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expirement10K14
2008-04-21, 02:55 PM
So I am starting a new group with people who have minimal experience. We tried to run the Slaughtergarde, but that didn't work so well, as one of the players owns it.

I am trying to create a good level 1 campaign, but keep running into the cliches, as there are few low-powered creatures to throw at them. Does anyone have ideas to make the game less generic.

Vortling
2008-04-21, 02:57 PM
I've found that humanoids with class levels can give you a very different feel and if you're starting at level 1 you won't run into the "I have to choose how many spells for this NPC?" problem.

SilverClawShift
2008-04-21, 03:14 PM
Player race villains rock the house for low level campaigns. Actually, they rock the house at any level, but they're almost a necessity for lower levels.

It seems that a lot of people forget that you can make a halfling, or human, or whatever into a common combat encounter. If I had to take a guess, I'd say it's because when designing the 'villains', the natural incliniation is to make anyone who would try to kill the PCs into a BBEG.
PCs might get mugged in a alley, or run into a criminal who's trying to lay low, or step on the toes of a budding sorceress/witch and her meat shield companion.

That said, another good low level encounter is small (or tiny) animated objects. Our most recent campaign actually started (and is still in) a haunted mansion. The 'poltergeist' style haunting where small things are moving and occasionally coming to life and attacking.
We've gotten attacked by animated porcelein dolls, stray articles of clothing, a painters Easle, ect, ect. Among other things (including burglars, no less, who broke into the haunted mansion looking for valuables while the owners are elsewhere).

expirement10K14
2008-04-21, 03:41 PM
The most basic idea, and I failed to think of it. Thank you all very much, I had visions of Goblinoids dancing in my head.

kamikasei
2008-04-21, 03:57 PM
Goblinoids can work too. Instead of random orc bandits, put the players in the middle of a dreamleaf extract deal gone bad between goblin alchemists and the hobgoblin Mafiya. Any sort of messing about with 1HD humanoids and class levels can produce highly entertaining stereotype subversion.

Moff Chumley
2008-04-21, 04:08 PM
There is nothing better for PC interest (at least, in my experience) then having something stolen, be it an NPC wizard's spellbook, a fighter's weapon, or some other item of import.

FlyMolo
2008-04-21, 11:30 PM
So I am starting a new group with people who have minimal experience. We tried to run the Slaughtergarde, but that didn't work so well, as one of the players owns it.

I am trying to create a good level 1 campaign, but keep running into the cliches, as there are few low-powered creatures to throw at them. Does anyone have ideas to make the game less generic.

HOMEBREW! Seriously, there's just fun stuff out there. Some of it just confuses your players, but others will be tickled pink.

Flaming hoboes? fun!

AslanCross
2008-04-21, 11:38 PM
The most basic idea, and I failed to think of it. Thank you all very much, I had visions of Goblinoids dancing in my head.

Goblins themselves may be overdone, but I find that Hobgoblins and Bugbears make for better mooks than Orcs. They're more organized and aren't stupid. I also find they tend to have a more civilized society and wouldn't be living in swamps like the often barbaric orcs. They could be a rival kingdom preparing to invade.

Hal
2008-04-21, 11:42 PM
That said, another good low level encounter is small (or tiny) animated objects. Our most recent campaign actually started (and is still in) a haunted mansion. The 'poltergeist' style haunting where small things are moving and occasionally coming to life and attacking.
We've gotten attacked by animated porcelein dolls, stray articles of clothing, a painters Easle, ect, ect. Among other things (including burglars, no less, who broke into the haunted mansion looking for valuables while the owners are elsewhere).

Ha! I hate to threadjack, but that reminded me of something.

In my current campaign, we just fought an animated table and candelabra. The table we took out, but the candelabra was way too tricky. It had too much hardness for us to kill it, and its AC was insane just to hit it. We ended up letting the halfling in our party wrestle it to the ground and then we shoved it in a box. We now own a box with a severely pissed off animated candelabra in it. We're thinking of handing it off to someone we don't like without telling them of the contents.

FlyMolo
2008-04-21, 11:45 PM
Ha! I hate to threadjack, but that reminded me of something.

In my current campaign, we just fought an animated table and candelabra. The table we took out, but the candelabra was way too tricky. It had too much hardness for us to kill it, and its AC was insane just to hit it. We ended up letting the halfling in our party wrestle it to the ground and then we shoved it in a box. We now own a box with a severely pissed off animated candelabra in it. We're thinking of handing it off to someone we don't like without telling them of the contents.

Doesn't it rattle/make noise/ light stuff on fire?

Hal
2008-04-21, 11:55 PM
Doesn't it rattle/make noise/ light stuff on fire?

Our DM decided that it calmed down once the box closed, but it's going to go berserk the moment that box opens. As for the fire lighting . . . is an animated candelabra always lit? I don't think it actually has any candles on it. Our DM didn't mention a burning box, so I think we're okay.

FlyMolo
2008-04-21, 11:58 PM
Our DM decided that it calmed down once the box closed, but it's going to go berserk the moment that box opens. As for the fire lighting . . . is an animated candelabra always lit? I don't think it actually has any candles on it. Our DM didn't mention a burning box, so I think we're okay.

It might have tried, but run out of oxygen.

Yeah, REALLY don't open the box.

Charity
2008-04-22, 04:58 AM
I started our campaign with Orcfest (http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=19621&it=1) many moons ago, it's not a bad little adventure from 1-3 ish.