Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 guest2054654845 Feb 06, 2011 9:08:59	So my campaign is going pretty well so far, party just hit level 7, and i'm starting to think of the long term as far as overall arc of the story and am coming up kind of blank.  Just wondering what you guys have used for story ideas and campaign plots in DS for an overall campaign arc.  I'm thinking now that the characters will find clues and things to help start to restore Athas but it seems to me that this is kind of a generic plot.  Any ideas or suggestions would be great!
#2 mythmaker13 Feb 06, 2011 9:33:23	This is a great time to flip through campaign guides and D&D Dungeon Master guides, maybe you want an ultimate villian, or too much magic wasting is about to destroy the world, and balance must be restored. It's up to you.
#3 Agonar Feb 06, 2011 17:19:04	I started an entire campaign based on City by the Silt Sea... Essentially, the group began the game as slaves, in a travelling cage, on the way to a city to fight in the arena.  They had no memories of how they were enslaved, had they always been slaves, were they captured?  They got to the arena, spent some time in the holding cells, doing a few fights, earning a reputation, etc. Then, since sometimes slave owners will rent out some of their prime slaves out as breeding stock, a Female requested one of the slaves, and met in a private chamber, where she explained how she had been looking for the group for some time now.  They had been sent on a mission several weeks ago, and that was the last anyone had heard from them.  She was put off to learn that they had no memories, and told them to hang tight and survive, while she tried to think of a way to get them out of there. During the next few encounters, it became obvious that someone was trying to kill the group.  The matches were stacked against them, someone occasionally "cheated" in the audience, etc.  But, after a bit, the female agent came through, and an opening arrived for them to escape.  It took a little work, but they managed to get out of the pens, out of the arena, and met up with their agent in town.  Learned a little more about their mission, but no specifics, since they were need to know basis, and only the group and their higher-ups knew specifically (and the group still had no memories) As the group was escaping the city, they caught a glimpse of a person, that they remembered seeing in the Arena at key times when it looked like the odds were being stacked against them.  This person turned out to be about 10 levels higher than the group..  (this was in 3.5), was a Psion, and followed the group, in order to track down the leader of the Veiled Alliance in Raam, which is where the group was heading. Time passes The group arrives in Raam, eventually meets up with people who remember them, and they learn that were fairly prominent among the right circles, and known around town.  They finally meet up with the Head of their VA sect, find out that they had been sent to investigate dire rumors revolving around an area South of Raam, on the other side of the Silt Sea, East of Cromlin (Where Giustenal is) While they are trying to figure out what happened to the group, memory loss, etc, the Person that watched them leave shows up and attacks.  I forgot what I named him, but I named the leader of the VA sect Lucien.. Lucien fights off the intruder, while sending the group through an escape route, into the sewers of Raam. They eventually find a passage leading up into the Temple, and have to careful navigate through one of the SK's Temples without drawing attention to them (and thus dying), but they eventually get out, and start their trek back to Giustenal to find out why they originally went in the first place, what happened to their memories, etc. So I started through City by the Silt Sea (which I had to hunt ebay for, and it was totally worth it), which details the over city, how it was abandoned, and clues to something deeper..  underground that is.  Going underground they discover all sorts of stuff, most notably, that Dregoth is not dead.  he has plans, the group is about the right level to meet up with the Psion that has been following them, defeats him and convinces him to give them back memory shards, which he kept.. now with their memories back, they learn what they had known before, why they were here, and they work on finishing off that original task. And eventually, that campaign led to Epic levels in 3.5, where I ran them through Dregoth Ascending, which is still available for download..  was a nice, long running campaign.
#4 Raddu76 Feb 07, 2011 7:53:38	The 4e module and follwup article in Dungeon are a sort of campaign introduction about the Primordial Ul-Athra coming back to Athas.  I've taken that story line and used it as a basis then added my own stuff to it.
#5 khorne37 Feb 07, 2011 11:02:12	I am actually throwing a bunch of stuff at my players and trying to get them to pick a path. They are agents of the newley freed Tyr right now as awell as semi established farmers. In the mauraders adventure I am not going to be the DM but bring play a character at the end of the adventure who will backstab one of the characters and steal the piece of the crown. They are also going to find a library in the catacombs that explain much of the history of DS. This is what I am hoping though. Some of these Characters will become Demi God epic tier characters and establish themselves in the abandened astral sea. When they are 30th level they now have a greater crusade to undertake and everyone will make new characters. But now there will be divine powers and everyone will be paladins or priests and begin to change the world.
