Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 The-Magic-Sword Dec 09, 2009 10:47:59	I run an after-school based DND club, i DM for one of the two groups (each one has around 6-7 people) and we're doing the same campaign albeit the groups are in different places at the same time (clarification: we share the world and overall events, as thought they were really two groups in the same world time period) So far the adventure is going to begin in a huge prison complex with thousands of prisoners. The individuals in the group meet when they've each been imprisoned in the elf controlled prison for various reasons (some under false charges, others maybe for real reasons, its up to the players) The lower prison where they begin functions very much like a town. The guards don't really care what goes on in the complex aside from keeping the prisoners from escaping or uniting, meaning players can wander their section of the prison without issue. The prisoners are divided into three factions that stick toghether for survival, The soldier's corner (mercenaries who fougth against the elves in the last war), The General's corner (Prisoners coalesced around an elven general who was arrested for political crimes (taking too much of an interest in the activities of the warden)) and the commons (a bunch of prisoners that should have the feel of refugees, sticking toghether for survival) In order to escape the prison, the group will need to either A. put the groups at eachother's throat to the point where they riot in a massive internal prison fight, distracting the gaurds so the group can escape through the upper complex without encountering overwhelming resistance or B. Get the groups to work toghether in order to distract the guards while the group breaks into the upper complex and helps them. difficulties include the fact that the general fought against the mercenaries in the war, and obviously no one has weapons. as a mostly necessary sub-plot, the soldier's corner, where the guards usaully don't go unless they have to at the risk of being injured and killed, have set up a very tenous smuggling operation with a turncoat of the guard. Players may be able to get weapons by helping. which will prove dangerous. As another source of danger, various smaller groups in the prison bully others, particularly the helpless people in the commons. They'll discover, once they break into the upper prison, that the warden's men have been taking prisoners out of the lower prison in order to enact necrotic experiments on them, Orcus style. One of the clerics is of the Raven Queen. Who will want to report it to her order (note, this is pre decided with the person that they will do this) which will lead the players on a journey to the "ashen Flame" headquarters, with several dungeons on the way where it's readily apparent the orcus cult isn't isolated. They go into the headquarters, find that its been invaded and infested with un-dead, but that the survivors have escaped (in the course of the dungeon) and they meet them Paragon tier- The storm breaks, as Orcus's followers ome into the open with their armies and mvoe to take over the world, the players fight in a war based campaign to initially defend and then push back the tide of un-dead. Epic tier- At the end of paragon tier the players fight a battle around a portal into the abyss, they will likely be victorious. But then, a visible fog seeps out of the portal, they quickly discover its a plague of undeath that can only be stopped by killign it's creator, the group charges into the abyss to confront Orcus. (After a number of adventures fighting his liutenants in the abyss they assail Everlost to end his threat) Sorry bout the length... what do you guys think? It seems like it might assume actions but when i actually thought about it, i realized i can easily alter it/set up for thigns in a different way. Theres a bit mroe, including the possibility of a few campaign specific paragon classes, artifacts and epic destinies. (depending on how easy/hard that is to balance out)
#2 gargs454 Dec 10, 2009 16:46:24	In general, it sounds pretty good.  You may want to be careful with how much you plan the Paragon and Epic stuff at this point obviously, but it sounds pretty good. One thing to consider though is providing alternate activities in the assorted tiers.  Your brief sketch seems to make it sound like start at fight A, go to fight B, etc. etc.  Particularly with things like the Fog of Undeath at the start of Epic, that sounds like a great chance to have adventures based around a) figuring out what the fog is, b) what needs to be done to destroy the fog, c) where to get the components for the ritual to reverse the Fog of Undeath Ritual/Actually getting said components, etc.  This way its not simply "Okay, we jump into the portal to fight Orcus!"  Then having them spend 10 levels fighting their way to Orcus.
#3 The-Magic-Sword Dec 11, 2009 10:19:33	yeah, i was going to have alot of non-intense-combat-focused stuff mixed in with the rest of the action, now i'll be sure to definetly have enough. I'm thinking negotiations with allies for help, strange mysteries concerning the enemy forces and allies, stealthier operations leading the players to have to out think, not out fight, the enemy. and of course side quests. What i didn't think of was the fact they would have to adventure to figure out the fog of un-death, i really like the idea. especially if i make the last castle assault feel like a dungeon where they have to either A. Beat their way to the enemies command room and get the answers out of him, or find some way to eavesdrop, or steal some sort of orders. Also, as a side note, Orcus isn't the last boss, he's close but i'm making hints at a certain "elderly elemental eye" behind the scenes (it won't be out of nowhere, but they won't realize it till much later) Also note: the plague of un-death probably can't be stifled until Orcus is killed (or, took it back but... yah right)