Beginning a new campaign [Archive] - Wizards Community

Beginning a new campaign [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Psifon
01-14-06, 03:07 PM First off, I bet this thread has already been done, so if you know a link, please let me know.

I want to start a thread for ideas for beginning adventures for a new campaign. The big problem here is creating a compelling reason for the PC's to come together as a party. I think that it is OK to simply hire them all to the same task, and that is fine, but it just doesn't have much pizazz.

So the two plot hooks that I have used successfully are:

1) The party is hired to guard a corrupt merchant. He leads them through the sleezy parts of town, displaying his dispicable character. At one point he gets in an arguement with the BBEG (who happens to be a 3-4th level wizard or sorcerer, who knows a bunch of illusions). Later the party is attacked briefly by a bunch of thugs. Once the whole party is engaged in combat, one thug fires a crossbow at the merchant, who flees the combat down an alley.

The whole thing is a set up to seperate the merchant from the party. The thugs break off as soon as this is accomplished. The party gives chase to the merchant. They find him on his knees begging for his life. The BBEG is standing over him with dagger in hand. The party cannot reach the BBEG in time to stop him from killing the merchant. So they fire an arrow...

Which flies THROUGH the illusion of the BBEG and into the chest of their employer! Now the party has to evade the law while trying to clear their names and solve the murder of their own employer (who they in-advertantly killed).

2) The party is hired to bodyguard the son of a rich noble. The son is a traitor to his own family, and has stolen secret miltary plans (or other important items/info). When he goes to sell them to his underworld contact, he is kidnapped out from under the PC's noses. The party must then get back both the nobleman's son and the sensitive documents.

Now both of these start out as simple bodyguard adventures, but they get complicated quickly.

What are some other adventure hooks that are usefull to start a campaign?
Anathema
01-14-06, 03:19 PM It would be hard to do it otherwise if all of the PC's come from wildly varying backgrounds.

Otherwise they would have to have something in common to encounter each other, and form a trust to form an adventuring party. An example of how my game is going to go (hopefully), coming up:

Main character (solo player game) is a wild elf, who is a natural were-panther that has not yet matured enough to turn. A young favored soul of Selune (Forgotten Realms diety of the moon and good lycanthropes), who is good hearted but annoying due to his youth, has been "sent on an expidition" by the church to find the prophesized black shifter. His travels bring him far south of Waterdeep, his home, in to the woods of the Wealdath in Tethyr; where the main character lives. A friendly and clerical sort, the favored soul gets put up in his villiage for a short time, during which he witnesses the main characters initial transformation. At this point he'd be convinced that the main character is who he had been sent for (on a wild goose chase), and forms a party with him, bringing him back to his temple in Waterdeep.

Long story short, the church sets the two on a mission of stopping the plans of a local were-rat oriented thieves guild. This would abutt them with a wizard who has also been assigned by his school/guild to investigate a specific matter with these were-rats. This common mission puts all three of them in a party together, and just going to adventure will start to form bonds.

Basically, it either has to be "You're a bunch of random guys who got hired by somebody", or it has to be written in to the story somehow why they know each other or what they have in common.

Hope this helps, good luck!
anandak
01-14-06, 03:27 PM I used this adventure when I had to start a new campaign. I had gotten sick of introducing the characters to each other, so I had them all reach a large roadside inn just as a rather fierce blizzard starts. They just reach the inn, each entering the inn alone or with 1 other character. The first night they are all present at the inn, one of the guests is brutally murdered in his bed, sliced to bloody pulp. As noone knows the others, they will either band together to solve this mystery or suspect each other. The killer is a carrionette, an evil version of pinoccio that can throw small needles taken from its own body to cause either a silence effect or a slow effect. It then kills its victims easily, without them being able to call for help.

As the scenario moves on, the pcs will discover that there is an old knight staying at the inn with his 10 year old daughter. The daughter is the own er the "doll". The doll tags along with the girl because of its evil nature and kills people aound her. The knight does not realise this, and does everything he can to protect his daughter. The carrionette kills using a kitchen knife, and eventually kills the inns cook. I ran this adventure for two consecutive sessions, as it had to be continued later. I technically managed a tpk with it, as each player was forced to take up the role of another guest at the inn as the pc all got killed by the carrionette.

When the carrionette has finally been defeated, it splits in half, revealing a message of your own design from a wizard in a very troubled city. This wizard specializes in the making of such constructs and if there is a paladin or good aligned pc in the surviving group, then they will undoubtedly want to put an end to his horrible actions....
Psifon
01-14-06, 08:59 PM Some good ideas. anandak, I like the idea of using weather to bring people together. Keep 'em comming!
Lord Ian Stark
01-14-06, 09:19 PM First off, I bet this thread has already been done, so if you know a link, please let me know.

