Brain dead, need Campaign Idea.

[Tom Cashel]

COMIC BOOKS: Hellboy (you want epic? try the new "Conqueror Worm" trade paperback), Planetary, Invisibles

NOVELS: Philip K. Dick: Ubik, The Divine Invasion, The Man in the High Castle (alternate history dimension-slips, anyone?)

Or you could always look at the "101 Plot Ideas" page in the DM's Guide.

 

[Virginia Wilde]

I had a world once that was, in an ancient time, ruled by dragons who genetically engineered (from humans) a soldier, an 'Aura' if you will, and used them to enforce their will. Eventually, there was a rebellion, which became a true war, resulting in the death of all dragons and the freedom of humanity.

At least, the humans thought they'd won. Of course, you don't tell the players right off the bat that each of the kingdoms is ruled by a powerful dragon who has, through brainwashing techniques or simple disguise, has managed to keep the humans in the dark for fifty thousand years. The campaign began when one little thing, one blatant clue, was happened upon by the PCs: for some odd reason, prospectors for each kingdom knew exactly where to find the hidden graveyards of the dragons (for crystal mining) without any sort of research or divination.

 

[paqman]

Comments to 3 last posts

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I guess this really wasn't too much of a plot suggestion as a much as a way to make an epic plot more personal. Too often have I played in the "save the world" style campaign without feeling my charcter has any pressing reason to do it. Either it seems contrived(the king is hiring a band of 1st level nobodies as his only hope) or bland (well your char is good aligned so of course he/she will want to save the world from destruction).

...

True, I really hate that kind of games, I always try to get my players personaly invoved in the situation as much as possible.

COMIC BOOKS: Hellboy (you want epic? try the new "Conqueror Worm" trade paperback), Planetary, Invisibles

NOVELS: Philip K. Dick: Ubik, The Divine Invasion, The Man in the High Castle (alternate history dimension-slips, anyone?)

Or you could always look at the "101 Plot Ideas" page in the DM's Guide.

Thanks man, I appreciate the info.

I had a world once that was, in an ancient time, ruled by dragons who genetically engineered (from humans) a soldier, an 'Aura' if you will, and used them to enforce their will. Eventually, there was a rebellion, which became a true war, resulting in the death of all dragons and the freedom of humanity.

At least, the humans thought they'd won. Of course, you don't tell the players right off the bat that each of the kingdoms is ruled by a powerful dragon who has, through brainwashing techniques or simple disguise, has managed to keep the humans in the dark for fifty thousand years. The campaign began when one little thing, one blatant clue, was happened upon by the PCs: for some odd reason, prospectors for each kingdom knew exactly where to find the hidden graveyards of the dragons (for crystal mining) without any sort of research or divination.

That is interesting indeed. The players could be part of the return of the old Gem dragons (Psionics Dragons) That were destroyed by the Chromatic and Metalic dragon because their strong psionic powers were a threat to the rest of the Dragon Empire. This could precipitate a war between the Asamet/Quesemet dragons and the territory ruled by the Gem dragons (I was thinking of the Star*Drive setting could be secretly ruled by the Gem Dragons (You suggestion are helping a lot)).

Interesting. I still need to have my players so central to the events that their actions, good or evil, will shape the future of the Galaxy, but all the Idea I have here are starting to kick back my brain in normal activity, I needed a boost. J

 

[qstor]

Beholder - You could always throw in Shadowrun, D&D or Traveller Adventures?

Someone posted a good city encounter table on the main ENboards. That could be the start of something when the players are in a starport next. I'd check out GURPS Traveller Starports for more info on Starport campaigns or GURPS Traveller Far Trader for a merchant game.

Here's another idea - try introducing some of the Spelljammer races into Dragonstar. Maybe the PC's have to go against some Neogi slavers or scro raiders. Maybe a group of low tech Outlanders hire the PC's to protect there world from 60 scro armed with high tech heavy weapons and a starship which they use to travel back and forth from their asteroid base.

Mike

 

[Darklone]

BADD members don't read

I had a campaign once... that would cause most BADD members to throw up.

Storyline was rather simple:
- players start in a little assembly south of a rather big and very lawful empire ruled by a theocratic council of 12 high priests. Some troups (demihumans and mercs) have invaded the area of their hometown and they are conscripted.
- The 12 high priests who ruled the empire since a major war about 250 years ago are actually dragons. Nearly the only dragons in the area. I changed the typical D&D dragons quite a lot, made them less powerful physically, gave all of them polymorph into human form and more spell like abilities instead of spells.
- The council ruled the empire with the help of a major artefact that included scrying and teleporting to where you scried... You needed all twelve members to activate and use it.
- I included some vampire clans in the magical swamps where the old capital was 250 years ago ... most of them "survivors" from the time before the dragons rule. As well as a lich who was the ruler of another undead empire in the east some centuries ago. He was rather powerless since his phylactery was in the head of a vampire girl that was staked in her coffin on a ghostship. Lich was downstairs in the ghostship. An amulet of Undead protection was hanging on the steering wheel and kept the lich and his minions from approaching more than 20ft ... enough to keep them below deck. The coffin with the girl was stuck in the entrance.
- I buffed up Nightscale from Forge of Fury as an elder dragon who was harrassed by the ruling dragons though she was more powerful than a single one of them. My players allied partially with her and were later betrayed.
- A secret society of traders who were collecting knowledge and information. They had several orphanages where they trained psionics. One of their higher members had a corpse of psikillers (monk/psychic warriors)
- The elite warriors of the dragon council were blackclad halfpaladins (evil) with skeleton like helmets.
- The resistance troups ... well. A big enchanted forest with a female ogre druid... That forest was later burned down by imperial armies with some dragons. Here the players plus Nightscale plus a very young copper dragon killed the most powerful (fighting) of the council dragons.
- included a powerhungry manic gnome wizard necromancer who was geased/cursed long time ago. He helped the players several times.
- Some eggs from Nightscale were taken away by the other dragons...
- the young copper dragon followed the players due to curiousity and fun a long time as doglike little lizard. (liked apples)

