A seren barbarian campaign? [Archive] - Wizards Community

A seren barbarian campaign? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Dirkk
03-11-05, 04:46 AM I'm working on a campaign set in eberron and decided on a seren barbarian campaign. The PCs are part of a tribe that worships a green dragon (they all get the dragon totem feat for free) and they are the "heroes" of this small village. I'm probably also giving them some profession or craft skill for free. They start out as level 3 characters. The green dragon bit is a bit foreshadowing about the prophecy because they are prophecised as the killers of Vol. They don't know that yet ofcourse. ;)

I might start this in media res where they are performing some heroic act for their village. Maybe they're fighting a monster or something like that. Can't think of a monster right of the top of my head tho.

After that theres a large feast in their honour with a ritual done by a dragonspeaker. The next day the dragonspeaker (wearing a robe completely covering himself) knocks on their door and asks them to come with them. They get into his little boat and dissapear into the mist. They fall asleep and when they are woken up they arrive at the shores of Q'barra. They get off the ship and when they turn around the little boat and the hooded dragonspeaker have dissapeared....

I'm not sure yet tho what the first part of their quest will be. I guess recovering an artifact or some magic weapons that will help them to defeat Vol. They can get their quest in a dream when they fall asleep in the little boat. I'll probably make it really cryptic so its unclear what they have to do at first.

Anyway I'm going to let them create their character themselves but it has to be human and i'm going to restrict classes. I was thinking about barbarian, sorceror, ranger, druid and rogue. If you want to know why read my other thread about "ideas for eberron characters) I added the druid because my gf wants to play one and it gave me an idea.

I picture the Serens like this:

They have their sorcerors as spiritual leaders, guiding them and being a medium with the dragons. These sorcerors are always male and are usually the right hand of a strong barbarian leader.

The druids however represent "mother nature" and are women, usually unmarried women. They are the healers and help women give birth (forgot how that profession is called).

The barbarians are obviously their best warriors.

The rangers are the hunters (I'm probably going to remove their spells and give them some bonus feats or some more skillpoints so hes like a fighter with a different set of skills and an animal companion). i dunno how i'm going to do it yet but i see the serens as having specialised hunters with animal companions specialised in archery and the like. The magic bit for rangers strikes me as odd. The two weapon fighting doesn't make sense either.

Rogues are in every culture. They are the ones who are underhanded and have lots of skills.

They can't start with metal weapons ofcourse.

Ok so what does everyone think about this? Suggestions? Did I overlook something? Does anyone have any experience with this kind of campaign. I intend to use the prophecy alot. How do i deal with the Riedran presence in q'barra even tho i don't have the XPH? I don't just want to leave it out because i kinda like the idea.

Edit: i'm going to follow the dragonshard about seren barbarians more closely.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20040913a
okaynowa
03-11-05, 05:07 AM I'm personally against giving the characters the Dragon Totem feat and Craft/Profession ranks for free... that's what a human's bonus feat and bonus skill points are supposed to represent. At least, that's how I see it. You might consider requiring them to take that feat and those ranks. Since they're starting off at 3rd level, it won't restrict them too much since they'll have additional feats and skill points under their belts. Just a suggestion.

But, back to the plot.

You need monsters to fight? The dire ape and dire wolf are both CR 3 creatures, appropriate for your party's level. A Huge monstrous centipede is only CR 2, but used right can scare the hell out of a beginning party (it's what, up to 30 feet long?). Just describe it as an evil, aberrant "dragon" with too many legs, and they'll go nuts. A little descriptive license goes a long way. Ankhegs are also CR 3 and fun for that "death from below" surprise as they erupt out of the ground.

Happy hunting!
MarkB
03-11-05, 05:30 AM The v3.5 System Reference Document (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/home.html) includes all the basic rules from the Expanded Psionics Handbook (that's a link to a handy HTML version - the original is available as .rtf files from WotC's site). And your party doesn't have to encounter the Inspired if you don't want them to - and if they do, they needn't necessarily ever learn their true nature.

