Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 dartak Sep 27, 2009 16:25:24	Hello, I am running a campaign that focuses mainly on undead, with a few other creatures thrown into the mix to keep it interested. First I will give a bit of back ground The party is purely worshipers of Bahamut at this point, and everyone is 5th level. I have 1  Ezra, human Shielding Cleric (he takes healing to a new extreme, but didn't take turn undead) 2  Balasar, Dragonborn paladin/fighter hybrid (Loves to do damage, but likes the flavor of paladin and fighter) 3 Roanoke, Dragonborn Dragon magic Sorc (All about the lightning damage, lots of you hit me, you get zapped) In the first adventure, Ezra and Balasar were adventuring together, on a very vauge mission from Bahamut. They were instructed to walk to a town, and they would find their destiny there. Once they arive in town, they are quickly rushed to the temple, where they meet father Sotanax. The "Good" father then goes on to explain to them that the town has been plagued with undead for a long time now, and that he belives a artifact from one of the town's past hero's might have been corrupted. He tells them to travel to the grave yard, find the item, and bring it back to him for examination. The players set off immediately, before more towns people can be attacked and possibly killed by the undead. Upon reaching the grave yard, they find it swarming with Dead Guards (standard skeleton minions, but they only activate when someone gets with three squares of them, and when they activate, they let out a yell which activates any others within 3 squares, basically creating a domino effect.) after a bit of intense fighting and good tactical positioning, they manage to cut their way through the hoard of minions. After another fight or two, they arrive at the tomb of Jerimond. The sarcophagus is covered in very intricate runes that they recognize as symbols of protection. When Balasar attempts to open the tomb, a huge blast of force throws him across the room. After a few minutes of examination, Ezra gets the idea to tap the sarcophagus with his holy symbol. After a blinding flash of light, they open it to find a body holding a black obsidian skull. (They were told that it would be white quartz) They retrieve the artifact, and take it back to father Xanatos. He is very glad when they hand it over to them, and says with a smile "My God thanks you. There is a room in the temple which you may use for the night. I must now go and study this item." The next morning, the characters are awoken to pounding on the door from a temple Guard they had met the previous day. When they answer the door, the guard is obviously troubled, and asks them to follow him. They are lead to the high priest's chambers where they find written in blood the words "My God thanks you" and after a bit of searching find a holy text of orcus left behind in the room. After talking with the guard, they learn that the old priest died a few months prior due to poisoning, and that Sotanax showed up a few days later as the replacement. They then learn that the Orb they were sent to recover was an evil artifact, which would call undead to the bearer, and bend them to his will. It was warded so that only a true follower of Bahamut could retreive it. Armed with this knowledge, they set about hiring a guide, and setting off after Sotanax. They traveled through a swamp, and aside from being attacked by some rodents of unusual size, followed by some undead rodents of unusual size, and having a brief conversation with Sotanax (where he suggests he may have poisoned the well in the town they just left), not much happens. After leaving the swamp, they meet up with Roanoke. At this point  I ran them through an adventure where they have to try and stop an evil cleric of Vecna who was posing as a cleric of another god. (the last time we played, they were just about to go into the final encounter with said cleric) when they strike the final blow, I plan to somehow show that this was exactly what Sotanax wanted.   Now, where I need help, is deciding when enough is enough. I have a habit of making adventures where there is just too much going on. At the moment, I am trying to decide on the final bad guys (this is planned to go until 30th level)  The list of people I am thinking of is: Orcus. (this is the only definite) Vecna (nice for a big conspiracy) Atropus ( Huge undead deity who basically flies around space sucking up all life and leaving planets covered in undead. stated in the 3.5 Elder Evils, I could easily update him) Ragnorra (Huge being of corrupted positive energy. Crash lands on a planet and mutates all life into her image. Also from Elder Evils.) Currently, I am thinking of a line of events where they fight Vecna and Orcus followers for a while, growing really hate them as they learn that the two Gods are trying to summon Atropus. at the end of the paragon tier, I plan on having Sotanox summon Atropus as grand scheme to bring Orcus to power, and empower Vecna due to so much negative energy. However, when Atropus appears in the night sky, so to does a red comet. After a bit of research, they learn that the ritual went wrong, and also summoned Ragnorra. This will lead to pure chaos on the world, as overwhelming waves of negative and positive energy constantly warp and destroy all life.  At this point, the characters may be forced to work with the people who were previously their bitter enemies, and try to stop the horrible disaster which will happen with these two Elder Evils Collide. So, is this too much, what do you think of the story line, would you be interested in playing in the game, how would you modify the story line, and what kind of timing (as far as levels and tiers) should I shoot for?
