A race of heros [Archive] - Wizards Community

A race of heros [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Chewbacca's LightSaber
06-23-04, 12:34 PM I have an idea for a campaign that I wanted to bounce off everyone here.

Starting in Waterdeep 1372 DR. The lords of Waterdeep concerned with the ever-growing number of adventurers within their walls have devised a plan to rid their city of some of the more rambunctious elements and make money doing it.

The Plan: A race around Toril with a first prize of 100,000 gp.

The Race: Adventuring parties pay an entrance fee of 5,000 gp to compete. Leaving Waterdeep westward towards Maztica. The parties must reach 36 checkpoints by deadlines to be considered still in the running. Along the way retrieving at least 12 of 36 listed artifacts from throughout the world, of course the Lords of Waterdeep assume possession of all listed artifacts as part of the rules of the race. Also none of the listed artifacts lay along the most direct route of the race. The winner being the first party to get back to Waterdeep within three years, with 12 artifacts, and getting to all 36 check points on time. If no party does this, the City of Waterdeep keeps all the money.

The Dangers: Dungeon diving and crypt crawling galore for artifacts, other adventuring parties intent on getting artifacts the easy way (from the pc’s after they’ve done the hard work), strange and foreign cultures, en’ route side adventures, and the race itself.

A few questions…

First and most importantly, is it common knowledge in the Realms that the world is round? I mean… no one is going to go on a race if they think they’re going to fall off the edge of the world.

Second has anyone ever circumvented Toril before? The Western Ocean between Maztica and Kara-Tur is pretty damn big. Are there even ships that sail between the two continents? Could this even be done with what’s available?

Third, what about the first prize of 100,000 gp? It sounded like a nice round number to me, but is it enough to justify numerous adventuring parties (at least 30 to 40 to cover costs and make a profit for the Lords) throwing the dice on an expedition that may or may not have ever been done before? Also I was thinking the Lords would offer 25,000 gp and 10,000 gp prizes for second an third place respectfully.

Fourth, what about the unforeseen consequences on the city of Waterdeep and Toril as a whole? Like the impact on Waterdeep’s economy of up to 500 adventurers leaving all at the same time for around three years. And the impact of up to 500 rowdy adventurers traipsing though the backyards of the countries the world over? All uninvited, and all at the same time.

Feel free to offer any criticism. I want to make sure this idea is plausible enough to run.

Thanx

P.s. Before anyone asks, no I haven’t seen the new Jackie Chan movie “Around the world in 80 days”, but I have read the book by Jules Verne. There are very few if any original ideas.
jaerrod
06-23-04, 01:41 PM Toril's more exotic corners interest me too, but off hand, I can't answer your most prominent questions (ie, whether there's been a Toril equivalent of Magellan, etc). There is one problem I see with what you're proposing though...
The parties must reach 36 checkpoints by deadlines to be considered still in the running.
This scenario presupposes a couple of things, which, afaik aren't canonically accurate.

A glance at the map of Toril in the PGtF indicates that a lot of the contintents are unmapped and (depending on your interpretation) undiscovered. For the lords of Waterdeep to place representatives at 36 separate locations around the globe, they'd need maps of most of those areas (ie, the Maztican interior, the Hordelands, etc), enough time to get their representative there (which would mean they'd been planning this for up to a decade prior), and a guarantee that said representative could stay alive (problematic, since one of those continents could be entirely populated by mindflayers or something.)

That also supposes that the people of Maztica and Kara Tur would be willing to cooperate, which necessitates friendly diplomatic relationships between Waterdeep and those civilizations. The existence of the Golden Way might indicate that the Shou would go along with it, but with the exception of the Mazticans near New WD on Maztica's east coast, I'm not sure that any of the Mazticans would. If the race took a northern/southern route rather than an eastern/western one, the politics might be more workable (I'm pretty sure that Zakhara has more contact with Faerun than Kara Tur or Maztica do) but then the explorers would need to deal with thousands of miles of great glacier.

What might work would be for each group of entrants to be given some sort of scrying device rather than instructions to meet certain checkpoints. That would allow the Lords to verify that the adventurers had actually completed the circuit without having to send representatives out along the course, but would also put the Lords in the position of using the adventurers as their representaives. While the latter point might not be a problem if the Lords could verify each party's character, it could be a diplomatic nightmare if one of the groups were of the "shoot first, ask questions later" school.

