Building a campaign using "Chimes at Midnight" [Spoilers] [Archive] - Wizards Community

Building a campaign using "Chimes at Midnight" [Spoilers] [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DBlizzard
08-07-07, 04:32 PM IMO, "Chimes at Midnight" from Dungeon #133 (http://paizo.com/store/magazines/dungeon/issues/2006/v5748btpy7y2o) is the best Eberron adventure published. It is possible to build a large campaign plot line from this one adventure (with sequel(s) being optional additions).

Start the campaign at first level. Use levels 1-4 to foreshadow the use of "Chimes" at 5th. Have Viktor appear as an NPC often. Keep him in the background mostly (players hearing about his latest coup), but occasionally use him as a resource for the players.

As well, use the supporting villains as color to the game. Keep them on the periphery of events, especially if your players are kill thirsty.

That brings up another important ingredient. Build a habit in your players of not automatically killing the villains. This will help increase the number of enemies who survive for later use without the shortcut of Raise Dead type magic. In fact, I recommend this for most Eberron games that take place in civilized areas.

Start by making sure they understand that murdering someone in Sharn can have consequences. When the PCs end up killing an intelligent monster, have the watch be very thorough in questioning the PCs about the need to kill it. Maybe add someone important (a captain, a noble, or even reporter) who dislikes the PCs because he feels they believe themselves above the law.

Reward them for letting the main enemy survive. Maybe he helps the PCs in a later adventure. Have them give them a key clue that makes their job much easier. Maybe have a secondary character "see the light" and become an important ally.

Finally, don't make the players regret letting an enemy live. If most of the enemies come back at the PCs then they may go back to old habits, regardless of the consequences.

The key is to show players the negative consequences of automatically killing every enemy that is down, show them that positive things can come from it, and don't punish them when they "do the right thing" (how many princesses that PCs rescue turn out to be the real viillains? The "evil victim" has become an RPG cliche).

Later I'll discuss building on events in the adventure.
Rechan
08-07-07, 04:59 PM I think this would be real useful if we had all three adventures in hand, so we could properly seed the campaign. But I've even yet to get Quoth the Raven, so.

It's important to know your PCs. Characters who are all about Justice and the Truth are one thing. Characters who care about gold, or just solving the puzzles that mysteries represent, or want to make a name for themselves, may need different incentives than "There's a criminal out there!"

Reward them for letting the main enemy survive. Maybe he helps the PCs in a later adventure. Have them give them a key clue that makes their job much easier. Maybe have a secondary character "see the light" and become an important ally.

I think this is good advice. For one thing, in Chimes, there is very little that directly leads the PCs to believe that Viktor is behind it all. In fact, if they fail to search for traps on Viktor's door, his tower blows. If his tower blows, it's completely reasonable to say that the plans for the Lightning Rail are destroyed. So the PCs, lacking any real evidence, may wind up killing the Baron because they didn't go through the hatch on the roof.

Because of this, if the PCs have went to the Citadel before to question criminals after-the-fact, they may be more inclined to go to the Citadel once more and check the visitation logs, to see if there was any meeting beforehand. Which would immediately turn up Viktor's name.

The challenge with foreshadowing enemies is that the PCs aren't supposed to oppose them early on. Players might see the foreshadowing as a hook. If for instance the PCs hear that there's some murderer on the rampage in the Cogs (Scrimshaw), they may opt to go track him down themselves. This would be problematic, as Viktor is supposed to take the gargoyle down.

I've found two ways to handle this. 1) Not have their status as an enemy apparent at first. In my campaign, the PCs will run across Durak in a dreamlily parlor, where he's tripping, rambling incoherently, and causes a mild disturbance. 2) Have Viktor all ready on the case. My PCs are investigating a murder that was initially blamed on The Grasper. The PCs run across Viktor, who takes one look at their victim and says "This body has none of the signatures of that killer."
DBlizzard
08-07-07, 05:58 PM I think this would be real useful if we had all three adventures in hand, so we could properly seed the campaign. But I've even yet to get Quoth the Raven, so.

