Help With Metaplot

[Zardnaar]

I am running a Egyptian themed game and while its early days I have mined a couple of dungeons from the PF Mummy's Mask book 1 and next week the PCs will likely hit level 4.

Anyway my metaplot is not very well fleshed out and I am kind of drip feeding bits and pieces out but its going somewhere and they are sensing something bigger on the horizon. I tied some random encounters to bits of info to the overall idea. I'm not a big fan of world shaking metaplots and heavily scripted ones but heres a roughoutline.

5000 years ago ancient evil yada yada Dynasty 0 or 1. I've dropped hints of old gods or it might even be an ancient race a'la Stargate SG1. Ra might even be something like a Dragon mummy.

While exploring ruins they might find older, deeper ruins.

An NPC is going to screw up by disturbing that better left alone, said NPC is a ratfolk thief looking for blood rubies.

Removing the blood movies triggers a "death wave", everything in a half mile radius is animated as a faster zombie that is vulnerable to fire and has glowing blue eyes.

level 4 Zombie waves survival hack early on, surviving zombies (its a necropolis) march off into a desert sandstorm. PCs just have to survive the initial wave

Level 5+ plus probably a lot of things like constructs, Stone Golems, various things from Tome of Beasts.

When the big evil returns around level 12/13 (if it makes it that far) they defeat it and the contemporary evil (a Dragon empire) makes its move.

A bit of Game of Thrones influence but the Night King equivalent can be anything from a demi god, old dead god, something posing as an old dead god, or race of Dragonlords returning to the world.

 

[Imaculata]

I think you could make this plot a lot more interesting, if the big bad was actually sympathetic. The disturbance of the tomb could reanimate an ancient ruler (and powerful necromancer), who vows to destroy the empire that once defeated him and slaughtered his people. The players could be caught between the clash of these two armies, which will cause great suffering to all the innocent people caught in between.

Perhaps the big bad could even sway the players to help him with some side quests, to help restore what was taken from him. By perhaps returning the ashes of his daughter to him, so she can be brought back as well.

Inevitably of course, the players will find themselves in a position where the big bad's action become less sympathetic and they may have to switch sides. Or perhaps they can find a way to topple both armies?

 

[Zardnaar]

I think you could make this plot a lot more interesting, if the big bad was actually sympathetic. The disturbance of the tomb could reanimate an ancient ruler (and powerful necromancer), who vows to destroy the empire that once defeated him and slaughtered his people. The players could be caught between the clash of these two armies, which will cause great suffering to all the innocent people caught in between.

Perhaps the big bad could even sway the players to help him with some side quests, to help restore what was taken from him. By perhaps returning the ashes of his daughter to him, so she can be brought back as well.

Inevitably of course, the players will find themselves in a position where the big bad's action become less sympathetic and they may have to switch sides. Or perhaps they can find a way to topple both armies?

I have thought of the Old God's (phb Egyptian pantheon) being the correct pantheon who are not happy with undead mummies and state sanctioned tomb raiding.

The current gods may be masks of other gods.

Problem is without the undead Nuria is vulnerable to the dragon empire.

Recent war most of the returned ex pharoahs (4) most of them are undead of various types all more powerful than the current Pharoah.

 

[GMMichael]

It seems you've drip-fed us bits and pieces about your problem. That won't help us help you. Also, you could let us know what you mean by "metaplot," so that your responders are on the same page.

From my experience, you should have a solid plot lined up and ready to implement. You don't have to use it, but sometimes players get lost and they need that lifeline.