Body Part Collectionâ¦ - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Body Part Collectionâ¦

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
smacintush
Jul 24, 2008 8:04:38 I have this idea for a campaign where the PC's are searching for and assembling the preserved body parts of a loooong dead someone-or-other. I envision it in a similar fashion as the Egyptian tombs, or at least the ones from the movies.

Elaborate murals on the wall depicting events from this persons life (which reveal a mystery as more are discovered), lots of traps etc.

My problem is that I don't really know WHO this could be or WHY anyone would want to re-assemble him/her. I would like the completion to happen at the epic climax of the campaign so it could be someone extremely powerful. Good or evil.

The only other thing is that I have been wanting to do something involving the goblin races, so it could involve them. Or not.

Any ideas?
#2
Thangor
Jul 24, 2008 9:34:18 Great idea! Here is my suggestion: The once and future immortal king was dismembered 400 years ago and scattered across the world. The kingdom slowly fell into ruin. Your job, put him back together!

He's immortal, so when the PCs find his mouth, it talks to them. Of course, without a heart or a brain, the mouth wouldn't say anything very wise or useful. As they collect the various body parts, the kings personality would slowly evolve.

I really like the idea of having an annoying dead NPC who the PCs have to lug around. That just spells fun for me. :D

How to involve goblins? I don't know, maybe they dismembered him in the first place? or maybe the king is a goblin? or maybe a part of the king is worshiped by a goblin tribe?
#3
eldritch_lord
Jul 24, 2008 9:49:47
How to involve goblins? I don't know, maybe they dismembered him in the first place? or maybe the king is a goblin? or maybe a part of the king is worshiped by a goblin tribe?

Or the goblins have been keeping the knowledge of this guy alive. The stupid common races let him be dismembered; when the kingdom falls into a Dark Ages scenario, it's the goblinoids who act like the European monks who kept learning and knowledge safe from destruction.
#4
rico_huerta
Jul 24, 2008 12:05:13 How about the goblins either were the people that stepped in and took over the kingdom when the creature was dismembered, or they are about to conquer the kingdom...either way they do NOT want the powerful overlord coming back.
#5
Hocus-Smokus
Jul 24, 2008 21:51:09 Kind of like the Eye of Vecna, Hand of Vecna, and so on? Could make for an interesting adventure.
#6
dirtyfrank
Jul 25, 2008 0:25:56 Did you want something like Thangor suggested or something else?

I was thinking that the body parts are the mummified remains of a saint, wizard, or king and the PCs are trying to reassemble the body.

Could have a curse that was cast upon the person so that a ritual must be found before the dead person can be brought back to life. The character have to collect everybody part, and reassemble them, before the curse can be removed.

Once revived this person can help out in some fashion.

I sort of like the idea that this dead person has some information (secret) that 1) World changing information (in some way) and 2) Only the dead man has this information.

The information may also have been the reason to why the dead person was killed, cursed, chopped up, then hidden for.

Its just a thought.
#7
Valdark
Jul 25, 2008 0:59:52
I have this idea for a campaign where the PC's are searching for and assembling the preserved body parts of a loooong dead someone-or-other. I envision it in a similar fashion as the Egyptian tombs, or at least the ones from the movies.

Elaborate murals on the wall depicting events from this persons life (which reveal a mystery as more are discovered), lots of traps etc.

My problem is that I don't really know WHO this could be or WHY anyone would want to re-assemble him/her. I would like the completion to happen at the epic climax of the campaign so it could be someone extremely powerful. Good or evil.

The only other thing is that I have been wanting to do something involving the goblin races, so it could involve them. Or not.

Any ideas?

Cool it's like the Rod of Seven Parts on crack.

Could the god who created your realm, perhaps he was torn apart by the evil gods in their jealousy and quest for power.

This way it is an ancient tale that could very well be completely wrong.
#8
jutter
Jul 25, 2008 2:20:22 Wasn't there a similar quest in Diablo 2 somewhere?

Basically, it concerned the one guy who stood up against evil waaaaay back, and he was torn to shreds and his body was spread out over the country (because, well, there was more of evil than there was of him, so it was a matter of statistics). The goal was to collect his body parts to imbue an artefact with them, and the artefact could be used to destroy the forementioned evil.

Of course, literally using this would definitely tip off any and all players that ever played Diablo 2
#9
smacintush
Jul 25, 2008 11:32:18 I hate these stupid forums! I just spent forever typing my post only to lose it.

Anyway…let's try again.

First off, thanks for all the replies.

