A Visit To His Own Grave [Archive] - Wizards Community

A Visit To His Own Grave [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
MortalPlague
11-15-04, 05:04 AM I was running a solo campaign for a player of mine, and it recently ended. His 20th level barbarian was killed in a mighty battle with the ancient green dragon Cyrdrassil. I'm going to do another solo campaign for him, and I have a few ideas for plotlines.

First off, I'd like to set this campaign about five hundred years into the future from the old campaign. The barbarian Lothar is now a figure of legends and myths, and bards will sing of his deeds on occasion. I'll fill him in on the entire history between his ex-character's defeat, and his current character's entry to the world. The entire region has changed; the barbarian camp he'd constructed has long since been abandoned, and his people have merged with other barbarian tribes to build a more civilized stronghold in the northlands. The dragon Cyrdrassil has aged to become a Great Wyrm, and now lords over the woodlands south of the Icemarsh, the realm Lothar used to govern. And finally, the survivors of the barbarian recovered his body, and buried it in a mighty tomb, along with his prized weapon, a modified greatsword named Ratharos.

In the campaign, I'm going to have Lothar's Tomb as a site that he could potentially visit, and he may go after Ratharos. Since he'd automatically know what the weapon does, I'm going to change things up on him. During Ratharos' entombment, the blade has formed a simple intelligence. Ratharos has become sentient, and all it knows is its life, entombed in the stone, clasped in the hands of a long-dead warlord. It wants out. If the player decides to play another combat class, he'll likely have dreams, during which a voice wall call to him, drawing him ever closer to the grave, showing him visions of power and fame, rivalling that of even its previous wielder.

Since there are some truly great creative minds on this board, I'd like to hear if anyone has any thoughts for possible quests in this campaign, or possible goals for the now-sentient Ratharos?

Oh, and for the curious:

Ratharos: Modified Greatsword, 2d8 damage, 19-20 (x2) critical, slashing weapon, 8 lbs. Enchantments: Flaming burst, speed, chaotic-aligned, +1 enhancement.
CzarGarrett
11-15-04, 10:07 AM Since you have 500 years to work with, maybe the sword was stolen by someone.

Maybe the Green Dragon, but more likely a weaker Dragon who is holding onto the sword to annoy the Green Dragon. Or perhaps a young Barbarian who wished to prove his worth, but quickly died by the hands of some goblins. And now the sword is left in an old cave in a pile of other weapons the Goblins couldn't really use.

And as to what the sword wants? Obviously, it wants to get into battle again. But I think the sword would want to finally kill Cyrd. It came close before, but now it can groom a new warrior from the beginning to be a dragon slayer. Get the new warrior out there and fighting, learning how to battle larger and intelligent creatures.
Thomar_of_Uointer
11-15-04, 10:39 AM Don't even let him know that he's in the same setting. D&D is (generally) a lot more fun when the players don't know stuff about the setting and can explore it. Remember that a lot can change in 500 years, especially names.
Callista
11-15-04, 11:14 AM That is a really fun idea. My DM did the same thing to us: Characters in our current campaign, after entering a ruined dwarven fortress, encountered statues that had been built of our previous party! Talk about having to work hard to avoid metagaming.

If the sword is only borderline intelligent, I would give it a low Ego score and the ability to (telepathically?) tell anyone who holds it the stories of its former owners, making them sound as heroic as possible in order to encourage the new owner to take it into battle.

Also, I'd give it some sort of effect that allows it to draw nearby warriors (perhaps only ones of the line of its former owner?) to it, if it so desires. This shouldn't be overwhelming, or a compulsion; failing a save should simply mean the character now has a desire to seek out the sword, but need not be compelled to do so. Making a save would just mean the character now knows something wants him to look for the sword...

At any rate, you've got a cool idea there. I like. :)
MortalPlague
11-15-04, 03:14 PM Ah yes, the sword would not have any actual powers of compulsion, it would simply be trying to draw warriors to it by calling to them in dreams. And no doubt it would want to settle the score with Cyrdrassil, which would give me a fun BBEG for the campaign. :D

Changing the names of the locations would be a great idea; the moment he finally realizes he's in his old barbarian stomping grounds would be priceless. However, the large region it takes place in will still be called the Icemarsh. Though maybe I could have it called Icemarsh in elven or something to that effect... Hmm... :)
ShadowDragon8685
11-15-04, 03:20 PM In 500 years...

