Post/Author/DateTime	Post
A Chosen of Mystra 01-27-05, 11:15 AM	Ok... Im starting a new campaign now with my friends, and we have finished the little adventure I just had with them. And now im going to buy Spider Queen campaign, but as I'm reading through it before I start I was thinking of letting them start in a lower-level and let them play a little bit first. But I could use some good ideas/ and a place where they could start before I bring in the Spider Queen campaign... ;) --- Thx for what ever Help :D
tylerthehobo 01-27-05, 02:51 PM	I don't know where you have your characters geographically based right now, but I'd advise a few simple wilderness and dungeon crawl adventures to get them going. You'll probably want to get the Underdark book, if you haven't already. Maybe a few isolated adventures, with one or two referencing or including the drow, so that you steadily build up to getting involved in all the drow craziness in Spider Queen... Basically, you want to have the characters' exposure to the drow grow organically. Maybe a drow cleric and some fighters kidnapped the mayor's daughter... Maybe the party encounters a drow raiding party in the woods. I don't know where (if any where in particular) SQ starts out, but have the characters geographically head towards the starting point, having a few sidequests on the way. The little adventure ideas in the FRCS or in the 2e Volo's Guides or any of the 1e FR supplements will serve as good spring-boards to one-evening adventures.
Grepp the Mighty 01-27-05, 02:54 PM	Our gaming group started the Spider Queen campaign at 9 ECL. The party included the following: Cleric of Tyr Monk Rogue/Fighter Barbarian/Ranger Enchanter/Rogue My suggestion would be to start the campaign with a party of 5 at ECL 9, a party of 4 at ECL 10, or a party of 3 at ECL 12. If you are looking to prepare a party for the campaign, try having them travel to Undrek Thoz (see Underdark campaign book). This group of Drow city-states provides tons of opportunities for adventure and intrigue. Our current party originated at Undrek Thoz. The Stepfoot Inn (see Underdark campaign book) is a great starting place. Cheers! :)
A Chosen of Mystra 01-28-05, 09:03 AM	Well... Those in my group are such noobs so we are starting in lvl 1, so they just get to know their characters and I will give them some easy lvl ups. ;)
tylerthehobo 01-28-05, 10:58 AM	I might lean away from giving them easy level ups before dumping them into the Spider Queen - it is a notoriously difficult adventure. You may wish to take your time getting there.
Faraer 01-28-05, 11:15 AM	3E's level advancement is based on the idea of getting to 20th level in an average (apparently) 6-month campaign. If you don't want such a short campaign, make it slower; the low levels are such fun, and if you give them 'easy lvl ups' they'll become accustomed to that. A much better model is the Knights of Myth Drannor who are low teens in level after 20 years of the campaign. If running City of the Spider Queen is your goal, just start with high-level characters and run it, don't trivialize the game and setting and short-change your players by telescoping their careers and deciding their fates (the module) in advance. 20-year-old 15th-level characters with more cool powerz than player ability (both roleplaying and tactical) and experience are an ugly sight.
A Chosen of Mystra 01-28-05, 05:00 PM	Yeah... Because im buying the book tomorrow and im going to read through it before i start Spider Queen. And we used to whole day now to make their characters: Bard Rogue Wizard Cleric And, what im going to do is: While im reading the book at "night" prepering for the campaign im going to let these characters out one some hard quest (not to hard) and see if they can maybe make it. And if I think they are good enough we will play them into the City of the Spider Queen if they dont I will advice them to make more fighting classes maybe. I thought a little bit about the vampires in Westgate, and I know it might be a very hard quest. If you guys know a good mission around Cormyr, Cormanthor around the Dragon Coast that would be good for these characters plz reply. Because then I'll maybe use that idea. We just finished my old campaign when they got to lvl... 28 I think. Started in lvl 8. But plz inform me of any good quests for these characters. Thx ;)
CuttinCurt 01-28-05, 06:18 PM	The dragon coast is a fantastic place for adventuring. I hear the pirates there are nortorious for kidnapping young strong children and sellling them on the black market. The area south of Suzail (right on the southern corner of the dragon reach) has several small villages or towns spread along 20 miles of the coast there, I cant remember thier names, but ships in and out of those towns are mostly all pirate ships, and the locals there are very pro-pirate, so the pc's will get no help from them. (that right there can make the wrong question to the wrong person get the pc's in big trouble). Then, on one of the main pirate ships that the pc's will eventually encounter, there is a drow captain, or at minimal a wizard first mate, that can lead the group into a drow campaign as they decided that this drow pirate ship has caused enough problems in the area and must be stopped. This is assuming the characters are good. if not, the drow has many magic items of note.... Anyway, that is just one, and