If you did want to use the Inspired, one angle to play up might be the 'guiding dreams' you suggested using. Maybe the Quori notice these guiding messages intruding upon 'their' domain of dreams, and are able to listen in or even interfere, thus anticipating the party's actions or diverting them for their own goals.
Dirkk
03-11-05, 05:55 AM after reading the dragonshard about seren barbarians more closely I'm going to change flavor about classes slightly.

This Seren clan is known for its good hunters (rangers).

Dragonspeakers are male druids. They are of the gatekeeper variety. The female druids are the ones I described. I imagine this clan to be very closely connected to nature (the female druids and the focus on rangers). It has a strong martial tradition. Survival of the fittest basically.

Wasn't Vvaraak a green dragon related to the gatekeepers?

The sorcerors are talented individuals who have mastered magic because of their connection the dragons. They are honored members of the clan because of their connection to their founder, the green dragon. ( I always loved the phb explanation of sorcerors having a littly dragonblood in their veins)

barbarians and rogues stay as they were.

Btw does anyone can come up with a cool clan name for a clan that worships a green dragon? I imagine this dragon to oppose Vol in every way. So probably a good alignment. Personality? I imagine the dragon to be in the Chamber.
Dirkk
03-11-05, 05:59 AM Oh two replies already... I like the Ankheg idea. I'm going to use that.

I want to include the riedran political presence, their troops etc. But apart from that I'm probably not going to use the dreaming dark and the quori etc too much.

If you did want to use the Inspired, one angle to play up might be the 'guiding dreams' you suggested using. Maybe the Quori notice these guiding messages intruding upon 'their' domain of dreams, and are able to listen in or even interfere, thus anticipating the party's actions or diverting them for their own goals.

Damn this is a cool idea tho...

I don't feel like learning the xph rules though. But i might look into it because it looks like a good added complication to the campaign.
Zagumus
03-11-05, 06:33 AM Idea for the opening fight: What is left a Vol raiding party, I am thinking 4 Emerald Claw Warriors level 1 and a cleric of Vol level 1. Make it an arena style fight as a celebration of overcoming a recent Emerald Claw attack. (CR4)

Sounds like a good campaign, good luck.
Dirkk
03-11-05, 06:41 AM For the starting fight i could always put them in the middle of an ongoing battle with a neighbouring tribe. Lets say the "lightning fists". They worship a blue dragon and have some monks in their ranks. I could center around them defeating the leader (monk) of the enemy troops and their sorceror. After that theres a big victory feast. Then they'll realise very well they're the heroes of their tribe. Its also a little more original then the often used "monster hunt" and "arena fight" (at least i use them often) altho both can be very cool done well.
Siduakal
03-11-05, 09:29 AM Dirrk, Rogue does not work man.

The reason Rogues are sneaky and underhanded are because they grow up in societies where that gains them great profit.

A Seren tribe/clan would NOT be that type of environment, they'd kill any thieves that arose in their midst. They rely upon eachother to survive.

All the other classes work, EXCEPT Rogue.

Cleric would also work for them, just select domains that your dragon they worship would have.
Siduakal
03-11-05, 09:31 AM If you really want a rogue-type, use Scout from Complete Adventurer.. You may be able to twist that to work.
Jagermeister
03-11-05, 01:57 PM Dirrk, Rogue does not work man.

The reason Rogues are sneaky and underhanded are because they grow up in societies where that gains them great profit.

A Seren tribe/clan would NOT be that type of environment, they'd kill any thieves that arose in their midst. They rely upon eachother to survive.

All the other classes work, EXCEPT Rogue.

Cleric would also work for them, just select domains that your dragon they worship would have.

Not all rogues are thieves.
And a Seren rogue from one tribe could easily be a thief and work at infiltrating and stealing from opponents of his tribe. A Seren tribe or clan could easily be the type of environment in which a rogue could appear. A Seren rogue might also be in charge of making traps to secure the tribal camp, or other important sites.
Altaris
03-11-05, 03:02 PM Not all rogues are thieves.
And a Seren rogue from one tribe could easily be a thief and work at infiltrating and stealing from opponents of his tribe. A Seren tribe or clan could easily be the type of environment in which a rogue could appear. A Seren rogue might also be in charge of making traps to secure the tribal camp, or other important sites.

