Post/Author/DateTime	Post
3nigma 04-02-05, 06:21 PM	I'm beginning my campaign within the next two weeks, but first I am going to run individual one-on-one adventures for each of the 6 party members. The purpose is three-fold: 1) To bring the character from their biographical backgrounds to the present day, and meeting the rest of the party in Sharn to begin the Forgotten Forge. 2) To equip the characters with their gear, eventually being fully geared as they begin the adventure. Also, I was thinking this would be a good opportunity to make their items have more sentimental value and richer in biography. EXAMPLE: Before you leave home to find a new life in Sharn, your mother gives you your father's sword he used to fight in the Last War before he died. 3) To give the characters their skill ranks. I was thinking that I could tailor the adventures to have them be able to harness and strengthen their character's beginning skills. EXAMPLE: For a character who wants to have 4 ranks in climb in their level 1 beginning the adventure sheet, in this pre-adventure I can have them come across a scenario where they have to do some climbing feat. So, now that I have that stuff established, I'll post their character backgrounds. I was wondering if you guys could add any input on ideas that I could use for adventures. I'll also post their level 1 skills and feats to incorporate. ****************************** Male Human Fighter of Cyre This character was a soldier of the armies of Cyre. However, he was no ordinary soldier like the others (NPC class 'warrior'), but rather he excelled in combat and was even planning on going "career military" (PC class Fighter). As such, he had achieved the rank of Captain in the Cyran army at the time of the Day of Mourning. However, he now has no home and nowhere to swear allegiance to. Skills - Bluff, Intimidate, Jump, Tumble, Ride Feats - Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Bastard Sword, Versatility (Turn two cross-class skills into class skills) Male Half-Elf Druid This character was raised by a Cyran merchant who married a Valenar Lady before the secession of Valenar in 956 YK. He and his father immigrated to Sharn at the height of the war, only to have their homeland destroyed soon after. His father employed Cyran refugees in his business, but the refugees were underpaid and the labor was hard. This violated the lawful nature of the character, and he runs away to find his own way in the world, moving to the Eldeen Reaches. Skills - Concentration, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Knowledge Nature, Survival Feats - Combat Casting Male Halfling Rogue Eldon Goodbarrel is a halfling raised in the Talenta Plains. His father was growing tiresome of the Karrnathi outposts in the plains, and decided to offer his aid in the Last War, fighting for the cause of Cyre. Eldon's father was slain in a battle on the border, however, and this drove Eldon to leave home and seek a way of his own. He decided he would move to the busy life of Sharn, and try and see where life would take him in that direction. Skills - Disable Device, Escape Artist, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Search, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Use Magic Device Feats - Point Blank Shot Male Half-Orc Barbarian This character was raised by humans in the land of Cyre. He was conceived after his mother was in a trade caravan travelling to the land that is now Darguun, and she was raped by an orc attacker. While back in Cyre and recovering from the attack, she was distraught after becoming late in pregnancy, and attempted to end her life, with the child inside of her. SHe herself was killed, but the infant survived the suicide. The large, burly man with larger canines and an upturned nose became a soldier for the Queen's Army, falling into what he decided was his natural place. After the devastation of Cyre, he is now seeking out a new way of life and finding where he belongs. Skills - Climb, Intimidate, Listen, Survival Feats - Weapon Focus: Greataxe Male Elven Ranger This ranger was among the mercenaries called to the aid of Cyre from the subcontinent of Aerenal. After decades of service fighting for the Queen's Army, his aggressive leader planned a devastating attack against Cyre itself, in an effort to establish their own land. This, however, violated the character's sense of good, and he refused to take part in the plan of the new Valenar. He continued to fight for Cyre, but after the Day of Mourning, he now is out to find a new cause. Skills - Balance, Climb, Hide, Jump, Knowledge Nature, Move Silently, Survival, Swim Feats - Undecided Male Elven Bard No biography yet, I will probably encourage him to be an elf who lived in Sharn his whole life (being a bard). Skills - Undecided Feats - Undecided ****************************** So, what do you guys think I can do? I have a few ideas so far. I think I will run the Captain and the Half-Orc at the same time, doing a flash-back sequence of a battle on the day of mourning, and have an encounter. I just don't know how to transition from that to the current day in Sharn. Maybe "That was the last day you remember of the Last War. It is now a distant memory, as you gulp down another swig of ale in the ruddy tavern." I don't know, hehe. That's basically my biggest question - How do I get the characters to Sharn? The Rogue is in Sharn. The Bard will probably be in Sharn. The Captain and Half-Orc will probably come to SHarn together, however that happens. The Druid and Ranger will be difficult to understand, maybe the Druid returns to seek information on his family or something, and the ranger is seeking Cyran refugees. Also, any ideas for an adventure for each PC suited specifically for their class? I want to give them an opportunity to exercise their highlighted skills, and especially feats, and also some class features. Lastly, I will have to bring them to Sharn. Any ideas? Input would be great! I love the ideas that spring forth on these boards :) . -3nigma Thanks in advance!
