(3.5) need help with campaign

[Froogleyboy]

I'm trying to make a new campaign (it will start from lvl. 1 up to epic) It needs to ,somehow, revolve around the three lost chromatic dragons (from the "Dragon magazine compendium) and needs to partly be a dungeon adventure.
any ideas?

[gabado]

drow campaign side quest maybe



also you could elongate the dungeon by having the PCs captured by a horde of kobolds or something, who make them go on a dungeon crawl to retrieve some lost relic or another and by doing so win their freedom.



also give the campaign a funny plot name, like going to the village to help the people with their "giant problem."

this is a great way to piss off and confuse the PCs.

[Froogleyboy]

Wha? I really want a campaign about Tiamat's sister's creations. (orange, purple, and yellow dragon) but I don't really know how to. If its a hassle I can get rid of the dungeon idea.

[Tiki Snakes]

Er, unless you're going to be giving levels out like candy, you have pleeenty of time for the dungeon. O_o

1 to epic is a looong campaign, otherwise. I've no idea how to go about building a whole campaign around three dragons, and twenty to thirty levels of play.

Did you have a story in mind, or is that what you want a hand with?

[Froogleyboy]

I need a hand with the story. I had a small inkling though: The dungeon starts in a church of Tiamat's long-dead sister (the creator of the three dragons)

[wykydtron]

do you want the entire thing to be a dungeon crawl?

also could some one post some info for these tri-dragon idea so I could be of a little more help?

[herrhauptmann]

Out of curiosity, what exactly are the 'three lost chromatic dragons'? And who was Tiamat's sister? (Ok, yes yellow, orange, and purple, but that doesnt say much itself)

Do you want your campaign to be a quest to stop the return of the 3 dragons, who themselves are harbingers (maybe) of the return of tiamat's sister?

Is it a campaign to instead revive or redeem them?

[Froogleyboy]

First I need to know if its illegal to quote the dragon magazine

EDIT: Well as long as I don't post stats I don't think I'll git in trouble.

[Froogleyboy]

The chromatic dragons have long been recognized
as perhaps the greatest force for evil in the world.
Between their cunning intellects and formidable
physical and magical power, they are one-creature
armies capable of forcing an entire kingdom on to
bended knee. The black, blue, green, red, and white
dragons have sparked untold stories and legends
across history.
Some sages believe that these five icons of evil
are but the most common of dragons. A radical
and oft derided theory holds that the chromatic
dragons have three "lost" siblings, the orange, purple,
and yellow dragons. According to this theory, the
chromatic dragon Tiamat once had a long forgotten
sister and rival. Tiamat's sister, her name long since
lost to history, spawned the three forgotten dragons
shortly before her demise at her sister's fangs and
claws. Between the depredations of Tiamat's true
children and their own small numbers, the three
dragons teetered on the edge of extinction. Yet, as
true dragons they were too mighty to suffer an easy
defeat. Over the millennia, they have slowly clawed
their way back from oblivion.
Despite their survival, the orange, purple, and yellow
dragons are still exceedingly rare. Reports of their
activities are usually written off as misleading tales
woven by adventurers and travelers too overwhelmed by
a dragon's fear aura to accurately note the beast's color.
Some experts and sages make a career of hunting down
evidence of these dragons' existence. They hire adventurers
to venture into dangerous, isolated areas where the
dragons might still exist. Thus far, these expeditions
have yet to uncover any conclusive evidence of the
dragons' existence.

This is from the Dragon Magazine Compendium

[Froogleyboy]

Any ideas?

[Dervag]

Again, the key thing to point out here is that 1st level characters are so low level they can't survive having anything to do with the dragons. Or having anything to do with anyone who can survive having anything to do with the dragons.

Therefore, for your first round of adventures, you need to assign your characters smaller, more manageable tasks that won't get them all fried. Things that might later prove to be distantly related to the Dragon Plot, yes, but that don't have a direct connection.

In 3.5, it takes something like 13 encounters to level up, right? And you're planning to advance the characters through over 20 levels. So that adds up to a total of something like 250 to 300 combat encounters over the course of the campaign. Which should give you an idea of just how big what you've planned is, and also how much room you have to put in side quests.

[Froogleyboy]

I was thinking about them fighting Kobolds or dragonborns at first

[Graymayre]

There is atleast one campaign that exists entirely within a dungeon on interwebs. (not sure how long, atleast to level 10 and probably goes to 20). Sorry, but I don't know its name.

If that doesn't suit you, there's always the underdark, one could argue that that's just one big dungeon.

