I'm going to use Kurasawa's Hidden Fortress as the backbone of the storyline (Last surviving royal needs to be returned to homeland through hostile territory) and mixing in a module called Temple of the Dragon Cult along the way. The heroes will have to protect a young princess while they lead her through hostile territory (Thay, from the Forgotten Realms, if anyone is curious) while also transporting a large amount of gold, which is not only heavy, but stamped with the symbol of the princess' homeland (Aglarond, iaic). IF the PC's go with the same approach from the film, they may try to cross the border into Thesk, which would be less heavily patroled than the disputed border between Thay and Aglarond....
I'm forseeing wilderness encounters, run-ins with soldiers, curious locals in towns and cities, the princess being difficult, weather causing trouble.... I'm seeing the opportunity of Temple of the Dragon Cult as a chance for them to 'justify' lugging around a lot of treasure and thus avoid that particular bit of trouble ("we eaarnned it!").
Basically, are there any ideas that jump into your head that you'd like to share... I can use all the collective consciousness I can get to pull this together into something more than just playable. :D
I know how I'm pulling the adventurers together in a city, then getting them to the 'hidden fortress', and attendant stuff going on there..., but beyond that nothing has really crystalized yet. Maybe you've got what seems like an obvious encounter/obstacle that I haven't thought of.... (I hope!)
Of course, as soon as all the danger and excitement is over the weather clears up and you are blessed with a glorious heatwave, isn't that just typical?
- Player character classes, levels and races
- What era? (3e or 4e)
Weather?....
Yeah, I had some nebulous thoughts around the weather, setting it in Autumn or Winter (considering that snow might make for trouble.... tracks and all that). But I like your suggestions, too. Very well might have to make use of some of that... :D Thanks for the input.
-Two things:
- Player character classes, levels and races
- What era? (3e or 4e)
Don't know all the classes yet, though I pretty sure one guy is going with a paladin dawrf. I don't know the exact number of players either yet, so levels may shift a bit, but I'm looking at 8th level to start things off, give or take a little. We're using 3.5 rules, since Temple is a 3.5 module and converting would just mean less time to make up new stuff...!
The paladin is going to be the bodyguard to the Princess, just as Mifune was in the movie. We'll start in a city with him trying to find aid in getting the princess out of the country. The other one or two players will be down on their luck, whatever else they are.... When the paladin approaches the other PC's, I'm planning a switch. They will talk over the dwarf hiring them, but then I will spring it on them that the conversation wasn't quite like what they just did: the downtrodden PC's where talking to another 'knight' and the dwarf was talking to another peasant... The other night is hunting the dwarf and his charge. While the dwarf leads the peasant back to the hidden fortress, the knight leads the other PC's in the same direction, all at night in the pouring rain. The two groups will cross paths and get mixed up, and I will be working to get the'extraneous' characters to be either killed off or scared off, thus uniting the party. It sounds more complicated than it is; I've been playing with these same guys for over a decade, so I know this can work and will catch them by surprise, pleasantly, I think. :D
From there, when they get into the fortress, the princess and her handmaiden are not where they should be. Ghosts of occupants who where killled off to secure this fortress long ago have scared them away. Once that is settled, they will have to set out across Thay, presumably into and across Thesk and then the game ends when they get back to Aglarond.
One of the main things I'm going to have my eye on as the thing progresses, are elements that I can bring back at the end to make the conclusion more of a climax, than just a bigger (read: higher EL) struggle than what came before... something that echoes elements from the whole journey... We'll see....
We've never been slavish to the FR timeline. The Avatar Trillogy was run like 17 years ago, the Horde Trillogy 16-ish years ago and, um, bits and bobs since then. We just find it convenient to use the Realms, since there is some common familiarity (including that some of the group has read books set there) and, um, it has a nice map. :D We tend to transplant everything we want to run, published or otherwise, there. I guess you'd say we have our own timeline and history -- it's Faerun 2. ....Or is it 3?
So, I'd say, if you have ideas, whether pre- or post-Spellplague, let's hear 'em... Ideas is ideas; it's all good....
Yeah, I'm just going to admit stupidity about the Spellplague...sounds familiar, but I really have no idea what it is.
-To make a long story short, it's the explanation that is being used to describe the various and massive changes to the setting from 1e-2e-3e to 4e. Concerning Thay, specifically, it's being changed from the evil (more or less) magocracy, to a blasted wasteland led by Szass Tam, a Lich King.
