brainstormy help! [Archive] - Wizards Community

brainstormy help! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Dungeon Cat
02-25-04, 09:41 PM Okay..we've finally finished the campaign where I was a PC. And I'm the next DM in line. I was going to play with Kingdoms of Kalamar (just for something different) when the group decided that they are "DnD-ed out", now that my campaign was more or less ready to start, of course.

Ahem. But the Cat is a happy Cat and after looking at alternate systems (Cthulu, Star Wars, Modern) I've come up with my campaign idea. I just need some help with a few things, since the boys decided they were going to scream if they had to fight another goblin...

Anyhoo, the main premise of my campaign is this: you're dnd-ed out? Well, here's the d20 sampler. Think of "Timeline" and "Sliders" and you'll get the idea. For those unfamiliar, alternate worlds/universes/times. And they get to visit them.

The motivation to continue is largely to get home, but each world will present opportunities for adventure, with hints at a larger agenda. I'm being brief because the idea is still cooking in my brain and I don't want to bore you all.

The PCs have NO IDEA this is coming. One player knows (vaguely) that the campaign isn't going to be set on earth, but the other two are clueless. I've got several ideas for worlds, so that's not the problem.

My big problem right now is creating my villain. Big surprise, eh? I don't want them to be a typical "Final Fantasy" villain who is bent on world domination and then destruction. And I don't want them to be an evil scientist. So I thought a Yuan-Ti would be an interesting start. Yay, progress! And now, plotter's block. Yes, I'm the DM and it's my job to tie it all together, but blood, revenge and power is all I can think of. Any random ideas you can throw me would be appreciated. I don't have a lot of time to prep (curse you, work!), so you'll all get my warm and snuggly gratitude.
Yankee
02-25-04, 11:15 PM A villain huh? How about a conspiracy? That way, half the fun will be watching the PCs try to find them. Plus, you can use the henclings of the conspiracy as a thread through the various worlds - If the Men In Black (or whatever) get in the PCs way on several worlds, they'll think something is up, especially if said MIB's refer to things done in previous worlds.

I had an idea for a broadly similar campaign myself, and was going to use a group of mages who could access the Plane of Mirrors from the Manual of the Planes. I thought the infinite reflection thing worked well with the myriad worlds thing... Anyway, if you want to use the idea in whole or in part, feel free.
JediOniram
02-26-04, 12:01 AM Well, how would they get started in this whole "sliding" extravaganza, and where would they start from? Perhaps you should go the Sliders route and rather then have a villian, have a species of warbent creatures trying to take over multiple earths, and then over time you can introduce a few of the more prominent leaders of the enemies and they become the villians as your heroes thwart their plots. The enemy race can be the Yuan-Ti, or it could be something completely new. By using Star Wars, Cthulhu, Modern, and D&D you have a wide selection. I'm sure you can come up with something, but don't throw the villian in the first encounter, rather have him hear about the heroes and slowly present himself through the work of his minions. Of course, it's all up to you.
Mark_Plemmons
02-26-04, 03:48 PM If you've already got a Kingdoms of Kalamar campaign set up, I say stick with it - but with a twist... Pick up FFG's sci-fi "Dragonstar" setting, and invade KoK! :)
Ivanhoe
03-01-04, 12:53 AM you can use this ideas:

http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=187656

hope you like em
Bromabaz Silvertwister
03-01-04, 03:40 AM hmmmmmm....

Have you ever seen Quantum Leap? Where they must figure out and complete a mission before they can jump to the next world?
failure also sends them off, but penalizes them somehow.

A non DnD villian...
How about the egyptian aliens from Stargate? If I had any idea on how to spell it I would. have them try and go back in time and mess up the time stream so that the planet turns into a borg cube..... Wait.
Ankalagon
03-01-04, 06:28 AM You could have more powerful alter ego's of the PC's be the bad guys, even 1/2 Yuan-Ti. Take a look at Jet Li in The One. It's not a great flick but the story is interesting.

Alternatively the BBEG could be outside of any known reality, once a task has been completed in each world by his cultists he can return. Kind of like each world has to have something in sync at a certain place at a certain time when the planets in each reality are in a alignment etc etc

All I can think of at present.
Morka
03-01-04, 10:03 AM A mix of some other ideas: the PCs (where are they starting from, yet?) find some artefact allowing them to jump to another world/plane. But since they don't know how to use it, they don't know where they land.