This is what came to me as I was working last night:

Once upon a time there was a nearly god-like being that was a powerful and unifying force among goblinkind. In an epic battle long ago their enemies defeated the goblin armies and tore him asunder. The devastating defeat fractured the goblins and the pieces of the great on powerful what's-his-name were found and taken by the different tribes and clans in the hopes of one day unifying his body and resurrecting him. Eventually, some things that should not have been forgotten, were lost...

History became legend,
legend became myth,
and for two-and-a-half
thousand years, the ~~Ring~~ body parts
passed out of all knowledge

Until one day, a clan of hobgoblins discovered a tomb with one of the parts inside. The wise old priest, knowing the story, sparked a new interest in recovering resurrecting what's-his-name. In this undertaking, they enlist the help of some of the more "sophisticated" tribes of bugbears and goblins and a new, though tenuous, coalition is created.

Now, perhaps by coincidence or perhaps not the PC's also discover a body part in a tomb uncovered in a mine near their home town. This tomb was created by goblins and the walls of this and most other like it have murals depicting the story of ol' what's-his-name. Thing is, it was created in a poorly painted or perhaps "stylistically" painted manner and it is also painted from the goblins point of view. In these murals the "good guys" are depicted as evil looking thus confusing the PC's into thinking he was a good guy.

This would created competition in finding the body parts, some parts would have to be taken from the goblins by force (inviting retaliation), and some would have to be filched. Also, such an important scavenger hunt would attract some pretty unique and powerful characters to oppose the PC's.

At completion, the great and powerful what's-his-name is resurrected and the PC's are faced with the realization that he is not so nice and now they have to deal with him. His defeat would be the climactic battle of the campaign.

The potential problem with this is how the PC's might feel about spending a couple of dozen levels pursuing a course that turns out to be bad. This is either a nice twist or a big, fat anti-climax.

Whadda ya think?
#10
Thangor
Jul 25, 2008 12:31:25 Don't know the answer here, could be either, but it inspired me to start a thread about plot twists.
#11
farquad
Jul 25, 2008 12:45:03 Anyone remember the GI-Joe cartoons? Basically Cobra went around and gathered up the "essence" of famous generals throughout history in order to create the "super general" Serpentor. Only in one case they screwed up and got Sgt. Slaughter's essence and Serpentor turns out as an impatient blowhard.

It would be easy to kind of adapt that to fit your campaign idea, and even incorporate the "wrong essence" as something having to do with a PC.
#12
dirtyfrank
Jul 25, 2008 13:14:01 The BBEG once resurrected should get away and the players should have to chase him down. If they fight BBEG right away and defeat him then they may feel like the campaign was a waist of time. Instead have the BBEG flee then starts to cause trouble. The characters find out the truth about the BBEG then go of to destroy him again. This well make them angry but should give them more of a sense of accomplishment.
#13
Thangor
Jul 25, 2008 13:48:15 Farquad, that's brilliant! It's a good twist that doesn't invalidate the rest of the campaign.

All your hard work paid off, you just got this one little thing wrong... so now you have to fight this guy, rip his evil left ear off (or whatever) and he'll be good again.
#14
eldritch_lord
Jul 26, 2008 16:37:45
evil left ear off (or whatever) and he'll be good again.

Or perhaps what they think was his hand was actually the Hand of Vecna, so they have to kill him, take it off, find his real hand, and bring him back again. Of course, they have to make sure to get the correct eyes as well....
#15
smacintush
Jul 26, 2008 19:46:29
The BBEG once resurrected should get away and the players should have to chase him down. If they fight BBEG right away and defeat him then they may feel like the campaign was a waist of time. Instead have the BBEG flee then starts to cause trouble. The characters find out the truth about the BBEG then go of to destroy him again. This well make them angry but should give them more of a sense of accomplishment.

I like it.

How about this:

Heroic tier - The PC's assemble and resurrect him, he goes away leaving them sort of wondering "Is that it?".

Paragon tier - They start having to deal with all the crap he doing but they don't really know who is doing it.

Epic tier - They learn who is behind all the bad stuff and now they must hunt down and take care of him.

Well, I liked it in my head but as I type it I don't know. None if it is sounding as good as I thought it would.
#16
dirtyfrank
Jul 26, 2008 22:04:32
I like it.

How about this:

Heroic tier - The PC's assemble and resurrect him, he goes away leaving them sort of wondering "Is that it?".

Paragon tier - They start having to deal with all the crap he doing but they don't really know who is doing it.

Epic tier - They learn who is behind all the bad stuff and now they must hunt down and take care of him.

Well, I liked it in my head but as I type it I don't know. None if it is sounding as good as I thought it would.