Have the bards screw up the name of the barbarian warlord, have them screw up what he looked like...

Make it sound as little as possible like his old character, until he kicks down the tome, and his out of character face says "****, I know that sword!"

:)
Didge
11-15-04, 03:38 PM Just want to put in some constructive criticism so keep this in mind...

If this sword is not intended for a new low-level character, ignore the criticism and skip to the next paragraph.

That sword sounds insanely powerful for a low-level character, flat out. I wouldn't let any low-level character near the tomb for that reason. Options I might use, if I were the DM and I did eventually want this weapon back in the game might be any of the following (some of which were suggested above): 1) The sword could have been stolen in previous years and no longer in the tomb. 2) There are guardians that have made it their duty to guard this noble warrior's tomb and before anyone is allowed entry they must prove themselves by presenting the guards with <insert weird item here> which they can retrieve from <insert weird place here>. 3) The tomb is heavily trapped and everyone around knows it. There have been several individuals who have tried to loot the tomb, but none have returned.

Another option might be to indeed give him the weapon early on. However, since the weapon has become sentient it doesn't reveal all of its abilities to the wielder unless they prove themself in battle. This could lead to some great roleplaying opportunities.

PC: "Alright this sword kicks serious butt, now to test it in combat..."

Sword: "You seem eager young one, perhaps you are worthy of wielding me. Show me how capable you are, and I will ensure your path to victory."

PC: Does some combat manuevers with the sword, or perhaps uses it in combat for the first time. "Hmm...What's wrong with this thing, it's not doing the cool stuff!?!"

Sword: "Yes indeed, one could say the same about your skill level. It seems you have a great deal of improvement to do before you can use my full powers. As you grow in strength, I shall reveal more to you. Molding you into a fighter of renown abilities, and you too shall be remembered in legends."

PC: "But...but...I want the cool stuff now..."

Sword: "We make do with what we have. I called for a great warrior and you showed up, one can not be picky when destiny and fate are to be made. Now practice, so I might show you how to wield me correctly."
ck2001wendt
11-15-04, 04:35 PM THE Lothar the Barbarian...? :D

It sounds like a great idea, and the sort of thing I try and do all the time in my campaign/s (give it a history and backstory beyond what is relevant to the PCs).

I would echo the caution that he not get his hands on the sword before it would fit into his GP range. Perhaps, like Huma, Lothar is buried in a hard to find place that has traps and guardians which would kill any normal man (for more info on Huma's Tomb, see the Dragonlance Classics II module).
Bringslite
11-15-04, 05:10 PM Perhaps the sword can only communicate through dreams to lead not coerse the PC to the tomb. Then the Pc can discover that the sword was stolen several hundred years before. The sword does not know where it is but at/near the tomb the PC can get a clue as to who stole it. Then he can begin to track it down. This way opens the door for NPC interaction, a little detective work, and some searching in dark deep holes. It will slow down how soon the PC gets the sword, make him work for it, and ultimately make it a much more prized possesion.

In my campaign, the paladin has been saving since lvl 1 for a suit of mithral full plate. He is 10th lvl now and finally found the mithral ingots he needs to have it made. Now he must find a craftsman to create it (masterwork of course) and that may take another lvl or 2. How does he feel working so hard for something? He loves it! He had a huge smile when he paid the dwarven miner for the ingots!
Nova_blade
11-15-04, 05:31 PM I like the idea of the sword gaining powers as the player either RP's it out, or levels. In a way, that almost makes it like a henchman or DMNPC, given the intelligence. Perhaps as it gains powers it also gains additional levels of sentience, becoming more self-aware?
The_Dark_One
11-15-04, 05:42 PM Perhaps the sword is, indeed, within the tomb. Unfortuantely, there is a whole world in the tomb (i.e. the tomb is the entrance to a demi-plane) and the sword is at the very center. The new hero must fight his way to the center "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the center of the labyrinth to take back the sword that you have stolen." Something like that.

Of course, you could give him the sword at low levels, but make it a leveled item (does anybody remember the issue of Dragon that these things are in, it was one of the Kung-fu issues?). Anyway, these things start out as low-level items that the PC can funnel XP into to awaken greater powers. Perhaps the sword of your former hero still harbors his, mostly dormant, spirit. As the hero gains strength, the spirit gains more power as well.

