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Level 0 Adventure help

Grimmjow

First Post
In dragon #403, Philippe-Antoine Menard wrote an article on level 0 heroes.

In between levels 10 and 11 i want to run an adventure (or 5 really) in which my players back stories expand. Im going to make 4 "NPCs" for the other players to play while their allies get the spot light for a little bit. Each adventure will go off of race, class and things i already know about the players. Im thinking these will last maybe 30-45 min maybe taking two sessions to finish but we'll see. Im going to run them in flash back format aswel before the players ever knew each other.

Im not sure yet how to decide which story to use first, maybe have them roll initiative each time, maybe have them each pick a number 1-20 and ill roll a d20 and whoever is closer without going over will get to go and just do that each time.
heres one big problem though....one character is for my girlfriend, who hasn't started playing yet, and the other story is for a player ho keeps getting killed, or switching characters. Ive limited him to not switching characters but he still dies a lot.

Anyway here are idea's and questions i need to ask for the adventures:

1. Emul Duskwalker, Shadar-kai Warpriest of the Raven Queen. Emul has a lot of things i can use for this kind of adventure. 1) Hates undead and is great at killing them 2) Sent into the mortal world to find another Shadar-kai, Ioana, who stole one of the Raven Queen's artifact and 3) is pretending to be an embassy from Gloomwrought to move around in the mortal world without to much problems.

So I'm thinking that his flash back adventure will have to do with Orcus (the main bad guy in my campaign). I think the high-priest of the temple he is at will be over run and killed by some low level undead (rotting zombie/decrepit skeletons). Its Emul's personality to go after them. I think this should work well for him because #1 he thinks that because he worships the Raven Queen he can't be killed and #2 He has shown some emotion when he has found undead servants of the RQ, not anger but sorrow. Because of this i believe that he will go after the undead. Im also thinking that a level 1 wraith at the end who led it somewhat. They'll be near Gloomwrought, being Emul has friends there. Ive decided that Ioana was not acting on her own will, but that she is being mind controlled by a servant of Orcus, therefore, at the time of this adventure she will be looking up to Emul and want to come with him to help. Emul is in his 30s present time so this will happen around the age of 22 for him, while Ioana will be 16-18 years old and a young wizard in training, only able to cast the arcane bolt ( or w/e the level 0 arcane power is).

One player will be playing her but with 5 players that leaves 3 more NPCs to come up with. I was thinking maybe something along the lines of a shade from Gloomwrought, maybe older than Emul, someone he may look up too.

2. Alex the Great, Shade Bladesinger. He's fun. He's trying to become a god. he's power hungry. And he REALLY wants a son.

What i think will happen there will be a group of little kids (13-18 years) playing a game of superstition, alex being on of them. One that involves the shadowfel. The group has already chased a group of kids that entered the shadowfel playing the same game a while ago, the only difference will be that this time something came out. All i really know is that ill take a shadow creature, have it appear (after de-leveling it to level 1) and have it kill 3/5 of the party.

Alex will survive, as well another human boy (for alex will be human at this time). The other boy will be the one who wanted to play this. He will be a year older than Alex at least being 15. He'll be the ring leader in the group. He will have the arcane power, and I'm thinking that the other three kids will just be martial, nothing to special about them.

This boy that talks the rest of the group into this will be Mikal. Mikal is the main villain in my game. Obvisoly a lot of years have passed sense this so they don't remember the first time they meet but Mikal will remember who Alexander as he calls him is. This encounter with the shadow beast (or whatever i use) will spark both of their interest in the shadowfel, Mikal as a necromancer who worships Orucs, and Alex, in becoming a shadow and mastering the powers of the arcane.

As far as the combat goes, ill leave the monster at 1hp until he has killed the other three boys, making sure that the other three boys are between the monster and Alex/Mikal.

3. Rao Ao, Deva Invoker of Pelor. This will be harder than the other two i think because Deva are never young.

He is an invoker now but at the start of the campaign he was an avenger, so he's got to be an avenger in training at this point but i need to be able to hint at the fact that he is suppose to be Pelor's invoker, not his avenger.

Im thinking as far as combat goes something with an enemy god of pelor will happen and they will be charged with taking care of it. Nothing like what I'm doing with Emul. And i know Orcus won't be behind this one. So what I'm asking here is:who does Pelor really hate as far as the divine go?

4. Lydia...........my girlfriend hasn't don't anything with her because she hasn't started playing with us yet. Ive been playing her character for her until she can start. All she's told me about her, a human weapon master, is that she is strong and independent ( the exact opposite of her). Due to things that has happened when she joined she'll be around a lot of races, but enjoy the company of both humans and half-orcs a lot. Im thinking maybe a raid on her city and she ends up protecting some kids younger than her. Doing this she'll probably be about 15-16.

5. No info here, he could be dead by the time i get to doing this so ill have to wait with him. In fact, he could be dead 2-3 times by then.
Click Here to help me with him. :p
I don't want to exclude him at all but he will be the hardest to do this for.





So any idea's?
 
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pamenard

First Post
Thanks for considering making mini level-0 adventures for your characters.

You have a very tall order and I'm in a time bind so I can't spend much time. But your buddy that keep getting killed and switching PCs? Why not embrace that?

Have HIS adventure be about whatever character he wants... tie him up to another character that is gearing up to be one of the key player of your unfolding story. Maybe a guardian? (Hear me out here before you die laughing)

Then, have him either KILLED by a doppleganger or have a reveal that he was one all along!

Getting killed so often now explains his MO whenever he wants to protect his true identity. Yes the other players will learn that... but maybe that can be turned into an awesome story element. Why is the shapeshifter sticking around? What's his plan? Why has he chosen apparent death as his go to strategy?

I hope that helps a bit.

Chatty DM
 

Grimmjow

First Post
Chatty, that sounds good. He and i are in class together waiting for the bell to ring. He thinking on it but i didnt really understand the back story part of it when you do find the time could you explain that a little different?

thanks
 


Grimmjow

First Post
Just wondering, what does your friend do that kills him so many times? That seems like a lot of death :p

The first time he was a swordmage/monk hybrid with no defense or damage. Got his head cut off by an orc when he separated from the party with difficult terrain in between him.

second time was just his bad luck. He got eaten by a slavering maw, two of the carcass eaters that came out of the maw when they killed hit got him to below 0 and than two gravehounds finished him.

Third time he seperated again while in the lord of the white fields dungeon. Mob ghouls mobbed him lol



Anyway im thinking id also like to find out what paragon path they plan on useing and ad that somehow.
Also for Rao Ao maybe i could use an over zealous cult of the moon goddess?
 

Arctic Wolf

First Post
Would be interesting to see. Something funny came to mind a moment ago. You should have all your PCs fight all the PCs you have killed. That would be fun to see that guy try and act em all out :p
 

Grimmjow

First Post
Would be interesting to see. Something funny came to mind a moment ago. You should have all your PCs fight all the PCs you have killed. That would be fun to see that guy try and act em all out :p

He has been getting better but he hasnt been the greatest at RPing. Mayjor slayeritist.

Anyway now hes playing a magma soul swordmage/battlemind hybrid, so we will see how that goes.



Anyway another thing i wanna try to add in to these is a glymps at the paragon paths they players will chose. I may not be able to do it for all of them but a few maybe ya


Lydia (weaponmaster) has the steel vanguard feat. I can see her (although it may not happen) becoming a steel vanguard master so the training she undergoes will proll be part of her level 0 adventure
 


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