Need Advice on Big World Event - My players stay out, please.

NCSUCodeMonkey · Nov 7, 2003

First and foremost, if you're in the Fractures in the Ice campaign at NCSU, please hit the back button

My players are about to encounter a rather epic event in our campaign and I want to make sure that it goes off well, so I'm looking for advice because I'm sure that this has been done before and I want to know: how has it been done well and how has it been done poorly.

The campaign is set in Faerun in the Silver Marches. The focus of the world events (for the party, anyway) for the past several months has been a growing power in the North that has been drawing evil creatures to it like a magnet. The "power" in the North is really an ancient (good) warlord who suspended himself in a sort of Aurthurain fashion. The seal that held him in stasis is desinged to draw evil to it as it weakens because when the seal finally breaks the result is rather...erm, violent...and the warlord has the "all-evil -things-must-die" world-view. Elsewhere, Obould Many Arrows is ready to strike with his orcs in the spring (it's currently the heart of winter).

Now, here's the question. I do not, in any way shape or form, want to make this an "ooh--ahhh---look at this cool NPC" deal. I mean, seriously, I don't even have a sheet for this guy.

What I do want is to keep the PCs active and involved. I have tried to time their level progression so they are at a good level for political dealings (the party is between 7-8), so I'm hoping to really play up the windfall of having a great warrior (with army in tow) show up right at the moment when the Silver Marches is in need of aid.

Right now I'm thinking of there being a large battle between the evil creatures (those that don't die as the warlord emerges) and the warlord's army, with the PCs caught in the middle. That should keep my battle-focused players happy and give them their first taste of a large scale combat. Second, I'd like to see the party make the initial contact with this guy (they are pseudo-employed by the govenment of Everlund, so they have some official standing).

What I really, really want to know is what should I absolutely NOT do. I mean, have you been in this type of story and been bored or frustrated by the actions of the DM? Secondarily, I want to know: is there something really cool (gimmiky, even, I like gimmiks

) that I could do to make the encounter unforgettable?

A lot of plot is behind this session, and I want it to be a positive, memorable encounter.

Thanks everyone!

nimisgod · Nov 7, 2003

I've been in the game with the GM with the "kewl NPC".

What you shouldn't do:

-Give all the glory to said NPC
-belittle the players and/or their characters
-make the NPC insignificant

umm... will put more as more thoughts come in.

LightPhoenix · Nov 7, 2003

I think one of the best things you can do with high-level NPCs is relegate them to the background. You could have the players hear about the NPC battling forces which are far beyond their current capabilities. Or perhaps the NPC could be coordinating the lower level forces beneath him - after all, he can't be everywhere at once. Certainly some of the things can, should, and need to be relegated to those of lower stature.

I would try to avoid having the NPC in battle with the players. That doesn't mean he shouldn't have interaction with them. Far from it. But generally high-level NPCs will overshadow the players in battles, which in turn makes them feel insignificant.

Rel · Nov 7, 2003

Hey, CodeMonkey! Hope you're doing well.

I'd like to offer a bit of advice on this but I need a clarification or two:

What exactly happens when the "Warlord emerges"? Is it going to be an explosion of goodness that hurts the evil creatures? Or is it that he has an army in suspended animation with him? If not then where is he getting the army that he will show up with?

One way I can think of to tone down the overpowering nature of a high level NPC is to make them fairly monolithic in their worldview. Perhaps during the years that the Warlord was in stasis he was "communing with the Celestials" or something like that and his mindset is very black and white. That limits his thinking and actions to only those that confront the most powerful and obvious evil at any given moment. Therefore he might dash off to kill some well known ancient dragon in the mountains while an evil cult slowly takes hold in a city or an army of orcs quietly prepares for war in the spring.

I hope that helps a bit and I'll try to comment further later.

NCSUCodeMonkey · Nov 7, 2003

Thanks for the replies!

