Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Macrovore 10-27-06, 11:47 AM	I'm starting up a campaign where everyone is the crew of an airship. The premise is kind of like Firefly (best...show...ever), in that the crew is just trying to make their way in the world. I need ideas for missions and jobs they could do. preferably something more than take X cargo to Y place. The Crew: -Capitan: CG Changeling Swashbuckler7/cabinet trickster3. 1337 disguise skills, makes himself look like the same race as his client. -First Mate: NG Halfling Transmuter 5/Recaster(we took out the racial requirement)5. mainly focuses on combat buffs, but has several powerful evocations, like he uses elven spell lore +recaster stuff to make an empowered cone of cold that's actually an 80ft radius sphere of sonic damage. -CG Goliath Barbarian2/Fighter4/Frenzied Berzerker3. He wields a gigantic adamantine greathammer. His main tactic against other airship pirates is to jump onto the deck of their ship and rip it to shreds with the hammer. -LG Warforged Monk10. Uses his massive battlefist (with decisive strike) to wreak havoc on...well...everybody. -NG Cleric5/Radiant Servant of Dol Arrah (pelor in CD). He can heal and buff really well, and sometimes uses the divine metamagic/persistent spell cheeze. -We might also have a barbarian/warmage/ragemage and a shifter ranger joining us. The Airship: About a year ago (game time), the changeling and the halfling were hired to steal a specially customized airship from Zilargo. This airship was smaller than the normal ones, but it's faster, stealthier than a regular one because it's bound with an air elemental instead of a fire elemental, and the helm was specially crafted so that anyone (not just a Lyrandar Dragonmarked) could control the elemental. It was meant to be sold to Breland as a stealth assualt ship. So basically, they stole it from the gnomes, when they found out that the people who hired them to steal it were agents of the Emerald Claw, so (because they were good) they said "screw you" and stole the ship from the people they were hired to steal it for. So now they have a really fast airship to run jobs with (creating competition for House Lyrandar), and are on the run from both the gnommish mafia (think The Godfather. yeah, i said it) AND the Emerald Claw. This is going to be a really fun campaign, but I need ideas for missons and jobs.
Altar_Boy 10-27-06, 01:56 PM	Congratulations. Your party has managed to alienate nearly every major power group on the continent. Dragonmarked Houses? Check. Breland and Zilargo? Check. The Emerald Claw (and by extension the Blood of Vol)? Check. And what about the other groups? None of the Five Nations would trust you with state secrets. Even King Kaius wouldn't help you double-dealing brigands out, and methinks merchants who knew of your sticky fingers would avoid you. Your best chance is to leave civilization altogether. With the Trust, the Dark Lanterns, and the Emerald Claw after you, Xen'drik is your best bet to avoid detection while making some kind of business. Buy Secrets of Xen'drik.
Lafarallin 10-27-06, 02:32 PM	The Crew: -Capitan: CG Changeling Swashbuckler7/cabinet trickster3. 1337 disguise skills, makes himself look like the same race as his client. -First Mate: NG Halfling Transmuter 5/Recaster(we took out the racial requirement)5. mainly focuses on combat buffs, but has several powerful evocations, like he uses elven spell lore +recaster stuff to make an empowered cone of cold that's actually an 80ft radius sphere of sonic damage. -CG Goliath Barbarian2/Fighter4/Frenzied Berzerker3. He wields a gigantic adamantine greathammer. His main tactic against other airship pirates is to jump onto the deck of their ship and rip it to shreds with the hammer. -LG Warforged Monk10. Uses his massive battlefist (with decisive strike) to wreak havoc on...well...everybody. -NG Cleric5/Radiant Servant of Dol Arrah (pelor in CD). He can heal and buff really well, and sometimes uses the divine metamagic/persistent spell cheeze. Nice group of powergamer munchkins. Sounds like a wonderful campaign. WOOT!! :cheer:
Ryuu_Tenshi 10-27-06, 04:04 PM	Sounds more like Outlaw Star than Firefly. >>; Outlaw Star with fewer hot women.
