Heroes Reborn [Archive] - Wizards Community

Heroes Reborn [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Zousha_Omenohu
05-23-07, 10:25 PM I'm going to try organizing a campaign to run with my brother and a few friends of his, and I'm presenting the basic concept here for critique and suggestions.

The basic concept is that each of the PCs was once a great hero (or possibly a villain) at some time in the campaign world's past (more details on this when I start designing it).

At some point in the present a particularly potent spellcaster determines a great threat to the world and decides that these ancient heroes are the only ones who could deal with such a threat. So, he prepares a powerful ritual to call them to the present from their approximate time of death (because if they pulled them from anywhere else in the character's lives, they'd mess up the timeline as one being cannot be in two places at once).

Like you'd expect, the spell goes awry because of the timing. The caster is a bit late and calls them at the exact moment of their death. As their souls are in a kind of limbo being pulled to the afterlife and the future at the same time, the gods decide to err on the side of caution and send them to the future. The catch is that they are effectively reborn, starting in a relatively youthful form and as 1st-level PCs with memories of their past life. This means that the timeline won't be affected because they are technically different people (in body, though not necessarily in soul).

All characters will begin with the Wedded to History feat described in the April 2007 issue of Dragon.

I'm more concerned with the campaign aspect of the thing, as I can probably create the world and it's history with a relative ammount of ease.

Questions, comments, criticisms, suggestions and flames are all welcome (though flames will be ignored). Thank you! :)
Haruspex
05-24-07, 06:43 AM Sounds like a cool idea. Literally the incarnation of ancient heroes!

So the PCs have memories of their past. That's a good start. Do they know about the spellcaster and his spell?

(A) They don't know. How will they get together? Perhaps some prophetic dream or maybe the spellcaster comes to look for them? Have them adventure around for a bit before the prophesized "threat" comes around.
(B) They do know. I guess the logical step is to find said spellcaster and see what his plans are. Or he could find them. Possibly he didn't plan for them to have new bodies, so he'll have to help them reach their heroic potential (read: level up). While they adventure they'll have the spellcaster as a mentor figure, at least until they reach their potential.

Who else knows about this ritual? Maybe the threat that they were meant to fight gets wind of it and comes after them. Do the general populace know? There could be some effect when they interact with NPCs. Are any of their descendants or equipment still around? This could be a story hook. Imagine the knight's horror when his enchanted blade rejects him because he no longer meets the prerequisites for wielding it! :eek: Or maybe that mind flayer colony the heroes nearly destroyed in the past still survives and bears a grudge...

Elder of History or Hand of Prophecy seem like thematically appropriate backgrounds. Depending on how ancient they are, maybe Throwback or Golden Ager as well.

That's all I've got for now, I might post some more later.
Zousha_Omenohu
05-24-07, 09:15 AM I've actually given consideration to that. I think my plan at the moment is to have them only barely aware of the ritual that summoned them. Blurry visions and the memory of someone yelling something about it the ritual being corrupted. Then they wake up. I'm thinking the first arc of the campaign is to find out where they are, what's going on, and why they were summoned. They'll eventually find clues leading them on a search for some sort of Arcane Sanctuary (blatant Diablo II ripoff, I know). Eventually, they manage to find this sanctuary and finally get answers from the one who summoned them, who is elated when he discovers that they've become more powerful and that it wasn't a failure after all. Then he becomes something of a mentor and more importantly, a quest-assigner.
Yayhya
05-24-07, 10:42 AM for theos of us with out the april 2007 issue could you type up the feat for us it might alow me to help you more. i really like the idae. i did something like it once i'll see if ican dig up any of the things i used for that game.
vagabonvoid
05-24-07, 12:41 PM I did this once before... Each of the players got to use the past life template from dmgII pg 159.