It sounds like an awesome idea for a campaign though, and none of the problems I described strike me as completely breaking things for you. Good luck with it.:)
Faraer
06-23-04, 02:23 PM Circumnavigation feels to me too modern for the Realms. The world isn't as tamed, familiar, demystified as that would imply -- especially if it's not a legendary, superhuman feat but a game played for cash! That's downright nineteenth-century, like Around the World in Eighty Days and its Realms pastiche Once Around The Realms (does Volo succeed in that? it's probably apocryphal anyway). Look at the famous explorers: Balduran, who sailed past Evermeet in search of Anchorome, Dabron Sashenstar who reached Sossal, Artus Cimber who roamed the interior of Chult. It's more modest and medieval.

If it was my campaign, I'd have the Lords spread rumours of a successful expedition to Anchorome -- Ed's original archipelago, not the spurious Anchorome of the Maztica box -- bringing back great treasure.
Alac Luin
06-23-04, 02:55 PM A more realistic idea may be Around the continent.

Waterdeep north to Icewind Dale, east into the northern hordlands (say, something on the island at the Great Spire)south into Zachara(sp), west to chult, north to ? and back to waterdeep.

Prizes, paid lifetime membership to Waterdeep's mage guild, a commission into Waterdeeps military, Magic musical instruments.....
just a few ideas
dragonheart
06-23-04, 06:43 PM once around the realms sounds a lot more reasonable to me as well. Instead of checking in give each team a token linked to a map of the realms in waterdeep castle so that the lords could follow all the teams at once (can I get the betting concession on this ?:D ). The big problem is identifying the items they are to get. I can't see the lords wanting to pick items known to be possesed as taking them would constitute an troublemaking act. (of course looting old elven (and other) graves would too but the lord don't seem to have much concern for elves). of course you might specify things like Obould's skull :D which would certainly help the local politics.
Amoun
06-23-04, 07:52 PM I find the idea intruiging. Also I would suggest giving each party a little token which tracks their position but doesnt display their actions, this way the more... umm... well more sinister adventurers wouldnt mind joining in on the fun. Lastly the prize seems a bit trivial. 100,000 gp? I mean adventurers that could actually survive even 10% of the trip could make that amount in a month. The Fame would be an added bonus but still the prize doesnt seem appealing enough. If you make it like 100,000 gp and a medium-major artifact now you are talking. Hell if you do it with an artifact adventuring parties all over faerun will come to join in on the fun.

If you do go with the tracking token idea instead of the representatives add this little perk to the token, it cannot be teleported or planeshifted, if the carrier of such an item were to be teleported or planshifted the token would fall on the floor while the individual gets teleported.

If you make the parties gather 12 different "items" from each continent or what not then it becomes more interesting. Perhaps the Lords of Waterdeep need rare components for some other purposes and thus would invest considerable effort in this "adventurer ridding plan." Be creative with the different components. They could be nearly anything but make it very rare and only found in certain places.
JellyFishBrains
06-23-04, 10:34 PM yeah 100,00 is chump change. make it like 1,000,000
what happends if they just teleport there
warlockco
06-24-04, 02:28 AM As to knowing if the world is round or not. In 2E FR fully supported Spelljammer, so from that alone they (those in the know) would know the world was round.

Waterdeep was a Spelljammer port, El knew about it, Candlekeep would know about it for sure.
I think even a few cities of Cormyr participated in trade with Spelljammers.
Evermeet had facilities for the Elven Fleet.

As to the reward, even for those that were to just make a straight run around Toril without doing any real adventuring, they would likely spend 100k or more just in expenses. Ship, crew, food, and so on.
Lina_Inverse
06-24-04, 03:15 AM as stated theres 2 glareing problems.

100,000gp is nothing.imagine being offered 100,000$ for reaching 36 checkpoints on earth and looting 12 of 36 lost tombs,oh and you have to finish before some 50 other groups.

secondly teleportation,any party worth there salt is going to use greater teleport to end this race in 5 days.
Monsoon28
06-24-04, 05:09 AM The Tokens are a good Idea, have the coins enchanted with dimensional anchor and arcane mark by Khelban, this way the spells would be difficult to dispel and the arcane mark impossible to replace. Besides if the lords have a board where they could track said coins it would be very obvious when someone 'jumped' with them.