I do have "Quoth the Raven," but it's not that important. Having two more ppublished sequels is great. However, I think this adventure suggests future adventures all by itself.

I think this is good advice. For one thing, in Chimes, there is very little that directly leads the PCs to believe that Viktor is behind it all. In fact, if they fail to search for traps on Viktor's door, his tower blows. If his tower blows, it's completely reasonable to say that the plans for the Lightning Rail are destroyed. So the PCs, lacking any real evidence, may wind up killing the Baron because they didn't go through the hatch on the roof.Both times I ran this the PCs set off the trap. However, in both cases it went off just as they had figured out the meaning of the plans.
The challenge with foreshadowing enemies is that the PCs aren't supposed to oppose them early on. Players might see the foreshadowing as a hook. If for instance the PCs hear that there's some murderer on the rampage in the Cogs (Scrimshaw), they may opt to go track him down themselves. This would be problematic, as Viktor is supposed to take the gargoyle down.

Piece of cake, have Viktor get there before them and solve the case. The rules of thumb is to let PCs do all the work and solve the mysteries. There are exceptions to any rules and this is one of them. Doing this foreshadows the adventure very well. The PCs get to interact with both Viktor and Scrimshaw, and they get the connection between Viktor and Scrimshaw first hand.
ccerose
08-07-07, 07:10 PM My players had a lot of fun with Chimes. I didn't run it as a mini-campaign, but I did introduce several of the key players well in advance of the adventure. They met Victor in a previous adventure (they were working on separate, but overlapping cases). Although I played him with a brash attitude, the party came to the conclusion that he would make a valuable ally.
Kid SixXx
08-08-07, 07:28 AM Reward them for letting the main enemy survive. Maybe he helps the PCs in a later adventure. Have them give them a key clue that makes their job much easier. Maybe have a secondary character "see the light" and become an important ally.

You should probably look into the Dungeon module, Murder in Oakbridge, for the Eberron setting. Might be a nice set-up if you don't have any scenarios of your own.

Not only does it more or less support the concepts you want to put forth:

Sympathetic "foe" that could be rehabilitated into a future ally if the foe is not killed by the PC's.

but it also has a mystery that Viktor can "solve" before the PC's do, therefore setting up whatever future confrontations you wish to have with Viktor.
DBlizzard
08-09-07, 01:09 AM but it also has a mystery that Viktor can "solve" before the PC's do, therefore setting up whatever future confrontations you wish to have with Viktor.

I wouldn't want Viktor to solve an adventure before the PCs. A subplot like someone killing people in the Cogs is one thing. A whole adventure cheats the players out of the rewards from a session of play. You need a really huge payoff in the end when you do something like that. "Chimes" is great, but not that great!
Kid SixXx
08-09-07, 10:42 AM I wouldn't want Viktor to solve an adventure before the PCs. A subplot like someone killing people in the Cogs is one thing. A whole adventure cheats the players out of the rewards from a session of play. You need a really huge payoff in the end when you do something like that. "Chimes" is great, but not that great!

Well, I put "solves" in quotes because I thought that perhaps the PC's would actually piece the events together but somehow Viktor might actually wind up catching the BBEG or at least get the glory for the capture.

As for "cheating the players," it's not like you're going to rob them of any exp for the session. It'd be a simple matter of one-upmanship.

As for payoffs, now that Quote the Raven is out, things are just beginning to pop as far as interaction with Vikor goes. Chimes would be the tip of the iceberg & could be as tense or pedestrian as you want it to be.
DBlizzard
08-20-07, 10:26 PM "Hell's Heart"

If you plan on using "Quoth the Raven" and/or "Hell's Heart" you have another chance for foreshadowing. Have a villain the PCs deal with be insane and put in Hell's Heart. Alternatively, have a villain escape and the PCs need to go there to get clues.
Kid SixXx
08-21-07, 07:09 AM "Hell's Heart"

If you plan on using "Quoth the Raven" and/or "Hell's Heart" you have another chance for foreshadowing. Have a villain the PCs deal with be insane and put in Hell's Heart. Alternatively, have a villain escape and the PCs need to go there to get clues.