Now there is a secret confederation using those artefact to establish trade between worlds. They witness the PCs using it, they thinks the PCs are thieves and/or revolutionnaries, they catch them and put them in a jail (from where the PCs could flee, secure their artefact and try to return home).

The fact is there is truely some bloodthirsty revolutionnaries, trying to use this network to rule the world. The PCs learn it, but since the authorities are against them, they must solve it by their own. In fact, you could have one of the confederation administrator be the BBEG, a recurrent NPC who always tell the PC to stop putting their noses in this, and that the "police" is able to handle it.
Rhys of Black Moors
03-01-04, 03:53 PM Here's a plot seed I've stuck into my campaign should we ever decide to go planesjumping. You could use it as a method to sliding. I borrowed an idea from Farscape (thank you, David Kemper!) where planar gate creation knowledge has been locked away inside a PCs head. It's turning itself into a special ability, but is going to take several levels. Its been hinted at a few times and even caused a time loss in a teleportation accident when it got triggered midways through. By the time the PC will be able to use the ability, the party should be high enough in levels that they won't get screwed the first time they open a door to Baator! :D

Maybe one of your characters has the ability and is trying to figure out how it works. Your BBEG could be a planesjumping villain who sees the PC use the ability and wants to capture him, open his head up, and give his whole race the ability (yuan-ti that could planesjump at will...nasty!)

Anyways, good luck with the campaign, sounds like it could be fun!
Dungeon Cat
03-06-04, 12:22 PM Okay, a little more info (now that I have it in my mind) for you to think on!

The characters start on EARTH.
It is a scientific "oops" that brings them to a different world, where they encounter a sign that reads:

Welcome to HEAVEN.

Of course, it's an acronym.

H.E.A.V.E.N.
Also known as Hyper-Evolution Applied Vector Equilibrium Network, this world-spanning system is the base of operations for [organization name], the elite scientific and militaristic force dedicated to tans-universal stability.

It was founded in the Earth year 1950, shortly after trans-universe-travel (trans-travel or hopping) was discovered. Realizing the unlimited potential for catastrophe, HEAVEN and [2nd organization name] were established.

HEAVEN is roughly the size of a UHL hockey arena. Its structure and atmosphere are very similar to that of the Sigil comics, though not as technologically advanced. They can cross into new worlds, but can’t build a flying car.

The primary organization (which I obviously haven't named yet) has set up HEAVEN on one of the alternate worlds it discovered as a way to monitor cross-world migrations and the like. They want to keep people from jumping to another world and creating extreme havoc, obviously.

All nice and dandy, and realisitically the three guys should be able to turn around and go right home, but the room they are in has some troubles. The scientist NPC who is excitedly explaining the mechanics of how he'll send them home ends up dead. Now, if they are SMRT, they will jump through a portal, door, what-have-you to get away, since the peoples are going to be bad-ass-ish.

Hence, they're stuck in another world and don't know how to get home.

I'm making up several worlds for them to visit, including a Call of Cthulu world, a nasty Grimm's Fairy Tale world (awesome book I found) a straight DnD world with a few twists, and some alternate history/alternate earths. On each world is a base of operations for the organization and HEAVEN. Finding this helps them get closer to home, etc.

With that information in mind, any other ideas?
danman
03-06-04, 12:38 PM Instead of just having them flee to other worlds with bases on them, you could have an accident of some kind. Maybe a terrorist group set off a bomb in the HEAVEN home base, where the PCs were. They had to flee through a portal to survive, but instead of having nice, established bases to find, portals and all kinds of technology have been scattered across the worlds.

In this scenario, they would have to survive harrowing trips across alien worlds, trying to meet up with any HEAVEN agents. On each world, they would have to find HEAVEN agents, recover dangerous/malfunctioning technology, etc., etc. Each world would have scattered portals, and when the PCs found one, it could "randomly" (DM's choice) teleport them to another world. One way only, of course. This would provide not only a wide variety of unique worlds to explore, but over the course of the campaign, they would find clues, agents, and technology that would eventually allow them to resolve the trans-universal crisis and find their way home.

Very cool campaign basis, though. I had an idea for something similar, but never bothered to work it all out.
Dungeon Cat
03-07-04, 12:12 AM THANKS DANMAN!

See, sometimes all it takes is a sounding board to help you get that idea in your brain pushed from a seedling to a sprout and so forth.

What you suggested clicked in my brain and is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for to help with the "why" of why the keep going. It also helps me get a better understanding of the "bad guy (s)".

