent to investigate the area -- there we have the first player. Prior to delving into the forest, the druid arrives at a large village of the Lizardmen, a wild, fierce, but ultimately honorable folk inhabiting vast swamps near the Borderland Forests. Here, another initiation rite has been conveniently prepared - a young adventurous lizardman (actually being the character of the second player) has to fight his old master to earn the tribe's respect and win the right to see the wide world. There's a twist to the rite, however - one additional participant is allowed on each side of the fight. The druid is "coerced" to participate by a subtle whim of his mind, and a grim human wanderer, appearing from the scaly crowd, agrees to balance the odds, confident in his abilities. The fight ensues, the players win and set out to unravel the mysteries of the Borderland Forest.
On their way, they enter a second, smaller Lizardmen encampment. There they complete their first two "quests":
track down bandits who stole some of the lizardmen' food (it's late Autumn so that's pretty vital)
find the remains of a hunter group killed by those bandits
Having done that, they head into the forests and soon enough find a dungeon and enter it. The last, second session ended at this point - only a couple rooms have been explored. The dungeon itself, as I currently have it designed, holds the following truths about it:
it is of dwarven origin. This is already known to the players, but everything further below is yet undiscovered and thus subject to change
the dwarves are dead and gone from this place
kobolds from the depths of the mountains are responsible for this, having invaded the place around 40 years ago
there might be a treasure somewhere in this dungeon
there is a tomb down below all the other rooms. some hints about the history of this place can be found there
there is a library on the lower levels
there is a necromancer, actually responsible for all the discord, holed up in the library
the necromancer might be connected to a broader circle of evil-doers, that has recently become more active for some reason
Here is some additional knowledge which might prove useful for the matter:
(I find this a rather interesting thing) the human, the one who agreed to fight in the rite of the lizardmen, had a strange amulet on his neck - a round pendant with a figure of a fish. I have the idea that this human might have belonged to a circle of wandering monster fighters (think witchers, watered down a bit), who have exiled him due to some misunderstanding or moral differences. This might prove rather interesting - imagine the players stumbling upon this group, seeing their amulets and having the grim wanderer float up in their memory. Moreover, there are probably more adventures to be had alongside the fighters' circle.
there is a large area populated by humans, located on the other side of the swamp. The players have not contacted these people yet, so it's completely flexible for now
on the other side of the mountains, there might be a moderately large stronghold populated with a variety of warmongering species such as barbarians, minotaurs, harpies and maybe even dark elves and other monstrosities, bound together by common thirst for blood and united under the rule of a human warlock. Think "Dungeon" town from HoMM III
one of the dwarves has escaped from the dwarven dungeon when it was pillaged by kobolds, and can, in theory, be found by the players somewhere in the world. I expect this dwarf to be quite a strong character with a tale to tell (and quests to give, in a way).
I'm in need of ideas, so that I could chisel them out and remove everything that's not necessary. My main question is: how do I expand from here? Maybe I should bend some of the things my players don't know yet, before it is too late? What are the primary sources of fun, excitement, adventure and story that I can draw from in this kind of situation? I would be happy to receive advice and engage in discussions in order to make the game more memorable.
I'm running a campaign for 2 of my friends, we're all pretty new to the fold, and I need to brainstorm some new ideas to flesh out the storyline and make our first experience a good one. If this was a painting, I would find respite in knowing that I could just toss it if I failed. But this is an experience shared by three newcomers, and I would really hate to spoil that by going the wrong way. We're 2 sessions deep, so the action is already underway but there's plenty of room for change.
I'm using a custom dark-fantasy themed world. The story so far goes as follows:
A council of druids, the one and only of its kind, commonly occupied with keeping balance and relative peace throughout the realm, has received news of strange happenings in the Borderland Forests. People have gone missing, animals are reported to go feral, and dark magic has been suspected by some superstitious souls. As part of the initiation rite, a young druid has been sent to investigate the area -- there we have the first player. Prior to delving into the forest, the druid arrives at a large village of the Lizardmen, a wild, fierce, but ultimately honorable folk inhabiting vast swamps near the Borderland Forests. Here, another initiation rite has been conveniently prepared - a young adventurous lizardman (actually being the character of the second player) has to fight his old master to earn the tribe's respect and win the right to see the wide world. There's a twist to the rite, however - one additional participant is allowed on each side of the fight. The druid is "coerced" to participate by a subtle whim of his mind, and a grim human wanderer, appearing from the scaly crowd, agrees to balance the odds, confident in his abilities. The fight ensues, the players win and set out to unravel the mysteries of the Borderland Forest.
On their way, they enter a second, smaller Lizardmen encampment. There they complete their first two "quests":
track down bandits who stole some of the lizardmen' food (it's late Autumn so that's pretty vital)
find the remains of a hunter group killed by those bandits
Having done that, they head into the forests and soon enough find a dungeon and enter it. The last, second session ended at this point - only a couple rooms have been explored. The dungeon itself, as I currently have it designed, holds the following truths about it:
it is of dwarven origin. This is already known to the players, but everything further below is yet undiscovered and thus subject to change
the dwarves are dead and gone from this place
kobolds from the depths of the mountains are responsible for this, having invaded the place around 40 years ago
there might be a treasure somewhere in this dungeon
there is a tomb down below all the other rooms. some hints about the history of this place can be found there
there is a library on the lower levels
there is a necromancer, actually responsible for all the discord, holed up in the library
the necromancer might be connected to a broader circle of evil-doers, that has recently become more active for some reason
Here is some additional knowledge which might prove useful for the matter:
(I find this a rather interesting thing) the human, the one who agreed to fight in the rite of the lizardmen, had a strange amulet on his neck - a round pendant with a figure of a fish. I have the idea that this human might have belonged to a circle of wandering monster fighters (think witchers, watered down a bit), who have exiled him due to some misunderstanding or moral differences. This might prove rather interesting - imagine the players stumbling upon this group, seeing their amulets and having the grim wanderer float up in their memory. Moreover, there are probably more adventures to be had alongside the fighters' circle.
there is a large area populated by humans, located on the other side of the swamp. The players have not contacted these people yet, so it's completely flexible for now
on the other side of the mountains, there might be a moderately large stronghold populated with a variety of warmongering species such as barbarians, minotaurs, harpies and maybe even dark elves and other monstrosities, bound together by common thirst for blood and united under the rule of a human warlock. Think "Dungeon" town from HoMM III
one of the dwarves has escaped from the dwarven dungeon when it was pillaged by kobolds, and can, in theory, be found by the players somewhere in the world. I expect this dwarf to be quite a strong character with a tale to tell (and quests to give, in a way).
I'm in need of ideas, so that I could chisel them out and remove everything that's not necessary. My main question is: how do I expand from here? Maybe I should bend some of the things my players don't know yet, before it is too late? What are the primary sources of fun, excitement, adventure and story that I can draw from in this kind of situation? I would be happy to receive advice and engage in discussions in order to make the game more memorable.