We can safely say that a number of people know the world is round thanks to Spelljamming commerce, with Waterdeep and Darromar both being port cities. (I believe this is one way Tethyr competes with Amn-Maztica and Calimshan-Zakhara trade).

I like the idea of the once around the realms/world, hope you do it and that it goes well.
Faraer
06-24-04, 10:13 AM What's this "100,000 gp is nothing"? In the new D&D it's the wealth of a 12th-13th-level character. In terms of US$ equivalency, 1 gp = ~US$20, not US$1 -- and then you're forgetting how vastly more wealthy the rich of the United States are than anyone except kings in history. And in genre terms, talking about millions is right out.
Chewbacca's LightSaber
06-24-04, 12:52 PM Wow! Thanks for all the great responses everyone.

From jaerrod

A glance at the map of Toril in the PGtF indicates that a lot of the contintents are unmapped and (depending on your interpretation) undiscovered My interpitation is undiscovered. But I think bumping into an unknown continent, or the pc's thinking they've reached Kara-Tur then discovering they haven't :rofl: could be a fun side adventure. And even though my players have seen a full map of Toril I know "they know" their characters haven't. I know they'd have fun playing out a "Columbus" as long as it didn't drag out too long.

That also supposes that the people of Maztica and Kara Tur would be willing to cooperate, which necessitates friendly diplomatic relationships between Waterdeep and those civilizations. The existence of the Golden Way might indicate that the Shou would go along with it, but with the exception of the Mazticans near New WD on Maztica's east coast, I'm not sure that any of the Mazticans would. I think part of the fun would be dealing with less than nice natives. Just ask Magellan (http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/WestEurope/Magellan.html). He had lots of fun in the Philippine Islands.

But seriously though to make the campaign work I'll need to play with the canon a little bit, and have Waterdeep expand in Maztica a little more than they have, and add a port on the west coast of the continent in 1369 DR. Say they cut at deal with the Huacli to protect them from Amn in exchange for a port near Ixit (in the bay northwest of Pulco). Though lets not get into a debate of who would win a colonial war between Amn and Waterdeep though. 8d10 xp for the coolest name for a port name.:D

What might work would be for each group of entrants to be given some sort of scrying device rather than instructions to meet certain checkpoints. That would allow the Lords to verify that the adventurers had actually completed the circuit without having to send representatives out along the course

I like this idea. I was thinking and iron medallion that turns gold for a day upon reaching a checkpoint, and then turns gold permanently after reaching all 36 checkpoints. Other posters expend on this idea and I'll get into it more further down.

From FaraerCircumnavigation feels to me too modern for the Realms. The world isn't as tamed, familiar, demystified as that would imply -- especially if it's not a legendary, superhuman feat but a game played for cash! That's downright nineteenth-century, like Around the World in Eighty Days and its Realms pastiche Once Around The Realms (does Volo succeed in that? it's probably apocryphal anyway).

I don't mean to demystify the Realms. Magellan tried pulling off this trick in our world in 1519. Only 27 years after Columbus landed in the Americas. Knowing very little of what awaited him he took of with 237 men and 5 ships, only 18 made it back in one ship. Now that's a tough DM:devil:. I think leaning towards that kind of feel makes the world a little more awe inspiring.

The whole contest for cash is to give the campaign the D&D genre feel... Small independent parties, dungeon diving for relics, and persons of fortune. D&D characters don't climb mountains because they're there... They slay dragons for hoard. And Waterdeep can justify it by saying they don't want to put all their eggs in one basket (and it's a great way to make some cash:smirk: )

From dragonheartInstead of checking in give each team a token linked to a map of the realms in Waterdeep castle so that the lords could follow all the teams at once (can I get the betting concession on this ? ).

An expansion on the tracking device idea, very cool. I'm thinking a big 30x90 foot map done as a magical mural. And sure dragonheart we'll give you all the concessions on the betting:D.