Gurv 04-02-05, 07:47 PM	I've done the same thing in the past, by running an short game or encounter for each player before they meet one another. I don't usually go so far as to have them gain their skills during this encounter/solo game. But it does give an opportunity to create a personalized reason for the character to be adventuring; often the encounter/game revolves around the loss of the character's family or former style of life. Also: an ideal time to have them form attachments and/or get sentimental about items. The best solution for getting everyone to Sharn is to create something that connects them all in some way, and put it in the City of Towers. The connection can be different for each of them. It also depends on what adventures you have in mind for them. You have several characters with backgrounds in Cyre, mostly on their side. Perhaps some aging general from that conflict, who knows all of them, could call them together as the only ones he can think of to accomplish some task of interest to them all. You only get one opportunity, at the beginning of a campaign, for a massive coincidental meeting. Six people having a common acquaintance is perfectly natural: once. My first reaction, after reading these Cyre-based backgrounds, is to steal a page from KB's novel and have them called by someone they know who lives in the Cyran refugee camp in High Walls. They all have sympathies for those who suffered in the Mourning, so adventures that benefit those people would make perfect sense. If something big and bad is happening to them, someone might call such concerned citizens to do something about it. One important thing to think about is that once the PCs are together, and have accomplished whatever common goal got them that way, why should they stick around? Unless each PC has a reason of his own to go with the adventurer's life, or suffer from serious codependency issues, it will make little sense for such individuals to cling to one another.
the.eberron.traveler 04-03-05, 11:16 PM	Right. You want to get them to Sharn, but you also want to bring them together. The latter is probably harder. Getting the captain and the half-orc there shouldn't be that tough. Not that many officers of the army must have survived, so even a captain is somewhat special. The two might have gone to New Cyre, where perhaps the prince asked them to deliver a package/letter/request (perhaps tying into your first adventure) to the Cyran ambassador in Sharn. And, as you said, as their "pre-adventure" (besides the aforementioned RP), can be a battle during the Last War, unless you wanna throw some generic bandits or specific villains or something to intercept their delivery. To get the druid back, send him a message that his father is ill/dying/murdered. Give him an adventure in the reaches though before that. Perhaps the Children of Winter attacked a farm just outside the forest, and a little girl disappeared. He can use diplomacy to convince the enraged farmers not to go into the forests with their torches and pitch forks, but instead lead a small group to quietly track the villains and save the girl. For the ranger... maybe he had a girlfriend in the last days of the War that he got separated from, and is now searching for her in the largest concentrations of refugees, New Cyre and Sharn. Since he's more of a stealthy type, you could have him shadowing somebody. Maybe he does find the trail of his ex-girlfriend in Sharn, and traces it to a lowly merchant of questionable honesty. The guy pretends he's never heard of her, but seems to be shaken by the question. Make it so that the ranger decides to follow him, and finds out that the guy is abducting Cyran refugees and forcing them to work as slave labor in a small factory in the lower wards. One way to get the others to join in is for the ranger to seek help in the Cyran embassy (since the slaves are mostly Cyrans and he can't take the factory's guards on alone), where the ambassador can request the help of the captain and half-orc. (If the girlfriend is inconvenient, once he rescues everyone, he can find out she died recently from exhaustion.) Still leaves everyone else out of it though. Unless of course the father of the druid was an associate of the slaver. Could work if you'd live to put even more distance between the druid and his father. And perhaps the rogue has been hired to also find some missing refugees, and mentions it to his bard friend who figures it sound exciting (and could be a scoop if he's thinking of a career in journalism, or inspiration for a nice song otherwise). He he, I don't know. Overall though I have to say that although the mini-adventure for each of them is a good idea, you can easily substitute it with some simple role-playing or extended storytelling discussion of their backgrounds. But even if you'd rather not, trying to make the mini-adventures show off their skills/feats sounds like a little too much to me. Just try to give them a little something to help define them as characters before they join a group. By the way Gurv, that quote in your sig is really something : )