your pc's can choose what path to follow, especially when they encounter a family on the road to suzail in your first session that is poor and traveling there to make a better life, only to be seen later without thier son, the mother crying with her newborn daughter in her hands and the father gone. (When this happens, it can be two game sessions later, or one, but sometime within the memory of your players... Also making this family have some emotional attachment to the pc's is helpful too. Like if the pc's give them some coins, and then they hear that this family was telling everyone they met in suzail about thier generosity). Anyway, you can tie it in from there. I dont have to totally spell it out. But the family tells of thier son being kidnapped by pirates and the ship sailing out already. The father was killed when he tried to save the son, and thrown overboard later. Good Luck. CC
A Chosen of Mystra 01-29-05, 04:05 AM	Thx I've comed up with one idea over the night. They are going to start in Suzail in Cormyr. Here they will just be free for a couple of days. But then the character Bard is going to meet a guy named Lord Symrustar who was his old friend and maybe the character will agree that he played for him. And the thing that is going to happen is: Lord Symrustar have gotten a new bard to sing for him. And this Bard is really a Zhentarim Spy. Because a noble in Sembia wants his land, and therefor he has a plan of assassinating Lord Symrustar. But when he is killed the land will go over to his daugther. But they have already kidnapped his daugther and is now hidding somewhere in Suzail. And also they have heard rumours of that the Ruehar's Flue has been stolen. And the Zhentarim Spy is using this flute. And the characters now need to find Lord Symrustars daugther and save Lord Symrustar. But when the noble in Sembia start knowning of this, he will send spies after the PC's. And I want to make it a "Something-in-Between" campaign. Add a little story to that the two nobles have faught for lands many years etc... And the treasure is that the character bard will get the Flute, the rogue will get some gear from the Zhentarim Spy and the two other will maybe find some at the kidnappers house... ;) Does it sound good...? Im not going to make it too hard for the PC's :D BTW: I like the idea of pirates, and I thought a little about it, and maybe in the end when the noble knows he have lost, maybe he sells Lord Symrustar's daugther to some pirates. And maybe then the quest can have a little turn, now its going to be more fighting. Maybe he sold it to a Ghost Ship, named "The Black Pearl" :eek: :rofl:
tylerthehobo 01-29-05, 09:46 AM	I don't want to make any assumptions, but I'm curious - have your players played before? Obviously, you've DMed and written adventures! If they're hardy then I'd say your plan sounds good 'nuff. If they're noobs, you might want to start with something more straightforward - e.g. just the kidnapping plot, without the subplots. Just my take.
A Chosen of Mystra 01-29-05, 12:40 PM	I don't want to make any assumptions, but I'm curious - have your players played before? Obviously, you've DMed and written adventures! If they're hardy then I'd say your plan sounds good 'nuff. If they're noobs, you might want to start with something more straightforward - e.g. just the kidnapping plot, without the subplots. Just my take. Well... There is one in the group that have played more than me and he is very smart. And I have two other who have played D&D for a long time. But their problem is that they never play smart, so that helps me alot. They never plan adventures or anything when they go out on a mission. "Ok lets just go and kill them" No planning, no getting new items for the trip... And the last one is very noob, he has played it as much as me... But he doesn't learn, he know enough to play. But he has many noobish faults with his sheets and all that. For example. He had a Hammer of Throwing, and of course he has that on melee. But he threw it every time and then he have taken strength. That makes a me ****** sometimes. But I know what u mean, and I think it would work. But I just wanna make it clear to them that I want a good campaign with much details and let them know usefull informasjon! We have had a very deep story telling in most of my campaigns before. So I just hope that they soon understand. Atleast the noob in the group write down keywords about the quest and people we meet...
CuttinCurt 02-03-05, 04:13 PM	your plot sounds good as well, definately for a more experienced gaming group. it is hard to find players that think in character and would say to them selves, "I wonder what is really behind the problem...?" If you dont have pc's that think, then they usually walk in on things that get them killed. Your plots are intricate and subtle, having alot of behind the scenes play. If the pc's dont want to try to find out what is causing all the problems, then it will not be as fun as you might think. just a few tips. I, personally, would love to play the plot you have come up with. I gave my plot because you said they were noob's. Sometimes simplicity is best until you get the spiderqueen series. Besides, you have a long way to go before they can get there. hehe. So you can do both. perhaps the simple one at first to get thier feet wet, then go with the more intricate plotting. Thanks, CC