So I'm working on a new campaign that I'm planning on running in the next couple of weeks. I have the basic premise down (and even the first couple of events/encounters), but I'm looking for some help trying to flesh out what happens next.
Yes, I'm designing this as a 4e game, but all the elements of designing a good story should remain the same. But if you have any specific suggestions dealing with the new rules mechanics, that would be more than welcome
The Premise
Duskkeep
Duskkeep is an isolated fortress built high in the mountains that make up the western border of the kingdom--indeed, it marks the far western edge. No one remembers who originally constructed the keep or why, but these days it serves as the first line of defense against the Orcs who inhabit the mountains. With rumors of a massive number of Orc warbands mobilizing, the threat of all-out war looms heavily over the kingdom. Thus the king decides to send a battalion to fortify the keep and hold off the invaders. Most realize that is a hopeless mission, a futile gesture made simple to appease the population. Nevertheless, the men and women that make up the force set out. They travel far and fast into the mountains to reach the keep, taking command from the civilians that govern in times of peace. And then things start to go wrong. Whether because of an early winter, Orcish raiders, or some treachery, the battalion's supply trains never catch up with the soldiers. As the long winter continues, the battalion finds itself snowed in, without supplies, and in all likelihood behind enemy lines.
30 years pass. A combination of harsh winters and Orc attacks has fully isolated Duskkeep. Yet somehow the town has survived. The men and women who defend the keep have managed to create a life for themselves. The PCs are the children of these warriors, the next generation of heroes will defend their home from threats both internal and external.
Duskkeep is an isolated fortress built high in the mountains that make up the western border of the kingdom--indeed, it marks the far western edge. No one remembers who originally constructed the keep or why, but these days it serves as the first line of defense against the Orcs who inhabit the mountains. With rumors of a massive number of Orc warbands mobilizing, the threat of all-out war looms heavily over the kingdom. Thus the king decides to send a battalion to fortify the keep and hold off the invaders. Most realize that is a hopeless mission, a futile gesture made simple to appease the population. Nevertheless, the men and women that make up the force set out. They travel far and fast into the mountains to reach the keep, taking command from the civilians that govern in times of peace. And then things start to go wrong. Whether because of an early winter, Orcish raiders, or some treachery, the battalion's supply trains never catch up with the soldiers. As the long winter continues, the battalion finds itself snowed in, without supplies, and in all likelihood behind enemy lines.
30 years pass. A combination of harsh winters and Orc attacks has fully isolated Duskkeep. Yet somehow the town has survived. The men and women who defend the keep have managed to create a life for themselves. The PCs are the children of these warriors, the next generation of heroes will defend their home from threats both internal and external.
From a planning point of view that means dividing things into two chunks of roughly 4 to 5 encounters each.
I would recommend that the first chunk reach some minor goal or turning point in the adventure and the second chunk again reach a bigger point in the adventure.
If you were watching a TV show or a movie then you could think of these points as the cliffhangers that draw you to the next episode.
Each of the encounters then pretty much fills out the time between each commercial break.
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Thoughts
1> Instead of 'capture the flag' I saw on the news the annual English hurling of a cheese wheel down a hill where people run to try and keep up. I thought it might be funny to use the idea as the basis for a semi rugby or football type of game. There is annual spring festival in the town where the youth are divided into two groups. One group is given a 40lb wheel of cheese and must attempt to move the cheese from one end of a pitch to the other. The other group attempts to stop this from occuring. The whole town comes out to watch and cheer on the two groups.
2> If the players are part of a militia and you need them to move around and meet people in town then you could give them a cart where they are supposed to go round to the homes in the village and distribute various weapons that have been fixed and sharpened. They are also supposed to pick up and inspect the weapons the people in the town keep for defense. This can lead to a few planned things like someone is down to 2 crossbow bolts because their son used the crossbow for duck or squirrl hunting. They could find the baker's wife has been using his sword to help scrape ashes out of the big oven and dulled the edge. Another person could have impropperly stored their leather armour without a proper oil cloth and the leather has dried out and been attacked by moths. This basically sets a tone for the readiness of the militia if trouble were to seriously threaten the town.