They could also be intermediaries between tribes, focusing on social skills but still having some martial training. Who knows? Perhaps there is a tradition among some of the tribes for 'diplomats' who are specially trained at striking an opponents weak point.

Another use of the class is a more martial focused 'rogue.' Two weapon fighting, lots of tumble, sneak, and hide make for a great ambush focused 'warrior.' Such a character works very well with Rangers.

Rogue as a class, I would allow. Some of their skills though, I would not allow such a character to take at initial char'gen'.
Magagumo
03-11-05, 03:29 PM Variant Ranger can be found in complete Warrior, subbing out the spells (starting @ 6th lvl) for several nice, thematic abilities.

I don't believe I can reproduce them here, but most people who play Rangers in my games have ended up using them.
polt
03-11-05, 06:57 PM I like the idea of a campaign starting with some seren barbarians. This is a great way of introducing players to eberron, since neither the players nor their characters will know much about the world of Eberron.
Chiba_Monkey
03-12-05, 03:59 AM I like the idea of a campaign starting with some seren barbarians. This is a great way of introducing players to eberron, since neither the players nor their characters will know much about the world of Eberron.

Hmm...I like this idea. It would be a great way to introduce new players to the Eberron world.

I'll toy with the idea.

And Dirkk, I'd also suggest looking inot bard levels for your dragonspeakers. That idea would work great.

Sorry, can't think of any names for a green dragon worshipping tribe. Is the tribe mostly good? evil? neither?
Gez
03-12-05, 04:30 AM Is it just me or does "Seren Barbarian" sound like an oxymoron? ;)
Siduakal
03-12-05, 09:02 AM Reminds me of the opposite..

Moron Idiot... Stupid Fool... Smart Genius.. Strong Giant
Chiba_Monkey
03-12-05, 10:34 PM Is it just me or does "Seren Barbarian" sound like an oxymoron? ;)

