Shifting to a Tolkien-flavored world

[Keenberg]

I have hit a terrible writer's block in the campaign I am running. We started our game as an Eberron campaign, and the players ran the Ashen Crown. Three of the four PCs died, and one remained. This PC possesses the Ashen Crown, which had power to resurrect her companions. Despite this, none of the players wanted their characters resurrected. So the players rolled up new characters, and I let the survivor choose the quest the next adventure would take.

She expressed interest in a Tolkien-inspired setting and story, so she found a request of service from an elven Archmage who is at odds with an alchemist. On the road to the Eladrin city that the Archmage rules from, they rescued a female Eladrin who had been mugged by a band of gnomes. The gnomes turned out to be automatons (I'm trying to set up a distaste for constructs, since the alchemist will have these as his underlings.) I really want to provide some fantastic settings, puzzles, and non-combat encounters, but I'm having a tough time coming up with much.

I want the Alchemist's base of operations to be in a underground cavern with iridescent stalagmites and stalactites. I think they'd dig that, and it could provide for interesting terrain for combat encounters. I'm thinking the Alchemist could have come into conflict with the Archmage while trying to escape a Faustian bargain. However, I haven't been able to set my heart on how the basis of the conflict. As for the Archmage, I want his city to be built on an intersection of leylines, which he draws his power from. I don't want the Archmage to be the plane's most powerful wizard, perhaps just the head of a council of powerful sages.

Signs are telling me that the characters don't care for much of the Eberron-flavored stuff, and I'm fine with dropping it at this point. I want to make this new chapter of the game rich with Tolkien flavor, and need a lot of help with that. Help me out with environmental flavors and descriptions, and also some idea of how the Archmage and Alchemist are in conflict. I know alchemy isn't exactly the cornerstone of Tolkien, but I think it can fit in nicely becaus eit would provide a contrast.

 

[Peraion Graufalke]

First, I'd take a look at the themes that Tolkien used extensively in his works. For me, these themes include:
- free will vs. tyranny, domination, and slavery
- hope vs. despair
- the passing away of ancient knowledge (represented by the withdrawal of the elves)
- the presence of an immortal enemy up to the end of LotR
- the corruptibility of mortals and immortals alike

Then I'd try to incorporate these themes into the setting. Looking at Tolkien's example of Saruman, he studied the works of the enemy too deeply, which led to his downfall. Maybe your alchemist shares a similar fate?
Btw, in Middle-earth, alchemical potions are found among the elves (miruvor) and the orcs (orc-draught), and Sauron's forces used black powder on occasion.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Magical automatons could simultaneously fill the role of undead & the orcs in this world: the ancient secret of their construction is that they require certain parts harvested from living beings.

Worse still, like Replicants, Terminators, nBSG Cylons and others, certain automatons are extremely lifelike. And sometimes, they need to replenish certain fluids or organs...

This secret, then forms part of the basis of the antagonism between Alchemist and Archmage. The old knowledge of creating them is part science, part necromancy. This is part of the knowledge being lost- indeed, forcibly driven- from the world.

The Archmage, OTOH, may have a touch of the Druidic about him, especially if you use automatons as stand-ins for undead.

(Going this route, you can call in elements of Shannara or Legend of the Seeker as well.)

 

[S'mon]

Technology is Dirty and Evil

One Tolkienesque trope is that only Iluvatar can truly create, Morgoth & Sauron can only corrupt. I don't think Constructs fit well in a Tolkienesque world.

 

[Peraion Graufalke]

Regarding constructs, there might be some precedents, at least in the MERP sourcebooks published by ICE. The Drúedain/Woses have the Pûkel-men, which are stone statues that guard their holy sites, and it is said that they can come to life and attack intruders. IIRC they were also said to be inhabited by spirits.

Then there are the Watchers in Minas Morgul, gargoyle-like statues that are inhabited by evil spirits (maybe in a similar manner to the Pûkel-men and the Barrow-Wights) as a ward against intrusions.

In any case, these golem-esque stone constructs aren't widespread in the lore of Middle-earth. Metal constructs like the warforged are absent.