Kalanth 04-04-05, 12:20 AM	I love the idea of having the flashback scenario. My DM incorperated something similar for us. I would suggest, say with the Captain and the Half-Orc, a semblance of friendship and respect. Maybe the Half-Orc rose to be a Lieutenant (officers both because of the Fratenization thing) and was under the command of the Captain. As they fought together they bonded and became friends. When the Mourning occured, the two, left with nothing to cling to instead went to each other and strengthened their friendship (Forest Gump and Lieutenant Dan). This could provide them a good reason both for being together in the beginning, and for the idea of them finishing a flashback in a bar. The Druid could come to Sharn as part of a reclemation project at Morgrave University. Maybe there are other druids gathering there, and the entire thing is a convention of sorts to protest for the reduction in urban expansion. Maybe even protesting for the freedom of elementals. Its a stretch, buts its an idea (After all, he did take diplomacy, so why not?) The ranger, hmmmm, since he not an Urban Ranger like my character that is tougher. Maybe he was tracking a low level criminal into town, maybe even the one *Spoiler* that kills the person in the beginning of Forgoten Forge, and that brought him not only to Sharn, but straight to the sceen of the crime (or just after the crime). Gives him the ability to be there when it happens, locks him in with the group, and uses the mini-adventure to utilize his tracking skills. I am unsure of what to do with the Halfling Rouge (real original, grunt <Personal opinion, strike that comment from the record :)>). I would say, maybe that the Rogue was in the bar with the Captain and Half-Orc (just the bar, not at their table) and was looking about to find some one that would help him avenge his fathers death. These two looked promising, and maybe even knew the Halflings father, don't know. Much of the adventure could be spent sneaking about because he followed the supposed killer into town *spoiler* (lets say, for the heck of it, the killer is either the Forged at the end of Forgoten Forge, or the Forged at the beginning of the first Module). Knowing full well that he cannot take down this threat alone, the halfling works his way into their conversation and asks for their aid, and they end up accepting because they knew the Halflings father. (wild stab, but it links the characters and does not provide that "I am suspicious of him because he is not my friend right away," mentality that PCs always seem to have) And I won't bother with the Bard until I know more about his motivations and class skills. He may be more into what bards are really good at in Eberron, and be a political player / spy, and that would provide interesting possibilities, but other than that, I can't say much.
Gurv 04-04-05, 11:25 AM	3nigma, what kind of adventures do you have in mind for your games? Are you getting them to Sharn to run the adventure in the ECS, and if so, are you going to do the rest of the Adventure Path? Or are you just using Sharn as a jump off point for adventures of your own creation? I notice that your PCs are a lot like the ones I run: several woodland oriented ones (druid, ranger, barbarian), and an emphasis on combat ability. Actually, you're doing better than I was: my group had no arcane casters at all, and noone with roguish skills or any kind. But they're much better now; two games in and suddenly I have requests to play artificers, warlocks, plus two new players with wizard/clerics and sorcerers. It is amazing how far a couple near character deaths can go. :devil: But my point is, are you really going to run the game mostly in Sharn? The outdoorsy characters might have a hard time of that, although the bard and rogue should shine there. Or are they going to be leaving Sharn once they've all met and decided to be inseperable buddies? By the way Gurv, that quote in your sig is really something : ) I thought so. I've dealt with several DMs who thought it was their job to win, or at least prove to the players that they were being fair. I decided to do my best to never take that role. Nothing the DM does is really fair, because his advantage is insurmountable, like playing with a 5 year old. His job isn't to make things fair; it can't be, no matter how hard he tries. His job is to make things fun, which means making it look fair, appear that the players have some control. The players and the DM are not on opposing sides, the characters should win most of the time, and doing so should be just hard enough to make it enjoyable.
