A Drow Themed Campaign [Archive] - Wizards Community

A Drow Themed Campaign [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
EaterOfTheDead
01-08-08, 03:24 PM Another discussion mentioned pairing Expedition to the Demonweb Pits with City of the Spider Queen. I think this is a great idea and I like the idea of a drow themed campaign as well. However, Expedition to the Demonweb Pits begins at 9th level.

Can anyone think of any drow themed modules that would make a good lead up to Expedition to the Demonweb Pits for lower levels? I can't think of any off the top of my head besides perhaps a scaled back and updated Queen of the Spiders. The changes would include switching the giants to orcs and such, scaling back the underdark encounters and changing the end battle to a lesser aspect of Lloth.

What does everyone else think? Any suggestions or ideas?
northr1980
01-08-08, 10:31 PM there was the Menzoberranzan Boxed Set from AD&D 2nd Edition that we played back in the day. That detailed the whole city and set it up for the PCs to be part of a House in that city... House Millithor I believe... that was very interesting with good support materials and info on how to start at level one and what to do....

Aside from that, using surface raids (gone wrong?) would be a good way to gain some experience and get yourself leveled up enough for your other adventures....
Kala2000
01-09-08, 11:35 AM If you're running a surfacer-group simply taking any module and adding drow NPCs or replacing some of the leaders with drows is probably enough for low levels. I don't really like the idea of a 3rd level party running into a bunch of drow anyway or messing around in the Underdark.
I think the bigger problem is that Expedition to the Demonweb Pits is sorta bad plot-wise. The beginning, middle parts and the ending are not very tied to each other and most of it is just wandering around the planes and wandering around in the pits with no real idea what to do. Or well maybe I ran it bad because I skipped some sections.
I think my point is that its hard to come up from a series of adventures leading from 1st to around 6th level and then hop into the Expedition module and still keep the continuity that its all a part of some great sceme believable.
And from that to City of the Spider Queen, well there again not much continuity and its basically just a whole new adventure starting from sctrach. But if you or the players don't mind this or you can alter the plotlines etc enough to make it believable that its one big adventure go ahead.
mearrin69
01-09-08, 12:19 PM Heya,
I modified Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde to be more drow-oriented and to serve as the hook for EttDP. Essentially, most of the problems in and around Sumberton (goblins, gnolls) are the result of Drow interference - their intent being to restore one of Slaughtergarde's gates so they can open up a doorway to the Abyss and allow Lolth's minions to pour through.

At the end of the module, the confrontation at the gate, I introduced Lithara (from the front of EttDP) though the PCs had been finding correspondence from her detailing drow plans for this conquest or that. The PCs have just finished this scene and are about to be drawn to Sigil to find some 'Prophecy' they've heard about.

I agree about the plot for EttDP being a little wonky. I have realigned it so that Lolth really *is* behind the drow incursions on the PC's home world (and on Primes throughout the multiverse). She is one of two actual deities in the Abyss and seeks to gain enough worshippers to become a true Power.

In the meantime she has called for a sham pact, pretending to propose alliance with the other demon lords to buy her enough time to raise her deific status. She hopes to unite the Abyss, put an end to the Blood War with Baator, and then establish herself as the head of the Lower Planes.

Graz'zt suspects and opposes this, of course, as do Orcus and many of the others - but they don't dare protest openly for fear of being left out of the pact and cut down individually. Thus Graz'zt recruits the party through Rule-of-Three and sends them on their way gathering weapons, information, and finally striking out at the Demonweb directly.

Once the reading of the pact is disrupted the Abyss can fall back into chaos and in-fighting.

Beyond EttDP, our group's other DM and I are working on larger-scale plane-hopping adventure (we considered CotSQ but couldn't make it work) where the party faces off against Lolth (now a true Power - she still conquered a lot of Primes) as she attempts to use an ancient artifact to 'reintegrate' the Primes. Since she has conquered many, many of the weaker worlds (not Oerth, Faerun, or the other iconics) including the PC's original home (Erf? lol) the process will result in a single largely drow-controlled Prime.

In the meantime she has snuck into Sigil (pre-ascension) and somehow deposed the Lady of Pain (to one of her own mazes). She now sits in a deity-proof domain ready to draw a majority of mortal 'worship energy' to herself and direct the final conquest of the Outer Planes (she cares nothing for the elemental or 'empty' planes).

