Gothic Horror and Greener Pastures! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Gothic Horror and Greener Pastures! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Danahan
09-18-07, 05:53 PM I’m planning on starting a new campaign in a few weeks. A little info for you guys before hand. This campaign has a gothic horror theme, and is taking place in a homebrew world. It also takes place in the equivalent of the 19th century. I have derived a lot of influence from both Ravenloft and especially the Masque of the Red Death.

Now, there are a plethora of villains as would be expected. However, the main “bad guy” for the first part of the campaign will be a funerary company known as Greener Pastures. On the surface, Greener Pastures is a very successful business servicing most large cities. However, it will be revealed that most of their success comes from the fact that they rig accidents, knowing that the deceased will probably end up in their funeral homes. Sometimes instead of burying the bodies, the company raises them as zombies and then sends these undead minions to cause further accidents. This is where the PCs come in. While aboard a passenger train, zombies using dynamite derail the train and attack. The hook is that the party will have to figure out who was responsible for the attack and act accordingly.

However, after this point, my ideas for further adventures have sort of fizzled out. Does anyone have any ideas for adventures that could occur in between the initial hook and the final battle with Greener Pasture’s leaders?
Artifact
09-18-07, 09:01 PM Here's a couple of things I might ask myself:

Where was the passenger train headed before being derailed? Was the train attacked in order to stop it from reaching this destination or was the attack merely a blatant attempt at robbery? If so, what (or who) is the train carrying that would interest the attackers? If the destination doesn't provide answers, maybe have the heroes go back to where the train originated from.

By examining these questions and their answers, maybe some ideas to develop the adventure further will reveal themselves. Cool name for a thread BTW.

I love the Masque of the Red Death boxed set (an AD&D 2nd edition supplement for the Ravenloft line, for those who don't know). Any interest in sharing some details of your homebrew this adventure is based in with us? ;) I could use some fresh ideas for a Masque of the Red Death game myself (its been over a decade now since our last game).
Suzu
09-18-07, 09:41 PM I hate gothic horror set in the 19th centuary, all that red-lined opera cape stuff...

Interesting though, I'm doing a similar thing, and also went through all the Ravenloft netbooks. The plot thickens...
Danahan
09-18-07, 11:06 PM I love the Masque of the Red Death boxed set (an AD&D 2nd edition supplement for the Ravenloft line, for those who don't know). Any interest in sharing some details of your homebrew this adventure is based in with us? I could use some fresh ideas for a Masque of the Red Death game myself (its been over a decade now since our last game).

Sure, I can give you some of the details if it might provide you with some inspiration. Here is a very brief description of the first campaign I ran a few years ago in the same homebrew. Each Book was comprised of several Chapters (each chapter being an adventure). Each book lasted roughly 3 months for a total of 6 months for the campaign.

Book I: The White Sigil

All of the PCs were members of the White Sigil, a secret society established some 500 years ago to combat the supernatural forces of the world. Their mission was to investigate a rash of grave robberies. So they went to the local cemetery to stake the place out and wait for their man. Around midnight a carriage comes rolling in and two zombies hop out to begin their digging. The PCs started shooting up the carriage. The necromancer throws on a ring of invisibility and escapes. The PCs manage to follow him back into the city, find his mansion, and sneak inside. After wandering around, they stumble into his lab and discover that he was constructing a flesh golem. Upon waking the thing up, they discover that it oddly enough has a conscience since it cowers from their attacks and whimpers in pain. Instead of destroying it, they decide to sneak it off and let it live. This of course infuriates the White Sigil who demands that such an abomination be destroyed, even if it does possess an intelligent mindset. The PCs and the golem flee with the Sigil in hot pursuit. Eventually they learn that the necromancer is a rogue surgeon named Victor Hudfeld, and that the brain he used to finish the golem came from a rival doctor with the first name John. John remembers everything in his current state and doesn't want to be killed even though he is no longer human. Eventually the PCs take shelter with a lich and even a vampire lord to escape the wraith of the Sigil. In the end, the White Sigil is proven to be an overzealous organization that has become just as villainous as the creatures they combat, and is promptly overthrown.

Book II: The Grey Plague

I fast forwarded the campaign five years and let all of the PCs gain a free level in a prestige class of their choice (as long as they met the prerequisites of coarse). I explained that during the five years they all fell out of adventuring without the White Sigil being around, and moved on with their lives, no longer having much time to train. However, this was to be short-lived. They were once again summoned by the vampire lord from their past who asked them for a favor. There were rumors of a strange plague up north that made people into savages. He didn't want it to reach his city. So they head up north and come across a farming village where people are acting hostile. They have one really odd feature. Their pupils are a strange yellow. Eventually, they uncover that the grey plague is responsible, a magical disease spread by a species of little gray spiders. However, their victory is short-lived. Mercenaries calling themselves the Crimson Butterfly show up and steal a sample of the spiders to further spread the disease. The Crimson Butterfly is comprised of the remnants of the White Sigil. Old enemies have resurfaced. Not long after that I suffered a TPK and the campaign died. The party was composed of a 5th/4th level fighter/cleric, 9th level sorcerer, bard, and dread necromancer backed up by three NPC characters (John the flesh golem, 7th level rogue, and 7th level gunslinger). But they still lost to a 11th level psionic and 11th level fighter. Go figure.
Suzu
09-19-07, 03:16 PM This is nice stuff. Well done :)
Danahan
09-19-07, 10:32 PM This is nice stuff. Well done :)