The whole story started as the traitorous member of the secret traders pact ambushed and killed one of the council dragons (silver one) after he found out about their true nature. The dragons tried in vain to find a replacement. I have to admit I didn't care much for alignments of the council dragons... I used it more for their personal behavior. All were hungry for power and true to their alliance.
The dragons got some eggs from Nightscale to breed a young dragon. Sadly most of the eggs contained halfdragons (a young baroness for example).

The council searched for children with more than 50% dragon blood or dragons that could be recruited. That's why the mercs at first attacked the southern city, no invasion, merely a kidnapping mission that the players spoiled.

 

[Darklone]

Well...

Well, I liked it. Players travelled around trying to find out what was going on, encountered more and more of the different groups, were hunted by dragons and black guards, found out about the children and tried to prevent their "ritual sacrifice". Chief of the Black guards was allied with the scheming merchant... whom they met too. Psikillers killed an old friend of one of the players (a psio in service for the traders who tried to find out about the traitor). Players freed the lich who started to create undead armies in the eastern half of the kingdom and who tried to get the vampire girl... one of the earlier player characters "died" in the big battle of the enchanted forest (he escaped as vampire with the girl)...
The players killed several dragons in that campaign (no it was not easy). Some dragons killed each other in epic battles. A few dragons died against the lich (players were watching from afar) as they tried to defend a castle of the blackguards on the east coast where the ghostship landed. (shadowdragons aren't that useful against undeads).
The players kept the normal priests from raising the red dragon that died against Nightscale.
Derrow armies of the Underdark and other monsters roamed the land since the dragon council lost control after the silver one was killed.

Sadly the group dissolved a week or two before the grande finale.

 

[TheDayKnight]

One of the PCs is a prince of a planet overthrown by the Drow. The Drow killed all of his family but the Prince was luckily smuggled out. The rest of the PCs are sons and daughters of the retainers, councilmembers, etc. of the old reigm. They seek to reconquer their planet from the Drow.

The players could be part of the return of the old Gem dragons (Psionics Dragons)

The gem in the royal scepter (stored away by the Drow) is the key to this.

 

[Dougal DeKree]

Manga!

...
- It turns out the races were created by a super-powerful ancient race and not the gods. The PCs find out. They get pursued by clerics who want to shut them up.

But very detailed, that is why I ask about sites or novels, comic books or especially a very good Manga/Japanimation movie or series.

Hey, maybe someone else remembers the old "Macross"-series? Not the movie, which sucks a lot, but the actual manga-series called Robotech? It was about humans discovered an old starship from som other race on earth and polish it up til it functions again. this makes a race of giants appear that nearly wipe out earths population while trying to demolish the ship (the macross 1 actually). Macross escapes by hyperjumping without a jump calculated. First season is about getting back all the while battering the giants. After the giants are smashed, their creators (the giants are a genetically engineered race) show up and wipe out 90% of the earths population (2nd time here) all the while trying to get hold of the macross. After this challenge is finally over, it is discovered why the last villains wanted the macross so badly. The race the villains had a fear of, appears on the scenery, wiping out 90% of earths population (dejavu?! .) ) So here, again, a many big battles ensue.

The nice thing about this is: The sequels of this are still available PLUS there is the Robotech-RPG with tons of background-infos by Palladiumbooks.

The other thing:

Originally posted by JoeGKushner

You need to find a copy of Dark Space, an old Spacemaster/Rolemaster horror/science fiction setting and steal from that religiously until you have designed a campaign that pits the players against what is basically the Old Ones in space.

YES! I have it and it can be a VERY creepy setting if DM'd right. Sadly I.C.E. is no more, so you will have a hard time getting a copy of this

Hope i could help

Dougal DeKree, Gnomish Illusionist

 

[rounser]

Sadly I.C.E. is no more

That was true for a while, but they've come back to life recently:

www.ironcrown.com

From what I gather, they're selling their books from that site as well.

 

[Desdichado]

But very detailed, that is why I ask about sites or novels, comic books or espacially a very good Manga/Japanimation movie or series.

What, you mean there are good manga/japanimation movies?