I believe you mean "Serene" with an extra "e" I'm pretty sure Seren is pronounced in a manner that rhymes with (stare-an).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Dirkk 03-11-05, 04:46 AM	I'm working on a campaign set in eberron and decided on a seren barbarian campaign. The PCs are part of a tribe that worships a green dragon (they all get the dragon totem feat for free) and they are the "heroes" of this small village. I'm probably also giving them some profession or craft skill for free. They start out as level 3 characters. The green dragon bit is a bit foreshadowing about the prophecy because they are prophecised as the killers of Vol. They don't know that yet ofcourse. ;) I might start this in media res where they are performing some heroic act for their village. Maybe they're fighting a monster or something like that. Can't think of a monster right of the top of my head tho. After that theres a large feast in their honour with a ritual done by a dragonspeaker. The next day the dragonspeaker (wearing a robe completely covering himself) knocks on their door and asks them to come with them. They get into his little boat and dissapear into the mist. They fall asleep and when they are woken up they arrive at the shores of Q'barra. They get off the ship and when they turn around the little boat and the hooded dragonspeaker have dissapeared.... I'm not sure yet tho what the first part of their quest will be. I guess recovering an artifact or some magic weapons that will help them to defeat Vol. They can get their quest in a dream when they fall asleep in the little boat. I'll probably make it really cryptic so its unclear what they have to do at first. Anyway I'm going to let them create their character themselves but it has to be human and i'm going to restrict classes. I was thinking about barbarian, sorceror, ranger, druid and rogue. If you want to know why read my other thread about "ideas for eberron characters) I added the druid because my gf wants to play one and it gave me an idea. I picture the Serens like this: They have their sorcerors as spiritual leaders, guiding them and being a medium with the dragons. These sorcerors are always male and are usually the right hand of a strong barbarian leader. The druids however represent "mother nature" and are women, usually unmarried women. They are the healers and help women give birth (forgot how that profession is called). The barbarians are obviously their best warriors. The rangers are the hunters (I'm probably going to remove their spells and give them some bonus feats or some more skillpoints so hes like a fighter with a different set of skills and an animal companion). i dunno how i'm going to do it yet but i see the serens as having specialised hunters with animal companions specialised in archery and the like. The magic bit for rangers strikes me as odd. The two weapon fighting doesn't make sense either. Rogues are in every culture. They are the ones who are underhanded and have lots of skills. They can't start with metal weapons ofcourse. Ok so what does everyone think about this? Suggestions? Did I overlook something? Does anyone have any experience with this kind of campaign. I intend to use the prophecy alot. How do i deal with the Riedran presence in q'barra even tho i don't have the XPH? I don't just want to leave it out because i kinda like the idea. Edit: i'm going to follow the dragonshard about seren barbarians more closely. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20040913a
okaynowa 03-11-05, 05:07 AM	I'm personally against giving the characters the Dragon Totem feat and Craft/Profession ranks for free... that's what a human's bonus feat and bonus skill points are supposed to represent. At least, that's how I see it. You might consider requiring them to take that feat and those ranks. Since they're starting off at 3rd level, it won't restrict them too much since they'll have additional feats and skill points under their belts. Just a suggestion. But, back to the plot. You need monsters to fight? The dire ape and dire wolf are both CR 3 creatures, appropriate for your party's level. A Huge monstrous centipede is only CR 2, but used right can scare the hell out of a beginning party (it's what, up to 30 feet long?). Just describe it as an evil, aberrant "dragon" with too many legs, and they'll go nuts. A little descriptive license goes a long way. Ankhegs are also CR 3 and fun for that "death from below" surprise as they erupt out of the ground. Happy hunting!
MarkB 03-11-05, 05:30 AM	The v3.5 System Reference Document (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/home.html) includes all the basic rules from the Expanded Psionics Handbook (that's a link to a handy HTML version - the original is available as .rtf files from WotC's site). And your party doesn't have to encounter the Inspired if you don't want them to - and if they do, they needn't necessarily ever learn their true nature. If you did want to use the Inspired, one angle to play up might be the 'guiding dreams' you suggested using. Maybe the Quori notice these guiding messages intruding upon 'their' domain of dreams, and are able to listen in or even interfere, thus anticipating the party's actions or diverting them for their own goals.
Dirkk 03-11-05, 05:55 AM	after reading the dragonshard about seren barbarians more closely I'm going to change flavor about classes slightly. This Seren clan is known for its good hunters (rangers). Dragonspeakers are male druids. They are of the gatekeeper variety. The female druids are the ones I described. I imagine this clan to be very closely connected to nature (the female druids and the focus on rangers). It has a strong martial tradition. Survival of the fittest basically. Wasn't Vvaraak a green dragon related to the gatekeepers? The sorcerors are talented individuals who have mastered magic because of their connection the dragons. They are honored members of the clan because of their connection to their founder, the green dragon. ( I always loved the phb explanation of sorcerors having a littly dragonblood in their veins) barbarians and rogues stay as they were. Btw does anyone can come up with a cool clan name for a clan that worships a green dragon? I imagine this dragon to oppose Vol in every way. So probably a good alignment. Personality? I imagine the dragon to be in the Chamber.