3> Players could also see some merchant person being beaten up by a couple of local thugs. The thugs will of course put up a bit of a fight but each will surrender if bloodied (no one wants to get seriously killed). The person that was being beaten up will then tell the players it was all a 'misunderstanding'. There should follow a lame excuse of proper way to help someone who is choking by punching them in the gut. These of course are local thugs that are shaking down the merchant that owes either protection money, gambling debt, or both.
4> A regular duty is likely rat catching in the grain storage barn. Players could be sent in to take care of a few rats too make sure they are not destroying too much grain. When they are going through the barn, they find the rats and another more dangerous monster. This should be an interesting challenge as players will need to be careful not to use 'blasting' type of powers or risk setting fire to the grain stores for the town.
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From a planning point of view that means dividing things into two chunks of roughly 4 to 5 encounters each.
I would recommend that the first chunk reach some minor goal or turning point in the adventure and the second chunk again reach a bigger point in the adventure.
If you were watching a TV show or a movie then you could think of these points as the cliffhangers that draw you to the next episode.
Each of the encounters then pretty much fills out the time between each commercial break.
I quote this because it is good advice, but I already have a very strong grasp of narrative structure. The problem is coming up with what those encounters are that fill each beat in the story.
In response to your ideas:
1) This doesn't do anything for me, and I'm pretty excited about trying the "capture-the-flag" game. Thanks for the suggestion though
2) I actually really like this idea, but it doesn't sound very exciting or interesting to play. More like "yay, we get to be accountants!" But I think it would be a good event to wrinkle through: "You spend the next morning reviewing the town's readiness. Many people's weapons are rusted... " etc. I had also never considered that the townsfolk might be armed as a militia.
3) As the town is pretty much completely isolated, there really aren't ANY merchants. Mostly sustenance production, with the occasional barter-type trade from one of the other races around.
4) I kind of like this idea, but I think I'm going to take it in a different direction (see below).
So my current plans, for those who are interested:
Some new ideas (SPOILERS!)
* I'm going to stick with the capture-the-flag competition, with the expectation that the PCs will win.
* After that, they will be given some kind of prize for winning, along with possibly new uniforms or some such. But the mayor's son (my villain) will have tricked someone into grabbing the prize money, so the PCs have to go figure out what happened and then track him down. I'm thinking he's sulking in the mines, and the PCs might end up "rescuing" him from a swarm of bats or some underground Lurker (depending on how appropriate another combat seems).
* The other encounter I came up with (though I'm not sure how to work it in) is based on Smerg's idea. But rather than clearing out the rats, how about clearing out the buzzards that hang out on the top of the Keep's central tower? And by buzzards, I mean a nest of baby Spire Drakes (recast as minions) and their mom, a flying Spitting Drake. What I really like is the thought that it's kind of routine (other than needing to climb up and perch on the tower), except when it turns out that under the filth that the Drakes are producing, an Otyugh is growing (a reduced one, size Medium). So it attacks them, then they have to try and fight off the Drakes while they kill the Otyugh, all the while trying not to fall off the tower! Seems like it could be fun to me It also opens up the possibility for later having the PCs see some Spire Drakes as a hint that more (bigger) Otyugh might be around. The only problem is I'm not quite sure where to work in this encounter... maybe after the Gnome stuff (perhaps as punishment for letting such a creature in?)
* I think Level 2 is going to involve the Gnolls. The PCs will have met some Elven ambassadors while out on patrol, who come to town to say that the Gnolls are mobilizing, but seem oddly organized. The elves can't do anything to protect the Keep, but wanted to give the humans fair warning. So the PCs get sent out to try and spy on the Gnolls and learn what's up (probably because one of the PCs is an elf--I've had at least one player who expressed interest in playing an elf). This level would have a number of encounters with bands of Gnolls, and possible some plant hazards or even fey creatures. I'm not quite sure why the Gnolls are moving, but their immediate goal is probably involves looking for something to do with the Feywild (maybe an artifact/mcguffin, or an alliance with the Formians?)
* It is during this time (when the PCs return to the Keep for whatever reasons) that the mayor's son will be pushing things, and at the end of Level 2 (or shortly into Level 3), the Shadar-kai show up, and the adventure goes from there.
