What the heck...there are some good ideas floating around this thread:
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=200375
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=200375
Campaigns in a nutshell. Adventures in a sentence.
An expanded version of something I proposed to Mitchbones some time ago, based on Larry Niven's "Night on Mispec Moor" (Niven's "Night of the Living Dead"- a soldier finds himself alone on a bloody battlefield...and the dead soldiers around him begin to come back to life when the sun sets), Army of Darkness, and Tremors*:
The Standard of Orcus
A group of travellers (including the PCs) is beset by a group of brigands, and flee across a moor that had once been the site of a major battle a hundred years ago.
The fleeing travellers are surrounded, however, and forced to fight. Despite being outnumbered, they manage to find a small, slightly rocky hillock where they form a circle and drive the brigands back- some using rusted weapons scrounged from the ground- just as the sun sets. As the last brigand flees, will-o'-wisps appear at the edge of the moor to prey on them, forcing the travellers to huddle on the hillock for safety.
However, blood from this skirmish has fallen on a scrap of cloth partially buried in the dirt on the side of the hillock. The cloth is a ragged battle standard devoted to Orcus- the blood reawakens its dire power...and all across the field, dead soldiers claw their way up from the dirt and head for the location of the banner!
And the battle standard is now grasped by an undead commander of no mean skill!
Can the party figure out why the dead have risen up...and can they undo this evil before it kills them?
*The action sequences in Tremors should dictate some of the action: some of the undead should attack from directly below the party, and the battlefield itself should contain other rocky outcroppings similar to the one the party starts on, to replicate elements of the final battle in this movie
The Standard of Orcus
A group of travellers (including the PCs) is beset by a group of brigands, and flee across a moor that had once been the site of a major battle a hundred years ago.
The fleeing travellers are surrounded, however, and forced to fight. Despite being outnumbered, they manage to find a small, slightly rocky hillock where they form a circle and drive the brigands back- some using rusted weapons scrounged from the ground- just as the sun sets. As the last brigand flees, will-o'-wisps appear at the edge of the moor to prey on them, forcing the travellers to huddle on the hillock for safety.
However, blood from this skirmish has fallen on a scrap of cloth partially buried in the dirt on the side of the hillock. The cloth is a ragged battle standard devoted to Orcus- the blood reawakens its dire power...and all across the field, dead soldiers claw their way up from the dirt and head for the location of the banner!
And the battle standard is now grasped by an undead commander of no mean skill!
Can the party figure out why the dead have risen up...and can they undo this evil before it kills them?
*The action sequences in Tremors should dictate some of the action: some of the undead should attack from directly below the party, and the battlefield itself should contain other rocky outcroppings similar to the one the party starts on, to replicate elements of the final battle in this movie
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A mini-campaign
The Apiary Masters of Cliffdale:
Cliffdale, a remote halfling village situated in a plain surrounded by high mountains gains acclaim and great wealth for their singular export...honey.
Its not just any honey...the town's various honey producers each have uniquely flavored blends, with such fanciful label names as "Royal Treant" or "Shambling Mound Morsels," sent out along caravan trade routes to be sold at ruinously high prices...as much as 5P per jar!
Eventually, this flow of wealth draws unwelcome attention. Groups of brigands have attacked the caravans bearing the tasty gold, leaving few Caravan Masters willing to risk their livelyhoods for less than 85% of the price of the honey.
Instead, the halflings opt to hire their own deliverymen, chosen as much for their honesty and integrity as their martial and magical might, and at much more reasonable prices. Since the bottles are so small, its easy for a group of adventurers to deliver the product to its final destinations without being noticed, and with almost no drop in deliveries.
However, the brigands know the money still flows to Cliffdale since the rare honeys still show up at the best tables in the land. They decide to attack Cliffdale itself, first in their seperate little bands, turned away by doughty halfling defenders and some of their hired men.
Then one man unifies the brigands into a large, unified fighting force with his promises of vast wealth and easy living once they learn the secret of Cliffdale.
When this force attacks, the secret is revealed...the halflings have actually have a variety of bees at their disposal sent out to gather pollen from all kinds of flora (including the sentient or mobile ones), including Giant Bees that visit the largest and most dangerous plant life around.
And some have even been trained as sentries and soldiers...and even steeds.
Cliffdale has now been under siege for over a year. One side or the other must yield soon...
In this mini-campaign, the PCs take on the role of 1) Natives of Cliffdale and/or 2) Mercenary Adventurers hired by the Apiary Masters for delivery & defense, or 3) Brigands.