The Green Man 04-04-05, 02:06 PM	3nigma - The start of our campaigns are so similar that I had to make sure I wasn't typing in my sleep last night. This Wednesday our group is getting together for character generation and I told them that the only real restrictions was that they couldn't be evil (they need to be heroes) and that their character must be open to going to Sharn (they don't need to come up with a reason - that's my job). After they create their characters, I'm also doing short 1 on 1 rping sessions prior to them arriving in Sharn (for those that don't live there). One suggestion I can give you (which is something that Kalanth touched on) is to have the PCs form small groups (maybe 2 or three of them hook up initially) before becoming one large group. Like the 1 on 1 sessions, that will give personalities a chance to develop before the game 'officially' starts with the Forgotten Forge (which is what I'll be running first as well, with some modifications). Maybe the halfling and the bard (both Sharn residents) know one another and are friends, acquaintances, or business partners. The barbarian, ranger, and/or druid may have run across one another in the wilderness. Maybe the ranger had come across some poachers and they, outnumbering him, beat him up and left him for dead. Along comes the barbarian or the druid... or both? One way to get these mini groups together is for them all to be 'in the wrong place at the wrong time'. A lot of movies use this idea to get strangers together. It might be a disaster that forces a group of strangers together (a natural disaster like a flood) or a less than natural disaster (like a post-apocalyptic or zombie movie). Your PCs may all be robbed by the same criminal organization (either on the street or in an inn) and they decide that they stand a better chance of getting their gear back if they work together. Along the same lines, maybe they're all exposed to something deadly (either accidentally or intentionally) like a poison or a disease and they have to work together to find or discover the cure. They could simply be looking for work (clearing the lower levels of one of the Sharn towers of vermin or squatters so a business can move in) and they are placed together in a group (maybe there are several groups clearing several buildings or an area underneath the City of Towers). Another little trick that works is to take an action movie you really like and adapt it. Take Die Hard for example... change the high-rise office building to a Sharn tower, castle, keep or other building and change the bonds into some other treasure and you have an instant adventure. Hope that helps! -The Green Man
3nigma 04-04-05, 06:27 PM	Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the amazing insights! I have got some great ideas from these posts and others! I have to write a paper, but just as a quick note to add, here's some info about modules I'm running for the campaign... 1) Pre-adventures for each member 2) The Forgotten Forge 3) The Queen with Burning Eyes (Dungeon Mag, James Wyatt) 4) Shadows of the Last War 5) Fallen Angel (Dungeon Mag, Keith Baker) 6) Whispers of the Vampire's Blade 7) Steel Shadows (Dungeon Mag, Keith Baker) 8) Grasp of the Emerald Claw This is just an idea I was thinking of doing, it's all up for change. I still haven't gotten to read through all of the modules yet except for the Forgotten Forge. The reason I wanted to mix an adventure in between the FF and Shadows of the Last War is because the Cannith patron says for the group to frequently check the message board for more missions, but I want them to check at least once without any word from her yet- but they will come back again after another adventure. I will run them through this other adventure, Queen w/ Burning Eyes, possibly having other hooks for later adventures as well. Then they will check the board again and have more work from the Lady Cannith. I have to read all the modules and blend them still, but I figure it won't be too hard, with them all having their roots in Sharn. Mix up some NPCs, you know the way. Also, I haven't read all the modules yet, so I may change up the order and run some of 'em consecutive. I just wanted to mix it up a bit, but maybe they'd be better in another order. By the time they finish every module, they should be about level 8 and then I will have to check these threads for "What to do when all is said and done?" ;) KEEP THE INPUT COMING!! I can't tell you how helpful this has all been :) . Please keep it coming in! -3nigma I will post replies to above information a little later, after I have more time. I just wanted to add this for more to chew one! Thanks again! :) EDIT: Added a comment that I may change the order of the modules
the.eberron.traveler 04-04-05, 11:49 PM	The reason I wanted to mix an adventure in between the FF and Shadows of the Last War is because the Cannith patron says for the group to frequently check the message board for more missions, but I want them to check at least once without any word from her yet- but they will come back again after another adventure. Not only that. I'd personally have them start FF at 3rd-level or perhaps even on their way to 4th-level. Potential SotLW spoilers... The reason is that, once they get to the Mournland, the adventure can be really tough if you take the no-healing rule seriously. Apparently KB wrote it before they had decided on that. By the time they finish every module, they should be about level 8 and then I will have to check these threads for "What to do when all is said and done?" ;) I think they'll probably be around 8th if you just use the 4 typical adventures, so you may want to slow down the experience or something, if you're going to add three more.