Also, it might be interesting to have the weilder look exactly like the former hero while using the sword's powers. This would give you the whole "The ancient hero has returned to defeat the vile monster" angle that could start new legends; and it could attract new enemies. At the highest lebels of the sword's power, you could have it actually merge the two heros into an entity stronger than either of them.
Morwen
11-15-04, 06:12 PM Sword: "We make do with what we have. I called for a great warrior and you showed up, one can not be picky when destiny and fate are to be made. Now practice, so I might show you how to wield me correctly."
Definitely use this one :) I might borrow it myself ;)
MortalPlague
11-15-04, 07:28 PM LOL...

Some of these ideas are great. As far as tomb guardians go, well, certainly. I'll probably put some iron golems in there, at least two; that ought to keep him (and others) out of there till he's a decent level. Or until he finds out how to bypass them. As far as the sword goes, I'm going to give Ratharos an edge to its personality. I'm not sure how to do it, but I want the character to both respect and fear the blade. Perhaps Ratharos will attempt to take control of the PC and send him into battle, or perhaps it will whisper to him in his sleep and fill his head with dark thoughts. All I know is that Ratharos will not be the same blade it used to be.

As far as distorting the names, I think I'll do that. It'll make things much more fun when he finally comes upon the tomb. Chances that he'll make a physically identical character are very slim, but if he does, so much the better. The sword will recognize him if he looks like Lothar used to. :)
Iyestorm
11-15-04, 08:59 PM [QUOTE=As far as the sword goes, I'm going to give Ratharos an edge to its personality.[/QUOTE]

:rimshot:

ooh... what if the dragon cursed it?

I mean, not so much as "put a curse on it" so much as "called the sword mean names". I'm sure that would make a sword angry and vengeful. :rolleyes:

Or go ahead and hex it if you wish. You're the DM.

Ideas:

The sword keeps pestering and threatening the wielder to continually strengthen himself.

The sword is a distant cousin of Akujiki and Constantly needs blood.

(Shinobi players will know that I mean "Constantly".)