it worked out good.
Zousha_Omenohu
05-24-07, 01:05 PM I can't post the Wedded to History feat or the feats that have it as a prerequisite just yet (my mother has access to a copying machine, so she's going to copy the article before I return the magazine to the library).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Zousha_Omenohu 05-23-07, 10:25 PM	I'm going to try organizing a campaign to run with my brother and a few friends of his, and I'm presenting the basic concept here for critique and suggestions. The basic concept is that each of the PCs was once a great hero (or possibly a villain) at some time in the campaign world's past (more details on this when I start designing it). At some point in the present a particularly potent spellcaster determines a great threat to the world and decides that these ancient heroes are the only ones who could deal with such a threat. So, he prepares a powerful ritual to call them to the present from their approximate time of death (because if they pulled them from anywhere else in the character's lives, they'd mess up the timeline as one being cannot be in two places at once). Like you'd expect, the spell goes awry because of the timing. The caster is a bit late and calls them at the exact moment of their death. As their souls are in a kind of limbo being pulled to the afterlife and the future at the same time, the gods decide to err on the side of caution and send them to the future. The catch is that they are effectively reborn, starting in a relatively youthful form and as 1st-level PCs with memories of their past life. This means that the timeline won't be affected because they are technically different people (in body, though not necessarily in soul). All characters will begin with the Wedded to History feat described in the April 2007 issue of Dragon. I'm more concerned with the campaign aspect of the thing, as I can probably create the world and it's history with a relative ammount of ease. Questions, comments, criticisms, suggestions and flames are all welcome (though flames will be ignored). Thank you! :)
Haruspex 05-24-07, 06:43 AM	Sounds like a cool idea. Literally the incarnation of ancient heroes! So the PCs have memories of their past. That's a good start. Do they know about the spellcaster and his spell? (A) They don't know. How will they get together? Perhaps some prophetic dream or maybe the spellcaster comes to look for them? Have them adventure around for a bit before the prophesized "threat" comes around. (B) They do know. I guess the logical step is to find said spellcaster and see what his plans are. Or he could find them. Possibly he didn't plan for them to have new bodies, so he'll have to help them reach their heroic potential (read: level up). While they adventure they'll have the spellcaster as a mentor figure, at least until they reach their potential. Who else knows about this ritual? Maybe the threat that they were meant to fight gets wind of it and comes after them. Do the general populace know? There could be some effect when they interact with NPCs. Are any of their descendants or equipment still around? This could be a story hook. Imagine the knight's horror when his enchanted blade rejects him because he no longer meets the prerequisites for wielding it! :eek: Or maybe that mind flayer colony the heroes nearly destroyed in the past still survives and bears a grudge... Elder of History or Hand of Prophecy seem like thematically appropriate backgrounds. Depending on how ancient they are, maybe Throwback or Golden Ager as well. That's all I've got for now, I might post some more later.
Zousha_Omenohu 05-24-07, 09:15 AM	I've actually given consideration to that. I think my plan at the moment is to have them only barely aware of the ritual that summoned them. Blurry visions and the memory of someone yelling something about it the ritual being corrupted. Then they wake up. I'm thinking the first arc of the campaign is to find out where they are, what's going on, and why they were summoned. They'll eventually find clues leading them on a search for some sort of Arcane Sanctuary (blatant Diablo II ripoff, I know). Eventually, they manage to find this sanctuary and finally get answers from the one who summoned them, who is elated when he discovers that they've become more powerful and that it wasn't a failure after all. Then he becomes something of a mentor and more importantly, a quest-assigner.
Yayhya 05-24-07, 10:42 AM	for theos of us with out the april 2007 issue could you type up the feat for us it might alow me to help you more. i really like the idae. i did something like it once i'll see if ican dig up any of the things i used for that game.
vagabonvoid 05-24-07, 12:41 PM	I did this once before... Each of the players got to use the past life template from dmgII pg 159. it worked out good.
Zousha_Omenohu 05-24-07, 01:05 PM	I can't post the Wedded to History feat or the feats that have it as a prerequisite just yet (my mother has access to a copying machine, so she's going to copy the article before I return the magazine to the library).