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Paj
Seeker
United Kingdom
56 Posts |
 Posted - 20 May 2012 : 16:13:58
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Good afternoon all,
I have started a campaign for a group of friends set in 1374DR in and around the Sword Coast and north western area of Faerun.
The basic plot line is about a group of powerful creatures (haven't worked out who yet) coming together to free the primordial, Mual-Tar and unleash chaos on the realms.
So far I've ran an introductory adventure and the Reavers of Harkenwold DM Kit adventure and the players have hit level 5. Unfortunately, I am now stuck with where I want the campaign to go. I have come up with broad goals for each tier of the campaign:
Heroic Tier
After receiving a mysterious key from the captain of a merchant ship, the players need to rescue the Barony of Harkenwold and free the Baron's sage, Antrose. Antrose will be unable to decipher the inscription on the key and direct the players to locate someone, or something that can translate the language.
Paragon Tier
After they have deciphered the inscription and are aware that someone is trying to free the Thunder Serpent, Antrose directs the players to locate the separate parts of the key before those wishing Mual-Tar freed can do so.
Epic Tier
Having failed to stop the cultists from acquiring the complete key. the players must now find out where Mual-Tar is imprisoned and gather allies for a final strike against the cultists and defeat Mual-Tar.
The problem I'm having is getting from level 5 to 10. I had an idea of taking the characters north along the trade way dealing with an Undead attack on Beregrost (linking this in with a Lich-queen enemy I can use as a sometime ally/enemy of the players) and having the players looking for ways to translate the inscription. The trouble is I'm not sure if I can stretch that out to 5 levels of play.
I should mention that I plan on stealing a lot of idea's from Chris Perkins' Iomandra campaign. Things like the Horned Alliance and a smaller version of the Io'galaroth I plan on dropping somewhere west of Luskan in the Sea of Swords.
I just need something to pad out the next 5 levels of play before paragon tier, I don't think I can start looking for the parts to the key any earlier as the opponents of the PC's would seem...I dunno, lacklustre at such an early level?
Any ideas from the most vaunted sages of Candlekeep?
- Paj
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3738 Posts |
Posted - 20 May 2012 : 22:19:56
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-The first thing: Don't plan that far ahead. Even if it's vague ideas, as opposed to precisely detailed plans, the players can decide at Level 6 to completely go in a different direction. That leaves you with two options: You either go with the flow and take the game in the direction they take their players (which causes you to have to amend and possibly throw out any potential future plans you come up with) or you railroad the players back into doing what you've written up for them. If the former happens, depending on how detailed you've been with future plans, things can go from minor fudges to completely scrapping hours of research and planning. If the latter happens, nobody likes being railroaded in a direction they don't necessarily want their players to go in, and there's a good possibility you'll lose them/their interest. In a game I was in, it soon became apparent that we were being railroaded despite my attempts to get our party out of the "pre-written script" that the DM had for us, and I more-or-less lost interest, and became interested in creating mechanically optimum characters as opposed to the story, which I didn't really give two craps about anymore.
-All that aside now, addressing what to do between those levels. I did this once in a game just to stretch things out a little once, and it actually turned into an interesting and fun little side-quest arc: Thieves. Depending on where exactly your players are in the description, the key can be part of a caravan of goods that are being transported from the merchant ship to wherever it is all destined for. If they're past that, perhaps the sage is able to get the PCs passage in a merchant caravan along with the key and other goods to go to the place where someone can translate it. Whatever happens, they key can be stolen during a raid on the caravan by bandits, causing the PCs to have to recover it. Depending on how they play, there can be diplomacy involved, finding and negotiating with the thieves, they can go in guns blazing and assault the bandit hideout, and everything in-between. It kills time, gives them EXP, and depending on what they do, they can recover all of those thieves' loot, make potential enemies/allies with the thieves, make potential enemies/allies with the nearest town, and various other things. |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
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Derulbaskul
Senior Scribe
Singapore
408 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jun 2012 : 14:18:06
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You probably missed an opportunity of using the Iron Circle as a front for the Cult of Mual-Tar. After all, their symbol is a chain in a circle which could easily represent the imprisoned primordial.
The easiest way to set up an adventure in the North involving freeing a primordial or anything else is to tie it into the ancestor mounds of the Uthgardt barbarians. Basically, assume that the ancestor mounds are centres of primal magic (I'm assuming you are using the 4E ruleset) whose primary purpose is to seal away a primordial - Mual-Tar in this case. The bad guys are trying to corrupt the ancestor mounds.
So, start with your Trade Way adventure, send them toward an ancestor mound and let them discover the bad guys conducting rituals that break the primal bindings. As these rituals take place, unnatural and unseasonal storms are unleashed. Personally, I would be using stormsoul genasi and dwarves, the latter with the appropriate theme from Heroes of the Elemental Chaos. (I rather like dwarves as surprise bad guys when it comes to primordials.)
You could also have the party ally with the barbarian tribe(s) whose ancestor mound is being corrupted.
The Iron Circle could make a further appearance. What if the Iron Circle - and their secret diabolic master - are actually behind the attempt to free Mual-Tar? Of course, I have no idea how you used the Iron Circle in the first place so this might not make sense in your game. Even if it does make sense, you would need to work out why Asmodeus wants Mual-Tar freed in the first place. (IMO, it's to cause problems for one or more deities of the Realms whom Asmodeus wants to weaken because he plans to take their portfolio.)
Anyway, hopefully there are a few seeds in the post that will spark your creativity enough to get you from level 5 to level 10 while also ensuring that there is a halfway decent plot for the players to follow.
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Cheers
D
NB: Please remember: A cannon is a big gun. Canon is what we discuss here. |
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Help with level 5 - 10 campaign direction