Macrovore 10-27-06, 06:34 PM	Congratulations. Your party has managed to alienate nearly every major power group on the continent. Dragonmarked Houses? Check. Breland and Zilargo? Check. The Emerald Claw (and by extension the Blood of Vol)? Check. And what about the other groups? None of the Five Nations would trust you with state secrets. Even King Kaius wouldn't help you double-dealing brigands out, and methinks merchants who knew of your sticky fingers would avoid you. Your best chance is to leave civilization altogether. With the Trust, the Dark Lanterns, and the Emerald Claw after you, Xen'drik is your best bet to avoid detection while making some kind of business. Buy Secrets of Xen'drik. We haven't alienated Breland, as the Zil, not wishing to make bad relations between the nations, quickly sent the Brelish a replacement. Only House lyrandar cares that we're competition, but they don't do much anyways because they charge less than we do (but we don't ask as many questions). Zilargo itself isn't our enemy, just the Trust (which is why the wizard always watches his back for those double-crossing, shifty-eyed gnomes). Noone knows we did it, as we have an expertly forged copy of the deed to the airship (actually copied directly from the origional, just the owner changed). and i've never seen outlaw star. but it's kind of like firefly. and if you think there are more hot chicks in outlaw star than in firefly, you need help. and yes. it is powerful. i like powerful campaigns.
Ryuu_Tenshi 10-27-06, 07:33 PM	We haven't alienated Breland, as the Zil, not wishing to make bad relations between the nations, quickly sent the Brelish a replacement. Only House lyrandar cares that we're competition, but they don't do much anyways because they charge less than we do (but we don't ask as many questions). Zilargo itself isn't our enemy, just the Trust (which is why the wizard always watches his back for those double-crossing, shifty-eyed gnomes). Noone knows we did it, as we have an expertly forged copy of the deed to the airship (actually copied directly from the origional, just the owner changed). and i've never seen outlaw star. but it's kind of like firefly. and if you think there are more hot chicks in outlaw star than in firefly, you need help. and yes. it is powerful. i like powerful campaigns. The hot chick difference is more about the hot chick to crew ratio. Outlaw Star, we have three hot chicks to the two-man crew. Firefly, we have four hot chicks to more men than two. and you should watch outlaw star. It's quite entertaining, and they pretty much do the "steal the ship for one faction, realize that's not who we want to give it to, take it for ourselves, go running 'bout the 'verse with it" thing.
Macrovore 10-27-06, 09:41 PM	i should look into that. it's anime, right? i think i've heard of it. and can I have some suggestions?
CrossBlade 10-27-06, 10:26 PM	Yes, suggestions (the whole point of the thread). lol Why not take from the show Firefly? (yeah, I loved that show too) Like the episode where they stole whatever it was off that speeding train? There's the lightning rail in Eberron after all. Try and defend/outrun raiders (roc riders perhaps?) that try to ambush them along a mountain range/revine to limit manuverablitity (avoid boarding the ship as long as possibly, no one wants to take a frenzied berserker head on). Have them strategically have thier route headed off/in the way of some crazy strong monsters (gargoyles, fiendish ravens, giant bee swarms), have them be herded & chased for days on end, so they can't resupply food and such. Have the elemental act up, and need to be suppressed/whatever to get control of it again for just long enough to be too long to stay in one place. And I gotta say it: I'M A LEAF ON THE WIND, I'M A LEAF ON THE WIND!
DarkPawn 10-27-06, 10:46 PM	And I gotta say it: I'M A LEAF ON THE WIND, I'M A LEAF ON THE WIND! What does that mean? ;)
goblin_pride 10-27-06, 10:50 PM	What does that mean? ;) A bit of a Zen thing, ennit?