#6 Flankster Feb 07, 2011 15:33:43	I'm new to Dark Sun, but what I've enjoyed most is the variety of regions in Athas. That's why my campaign features a fairly generic quest item plot: They are collecting reagents for a powerful elixir for an archmage. Through the simple "Go here and look for this" kind of plot, they get to find all sorts of side-quests that are specific to the region they are in. I plan to send them into the Forest Ridge, then the Sea of Silt, and eventually to Giustenal. (I second the recommendation on "City by the Silt Sea"--It's excellent).
#7 Ozmodious Feb 07, 2011 15:55:44	My group is based out of Tyr. I followed the modules that were release and the group has become freelance mercanaries for House Shom and House Wavir. They are currently enemies of House Tsalaxia and the Primordial Ul-Athra storyline is a background theme right now. They are currently begining to catch the eyes of people who will eventually lead them into paragon levels. They have just hit level 5 and are enjoying what they are doing. I hope by level 9 they will begin getting offers to work for Tyr in doing freelance work until they reach Epic level. Then not sure what I am going to do but that is some time away.
#8 Agonar Feb 07, 2011 17:10:01	Ebay could also be a source for many of the old AD&D Dark Sun modules.. Freedom, Road to Urik, etc. .   also, check some of the companies that are licensed to sell PDFs of game products, you might find some there.  There is a wealth of old Dark Sun material out there if you look hard enough, and nearly all of the fluff is just as usable.. yes, you will have to convert the crunch if you want to use it though.
#9 Alphastream Feb 07, 2011 17:35:02	So my campaign is going pretty well so far, party just hit level 7, and i'm starting to think of the long term as far as overall arc of the story and am coming up kind of blank.  Just wondering what you guys have used for story ideas and campaign plots in DS for an overall campaign arc.  I'm thinking now that the characters will find clues and things to help start to restore Athas but it seems to me that this is kind of a generic plot.  Any ideas or suggestions would be great! You might like this summary of campaign ideas I have here. In general, I am wary of any really big changes to Dark Sun if you plan on playing in Dark Sun after the current campaign. The fundamental enjoyment of the world is its brutality and the differences between DS and other settings. If you change that, you stand to lose the whole reason you and your players enjoy it. That's not to say it can't be done, but it should be considered carefully. Let's say you see them going to level 20. How many of those levels should be iconic DS experiences vs. time spent in a changed world? What I do like is the idea of small but important changes. For example, what if the Veiled Alliance became a major force across the tablelands? What if, instead, the Order became prominent? What if merchant houses saw the rise of a new house that improved conditions across the land? Those kinds of changes are ones in which the PCs could play a central role, but the setting would be preserved. Sure, the merchants bring a new reality... and a single SK can likely still stomp them to smithereens. The fun is in still being precarious but taking the right steps to stay alive. For example, they could win the protection of an SK, and thus their house is not annihilated. You can build a campaign backwards this way. PCs have the chance to further the cause of the Order, requiring the SKs to tolerate them. This might be accomplished through finding and securing items of power, where the SKs would be worse off if any one SK controlled them. The tale becomes one of first learning of an item, securing it and others, facing off against SKs, then finally getting their approval under challenging conditions.
#10 Agonar Feb 07, 2011 23:04:15	I'm thinking now that the characters will find clues and things to help start to restore Athas but it seems to me that this is kind of a generic plot.  Any ideas or suggestions would be great! yeah, as stated above, you want to avoid the Moonlighting Effect.*   The whole draw to Dark Sun is the way the world is, the way things work.  Change core beliefs about the world, and you might as well be playing in a different world, and not Dark Sun at all. Moonlighting Effect. . . for those too young to remember the show, or never having seen it, refers to The rule that says if you allow romantic tension between the male and female lead characters to actually develop into a relationship, then it’s all over.   In Moonlighting, the show was built on this tension, and after a while when they developed a relationship, the show died.  It happened in Who's the Boss? as well.  And it does not have to refer to romantic tension.  basically, when you change an aspect of something, which is a fundamental building block to it's success, you risk killing it.  When you take Darksun, and make it not Darksun anymore, you risk killing it.
