I have just been handed over the DM task and I'm looking to buildt a large campaign pitting the characters against the Church of Shar.
Now the timeline is 3.5 (and so are the rules), but I want to incorporate the scheme of Shar and to a lesser extent Cyric to eventually kill Mystra. I somehow imagine a lot of murders of Mystra clerics and perhaps somehow plots to make the common man's disthrust in magic boil over.
I don't really care for Netherill and the shade(not quite sure whether they will exist at all), but like the idea of the Shadow Weave and the Shadow Adept Prestige Class.
Now my group is not your standard heroic adventure party, they are mostly motivated by money/gain, so I have to get them into this somehow. The group is:
Half-orc Barbarian/Fighter of Gruumsh level 6
Tiefling Ranger of Malar level 6
Human Thief of Cyric level 5
- the fourth member of the party is so far unknown, but it will probarbly be a cleric.
My first thoughts are spinning around having the PCs being hired (by Sharrans)to take out a supposed crazy mage - and finding out the things are not as they seem. After the kill the mage or even let him live - the Sharrans will send assasssins to murder the PCs as they don't want anyone to know about the fact that the mage was ok and they just wanted him out of the way.
I also plan to introduce some kind of subplot with the Human Thief of Cyric being let in on a bit more information as the game progresses. Cyric might use him as a way to eventually doublecross the Shar priests.
Now want do you guys think? And do you have any advice on running a campaign with Shar as the main enemy without involving Netherill.
sounds like you'd almost be better off having the PCs help instigate Shar's plan. Especially with a Cyricist in the party.
-Well, if the OP has the PCs hired by some Sharran priests/priestess', then they would be doing this. The betrayal after working with them is a good touch, and turns the PCs from allies into enemies effectively. Perhaps, you can have Cyric send the Human thief dreams, hinting that he fears that Shar is going to betray him, and that the thief should "take the fight" to Shar, or something to that effect.
-Well, if the OP has the PCs hired by some Sharran priests/priestess', then they would be doing this. The betrayal after working with them is a good touch, and turns the PCs from allies into enemies effectively. Perhaps, you can have Cyric send the Human thief dreams, hinting that he fears that Shar is going to betray him, and that the thief should "take the fight" to Shar, or something to that effect.
Cheers LK, the thing about Cyric sending dreams is great - I think I'll use that.
I'm thinking of using Melvaunt as a starting point, since the party is currently in the Moonsea area.
My fourth party member is a human warlock so that fits well the others.
My first thoughts are spinning around having the PCs being hired (by Sharrans)to take out a supposed crazy mage - and finding out the things are not as they seem. After the kill the mage or even let him live - the Sharrans will send assasssins to murder the PCs as they don't want anyone to know about the fact that the mage was ok and they just wanted him out of the way.
Well, that's a good way to motivate these PCs (who don't seem all that good, themselves) to kill the villains.
Now want do you guys think? And do you have any advice on running a campaign with Shar as the main enemy without involving Netherill.
Any particular advice you're looking for? You've already thought up a plot without using the Shades.
For my 3.5 Realms game I ran several encounters in Waterdeep where Cyricists and a charismatic Sharran priestess used a hidden portal located in Undermountain and converted to the Shadow Weave to steal into Mystra’s temple in Waterdeep, via a hidden portal in that temple.
There they would use powerful versions of Speak With Dead and other powerful spells to learn the secrets of the dead mages and priests who were interred there (and not in the City of the Dead, for security reasons) and then use the knowledge gained as leverage against the living temple priests and certain wizards in the Order of Magists and Protectors of Waterdeep.
They also murdered at least one high priest of Mystra by means of their secret portal entry, just to get at the priest’s ghostly soul and pry secrets out of her.
The trick of it is, two of the PCs in my group had to die first (they died battling an advanced Tarrasque). Their bodies were interred at the temple in order to be raised the next game day and the Cyricists ended up interrogating their souls by mistake that night.
Not sure if you want to go that route. But if you’re into the assassin/murder thing, at least PC death can be turned right into an adventure!
Anyway the fun part is when the players get raised and inform their companions of the assault on their spirits. This should motivate your players to get their revenge on and make them raring to find and activate the Shadow Weave portal in Mystra’s Temple.
The portal takes the characters into a section of Undermountain. From their it’s straight up dungeon hack and slash vs. Cyric worshippers, with a Sharran priestess surprise at the end (along with her Monks of the Long Death protectors).
Treasure includes much loot (old, forgotten, presumably lost --but entirely still legal-- property deeds and writs of ownership for businesses and lands in and around Waterdeep; personalized jewelry and accoutrements of much value to the relatives of the original owners; platinum trade bars --lots of those!; unique magic items) that were purloined from secret stashes and hiding places that only the dead could possibly know about. ;)
Likewise notes on the Cyricists attempts (with Sharran help) to subvert other Mystran temples.
This could make for an easy lead in to Cormyr: Tearing of the Weave or even the follow up Shadowdale or Netheril module.
Good luck to you!
-M.
Any particular advice you're looking for? You've already thought up a plot without using the Shades.
