A Chernoggar Campaign - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

A Chernoggar Campaign

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
fey_feline
Aug 11, 2009 18:31:45 I really like the idea of Bane and Gruumsh sending legions of troops against each other, clashing across the plains of Chernoggar. The men die, and rise to fight again the next day.

So cool.

I had an idea for a campaign as I thought about this Plane of Battle: the PCs stumble onto the plane, and both sides ask for their aid. They choose, and then launch a series of strikes against the other side-building from guerilla warfare to ikilling /hurting the enemy diety.

Any help?
How would I make the PCs choose one side or the other?

What would each side have in terms of units?
#2
garner_adam
Aug 11, 2009 18:47:36
I really like the idea of Bane and Gruumsh sending legions of troops against each other, clashing across the plains of Chernoggar. The men die, and rise to fight again the next day.

So cool.

I had an idea for a campaign as I thought about this Plane of Battle: the PCs stumble onto the plane, and both sides ask for their aid. They choose, and then launch a series of strikes against the other side-building from guerilla warfare to ikilling /hurting the enemy diety.

Any help?
How would I make the PCs choose one side or the other?

What would each side have in terms of units?

I just got to say you could design one super encounter and run it like grounds hog day. :P It just repeats over and over until the players break the cycle. Good potential for pure awesome if you work it right.
#3
Tovec
Aug 11, 2009 21:49:46 You could use my favourite twist on this classic. What I like to do instead of just getting up fighting and dying each day, and resting every 3rd (IIRC). I used the following; People who rise each day have little or no idea which side they are fighting for or for what reason. This would be particularity prevalent for petitioners but ultimately each day the people of the plane just look for a good fight. Generally I relate this to a bar room brawl. In any case, over the course of days or weeks, a warrior might switch sides any number of times. Armies rise and fall under more powerful leaders fighting for hills that don't truly matter.

Let me know what you think. If you throw your PCs into the mix the warriors could consider them new targets entering the fight, or can be used tactically to gain combat advantage. If the PCs die, and rise the next day then maybe they have to make a check in order to retain their mindset of what they are looking for; the death of a deity.
#4
fey_feline
Aug 12, 2009 0:12:20
I just got to say you could design one super encounter and run it like grounds hog day. :P It just repeats over and over until the players break the cycle. Good potential for pure awesome if you work it right.

We died!
Again!

...

And?
#5
garner_adam
Aug 12, 2009 10:05:02
We died!
Again!

...

And?

Hahahahah! But really you could design an encounter that repeats it's self every day and the bodies pick themselves back up and do it again. You don't have to necessarily design the encounter so that the player's lives are necessarily at great risk. Here's a potential hook-

In order to open the entrance to the lost armory of Nerath the party must obtain "A dead man's gratitude." This cryptic thing could be obtained through this encounter in that the dead rise again and again daily. The dead man's gratitude could be the praise of a commander who loses the same battle day after day. The party must find a way to make that commander the winner.
#6
AbdulAlhazred
Aug 12, 2009 10:10:10 Nothing says PCs who are still living mortals would be subject to rising again, at least not in the form of a PC. Especially if they don't follow Bane or Grummsh. I'd imagine a Bane worshipper might well rise again, and might well be an NPC at that point since they would be a dead spirit warrior now and subject to the same rules as any of the god's other followers.

This could be kind of cool. The warriors of each side care nothing about death, but the PCs care quite a bit! They may well find themselves in a tricky situation where they could easily be told to carry out a totally suicidal mission.

As for which side they fight for, its up to them. Maybe they fall in with one side's forces when they arrive, maybe they just get caught in the middle of the battle.

I can see a few ways the campaign could go. Maybe the PCs are asked by Bane to do some sort of thing that his available forces can't easily accomplish. They could spend a good part of the story arc trying to carry out that mission. They could also just wander around trying to survive and get out of Chernoggar. They could spend their time trying to find a way to end the endless war. They could simply have goals that don't really involve the higher ups of either side, in which case they might opportunistically help one side or the other, or both at different times, or neither.

Of course you could also elaborate some on the whole plane. Maybe there are some other forces that are not aligned to either side. There could even be dissention in the ranks of either god. Maybe some of the followers of each have decided its better to make peace or join forces for some reason. Heck maybe even Bane and Grummsh decide to join forces for some reason (could be a ruse or a temporary thing or a major shift in the divine power structure).
#7
fey_feline
Aug 12, 2009 11:24:17 Haha, that's good!

The PCs ally with one side or the other, get put in with a squad, and march off to battle.

They don't realize they use suicidal tactics.

"OKAY EVERYONE! WE'RE CHARGING OVER THAT THERE CLIFF AND HITTING THE ENEMY CAMP A MILE BELOW. OUR ARMOR IS HEAVY, SO IT'LL HURT IF WE HIT SOMEONE, AND WE'RE ALL WEARING EXPLOSIVE RUNES ON OUR CLOTHING, RIGHT?"

