High Level Adventures in Eberron? [Archive] - Wizards Community

High Level Adventures in Eberron? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Myrddin Wyllt
01-18-06, 02:12 AM Been thinking about doing a return to some semi-retired characters for my players. Looking for some interesting Eberron-ish higher level challenges for them. Most of these characters are, shall we say, of ambiguous morality already, so pushing them to do ill is easier than it should be. A Necromancer, renegade Monk, a Warforged Artificer, and a Priest of the Blood of Vol were the characters. I may allow them to switch out some others from other urban campaigns in times past, but probably not.

I was thinking about something related to one of the myriad hooks in the core info, but fighting the Emerald Claw seems against their nature.

As for the main story line, I would like to see them tied up in a three way power struggle over Karrn, as King Kaius tugs one string (the Priest is a decorated war hero), the Claw tugs another (the Necromancer), and perhaps put some pressure on the Artificer via Arcanix or the Twelve (loose ties there), but no idea how to hook the Monk, who's superficially a Sov. Host worshipper but more of a self-improvement aesthetic in reality.

What I'm really looking for is interesting mini-plot challenges to face off against experienced players with 10+ level characters in a high-fantasy setting like Eberron. Not quite epic, but certainly beyond most of the published adventures, ya?

Love to hear your input...
MarkB
01-18-06, 05:30 AM There's a link in my sig to a short adventure for 11th-level Eberron characters, featuring lots of cultists and fiends.

For a more evil-oriented game, how about having your party summoned by the Daughters of Sora Kell (if I'm remembering that name correctly) to perform a task for them for lucrative reward. Adventuring in Droaam should be enough to challenge a mid-level party.
DargonSwift
01-18-06, 08:01 AM ...A Necromancer, renegade Monk, a Warforged Artificer, and a Priest of the Blood of Vol were the characters. I may allow them to switch out some others from other urban campaigns in times past, but probably not.

The party or someone near them comes into possession of a Siberys crystal shard. The shard is actually a loreshard, one of the kind used by dragons to store information. By staring into its depths and concentrating, any spellcaster can activate it, displaying the information held within as a glowing pillar of golden runes that anyone nearby can see. The party, or another source, so happens to activate it in public (in view of many groups, including the party), by accident. The pillar's draconic runes speak of an ancient couatl relic stored in a vault beneath Krezent in the Blade Desert. If the translation is correct, this relic grants the wielder some power over the Silver Flame; possibly the power to 'move' the flame at Flamekeep in Thrane. Naturally, Kaius and Vol would dearly love to get their hands on it, just as would the Church of the Silver Flame and the Lords of Dust. Naturally, the Feathered Servants aren't likely to just part with it. Disturbing the relic may also release a powerful fiend or draw the wrath of the dragons.
Myrddin Wyllt
01-18-06, 08:27 PM There's a link in my sig to a short adventure for 11th-level Eberron characters, featuring lots of cultists and fiends.

Ah, thanks, but I have already run your excellent adventure (it was the culmination of the last campaign). It was an outstanding plot, although I must admit I took many liberties with the staffing of the cultists. I added several additional baddies, and gave them things like a pair of destrechans for early warning, and a WF titan...when you already have the miniatures, it's not worth it not to use them. My hook: the party didn't want that kind of evil competition...

The party is already about 11th level, so I'm looking for higher level challenges now. DargonSwift's shard idea is an excellent one, and might start them into an "on the run" style of game that could pique my player's interests. I haven't run anything like that in a long time. Letting them become fugitives, wanted by several different sects, might be interesting.

Any adventures that have been 'ported into Eberron for higher level characters that have worked out well for y'all?
MarkB
01-19-06, 05:47 AM Ah, thanks, but I have already run your excellent adventure (it was the culmination of the last campaign). It was an outstanding plot, although I must admit I took many liberties with the staffing of the cultists. I added several additional baddies, and gave them things like a pair of destrechans for early warning, and a WF titan...when you already have the miniatures, it's not worth it not to use them. My hook: the party didn't want that kind of evil competition...
Excellent, I'm glad that went well for you.