The sword hates lizards, lizardmen, dragons, scale mail, naga, couatl, and all cold blooded reptillian things. Oh yeah, and come to think of it, it hates you too. Charge!!!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
MortalPlague 11-15-04, 05:04 AM	I was running a solo campaign for a player of mine, and it recently ended. His 20th level barbarian was killed in a mighty battle with the ancient green dragon Cyrdrassil. I'm going to do another solo campaign for him, and I have a few ideas for plotlines. First off, I'd like to set this campaign about five hundred years into the future from the old campaign. The barbarian Lothar is now a figure of legends and myths, and bards will sing of his deeds on occasion. I'll fill him in on the entire history between his ex-character's defeat, and his current character's entry to the world. The entire region has changed; the barbarian camp he'd constructed has long since been abandoned, and his people have merged with other barbarian tribes to build a more civilized stronghold in the northlands. The dragon Cyrdrassil has aged to become a Great Wyrm, and now lords over the woodlands south of the Icemarsh, the realm Lothar used to govern. And finally, the survivors of the barbarian recovered his body, and buried it in a mighty tomb, along with his prized weapon, a modified greatsword named Ratharos. In the campaign, I'm going to have Lothar's Tomb as a site that he could potentially visit, and he may go after Ratharos. Since he'd automatically know what the weapon does, I'm going to change things up on him. During Ratharos' entombment, the blade has formed a simple intelligence. Ratharos has become sentient, and all it knows is its life, entombed in the stone, clasped in the hands of a long-dead warlord. It wants out. If the player decides to play another combat class, he'll likely have dreams, during which a voice wall call to him, drawing him ever closer to the grave, showing him visions of power and fame, rivalling that of even its previous wielder. Since there are some truly great creative minds on this board, I'd like to hear if anyone has any thoughts for possible quests in this campaign, or possible goals for the now-sentient Ratharos? Oh, and for the curious: Ratharos: Modified Greatsword, 2d8 damage, 19-20 (x2) critical, slashing weapon, 8 lbs. Enchantments: Flaming burst, speed, chaotic-aligned, +1 enhancement.
CzarGarrett 11-15-04, 10:07 AM	Since you have 500 years to work with, maybe the sword was stolen by someone. Maybe the Green Dragon, but more likely a weaker Dragon who is holding onto the sword to annoy the Green Dragon. Or perhaps a young Barbarian who wished to prove his worth, but quickly died by the hands of some goblins. And now the sword is left in an old cave in a pile of other weapons the Goblins couldn't really use. And as to what the sword wants? Obviously, it wants to get into battle again. But I think the sword would want to finally kill Cyrd. It came close before, but now it can groom a new warrior from the beginning to be a dragon slayer. Get the new warrior out there and fighting, learning how to battle larger and intelligent creatures.
Thomar_of_Uointer 11-15-04, 10:39 AM	Don't even let him know that he's in the same setting. D&D is (generally) a lot more fun when the players don't know stuff about the setting and can explore it. Remember that a lot can change in 500 years, especially names.
Callista 11-15-04, 11:14 AM	That is a really fun idea. My DM did the same thing to us: Characters in our current campaign, after entering a ruined dwarven fortress, encountered statues that had been built of our previous party! Talk about having to work hard to avoid metagaming. If the sword is only borderline intelligent, I would give it a low Ego score and the ability to (telepathically?) tell anyone who holds it the stories of its former owners, making them sound as heroic as possible in order to encourage the new owner to take it into battle. Also, I'd give it some sort of effect that allows it to draw nearby warriors (perhaps only ones of the line of its former owner?) to it, if it so desires. This shouldn't be overwhelming, or a compulsion; failing a save should simply mean the character now has a desire to seek out the sword, but need not be compelled to do so. Making a save would just mean the character now knows something wants him to look for the sword... At any rate, you've got a cool idea there. I like. :)
MortalPlague 11-15-04, 03:14 PM	Ah yes, the sword would not have any actual powers of compulsion, it would simply be trying to draw warriors to it by calling to them in dreams. And no doubt it would want to settle the score with Cyrdrassil, which would give me a fun BBEG for the campaign. :D Changing the names of the locations would be a great idea; the moment he finally realizes he's in his old barbarian stomping grounds would be priceless. However, the large region it takes place in will still be called the Icemarsh. Though maybe I could have it called Icemarsh in elven or something to that effect... Hmm... :)
ShadowDragon8685 11-15-04, 03:20 PM	In 500 years... Have the bards screw up the name of the barbarian warlord, have them screw up what he looked like... Make it sound as little as possible like his old character, until he kicks down the tome, and his out of character face says "****, I know that sword!" :)
Didge 11-15-04, 03:38 PM	Just want to put in some constructive criticism so keep this in mind... If this sword is not intended for a new low-level character, ignore the criticism and skip to the next paragraph. That sword sounds insanely powerful for a low-level character, flat out. I wouldn't let any low-level character near the tomb for that reason. Options I might use, if I were the DM and I did eventually want this weapon back in the game might be any of the following (some of which were suggested above): 1) The sword could have been stolen in previous years and no longer in the tomb. 2) There are guardians that have made it their duty to guard this noble warrior's tomb and before anyone is allowed entry they must prove themselves by presenting the guards with <insert weird item here> which they can retrieve from <insert weird place here>. 