This is why brainstorming/soundboarding is a good thing!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Dungeon Cat 02-25-04, 09:41 PM	Okay..we've finally finished the campaign where I was a PC. And I'm the next DM in line. I was going to play with Kingdoms of Kalamar (just for something different) when the group decided that they are "DnD-ed out", now that my campaign was more or less ready to start, of course. Ahem. But the Cat is a happy Cat and after looking at alternate systems (Cthulu, Star Wars, Modern) I've come up with my campaign idea. I just need some help with a few things, since the boys decided they were going to scream if they had to fight another goblin... Anyhoo, the main premise of my campaign is this: you're dnd-ed out? Well, here's the d20 sampler. Think of "Timeline" and "Sliders" and you'll get the idea. For those unfamiliar, alternate worlds/universes/times. And they get to visit them. The motivation to continue is largely to get home, but each world will present opportunities for adventure, with hints at a larger agenda. I'm being brief because the idea is still cooking in my brain and I don't want to bore you all. The PCs have NO IDEA this is coming. One player knows (vaguely) that the campaign isn't going to be set on earth, but the other two are clueless. I've got several ideas for worlds, so that's not the problem. My big problem right now is creating my villain. Big surprise, eh? I don't want them to be a typical "Final Fantasy" villain who is bent on world domination and then destruction. And I don't want them to be an evil scientist. So I thought a Yuan-Ti would be an interesting start. Yay, progress! And now, plotter's block. Yes, I'm the DM and it's my job to tie it all together, but blood, revenge and power is all I can think of. Any random ideas you can throw me would be appreciated. I don't have a lot of time to prep (curse you, work!), so you'll all get my warm and snuggly gratitude.
Yankee 02-25-04, 11:15 PM	A villain huh? How about a conspiracy? That way, half the fun will be watching the PCs try to find them. Plus, you can use the henclings of the conspiracy as a thread through the various worlds - If the Men In Black (or whatever) get in the PCs way on several worlds, they'll think something is up, especially if said MIB's refer to things done in previous worlds. I had an idea for a broadly similar campaign myself, and was going to use a group of mages who could access the Plane of Mirrors from the Manual of the Planes. I thought the infinite reflection thing worked well with the myriad worlds thing... Anyway, if you want to use the idea in whole or in part, feel free.
JediOniram 02-26-04, 12:01 AM	Well, how would they get started in this whole "sliding" extravaganza, and where would they start from? Perhaps you should go the Sliders route and rather then have a villian, have a species of warbent creatures trying to take over multiple earths, and then over time you can introduce a few of the more prominent leaders of the enemies and they become the villians as your heroes thwart their plots. The enemy race can be the Yuan-Ti, or it could be something completely new. By using Star Wars, Cthulhu, Modern, and D&D you have a wide selection. I'm sure you can come up with something, but don't throw the villian in the first encounter, rather have him hear about the heroes and slowly present himself through the work of his minions. Of course, it's all up to you.
Mark_Plemmons 02-26-04, 03:48 PM	If you've already got a Kingdoms of Kalamar campaign set up, I say stick with it - but with a twist... Pick up FFG's sci-fi "Dragonstar" setting, and invade KoK! :)
Ivanhoe 03-01-04, 12:53 AM	you can use this ideas: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=187656 hope you like em
Bromabaz Silvertwister 03-01-04, 03:40 AM	hmmmmmm.... Have you ever seen Quantum Leap? Where they must figure out and complete a mission before they can jump to the next world? failure also sends them off, but penalizes them somehow. A non DnD villian... How about the egyptian aliens from Stargate? If I had any idea on how to spell it I would. have them try and go back in time and mess up the time stream so that the planet turns into a borg cube..... Wait.
Ankalagon 03-01-04, 06:28 AM	You could have more powerful alter ego's of the PC's be the bad guys, even 1/2 Yuan-Ti. Take a look at Jet Li in The One. It's not a great flick but the story is interesting. Alternatively the BBEG could be outside of any known reality, once a task has been completed in each world by his cultists he can return. Kind of like each world has to have something in sync at a certain place at a certain time when the planets in each reality are in a alignment etc etc All I can think of at present.
