ENWorld Adventure Path: A Modest Proposal

[Lobo Lurker]

I'd like to get involved in this. I do some light editing and proof reading in my day job.

Too bad we can't go with the Slaad idea, that really appealed to me.

I also have no idea how to use IRC and really don't have the time while I'm at work. But I'll try to figure it out from home (in about 10 hours).

 

[Frostmarrow]

It's enlightning none the less. That IP-lawyering sure is interesting.

Exactly, how are you going to fit slaadi into the meta-plot? (I just type this to get the thread back where it belongs).

 

[Yair]

A very interesting project, unfortunately I don't really have the time to contribute right now.

Eh.... carry on!

 

[Waylander the Slayer]

A suggestion would be to stay away from extra-planar evil guys and BBEG who has been imprisoned/buried etc. Too many adventures have baddies who are very flat and one dimensional - they do not have antagonists who players can relate to and tend to be of the Dragon/Devil-Demon variety.

For a change, i would suggest that the anagonists be human or humanoid - for example, corrupt businessmen manipulating events for profit, slavers, or an anti-hero(es) who believes that they are doing the right thing but are harming others because of their narrow mindedness. Some of the all time fav modules such as the slavelord series, the saltmarsh series, the Elemental Evil series all have human/humanoid antagonists as most of the main villains. Also, it makes the adventure path a lot more portable to most campaigns across the board (lots of setting have no planes/different planes).

I will also be willing to edit and contribute as well.

 

[FreeXenon]

That is a good idea and a very good point. Not that these sort of creatures could not be apart of the adventure, but putting a face that PC's can relate too will make the adventure more personal and fulfilling.

Eberron has good ideas regaurding alignment and faith. There are often the misguided followers that believe they are doing what is in the best interests of the faith by committing horrible acts. The ends justifies the means. This is something that people can empathize with. Having a humanoind face to the Extraplanar Main bad guy would be OK, I think. A good person subverted to dark causes. If something like this is followed we may want to keep the extraplanar instigator quiet for a while and allow the PC's and the adventure to fixate on the humanoid antagonist and his fall to darkness.

Just a thought...

 

[Mavnn]

How about someone similar to Morden (sp?) from Bab 5 - a human who has become utterly corrupted by serving his dark masters.

But he never does anything about it directly himself, except pass messages and 'offers' to other people. Therefore, he can turn up early in the game (well before the PCs have any chance of defeating him) as a side character: he was just there passing on a message to someone.

 

[Steel_Wind]

That is the point: most of the Iron Circle are human. Their servants in the cult are human and humanoids.

While they may have extra-planar contacts, the intreraction with which may be their ultimate Dark Purpose, that is secondary to their humanity.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Faces of Evil: There are many kinds of villians. Here's a breakdown of a very few; these are some of my favorites.

"Could have been me"
Perhaps the classic antagonist, this villian makes the heros think "If the situation were reversed, he would be the good one, and I the evil one." This can make the heros hate them all the more for showing them a side of themselves they don't want to see and at the same time pitying them because they can relate to this villian. This is difficult to pull off, especially in this case, because it requires some knowlege of the PCs, which we don't have.

"The Corruptor"
His main goal is not to do evil deeds himself, but to get others to do them for him toward some goal, which might only be the spreading of evil to others. The point, in his eyes, is to get the heros to turn towards doing evil deeds, to break them apart and turn upon one another, and not to kill them. He's not as much a danger to their lives, but to their souls. Usually intelligent and persuasive, this villian is hard to pull off. It also requires fairly mature players or they'll make the mistake of thinking the DM was trying to lead them astray himself.

"The Manipulated"
Perhaps the easiest to redeem, but the easiest to drive into insanity, the manipulated villian doesn't quite understand what's going on. His life has been full of lies and half truths, so now what he is sure is the truth is actually a facade built around him to make him easily controlable by someone else. When the truth is revealed, the world can come crashing down around him. Maybe at one point when the PCs knew him, he was an adventurer on their side, but he's slowly been tricked into thinking they're his enemy. Or perhaps the lies have been going on his entire life so that he thinks an entire good religion is pure evil.

"For the one I love"
This villian knows what they are doing is wrong. They may or may not care, they are willing to follow their leader into the pits of Hell. They might find the things they do atrocious, horrible, and be plagued with nightmares, their conscience eating at them. Mayeb they gave up the struggle long ago. However they feel about it, they only follow this particular path because of pure devotion to another, whether well-founded or ill-conceved.

"Join me, brothers"
A religious, political, etc fanatic, this villian doesn't see the heros as adversaries. They follow his perscribed take on life, and surely they would be willing to join him and rid the world of whatever he is trying to rid it of. Maybe he thinks all evil should be destroyed so he detects it wherever he goes and slaughters anyone who mildly reads as evil. Or he thinks a utopian society should be run by his secret police group. He doesn't see the heros as enemies of his particular brand of evil, however, and only wishes them luck in their lives. When the heros do cross them, though, they tend to get very indignant and angry.

"It's only business"
This villian wants to accomplish something. Evil is just the best way to do it. Those who get in his way must be dealt with, but there's nothing personal about it. These villians are very cool-headed and calculating. He's just as happy to buy off the heros as he is to kill them, either way he's free to move on with his plans. Usually they'll be in charge of crime syndicates and slaver operations, not passion based groups, but those who are interested in money and political power.

 

[Dexterward]

Set in Stone?