At about level 10 - 13 the person should be revived. This person of power should act nice and respectful toward the group. Maybe even asks the group for information about the world, remember he has been out of it for a while. He will then leave to take care of his 'task'. This is when trouble gets stirred up. He could even drop by to 'help' the group with their troubles, but what he really is doing his hiding his involvement. At around level 20 ish should the group should find out who the real BBEG is.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 smacintush Jul 24, 2008 8:04:38	I have this idea for a campaign where the PC's are searching for and assembling the preserved body parts of a loooong dead someone-or-other. I envision it in a similar fashion as the Egyptian tombs, or at least the ones from the movies. Elaborate murals on the wall depicting events from this persons life (which reveal a mystery as more are discovered), lots of traps etc. My problem is that I don't really know WHO this could be or WHY anyone would want to re-assemble him/her. I would like the completion to happen at the epic climax of the campaign so it could be someone extremely powerful. Good or evil. The only other thing is that I have been wanting to do something involving the goblin races, so it could involve them. Or not. Any ideas?
#2 Thangor Jul 24, 2008 9:34:18	Great idea! Here is my suggestion: The once and future immortal king was dismembered 400 years ago and scattered across the world. The kingdom slowly fell into ruin. Your job, put him back together! He's immortal, so when the PCs find his mouth, it talks to them. Of course, without a heart or a brain, the mouth wouldn't say anything very wise or useful. As they collect the various body parts, the kings personality would slowly evolve. I really like the idea of having an annoying dead NPC who the PCs have to lug around. That just spells fun for me. :D How to involve goblins? I don't know, maybe they dismembered him in the first place? or maybe the king is a goblin? or maybe a part of the king is worshiped by a goblin tribe?
#3 eldritch_lord Jul 24, 2008 9:49:47	How to involve goblins? I don't know, maybe they dismembered him in the first place? or maybe the king is a goblin? or maybe a part of the king is worshiped by a goblin tribe? Or the goblins have been keeping the knowledge of this guy alive. The stupid common races let him be dismembered; when the kingdom falls into a Dark Ages scenario, it's the goblinoids who act like the European monks who kept learning and knowledge safe from destruction.
#4 rico_huerta Jul 24, 2008 12:05:13	How about the goblins either were the people that stepped in and took over the kingdom when the creature was dismembered, or they are about to conquer the kingdom...either way they do NOT want the powerful overlord coming back.
#5 Hocus-Smokus Jul 24, 2008 21:51:09	Kind of like the Eye of Vecna, Hand of Vecna, and so on? Could make for an interesting adventure.
#6 dirtyfrank Jul 25, 2008 0:25:56	Did you want something like Thangor suggested or something else? I was thinking that the body parts are the mummified remains of a saint, wizard, or king and the PCs are trying to reassemble the body. Could have a curse that was cast upon the person so that a ritual must be found before the dead person can be brought back to life. The character have to collect everybody part, and reassemble them, before the curse can be removed. Once revived this person can help out in some fashion. I sort of like the idea that this dead person has some information (secret) that 1) World changing information (in some way) and 2) Only the dead man has this information. The information may also have been the reason to why the dead person was killed, cursed, chopped up, then hidden for. Its just a thought.
#7 Valdark Jul 25, 2008 0:59:52	I have this idea for a campaign where the PC's are searching for and assembling the preserved body parts of a loooong dead someone-or-other. I envision it in a similar fashion as the Egyptian tombs, or at least the ones from the movies. Elaborate murals on the wall depicting events from this persons life (which reveal a mystery as more are discovered), lots of traps etc. My problem is that I don't really know WHO this could be or WHY anyone would want to re-assemble him/her. I would like the completion to happen at the epic climax of the campaign so it could be someone extremely powerful. Good or evil. The only other thing is that I have been wanting to do something involving the goblin races, so it could involve them. Or not. Any ideas? Cool it's like the Rod of Seven Parts on crack. Could the god who created your realm, perhaps he was torn apart by the evil gods in their jealousy and quest for power. This way it is an ancient tale that could very well be completely wrong.
#8 jutter Jul 25, 2008 2:20:22	Wasn't there a similar quest in Diablo 2 somewhere? Basically, it concerned the one guy who stood up against evil waaaaay back, and he was torn to shreds and his body was spread out over the country (because, well, there was more of evil than there was of him, so it was a matter of statistics). The goal was to collect his body parts to imbue an artefact with them, and the artefact could be used to destroy the forementioned evil. Of course, literally using this would definitely tip off any and all players that ever played Diablo 2