[Rad]

let's see...
the lost dragons are few and persecuted by their brothers; it would make sense that they have some kind of alliance among them. That would mean that the campaign could be:
1- deal with the scheme of one particular dragon
2- discover the lost chromatic dragon. He will be connected to more dragons of his kind and that connection can be exploited once the players defeat him to get to the others
3- Find where the other lost dragons are
4- prevent whatever scheme they have from working. This scheme might have to do with the resurrection of their God.
so, here's a sketch:

The Hearth of the Lost Dragon God

Spoiler

Show

Upon its demise the God of the lost dragons has been shredded by the claws of Tiamat into four pieces. While the parts were mostly irregular they have been referred by the few sages aware of the event as the jaws (head and neck), Wings (shoulders and back), Claws (legs, claws and belly), Tail (the tail and spine) and the Heart (a single gem with never-ending fire swirling inside, which is actually its soul). Tiamat scattered the parts of her enemy, bound his soul in the Heart and kept it as part of her personal hoard. The other parts have since decomposed and now only the skeleton remains, making them undistinguishable from the parts of a particularly big dragon.

The campaign should revolve around these parts, with the players both looking for them and being chased for them. They will have been enshrined and well protected by Tiamat at the end of hard dungeons, making the campaign take the shape you wanted.
The dragons should achieve some success, plus the climax would require them to be about to succeed, this means that the second to last encounter will have to revolve with the dragons getting the part they need and the ones in the PCs possession as well

Act 1: The Heart

Spoiler

Show

The Heart is well guarded and well trapped. Yet we need the PCs to get it, right? So let's invoke the proverbial ego of the dragons and say that all the magical traps that Tiamat put on the Heart only affect dragons because those were the only foes that Tiamat considered powerful enough to steal it.
An ancient and incredibly stealthy yellow dragon managed to steal the Heart but the curse put on it eventually won his defenses and caused his death. He had enough time to bring the gem to his lair though, and weave powerful abjurations on it so that no divination (not even Tiamat's) can find it again.
A young yellow dragon is this dragon's son (or grandson, according to how you want to set the time) and he has recruited a couple kobold clans as followers. He is now busy with the exploration of the dungeon that is his parent's lair but has to deal with cave-ins, traps etc, which is slowing him down. Meanwhile the kobolds need to eat, so they start raiding the good halfling villages nearby... the halflings need heroes to save them and here enter the PCs

Interlude: The Most Old Sage

Spoiler

Show

After defeating the yellow dragon and retrieved the heart the PCs might have to visit a sage in a remote location to identify it. Be sure to tell them that they do know of the esistence of this knowledgeable being. This being could ba a ghost to explain its knowledge AND why he cannot leave the place where he is. By making the thing that keeps him on the material plane something related to this quest he might have an interest to tell the PCs what they need to know to go look for the next piece.

Act 2: The Tail

Spoiler

Show

Just have a nice big dungeon. A spy might follow the PCs or someone could betray them: anyway when they retrieve the tail the dragons will know and will start to look for them

Act 3: The wings

Spoiler

Show

How could this not take place in the sky? Pick your favourite aerial race and have the classic "palace over the clouds" that the PCs must enter and get to the deepest crypt where the wings are kept as a relic

Act 4: The Claws

Spoiler

Show

This time the normal dragons got there first. Unable to touch the Claws they merely guard the dungeon which can be populated with various spawn of Tiamat. The chromatic dragons require the PCs to hend over all the parts they have. When they refuse a fight results and in the end the PCs get the Claws as well. The players might defeat in the process an aspect of Tiamat and its defeat also prevents Tiamat to act directly for the rest of the adventure.

Act 5: The Head

Spoiler

Show

The head has been already found by the chromatic dragons. The PCs need to infiltrate and get through the lair of an extremely old orange dragon which is its keeper. This dragon is actually not getting much help from his brothers.
In the end the lost dragons wanted the PCs to retrieve all the parts because they could not take them from their rest places. The dragons defeat the PCs but do not kill them (to thank them for their work), take the parts and leave.
Alternatively, the PCs are competing with the dragons in the dungeon. They arrive forts to the head, but only to find that the dragons actually got there before them and set a trap to be triggered as soon as the PCs the head (which the dragons cannot do themselves)

Act 6: Finale

Spoiler

Show

One trace teleport spell after, the PCs roam the very lair of the allied lost dragons down to the chamber where the complex resurrection rite is taking place.

There is still a lot to fix I think, but this could be a good first draft of a campaign skeleton I think. Now you need interesting recurring NPCs from various factions.

[Froogleyboy]

let's see...
the lost dragons are few and persecuted by their brothers; it would make sense that they have some kind of alliance among them. That would mean that the campaign could be:
1- deal with the scheme of one particular dragon
2- discover the lost chromatic dragon. He will be connected to more dragons of his kind and that connection can be exploited once the players defeat him to get to the others
3- Find where the other lost dragons are
4- prevent whatever scheme they have from working. This scheme might have to do with the resurrection of their God.
so, here's a sketch:

The Hearth of the Lost Dragon God

Spoiler

Show

Upon its demise the God of the lost dragons has been shredded by the claws of Tiamat into four pieces. While the parts were mostly irregular they have been referred by the few sages aware of the event as the jaws (head and neck), Wings (shoulders and back), Claws (legs, claws and belly), Tail (the tail and spine) and the Heart (a single gem with never-ending fire swirling inside, which is actually its soul). Tiamat scattered the parts of her enemy, bound his soul in the Heart and kept it as part of her personal hoard. The other parts have since decomposed and now only the skeleton remains, making them undistinguishable from the parts of a particularly big dragon.

