The Heir Apparent [4e]

[Gilladian]

Well, it sounds like you have a truly fascinating situation here; I can see a complex situation even after the Crown Prince is eliminated; the younger son refuses to be king, his mother tries to force him to be king, the baron tries to blackmail her, the boy-heir is at risk from his step-grandmother, who would love to see her son's offspring on the throne, and the bride from the other kingdom is trying to declare herself the new ruler... hmmm... fun times for the PCs.

 

[Quickleaf]

Some folks in our gaming group may be moving off the island next summer, so I designed a backstory which would feel complete through heroic tier being focused just on the one kingdom, but also have lots of potential for continuing through paragon with inter-kingdom affairs.

I guess my campaign model was a little different from the standard D&D 4th edition model where you're saving the cosmos at epic tier...

Heroic: Mostly within the kingdom, with hints of border conflict or jaunts to pocket realms of the Feywild/Shadowfell. It takes the PCs from underdog rebels to leaders of an organized movement against tyranny making a bid for the throne.

Paragon: Exploring the Middle Kingdoms, with plenty of fey and underworld politics, with hints of conflict from nations over the mountain ranges/across the ocean/beyond the trackless desert. It takes the PCs from leaders in their kingdom to positions of power among the fey, ghosts, other kingdoms, druidic council, archmages, etc.

Epic: International conflict with the PCs traveling across the world as emissaries, facing angels and demons, as well as the terrible archmages and most powerful of kings & queens (which they may have become).

 

[Quickleaf]

Here's the intro video I made for the campaign... music is from the King Arthur soundtrack by Hans Zimmer (2004).

 

[mseds99]

Love the campaign background...

Love the story and the background. If you actually have players actively follow this complex a storyline, consider yourself lucky.

Here's what I would do...

The PC's fame spreads throghout the land as they overthrow the evil magistrate. It continues as the PC's do more and greater deeds, all of which put a wrench in the plans of the Crown Prince.

In the meantime, the younger borther to the prince gets married to the wackjob overzealous religous freak princess of the other tribe. With the mad princess urging him on, the younger prince declares himself rightful king.

In the meatime(2), some baddies get wind of Arselain and his hiding spot with the druids. They sack the druids home, kidnap Arselain, and he declares himself to the rightful king, even though he is nothing but a puppet of those who captured him. Over time, he sinks into despair and nearly drinks himself to death.

In the meantime(3), the queen is killed off by someone (lots of options).

In the meantime(4), the king goes COMPLETELY insane.

In the meantime(5), the Crown prince, with a foreign invader coming (his younger brother) and an internal civil war brewing (his son Arselain's forces), starts taxing the people to the breaking point and conscripting young men to join his army, all of which obviously causes much resentment. At this point, it seems as if the kingdom is going to fail.

In the meantime(6), a wise, well-known and repsected prophet (perhaps the magic man the PC's rescued earlier), declares the end of the kingdom is coming and only the children of the land can save everybody from ruin. The common people, heeding the prophets words, witnessing the great deeds the PC's and seeing no viable alternative, start to plead with the PC's to take control of the kingdom themselves. "All options are terrible," they plead, "and only true heroes with a conviction greater than the law can save the land."

Of course, this puts the PC's in a lousy, no win situation. On one hand, if they respect the law, somebody who does not have the best interest of the people take power. On the other hand, if they break the law and sieze power themselves, they are essentially performing a coup. I love putting the PCs in tough spots...

I bet the PC's would opt for the greater good and take over for themselves. Of course, they may come to realize the king's third child, princess Merisende, even with her sickness, is the most qualified of all and their coup can be an attempt to put her in power instead...

GL and I would love to hear how it turns out.

 

[Quickleaf]

Coming back to this thread after a long while...

We've played till 5th level and the PCs have gotten into all kinds of trouble, killing a wicked knight, overthrowing a corrupt magistrate, toppling a mad general and unleashing a dracolich, infiltrating the Cursed Library, making secret contact with the Queen, breaking a gnome out of the Tower of Edyne and freeing an assassin in the process, breaking the strigha curse afflicting Princess Merisende, and crashing the Masquerade Ball where an anonymous informant revealed a secret gathering of nobles which would take place at the King's Tournament in a fortnight.

We ended the game with a hastily summoned Council of Nobles just a day away, where the evil Prince would make a bid for the throne.

Now I'm planning what comes next, and the theme is "pushback" as the PCs have attracted the Prince's attention. So I'm looking for ways the Prince can take the offensive and send the PCs scrambling to adapt new tactics... I'm thinking he'll try to frame the PCs for conspiring against the king.

 

[Gilladian]

He might also send thugs after them to warn them off their current course of action; or if he doesn't directly, maybe an ill-advised ally does that. Having "heroes" be attacked by thugs might not be in the Prince's best interest. Played right by the PCs, this could lead to forcing the Prince to disavow said ally, weakening his position.

Or not, if they don't think things through that way.

Maybe there's an attempt to poison someone at this Council, and evidence could point at the PCs. Maybe the Prince decides to rid himself of the (now) troublesome ally and at the same time frame the PCs for a dastardly crime...

 

[Snoweel]

Coming back to this thread after a long while...

We've played till 5th level and the PCs have gotten into all kinds of trouble, killing a wicked knight, overthrowing a corrupt magistrate, toppling a mad general and unleashing a dracolich, infiltrating the Cursed Library, making secret contact with the Queen, breaking a gnome out of the Tower of Edyne and freeing an assassin in the process, breaking the strigha curse afflicting Princess Merisende, and crashing the Masquerade Ball where an anonymous informant revealed a secret gathering of nobles which would take place at the King's Tournament in a fortnight.

We ended the game with a hastily summoned Council of Nobles just a day away, where the evil Prince would make a bid for the throne.

Now I'm planning what comes next, and the theme is "pushback" as the PCs have attracted the Prince's attention. So I'm looking for ways the Prince can take the offensive and send the PCs scrambling to adapt new tactics... I'm thinking he'll try to frame the PCs for conspiring against the king.

Excellent.

It doesn't look like you need any help at all with your game, but I'll make a suggestion anyway.

If the PCs are establishing some measure of fame/popularity, and it sounds like they are, I would have the Prince attack the reputation of the most famous/popular character (or the character of the player most attached to that fame/popularity).

Maybe spread rumours or even frame the PC. Maybe have the Prince dupe an NPC for whom the PCs have a lot of respect into helping spread this rumour.

Basically, hit them where it hurts.