* After that, they will be given some kind of prize for winning, along with possibly new uniforms or some such. But the mayor's son (my villain) will have tricked someone into grabbing the prize money, so the PCs have to go figure out what happened and then track him down. I'm thinking he's sulking in the mines, and the PCs might end up "rescuing" him from a swarm of bats or some underground Lurker (depending on how appropriate another combat seems).
* The other encounter I came up with (though I'm not sure how to work it in) is based on Smerg's idea. But rather than clearing out the rats, how about clearing out the buzzards that hang out on the top of the Keep's central tower? And by buzzards, I mean a nest of baby Spire Drakes (recast as minions) and their mom, a flying Spitting Drake. What I really like is the thought that it's kind of routine (other than needing to climb up and perch on the tower), except when it turns out that under the filth that the Drakes are producing, an Otyugh is growing (a reduced one, size Medium). So it attacks them, then they have to try and fight off the Drakes while they kill the Otyugh, all the while trying not to fall off the tower! Seems like it could be fun to me
It also opens up the possibility for later having the PCs see some Spire Drakes as a hint that more (bigger) Otyugh might be around. The only problem is I'm not quite sure where to work in this encounter... maybe after the Gnome stuff (perhaps as punishment for letting such a creature in?)* I think Level 2 is going to involve the Gnolls. The PCs will have met some Elven ambassadors while out on patrol, who come to town to say that the Gnolls are mobilizing, but seem oddly organized. The elves can't do anything to protect the Keep, but wanted to give the humans fair warning. So the PCs get sent out to try and spy on the Gnolls and learn what's up (probably because one of the PCs is an elf--I've had at least one player who expressed interest in playing an elf). This level would have a number of encounters with bands of Gnolls, and possible some plant hazards or even fey creatures. I'm not quite sure why the Gnolls are moving, but their immediate goal is probably involves looking for something to do with the Feywild (maybe an artifact/mcguffin, or an alliance with the Formians?)
* It is during this time (when the PCs return to the Keep for whatever reasons) that the mayor's son will be pushing things, and at the end of Level 2 (or shortly into Level 3), the Shadar-kai show up, and the adventure goes from there.
General Campaign Thoughts and Questions
First, I like the capture-the-flag/general competition idea. I hope it works out for you.
Second, when the gentleman or lady (perhaps the Mayor's son is a romantic interest for her; she could become friendly to the party later on as she realizes the son's megalomania) steals the money/prizes, why not have him or her be one of the reasons that the Gnomes are running amok through the town? He or she stumbled onto their lands, without meaning to, when he was running with the loot. This would show them to not be evil but, rather, simply interested in preserving their security.
Third, I like the central tower idea. However, be careful with how tall you make it and how much the spire drakes (I don't have 4e yet, so I've got no idea what their stats are) use forced movement against the characters; you could wind up with a TPK at 1st level with a couple of bad rolls.
Fourth, the elves introducing the gnoll threat is golden; they'd have rangers out and about in the wilds more than the townspeople would. However, the motivation for their recent activity just doesn't jive too well for me, what with the rest of the world as you've described it.
The orcs have been the main threat for remembered history, yes? Well, in world history, most major barbarian population migrations (which is pretty much the role that most of the monstrous humanoid races fill in D&D) were caused by either a cataclysmic change in food/water supply or the migration of other barbarians.
Why not have the shadowfell creatures be affecting the orcs? I understand that the mayor's son is supposed to be the main villain of the campaign (at least at the low levels), but you can include that too. A new leader has arisen amongst the orcs, one that works directly with shadowfell creatures. Due to this, the orcs are mobilizing--which would have the advantage of drawing off much of the available fighting-age townspeople to face the threat, leaving the adventurers (who are "too junior" to help) and a skeleton force to hold the town--and stirring the gnolls up; as the gnolls don't have the numbers to resist being pushed off of their own lands.
As an orc or a gnoll would not be welcomed by the townspeople, why not have a shadowfell creature (perhaps one of these "shadar-kai", if they look human or can successfully disguise themselves) approach the son? It would be the promise of being able to rid himself of the obtuse militia control of the town that would lure him, or maybe the promise of arcane, shadow-related power.
