sithlordnergal
2018-07-27, 09:23 PM
So I'm going to be doing a home game, and the first session, after Session 0 of course, is gonna be a bit different. Instead of starting with a group of low level characters meeting in place to start the adventure, I'm going to start things off with the players using a team of level 20's trying to stop the end of the world...and failing. Now, I've already talked a bit to my players, and they're ok with getting a TPK in the first session. That said, I need some help setting up the encounter, and Session 0. Here's the info you might need to know:
- The players will be making two characters, a level 20 and a level 3. They may use any published source for their characters, as well as the Revised Ranger
- The level 20 characters may start with 1 Legendary magic item, 2 Very Rare magic items, 2 Rare magic items, and 2 Uncommon magic items.
- The level 3 characters may have one common magic item from Xanathar's Guide as a sort of special item of their own. It could have been handed down to them, they could have made it, whatever they want. It's mostly a fluff item for RP purposes, and if the item has a chance of being destroyed through use, the item loses that chance.
- The level 3 characters will eventually find the gear their level 20's owned, and pieces of that gear will be sentient. The players will need to choose one of the magic items their level 20's are using to become sentient. That sentient item will have the personality of their level 20.
The main adventure is going to take place in an apocalyptic world where the events of Out of the Abyss, Rise of Tiamat, and Tomb of Annihilation happened at the same time, and the heroes lost. Long story short, the Demon Lords from Out of the Abyss have managed to make it to the surface of the Material Plane and rule sections of the world, Tiamat was successfully summoned and created herself a Dragon Empire where she reigns eternally, and there is a brand new, full power, Chaotic Evil Death God wandering around the Material Plane, bringing an everlasting death where ever it goes.
However, for the purpose of the first encounter, all of that is in the distant future. The party of level 20's will be trying to make a last stand with the Giants and humanoid races against Tiamat and her army of dragons and worshipers. Their goal will be to defeat Tiamat in some way, but during the battle two things will happen:
1) The demons will break through the ground in the middle of the fight, including the Demon Lords themselves, to throw the battle into absolute chaos
2) If the party survives long enough, Acereak's Death God will appear, fully formed and fully powered, drawn in by the deaths happening in the battle
Here's the biggest part I need help with. I already know that the level 20 party will start with a magic item that they have obtained that allows them to treat deities as mortals. Meaning Tiamat will be able to be killed, or banished at the end of a ceremony.It also has the secondary effect of allowing Demon Lords to be permanently killed on the Material Plane while they are within a certain radius of it. Though no-one will know that until a Demon Lord gets killed.
I also know what the party will be fighting. It'll start out with the party facing Tiamat and two Adult Red Dragon guards. At some point the Demons and Demon Lords will join the fight, attacking both the party and the dragons. Though focusing a bit more on the dragons since, you know, dragons. Finally, the Death God will arrive, and start killing anything near it with just it's presence.
What I don't know is how to make it so the party can effect the future. While I want the fight to be impossible to survive, I do want to give the players a chance to change the future world. I want them to be able to either help kill Demon Lords, banish Tiamat, or kill the Death God. Because if they do manage to succeed one of those impossible tasks, it will change the future world they play in. For example, if they banish Tiamat then the Dragon Empire of her's will not exist. Instead the overland will be over-run with demons and undead. But if they kill a Demon Lord, then that Lord and the effects that Demon Lord can cause are gone for good.
I'm thinking they should have to survive a certain number or rounds while defending an NPC Cleric. As long as they're still within a certain distance, the Cleric cannot be killed until the party falls. If they leave then the cleric will be ripped apart by Tiamat and her dragons. I just don't know how many rounds the party needs to protect said cleric. I need it long enough that a group of level 20's would have a hard time defending the cleric against a CR 30 and two CR 17's,but short enough that it isn't impossible
- The players will be making two characters, a level 20 and a level 3. They may use any published source for their characters, as well as the Revised Ranger
- The level 20 characters may start with 1 Legendary magic item, 2 Very Rare magic items, 2 Rare magic items, and 2 Uncommon magic items.
- The level 3 characters may have one common magic item from Xanathar's Guide as a sort of special item of their own. It could have been handed down to them, they could have made it, whatever they want. It's mostly a fluff item for RP purposes, and if the item has a chance of being destroyed through use, the item loses that chance.
- The level 3 characters will eventually find the gear their level 20's owned, and pieces of that gear will be sentient. The players will need to choose one of the magic items their level 20's are using to become sentient. That sentient item will have the personality of their level 20.
The main adventure is going to take place in an apocalyptic world where the events of Out of the Abyss, Rise of Tiamat, and Tomb of Annihilation happened at the same time, and the heroes lost. Long story short, the Demon Lords from Out of the Abyss have managed to make it to the surface of the Material Plane and rule sections of the world, Tiamat was successfully summoned and created herself a Dragon Empire where she reigns eternally, and there is a brand new, full power, Chaotic Evil Death God wandering around the Material Plane, bringing an everlasting death where ever it goes.
However, for the purpose of the first encounter, all of that is in the distant future. The party of level 20's will be trying to make a last stand with the Giants and humanoid races against Tiamat and her army of dragons and worshipers. Their goal will be to defeat Tiamat in some way, but during the battle two things will happen:
1) The demons will break through the ground in the middle of the fight, including the Demon Lords themselves, to throw the battle into absolute chaos
2) If the party survives long enough, Acereak's Death God will appear, fully formed and fully powered, drawn in by the deaths happening in the battle
Here's the biggest part I need help with. I already know that the level 20 party will start with a magic item that they have obtained that allows them to treat deities as mortals. Meaning Tiamat will be able to be killed, or banished at the end of a ceremony.It also has the secondary effect of allowing Demon Lords to be permanently killed on the Material Plane while they are within a certain radius of it. Though no-one will know that until a Demon Lord gets killed.
I also know what the party will be fighting. It'll start out with the party facing Tiamat and two Adult Red Dragon guards. At some point the Demons and Demon Lords will join the fight, attacking both the party and the dragons. Though focusing a bit more on the dragons since, you know, dragons. Finally, the Death God will arrive, and start killing anything near it with just it's presence.
What I don't know is how to make it so the party can effect the future. While I want the fight to be impossible to survive, I do want to give the players a chance to change the future world. I want them to be able to either help kill Demon Lords, banish Tiamat, or kill the Death God. Because if they do manage to succeed one of those impossible tasks, it will change the future world they play in. For example, if they banish Tiamat then the Dragon Empire of her's will not exist. Instead the overland will be over-run with demons and undead. But if they kill a Demon Lord, then that Lord and the effects that Demon Lord can cause are gone for good.
I'm thinking they should have to survive a certain number or rounds while defending an NPC Cleric. As long as they're still within a certain distance, the Cleric cannot be killed until the party falls. If they leave then the cleric will be ripped apart by Tiamat and her dragons. I just don't know how many rounds the party needs to protect said cleric. I need it long enough that a group of level 20's would have a hard time defending the cleric against a CR 30 and two CR 17's,but short enough that it isn't impossible