More later.
Kuje31
06-24-04, 01:04 PM Originally posted by Chewbacca's LightSaber
But seriously though to make the campaign work I'll need to play with the canon a little bit, and have Waterdeep expand in Maztica a little more than they have, and add a port on the west coast of the continent in 1369 DR. Say they cut at deal with the Huacli to protect them from Amn in exchange for a port near Ixit (in the bay northwest of Pulco). Though lets not get into a debate of who would win a colonial war between Amn and Waterdeep though. 8d10 xp for the coolest name for a port name.:D [/B]

Well New Waterdeep should be on the Maztica coast by then...... Check the Lands of Intrigue box set found for free on the link below.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/downloads
Chewbacca's LightSaber
06-24-04, 01:39 PM From AmounIf you do go with the tracking token idea instead of the representatives add this little perk to the token, it cannot be teleported or planeshifted, if the carrier of such an item were to be teleported or planshifted the token would fall on the floor while the individual gets teleported. For sure! Also I like the idea that all the contestants get a medallion, and if the wearer dies only the surviving party members can bestow it upon a new owner.

From Lina_Inverse100,000gp is nothing.imagine being offered 100,000$ for reaching 36 checkpoints on earth and looting 12 of 36 lost tombs,oh and you have to finish before some 50 other groups.& From FaraerWhat's this "100,000 gp is nothing"? In the new D&D it's the wealth of a 12th-13th-level character. In terms of US$ equivalency, 1 gp = ~US$20, not US$1 -- and then you're forgetting how vastly more wealthy the rich of the United States are than anyone except kings in history. And in genre terms, talking about millions is right out.

I'm still debating on how I feel on this one. I'm thinking of making the prize 500,000 gp and the entrance fee 5,000 gp per person. That way a huge mercenary company couldn't just through down 5,000 gp for their whole group and almost be assured of winning.

Once again thanks everyone, and feel free to keep the ideas coming. I think this going to be a fun campaign.
Alac Luin
06-24-04, 01:49 PM For the Western port on Meztica, how about going up north just a bit into the the lands of the Azuposi? In the lands claimed by the Metahel.

A new port called something like "Sun Father’s Rest" or Spider Woman bay (Sus’sistinako bay).
Sailing ships would be hard to come by, as this port has only been active for 2 years or so, so booking pasage west to Kara-Tur would force several of the adventuring bands to be abord the same ship at the same time.
Lina_Inverse
06-26-04, 11:19 PM Originally posted by Faraer
What's this "100,000 gp is nothing"? In the new D&D it's the wealth of a 12th-13th-level character. In terms of US$ equivalency, 1 gp = ~US$20, not US$1 -- and then you're forgetting how vastly more wealthy the rich of the United States are than anyone except kings in history. And in genre terms, talking about millions is right out.

where does it say 1gp=20US dollars.no where,the ONLY conversion ive EVER seen was an old 2e dragon mag that used 1gp=10us dollars,but that was based on 1800s currency.considering inflation and how much money peasents make in d&d 3e it seems about right.

and properly its 25kgp.you need to divide by the number of charecters.and the reward isnt the primary problem,its greater teleport.
Chewbacca's LightSaber
06-27-04, 12:08 AM Originally posted by Lina_Inverse

and properly its 25kgp.you need to divide by the number of charecters.and the reward isnt the primary problem,its greater teleport. I figured this this suggestion would solve that problem... If you do go with the tracking token idea instead of the representatives add this little perk to the token, it cannot be teleported or planeshifted, if the carrier of such an item were to be teleported or planshifted the token would fall on the floor while the individual gets teleported. along with this one... The Tokens are a good Idea, have the coins enchanted with dimensional anchor and arcane mark by Khelban, this way the spells would be difficult to dispel and the arcane mark impossible to replace. Besides if the lords have a board where they could track said coins it would be very obvious when someone 'jumped' with them.
Brahzs M'ahnkei
06-27-04, 05:17 PM I really like this idea and if you ever finish it, I think you should try and publish it (or at least send me a copy! :D). I envision a 1st- 20th level campaign that introduces the PCs to the Realms as a whole. What better way to introduce somebody to the game? It sounds like it would be a lot of fun.

As for me, I would suggest having the participants gather non-magical-yet-hard-to-find items and/or spell componants from the various places that you want them to go to, rather than actual artifacts. As for the reward I agree that it should be substancial (100K _does_ seem a little low, but not too much- I like 500 K better), but don't forget to include "whatever treasure may be found along the way" or something like that, and a "Lifetime membership to the Waterdeep Swim, Tennis & Country Club."