The Apiary Masters of Cliffdale:
Cliffdale, a remote halfling village situated in a plain surrounded by high mountains gains acclaim and great wealth for their singular export...honey.
Its not just any honey...the town's various honey producers each have uniquely flavored blends, with such fanciful label names as "Royal Treant" or "Shambling Mound Morsels," sent out along caravan trade routes to be sold at ruinously high prices...as much as 5P per jar!
Eventually, this flow of wealth draws unwelcome attention. Groups of brigands have attacked the caravans bearing the tasty gold, leaving few Caravan Masters willing to risk their livelyhoods for less than 85% of the price of the honey.
Instead, the halflings opt to hire their own deliverymen, chosen as much for their honesty and integrity as their martial and magical might, and at much more reasonable prices. Since the bottles are so small, its easy for a group of adventurers to deliver the product to its final destinations without being noticed, and with almost no drop in deliveries.
However, the brigands know the money still flows to Cliffdale since the rare honeys still show up at the best tables in the land. They decide to attack Cliffdale itself, first in their seperate little bands, turned away by doughty halfling defenders and some of their hired men.
Then one man unifies the brigands into a large, unified fighting force with his promises of vast wealth and easy living once they learn the secret of Cliffdale.
When this force attacks, the secret is revealed...the halflings have actually have a variety of bees at their disposal sent out to gather pollen from all kinds of flora (including the sentient or mobile ones), including Giant Bees that visit the largest and most dangerous plant life around.
And some have even been trained as sentries and soldiers...and even steeds.
Cliffdale has now been under siege for over a year. One side or the other must yield soon...
In this mini-campaign, the PCs take on the role of 1) Natives of Cliffdale and/or 2) Mercenary Adventurers hired by the Apiary Masters for delivery & defense, or 3) Brigands.
Nuclear Platypus
First Post
*tape begins to play*
Good morning, Mr. Hunt. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, involves the recovery of a valuable item designated "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." You may select any two team members, but it is essential that the third member not be a muggle. You have forty-eight hours to complete the mission before it goes live. As always, should any member of your team be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions and J. K. Rowling will press charges with extreme prejudice. This message will self-destruct in five seconds.
*cue Mission: Impossible intro*
Good morning, Mr. Hunt. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, involves the recovery of a valuable item designated "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." You may select any two team members, but it is essential that the third member not be a muggle. You have forty-eight hours to complete the mission before it goes live. As always, should any member of your team be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions and J. K. Rowling will press charges with extreme prejudice. This message will self-destruct in five seconds.
*cue Mission: Impossible intro*
INTO THE ARCANOSPHERE
For D20Modern/Dark*Matter/Urban Arcana or any supers game.
Mysterious phenomena have been documented by media with increasing regularity. Unusual creatures being discovered in fishing nets that have no known relation to anything else in the sea...crop circles appearing while someone is filming...a waterfall of beer spouting from thin air...
Then scientists at Miskatonic University (
why not?) make an amazing announcement: Magic is real- its force is measurable by science and is either generated or focused by particular minerals. In fact, they claim, the Earth has a natural arcanoactive field that varies in intensities, just like its magnetosphere. Currently, that field is increasing, and scientists would like to know why.
To that end, they announce their intent to launch multiple expeditions into the world's deeper cave systems to get measurements, and are looking for volunteers...
The PCs are among the lucky few to be chosen, and delve into a cavern system in France, where they discover that not only are the scientists correct, but that there is a subterranean "fantasy" world that is slightly out of phase with what we call the "real world," and that is beginning to manifest itself with increasing regularity.
Sources & tools to consider: Second World Publication's Second World Sourcebook, Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth, Flash Gordon, the John Carter of Mars and Slaine books, the Eternal Champion books by Michael Moorcock.
For D20Modern/Dark*Matter/Urban Arcana or any supers game.
Mysterious phenomena have been documented by media with increasing regularity. Unusual creatures being discovered in fishing nets that have no known relation to anything else in the sea...crop circles appearing while someone is filming...a waterfall of beer spouting from thin air...
Then scientists at Miskatonic University (
why not?) make an amazing announcement: Magic is real- its force is measurable by science and is either generated or focused by particular minerals. In fact, they claim, the Earth has a natural arcanoactive field that varies in intensities, just like its magnetosphere. Currently, that field is increasing, and scientists would like to know why.To that end, they announce their intent to launch multiple expeditions into the world's deeper cave systems to get measurements, and are looking for volunteers...
