Waterdeep Starting point [Archive] - Wizards Community

Waterdeep Starting point [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Horathgar
03-10-05, 09:26 AM Task: I'm creating a Waterdeep Campaign, and i need input. Any ideas at ALL will help.

Conditions: I know generally its easy to come up with a campaign starting in Waterdeep, being that its the largest city in the realms and all. However a few of my players are first timers to D&D itself, much less FR. I'm stuck in Iraq, so i figure i'd use the powers of my captive audience and show 'em the DM hiding in the uniform. Heh. Anyway, the part so far is as follows:

-male human ranger (CN), from calimshan, a desert noble who's honor and pride is stolen from him when one of his slaves escapes. He's the patron of the deity of travel (don't remember off of the top of my head, i'll look into it in a bit). This character i've worked with the most, but has yet to create a name.

-male dwarven fighter (LN), whom basically is running a bourne identity thing, wakes up on the shores of waterdeep, and doesn't know where he's from or what he's doing there.

-male half-orc sorcerer, don't have the faintest idea of his story yet. i just heard about him a very short time ago. and i'll have to work with him this saturday to enrich this persons story

-male human paladin, again, no story, nothing.

Standards: to create a party and get them together without making it feel hoakey, or a "You are in a bar/Tavern" which make stereotypes so powerful these days. I have little to work with at this point, I just need an idea on how to get them all in the same place, and how to get them all in the same direction. Any exteranious hooks and plot ideas would be useful. I'm sure i'll have more of the story to follow when i've got more info on the two characters which are basically blank pages.

I appreciate any help given, and will check in from time to time. This campaign starts the 11th of March, basically tomorrow. So the sooner the better.
Kuje31
03-10-05, 12:03 PM I always liked the City of Splendors starting hook. Have them all be in the same neighborhood, which was detailed in that box set, and they could all know each other.....

Guess that's not much help...... Maybe they could all be summoned by the Open Lord for reasons only he knows and the Watch/Guard asks the PC's to accompany them to the palace.

Hells maybe they all heard something about Undermountain and they wanted to explore it so they came to the city for various reasons. :)
ericlboyd
03-10-05, 12:14 PM This hook won't work with your first character, but you might find it helpful if you change things around a bit.

One quirk of Waterdeep's laws is that you can bring slaves into the city, but they aren't slaves while they are there. Imagine all your PCs are recently acquired slaves of a bloated Calishite pasha. In his arrogance, the Calishite pasha travels to Waterdeep, unaware of the local laws and customs or incapable of imagining that such laws apply to him. Your players, of course, are enslaved bodyguards of the Calishite, who figure out that they can simply walk away while the Calishite is "otherwise engaged" at the Purple Palace.

Alternatively, the Calishite is a slaver and his slave ship from Luskan is badly damaged en route to Calimshan. In desperation, the slave ship makes port in Waterdeep, and the pesky customs inspector kindly informs the slaves that they are of course free to walk away at any time while in the city while the ship makes repairs.

Lacking much in the way of equipment or money, the ex-slaves decide to seek their fortune in the city together. Of course, the Calishite pasha/slaver is enraged at their temerity, and spares no expense hiring thugs and bounty hunters in Dock Ward's worst taverns to hunt them down.

--Eric
Mystery Man
03-10-05, 12:40 PM Mr. Boyd I'd like to borrow your brain for the weekend if that's ok?
ClobberinTime
03-10-05, 02:03 PM Well maybe the first character is employed by the pasha, and the other three are slaves. he is not cruel but firm, and the slaves hate him way less than the pasha, for him this is just a job.

When the other three characters walk away in waterdeep the ranger is fired for, and humilitated for, not knowing the customs of waterdeep that freed his charges.

The three former slaves meet up with him and show mercy on him by letting him join their little band as an equal. Maybe they see him getting robbed, and the paladin decides they have to try and save him regardless of their past together.

What a great tavern story they could tell about how the ranger once owned them, etc....
Horathgar
03-11-05, 06:29 AM I like the idea of the pasha not being aware of the rules of Waterdeep and the loss of power over a slave within the city. I don't really intend on making a player a slave, i MIGHT toss that upon the dwarf that doesn't know whats going on. But its usually not in a dwarf to be taken slaves, they'd rather fight to the death than be chained as a slave.

Also if the slave stays in the city the whole time. The hook dies there, being that the slaver knows where the slave is, and cannot tell him to leave the city to return him to Calimshan.

VERY VERY good input although.

I've been tossing around the idea of putting something in the dwarves storyline like a demon possessed weapon or something, so he'll black out and wake up in some strange place, covered in blood, or half drown, you get the idea. Sorta tyler durden from fight club. of course the dwarf has no idea of this. (enter paladin, drawn to a large evil that he can't really seem to find, because the demon hides inside an item).

Orc sorcerer...thats a toughie. I'm sure i could come up with SOMETHING.

still the slaver is a problem tying them all together. keep 'em coming, thanks for the input on the slave laws in waterdeep. I'll need to research a bit more on this.

Of course i'm thinking the demon will either be scaled down, or they'll just meet him at a later date. I've also been thinking of side plots that could involve the demon, i'm thinking the demon or at least his minions are poisoning small hamlets with an addictive drug that makes people into like mindless zombie types that'll willingly be sacrificed to the demonic cause, but only after they've been given a key phrase to lock in on. kinda like the manchurian candidate.