#2 Xeadin Sep 27, 2009 16:39:52	Now, where I need help, is deciding when enough is enough. I have a habit of making adventures where there is just too much going on. At the moment, I am trying to decide on the final bad guys (this is planned to go until 30th level)  The list of people I am thinking of is: Orcus. (this is the only definite) Vecna (nice for a big conspiracy) Atropus ( Huge undead deity who basically flies around space sucking up all life and leaving planets covered in undead. stated in the 3.5 Elder Evils, I could easily update him) Ragnorra (Huge being of corrupted positive energy. Crash lands on a planet and mutates all life into her image. Also from Elder Evils.) Currently, I am thinking of a line of events where they fight Vecna and Orcus followers for a while, growing really hate them as they learn that the two Gods are trying to summon Atropus. at the end of the paragon tier, I plan on having Sotanox summon Atropus as grand scheme to bring Orcus to power, and empower Vecna due to so much negative energy. However, when Atropus appears in the night sky, so to does a red comet. After a bit of research, they learn that the ritual went wrong, and also summoned Ragnorra. This will lead to pure chaos on the world, as overwhelming waves of negative and positive energy constantly warp and destroy all life.  At this point, the characters may be forced to work with the people who were previously their bitter enemies, and try to stop the horrible disaster which will happen with these two Elder Evils Collide. So, is this too much, what do you think of the story line, would you be interested in playing in the game, how would you modify the story line, and what kind of timing (as far as levels and tiers) should I shoot for? Wow... Impressive. I like the idea of a Red Comet as a result of a failed ritual. Question- how powerful are you gonna make Ragnorra be? A level 30+ Boss? The story seems right- I don't think that there's a problem with it. I would suggest not only fighting followers of Orcus and Vecna, but to add in a few creatures as well- maybe other groups that are in association with this ritual, or maybe creatures that are not associated, but deem the party as 'trespassers' in their lands when they travel through- maybe Hobgoblin tribes and the like. a litte bit of a mix can propel the story further as they relive their adventures to their people how their journey went. Fighting undead for the entire campaign can be a little boring, but I like storyline and the plotlines very much.
#3 dartak Sep 27, 2009 16:50:49	Thank you for your response  Xeadin, Ragnorra and Atropus are both supposed to be beings that even the Gods fear, so I will probably make them absurdly powerful, somewhere around 35-40, and I kind of invision a huge aerial kind of fight, maybe even including a few aspects of Bahamut, Vecna, and Orcus (that might only be a 3.5 term, I haven't brushed up on if there is something like this in 4e). Basically just all hell breaking loose, with the players in the middle of it. Hmm.. to make more of a variety of monsters, I may be able to basically just use existing monsters, slapping a resist 5 radiant, vulnerable 5 necrotic or a resist 5 necrotic, vulnerable 5 radiant, and then just describing them as undead or mutated...)
#4 draenath Sep 28, 2009 22:34:26	Hello, I am running a campaign that focuses mainly on undead, with a few other creatures thrown into the mix to keep it interested. First I will give a bit of back ground The party is purely worshipers of Bahamut at this point, and everyone is 5th level. I have 1  Ezra, human Shielding Cleric (he takes healing to a new extreme, but didn't take turn undead) 2  Balasar, Dragonborn paladin/fighter hybrid (Loves to do damage, but likes the flavor of paladin and fighter) 3 Roanoke, Dragonborn Dragon magic Sorc (All about the lightning damage, lots of you hit me, you get zapped) In the first adventure, Ezra and Balasar were adventuring together, on a very vauge mission from Bahamut. They were instructed to walk to a town, and they would find their destiny there. Once they arive in town, they are quickly rushed to the temple, where they meet father Sotanax. The "Good" father then goes on to explain to them that the town has been plagued with undead for a long time now, and that he belives a artifact from one of the town's past hero's might have been corrupted. He tells them to travel to the grave yard, find the item, and bring it back to him for examination. The players set off immediately, before more towns people can be attacked and possibly killed by the undead. Upon reaching the grave yard, they find it swarming with Dead Guards (standard skeleton minions, but they only activate when someone gets with three squares of them, and when they activate, they let out a yell which activates any others within 3 squares, basically creating a domino effect.) after a bit of intense fighting and good tactical positioning, they manage to cut their way through the hoard of minions. After another fight or two, they arrive at the tomb of Jerimond. The sarcophagus is covered in very intricate runes that they recognize as symbols of protection. When Balasar attempts to open the tomb, a huge blast of force throws him across the room. After a few minutes of examination, Ezra gets the idea to tap the sarcophagus with his holy symbol. After a blinding flash of light, they open it to find a body holding a black obsidian skull. (They were told that it would be white quartz) They retrieve the artifact, and take it back to father Xanatos. He is very glad when they hand it over to them, and says with a smile "My God thanks you. There is a room in the temple which you may use for the night. I must now go and study this item." The next morning, the characters are awoken to pounding on the door from a temple Guard they had met the previous day. When they answer the door, the guard is obviously troubled, and asks them to follow him. They are lead to the high priest's chambers where they find written