The PCs are among the lucky few to be chosen, and delve into a cavern system in France, where they discover that not only are the scientists correct, but that there is a subterranean "fantasy" world that is slightly out of phase with what we call the "real world," and that is beginning to manifest itself with increasing regularity.
Sources & tools to consider: Second World Publication's Second World Sourcebook, Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth, Flash Gordon, the John Carter of Mars and Slaine books, the Eternal Champion books by Michael Moorcock.
The Dying of the Dwarves
The dwarves once ruled the entire island-continent of Australia from their capitol in the land mass' central mountains. Long at war with the goblinoids, there numbers dwindled such that their king (at the urging of an evil, deceptive wizard) activated an ancient doomsday machine. The doomsday machine (true to the wizard's word) destroyed the goblinoids (mostly), but it also destroyed the dwarven cities and surrounding lands. The dwarven royal family (and their close advisors and soldiers) fled to the west coast where the evil wizard offered them succor, ultimately becoming the duergar and derro. The other great dwarven families fled to the east coast, pursued by the remnants of the goblinoids. Realizing that that their numbers were failing, the "good" dwarves have sent out a call for mercenaries, indentured servants, convict laborers, etc. from pretty much the rest of the world. These people (and the dwarves of course) are the PCs who must build new cities along the west coast, build a great wall along the western border of the desert created by the doomsday machine, venture into the desert to reclaim lost dwarven treasures, and avoid duergar/derro pirates raiding from the opposite side of the continent.
The dwarves once ruled the entire island-continent of Australia from their capitol in the land mass' central mountains. Long at war with the goblinoids, there numbers dwindled such that their king (at the urging of an evil, deceptive wizard) activated an ancient doomsday machine. The doomsday machine (true to the wizard's word) destroyed the goblinoids (mostly), but it also destroyed the dwarven cities and surrounding lands. The dwarven royal family (and their close advisors and soldiers) fled to the west coast where the evil wizard offered them succor, ultimately becoming the duergar and derro. The other great dwarven families fled to the east coast, pursued by the remnants of the goblinoids. Realizing that that their numbers were failing, the "good" dwarves have sent out a call for mercenaries, indentured servants, convict laborers, etc. from pretty much the rest of the world. These people (and the dwarves of course) are the PCs who must build new cities along the west coast, build a great wall along the western border of the desert created by the doomsday machine, venture into the desert to reclaim lost dwarven treasures, and avoid duergar/derro pirates raiding from the opposite side of the continent.
Worlds within worlds within worlds...
Inspired by the movies Cube/Hypercube/Cube Zero, Tesseracts, Dr. Who, fractals, and the description of the Abyss, this is less of a campaign or adventure idea and more of a method for randomizing a large/infinite space.
Buy a Classic 3x3 Rubic's Cube, a 4x4, or if you're adventurous (read: EVIL), a Rubic's Professor (the one with 25 blocks per side) (http://www.rubiks.com/). Number each block face, so each now has a color and a number, such as Red 15, or Yellow 24. On the Professor, there are 150 spaces.
Randomize the Cube- your party starts in a room/space represented by a square of your choosing, say, Blue 13, which should be face up (parallel to the surface of the table). As the DM, you design a set of encounters in the space designated Blue 13- its size, occupants, etc, like you would any room of a typical dungeon, or a country or even a plane. There are 6 exits from that space, 1 to each side of the square (the cardinal points in 2 dimensions) plus one each "down" and "up," represented by the other sides of the Cube. When the party completes their objectives in Blue 13 and tries to leave that area, manipulate the square on the cube any odd number of times (you determine how many based on your campaign design). They must leave via one of the 6 exits, which will take them to another space, which will have a color & number which will cross-reference with your notes. Leaving via the 4 cardinal exits is easy- you go to the square in that direction. "Up" and "Down" may be randomized by any method you use. I plan on using 2d4- the first one determines in which direction I rotate the cube, the second, the cardinal direction through which the party exits. Double 1's means the party goes to the corresponding square on the opposite (face down) side of the Cube, and Double 4's means the party picks a square on the face-up side of the Cube.
The campaign ends (if you so choose) when the Cube is manipulated to having all 6 sides with single colors.
Obviously, with only 150 squares and billions of face combinations, you'll probably need to do some restocking...but that's the easy part.