#11 scubasteve29 Feb 08, 2011 0:16:37	One idea I'm working on right now is that a couple of Sorcerer Kings are sponsoring a Warlord to sack and take control of Tyr as a kind of replacement Sorcerer King. in the Heroic level campaign they'll stumble across villages and work camps that are under his control, as well as guard caravans that his army is hijacking. In paragon they'll have to infiltrate the Warlord's army to discover plans & sabotage, which ultimately ends with a conflict between the PC's & the Warlord. Haven't planned it out all the way, but I like the idea of a big final battle between Tyr and the Warlord's forces
#12 RalofTyr Feb 10, 2011 1:06:26	My two players are Bronk and Bul; they are two Muls from a dwarven village in a Scrub-plains valley in the Ringing-Mountains. The dwarven tribe was called, the Khal. They are the only two Muls here.  One was spawned from a raider who raped his mother; the other other was from a human lover, to which his mother states, "Elves have more honor than he". Each had there own family of dwarf-kin with brothers, sisters, etc. Their village was a farming village getting water from a mountain spring.  They shared the Scrub-Plains with an Elven tribe called the, Galathorn. The Elves were herders and the Dwarves were farmers; they had a perfect relationship. Unfortunate for the Khal, the Elven cheif, Maeroth, had a problem with gambling at the local city-state.  His tribe then decided the best way to pay off their debts was to enslave the Khal. Bronk and Bul, are larger and always protectors of their "Little" brothers and sisters.  When the Galathorn attacked, and through deception they did, they found Bronk and Bul to be deadly opponents. Bronk killed four of them whereas Bul killed only two, but wounded six, including the Chief, Maeroth. The Muls were the real prize; the rest were sold off to merchants and the like. They had no idea where thier kins-folk had gone to, but they knew one thing, they were slaves. Bronk and Bul found themselves in the City-State of Nibenay, however, this was a millennium past: the Tyr-region was different.  There was only Nibenay: Gulg was nothing more than a retreat for it's SQ. The Sorcerer-King, Nibenay had a Sorcerer-queen; her names was Lalali-Puy. Together they ruled Nibenay and the surrounding areas: the Great-Salt-Flats at that time, were a sea. At present, both Bronk and Bul are training to be gladiators in Nibenay; they were bought by the noble house of Telvek.  They do not bare the mark yet, so the other gladiators treat them like High-School freshmen.
#13 JohnLynch Feb 10, 2011 8:31:40	i'm starting to think of the long term as far as overall arc of the story and am coming up kind of blank.  Just wondering what you guys have used for story ideas and campaign plots in DS for an overall campaign arc.  I'm thinking now that the characters will find clues and things to help start to restore Athas but it seems to me that this is kind of a generic plot.  Any ideas or suggestions would be great! There are two organisations that were plotting to have King Kalak killed. Both of them had minions in place when suddenly Tithian appeared to assassinate him. Both organisations are spooked because they want to know who the heck empowered Tithian enough to take down a sorcerer-king. They also fear that this person might turn on them next. And just because King Kalak is dead, doesn't mean these organisations have stopped wanting to take control of Tyr. If it was me I would have certain NPCs from previous adventures belong to one of the two organisations. The random adventures the PCs were going on were actually related to this organisation's plotting. They might have simply been tests to see the strength of the PCs. But now both organisations have decided to use the PCs to flush out the third party and help destroy it. It's up to the PCs to react accordingly. I wouldn't say "group X are the good guys and group Y and Z are the antagonists." I would instead allow the PCs to select the group they decide to work with (they might try to string all 3 organisations along). This is a great time to flip through campaign guides and D&D Dungeon Master guides, maybe you want an ultimate villian, or too much magic wasting is about to destroy the world, and balance must be restored. It's up to you. Or on the flipside. Too many preservers are going about trying to heal the world up, but in the process it's destroying the "elemental planes"/"spirit world." The PCs are hired to stop the preservers so these "otherly planes" aren't sacrificed just for the sake of Athas.
