Servants of a Sapphire Hierarch

[Particle_Man]

Sapphire Hierarchs are listed in Magic of Incarnum. Among the fluff is the idea that they have some servants attached to them via the cult (these are lawful characters - fighters, monks, wizards, soulborn, clerics, incarnates, etc.).

So I was wondering what sort of adventures would be suitable for a party of these lawful (really, really Lawful) followers. On the one hand, there needs to be a reason why their boss doesn't just step in and solve their problem. On the other, he could be a source of magic items for them (if a crafter - I might let the party have cheap/free axiomatic weapons at a certain level).

One idea is that the party might be assigned to keep the peace in a town (so non-lethal damage, intimidation, non-lethal spells, etc.) while the boss crafts a magic weapon for the sheriff (so is too busy to keep the peace).

Eventually the party might be tough enough to accompany their boss to fight slaadi and the like.

Anyhow, I was just wondering what people's thoughts would be on how to run a themed campaign like this. Assuming I can get player buy-in, of course.

[Venger]

Sapphire Hierarchs are listed in Magic of Incarnum. Among the fluff is the idea that they have some servants attached to them via the cult (these are lawful characters - fighters, monks, wizards, soulborn, clerics, incarnates, etc.).

So I was wondering what sort of adventures would be suitable for a party of these lawful (really, really Lawful) followers. On the one hand, there needs to be a reason why their boss doesn't just step in and solve their problem. On the other, he could be a source of magic items for them (if a crafter - I might let the party have cheap/free axiomatic weapons at a certain level).

One idea is that the party might be assigned to keep the peace in a town (so non-lethal damage, intimidation, non-lethal spells, etc.) while the boss crafts a magic weapon for the sheriff (so is too busy to keep the peace).

Eventually the party might be tough enough to accompany their boss to fight slaadi and the like.

Anyhow, I was just wondering what people's thoughts would be on how to run a themed campaign like this. Assuming I can get player buy-in, of course.

I don't see any reason it'd be that much different from a normal campaign, tbh.

If you want to push the hate for chaotic creatures, you could have them fight demons while they ground their way up for slaadi to be appropriate encounters.

a metatextual answer to "why doesn't our stupid npc questgiver go and genocide those goblins himself" is that they are too low a level for him to reap experience from, so he has no reason to do it himself.

an in-universe answer is that the opportunity cost doesn't make sense. if he has powerful magic, then while he could do low-level stuff, it would prevent him from doing high level stuff. the party can do low-level encounters, but not high ones, so it makes sense to delegate in this fashion. the mayor of a town isn't the one issuing every parking ticket or what have you, for example.

[Sian]

have a focus on exploring the Law vs Chaos conflict, instead of the usual focus on Good vs Evil

While it might take some extraordinary Elder 'Evil' (more Chaos-inclined than outright evil), its certainly possible to get to a point where LE and LG are just as inclined to work together as LG and CG usually is ... Maybe starting with Ragnorra from Elder Evils, deempathising the overtly terrible diseases and leaning on the chaotic creation of life.