How about an alchemist that tries to capture the essences of spirits in order to empower his potions? He might have dug up forbidden lore or entered into a pact with a powerful being to accomplish that.
(Sauron, either directly or through a proxy such as the Witch-King, is quite obviously a good candidate for such a deal in the Middle-earth setting.)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I don't think Constructs fit well in a Tolkienesque world.

Not in pure JRRT, but as a tool of evil, they sure do in a "Tolkeinesque" world.

As you say:

1) tech is evil, esp. as an exemplar of corruption vs creation

2) it makes for a nifty form of forbidden, corrupting knowledge

3) if you inject a bit of Dickens, it's a good root for introducing plotlines about hopelessness & corruption of mortals

 

[Ryujin]

On the Tolkien/Lord of the Rings aspect, have you considered adding a mechanic for high magics attracting "unwanted attention"? Perhaps Arcane power source powers are a little more effective (+2 damage per tier, greater range, etc.), but there's a chance that the Big Bad takes notice and sends some reinforcements, or adds a complication like having to sneak past roaming patrols?

It would be interesting to see how that would effect the use of Daily powers.

 

[Keenberg]

I combined ideas from a few of the above posts, and here is what I've got going:

Here is what the party will be informed of at the outset of the adventure.

			The Archmage and the other High Wizards of the council have recently felt a weakening of the ley lines. After much time spent scrying into the cause of the disruptions, they have discovered that an Alchemist, a former high wizard himself, has in some unknown manner been sapping power from the lifestream. Since the lifestream winds in and out of the network of ley lines, they are sure that this is what has been the cause of the problem at hand. Weakened from the disruptions in their power source, the council of wizards feels unfit to combat this dark alchemist, and has enlisted the adventuring party to aid them. Without their help, the wizards and the citizens they protect will be wiped out. (Passing away of ancient knowledge theme)

Here is what will be revealed during the course of the adventure:

			The Dark Alchemist has been harvesting body parts from living beings to form grotesque constructs. He aims to raise an enormous army and destroy, overthrow, and/or dominate any who oppose him and his ways. (slavery, anti-technology themes) After the needed body parts are harvested, and before the souls of his prisoners can grow weak, they are killed on a transmutation circle bound with a ritual to extract their souls, producing a residuum. This residuum is distilled to form a potent extract the Dark Alchemist mixes into his potions. Potions embued with such raw, powerful additives provide the imbiber with immense physical and arcane powers, but quickly drives the imbiber insane. (Any character not chaotic evil cannot bring themselves to drink such a horrible concoction.) The Alchemist gained knowledge into these evil arts by selling his soul to Misha the Wolf-Spider. This is another reason he is marshaling forces and concocting empowering potions: to escape this Faustian bargain with Misha. (Corruptability of mortals/immortals) Misha knows better, and waits in Pandemonium for the inevitable downfall of the mortal Alchemist. When the Alchemist falls, Misha will ride the Alchemist's soul from the Outer Plane to resume the Ancient War, that of Chaos and Evil against Law and Good. (Despair and immortal force themes)

So there is the plot, I'm pretty happy with it. Any ideas on how to stretch it across expansive, engaging landscapes? I always was quite taken with the vistas Tolkien created, so it seems important to provide such settings to the players to lend the story the same epic quality.

 

[Keenberg]

On the Tolkien/Lord of the Rings aspect, have you considered adding a mechanic for high magics attracting "unwanted attention"? Perhaps Arcane power source powers are a little more effective (+2 damage per tier, greater range, etc.), but there's a chance that the Big Bad takes notice and sends some reinforcements, or adds a complication like having to sneak past roaming patrols?

It would be interesting to see how that would effect the use of Daily powers.

That would be an interesting mechanic. Perhaps at a certain point I'll introduce it for a time, although I wouldn't want it to come to dictate the game for my magic users while all the other classes can go nova without restriction.

 

[Ryujin]

That would be an interesting mechanic. Perhaps at a certain point I'll introduce it for a time, although I wouldn't want it to come to dictate the game for my magic users while all the other classes can go nova without restriction.

That's what I was thinking, which is why I figured that there would have to be some sort of concrete benefit to it, like additional damage. Or maybe increased accuracy which effectively gives increased damage, while making it more likely that power effects will be applied. That way you create a situation in which Arcane characters are torn between being that more effective, and possible making things go very badly. When they do finally cut loose, they're that much better.