Dirkk 03-11-05, 05:59 AM	Oh two replies already... I like the Ankheg idea. I'm going to use that. I want to include the riedran political presence, their troops etc. But apart from that I'm probably not going to use the dreaming dark and the quori etc too much. If you did want to use the Inspired, one angle to play up might be the 'guiding dreams' you suggested using. Maybe the Quori notice these guiding messages intruding upon 'their' domain of dreams, and are able to listen in or even interfere, thus anticipating the party's actions or diverting them for their own goals. Damn this is a cool idea tho... I don't feel like learning the xph rules though. But i might look into it because it looks like a good added complication to the campaign.
Zagumus 03-11-05, 06:33 AM	Idea for the opening fight: What is left a Vol raiding party, I am thinking 4 Emerald Claw Warriors level 1 and a cleric of Vol level 1. Make it an arena style fight as a celebration of overcoming a recent Emerald Claw attack. (CR4) Sounds like a good campaign, good luck.
Dirkk 03-11-05, 06:41 AM	For the starting fight i could always put them in the middle of an ongoing battle with a neighbouring tribe. Lets say the "lightning fists". They worship a blue dragon and have some monks in their ranks. I could center around them defeating the leader (monk) of the enemy troops and their sorceror. After that theres a big victory feast. Then they'll realise very well they're the heroes of their tribe. Its also a little more original then the often used "monster hunt" and "arena fight" (at least i use them often) altho both can be very cool done well.
Siduakal 03-11-05, 09:29 AM	Dirrk, Rogue does not work man. The reason Rogues are sneaky and underhanded are because they grow up in societies where that gains them great profit. A Seren tribe/clan would NOT be that type of environment, they'd kill any thieves that arose in their midst. They rely upon eachother to survive. All the other classes work, EXCEPT Rogue. Cleric would also work for them, just select domains that your dragon they worship would have.
Siduakal 03-11-05, 09:31 AM	If you really want a rogue-type, use Scout from Complete Adventurer.. You may be able to twist that to work.
Jagermeister 03-11-05, 01:57 PM	Dirrk, Rogue does not work man. The reason Rogues are sneaky and underhanded are because they grow up in societies where that gains them great profit. A Seren tribe/clan would NOT be that type of environment, they'd kill any thieves that arose in their midst. They rely upon eachother to survive. All the other classes work, EXCEPT Rogue. Cleric would also work for them, just select domains that your dragon they worship would have. Not all rogues are thieves. And a Seren rogue from one tribe could easily be a thief and work at infiltrating and stealing from opponents of his tribe. A Seren tribe or clan could easily be the type of environment in which a rogue could appear. A Seren rogue might also be in charge of making traps to secure the tribal camp, or other important sites.
Altaris 03-11-05, 03:02 PM	Not all rogues are thieves. And a Seren rogue from one tribe could easily be a thief and work at infiltrating and stealing from opponents of his tribe. A Seren tribe or clan could easily be the type of environment in which a rogue could appear. A Seren rogue might also be in charge of making traps to secure the tribal camp, or other important sites. They could also be intermediaries between tribes, focusing on social skills but still having some martial training. Who knows? Perhaps there is a tradition among some of the tribes for 'diplomats' who are specially trained at striking an opponents weak point. Another use of the class is a more martial focused 'rogue.' Two weapon fighting, lots of tumble, sneak, and hide make for a great ambush focused 'warrior.' Such a character works very well with Rangers. Rogue as a class, I would allow. Some of their skills though, I would not allow such a character to take at initial char'gen'.
Magagumo 03-11-05, 03:29 PM	Variant Ranger can be found in complete Warrior, subbing out the spells (starting @ 6th lvl) for several nice, thematic abilities. I don't believe I can reproduce them here, but most people who play Rangers in my games have ended up using them.
polt 03-11-05, 06:57 PM	I like the idea of a campaign starting with some seren barbarians. This is a great way of introducing players to eberron, since neither the players nor their characters will know much about the world of Eberron.
Chiba_Monkey 03-12-05, 03:59 AM	I like the idea of a campaign starting with some seren barbarians. This is a great way of introducing players to eberron, since neither the players nor their characters will know much about the world of Eberron. Hmm...I like this idea. It would be a great way to introduce new players to the Eberron world. I'll toy with the idea. And Dirkk, I'd also suggest looking inot bard levels for your dragonspeakers. That idea would work great. Sorry, can't think of any names for a green dragon worshipping tribe. Is the tribe mostly good? evil? neither?
Gez 03-12-05, 04:30 AM	Is it just me or does "Seren Barbarian" sound like an oxymoron? ;)
Siduakal 03-12-05, 09:02 AM	Reminds me of the opposite.. Moron Idiot... Stupid Fool... Smart Genius.. Strong Giant
Chiba_Monkey 03-12-05, 10:34 PM	Is it just me or does "Seren Barbarian" sound like an oxymoron? ;) I believe you mean "Serene" with an extra "e" I'm pretty sure Seren is pronounced in a manner that rhymes with (stare-an).