Macrovore 10-27-06, 11:15 PM	Yes, suggestions (the whole point of the thread). lol Why not take from the show Firefly? (yeah, I loved that show too) Like the episode where they stole whatever it was off that speeding train? There's the lightning rail in Eberron after all. Try and defend/outrun raiders (roc riders perhaps?) that try to ambush them along a mountain range/revine to limit manuverablitity (avoid boarding the ship as long as possibly, no one wants to take a frenzied berserker head on). Have them strategically have thier route headed off/in the way of some crazy strong monsters (gargoyles, fiendish ravens, giant bee swarms), have them be herded & chased for days on end, so they can't resupply food and such. Have the elemental act up, and need to be suppressed/whatever to get control of it again for just long enough to be too long to stay in one place. And I gotta say it: I'M A LEAF ON THE WIND, I'M A LEAF ON THE WIND! great idea. and the wizard (also the pilot) is DEFINITELY gonna say that. let's see if my PC's catch it. (the wiz is DMPC).
CrossBlade 10-28-06, 11:21 PM	Well if you're going to use that quote, you might as well use a bunch of others: One Liners Wash "Hey, I've been in a firefight before! Well, I was in a fire." (beat) "Actually, I was fired from a fry-cook opportunity." "We're all doomed! Who's flying this thing!?" (deadpan) "Oh right, that would be me. Back to work." Book "If you take sexual advantage of her, you're going to burn in a very special level of hell. A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theater." River "Jayne is a girl's name." Jayne "Do you know what the chain of command is here? It's the chain I go get and beat you with to show you who's in command." "I'll kill a man in a fair fight. Or if I think he's gonna start a fair fight. Or if he bothers me. Or if there's a woman. Or if I'm gettin' paid. Mostly when I'm gettin' paid." "Shiny. Let's be bad guys." "Time for some thrilling heroics." Coupled Lines Zoe: "Preacher, don't the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killing? Book: "Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps." ---- Book: "Yes, I'd forgotten you're moonlighting as a criminal mastermind now. Got your next heist planned?" Simon: "No. But I'm thinking about growing a big black mustache. I'm a traditionalist." ---- Wash: "Little River just gets more colorful by the moment. What'll she do next?" Zoe: "Either blow us all up or rub soup in our hair. It's a toss-up." Wash: "I hope she does the soup thing. It's always a hoot, and we don't all die from it." ---- Wash: "Psychic, though? That sounds like something out of science fiction." Zoe: "We live in a space ship, dear." ---- Mal: "Zoe, ship is yours. Remember: if anything happens to me, if you don't hear from me within the hour, you take the ship -- and you come and you rescue me." Zoe: "What? Risk my ship?" Second best for second last: Mal: "You wanna run this ship?!" Jayne: "Yes!" Mal: "Well y-...you can't!" But the best for last: Mal: "This is the captain. We have a...little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and then...explode."
Ryuu_Tenshi 10-29-06, 02:12 PM	You forgot the line that all Psions should say at least once a campaign: "Also? I can kill you with my brain."
DoveArrow 10-29-06, 03:35 PM	Honestly, if you're basing your campaign off of Firefly, I think you should take a look at some of the storytelling elements that are present in each episode. For example, take episodes like "The Train Job," "Shindig," "Ariel," and "Trash." These episodes all have some of the same, most basic story elements at play in them. I've broken them down for you here: The crew is hired by an unsavory character to steal an item. In order to aid the crew in their mission, the character gives the crew time tables, blueprints, and information about the security elements that are protecting the item being stolen. Based on this information, the crew has to come up with a plan for stealing the item. In executing their plan to steal whatever item it is that they've been hired to steal, the crew runs into some form of complication. This complication is typically an adversary of some kind (such as law enforcement), a moral dilemma, or a double cross from a character that the crew thought they could trust. This throws a kink in their plans and the crew has to figure out a way to deal with this new complication while still trying to stick to the original plan. Ultimately, the crew gets away with whatever it is that they're trying to steal, but some new complication cuts into their profits (such as repairing the ship, bargaining for a crew member's life, or a change of heart). As a result, the crew never really gets ahead. Note: I don't know if I would recommend always including this element in your campaign, since it may ultimately wind up frustrating your players. However, it might be a good thing to keep in mind if you find that character wealth is getting out of hand. In addition to these elements, there are several side stories that play themselves out over the course of several episodes. These side stories include