Yeah, that membership ought to hook 'em right in!

;)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Chewbacca's LightSaber 06-23-04, 12:34 PM	I have an idea for a campaign that I wanted to bounce off everyone here. Starting in Waterdeep 1372 DR. The lords of Waterdeep concerned with the ever-growing number of adventurers within their walls have devised a plan to rid their city of some of the more rambunctious elements and make money doing it. The Plan: A race around Toril with a first prize of 100,000 gp. The Race: Adventuring parties pay an entrance fee of 5,000 gp to compete. Leaving Waterdeep westward towards Maztica. The parties must reach 36 checkpoints by deadlines to be considered still in the running. Along the way retrieving at least 12 of 36 listed artifacts from throughout the world, of course the Lords of Waterdeep assume possession of all listed artifacts as part of the rules of the race. Also none of the listed artifacts lay along the most direct route of the race. The winner being the first party to get back to Waterdeep within three years, with 12 artifacts, and getting to all 36 check points on time. If no party does this, the City of Waterdeep keeps all the money. The Dangers: Dungeon diving and crypt crawling galore for artifacts, other adventuring parties intent on getting artifacts the easy way (from the pc’s after they’ve done the hard work), strange and foreign cultures, en’ route side adventures, and the race itself. A few questions… First and most importantly, is it common knowledge in the Realms that the world is round? I mean… no one is going to go on a race if they think they’re going to fall off the edge of the world. Second has anyone ever circumvented Toril before? The Western Ocean between Maztica and Kara-Tur is pretty damn big. Are there even ships that sail between the two continents? Could this even be done with what’s available? Third, what about the first prize of 100,000 gp? It sounded like a nice round number to me, but is it enough to justify numerous adventuring parties (at least 30 to 40 to cover costs and make a profit for the Lords) throwing the dice on an expedition that may or may not have ever been done before? Also I was thinking the Lords would offer 25,000 gp and 10,000 gp prizes for second an third place respectfully. Fourth, what about the unforeseen consequences on the city of Waterdeep and Toril as a whole? Like the impact on Waterdeep’s economy of up to 500 adventurers leaving all at the same time for around three years. And the impact of up to 500 rowdy adventurers traipsing though the backyards of the countries the world over? All uninvited, and all at the same time. Feel free to offer any criticism. I want to make sure this idea is plausible enough to run. Thanx P.s. Before anyone asks, no I haven’t seen the new Jackie Chan movie “Around the world in 80 days”, but I have read the book by Jules Verne. There are very few if any original ideas.
jaerrod 06-23-04, 01:41 PM	Toril's more exotic corners interest me too, but off hand, I can't answer your most prominent questions (ie, whether there's been a Toril equivalent of Magellan, etc). There is one problem I see with what you're proposing though... The parties must reach 36 checkpoints by deadlines to be considered still in the running. This scenario presupposes a couple of things, which, afaik aren't canonically accurate. A glance at the map of Toril in the PGtF indicates that a lot of the contintents are unmapped and (depending on your interpretation) undiscovered. For the lords of Waterdeep to place representatives at 36 separate locations around the globe, they'd need maps of most of those areas (ie, the Maztican interior, the Hordelands, etc), enough time to get their representative there (which would mean they'd been planning this for up to a decade prior), and a guarantee that said representative could stay alive (problematic, since one of those continents could be entirely populated by mindflayers or something.) That also supposes that the people of Maztica and Kara Tur would be willing to cooperate, which necessitates friendly diplomatic relationships between Waterdeep and those civilizations. The existence of the Golden Way might indicate that the Shou would go along with it, but with the exception of the Mazticans near New WD on Maztica's east coast, I'm not sure that any of the Mazticans would. If the race took a northern/southern route rather than an eastern/western one, the politics might be more workable (I'm pretty sure that Zakhara has more contact with Faerun than Kara Tur or Maztica do) but then the explorers would need to deal with thousands of miles of great glacier. What might work would be for each group of entrants to be given some sort of scrying device rather than instructions to meet certain checkpoints. That would allow the Lords to verify that the adventurers had actually completed the circuit without having to send representatives out along the course, but would also put the Lords in the position of using the adventurers as their representaives. While the latter point might not be a problem if the Lords could verify each party's character, it could be a diplomatic nightmare if one of the groups were of the "shoot first, ask questions later" school. It sounds like an awesome idea for a campaign though, and none of the problems I described strike me as completely breaking things for you. Good luck with it.:)