The party is already about 11th level, so I'm looking for higher level challenges now. DargonSwift's shard idea is an excellent one, and might start them into an "on the run" style of game that could pique my player's interests. I haven't run anything like that in a long time. Letting them become fugitives, wanted by several different sects, might be interesting.

Any adventures that have been 'ported into Eberron for higher level characters that have worked out well for y'all?
There's the adventure I ran just prior to building Broken Bonds, and which inspired it in some ways. It's also aimed at 11th level characters.

Flow of Fresh Brains (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20050520a) is an adventure that was released as a web enhancement for Lords of Madness. I don't have LoM, but I liked the adventure, so I adapted it to Eberron. I made the following changes:

The adventure concerns a colony of Mind Flayers living quietly on an asteroid in deep space, who subcontract to gangs of kidnappers and bandits on the prime material plane to provide them with humanoids as sustenance. The adventure doesn't take the party to the colony, but does bring them aboard a Nautiloid spelljamming ship en route to the colony.

I adapted this to Eberron by having the nautiloid ship be a cross-planar troopship that arrived from Xoriat right at the end of the Daelkyr war, just before Xoriat was thrown off its planar axis. With their masters imprisoned and nowhere to return to, the mind flayers aboard took their ship out of Eberron before it was detected, and retreated to the far side of Eberron's largest moon, where they have set up a colony and are biding their time until the Daelkyr emerge once more. As in the original scenario, they use bandits within Khorvaire to procure food for them.

In the scenario itself, I only had to make one change. The mind flayers had provided the bandits with illithoid beasts from LoM as guard creatures. Since I didn't have LoM, I replaced those creatures with Shadow Mastiffs which the mind flayers had procured from Dolurrh. It worked well. Of course, if you do have LoM, go ahead and use the creatures as written.

