D&D 5E Ravenloft Idea: Har'Akir

[Wolfram stout]

I bought VRGTR (Ravenloft) based on the reviews of people here. And I am glad I did. Lots of interesting reading. But I didn’t know what really to do with it. My group (me included) are not prone to horror gaming and while they love playing most don’t deep dive into wide campaign setting lore. So, I see all these great domains with no idea how to really use them. Then inspiration hit.

I am going to layout my ideas and outline. And would love either feedback, or ideas of your own, whichever way the thread leads:

Set-up: The players will be told we are doing The Lost City (I don’t own this I will have to grab it), and that they are part of a caravan heading across a desert (in whatever homeworld we use). To counterbalance such a hamfisted start, I will let them be any race/class/background (we usually have a few limitations).

Inside the Pyramid in Lost City: Zargon, or more precisely the heart of Zargon, is the KA of Pharaoh Ankhtepots. The Dark Powers hid the KA outside of the mist. The KA has turned into the Zargon and if left uncheck could grow to challenge the gods of the homeworld. Once defeated, the mist will close around the group and hopefully allies from one of the factions which is from Har’Akir and will be able to provide the PCs with all the info and lore that they need for Domain.

This puts them in Har’Akir with Ankhtepots’ Ka before they even know what it is or what to do with it. Do they trade it to Ankhtepot? Do they try to find a ritual to destroy it? Do they sell it off to one of Ankhtepot’s underling who will use it to usurp the dark lords?

As this is happening, Zargon’s heart will be slowly growing and trying to manipulate the Players. Maybe even become a Patron if anyone decides to multi-classs into Warlock. This will play more like the 1990s movie The Mummy rather than true horror but I think it could be good for my players.


What do you think? Most Cliché plot ever?

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I bought VRGTR (Ravenloft) based on the reviews of people here. And I am glad I did. Lots of interesting reading. But I didn’t know what really to do with it. My group (me included) are not prone to horror gaming and while they love playing most don’t deep dive into wide campaign setting lore. So, I see all these great domains with no idea how to really use them. Then inspiration hit.

I am going to layout my ideas and outline. And would love either feedback, or ideas of your own, whichever way the thread leads:

Set-up: The players will be told we are doing The Lost City (I don’t own this I will have to grab it), and that they are part of a caravan heading across a desert (in whatever homeworld we use). To counterbalance such a hamfisted start, I will let them be any race/class/background (we usually have a few limitations).

Inside the Pyramid in Lost City: Zargon, or more precisely the heart of Zargon, is the KA of Pharaoh Ankhtepots. The Dark Powers hid the KA outside of the mist. The KA has turned into the Zargon and if left uncheck could grow to challenge the gods of the homeworld. Once defeated, the mist will close around the group and hopefully allies from one of the factions which is from Har’Akir and will be able to provide the PCs with all the info and lore that they need for Domain.

This puts them in Har’Akir with Ankhtepots’ Ka before they even know what it is or what to do with it. Do they trade it to Ankhtepot? Do they try to find a ritual to destroy it? Do they sell it off to one of Ankhtepot’s underling who will use it to usurp the dark lords?

As this is happening, Zargon’s heart will be slowly growing and trying to manipulate the Players. Maybe even become a Patron if anyone decides to multi-classs into Warlock. This will play more like the 1990s movie The Mummy rather than true horror but I think it could be good for my players.


What do you think? Most Cliché plot ever?

Seems pretty cool to me. Players often enjoy playing out cliches, and subverting them in their own play. So I think you've hit upon some pretty fun ideas.

Plus most folks believe that Lost City is a great module (haven't played it myself, but I flipped through Goodman Games version). What edition are you planning for this game?

My own idea (I'm not recommending it for you, it's for my own game) for Har'Akir is to leverage the Mummy's Mask modules from Pathfinder, retrofitting it of course. It will require a bunch of homebrewing all of their weirder monsters, but I think it will be fun if we ever get to that point.

 

[TheSword]

Seems pretty cool to me. Players often enjoy playing out cliches, and subverting them in their own play. So I think you've hit upon some pretty fun ideas.

Plus most folks believe that Lost City is a great module (haven't played it myself, but I flipped through Goodman Games version). What edition are you planning for this game?

My own idea (I'm not recommending it for you, it's for my own game) for Har'Akir is to leverage the Mummy's Mask modules from Pathfinder, retrofitting it of course. It will require a bunch of homebrewing all of their weirder monsters, but I think it will be fun if we ever get to that point.

View attachment 137730

I once thought about Mummies mask as a real world ‘red death’ or Cthulhu-esq setting full blown victoriana. I think it could work.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I once thought about Mummies mask as a real world ‘red death’ or Cthulhu-esq setting full blown victoriana. I think it could work.

It totally could work, at least in Egypt. It very much is "Fantasy Egypt land" and plays out all the tropes (with some very original ideas thrown in as well) which makes it pretty easy to place in any setting's Egypt-analogue.

 

[Wolfram stout]

Seems pretty cool to me. Players often enjoy playing out cliches, and subverting them in their own play. So I think you've hit upon some pretty fun ideas.

Plus most folks believe that Lost City is a great module (haven't played it myself, but I flipped through Goodman Games version). What edition are you planning for this game?

My own idea (I'm not recommending it for you, it's for my own game) for Har'Akir is to leverage the Mummy's Mask modules from Pathfinder, retrofitting it of course. It will require a bunch of homebrewing all of their weirder monsters, but I think it will be fun if we ever get to that point.

View attachment 137730

I will be running it in 5th D&D. And thanks for the Mummy's Mask mention. I have seen them before but never got any and forgot they were a thing. There is a lot in Har'Akir to fill in and I may take a look at those module for maps and monsters. I don't mind homebrewing monster stats, but coming up with good ideas for a dozen or so sites can be difficult.

 

[Stormonu]

Sounds good.

You could follow it up if they retrieve the Ka, they have to return it to Anketepot’s tomb, which will let you run I3 - Pharoah or the Desert of Desolation series if you want to go that far.

 

[Voadam]

This will play more like the 1990s movie The Mummy rather than true horror but I think it could be good for my players.

Horror does well when it is in contrast with another tone. Light hearted PULP with some humor is a good contrast to then hit the spookiness.

When I did the Carrion Crown gothic Horror AP for a 5e game the Lorrimor/Indiana Jones theme was strong and worked well. It also narratively gets the PCs into bad places they might not otherwise go.

 

[Savage Wombat]

What would you do to make a sphinx more Ravenloft-y?

 

[Urriak Uruk]

What would you do to make a sphinx more Ravenloft-y?

 

[Eltab]

What would you do to make a sphinx more Ravenloft-y?

One of the Pathfinder demon lords (forget the name) is a pseudo-sphinx. Downpower her but still give the PCs a foe whose capabilities they do not really understand.