#14 guest2054654845 Feb 10, 2011 15:54:40	The 4e module and follwup article in Dungeon are a sort of campaign introduction about the Primordial Ul-Athra coming back to Athas.  I've taken that story line and used it as a basis then added my own stuff to it. any idea what edition of dungeon its in? that sounds a lot like my players style, having a primordial threat to try and stop
#15 JohnLynch Feb 10, 2011 21:37:08	The 4e module and follwup article in Dungeon are a sort of campaign introduction about the Primordial Ul-Athra coming back to Athas.  I've taken that story line and used it as a basis then added my own stuff to it. any idea what edition of dungeon its in? that sounds a lot like my players style, having a primordial threat to try and stop The Vault of Darom Madar - Dungeon #181 - no connection to primordials that I can see. Revenge of the Marauders - Dungeon #183 - Follow up to Marauders of the Dune Sea. Beneath the Dust - Dungeon #187 - Has a seed from a primordial Tree of Life. May not be connected to Ul-Athra (hasn't yet been released), but it wouldn't take much to make it a part of Ul-Athra.
#16 szthesquid Feb 16, 2011 13:39:01	I'm planning a game that's a mix of Dark Sun 4e, Sandstorm 3.5e supplement, and Dune. As far as anyone knows, there's only one dragon in the world, created through psionic enchantment. However, there's a second: an ancient sand dragon emperor (using Nefermandias from Dracononicon). He's been alive and sleeping for thousands of years. The transformation of the world to desert was his doing. He adapted the Marruspawn (Sandstorm 3.5e) into weapons to help clear the world of the lesser races. The Marruspawn Abomination was their champion, created with the blood of the gods themselves, able to raze a city and leave only sand -- but it was too strong, uncontrollable. Nefermandias had to imbue some of the lesser races with power to fight the Abomination, thereby creating the sorcerer-kings. They were not able to defeat the Abomination, only force it into dormancy and seal the planes to keep it trapped on Athas. With his greatest weapon no longer an option, Nefermandias created the sandworms (from Dune) to terraform the planet to harsh desert to clear out the lesser races and make way for his bioengineered master race, the dragonborn, which he will rule as god-emperor.  Since then, the sandworms have transformed the world to desert, and the sorcerer-kings have used their power to rule the remaining shreds of civilization. Anything outside the Tyr region is referred to as the Deep Desert, where kilometer-long sandworms roam free and from which few have ever returned. Nefermandias' Marruspawn, the only race that can survive -- and even ride -- the great sandworms are preparing a campaign to wipe out the sorcerer-kings, the last holdouts of resistance to the god-emperor's plan, before he awakens his dragonborn. One of the player characters plays an invoker, the very last remnant of divine power left on Athas. He will discover that he has the power to reestablish contact with the gods and return Athas to the universe and to life. The invoker will have to find the only other spark of divinity left in the world: the blood of the gods that flows through the veins of the Abomination. But the sorcerer-kings are intrigued by this unique flavour of magic, and hunt the PC party to discover the secrets of his ability, having long forgotten the feel of divine magic. Nefermandias has a second plan. He's grown bored with the flavours of Athas. After he conquers the desert world and overruns it with his dragonborn, he wants to reawaken the Abomination and point it at the Astral Sea. The Abomination has the power to challenge the gods themselves, and Nefermandias desires to taste their flesh.
#17 spreetcg Feb 20, 2011 16:21:49	Im doing a dark sun with a flavor of pirates( or it seems so..) An Villed alliance agent(who is a Dune trader in disquise) Comes and meets the party. He disscuses about an artifact called the "hambomb"They plan to destroy a scorrcer's kings plan to be into godhood and shatter his/her studies. they go on a expedition for it and clues to find it. However, There have been rumours in all of the city-states about it. The scorrcer kings want it gone and they want the petty silt pirates discribed in it gone as well. They will any armed Party to find it and destroy it. The Hambomb is a huge-sized(or it's assumed to be) Missle projectile that when launched, can destroy a scorrcer king totaly. after, it leaves a slowly regenerating area of dead magic of where it stuck in a two mile radius. It functions as a necular bomb basicly. In truth, It was created by ssaruans away from athlas, They brought it over there by traders when it was given was hid away due to fear of it being used, unused, it hasn't been dissasembled for years and has been charged up since then. Even after, They will hunt who ever did it and kill them and put a large price on their heads.