Steel_Wind is the Iron Circle plot line set in stone or up for debate? Your previous posts seem to suggest the former. Personally I am a little tired of the "dormant evil" and cult following type of plot lines. I was hoping for a broader reaching idea, one that would make the PCs travel to strange and exciting planes or material plane locations. The plot doesn't need to revolve around some BBEG pulling strings like a puppet master. The story arc could involve the decaying of the universe by natural means, out of control magical effects (sentient or not), or some other equally devastating disaster. The PCs would then be required to work along side of Good and Evil groups (maybe with their own agendas) to set things right. Imagine the conflicts when the party finds they have no choice but to work with the most despicable individuals imaginable to accomplish a goal to the benefit of all.

Just trying to open up some kind of dialog.

 

[Sandain]

My Submission.

Hello,

I have some ideas and references with what I would like to see in a story arc.

Firstly I really want all the adventures to logically tie in together. The Shackled City did not do this until the end. e.g The Monkey Inn, the Sahuagin, the Test of the Smoking eye - all seemed tacked in with very little thought given to the overall story arc.

Secondly, most DM's want to run an adventure path from start to finish, and often time is a critical factor for the adventurers. I would like to see a good progression of items and spells that will server a party from level 1 to 20.

Thirdly I would like to see it in a setting already familiar with players and DM's, but also I do not want anything we write to change any official canon material.


My personal preference is to set this in Greyhawk for the following reasons;

1. It is WOTC's generic setting and the core books reference the GH pantheon.

2. It is very well established and many people on this board want something new done with GH

3. There are thousands of PC's and hundreds of locations mentioned over the years, but no adventures or sourcebooks have ever done anything with them.

4. There are already dozens of well developed villains that no-one knows thier motivations or goals.

5. A chance to finally do something about the greatest (and undocumented or developed) DnD event of all time - the Twin Cataclysm's

6. We can tie up all the loose ends from our favourite old 1st Edition modules and pay homage to Mr Gygax.


Well, if you have read this far then please allow me to briefly describe my meta-plot ideas. Some of these are rehashed, some new, some a new take on a rehash.


The main villains (BBEG) - the Scarlet Brotherhood. Secret plans, Ninja's, psionics, Monks, Assasins, fingers in many pies, secret schemes by the dozen!
They have resources ranging from level 1 mooks, to almost epic characters and monsters at thier disposal. And the best part, no-one really knows what they are up too apart from destabilising the Flaness.

The Scarlet Brotherhoods are pure blood Sueloise - descended from the destroyed Suel empire. They view any other race as inferior slaves. They wish to rebuild the former glory of the Suel empire and have been trying to take over the world for hundreds of years - through political maneuvering, assassination, and hiring mercenaries to use brute force. They have not really made much progres and the SB Elders have decided on a new plan.

They want to bring the Suel Empire from the past back to modern times - moving the entire empire back to where the sea of dust now is. because of the destabilization the SB have done to the Flanaess its likely that the Suel Empires armies and Epic archmages would easily conquer the entire continent.

Only one being in the multi-verse has the kind of power they need to accomplish this. Tharzidun! of course they needs the 3 artifacts to free him or any part of him. They do not want to release him, because he would destroy everything - they just want to tap into his power. This may tie in with the Temple of Elemental Evil's plans.

The downside is, they needs a lot of very powerful spellcasters to channel this power. So, the SB designed a psionic virus to slowly incapacite powerful archmages, and enslave them to the will of the SB.

If the SB are succesful parts of the Suel Dominion may start appearing. It may be a few farms and small towns at first, then maybe a city, then maybe an army. There could be a pitched battle between a powerful party and a Suel army at the entrance to Slerotins tunnel.

Once the Suel empire is fully in the present they will conquer Oerth - but it will be shortlived because Tharziduns prison is breached and the SB underestimate his resources. Once Tharzidun is free the campign will end very messily and the Gods will have to clean up the mess.

However, if the PC's have the artifacts, he may be free just long enough to destroy the newly formed Suel empire before hes imprisoned again by (at this time) an epic level party.

Most of the world's population will never know anything about what nearly happend if all goes well for the party. And nothing will change officially in the World of Greyhawk.


Here are a few ideas of how the Adventure path could play out;

The SB are destabilising the PC's region, a local mage hires them to investigate and stop it. The PC's deal with some low level mooks and a boss. Incrimination evidence is found, and also a sphere with some red fungus in it. The mage employs the party to follow the leads and says he will investigate the fungus.

The PC's goto a larger city and have a series of adventures involving some politcis, thieves guild type work and preventing an assassination. They may relise that te red fungus is bad news and they may have been set up to get it to thier benevolent employer.

The party returns to find the old mage has left.

The party track him to a SB monastery and discover more about the plot. They go looking for artifacts in such locations as the ruined (again) ToEE, and the lost temple of Tharzidun.

They here about more and more mages going missing, including the Circle of 8 and the Greater Boneheart.

The part attack the main SB city and kill hundreds of the Brotherhood. When they storm the main citadel they find the main SB BBEG's have left for the Sea of dust with all the mages and the McGuffins.

The party journeys there and may run into Suel farmers, small friendly towns, and maybe a Suel warlord and troops.

The party finds the BBEG's and have a pitched battle. Something? happens and all the mages are freed of the virus. The main Suel army arrives with all thier mages of power and a magical battle ensues unlike anything ever in the history of Oerth.

In the midst of the meteous Showers etc the party must locate the 3 artifacts. Tharzidun appears and once more the Suel empire is destroyed in a sea of dust. The party activates the artifacts and Tharzidun is once more imprisoned.

Yay for the party!

I welcome any feedback on this - I know its all just me being a greyhawk fan wanting to do something, and posibly only a few people will share my eliefs and like my idea