So, what you would wind up with would be a tree that looks somewhat like the following:
capture-the-flag -> tower fight-> loss of the prize -> hunting down the prize -> gnomish retaliation -> elvish revelation of gnolls -> fight at the town walls -> death-rattle/secret message revelation of the orcs -> mass exodus of the militia to hold the high pass -> offer of the shadar-kai -> revelation of the dark menace (perhaps by the girl?) -> stopping the wellspring of shadow
I don't know if you like the idea, but...;)...let me know.
Second, when the gentleman or lady (perhaps the Mayor's son is a romantic interest for her; she could become friendly to the party later on as she realizes the son's megalomania) steals the money/prizes, why not have him or her be one of the reasons that the Gnomes are running amok through the town? He or she stumbled onto their lands, without meaning to, when he was running with the loot. This would show them to not be evil but, rather, simply interested in preserving their security.
Third, I like the central tower idea. However, be careful with how tall you make it and how much the spire drakes (I don't have 4e yet, so I've got no idea what their stats are) use forced movement against the characters; you could wind up with a TPK at 1st level with a couple of bad rolls.
Fourth, the elves introducing the gnoll threat is golden; they'd have rangers out and about in the wilds more than the townspeople would. However, the motivation for their recent activity just doesn't jive too well for me, what with the rest of the world as you've described it.
The orcs have been the main threat for remembered history, yes? Well, in world history, most major barbarian population migrations (which is pretty much the role that most of the monstrous humanoid races fill in D&D) were caused by either a cataclysmic change in food/water supply or the migration of other barbarians.
Why not have the shadowfell creatures be affecting the orcs? I understand that the mayor's son is supposed to be the main villain of the campaign (at least at the low levels), but you can include that too. A new leader has arisen amongst the orcs, one that works directly with shadowfell creatures. Due to this, the orcs are mobilizing--which would have the advantage of drawing off much of the available fighting-age townspeople to face the threat, leaving the adventurers (who are "too junior" to help) and a skeleton force to hold the town--and stirring the gnolls up; as the gnolls don't have the numbers to resist being pushed off of their own lands.
As an orc or a gnoll would not be welcomed by the townspeople, why not have a shadowfell creature (perhaps one of these "shadar-kai", if they look human or can successfully disguise themselves) approach the son? It would be the promise of being able to rid himself of the obtuse militia control of the town that would lure him, or maybe the promise of arcane, shadow-related power.
So, what you would wind up with would be a tree that looks somewhat like the following:
capture-the-flag -> tower fight-> loss of the prize -> hunting down the prize -> gnomish retaliation -> elvish revelation of gnolls -> fight at the town walls -> death-rattle/secret message revelation of the orcs -> mass exodus of the militia to hold the high pass -> offer of the shadar-kai -> revelation of the dark menace (perhaps by the girl?) -> stopping the wellspring of shadow
I don't know if you like the idea, but...;)...let me know.
2. You could do his evil mischief as a flashback. Childhood memories of him stealing a treasured toy as a child. Or Him stealing a treasured doll from a friend/adventuring party. If not a doll maybe a carved wooden sword or shield. Or Just something your day may of left you before he died like a belt or a badge from 30 years ago when he was in the kings army.
3. For ideas on mischief check out Pathfinder #1 has a group of goblins running amok in a village.
4.Nice idea run with it.
...stuff...
You're right. You are absolutely right.
(SPOILERS!)
The Shadowfell is the primary villain, so the Gnoll threat should come from there (at least indirectly). And as the Orcs are the main power in the area; they should be involved. I like the idea that the Orcs have driven the Gnolls towards the Keep, probably due to just expanding territory. I don't see the Orcs as barbaric so much as militaristic, but it still works.
I think I'm going to have the Gnomes still be just kind of mischievously evil, rather than having their land threatened. The idea is that the barriers between the worlds (the Prime, the Feywild, and the Shadowfell) is weakening at this time; it's at a low ebb from time to time. Hence why the Shadowfell is pushing to get out, and why the Gnomes stumble into the Prime. Maybe they did engage the Gnolls at some point (one has a Gnollish item or something), which could explain their hostility towards creatures from the Prime.