Thanx!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Danahan 09-18-07, 05:53 PM	I’m planning on starting a new campaign in a few weeks. A little info for you guys before hand. This campaign has a gothic horror theme, and is taking place in a homebrew world. It also takes place in the equivalent of the 19th century. I have derived a lot of influence from both Ravenloft and especially the Masque of the Red Death. Now, there are a plethora of villains as would be expected. However, the main “bad guy” for the first part of the campaign will be a funerary company known as Greener Pastures. On the surface, Greener Pastures is a very successful business servicing most large cities. However, it will be revealed that most of their success comes from the fact that they rig accidents, knowing that the deceased will probably end up in their funeral homes. Sometimes instead of burying the bodies, the company raises them as zombies and then sends these undead minions to cause further accidents. This is where the PCs come in. While aboard a passenger train, zombies using dynamite derail the train and attack. The hook is that the party will have to figure out who was responsible for the attack and act accordingly. However, after this point, my ideas for further adventures have sort of fizzled out. Does anyone have any ideas for adventures that could occur in between the initial hook and the final battle with Greener Pasture’s leaders?
Artifact 09-18-07, 09:01 PM	Here's a couple of things I might ask myself: Where was the passenger train headed before being derailed? Was the train attacked in order to stop it from reaching this destination or was the attack merely a blatant attempt at robbery? If so, what (or who) is the train carrying that would interest the attackers? If the destination doesn't provide answers, maybe have the heroes go back to where the train originated from. By examining these questions and their answers, maybe some ideas to develop the adventure further will reveal themselves. Cool name for a thread BTW. I love the Masque of the Red Death boxed set (an AD&D 2nd edition supplement for the Ravenloft line, for those who don't know). Any interest in sharing some details of your homebrew this adventure is based in with us? ;) I could use some fresh ideas for a Masque of the Red Death game myself (its been over a decade now since our last game).
Suzu 09-18-07, 09:41 PM	I hate gothic horror set in the 19th centuary, all that red-lined opera cape stuff... Interesting though, I'm doing a similar thing, and also went through all the Ravenloft netbooks. The plot thickens...
Danahan 09-18-07, 11:06 PM	I love the Masque of the Red Death boxed set (an AD&D 2nd edition supplement for the Ravenloft line, for those who don't know). Any interest in sharing some details of your homebrew this adventure is based in with us? I could use some fresh ideas for a Masque of the Red Death game myself (its been over a decade now since our last game). Sure, I can give you some of the details if it might provide you with some inspiration. Here is a very brief description of the first campaign I ran a few years ago in the same homebrew. Each Book was comprised of several Chapters (each chapter being an adventure). Each book lasted roughly 3 months for a total of 6 months for the campaign. Book I: The White Sigil All of the PCs were members of the White Sigil, a secret society established some 500 years ago to combat the supernatural forces of the world. Their mission was to investigate a rash of grave robberies. So they went to the local cemetery to stake the place out and wait for their man. Around midnight a carriage comes rolling in and two zombies hop out to begin their digging. The PCs started shooting up the carriage. The necromancer throws on a ring of invisibility and escapes. The PCs manage to follow him back into the city, find his mansion, and sneak inside. After wandering around, they stumble into his lab and discover that he was constructing a flesh golem. Upon waking the thing up, they discover that it oddly enough has a conscience since it cowers from their attacks and whimpers in pain. Instead of destroying it, they decide to sneak it off and let it live. This of course infuriates the White Sigil who demands that such an abomination be destroyed, even if it does possess an intelligent mindset. The PCs and the golem flee with the Sigil in hot pursuit. Eventually they learn that the necromancer is a rogue surgeon named Victor Hudfeld, and that the brain he used to finish the golem came from a rival doctor with the first name John. John remembers everything in his current state and doesn't want to be killed even though he is no longer human. Eventually the PCs take shelter with a lich and even a vampire lord to escape the wraith of the Sigil. In the end, the White Sigil is proven to be an overzealous organization that has become just as villainous as the creatures they combat, and is promptly overthrown. Book II: The Grey Plague I fast forwarded the campaign five years and let all of the PCs gain a free level in a prestige class of their choice (as long as they met the prerequisites of coarse). I explained that during the five years they all fell out of adventuring without the White Sigil being around, and moved on with their lives, no longer having much time to train. However, this was to be short-lived. They were once again summoned by the vampire lord from their past who asked them for a favor. There were rumors of a strange plague up north that made people into savages. He didn't want it to reach his city. So they head up north and come across a farming village where people are acting hostile. They have one really odd feature. Their pupils are a strange yellow. Eventually, they uncover that the grey plague is responsible, a magical disease spread by a species of little gray spiders. However, their victory is short-lived. Mercenaries calling themselves the Crimson Butterfly show up and steal a sample of the spiders to further spread the disease. The Crimson Butterfly is comprised of the remnants of the White Sigil. Old enemies have resurfaced. Not long after that I suffered a TPK and the campaign died. The party was composed of a 5th/4th level fighter/cleric, 9th level sorcerer, bard, and dread necromancer backed up by three NPC characters (John the flesh golem, 7th level rogue, and 7th level gunslinger). But they still lost to a 11th level psionic and 11th level fighter. Go figure.
Suzu 09-19-07, 03:16 PM	This is nice stuff. Well done :)
Danahan 09-19-07, 10:32 PM	This is nice stuff. Well done :) Thanx!