Well I'm a big fan of the Lords of Darkness sourcebook and their run-through of how some of the organisations function and how to use them best.
There was also a good web-article about how to use the themes of the Gods in adventures. The example used was Cyric and it was a great read and I have used the things in the article to great effect.
I have never used Shar before and was mostly seeking "advice" in the form of what other people have done - like Mr. M. has done. Plain and simple I want to make sure that my players feel that they are in a Sharran campaign.
Hello Belegan,
For my 3.5 Realms game I ran several encounters in Waterdeep where Cyricists and a charismatic Sharran priestess used a hidden portal located in Undermountain and converted to the Shadow Weave to steal into Mystra’s temple in Waterdeep, via a hidden portal in that temple.
There they would use powerful versions of Speak With Dead and other powerful spells to learn the secrets of the dead mages and priests who were interred there (and not in the City of the Dead, for security reasons) and then use the knowledge gained as leverage against the living temple priests and certain wizards in the Order of Magists and Protectors of Waterdeep.
They also murdered at least one high priest of Mystra by means of their secret portal entry, just to get at the priest’s ghostly soul and pry secrets out of her.
The trick of it is, two of the PCs in my group had to die first (they died battling an advanced Tarrasque). Their bodies were interred at the temple in order to be raised the next game day and the Cyricists ended up interrogating their souls by mistake that night.
Not sure if you want to go that route. But if you’re into the assassin/murder thing, at least PC death can be turned right into an adventure!
Anyway the fun part is when the players get raised and inform their companions of the assault on their spirits. This should motivate your players to get their revenge on and make them raring to find and activate the Shadow Weave portal in Mystra’s Temple.
The portal takes the characters into a section of Undermountain. From their it’s straight up dungeon hack and slash vs. Cyric worshippers, with a Sharran priestess surprise at the end (along with her Monks of the Long Death protectors).
Treasure includes much loot (old, forgotten, presumably lost --but entirely still legal-- property deeds and writs of ownership for businesses and lands in and around Waterdeep; personalized jewelry and accoutrements of much value to the relatives of the original owners; platinum trade bars --lots of those!; unique magic items) that were purloined from secret stashes and hiding places that only the dead could possibly know about. ;)
Likewise notes on the Cyricists attempts (with Sharran help) to subvert other Mystran temples.
This could make for an easy lead in to Cormyr: Tearing of the Weave or even the follow up Shadowdale or Netheril module.
Good luck to you!
-M.
Thanks Mr. M. it sounds like it was a great campaign. I might borrow a few of your ideas. My campaign will start in Melvaunt and will take the players into Thar where the wizards tower is. I will give the players a few clues if they look in the right places. For instance the official reason for the Sharrans (acting as if they are working on behalf of one of the ruling merchant families) are that the wizard and his orc hirelings are ambushing caravans. But if the characters check via Gather Information they will find that there is actually no problem with caravans being ambushed and plundered.
I have never used Shar before and was mostly seeking "advice" in the form of what other people have done - like Mr. M. has done. Plain and simple I want to make sure that my players feel that they are in a Sharran campaign.
Check out the lore about Shar in the deity sourcebooks. Even Faiths and Avatars from 2E should give you good, basic information about the faith.
Check out the lore about Shar in the deity sourcebooks. Even Faiths and Avatars from 2E should give you good, basic information about the faith.
-That's going to have more information than Faiths and Pantheons. F&P will have some slightly more updated information, however.
Check out the lore about Shar in the deity sourcebooks. Even Faiths and Avatars from 2E should give you good, basic information about the faith.
I know I know they all good source. But I really wanna know what people have done in their Shar Campaigns - how have you made the players feel that this was a Shar campaign?
In my evil Chessentan campaign I used a local bathhouse as a cover for a Sharran cult. In the daytime the local populace gathers and gossips there. At night certain people know there are parties in this place, with sounds of elation coming from the souterrain pools. The handmaidens delivering olives and grapes (some laced with narcotics) are actually cultists for Shar. They can hold secret ceremonies to Shar and find ready secrets and sacrifices a plenty.
When the party entered they were oblivious to the fact they walked into a temple of Shar. They we're intoxicated soon, except one of my players (the prospective shadowweave caster amd tiefling beguiler) who was kept awoke and was given given a secret after making a sacrifice...
Shar's power consists of lies and knowledge.
In my evil Chessentan campaign I used a local bathhouse as a cover for a Sharran cult. In the daytime the local populace gathers and gossips there. At night certain people know there are parties in this place, with sounds of elation coming from the souterrain pools. The handmaidens delivering olives and grapes (some laced with narcotics) are actually cultists for Shar. They can hold secret ceremonies to Shar and find ready secrets and sacrifices a plenty.
When the party entered they were oblivious to the fact they walked into a temple of Shar. They we're intoxicated soon, except one of my players (the prospective shadowweave caster amd tiefling beguiler) who was kept awoke and was given given a secret after making a sacrifice...
Excellent - I like the idea of the temple being there but nobody really knows that it is a temple.