Good to see that it showed up online. I'll have to DL that now that the WoTC website is back up.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DBlizzard 08-07-07, 04:32 PM	IMO, "Chimes at Midnight" from Dungeon #133 (http://paizo.com/store/magazines/dungeon/issues/2006/v5748btpy7y2o) is the best Eberron adventure published. It is possible to build a large campaign plot line from this one adventure (with sequel(s) being optional additions). Start the campaign at first level. Use levels 1-4 to foreshadow the use of "Chimes" at 5th. Have Viktor appear as an NPC often. Keep him in the background mostly (players hearing about his latest coup), but occasionally use him as a resource for the players. As well, use the supporting villains as color to the game. Keep them on the periphery of events, especially if your players are kill thirsty. That brings up another important ingredient. Build a habit in your players of not automatically killing the villains. This will help increase the number of enemies who survive for later use without the shortcut of Raise Dead type magic. In fact, I recommend this for most Eberron games that take place in civilized areas. Start by making sure they understand that murdering someone in Sharn can have consequences. When the PCs end up killing an intelligent monster, have the watch be very thorough in questioning the PCs about the need to kill it. Maybe add someone important (a captain, a noble, or even reporter) who dislikes the PCs because he feels they believe themselves above the law. Reward them for letting the main enemy survive. Maybe he helps the PCs in a later adventure. Have them give them a key clue that makes their job much easier. Maybe have a secondary character "see the light" and become an important ally. Finally, don't make the players regret letting an enemy live. If most of the enemies come back at the PCs then they may go back to old habits, regardless of the consequences. The key is to show players the negative consequences of automatically killing every enemy that is down, show them that positive things can come from it, and don't punish them when they "do the right thing" (how many princesses that PCs rescue turn out to be the real viillains? The "evil victim" has become an RPG cliche). Later I'll discuss building on events in the adventure.
Rechan 08-07-07, 04:59 PM	I think this would be real useful if we had all three adventures in hand, so we could properly seed the campaign. But I've even yet to get Quoth the Raven, so. It's important to know your PCs. Characters who are all about Justice and the Truth are one thing. Characters who care about gold, or just solving the puzzles that mysteries represent, or want to make a name for themselves, may need different incentives than "There's a criminal out there!" Reward them for letting the main enemy survive. Maybe he helps the PCs in a later adventure. Have them give them a key clue that makes their job much easier. Maybe have a secondary character "see the light" and become an important ally. I think this is good advice. For one thing, in Chimes, there is very little that directly leads the PCs to believe that Viktor is behind it all. In fact, if they fail to search for traps on Viktor's door, his tower blows. If his tower blows, it's completely reasonable to say that the plans for the Lightning Rail are destroyed. So the PCs, lacking any real evidence, may wind up killing the Baron because they didn't go through the hatch on the roof. Because of this, if the PCs have went to the Citadel before to question criminals after-the-fact, they may be more inclined to go to the Citadel once more and check the visitation logs, to see if there was any meeting beforehand. Which would immediately turn up Viktor's name. The challenge with foreshadowing enemies is that the PCs aren't supposed to oppose them early on. Players might see the foreshadowing as a hook. If for instance the PCs hear that there's some murderer on the rampage in the Cogs (Scrimshaw), they may opt to go track him down themselves. This would be problematic, as Viktor is supposed to take the gargoyle down. I've found two ways to handle this. 1) Not have their status as an enemy apparent at first. In my campaign, the PCs will run across Durak in a dreamlily parlor, where he's tripping, rambling incoherently, and causes a mild disturbance. 2) Have Viktor all ready on the case. My PCs are investigating a murder that was initially blamed on The Grasper. The PCs run across Viktor, who takes one look at their victim and says "This body has none of the signatures of that killer."