Rath

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Horathgar 03-10-05, 09:26 AM	Task: I'm creating a Waterdeep Campaign, and i need input. Any ideas at ALL will help. Conditions: I know generally its easy to come up with a campaign starting in Waterdeep, being that its the largest city in the realms and all. However a few of my players are first timers to D&D itself, much less FR. I'm stuck in Iraq, so i figure i'd use the powers of my captive audience and show 'em the DM hiding in the uniform. Heh. Anyway, the part so far is as follows: -male human ranger (CN), from calimshan, a desert noble who's honor and pride is stolen from him when one of his slaves escapes. He's the patron of the deity of travel (don't remember off of the top of my head, i'll look into it in a bit). This character i've worked with the most, but has yet to create a name. -male dwarven fighter (LN), whom basically is running a bourne identity thing, wakes up on the shores of waterdeep, and doesn't know where he's from or what he's doing there. -male half-orc sorcerer, don't have the faintest idea of his story yet. i just heard about him a very short time ago. and i'll have to work with him this saturday to enrich this persons story -male human paladin, again, no story, nothing. Standards: to create a party and get them together without making it feel hoakey, or a "You are in a bar/Tavern" which make stereotypes so powerful these days. I have little to work with at this point, I just need an idea on how to get them all in the same place, and how to get them all in the same direction. Any exteranious hooks and plot ideas would be useful. I'm sure i'll have more of the story to follow when i've got more info on the two characters which are basically blank pages. I appreciate any help given, and will check in from time to time. This campaign starts the 11th of March, basically tomorrow. So the sooner the better.
Kuje31 03-10-05, 12:03 PM	I always liked the City of Splendors starting hook. Have them all be in the same neighborhood, which was detailed in that box set, and they could all know each other..... Guess that's not much help...... Maybe they could all be summoned by the Open Lord for reasons only he knows and the Watch/Guard asks the PC's to accompany them to the palace. Hells maybe they all heard something about Undermountain and they wanted to explore it so they came to the city for various reasons. :)
ericlboyd 03-10-05, 12:14 PM	This hook won't work with your first character, but you might find it helpful if you change things around a bit. One quirk of Waterdeep's laws is that you can bring slaves into the city, but they aren't slaves while they are there. Imagine all your PCs are recently acquired slaves of a bloated Calishite pasha. In his arrogance, the Calishite pasha travels to Waterdeep, unaware of the local laws and customs or incapable of imagining that such laws apply to him. Your players, of course, are enslaved bodyguards of the Calishite, who figure out that they can simply walk away while the Calishite is "otherwise engaged" at the Purple Palace. Alternatively, the Calishite is a slaver and his slave ship from Luskan is badly damaged en route to Calimshan. In desperation, the slave ship makes port in Waterdeep, and the pesky customs inspector kindly informs the slaves that they are of course free to walk away at any time while in the city while the ship makes repairs. Lacking much in the way of equipment or money, the ex-slaves decide to seek their fortune in the city together. Of course, the Calishite pasha/slaver is enraged at their temerity, and spares no expense hiring thugs and bounty hunters in Dock Ward's worst taverns to hunt them down. --Eric
Mystery Man 03-10-05, 12:40 PM	Mr. Boyd I'd like to borrow your brain for the weekend if that's ok?
ClobberinTime 03-10-05, 02:03 PM	Well maybe the first character is employed by the pasha, and the other three are slaves. he is not cruel but firm, and the slaves hate him way less than the pasha, for him this is just a job. When the other three characters walk away in waterdeep the ranger is fired for, and humilitated for, not knowing the customs of waterdeep that freed his charges. The three former slaves meet up with him and show mercy on him by letting him join their little band as an equal. Maybe they see him getting robbed, and the paladin decides they have to try and save him regardless of their past together. What a great tavern story they could tell about how the ranger once owned them, etc....
Horathgar 03-11-05, 06:29 AM	I like the idea of the pasha not being aware of the rules of Waterdeep and the loss of power over a slave within the city. I don't really intend on making a player a slave, i MIGHT toss that upon the dwarf that doesn't know whats going on. But its usually not in a dwarf to be taken slaves, they'd rather fight to the death than be chained as a slave. Also if the slave stays in the city the whole time. The hook dies there, being that the slaver knows where the slave is, and cannot tell him to leave the city to return him to Calimshan. VERY VERY good input although. I've been tossing around the idea of putting something in the dwarves storyline like a demon possessed weapon or something, so he'll black out and wake up in some strange place, covered in blood, or half drown, you get the idea. Sorta tyler durden from fight club. of course the dwarf has no idea of this. (enter paladin, drawn to a large evil that he can't really seem to find, because the demon hides inside an item). Orc sorcerer...thats a toughie. I'm sure i could come up with SOMETHING. still the slaver is a problem tying them all together. keep 'em coming, thanks for the input on the slave laws in waterdeep. I'll need to research a bit more on this. Of course i'm thinking the demon will either be scaled down, or they'll just meet him at a later date. I've also been thinking of side plots that could involve the demon, i'm thinking the demon or at least his minions are poisoning small hamlets with an addictive drug that makes people into like mindless zombie types that'll willingly be sacrificed to the demonic cause, but only after they've been given a key phrase to lock in on. kinda like the manchurian candidate. Rath