Faraer 06-23-04, 02:23 PM	Circumnavigation feels to me too modern for the Realms. The world isn't as tamed, familiar, demystified as that would imply -- especially if it's not a legendary, superhuman feat but a game played for cash! That's downright nineteenth-century, like Around the World in Eighty Days and its Realms pastiche Once Around The Realms (does Volo succeed in that? it's probably apocryphal anyway). Look at the famous explorers: Balduran, who sailed past Evermeet in search of Anchorome, Dabron Sashenstar who reached Sossal, Artus Cimber who roamed the interior of Chult. It's more modest and medieval. If it was my campaign, I'd have the Lords spread rumours of a successful expedition to Anchorome -- Ed's original archipelago, not the spurious Anchorome of the Maztica box -- bringing back great treasure.
Alac Luin 06-23-04, 02:55 PM	A more realistic idea may be Around the continent. Waterdeep north to Icewind Dale, east into the northern hordlands (say, something on the island at the Great Spire)south into Zachara(sp), west to chult, north to ? and back to waterdeep. Prizes, paid lifetime membership to Waterdeep's mage guild, a commission into Waterdeeps military, Magic musical instruments..... just a few ideas
dragonheart 06-23-04, 06:43 PM	once around the realms sounds a lot more reasonable to me as well. Instead of checking in give each team a token linked to a map of the realms in waterdeep castle so that the lords could follow all the teams at once (can I get the betting concession on this ?:D ). The big problem is identifying the items they are to get. I can't see the lords wanting to pick items known to be possesed as taking them would constitute an troublemaking act. (of course looting old elven (and other) graves would too but the lord don't seem to have much concern for elves). of course you might specify things like Obould's skull :D which would certainly help the local politics.
Amoun 06-23-04, 07:52 PM	I find the idea intruiging. Also I would suggest giving each party a little token which tracks their position but doesnt display their actions, this way the more... umm... well more sinister adventurers wouldnt mind joining in on the fun. Lastly the prize seems a bit trivial. 100,000 gp? I mean adventurers that could actually survive even 10% of the trip could make that amount in a month. The Fame would be an added bonus but still the prize doesnt seem appealing enough. If you make it like 100,000 gp and a medium-major artifact now you are talking. Hell if you do it with an artifact adventuring parties all over faerun will come to join in on the fun. If you do go with the tracking token idea instead of the representatives add this little perk to the token, it cannot be teleported or planeshifted, if the carrier of such an item were to be teleported or planshifted the token would fall on the floor while the individual gets teleported. If you make the parties gather 12 different "items" from each continent or what not then it becomes more interesting. Perhaps the Lords of Waterdeep need rare components for some other purposes and thus would invest considerable effort in this "adventurer ridding plan." Be creative with the different components. They could be nearly anything but make it very rare and only found in certain places.
JellyFishBrains 06-23-04, 10:34 PM	yeah 100,00 is chump change. make it like 1,000,000 what happends if they just teleport there
warlockco 06-24-04, 02:28 AM	As to knowing if the world is round or not. In 2E FR fully supported Spelljammer, so from that alone they (those in the know) would know the world was round. Waterdeep was a Spelljammer port, El knew about it, Candlekeep would know about it for sure. I think even a few cities of Cormyr participated in trade with Spelljammers. Evermeet had facilities for the Elven Fleet. As to the reward, even for those that were to just make a straight run around Toril without doing any real adventuring, they would likely spend 100k or more just in expenses. Ship, crew, food, and so on.
Lina_Inverse 06-24-04, 03:15 AM	as stated theres 2 glareing problems. 100,000gp is nothing.imagine being offered 100,000$ for reaching 36 checkpoints on earth and looting 12 of 36 lost tombs,oh and you have to finish before some 50 other groups. secondly teleportation,any party worth there salt is going to use greater teleport to end this race in 5 days.
