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shadow_archmagi
2008-01-27, 06:51 PM
Setting: Nounia, the world where everything is named after what it is whenever possible. In most other ways, generic fantasy. It also defies physics in some places because I'm lazy about geography. This produces an effect of comedy rather than incompetence.

System: 3.5e.

Campiagn: An aspiring noble thinks he ought to be king, because he can do it better than the current one. In this, he is correct. Current ruler is somewhat competant, but numerous failings still exist. As yet nameless noble has gathered a small group of followers who agree the competant rather than the predestined should rule.

They act as a secret society, using assassinations and forgery to tip things in their favor. They've also been accumulating very specific magical items, for reasons I havn't decided yet. I assume the set as a whole does something, although I don't think it was ever intended to be a set by the creators.

...

Thoughts? Suggestions? Usual banter of GiTP?

Prometheus
2008-01-27, 08:53 PM
My do's an don't suggestions
Do: Make a clear distinction between the character of the noble and that of the king. In addition to the clear alignment schism, have them differ on policy, background, class archetype etc.
Do: Have at least a minority of the population definitely helped by the noble.
Do: Have a some sort of connection between the noble and the king, that predates their current situation
Do: Consider having both factions offers the PCs quests.
Do: Have the noble offer alternative solutions to problems that the king is dealing with. Especially ones that include the PCs as part of either solution. (IE you could go with the X's plan of taking on the kobold kingdom, or you could buy their peace with a magic items rumored to be in those old temple ruins...)
Do: Have an agent who either betrays the PCs, is crucial to infiltrrating the secret society, or both.
Don't: Have the noble concerned much more with than power and what he intends on doing with the a power. A doomsday device, genocide, bitter jealousy, or special kind of greed seem to take away from the character sketch.
Don't: Have the PCs discover all the details of the secret society at once (They are after all secret).
Don't: Have the secret society manipulate the PCs in to doing all their bidding

Vexxation
2008-01-27, 09:27 PM
So, is Mr. King (or whatever type of monarch you want) genuinely evil, uncaring, or just less competent?

Because if any of your PCs is a Paladin, you'd better decide to make the King, like, kill off a village or something.

Anyway, be sure that you come up with ways for the noble to demand too much of the party, or for them to decide that he's in the wrong, leading them to joining the King's side. That sort of turmoil is a neat little twist, even if it is obvious.

If you wind up sending them to complete the magic set and succeeding, consider giving it some massively underwhelming primary use with an unknown secondary effect. Like, say, wearing the whole set slowly changes your personality permanently, and not necessarily toward good or chaos. Perhaps it would take the wise-but-softspoken and make him brutish and loud. Make the complete-sentence-not-forming barbarian speak eloquently.

And for the underwhelming primary use, doing something sort of convenient but that we already have things to do would be funny. Maybe make it blink out all nonmagical light, or discern truth from lies.

Then again, it could be part of a massive doomsday device that causes Mr. Noble to lose his mind and threaten to set it off if he isn't crowned king.

Lost of possibilities.

shadow_archmagi
2008-01-28, 06:18 AM
The king is simply less competant. I'm giving the players every opportunity to go onto either side. The conflict here is Law vs Chaos. The noble has a better way of doing things, but it isn't exactly normal or traditional.

I should also mention that the noble seems to have mostly magical allies. He relies heavily on teleport to get his covert work done.

I will make sure to show both sides have their advantages and drawbacks.

random11
2008-01-28, 06:35 AM
What levels are we talking about?

Also, what levels are the strongest people in the setting, and how many (more or less) are there?

shadow_archmagi
2008-01-28, 06:50 AM
Currently my party is level 5 all around. A human cleric, a something-paladin (I forget what he was) an elf rogue and a dwarf battlesorc.

I intend to make the final battle (either vs the king's gaurd or the noble's cult, depending on which way they go) once they hit around tenth level, so they'll be running errands for quite some time with slow plot development.

They initially spawned in right near a kobold base, raided it, and took the leader's crown. The remainder of the kobold army (a large remainder indeed) greeted them as they were leaving his room through the only door out.

They demanded to know who killed the king. The party, thinking they'd be mad, hurled their utility corpse (a kobold they kept using to test the way in front of them for traps. They only one it found they walked right into anyway. Silly nubs.) into the room behind them and yelled "HESGOTIT" and then fled for their lives. Now the kobolds are ruled by a corpse.

The party returned and recieved their payment from their mysterious cloaked and hooded benefactor. Then they decided to go shopping, met a crying shopkeeper who'd been robbed, and decided to track down the robbers. (a group of orcs for hire the noble'd been using to steal the Keg of Infinite Beer from a particularly lucky Inn. They actually have a Rod of Create Keg of Infinite Beer, which is why the keg keeps getting stolen. Naturally, they pack it full of explosives and protective charms, which is why it the noble has to keep trying to get it back intact.)