The campaign should revolve around these parts, with the players both looking for them and being chased for them. They will have been enshrined and well protected by Tiamat at the end of hard dungeons, making the campaign take the shape you wanted.
The dragons should achieve some success, plus the climax would require them to be about to succeed, this means that the second to last encounter will have to revolve with the dragons getting the part they need and the ones in the PCs possession as well

Act 1: The Heart

Spoiler

Show

The Heart is well guarded and well trapped. Yet we need the PCs to get it, right? So let's invoke the proverbial ego of the dragons and say that all the magical traps that Tiamat put on the Heart only affect dragons because those were the only foes that Tiamat considered powerful enough to steal it.
An ancient and incredibly stealthy yellow dragon managed to steal the Heart but the curse put on it eventually won his defenses and caused his death. He had enough time to bring the gem to his lair though, and weave powerful abjurations on it so that no divination (not even Tiamat's) can find it again.
A young yellow dragon is this dragon's son (or grandson, according to how you want to set the time) and he has recruited a couple kobold clans as followers. He is now busy with the exploration of the dungeon that is his parent's lair but has to deal with cave-ins, traps etc, which is slowing him down. Meanwhile the kobolds need to eat, so they start raiding the good halfling villages nearby... the halflings need heroes to save them and here enter the PCs

Interlude: The Most Old Sage

Spoiler

Show

After defeating the yellow dragon and retrieved the heart the PCs might have to visit a sage in a remote location to identify it. Be sure to tell them that they do know of the esistence of this knowledgeable being. This being could ba a ghost to explain its knowledge AND why he cannot leave the place where he is. By making the thing that keeps him on the material plane something related to this quest he might have an interest to tell the PCs what they need to know to go look for the next piece.

Act 2: The Tail

Spoiler

Show

Just have a nice big dungeon. A spy might follow the PCs or someone could betray them: anyway when they retrieve the tail the dragons will know and will start to look for them

Act 3: The wings

Spoiler

Show

How could this not take place in the sky? Pick your favourite aerial race and have the classic "palace over the clouds" that the PCs must enter and get to the deepest crypt where the wings are kept as a relic

Act 4: The Claws

Spoiler

Show

This time the normal dragons got there first. Unable to touch the Claws they merely guard the dungeon which can be populated with various spawn of Tiamat. The chromatic dragons require the PCs to hend over all the parts they have. When they refuse a fight results and in the end the PCs get the Claws as well. The players might defeat in the process an aspect of Tiamat and its defeat also prevents Tiamat to act directly for the rest of the adventure.

Act 5: The Head

Spoiler

Show

The head has been already found by the chromatic dragons. The PCs need to infiltrate and get through the lair of an extremely old orange dragon which is its keeper. This dragon is actually not getting much help from his brothers.
In the end the lost dragons wanted the PCs to retrieve all the parts because they could not take them from their rest places. The dragons defeat the PCs but do not kill them (to thank them for their work), take the parts and leave.
Alternatively, the PCs are competing with the dragons in the dungeon. They arrive forts to the head, but only to find that the dragons actually got there before them and set a trap to be triggered as soon as the PCs the head (which the dragons cannot do themselves)

Act 6: Finale

Spoiler

Show

One trace teleport spell after, the PCs roam the very lair of the allied lost dragons down to the chamber where the complex resurrection rite is taking place.

There is still a lot to fix I think, but this could be a good first draft of a campaign skeleton I think. Now you need interesting recurring NPCs from various factions.

Love the idea! But I was thinking about it just being shards from the heart instead of a skeleton (just personal prefrance really) Love it though.

[Valentyne]

just to throw out some ideas..
1) If these three dragon races all have access to some form of polymorphing, then having them hide as members of other races wouldn't be too far a stretch. Maybe even have the original questgiver one such dragon who is looking for his brethren...

2)If kobolds are related to dragons are different tribes related to different dragons? Perhaps a kobold tribe, once thought long extinct resurfaced and who has memories, legends, stories of their forfathers, one of the dragon types...

3) a time locked capsule/chamber protected from scrying that holds eggs of the lost dragon types?

[Paramour Pink]

How about Bahamut's followers trying to mislead or keep any adventurers hired to find these three evil dragons from getting too close, if only to keep the three chromatic dragons from becoming confirmed to humanity, and so having to push their plans forward. If they're great forces of evil, then they must have plans. Bahamut and his forces are just trying to make them think no one is aware of what those are so that the Platnum dragon and his faithful can come up with some worthwhile counterplans.

[Froogleyboy]

I cast Raise Thread upon this lifeless body of a thread