Inspired by the movies Cube/Hypercube/Cube Zero, Tesseracts, Dr. Who, fractals, and the description of the Abyss, this is less of a campaign or adventure idea and more of a method for randomizing a large/infinite space.
Buy a Classic 3x3 Rubic's Cube, a 4x4, or if you're adventurous (read: EVIL), a Rubic's Professor (the one with 25 blocks per side) (http://www.rubiks.com/). Number each block face, so each now has a color and a number, such as Red 15, or Yellow 24. On the Professor, there are 150 spaces.
Randomize the Cube- your party starts in a room/space represented by a square of your choosing, say, Blue 13, which should be face up (parallel to the surface of the table). As the DM, you design a set of encounters in the space designated Blue 13- its size, occupants, etc, like you would any room of a typical dungeon, or a country or even a plane. There are 6 exits from that space, 1 to each side of the square (the cardinal points in 2 dimensions) plus one each "down" and "up," represented by the other sides of the Cube. When the party completes their objectives in Blue 13 and tries to leave that area, manipulate the square on the cube any odd number of times (you determine how many based on your campaign design). They must leave via one of the 6 exits, which will take them to another space, which will have a color & number which will cross-reference with your notes. Leaving via the 4 cardinal exits is easy- you go to the square in that direction. "Up" and "Down" may be randomized by any method you use. I plan on using 2d4- the first one determines in which direction I rotate the cube, the second, the cardinal direction through which the party exits. Double 1's means the party goes to the corresponding square on the opposite (face down) side of the Cube, and Double 4's means the party picks a square on the face-up side of the Cube.
The campaign ends (if you so choose) when the Cube is manipulated to having all 6 sides with single colors.
Obviously, with only 150 squares and billions of face combinations, you'll probably need to do some restocking...but that's the easy part.
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For Supers campaigns:
Scions
The World's greatest hero, __________ (your setting's equivalent of Superman) has been righting wrongs for nearly 100 years, seemingly ageless, not slowing down in any way. It was an era of peace- he was the only super-being on the planet, so it was easy for him. Nobody knows his identity or how he got his powers. A stoic man, he barely talks to the press. All that anyone knows is that he has been an unwavering force for good, despite his...alienness.
Then, one day as he was delivering another batch of miscreants to prison, he seemed to be in agonizing pain. After dropping them off, he rocketed into the sky...and just as he reached the upper reaches of the atmosphere, he dissapeared in a star-bright explosion that leveled much of the city below, and causing skies around the world to take an unusually pinkish tinge for over a week.
Then, things got strange...
As the cleanup began, other people began to exhibit powers beyond the realm of human abilities- super strength, speed, flight...and many more besides.
As far as science can tell, somehow, __________'s genes survived his mysterious detonation, which dispersed globally via microscopic shards of his body, imbedding themselves in people around the world. Thus, his genetic information infected these people, creating newly empowered beings, called Scions of _________ in the press.
You are a Scion. You have the power to change history, for good or ill.
And, BTW- the reason for the explosion remains a mystery to this day. Nobody has claimed to be the one responsible, and neither detectivework nor science has revealed a satisfactory answer.
Scions
The World's greatest hero, __________ (your setting's equivalent of Superman) has been righting wrongs for nearly 100 years, seemingly ageless, not slowing down in any way. It was an era of peace- he was the only super-being on the planet, so it was easy for him. Nobody knows his identity or how he got his powers. A stoic man, he barely talks to the press. All that anyone knows is that he has been an unwavering force for good, despite his...alienness.
Then, one day as he was delivering another batch of miscreants to prison, he seemed to be in agonizing pain. After dropping them off, he rocketed into the sky...and just as he reached the upper reaches of the atmosphere, he dissapeared in a star-bright explosion that leveled much of the city below, and causing skies around the world to take an unusually pinkish tinge for over a week.
Then, things got strange...
As the cleanup began, other people began to exhibit powers beyond the realm of human abilities- super strength, speed, flight...and many more besides.
As far as science can tell, somehow, __________'s genes survived his mysterious detonation, which dispersed globally via microscopic shards of his body, imbedding themselves in people around the world. Thus, his genetic information infected these people, creating newly empowered beings, called Scions of _________ in the press.
You are a Scion. You have the power to change history, for good or ill.
And, BTW- the reason for the explosion remains a mystery to this day. Nobody has claimed to be the one responsible, and neither detectivework nor science has revealed a satisfactory answer.
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