Morka 03-01-04, 10:03 AM	A mix of some other ideas: the PCs (where are they starting from, yet?) find some artefact allowing them to jump to another world/plane. But since they don't know how to use it, they don't know where they land. Now there is a secret confederation using those artefact to establish trade between worlds. They witness the PCs using it, they thinks the PCs are thieves and/or revolutionnaries, they catch them and put them in a jail (from where the PCs could flee, secure their artefact and try to return home). The fact is there is truely some bloodthirsty revolutionnaries, trying to use this network to rule the world. The PCs learn it, but since the authorities are against them, they must solve it by their own. In fact, you could have one of the confederation administrator be the BBEG, a recurrent NPC who always tell the PC to stop putting their noses in this, and that the "police" is able to handle it.
Rhys of Black Moors 03-01-04, 03:53 PM	Here's a plot seed I've stuck into my campaign should we ever decide to go planesjumping. You could use it as a method to sliding. I borrowed an idea from Farscape (thank you, David Kemper!) where planar gate creation knowledge has been locked away inside a PCs head. It's turning itself into a special ability, but is going to take several levels. Its been hinted at a few times and even caused a time loss in a teleportation accident when it got triggered midways through. By the time the PC will be able to use the ability, the party should be high enough in levels that they won't get screwed the first time they open a door to Baator! :D Maybe one of your characters has the ability and is trying to figure out how it works. Your BBEG could be a planesjumping villain who sees the PC use the ability and wants to capture him, open his head up, and give his whole race the ability (yuan-ti that could planesjump at will...nasty!) Anyways, good luck with the campaign, sounds like it could be fun!
Dungeon Cat 03-06-04, 12:22 PM	Okay, a little more info (now that I have it in my mind) for you to think on! The characters start on EARTH. It is a scientific "oops" that brings them to a different world, where they encounter a sign that reads: Welcome to HEAVEN. Of course, it's an acronym. H.E.A.V.E.N. Also known as Hyper-Evolution Applied Vector Equilibrium Network, this world-spanning system is the base of operations for [organization name], the elite scientific and militaristic force dedicated to tans-universal stability. It was founded in the Earth year 1950, shortly after trans-universe-travel (trans-travel or hopping) was discovered. Realizing the unlimited potential for catastrophe, HEAVEN and [2nd organization name] were established. HEAVEN is roughly the size of a UHL hockey arena. Its structure and atmosphere are very similar to that of the Sigil comics, though not as technologically advanced. They can cross into new worlds, but can’t build a flying car. The primary organization (which I obviously haven't named yet) has set up HEAVEN on one of the alternate worlds it discovered as a way to monitor cross-world migrations and the like. They want to keep people from jumping to another world and creating extreme havoc, obviously. All nice and dandy, and realisitically the three guys should be able to turn around and go right home, but the room they are in has some troubles. The scientist NPC who is excitedly explaining the mechanics of how he'll send them home ends up dead. Now, if they are SMRT, they will jump through a portal, door, what-have-you to get away, since the peoples are going to be bad-ass-ish. Hence, they're stuck in another world and don't know how to get home. I'm making up several worlds for them to visit, including a Call of Cthulu world, a nasty Grimm's Fairy Tale world (awesome book I found) a straight DnD world with a few twists, and some alternate history/alternate earths. On each world is a base of operations for the organization and HEAVEN. Finding this helps them get closer to home, etc. With that information in mind, any other ideas?
danman 03-06-04, 12:38 PM	Instead of just having them flee to other worlds with bases on them, you could have an accident of some kind. Maybe a terrorist group set off a bomb in the HEAVEN home base, where the PCs were. They had to flee through a portal to survive, but instead of having nice, established bases to find, portals and all kinds of technology have been scattered across the worlds. In this scenario, they would have to survive harrowing trips across alien worlds, trying to meet up with any HEAVEN agents. On each world, they would have to find HEAVEN agents, recover dangerous/malfunctioning technology, etc., etc. Each world would have scattered portals, and when the PCs found one, it could "randomly" (DM's choice) teleport them to another world. One way only, of course. This would provide not only a wide variety of unique worlds to explore, but over the course of the campaign, they would find clues, agents, and technology that would eventually allow them to resolve the trans-universal crisis and find their way home. Very cool campaign basis, though. I had an idea for something similar, but never bothered to work it all out.
Dungeon Cat 03-07-04, 12:12 AM	THANKS DANMAN! See, sometimes all it takes is a sounding board to help you get that idea in your brain pushed from a seedling to a sprout and so forth. What you suggested clicked in my brain and is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for to help with the "why" of why the keep going. It also helps me get a better understanding of the "bad guy (s)". This is why brainstorming/soundboarding is a good thing!