So, I'd say, if you have ideas, whether pre- or post-Spellplague, let's hear 'em... Ideas is ideas; it's all good....
-I'll separate the two, then:
Pre-Spellplague:
- Szass Tam, leader of the Red Wizards of Thay, for whatever reason is suspicious that the PCs aren't what they say they are, and that they are actually Aglarondan spies, who are spying on Thay, in preparation for an invasion.
- A lesser Red Wizard discovers who the princess is, and tries to kidnap her, to use as a political prisoner to blackmail Alglarond, and increase his own stature within Thay.
Post-Spellplague:
- As the PCs are crossing through Thay, there is a small volcanic eruption and an earthquake, that releases all kinds of Undead and spirits and stuff, that harass the PCs.
...
- Szass Tam, leader of the Red Wizards of Thay, for whatever reason is suspicious that the PCs aren't what they say they are, and that they are actually Aglarondan spies, who are spying on Thay, in preparation for an invasion.
- A lesser Red Wizard discovers who the princess is, and tries to kidnap her, to use as a political prisoner to blackmail Alglarond, and increase his own stature within Thay.
Post-Spellplague:
- As the PCs are crossing through Thay, there is a small volcanic eruption and an earthquake, that releases all kinds of Undead and spirits and stuff, that harass the PCs.
Yeah, ret-con-wonky would have been my guess on the Spellplague thing. :D
In this timeline, there is full blown war at the time of the adventure, so yes, being taken as spies is exactly the problem the whole time they are in Thay, and in Thesk, for that matter -- Thesk is staying out of it, and won't be happy about espionage that takes advantage of their territory...
Now, the whole rouge-Red Wizard looking to capture them for personal gain, I hadn't thought of... consider that nicked!
As for earthquake/undead... well, it's not exactly the same thing, but I've been working on this ancient, blasted city locale, inhabited by these earth-bending hobgoblins. I've added a couple of 3rd party templates to normal hobbies, to soup them up a bit and make them... unexpected. They'll be Earth Gliding, following the group and erupt from the ground at an opportune moment (the party is not huddled together would do it :P ) When humanoids rise from the ground, covered in dirt, in a set of ruins, I'm expecting at least one round of "they're zombies!" and maybe a (futile) turning check...
In this timeline, there is full blown war at the time of the adventure, so yes, being taken as spies is exactly the problem the whole time they are in Thay, and in Thesk, for that matter -- Thesk is staying out of it, and won't be happy about espionage that takes advantage of their territory...
Now, the whole rouge-Red Wizard looking to capture them for personal gain, I hadn't thought of... consider that nicked!
-You can even go as far as to marry the two. The Red Wizard who is seeking to benefit captures them, thinking they are spies, and tries to extort Alglarond for something to bolster his magical/political power, so that he can move up the ranks higher. In the end, of course, the Red Wizard involves the PCs somehow in his scheme. Maybe, he declares them spies, but, if they do certain tasks for him, he'd be willing to not call them out?
I'm still looking for ideas on overland travel encounters, in a plains environment....
• Anybody got any weird villages/cities that it would be interesting to stumble onto...?
• If there were an unexpected hole in the ground, what would you make it...?
Also, I'm working on border obstacles, things that a defending soldiery would assume no one would actually use as a way for spies or opposing forces to get across the border, due to haunting, physical peril or other freakish dangers... got any thoughts?
Thanks for reading. Thanks for writing. And thanks for the mint.
• If there were an unexpected hole in the ground, what would you make it...?
-The Drow of House Selthomiir (Not sure if I spelled that one right, but I'm not going back to check if it's right or not) could have theoretically passed through Thay when they were fleeing east, shortly after the Descent of the Drow. Like the Iron Pit, they could have, in Thay, set up some kind of secret "laboratory" in the Underdark, to continue their experiments. The PCs could accidentally stumble upon this, and find ancient Ilythiiri treasures, along with some ancient Ilythiiri dangers.
Also, I'm working on border obstacles, things that a defending soldiery would assume no one would actually use as a way for spies or opposing forces to get across the border, due to haunting, physical peril or other freakish dangers... got any thoughts?
-Thay's border is pretty rough terrain. After the Spellplague, even more so. There's plenty of rough terrain. Lots of physical danger to be had.