It should be simple enough to adapt the plot hooks to your party. I suggest having the bandits kidnap somebody who had important information for the party.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Myrddin Wyllt 01-18-06, 02:12 AM	Been thinking about doing a return to some semi-retired characters for my players. Looking for some interesting Eberron-ish higher level challenges for them. Most of these characters are, shall we say, of ambiguous morality already, so pushing them to do ill is easier than it should be. A Necromancer, renegade Monk, a Warforged Artificer, and a Priest of the Blood of Vol were the characters. I may allow them to switch out some others from other urban campaigns in times past, but probably not. I was thinking about something related to one of the myriad hooks in the core info, but fighting the Emerald Claw seems against their nature. As for the main story line, I would like to see them tied up in a three way power struggle over Karrn, as King Kaius tugs one string (the Priest is a decorated war hero), the Claw tugs another (the Necromancer), and perhaps put some pressure on the Artificer via Arcanix or the Twelve (loose ties there), but no idea how to hook the Monk, who's superficially a Sov. Host worshipper but more of a self-improvement aesthetic in reality. What I'm really looking for is interesting mini-plot challenges to face off against experienced players with 10+ level characters in a high-fantasy setting like Eberron. Not quite epic, but certainly beyond most of the published adventures, ya? Love to hear your input...
MarkB 01-18-06, 05:30 AM	There's a link in my sig to a short adventure for 11th-level Eberron characters, featuring lots of cultists and fiends. For a more evil-oriented game, how about having your party summoned by the Daughters of Sora Kell (if I'm remembering that name correctly) to perform a task for them for lucrative reward. Adventuring in Droaam should be enough to challenge a mid-level party.
DargonSwift 01-18-06, 08:01 AM	...A Necromancer, renegade Monk, a Warforged Artificer, and a Priest of the Blood of Vol were the characters. I may allow them to switch out some others from other urban campaigns in times past, but probably not. The party or someone near them comes into possession of a Siberys crystal shard. The shard is actually a loreshard, one of the kind used by dragons to store information. By staring into its depths and concentrating, any spellcaster can activate it, displaying the information held within as a glowing pillar of golden runes that anyone nearby can see. The party, or another source, so happens to activate it in public (in view of many groups, including the party), by accident. The pillar's draconic runes speak of an ancient couatl relic stored in a vault beneath Krezent in the Blade Desert. If the translation is correct, this relic grants the wielder some power over the Silver Flame; possibly the power to 'move' the flame at Flamekeep in Thrane. Naturally, Kaius and Vol would dearly love to get their hands on it, just as would the Church of the Silver Flame and the Lords of Dust. Naturally, the Feathered Servants aren't likely to just part with it. Disturbing the relic may also release a powerful fiend or draw the wrath of the dragons.
Myrddin Wyllt 01-18-06, 08:27 PM	There's a link in my sig to a short adventure for 11th-level Eberron characters, featuring lots of cultists and fiends. Ah, thanks, but I have already run your excellent adventure (it was the culmination of the last campaign). It was an outstanding plot, although I must admit I took many liberties with the staffing of the cultists. I added several additional baddies, and gave them things like a pair of destrechans for early warning, and a WF titan...when you already have the miniatures, it's not worth it not to use them. My hook: the party didn't want that kind of evil competition... The party is already about 11th level, so I'm looking for higher level challenges now. DargonSwift's shard idea is an excellent one, and might start them into an "on the run" style of game that could pique my player's interests. I haven't run anything like that in a long time. Letting them become fugitives, wanted by several different sects, might be interesting. Any adventures that have been 'ported into Eberron for higher level characters that have worked out well for y'all?
MarkB 01-19-06, 05:47 AM	Ah, thanks, but I have already run your excellent adventure (it was the culmination of the last campaign). It was an outstanding plot, although I must admit I took many liberties with the staffing of the cultists. I added several additional baddies, and gave them things like a pair of destrechans for early warning, and a WF titan...when you already have the miniatures, it's not worth it not to use them. My hook: the party didn't want that kind of evil competition... Excellent, I'm glad that went well for you. The party is already about 11th level, so I'm looking for higher level challenges now. DargonSwift's shard idea is an excellent one, and might start them into an "on the run" style of game that could pique my player's interests. I haven't run anything like that in a long time. Letting them become fugitives, wanted by several different sects, might be interesting. Any adventures that have been 'ported into Eberron for higher level characters that have worked out well for y'all? There's the adventure I ran just prior to building Broken Bonds, and which inspired it in some ways. It's also aimed at 11th level characters. Flow of Fresh Brains (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20050520a) is an adventure that was released as a web enhancement for Lords of Madness. I don't have LoM, but I liked the adventure, so I adapted it to Eberron. I made the following changes: The adventure concerns a colony of Mind Flayers living quietly on an asteroid in deep space, who subcontract to gangs of kidnappers and bandits on the prime material plane to provide them with humanoids as sustenance. The adventure doesn't take the party to the colony, but does bring them aboard a Nautiloid spelljamming ship en route to the colony. I adapted this to Eberron by having the nautiloid ship be a cross-planar troopship that arrived from Xoriat right at the end of the Daelkyr war, just before Xoriat was thrown off its planar axis. With their masters imprisoned and nowhere to return to, the mind flayers aboard took their ship out of Eberron before it was detected, and retreated to the far side of Eberron's largest moon, where they have set up a colony and are biding their time until the Daelkyr emerge once more. As in the original scenario, they use bandits within Khorvaire to procure food for them. In the scenario itself, I only had to make one change. The mind flayers had provided the bandits with illithoid beasts from LoM as guard creatures. Since I didn't have LoM, I replaced those creatures with Shadow Mastiffs which the mind flayers had procured from Dolurrh. It worked well. Of course, if you do have LoM, go ahead and use the creatures as written. It should be simple enough to adapt the plot hooks to your party. I suggest having the bandits kidnap somebody who had important information for the party.