Monsoon28 06-24-04, 05:09 AM	The Tokens are a good Idea, have the coins enchanted with dimensional anchor and arcane mark by Khelban, this way the spells would be difficult to dispel and the arcane mark impossible to replace. Besides if the lords have a board where they could track said coins it would be very obvious when someone 'jumped' with them. We can safely say that a number of people know the world is round thanks to Spelljamming commerce, with Waterdeep and Darromar both being port cities. (I believe this is one way Tethyr competes with Amn-Maztica and Calimshan-Zakhara trade). I like the idea of the once around the realms/world, hope you do it and that it goes well.
Faraer 06-24-04, 10:13 AM	What's this "100,000 gp is nothing"? In the new D&D it's the wealth of a 12th-13th-level character. In terms of US$ equivalency, 1 gp = ~US$20, not US$1 -- and then you're forgetting how vastly more wealthy the rich of the United States are than anyone except kings in history. And in genre terms, talking about millions is right out.
Chewbacca's LightSaber 06-24-04, 12:52 PM	Wow! Thanks for all the great responses everyone. From jaerrod A glance at the map of Toril in the PGtF indicates that a lot of the contintents are unmapped and (depending on your interpretation) undiscovered My interpitation is undiscovered. But I think bumping into an unknown continent, or the pc's thinking they've reached Kara-Tur then discovering they haven't :rofl: could be a fun side adventure. And even though my players have seen a full map of Toril I know "they know" their characters haven't. I know they'd have fun playing out a "Columbus" as long as it didn't drag out too long. That also supposes that the people of Maztica and Kara Tur would be willing to cooperate, which necessitates friendly diplomatic relationships between Waterdeep and those civilizations. The existence of the Golden Way might indicate that the Shou would go along with it, but with the exception of the Mazticans near New WD on Maztica's east coast, I'm not sure that any of the Mazticans would. I think part of the fun would be dealing with less than nice natives. Just ask Magellan (http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/WestEurope/Magellan.html). He had lots of fun in the Philippine Islands. But seriously though to make the campaign work I'll need to play with the canon a little bit, and have Waterdeep expand in Maztica a little more than they have, and add a port on the west coast of the continent in 1369 DR. Say they cut at deal with the Huacli to protect them from Amn in exchange for a port near Ixit (in the bay northwest of Pulco). Though lets not get into a debate of who would win a colonial war between Amn and Waterdeep though. 8d10 xp for the coolest name for a port name.:D What might work would be for each group of entrants to be given some sort of scrying device rather than instructions to meet certain checkpoints. That would allow the Lords to verify that the adventurers had actually completed the circuit without having to send representatives out along the course I like this idea. I was thinking and iron medallion that turns gold for a day upon reaching a checkpoint, and then turns gold permanently after reaching all 36 checkpoints. Other posters expend on this idea and I'll get into it more further down. From FaraerCircumnavigation feels to me too modern for the Realms. The world isn't as tamed, familiar, demystified as that would imply -- especially if it's not a legendary, superhuman feat but a game played for cash! That's downright nineteenth-century, like Around the World in Eighty Days and its Realms pastiche Once Around The Realms (does Volo succeed in that? it's probably apocryphal anyway). I don't mean to demystify the Realms. Magellan tried pulling off this trick in our world in 1519. Only 27 years after Columbus landed in the Americas. Knowing very little of what awaited him he took of with 237 men and 5 ships, only 18 made it back in one ship. Now that's a tough DM:devil:. I think leaning towards that kind of feel makes the world a little more awe inspiring. The whole contest for cash is to give the campaign the D&D genre feel... Small independent parties, dungeon diving for relics, and persons of fortune. D&D characters don't climb mountains because they're there... They slay dragons for hoard. And Waterdeep can justify it by saying they don't want to put all their eggs in one basket (and it's a great way to make some cash:smirk: ) From dragonheartInstead of checking in give each team a token linked to a map of the realms in Waterdeep castle so that the lords could follow all the teams at once (can I get the betting concession on this ? ). An expansion on the tracking device idea, very cool. I'm thinking a big 30x90 foot map done as a magical mural. And sure dragonheart we'll give you all the concessions on the betting:D. More later.