things like crew tensions, conspiratorial organizations that are bent on trying to keep governmental secrets secret, etc. These elements play out over the course of several episodes, and so they're a little more subtle, but they're there, nonetheless. So those are the basic elements. After that, it's just a matter of inserting your favorite organizations and factions from Eberron. Example: The PCs are hired by Reckus, a halfling from the Boromar Clan, to steal an item from the Morgrave University vaults. The PCs are given blueprints to the vaults, as well as information about the various guards and wards protecting them. In order to bypass these security precautions, the PCs must come up with some sort of plan. Note: You may want to try and build some holes into the security precautions taken by Morgrave University, just so that the PCs have something to work with. When the PCs get to Morgrave University, they discover that another group is in the process of stealing the same item that they've been hired to steal. A battle ensues, and the PCs are able to get away with the item (hopefully, while also avoiding detection from the Morgrave security). When they return to the Boromar Clan to sell the item, however, they discover that they've been double crossed by Reckus, who has a group of thugs waiting in ambush to take out the PCs. The PCs ultimately defeat the thugs and get away (either with, or without payment) and live to fight another day. Meanwhile, several questions remain unanswered: Who were the other people trying to steal the item, and why were they trying to steal it? Was it for another organization, or was it just for themselves? For that matter, what did the Boromar Clan want with the item? These are questions that may play themselves out over the course of several adventures, and it's ulitmately up to you to decide what the answers to these questions are. Now this example is just something that I came up with off of the top of my head and it took me maybe a minute or so to do it following the basic story elements that I've listed above. I'm sure that if you follow this formula, you'll be able to come up with your own ideas in a similar amount of time. Best of luck with your campaign.
Macrovore 10-29-06, 07:36 PM	that's a really good general set of rules to use here. i've also been scouring the "steal this hook" articles for...well...hooks to steal. and the "adventure ideas" in the back of the campaign setting. i'm start them off with something easy now, trucking a contingent of Dhakaani warriors for mercernary work in the Shadow Marches. Something with House Tharashk. We didn't ask questions. And the rage mage is out, but we have an artificer coming in. which is always a good thing for an airship. as for the lightning rail heist, the airship won't be able to catch up to the moving train, but the ship is built so that, for a limited time, it can travel twice its speed, but it damages the binding struts, so they can't do it for long, or else the elemental breaks loose, and they will have to stop for repairs either way. and i've been looking at the crew and found it to be an eerie paralell to the crew of the Serenity -Swashbuckler: Mal Reynolds. because he's awesome. i'm not sure our dear Mr. Reynolds is able to shift his form, though. And our captain's better at swordplay (which isn't hard) -Mage: Wash. my DMPC's personality is really, really close to wash's (my favorite character on that king of all shows), except for the married to another crew member part. -Barbarian: Jayne. period. -Monk: I'll gonna to go with Zoe, here. Her mentality is monklike, all stoic and calm. but this warforged isn't "a Warrior Woman" -Cleric: Book/Simon. He's got the kind, noncombatant demeanor of Book, with the healing genius of Simon. -Artificer: Kaylee. Our artificer sees the ship as a best friend, and the elemental likes him. In fact, if it ever were freed, he could probably talk it into just lowering us down to the ground. We don't have River Tam, though. i'll find someone who likes psionics enough to play a wilder.
CrossBlade 10-29-06, 11:08 PM	the airship won't be able to catch up to the moving train Yeah, I know. That's where player ingenuity comes into play. ;) Worse case scenario, they get on the train at the station, and the airship starts off further up the line, zipping along and you have to get the timing right to pull it off so your above scenario doesn't occur. Another possiblity to happen... sometime you DO over do it, and you get grounded while people/monsters are after you, of course. Or they have to subdue the elemental without killing it, so it can be rebound to the shard. Feeding off that, how about having to transport a monster, that breaks lose... and you can't kill it either. (And halloween is coming up real fast, make it a scary monster)
Macrovore 10-30-06, 09:15 AM	like that story in Tales of the Last War, where the airship is transporting a chaos beast (i think that's what it was) that the fire elemental freed, and it sneaks around the ship killing people, and the paranoid crew throws the cleric of Onatar off. that was a really cool story.