I'm not going to push any NPCs as "romantic interests" for the party (I've seen some weirdness in the past); though I'll definitely call it out as a possibility for character relations during creation. If a player wants to have a love interest, I will definitely accommodate
I actually really like the idea that the senior warriors all head off for some battle, leaving the PCs behind. It fits well into my planned history of the Keep (which involved the battalion splitting, one half going off and never coming back). I'm not sure I want to run the "battle at the walls" adventure at level 2, but it could happen.
I think I'm going to make the decision about what the military does include the PC's input. Social encounter/skill challenge type of stuff. It's possible they can convince the knights to stay, or not. I'll see how it goes by that point.
So the current plan is:
The capture-the-flag game occurs. The PCs should win, but their prize is stolen. So they have to go find the prize, interacting with the townspeople. They wind up in the mine, where they have to protect the villain when they all get attacked by a swarm or a choker (swarm is more level appropriate, but the choker fits so well!). That completes a minor (major?) quest, and the PCs get the prize (money) plus whatever choker had (a magic item likely). A few days later, the PCs find themselves on patrol where they run into some elves (social encounter) whom they have to escort back to the Keep. They then have to go find their rivals, who haven't come back from cutting wood/clearing the river/etc. They get there and have to help fend off the Gnomes. The Gnomes then move towards the Keep, and the PCs have to track them down and subdue them. This will of course involve bothering the elves for all kinds of RP opportunities.
I'm feeling like I need a conclusion for the Level 1 "adventure," and the Gnomes are the closest thing I have. So I kind of want to end with them, but then I'm not sure where to work in the Drake-hunting. Maybe I need another encounter or two for the climax to that level? Like maybe a big social encounter that leads to a fight.... I'm not sure. What goes here?
Then Level 2 involves the Gnolls. In the middle the Knights head off, and by the end the Shadar-kai show up (or possibly at the beginning/middle of Level 3).
That feels pretty good to me. Just need that ending for Level 1... hmm...
I think I'm going to have the Gnomes still be just kind of mischievously evil, rather than having their land threatened. The idea is that the barriers between the worlds (the Prime, the Feywild, and the Shadowfell) is weakening at this time; it's at a low ebb from time to time. Hence why the Shadowfell is pushing to get out, and why the Gnomes stumble into the Prime. Maybe they did engage the Gnolls at some point (one has a Gnollish item or something), which could explain their hostility towards creatures from the Prime.
I'm not going to push any NPCs as "romantic interests" for the party (I've seen some weirdness in the past); though I'll definitely call it out as a possibility for character relations during creation. If a player wants to have a love interest, I will definitely accommodate
I actually really like the idea that the senior warriors all head off for some battle, leaving the PCs behind. It fits well into my planned history of the Keep (which involved the battalion splitting, one half going off and never coming back). I'm not sure I want to run the "battle at the walls" adventure at level 2, but it could happen.
I think I'm going to make the decision about what the military does include the PC's input. Social encounter/skill challenge type of stuff. It's possible they can convince the knights to stay, or not. I'll see how it goes by that point.
So the current plan is:
The capture-the-flag game occurs. The PCs should win, but their prize is stolen. So they have to go find the prize, interacting with the townspeople. They wind up in the mine, where they have to protect the villain when they all get attacked by a swarm or a choker (swarm is more level appropriate, but the choker fits so well!). That completes a minor (major?) quest, and the PCs get the prize (money) plus whatever choker had (a magic item likely). A few days later, the PCs find themselves on patrol where they run into some elves (social encounter) whom they have to escort back to the Keep. They then have to go find their rivals, who haven't come back from cutting wood/clearing the river/etc. They get there and have to help fend off the Gnomes. The Gnomes then move towards the Keep, and the PCs have to track them down and subdue them. This will of course involve bothering the elves for all kinds of RP opportunities.
I'm feeling like I need a conclusion for the Level 1 "adventure," and the Gnomes are the closest thing I have. So I kind of want to end with them, but then I'm not sure where to work in the Drake-hunting. Maybe I need another encounter or two for the climax to that level? Like maybe a big social encounter that leads to a fight.... I'm not sure. What goes here?
