jdrakeh
Front Range Warlock
Okay, I had been waiting a while to post this until I got all of the elements that I need to pull it off into my possession. . .
The Basic Set-up
To start, this whole thing started about a month back while I was struggling to pen some rules that truly supported generational roleplay mechanically (and utterly failing to do so). And then it struck me -- I'm not certain that there is a single vanilla fantasy game on the face of planet Earth that does this (there is Aria, of course, though I'm not entirely certain that it's playable). I am certain that there is a reason for this (most likely the reason is that the desire to play thrugh something truly epic, such as the Volsungasaga, is not something that many people have the desire to do).
This got me thinking about ways that I might attack a generational epic with existing resources, while establishing a strong thread of commonality throughout (both in-game and around the table). The Adventure Path of Horrors is what I evetually came up with. If you want to try running this (or something like it) at your own table, you'll need the following materials (I bought physical copies of each, though for some, PDFs may be a more realistic option, financially speaking):
Core Books and Supplements
Adventures and Campaigns
[Note: I will also be using a plethora of other adventures, though the above adventures are the only ones that are, strictly speaking, necessary.]
Leg 1: The Age of Legend
This leg of the AP will be played using the AD&D (1974) rules. Rule adjustments will be made as necessary (if there is enough interest, I'll post them to this thread). Heroes are heroic, all damage is rolled on a d6, and a dagger actually has a good chance of killing you if it breaks the skin. This is the Age of Legend!
We begin with a classic AD&D 1e adventure (Barnicus: City in Peril) which gives us both an excuse to bring heroes together and keep them together, working in the employee of the patron who is present in said module. You can start with pretty much any adventure you like, so long as it provides you with the same kind of set-up.
Working forward, we fill the lower levels of play with The Temple of the Frog (Woot! Woot!) and various AD&D 1e modules. Really this is just good, old-fashioned, fun for all play -- there isn't a lot of 'story' here past building levels. The real story begins with the end of this age, as you'll see in a moment.
When then characters have achieved 'name' level, they're ready for the Big One. So come rumors of black happenings in a swamp to the South -- and a tomb of a very evil Lich Lord well known to the Duke's advisor (assuming that you started this whole thing with Barnicus). You can pretty much guess where this is going, I assume.
Enter the Tomb of Horrors!
More than ever, an exhibition of tactical prowess will be necessary here in order for the PCs to emerge alive (or victorious in death). OD&D is very unforgiving where combat is concerned, as that voluminous hit point buffer enjoyed by players of later editions is not present. So, be warned, the tomb may well be a Quisinart rather than the expected meat grinder when used in OD&D. I am certain that adjustments will be made to stage down lethality here (again, I'll post them if interest warrants it).
Whether the players succeed here or die is largely irrelevant -- the idea is simply to have fun. If the PCs emerge victorious, the characters of the next age will have some big shoes to fill (which will bring them back here, obviously). If the PCs die, then characters of the next age will have some ancestors to avenge! Really, for the purposes of this adventure path, there is no way that The Tomb of Horrors can end badly
Leg 2: The Age of Heroes
This leg of the AP will be played using the AD&D 2e (Revised) rules. Rule adjustments should be minimal (if there is enough interest, I'll post them to this thread). Heroes are born that way, the world has been largely cleansed of demonic evils, and life is good. This is the Age of Heroes!
Here, we fiddle with a bit of In Media Res -- PCs should start play roughly where the PCs (i.e., their ancestors) in the previous age left off. So. . . uhm. . . right around 11th to 13th level, I'd estimate (I'll post those figures when I get this leg of the campaign started myself). Here, the real objective is the Tomb of Horrors (or, more correctly Return to the Tomb of Horrors). Why the PCs are here has a lot to do with how the Age of Legend ended for their ancestors. . . did their forerunners die on a final heroic mission, or did they emerge victorious and live out the rest of their lives in fame and prosperity?
Regardless of why the descendents of heroes past seek out Acererak's tomb (either to avenge their anscestors or to prove themselves as the descendents of said ancestors), they'll need a little bit of prep work. I recommend running them through A Green Place to Die (an AD&D 3e module, which I'll post conversions for later should anybody have interest) -- this will get them into the swamp while giving them a less plot-intensive bit of adventure to serve as a run-up to the events in Return to the Tomb of Horrors.