DBlizzard 08-07-07, 05:58 PM	I think this would be real useful if we had all three adventures in hand, so we could properly seed the campaign. But I've even yet to get Quoth the Raven, so. I do have "Quoth the Raven," but it's not that important. Having two more ppublished sequels is great. However, I think this adventure suggests future adventures all by itself. I think this is good advice. For one thing, in Chimes, there is very little that directly leads the PCs to believe that Viktor is behind it all. In fact, if they fail to search for traps on Viktor's door, his tower blows. If his tower blows, it's completely reasonable to say that the plans for the Lightning Rail are destroyed. So the PCs, lacking any real evidence, may wind up killing the Baron because they didn't go through the hatch on the roof.Both times I ran this the PCs set off the trap. However, in both cases it went off just as they had figured out the meaning of the plans. The challenge with foreshadowing enemies is that the PCs aren't supposed to oppose them early on. Players might see the foreshadowing as a hook. If for instance the PCs hear that there's some murderer on the rampage in the Cogs (Scrimshaw), they may opt to go track him down themselves. This would be problematic, as Viktor is supposed to take the gargoyle down. Piece of cake, have Viktor get there before them and solve the case. The rules of thumb is to let PCs do all the work and solve the mysteries. There are exceptions to any rules and this is one of them. Doing this foreshadows the adventure very well. The PCs get to interact with both Viktor and Scrimshaw, and they get the connection between Viktor and Scrimshaw first hand.
ccerose 08-07-07, 07:10 PM	My players had a lot of fun with Chimes. I didn't run it as a mini-campaign, but I did introduce several of the key players well in advance of the adventure. They met Victor in a previous adventure (they were working on separate, but overlapping cases). Although I played him with a brash attitude, the party came to the conclusion that he would make a valuable ally.
Kid SixXx 08-08-07, 07:28 AM	Reward them for letting the main enemy survive. Maybe he helps the PCs in a later adventure. Have them give them a key clue that makes their job much easier. Maybe have a secondary character "see the light" and become an important ally. You should probably look into the Dungeon module, Murder in Oakbridge, for the Eberron setting. Might be a nice set-up if you don't have any scenarios of your own. Not only does it more or less support the concepts you want to put forth: Sympathetic "foe" that could be rehabilitated into a future ally if the foe is not killed by the PC's. but it also has a mystery that Viktor can "solve" before the PC's do, therefore setting up whatever future confrontations you wish to have with Viktor.
DBlizzard 08-09-07, 01:09 AM	but it also has a mystery that Viktor can "solve" before the PC's do, therefore setting up whatever future confrontations you wish to have with Viktor. I wouldn't want Viktor to solve an adventure before the PCs. A subplot like someone killing people in the Cogs is one thing. A whole adventure cheats the players out of the rewards from a session of play. You need a really huge payoff in the end when you do something like that. "Chimes" is great, but not that great!
Kid SixXx 08-09-07, 10:42 AM	I wouldn't want Viktor to solve an adventure before the PCs. A subplot like someone killing people in the Cogs is one thing. A whole adventure cheats the players out of the rewards from a session of play. You need a really huge payoff in the end when you do something like that. "Chimes" is great, but not that great! Well, I put "solves" in quotes because I thought that perhaps the PC's would actually piece the events together but somehow Viktor might actually wind up catching the BBEG or at least get the glory for the capture. As for "cheating the players," it's not like you're going to rob them of any exp for the session. It'd be a simple matter of one-upmanship. As for payoffs, now that Quote the Raven is out, things are just beginning to pop as far as interaction with Vikor goes. Chimes would be the tip of the iceberg & could be as tense or pedestrian as you want it to be.
DBlizzard 08-20-07, 10:26 PM	"Hell's Heart" If you plan on using "Quoth the Raven" and/or "Hell's Heart" you have another chance for foreshadowing. Have a villain the PCs deal with be insane and put in Hell's Heart. Alternatively, have a villain escape and the PCs need to go there to get clues.
Kid SixXx 08-21-07, 07:09 AM	"Hell's Heart" If you plan on using "Quoth the Raven" and/or "Hell's Heart" you have another chance for foreshadowing. Have a villain the PCs deal with be insane and put in Hell's Heart. Alternatively, have a villain escape and the PCs need to go there to get clues. Good to see that it showed up online. I'll have to DL that now that the WoTC website is back up.