Then Level 2 involves the Gnolls. In the middle the Knights head off, and by the end the Shadar-kai show up (or possibly at the beginning/middle of Level 3).
That feels pretty good to me. Just need that ending for Level 1... hmm...
More Stuff
"Barbarians" in the context I was using it in was supposed to mean "folks who aren't interested in settling down and creating a stable, working society". Most monstrous humanoids don't seem to be in D&D, at least not the way they're portrayed. Just my take on it.
Ah, okay. I get it now :lightbulb. So, the gnomes aren't from the Material Plane at all. That makes sense.
On the lady NPC, I guess I wasn't quite as clear as I could've been; I was trying to say that she could be romantically interested in the mayor's son, not one of the PCs. This would give her a reason to really hate the kid when his full plans are revealed; she'd be able to make the transition from "vague NPC enemy" to "valued ally" pretty easily then.
Hmmm...it need not be a "battle at the walls" type deal; perhaps the gnolls send strike teams into the town ahead of the main body. They don't have the manpower (okay, okay, "gnollpower") to take the walls, so they intend on relying on SF infiltrators to weaken the town's defenses from within. That would allow the militia to man the walls while the PCs deal with "scattered reports of trouble" in the center of town. If you're going to do this, however, cause the gnomes to have made mischief in some of the outlying farms rather than the town proper; it makes for more varied scenery.
I'd think that skill challenges would be a good way to determine the knights' presence or not. Don't let the outcome of the campaign hinge on that, though.
Perhaps, since it was not the humans who stirred the gnomes up, the gnomes might be amenable to reason. Set it up so that the gnomes are willing to talk--even if they don't think very highly of the PCs--unless the PCs come at them swinging. While the talks are being negotiated, introduce the drakes (up the encounter level so that the PCs need the gnomes and the gnomes need the PCs). Everyone has to turn and fight; and the PCs gain an extraplanar group of allies, learning that not all creatures from outside the world are malignant (you could work this into a "all that glitters is not gold" type adventure down the line with a deceptive evil NPC that befriends the PCs).
It would be easy to tie the outcome of the drake/gnome battle into the gnomes giving information that leads the PCs to the elves (as "those elves, y'know, over there in the wood? they know all about the durned critters that attacked us, and they look like some folks we know back home"), and from there to the gnolls.
Ah, okay. I get it now :lightbulb. So, the gnomes aren't from the Material Plane at all. That makes sense.
On the lady NPC, I guess I wasn't quite as clear as I could've been; I was trying to say that she could be romantically interested in the mayor's son, not one of the PCs. This would give her a reason to really hate the kid when his full plans are revealed; she'd be able to make the transition from "vague NPC enemy" to "valued ally" pretty easily then.
Hmmm...it need not be a "battle at the walls" type deal; perhaps the gnolls send strike teams into the town ahead of the main body. They don't have the manpower (okay, okay, "gnollpower") to take the walls, so they intend on relying on SF infiltrators to weaken the town's defenses from within. That would allow the militia to man the walls while the PCs deal with "scattered reports of trouble" in the center of town. If you're going to do this, however, cause the gnomes to have made mischief in some of the outlying farms rather than the town proper; it makes for more varied scenery.
I'd think that skill challenges would be a good way to determine the knights' presence or not. Don't let the outcome of the campaign hinge on that, though.
Perhaps, since it was not the humans who stirred the gnomes up, the gnomes might be amenable to reason. Set it up so that the gnomes are willing to talk--even if they don't think very highly of the PCs--unless the PCs come at them swinging. While the talks are being negotiated, introduce the drakes (up the encounter level so that the PCs need the gnomes and the gnomes need the PCs). Everyone has to turn and fight; and the PCs gain an extraplanar group of allies, learning that not all creatures from outside the world are malignant (you could work this into a "all that glitters is not gold" type adventure down the line with a deceptive evil NPC that befriends the PCs).
It would be easy to tie the outcome of the drake/gnome battle into the gnomes giving information that leads the PCs to the elves (as "those elves, y'know, over there in the wood? they know all about the durned critters that attacked us, and they look like some folks we know back home"), and from there to the gnolls.