-Give all the glory to said NPC
-belittle the players and/or their characters
-make the NPC insignificant

All excellent points, thanks. I plan on having the NPC be very "knightly" in the storybook sense, so in roleplaying situations I don't plan on having him be belittling. If anything he will praise the PCs for being champions of good. I am my player's biggest fan, so I hope to praise them a bit here (they've sort of been kicked around by most other PCs). He has other reasons for praising them too, he is "new" here and he needs allies.

I would try to avoid having the NPC in battle with the players. That doesn't mean he shouldn't have interaction with them. Far from it. But generally high-level NPCs will overshadow the players in battles, which in turn makes them feel insignificant.

Excellent, excellent point. He'll be absent from combat, I think, after all, he has an army to direct.

What exactly happens when the "Warlord emerges"? Is it going to be an explosion of goodness that hurts the evil creatures? Or is it that he has an army in suspended animation with him? If not then where is he getting the army that he will show up with?

*Waves to Rel* Yeah, basically when the seal breaks half of a mountainside is destroyed to reveal a super-huge cavern with the warlord and his "army." The blast is lethal to things of evil alignment but only buffets those of good/neutral alignment (no damage). His army is in stasis with him, but it is going to be composed of some sort of low CR monsters. Basically, I'm thinking a positive energy zombie type thing.

One way I can think of to tone down the overpowering nature of a high level NPC is to make them fairly monolithic in their worldview. Perhaps during the years that the Warlord was in stasis he was "communing with the Celestials" or something like that and his mindset is very black and white.

His mindset was very black and white before going into stasis, really. That's one of the things the PCs will have to deal with: should all evil be destroyed to the point of genocide?

Basically, I see this NPC as a newly entering political power with a very large barganing chip, especially since the actions of the PCs may result in the death of a good chunk of Citadel Adbar's army (depending on how they handle the next session). This warlord will have one of the most powerful armies in the North. Yes, the PCs will interact with him on a political level, but they have no reason to fight him personally as of yet. That should keep him in the background, right?

Thanks for all the good points, keep 'em coming!

Rel · Nov 7, 2003

The bit you mention about him becoming a new political power in the north jumped out at me. I think it's fairly universal that politicians don't like competition and they especially don't like competition that suddenly awakens from a thousand-year slumber with an army in tow. I'd suspect that many of the other political powers-that-be will be happy to see him appear and wipe out all those evil critters and would be almost as happy if it cost him his whole army and his life in order to make it happen.

What could make this even more complex (and therefore interesting in my view) would be if the Warlord sees the other local political powers as complacent at best and complicit at worst with the large quantity of evil nasties that have begun to inhabit the area. Maybe it's time for an Inquisition to find out who's evil and who's just plain lazy...

Get this: What if the Warlord decides that he needs to further build his army in order to really go smite some evil. He holds a council with the local leaders and says "Who's with me and who's against me?" Those that are with him, are with him (even if they go reluctantly and plan to kill him when the opportunity presents itself). Those who are against him...they might better serve the cause of Good if they were converted into Positive Energy Zombies, don't you think?

<-- Evil Grin

This is always one of my favorite scenarios: The guy who's so darn Good that he wraps right back around to "Really Incredibly Bad".

NCSUCodeMonkey · Nov 7, 2003

Rel said:
This is always one of my favorite scenarios: The guy who's so darn Good that he wraps right back around to "Really Incredibly Bad".

Yuppers, and I get tired of the same old, "He's so darn evil he's....uhm...SUPER EVIL."

And yeah, that's exactly the point of having him pop out now: his support is almost necessary to push the orc hordes back, but once the Silver Marches have accepted him, they have to deal with him once the orc threat is gone. My main concern is how to keep the players involved (assuming of course, that they want to be. They may decide to just walk away, and that's fine, too). To be honest, this is the first campaign that I've had run long enough to really get to this sort of cool situation. It always seems like low level PCs are so concerned with not getting eaten that cool political power plays are difficult to manage. Right now (by design) they are at the perfect emissary level.

So keep the ideas coming in!