Kalanth 04-05-05, 01:42 AM	With the group I am in we started our Eberron experience with FF at lvl 1 and transitioned immediatley into the first full module. The DM had an entire session (or the majority of one) in between for downtime, giving us that golden opportunity to explore Sharn, get some crafting done, and spend our money. After the FF and first Module we are at lvl 4 and almost 5, so I would say we are right on pace. We have gone and gotten all the hidden chances for XP in the module, and now we are working through the Dragon Magazine adventure (Queen with burning eyes). So far so good, and everything has been nice and challenging for us. With future adventures, consider it this way. If the characters leave at about 8th level then maybe you could tie in something for the Lord of Blades (There is a back issue in Dragon that has info on him) or maybe more intrege in the Mournlands (dangerous, but man is it fun to be afraid for your life in there). I would definetly get them off the main continent by 12th level though, because they would be amoungst the strongest on the continent. This is when Xen'drik becomes a great opportunity. I am sure there are low level options available, but (at least in the campaign I am in) it has more of that high level feel to it. Maybe some lost ruins "need" exploring, or something to that effect. There could always be some sick fool that is looking to learn the secrets of Giant Magic, or maybe someone attempting to connect with the more dangerous planes. I would save those epic, world shatter plots that most of us DM's love and adore until this time. It gives the players to build a rep as heroes, and does not make them feel like everything is falling apart around them while they aim for their goal. I can't wait to hear more about the group, and I definetly want to know more about the bard because it bugged me that I could not provide suggestions for him (since he was blank).
3nigma 04-05-05, 12:22 PM	Here's another quick reply, I'm in between classes at the moment, so I can only say this little tid-bit at the moment... One problem of mine, is that I absolutely hate getting bogged down with XP calculations. I just don't want to bother with it, I don't have the patience for it. I don't like calculating all the XP for each CR creature they fight in an entire module, and scaling up and down monsters makes it worse. I've always just used one simply method- play an adventure, your character levels at the completion. This has worked so far, and every player has been happy with it. Nobody complains to any degree and they probably even love it, too. As the character's levels get higher, it will take a few more adventures to complete than just one in order to level. I have only used this system in low level gaming, the group never reaching high levels before. So in that sense, I'm sure that when I get further down the road, my rag-tag system won't work. But anyway, that's just some insight as to why I'm running all those modules and they'd only be 8th level. I haven't read them yet, but if you guys think that this is underpowered and that they should be higher level than this, then by all means, please let me know! I am trying to get all the good ideas that I can before we get started :) . Thanks again guys, keep it coming! -3nigma
Altaris 04-05-05, 02:09 PM	3nigma, if you use the 'level up each adventure' method, then I suggest using the Craft Points options from UA. I see you don't have a Wizard or an Artificer (yet,) but any crafting will need XP. Yes, an Arti has a Craft Reserve, but a busy Arti will spend that quickly and then start burning XP too. Other than that, it sounds like you've got a good set up. Tell us how it goes!
Beleriphon 04-05-05, 02:34 PM	And I won't bother with the Bard until I know more about his motivations and class skills. He may be more into what bards are really good at in Eberron, and be a political player / spy, and that would provide interesting possibilities, but other than that, I can't say much. Elf + Bard = Reason to take Dragonmark of Shadows
Beleriphon 04-05-05, 02:37 PM	I am trying to get all the good ideas that I can before we get started :) . Thanks again guys, keep it coming! -3nigma In terms of XP you don't need to calculate each and every point. Just remember that if characters fight/ complete encounters of their CR only it will take about 14 encounters to go up a level. So the easy way to guage levels is to go with the number of encounters faced. If they are really easy it could be 20 encounters, if they are really hard it might be as low as 10 (this would indicate consistently facing encounters several CR above the average party level).
3nigma 04-14-05, 05:59 PM	Hey guys! I'm startin' these games tomorrow night and this Saturday! I just wanted to thank everyone for the help, and do some last minute begging for more help! Any adventure ideas for any of these originally posted characters? Also, the bard is no longer in the group, so no worries there. And another update, the modules I have to run now include... Forgotten Forge Queen with Burning Eyes Mark of Heroes: Reflections on the Multiverse Shadows of the Last War Fallen Angel Whispers of the Vampire's Blade Steel Shadows Grasp of the Emerald Claw Any ideas for all this stuff, lemme know! Thanks a bunch! -3nigma =)