Well, okay, that's our plot anyway. I really didn't think SGoS held together very well as written (really sort of three unrelated dungeon crawls) and EttDP's plot, while the basics are there, never really made much sense to me. I think our revision is better - but I'm hardly objective :D
M
Kala2000
01-09-08, 04:10 PM I really like the idea of using the 'silence' of Lolth as backplot for Expedition (I just bought war of the spider queen series, familiar with it otherwise though). Do you have any good ideas on how to do this convincingly and in any other way than NPCs telling it to players between other unrelated tasks? Anything the players can discover by themselves as opposed to someone monologing it to them is way superior. I guess it would be really hard because none(?) of Lolth's clerics really have any clue of her plans anyway. Would dropping off notes/overhearing conversations about "the Goddess planning something" or "She is using the other powers for her own gain, but we are not sure how" be silly? Would the drow really have a clue? And I guess it would unbalance a lot of things in the Realms if the players found out about Lolth's silence since the drow are really really hush hush about it.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
EaterOfTheDead 01-08-08, 03:24 PM	Another discussion mentioned pairing Expedition to the Demonweb Pits with City of the Spider Queen. I think this is a great idea and I like the idea of a drow themed campaign as well. However, Expedition to the Demonweb Pits begins at 9th level. Can anyone think of any drow themed modules that would make a good lead up to Expedition to the Demonweb Pits for lower levels? I can't think of any off the top of my head besides perhaps a scaled back and updated Queen of the Spiders. The changes would include switching the giants to orcs and such, scaling back the underdark encounters and changing the end battle to a lesser aspect of Lloth. What does everyone else think? Any suggestions or ideas?
northr1980 01-08-08, 10:31 PM	there was the Menzoberranzan Boxed Set from AD&D 2nd Edition that we played back in the day. That detailed the whole city and set it up for the PCs to be part of a House in that city... House Millithor I believe... that was very interesting with good support materials and info on how to start at level one and what to do.... Aside from that, using surface raids (gone wrong?) would be a good way to gain some experience and get yourself leveled up enough for your other adventures....
Kala2000 01-09-08, 11:35 AM	If you're running a surfacer-group simply taking any module and adding drow NPCs or replacing some of the leaders with drows is probably enough for low levels. I don't really like the idea of a 3rd level party running into a bunch of drow anyway or messing around in the Underdark. I think the bigger problem is that Expedition to the Demonweb Pits is sorta bad plot-wise. The beginning, middle parts and the ending are not very tied to each other and most of it is just wandering around the planes and wandering around in the pits with no real idea what to do. Or well maybe I ran it bad because I skipped some sections. I think my point is that its hard to come up from a series of adventures leading from 1st to around 6th level and then hop into the Expedition module and still keep the continuity that its all a part of some great sceme believable. And from that to City of the Spider Queen, well there again not much continuity and its basically just a whole new adventure starting from sctrach. But if you or the players don't mind this or you can alter the plotlines etc enough to make it believable that its one big adventure go ahead.
mearrin69 01-09-08, 12:19 PM	Heya, I modified Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde to be more drow-oriented and to serve as the hook for EttDP. Essentially, most of the problems in and around Sumberton (goblins, gnolls) are the result of Drow interference - their intent being to restore one of Slaughtergarde's gates so they can open up a doorway to the Abyss and allow Lolth's minions to pour through. At the end of the module, the confrontation at the gate, I introduced Lithara (from the front of EttDP) though the PCs had been finding correspondence from her detailing drow plans for this conquest or that. The PCs have just finished this scene and are about to be drawn to Sigil to find some 'Prophecy' they've heard about. I agree about the plot for EttDP being a little wonky. I have realigned it so that Lolth really is behind the drow incursions on the PC's home world (and on Primes throughout the multiverse). She is one of two actual deities in the Abyss and seeks to gain enough worshippers to become a true Power. In the meantime she has called for a sham pact, pretending to propose alliance with the other demon lords to buy her enough time to raise her deific status. She hopes to unite the Abyss, put an end to the Blood War with Baator, and then establish herself as the head of the Lower Planes. Graz'zt suspects and opposes this, of course, as do Orcus and many of the others - but they don't dare protest openly for fear of being left out of the pact and cut down individually. Thus Graz'zt recruits the party through Rule-of-Three and sends them on their way gathering weapons, information, and finally striking out at the Demonweb directly. Once the reading of the pact is disrupted the Abyss can fall back into chaos and in-fighting. Beyond EttDP, our group's other DM and I are working on larger-scale plane-hopping adventure (we considered CotSQ but couldn't make it work) where the party faces off against Lolth (now a true Power - she still conquered a lot of Primes) as she attempts to use an ancient artifact to 'reintegrate' the Primes. Since she has conquered many, many of the weaker worlds (not Oerth, Faerun, or the other iconics) including the PC's original home (Erf? lol) the process will result in a single largely drow-controlled Prime. In the meantime she has snuck into Sigil (pre-ascension) and somehow deposed the Lady of Pain (to one of her own mazes). She now sits in a deity-proof domain ready to draw a majority of mortal 'worship energy' to herself and direct the final conquest of the Outer Planes (she cares nothing for the elemental or 'empty' planes). Well, okay, that's our plot anyway. I really didn't think SGoS held together very well as written (really sort of three unrelated dungeon crawls) and EttDP's plot, while the basics are there, never really made much sense to me. I think our revision is better - but I'm hardly objective :D M
Kala2000 01-09-08, 04:10 PM	I really like the idea of using the 'silence' of Lolth as backplot for Expedition (I just bought war of the spider queen series, familiar with it otherwise though). Do you have any good ideas on how to do this convincingly and in any other way than NPCs telling it to players between other unrelated tasks? Anything the players can discover by themselves as opposed to someone monologing it to them is way superior. I guess it would be really hard because none(?) of Lolth's clerics really have any clue of her plans anyway. Would dropping off notes/overhearing conversations about "the Goddess planning something" or "She is using the other powers for her own gain, but we are not sure how" be silly? Would the drow really have a clue? And I guess it would unbalance a lot of things in the Realms if the players found out about Lolth's silence since the drow are really really hush hush about it.