Melvin the Mediocre 10-30-06, 12:11 PM	Well if you're going to use that quote, you might as well use a bunch of others: My favorite: Kaylee: "Wash, tell me I'm pretty." Wash: Were I not married, I would take you in a manly fashion. Kaylee: Cause I'm pretty? Wash: Cause you're pretty.
DarkPawn 10-30-06, 12:12 PM	the airship won't be able to catch up to the moving train I think you want to intercept the lightning rail first. Whether by lurking ahead of it or angling to intercept. Use a large ballista with a barbed bolt, which also has a chain attached to it. Should turn out to be one hell of a ride as the lightning rail pulls your airship along. Just watch out for tunnels.
goblin_pride 10-30-06, 12:35 PM	I think you want to intercept the lightning rail first. Whether by lurking ahead of it or angling to intercept. Use a large ballista with a barbed bolt, which also has a chain attached to it. Should turn out to be one hell of a ride as the lightning rail pulls your airship along. Just watch out for tunnels. much easier to just dig up a couple of the conductor stones, wait for the coming train wreck and hope whatever you're after doesn't get too beat up
DarkPawn 10-30-06, 12:49 PM	much easier to just dig up a couple of the conductor stones, wait for the coming train wreck and hope whatever you're after doesn't get too beat up Less damage = more profit. That tends to be my motto. ;) Also, my way leaves far less of a death toll.
goblin_pride 10-30-06, 01:01 PM	Less damage = more profit. That tends to be my motto. ;) Also, my way leaves far less of a death toll. bah, a couple months after they start their dirt nap they won't remember
Macrovore 10-30-06, 01:22 PM	much easier to just dig up a couple of the conductor stones, wait for the coming train wreck and hope whatever you're after doesn't get too beat up yeah, um, look at the first post to the thread, where it says the alignments of the party members. they're good. what good adventurer would deliberately cause a train wreck full of innocent people to rob the train? paladins of the silver flame, trying to kill a single karnnathi undead stowing away in the last car of a lightning rail, maybe, but noone else. I actually really like the "overload the engine" idea.
CrossBlade 10-30-06, 11:53 PM	I actually really like the "overload the engine" idea. Yeah, once I saw that D&D actually did airships (and not hot air ballons, or anything too close to Final Fantasy type of ones), I got instantly hooked, and my mind started racing on stuff things could be done with an airship. More ideas for you: In a downtime type of scenario, be caught in a HEAVY storm. Captain + 1 other try to keep the ship steady, 2 others try repairing things that get damaged (from lightning strikes, or blown over thens)... then be attacked by wind elementals as a shocker! (Otherwise, I can see problems extending this scenario to something fully drawn out) But, during the fight, if things are still being quickly fixed, and the ship isn't being steered, there'd have to be some MIGHTY balance checks to survive the winds, and swaying ship. Run out of supplys when they're well known and highly wanted. Will start to wish they had a druid with survival then when trying to restock on apples. :P (Or fish... or monster meat, as a last resort) After one time of picking up supplies, get a stowaway... those ones are so open ended and classic, I'll leave you to make something up (aka, I got nothing further thought up for that one, since it's so general) Have a flock of innocent, but good flying creatures take roost in an inconvient place on the ship. (It wouldn't exactly be nice to kill a flock of celestrial hawks that have taken perch on the guide fins, now would it?)
CrossBlade 10-31-06, 12:38 PM	Also just found this in the Steal This Hook section (it's my day off, and I'm bored in between chores and before errands) http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebsh/20050425a
Macrovore 11-01-06, 09:45 AM	so, so far, we have: -Rob the Lightning Rail Firefly-style. (from Crossblade) -We try to steal something someone else is trying to steal, then get double-crossed by the guy hiring us to steal it (thanks, DoveArrow) -Transport a moster that escapes en route and attacks the crew (more Crossblade) -get caught in heavy storm (geez, crossblade, you're really on a roll) -run out of supplies while wanted -stowaway on the ship -good flyers perch on ship. So, we've got several good suggestions, mostly from Crossblade (thx), and a really cool formula from DoveArrow, and lots of obligatory firefly and serenity quotes.