PC: "I prepared the explosive runes this morning-aw, ****."
#8
godlikedevil
Aug 13, 2009 4:51:15 It would be really interesting if none of them (or only a few) knew that they die and revive. Everyone's got the fear of death, yet it all seems too familiar.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 fey_feline Aug 11, 2009 18:31:45	I really like the idea of Bane and Gruumsh sending legions of troops against each other, clashing across the plains of Chernoggar. The men die, and rise to fight again the next day. So cool. I had an idea for a campaign as I thought about this Plane of Battle: the PCs stumble onto the plane, and both sides ask for their aid. They choose, and then launch a series of strikes against the other side-building from guerilla warfare to ikilling /hurting the enemy diety. Any help? How would I make the PCs choose one side or the other? What would each side have in terms of units?
#2 garner_adam Aug 11, 2009 18:47:36	I really like the idea of Bane and Gruumsh sending legions of troops against each other, clashing across the plains of Chernoggar. The men die, and rise to fight again the next day. So cool. I had an idea for a campaign as I thought about this Plane of Battle: the PCs stumble onto the plane, and both sides ask for their aid. They choose, and then launch a series of strikes against the other side-building from guerilla warfare to ikilling /hurting the enemy diety. Any help? How would I make the PCs choose one side or the other? What would each side have in terms of units? I just got to say you could design one super encounter and run it like grounds hog day. :P It just repeats over and over until the players break the cycle. Good potential for pure awesome if you work it right.
#3 Tovec Aug 11, 2009 21:49:46	You could use my favourite twist on this classic. What I like to do instead of just getting up fighting and dying each day, and resting every 3rd (IIRC). I used the following; People who rise each day have little or no idea which side they are fighting for or for what reason. This would be particularity prevalent for petitioners but ultimately each day the people of the plane just look for a good fight. Generally I relate this to a bar room brawl. In any case, over the course of days or weeks, a warrior might switch sides any number of times. Armies rise and fall under more powerful leaders fighting for hills that don't truly matter. Let me know what you think. If you throw your PCs into the mix the warriors could consider them new targets entering the fight, or can be used tactically to gain combat advantage. If the PCs die, and rise the next day then maybe they have to make a check in order to retain their mindset of what they are looking for; the death of a deity.
#4 fey_feline Aug 12, 2009 0:12:20	I just got to say you could design one super encounter and run it like grounds hog day. :P It just repeats over and over until the players break the cycle. Good potential for pure awesome if you work it right. We died! Again! ... And?
#5 garner_adam Aug 12, 2009 10:05:02	We died! Again! ... And? Hahahahah! But really you could design an encounter that repeats it's self every day and the bodies pick themselves back up and do it again. You don't have to necessarily design the encounter so that the player's lives are necessarily at great risk. Here's a potential hook- In order to open the entrance to the lost armory of Nerath the party must obtain "A dead man's gratitude." This cryptic thing could be obtained through this encounter in that the dead rise again and again daily. The dead man's gratitude could be the praise of a commander who loses the same battle day after day. The party must find a way to make that commander the winner.
#6 AbdulAlhazred Aug 12, 2009 10:10:10	Nothing says PCs who are still living mortals would be subject to rising again, at least not in the form of a PC. Especially if they don't follow Bane or Grummsh. I'd imagine a Bane worshipper might well rise again, and might well be an NPC at that point since they would be a dead spirit warrior now and subject to the same rules as any of the god's other followers. This could be kind of cool. The warriors of each side care nothing about death, but the PCs care quite a bit! They may well find themselves in a tricky situation where they could easily be told to carry out a totally suicidal mission. As for which side they fight for, its up to them. Maybe they fall in with one side's forces when they arrive, maybe they just get caught in the middle of the battle. I can see a few ways the campaign could go. Maybe the PCs are asked by Bane to do some sort of thing that his available forces can't easily accomplish. They could spend a good part of the story arc trying to carry out that mission. They could also just wander around trying to survive and get out of Chernoggar. They could spend their time trying to find a way to end the endless war. They could simply have goals that don't really involve the higher ups of either side, in which case they might opportunistically help one side or the other, or both at different times, or neither. Of course you could also elaborate some on the whole plane. Maybe there are some other forces that are not aligned to either side. There could even be dissention in the ranks of either god. Maybe some of the followers of each have decided its better to make peace or join forces for some reason. Heck maybe even Bane and Grummsh decide to join forces for some reason (could be a ruse or a temporary thing or a major shift in the divine power structure).
#7 fey_feline Aug 12, 2009 11:24:17	Haha, that's good! The PCs ally with one side or the other, get put in with a squad, and march off to battle. They don't realize they use suicidal tactics. "OKAY EVERYONE! WE'RE CHARGING OVER THAT THERE CLIFF AND HITTING THE ENEMY CAMP A MILE BELOW. OUR ARMOR IS HEAVY, SO IT'LL HURT IF WE HIT SOMEONE, AND WE'RE ALL WEARING EXPLOSIVE RUNES ON OUR CLOTHING, RIGHT?" PC: "I prepared the explosive runes this morning-aw, ****."
#8 godlikedevil Aug 13, 2009 4:51:15	It would be really interesting if none of them (or only a few) knew that they die and revive. Everyone's got the fear of death, yet it all seems too familiar.