Check the first 3 at the top here -

http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=5959200
Psifon
01-15-06, 01:29 AM Thanks for the link. I read over those posts, and while they had some good ideas, none of them were really about bringing a party of first level characters together. Clearing your name from a crime or getting back your lost charge are kind of "whoops, we screwed up and now we have to fix it" plotlines, that make for nice bonding experiences.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Psifon 01-14-06, 03:07 PM	First off, I bet this thread has already been done, so if you know a link, please let me know. I want to start a thread for ideas for beginning adventures for a new campaign. The big problem here is creating a compelling reason for the PC's to come together as a party. I think that it is OK to simply hire them all to the same task, and that is fine, but it just doesn't have much pizazz. So the two plot hooks that I have used successfully are: 1) The party is hired to guard a corrupt merchant. He leads them through the sleezy parts of town, displaying his dispicable character. At one point he gets in an arguement with the BBEG (who happens to be a 3-4th level wizard or sorcerer, who knows a bunch of illusions). Later the party is attacked briefly by a bunch of thugs. Once the whole party is engaged in combat, one thug fires a crossbow at the merchant, who flees the combat down an alley. The whole thing is a set up to seperate the merchant from the party. The thugs break off as soon as this is accomplished. The party gives chase to the merchant. They find him on his knees begging for his life. The BBEG is standing over him with dagger in hand. The party cannot reach the BBEG in time to stop him from killing the merchant. So they fire an arrow... Which flies THROUGH the illusion of the BBEG and into the chest of their employer! Now the party has to evade the law while trying to clear their names and solve the murder of their own employer (who they in-advertantly killed). 2) The party is hired to bodyguard the son of a rich noble. The son is a traitor to his own family, and has stolen secret miltary plans (or other important items/info). When he goes to sell them to his underworld contact, he is kidnapped out from under the PC's noses. The party must then get back both the nobleman's son and the sensitive documents. Now both of these start out as simple bodyguard adventures, but they get complicated quickly. What are some other adventure hooks that are usefull to start a campaign?
Anathema 01-14-06, 03:19 PM	It would be hard to do it otherwise if all of the PC's come from wildly varying backgrounds. Otherwise they would have to have something in common to encounter each other, and form a trust to form an adventuring party. An example of how my game is going to go (hopefully), coming up: Main character (solo player game) is a wild elf, who is a natural were-panther that has not yet matured enough to turn. A young favored soul of Selune (Forgotten Realms diety of the moon and good lycanthropes), who is good hearted but annoying due to his youth, has been "sent on an expidition" by the church to find the prophesized black shifter. His travels bring him far south of Waterdeep, his home, in to the woods of the Wealdath in Tethyr; where the main character lives. A friendly and clerical sort, the favored soul gets put up in his villiage for a short time, during which he witnesses the main characters initial transformation. At this point he'd be convinced that the main character is who he had been sent for (on a wild goose chase), and forms a party with him, bringing him back to his temple in Waterdeep. Long story short, the church sets the two on a mission of stopping the plans of a local were-rat oriented thieves guild. This would abutt them with a wizard who has also been assigned by his school/guild to investigate a specific matter with these were-rats. This common mission puts all three of them in a party together, and just going to adventure will start to form bonds. Basically, it either has to be "You're a bunch of random guys who got hired by somebody", or it has to be written in to the story somehow why they know each other or what they have in common. Hope this helps, good luck!
anandak 01-14-06, 03:27 PM	I used this adventure when I had to start a new campaign. I had gotten sick of introducing the characters to each other, so I had them all reach a large roadside inn just as a rather fierce blizzard starts. They just reach the inn, each entering the inn alone or with 1 other character. The first night they are all present at the inn, one of the guests is brutally murdered in his bed, sliced to bloody pulp. As noone knows the others, they will either band together to solve this mystery or suspect each other. The killer is a carrionette, an evil version of pinoccio that can throw small needles taken from its own body to cause either a silence effect or a slow effect. It then kills its victims easily, without them being able to call for help. As the scenario moves on, the pcs will discover that there is an old knight staying at the inn with his 10 year old daughter. The daughter is the own er the "doll". The doll tags along with the girl because of its evil nature and kills people aound her. The knight does not realise this, and does everything he can to protect his daughter. The carrionette kills using a kitchen knife, and eventually kills the inns cook. I ran this adventure for two consecutive sessions, as it had to be continued later. I technically managed a tpk with it, as each player was forced to take up the role of another guest at the inn as the pc all got killed by the carrionette. When the carrionette has finally been defeated, it splits in half, revealing a message of your own design from a wizard in a very troubled city. This wizard specializes in the making of such constructs and if there is a paladin or good aligned pc in the surviving group, then they will undoubtedly want to put an end to his horrible actions....
Psifon 01-14-06, 08:59 PM	Some good ideas. anandak, I like the idea of using weather to bring people together. Keep 'em comming!
Lord Ian Stark 01-14-06, 09:19 PM	First off, I bet this thread has already been done, so if you know a link, please let me know. Check the first 3 at the top here - http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=5959200
Psifon 01-15-06, 01:29 AM	Thanks for the link. I read over those posts, and while they had some good ideas, none of them were really about bringing a party of first level characters together. Clearing your name from a crime or getting back your lost charge are kind of "whoops, we screwed up and now we have to fix it" plotlines, that make for nice bonding experiences.