Campaign Help
- Thread starter Scud_Buster
- Start date
OK. My advice is this: don't sketch out a plot. Your players want an RPG, not a rail-shooter. But.... give them a central setting. You've got this wicked lich-construct idea. Cool. I love it. Where does this (probably unhinged, possibly insane) being live? At the bottom/middle of some kind of huge complex? Well, check whether your players want to have standard hardy adventurer types or prefer city slickers with a taste for danger. If they're the former, put the lich in a dungeon beneath some ruins and give them a map to those ruins (gift from a retired adventurer or something more creative). If they're the latter, just relocate the lich to catacombs beneath the city and assign the PCs to a sewer detail. Let them explore and get treasure, initially running into the lich's defective experiments that have been let loose on the upper levels, along with other monsters who are lairing in the complex.
If the players are intrigued, they'll start theorising about what's going on. Use their theories to fuel your own ideas about what's going on. If they aren't very interested in the dungeon, let them go somewhere else and do something else.
And then have lich's horrible minions over-run their home town.
The main thing about being a ref is that you're not the author of a novel that the characters happen to find themselves in. Plot is what happens when the players' characters interact with your setting.
Probably won't come up unless your players KNOW there's gonna be a lot of undead but just a small warning, you miiiiight wanna ban a class called dread necromancer. Long story short, any undead not actively being buffed by the lich will end up under his command. They are absolute monsters in games where fresh corpses are readily available.
Tier System for Classes
Tier levels. A large disparity is annoying to players but hell to a DM. If you have tier 1s mixed with 4s and 5s, you might wanna enforce compensated point buy or building split encounters. I don't recomend gestalt unless you REALLY like math.
Also, instead of just running checks normally, you can enforce situations where normal methods won't work for example, instead of just rolling a diplomacy check to convince the kings to stop fighting, make them actually produce a real arguement. Make them give a speech about how war is bad and blah blah blah. Sense motive checks, instead of instantly revealing that someone is lying, might show ' the man is clearly uncomfortable and hesitant'. This might mean he is lying or that he's afraid telling the truth will get him in trouble.
Finally, even 'core' rules are just a guideline. DMs get final say in everything so long as it doesn't actively suck the fun out. Some players might be anal about the rules. In these cases, remember that while the players can use the rules against you, you can use the story against them
These are just suggestions, mind you. I just thought I'd throw them around since you asked and all. GLHF
Tier System for Classes
Tier levels. A large disparity is annoying to players but hell to a DM. If you have tier 1s mixed with 4s and 5s, you might wanna enforce compensated point buy or building split encounters. I don't recomend gestalt unless you REALLY like math.
Also, instead of just running checks normally, you can enforce situations where normal methods won't work for example, instead of just rolling a diplomacy check to convince the kings to stop fighting, make them actually produce a real arguement. Make them give a speech about how war is bad and blah blah blah. Sense motive checks, instead of instantly revealing that someone is lying, might show ' the man is clearly uncomfortable and hesitant'. This might mean he is lying or that he's afraid telling the truth will get him in trouble.
Finally, even 'core' rules are just a guideline. DMs get final say in everything so long as it doesn't actively suck the fun out. Some players might be anal about the rules. In these cases, remember that while the players can use the rules against you, you can use the story against them
These are just suggestions, mind you. I just thought I'd throw them around since you asked and all. GLHF
Greenfield
Adventurer
Regarding the issue of XP needed for a Lich to create constructs and other magical things...
We played with this in one campaign, the idea that XP is sort of your "life force", and that undead didn't have any, so...
One way to trace the Lich would be to follow the trail of disappearances, since the undead need living sacrifices to give the semblance of life to such creations. I wouldn't be surprised if there was something spelled out in the Book of Vile Darkness that allowed Exp to be siphoned off unwilling victims. If there isn't, invent your own.
It should be one of those secrets in the "We don't speak of such things" category, as far as the church and any reputable crafters are concerned. So even tracking down the "why" of the people being taken could become part of the challenge.
The pattern of *when* the people vanish will be a clue, since it's always just before some alignment of sun or moon or stars. Small rituals can be done by the full moon or the dark of the moon or whatever, but lunar eclipse would allow something bigger, solar eclipse would allow something huge, and when it aligns with an equinox or solstice or some unholy day...
This gives the plot some built in deadlines, to help keep things rolling along. Events often enough to be treated as clues and trails to be followed, with "Big Things" in the offing, and a good high tension finale to the plot line.
Just a thought.
We played with this in one campaign, the idea that XP is sort of your "life force", and that undead didn't have any, so...
One way to trace the Lich would be to follow the trail of disappearances, since the undead need living sacrifices to give the semblance of life to such creations. I wouldn't be surprised if there was something spelled out in the Book of Vile Darkness that allowed Exp to be siphoned off unwilling victims. If there isn't, invent your own.
It should be one of those secrets in the "We don't speak of such things" category, as far as the church and any reputable crafters are concerned. So even tracking down the "why" of the people being taken could become part of the challenge.
The pattern of *when* the people vanish will be a clue, since it's always just before some alignment of sun or moon or stars. Small rituals can be done by the full moon or the dark of the moon or whatever, but lunar eclipse would allow something bigger, solar eclipse would allow something huge, and when it aligns with an equinox or solstice or some unholy day...