#9 smacintush Jul 25, 2008 11:32:18	I hate these stupid forums! I just spent forever typing my post only to lose it. Anyway…let's try again. First off, thanks for all the replies. This is what came to me as I was working last night: Once upon a time there was a nearly god-like being that was a powerful and unifying force among goblinkind. In an epic battle long ago their enemies defeated the goblin armies and tore him asunder. The devastating defeat fractured the goblins and the pieces of the great on powerful what's-his-name were found and taken by the different tribes and clans in the hopes of one day unifying his body and resurrecting him. Eventually, some things that should not have been forgotten, were lost... History became legend, legend became myth, and for two-and-a-half thousand years, the ~~Ring~~ body parts passed out of all knowledge Until one day, a clan of hobgoblins discovered a tomb with one of the parts inside. The wise old priest, knowing the story, sparked a new interest in recovering resurrecting what's-his-name. In this undertaking, they enlist the help of some of the more "sophisticated" tribes of bugbears and goblins and a new, though tenuous, coalition is created. Now, perhaps by coincidence or perhaps not the PC's also discover a body part in a tomb uncovered in a mine near their home town. This tomb was created by goblins and the walls of this and most other like it have murals depicting the story of ol' what's-his-name. Thing is, it was created in a poorly painted or perhaps "stylistically" painted manner and it is also painted from the goblins point of view. In these murals the "good guys" are depicted as evil looking thus confusing the PC's into thinking he was a good guy. This would created competition in finding the body parts, some parts would have to be taken from the goblins by force (inviting retaliation), and some would have to be filched. Also, such an important scavenger hunt would attract some pretty unique and powerful characters to oppose the PC's. At completion, the great and powerful what's-his-name is resurrected and the PC's are faced with the realization that he is not so nice and now they have to deal with him. His defeat would be the climactic battle of the campaign. The potential problem with this is how the PC's might feel about spending a couple of dozen levels pursuing a course that turns out to be bad. This is either a nice twist or a big, fat anti-climax. Whadda ya think?
#10 Thangor Jul 25, 2008 12:31:25	Don't know the answer here, could be either, but it inspired me to start a thread about plot twists.
#11 farquad Jul 25, 2008 12:45:03	Anyone remember the GI-Joe cartoons? Basically Cobra went around and gathered up the "essence" of famous generals throughout history in order to create the "super general" Serpentor. Only in one case they screwed up and got Sgt. Slaughter's essence and Serpentor turns out as an impatient blowhard. It would be easy to kind of adapt that to fit your campaign idea, and even incorporate the "wrong essence" as something having to do with a PC.
#12 dirtyfrank Jul 25, 2008 13:14:01	The BBEG once resurrected should get away and the players should have to chase him down. If they fight BBEG right away and defeat him then they may feel like the campaign was a waist of time. Instead have the BBEG flee then starts to cause trouble. The characters find out the truth about the BBEG then go of to destroy him again. This well make them angry but should give them more of a sense of accomplishment.
#13 Thangor Jul 25, 2008 13:48:15	Farquad, that's brilliant! It's a good twist that doesn't invalidate the rest of the campaign. All your hard work paid off, you just got this one little thing wrong... so now you have to fight this guy, rip his evil left ear off (or whatever) and he'll be good again.
#14 eldritch_lord Jul 26, 2008 16:37:45	evil left ear off (or whatever) and he'll be good again. Or perhaps what they think was his hand was actually the Hand of Vecna, so they have to kill him, take it off, find his real hand, and bring him back again. Of course, they have to make sure to get the correct eyes as well....
#15 smacintush Jul 26, 2008 19:46:29	The BBEG once resurrected should get away and the players should have to chase him down. If they fight BBEG right away and defeat him then they may feel like the campaign was a waist of time. Instead have the BBEG flee then starts to cause trouble. The characters find out the truth about the BBEG then go of to destroy him again. This well make them angry but should give them more of a sense of accomplishment. I like it. How about this: Heroic tier - The PC's assemble and resurrect him, he goes away leaving them sort of wondering "Is that it?". Paragon tier - They start having to deal with all the crap he doing but they don't really know who is doing it. Epic tier - They learn who is behind all the bad stuff and now they must hunt down and take care of him. Well, I liked it in my head but as I type it I don't know. None if it is sounding as good as I thought it would.
#16 dirtyfrank Jul 26, 2008 22:04:32	I like it. How about this: Heroic tier - The PC's assemble and resurrect him, he goes away leaving them sort of wondering "Is that it?". Paragon tier - They start having to deal with all the crap he doing but they don't really know who is doing it. Epic tier - They learn who is behind all the bad stuff and now they must hunt down and take care of him. Well, I liked it in my head but as I type it I don't know. None if it is sounding as good as I thought it would. At about level 10 - 13 the person should be revived. This person of power should act nice and respectful toward the group. Maybe even asks the group for information about the world, remember he has been out of it for a while. He will then leave to take care of his 'task'. This is when trouble gets stirred up. He could even drop by to 'help' the group with their troubles, but what he really is doing his hiding his involvement. At around level 20 ish should the group should find out who the real BBEG is.