in blood the words "My God thanks you" and after a bit of searching find a holy text of orcus left behind in the room. After talking with the guard, they learn that the old priest died a few months prior due to poisoning, and that Sotanax showed up a few days later as the replacement. They then learn that the Orb they were sent to recover was an evil artifact, which would call undead to the bearer, and bend them to his will. It was warded so that only a true follower of Bahamut could retreive it. Armed with this knowledge, they set about hiring a guide, and setting off after Sotanax. They traveled through a swamp, and aside from being attacked by some rodents of unusual size, followed by some undead rodents of unusual size, and having a brief conversation with Sotanax (where he suggests he may have poisoned the well in the town they just left), not much happens. After leaving the swamp, they meet up with Roanoke. At this point  I ran them through an adventure where they have to try and stop an evil cleric of Vecna who was posing as a cleric of another god. (the last time we played, they were just about to go into the final encounter with said cleric) when they strike the final blow, I plan to somehow show that this was exactly what Sotanax wanted.   Now, where I need help, is deciding when enough is enough. I have a habit of making adventures where there is just too much going on. At the moment, I am trying to decide on the final bad guys (this is planned to go until 30th level)  The list of people I am thinking of is: Orcus. (this is the only definite) Vecna (nice for a big conspiracy) Atropus ( Huge undead deity who basically flies around space sucking up all life and leaving planets covered in undead. stated in the 3.5 Elder Evils, I could easily update him) Ragnorra (Huge being of corrupted positive energy. Crash lands on a planet and mutates all life into her image. Also from Elder Evils.) Currently, I am thinking of a line of events where they fight Vecna and Orcus followers for a while, growing really hate them as they learn that the two Gods are trying to summon Atropus. at the end of the paragon tier, I plan on having Sotanox summon Atropus as grand scheme to bring Orcus to power, and empower Vecna due to so much negative energy. However, when Atropus appears in the night sky, so to does a red comet. After a bit of research, they learn that the ritual went wrong, and also summoned Ragnorra. This will lead to pure chaos on the world, as overwhelming waves of negative and positive energy constantly warp and destroy all life.  At this point, the characters may be forced to work with the people who were previously their bitter enemies, and try to stop the horrible disaster which will happen with these two Elder Evils Collide. So, is this too much, what do you think of the story line, would you be interested in playing in the game, how would you modify the story line, and what kind of timing (as far as levels and tiers) should I shoot for?   I really liked this idea and after reading it I had to go research Atropus!!! I already had a concept similar to this in my campaign world, but this guy is impressive. I particularly liked the Two Evils colliding, however my only concern is Vecna's role in all this... it seems like an extremely chaotic and destructive event that serves little purpose, especially if Atropus is unleashed and the resulting conflict turns the world into an barren, undead world. My thoughts would be the Raven Queen, who is attempting to escape the shackles the other Gods placed on her, that limit her power and she resent the otehr Gods for doing so. OR Tharizdun has reached out from his prison in the Abyss and sees these events as a mad scheme that could break his chains and free him from his prison while obliterating the world.
#5 dartak Oct 10, 2009 17:23:57	Hm, Vecna may be a bit too lawful for this... and I view the ravenqueen as more of a patient observer. kind of like she wants the power, but is too shackled by her obsession with fate to go out and grab it for herself. Tharizdun how ever is perhaps exactly what I am looking for... The two evils colliding could very well be a great enough act of destruction to bring him into existance... and it gives everything an extra layer of the plot. I will definatly be considering him. And the Elder Evils have now be stated out, and are in the Monster Builder. I still plan on uping them by about 10-15 levels, but they are atleast a beginning. thank you for your input Dreanath. Anyone else have any suggestions?
#6 starwars.gm Oct 10, 2009 19:08:02	Yes defo involv Raven Queen more, she is Orcus' enemy and would be a great ally for the heroes. Ioun is Vecna's enemy, so you could involve her too, but u said u wanted things simple.
#7 thechunone Oct 14, 2009 10:17:20	However, when Atropus appears in the night sky, so to does a red comet. After a bit of research, they learn that the ritual went wrong, and also summoned Ragnorra. This will lead to pure chaos on the world, as overwhelming waves of negative and positive energy constantly warp and destroy all life.  At this point, the characters may be forced to work with the people who were previously their bitter enemies, and try to stop the horrible disaster which will happen with these two Elder Evils Collide. Ooh ooh, would the aforementioned ritual happen to be called "Meteor" and is cast by a guy with long white hair clad in leather tights? Cue One Winged Angel... Sorry, I couldn't help myself :D
#8 dartak Oct 14, 2009 21:57:29	Heh, yeah, there are definatly some ff7 similarties with that part. Hm... Well, any excuse to include One-Winged Angel is a good excuse I guess.
#9 frozenferret Oct 14, 2009 22:04:55	I really , really like what youve done so far. I agree with others that making the Raven Queen have a bit more of a role would be cool
#10 dartak Oct 15, 2009 11:20:24	Alright, well, that settles it. I am going to read the artical on the Raven Queen later today, and then I will figure out exactly how I want to fit her in.