This gives the plot some built in deadlines, to help keep things rolling along. Events often enough to be treated as clues and trails to be followed, with "Big Things" in the offing, and a good high tension finale to the plot line.
Just a thought.
lordxaviar
Explorer
dont let the spelling bother you... if it wasnt for spell check you would never be able to read my posts....
love your set up. lots of room for role play..
the last thing... with 3.5 there is no permanent darkness (one of my peeves)
but that doesnt mean that it isnt some ancient magic lost and forgotten..
sorry not to add real meat to your idea's I think you have enough to go on.. should keep you busy working on your royal and noble structure, how many on what levels know of the Lich and its influence? Could it be a female Lich.. (you know I dont think I have ever run into one of those) who is after the down fall of all men and their rule..
just gave me an idea or two.
Scud_Buster
First Post
Thank you every one for your feed back it has been really helpfull so far. I want the players options open so I am not going to force them into any thing, however the players will decide how thay impact the story. Thay could join one kingdom and lead it to victory, or that might let both sides destroy each other and make a profit from their suffering. If thay want to completely ignore the war thay can but that doesn't mean their won't be a war going on. Their is an inspiration from yogimbo I will let them do what thay want.
I don't want to force the players to do any thing I know how much that can upset players. As I stated before we have been taking turns DMing and the first guy would literally take control of our characters and make them perform actions some of the time completely against the alignment of said character like a palidn treating to kill innocent villagers just so he could continue with the plot he created. And after a few times I brought it up that he shouldn't take control of our characters I had a sever run of bad luck and a few near death experiences.
Needless to say I don't want that to happen when I am the DM. I chose to go last so I could find things I did not like abought what the others did and avoid doing them my self.
I have never seen or heard of a female lich that is an interesting idea I might Abel to use that..... this will need some thought.
I know we can't make creature hear but I was wondering if it is even possible to make a hybrid undead construct creature. as in could it logic exist I was thinking a powerful suit of armor magically enchanted through all stages of its creation and infused with souls of the dead bound to the service of its creator. I guess its basicly a golem but instead of an earth spirit a human soul (with just a hint of doom guard).
Once more I just want to know if it feasible as that could impact the story thanks.
I don't want to force the players to do any thing I know how much that can upset players. As I stated before we have been taking turns DMing and the first guy would literally take control of our characters and make them perform actions some of the time completely against the alignment of said character like a palidn treating to kill innocent villagers just so he could continue with the plot he created. And after a few times I brought it up that he shouldn't take control of our characters I had a sever run of bad luck and a few near death experiences.
Needless to say I don't want that to happen when I am the DM. I chose to go last so I could find things I did not like abought what the others did and avoid doing them my self.
I have never seen or heard of a female lich that is an interesting idea I might Abel to use that..... this will need some thought.
I know we can't make creature hear but I was wondering if it is even possible to make a hybrid undead construct creature. as in could it logic exist I was thinking a powerful suit of armor magically enchanted through all stages of its creation and infused with souls of the dead bound to the service of its creator. I guess its basicly a golem but instead of an earth spirit a human soul (with just a hint of doom guard).
Once more I just want to know if it feasible as that could impact the story thanks.
Scud_Buster
First Post
Well the campaign is going well so far but I was wondering if I could get an awnser to one of my questions. Would it be to much for the party if I put the lichs phylactery in side of a living vault? The group voted me permanent DM so I was planing on making this campaign epic. And once more thanks for all the help.
HoboGod
First Post
One thing I'd like to add on how a lich can make constructs without draining experience. In the DMG pg 36, there is a variant called power components. Power components are rare ingredients, an example is the horn of a red minotaur, that can be used to supplement experience costs for casting spells. If you decide to use this variant, a powerful lich could easily seek out and obtain rare power components involved in crafting.
As for where to hide a phylactery, it's supposed to be a weird challenge of "where would he/she put that damn thing," so you shouldn't worry too much about where is appropriate to put it, only that there are sufficient enough clues and rumors for your players to potentially find it.
As for where to hide a phylactery, it's supposed to be a weird challenge of "where would he/she put that damn thing," so you shouldn't worry too much about where is appropriate to put it, only that there are sufficient enough clues and rumors for your players to potentially find it.
RUMBLETiGER
Adventurer
Dunno what you mean by a "Living Vault", as in "Swallowed by something" or "A large box made of living tissue" or something else?
The simple answer is, the Lich's phylactery can go anywhere a small piece of jewelry could go. Your imagination and spell access is the limit.
I personally would recommend someplace off-plane, where the Lich can get out of if he's destroyed, like a very random spot on Shurrock in Byopia, the middle of the Outlands, or Agathion of Pandimonium, buried about 2 feet deep. Assuming you have access to Plane Shift and Teleport spells to get back to wherever you need to be.
Or you could hide it in the leg of one of your dining room chairs. whatever works.
The simple answer is, the Lich's phylactery can go anywhere a small piece of jewelry could go. Your imagination and spell access is the limit.
I personally would recommend someplace off-plane, where the Lich can get out of if he's destroyed, like a very random spot on Shurrock in Byopia, the middle of the Outlands, or Agathion of Pandimonium, buried about 2 feet deep. Assuming you have access to Plane Shift and Teleport spells to get back to wherever you need to be.
Or you could hide it in the leg of one of your dining room chairs. whatever works.
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