3) The tomb is heavily trapped and everyone around knows it. There have been several individuals who have tried to loot the tomb, but none have returned. Another option might be to indeed give him the weapon early on. However, since the weapon has become sentient it doesn't reveal all of its abilities to the wielder unless they prove themself in battle. This could lead to some great roleplaying opportunities. PC: "Alright this sword kicks serious butt, now to test it in combat..." Sword: "You seem eager young one, perhaps you are worthy of wielding me. Show me how capable you are, and I will ensure your path to victory." PC: Does some combat manuevers with the sword, or perhaps uses it in combat for the first time. "Hmm...What's wrong with this thing, it's not doing the cool stuff!?!" Sword: "Yes indeed, one could say the same about your skill level. It seems you have a great deal of improvement to do before you can use my full powers. As you grow in strength, I shall reveal more to you. Molding you into a fighter of renown abilities, and you too shall be remembered in legends." PC: "But...but...I want the cool stuff now..." Sword: "We make do with what we have. I called for a great warrior and you showed up, one can not be picky when destiny and fate are to be made. Now practice, so I might show you how to wield me correctly."
ck2001wendt 11-15-04, 04:35 PM	THE Lothar the Barbarian...? :D It sounds like a great idea, and the sort of thing I try and do all the time in my campaign/s (give it a history and backstory beyond what is relevant to the PCs). I would echo the caution that he not get his hands on the sword before it would fit into his GP range. Perhaps, like Huma, Lothar is buried in a hard to find place that has traps and guardians which would kill any normal man (for more info on Huma's Tomb, see the Dragonlance Classics II module).
Bringslite 11-15-04, 05:10 PM	Perhaps the sword can only communicate through dreams to lead not coerse the PC to the tomb. Then the Pc can discover that the sword was stolen several hundred years before. The sword does not know where it is but at/near the tomb the PC can get a clue as to who stole it. Then he can begin to track it down. This way opens the door for NPC interaction, a little detective work, and some searching in dark deep holes. It will slow down how soon the PC gets the sword, make him work for it, and ultimately make it a much more prized possesion. In my campaign, the paladin has been saving since lvl 1 for a suit of mithral full plate. He is 10th lvl now and finally found the mithral ingots he needs to have it made. Now he must find a craftsman to create it (masterwork of course) and that may take another lvl or 2. How does he feel working so hard for something? He loves it! He had a huge smile when he paid the dwarven miner for the ingots!
Nova_blade 11-15-04, 05:31 PM	I like the idea of the sword gaining powers as the player either RP's it out, or levels. In a way, that almost makes it like a henchman or DMNPC, given the intelligence. Perhaps as it gains powers it also gains additional levels of sentience, becoming more self-aware?
The_Dark_One 11-15-04, 05:42 PM	Perhaps the sword is, indeed, within the tomb. Unfortuantely, there is a whole world in the tomb (i.e. the tomb is the entrance to a demi-plane) and the sword is at the very center. The new hero must fight his way to the center "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the center of the labyrinth to take back the sword that you have stolen." Something like that. Of course, you could give him the sword at low levels, but make it a leveled item (does anybody remember the issue of Dragon that these things are in, it was one of the Kung-fu issues?). Anyway, these things start out as low-level items that the PC can funnel XP into to awaken greater powers. Perhaps the sword of your former hero still harbors his, mostly dormant, spirit. As the hero gains strength, the spirit gains more power as well. Also, it might be interesting to have the weilder look exactly like the former hero while using the sword's powers. This would give you the whole "The ancient hero has returned to defeat the vile monster" angle that could start new legends; and it could attract new enemies. At the highest lebels of the sword's power, you could have it actually merge the two heros into an entity stronger than either of them.
Morwen 11-15-04, 06:12 PM	Sword: "We make do with what we have. I called for a great warrior and you showed up, one can not be picky when destiny and fate are to be made. Now practice, so I might show you how to wield me correctly." Definitely use this one :) I might borrow it myself ;)
MortalPlague 11-15-04, 07:28 PM	LOL... Some of these ideas are great. As far as tomb guardians go, well, certainly. I'll probably put some iron golems in there, at least two; that ought to keep him (and others) out of there till he's a decent level. Or until he finds out how to bypass them. As far as the sword goes, I'm going to give Ratharos an edge to its personality. I'm not sure how to do it, but I want the character to both respect and fear the blade. Perhaps Ratharos will attempt to take control of the PC and send him into battle, or perhaps it will whisper to him in his sleep and fill his head with dark thoughts. All I know is that Ratharos will not be the same blade it used to be. As far as distorting the names, I think I'll do that. It'll make things much more fun when he finally comes upon the tomb. Chances that he'll make a physically identical character are very slim, but if he does, so much the better. The sword will recognize him if he looks like Lothar used to. :)
Iyestorm 11-15-04, 08:59 PM	[QUOTE=As far as the sword goes, I'm going to give Ratharos an edge to its personality.[/QUOTE] :rimshot: ooh... what if the dragon cursed it? I mean, not so much as "put a curse on it" so much as "called the sword mean names". I'm sure that would make a sword angry and vengeful. :rolleyes: Or go ahead and hex it if you wish. You're the DM. Ideas: The sword keeps pestering and threatening the wielder to continually strengthen himself. The sword is a distant cousin of Akujiki and Constantly needs blood. (Shinobi players will know that I mean "Constantly".) The sword hates lizards, lizardmen, dragons, scale mail, naga, couatl, and all cold blooded reptillian things. Oh yeah, and come to think of it, it hates you too. Charge!!!