DaTedinator 11-05-06, 01:40 PM	Mal: I don't plan on any shooting taking place during this job. Jayne: Well, what you plan and what takes place ain't ever exactly been similar. And, as for the lack of a River, you could always go for a tweaked version of one of the hooks available for stealing (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebsh/20051121a)... The holy Keeper of the Flame, young Jaela Daran (Eberron Campaign Setting, page 206), has proclaimed that the pillar of metallic fire known as the Silver Flame must move from its historic location in Thrane. But then that's where this plan diverges from the given hook; what you do, is have her have to channel the silver flame through her body, and the PC's are hired to kidnap her; seeing as they're good, maybe have it be a conspiracy in the church to kill her, and the only way they have to save her is kidnap her. Whatever, just the result is she's on their ship with the silver flame in her, and the prolonged, innate exposure to it drives her slightly looney. :D
Macrovore 11-05-06, 01:50 PM	thus adding "the Silver Flame" to the long list of people who hate us. Wow. with all those organizations with vendettas against us, we'll pretty much have to go through the mournland pretty much every time we have to cross that way.
lordalm 11-05-06, 02:32 PM	Yeah, I know. That's where player ingenuity comes into play. ;) Worse case scenario, they get on the train at the station, and the airship starts off further up the line, zipping along and you have to get the timing right to pull it off so your above scenario doesn't occur. Another possiblity to happen... sometime you DO over do it, and you get grounded while people/monsters are after you, of course. Or they have to subdue the elemental without killing it, so it can be rebound to the shard. Feeding off that, how about having to transport a monster, that breaks lose... and you can't kill it either. (And halloween is coming up real fast, make it a scary monster) You could always grapple onto the train and have pull the airship along, of course those arcs of lightning are going to be a problem for the ropes, and the characters. I know the best kind of monsters! Goblin Children! Just ask the gnome....Running joke in our campaign is to role the gnome. Two party members got him drunk, and then ripped off everything he owned. Later he starts looting some dead bodies after an altercation that left a tower on fire in the lower levels. While the rest of the party joins the bucket birgade (and to search the burning room the bad guys were in) he gets surrounded by a group of goblin children. He casts invisibity on himself and then not one child fails to stick him with thier knives. A few d2 punctures later out goes the gnome. He never had a chance to cast another spell....Oh and then they mug him.
lordalm 11-05-06, 02:52 PM	thus adding "the Silver Flame" to the long list of people who hate us. Wow. with all those organizations with vendettas against us, we'll pretty much have to go through the mournland pretty much every time we have to cross that way. "giggles" One way trip then? Bwahawhaha!!!!
Macrovore 11-05-06, 06:28 PM	not really. we'd probably outrun LoB's giant walking city (in Road to Death). Actually, i've decided that the airship goes just as fast as the lightning rail. that should make things much easier. And we're running from gnomes, and not especially an enemy of goblins, nor will any of our pcs rob eachother (without risking dm wrath)
foolery 11-06-06, 09:52 AM	ooh ooh pick me! i know a way you can solve the problem (yes it's a problem) of not running from a horde of goblins. you can steal from my campaign, and probably several others, and have someone shoot you down (from the ground-important because later you'll have to fight them off) in the mournland.:D and then, of course, you can stay and fix your ship, but you'll have to fight off the curious little flesh-eating monsters that come to see what all the commotion is about. i gotta steal a quote.
goblin_pride 11-06-06, 07:19 PM	ooh ooh pick me! i know a way you can solve the problem (yes it's a problem) of not running from a horde of goblins. you don't have to run from goblins. Although, can we still roll the gnome?
Macrovore 11-06-06, 10:27 PM	yes. anything that can be done to mess with gnomes while maintaining a good alignment can, and will, be done.