Kuje31 06-24-04, 01:04 PM	Originally posted by Chewbacca's LightSaber But seriously though to make the campaign work I'll need to play with the canon a little bit, and have Waterdeep expand in Maztica a little more than they have, and add a port on the west coast of the continent in 1369 DR. Say they cut at deal with the Huacli to protect them from Amn in exchange for a port near Ixit (in the bay northwest of Pulco). Though lets not get into a debate of who would win a colonial war between Amn and Waterdeep though. 8d10 xp for the coolest name for a port name.:D [/B] Well New Waterdeep should be on the Maztica coast by then...... Check the Lands of Intrigue box set found for free on the link below. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/downloads
Chewbacca's LightSaber 06-24-04, 01:39 PM	From AmounIf you do go with the tracking token idea instead of the representatives add this little perk to the token, it cannot be teleported or planeshifted, if the carrier of such an item were to be teleported or planshifted the token would fall on the floor while the individual gets teleported. For sure! Also I like the idea that all the contestants get a medallion, and if the wearer dies only the surviving party members can bestow it upon a new owner. From Lina_Inverse100,000gp is nothing.imagine being offered 100,000$ for reaching 36 checkpoints on earth and looting 12 of 36 lost tombs,oh and you have to finish before some 50 other groups.& From FaraerWhat's this "100,000 gp is nothing"? In the new D&D it's the wealth of a 12th-13th-level character. In terms of US$ equivalency, 1 gp = ~US$20, not US$1 -- and then you're forgetting how vastly more wealthy the rich of the United States are than anyone except kings in history. And in genre terms, talking about millions is right out. I'm still debating on how I feel on this one. I'm thinking of making the prize 500,000 gp and the entrance fee 5,000 gp per person. That way a huge mercenary company couldn't just through down 5,000 gp for their whole group and almost be assured of winning. Once again thanks everyone, and feel free to keep the ideas coming. I think this going to be a fun campaign.
Alac Luin 06-24-04, 01:49 PM	For the Western port on Meztica, how about going up north just a bit into the the lands of the Azuposi? In the lands claimed by the Metahel. A new port called something like "Sun Father’s Rest" or Spider Woman bay (Sus’sistinako bay). Sailing ships would be hard to come by, as this port has only been active for 2 years or so, so booking pasage west to Kara-Tur would force several of the adventuring bands to be abord the same ship at the same time.
Lina_Inverse 06-26-04, 11:19 PM	Originally posted by Faraer What's this "100,000 gp is nothing"? In the new D&D it's the wealth of a 12th-13th-level character. In terms of US$ equivalency, 1 gp = ~US$20, not US$1 -- and then you're forgetting how vastly more wealthy the rich of the United States are than anyone except kings in history. And in genre terms, talking about millions is right out. where does it say 1gp=20US dollars.no where,the ONLY conversion ive EVER seen was an old 2e dragon mag that used 1gp=10us dollars,but that was based on 1800s currency.considering inflation and how much money peasents make in d&d 3e it seems about right. and properly its 25kgp.you need to divide by the number of charecters.and the reward isnt the primary problem,its greater teleport.
Chewbacca's LightSaber 06-27-04, 12:08 AM	Originally posted by Lina_Inverse and properly its 25kgp.you need to divide by the number of charecters.and the reward isnt the primary problem,its greater teleport. I figured this this suggestion would solve that problem... If you do go with the tracking token idea instead of the representatives add this little perk to the token, it cannot be teleported or planeshifted, if the carrier of such an item were to be teleported or planshifted the token would fall on the floor while the individual gets teleported. along with this one... The Tokens are a good Idea, have the coins enchanted with dimensional anchor and arcane mark by Khelban, this way the spells would be difficult to dispel and the arcane mark impossible to replace. Besides if the lords have a board where they could track said coins it would be very obvious when someone 'jumped' with them.
Brahzs M'ahnkei 06-27-04, 05:17 PM	I really like this idea and if you ever finish it, I think you should try and publish it (or at least send me a copy! :D). I envision a 1st- 20th level campaign that introduces the PCs to the Realms as a whole. What better way to introduce somebody to the game? It sounds like it would be a lot of fun. As for me, I would suggest having the participants gather non-magical-yet-hard-to-find items and/or spell componants from the various places that you want them to go to, rather than actual artifacts. As for the reward I agree that it should be substancial (100K _does_ seem a little low, but not too much- I like 500 K better), but don't forget to include "whatever treasure may be found along the way" or something like that, and a "Lifetime membership to the Waterdeep Swim, Tennis & Country Club." Yeah, that membership ought to hook 'em right in! ;)