Return to the Tomb of Horrors!
In this outing to Acererak's final resting place (and beyond) there isn't much guidance that I need to provide you past that already covered in the adventure module (it is, after all, actually designed for this edition of the D&D rules). That said. . . if your players are incompetent boobs, the next age will be a total nightmare realm (because, if they fail, that means the demilich has succeeded). Remember! The fate of the world hinges on the heroes being successful here! Which brings us to a fork in the road. . .
Leg 3A: The Age of Evil Ascending
This possible future assumes that the heroes of the previous age were successful and that Acererak was stopped but not killed (per the Return to the Tomb of Horrors, the demilich had a contingency plan or two). This leg of the AP will be played out using the D&D 3.5 rules. No adjustments will be necessary here (sofar as I can tell at this time). This age occurs roughly 1000 years after the Age of Heroes has ended and its legends have faded from memory, eroded to dust by the winds of time. Acererak, on the other hand, has been busy.
Again, we start In Media Res with the heroes of the age starting play at roughly 16th level, hired by a patron (at this point in the campaign, such details will vary so much from one group to the next that providing information on them here seems like a waste of space) to plunder tombs of magnificent rulers or priest kings of ages past. Although it has long since been turned to dust, the ruins of Skull City (no longer known by that name) are thought to house one such tomb. Yep. That tomb. . .
Reaping the Tomb of Horrors!
The tomb as it appears here is run much like the D&D 3.5 revision -- though you should reduce the number of encounters and make certain that some of the traps are non-functional if the PCs in the last age freed the souls trapped in the demi lich's phylactery (if they only destroyed the skull, all of the traps in the tomb are still intact). Run the adventure as a straight-up dungeon crawl -- only the final scenario needs tweaking.
[Notes on the final encounter forthcoming. I'm still doing a bit of work to balance this against the possible outcomes for the last leg of the AP, per the RttTH box set. Mainly, I haven't quite decided how Acererak has decided to exact his revenge -- only that he will and that it will start with an encounter in his former resting place, as he once again pursues godhood.]
Leg 3B: The Age of Evil Avenged
This possible future assumes that the heroes of the previous age were successful and that Acererak was stopped and killed -- but that the phylactery was physically destroyed. This leg of the AP will be played out using the D&D 3.5 rules. No adjustments will be necessary here (sofar as I can tell at this time). This age occurs roughly 1000 years after the Age of Heroes has ended and its legends have faded from memory -- but one of those tormented souls freed from the phylactery, on the other hand, has been busy.
Again, we start In Media Res with the heroes of the age starting play at roughly 16th level, hired by a patron (at this point in the campaign, such details will vary so much from one group to the next that providing information on them here seems like a waste of space) to plunder tombs of magnificent rulers or priest kings of ages past. Although it has long since been turned to dust, the ruins of Skull City (no longer known by that name) are thought to house one such tomb. Yep. That tomb. . .
Reaping the Tomb of Horrors!
The tomb as it appears here is run much like the D&D 3.5 revision -- though you should reduce the number of encounters and make certain that some of the traps are non-functional if the PCs in the last age freed the souls trapped in the demi lich's phylactery (if they only destroyed the skull, all of the traps in the tomb are still intact). Run the adventure as a straight-up dungeon crawl -- only the final scenario needs tweaking.
[Notes on the final encounter forthcoming. I'm still doing a bit of work to balance this against the possible outcomes for the last leg of the AP, per the RttTH box set. Mainly, I haven't quite decided how the maligned spirit has decided to exact his revenge -- only that he will and that it will start with an encounter in Acererak's former resting place, the place where the spirit's physical body initially died (might be nice if it is an ancestor of the PCs who died in the tomb).]
Leg 3C: The Age of Evil Triumphant
This possible future assumes that the heroes of the previous age failed, that Acererak's plans came to fruition, and that he now holds sway over creation. This leg of the AP will be played out using the D&D 3.5 rules. No adjustments will be necessary here (sofar as I can tell at this time). This age occurs roughly 1000 years after the Age of Heroes has ended, though the 'heroes' of that age are widely reviled by the world's populace and their descendents have been enslaved by Acererak as testimony to his might.
[There will be much adjustment here, none of which I have done yet, as a world with Acererak encamped as a God is the least likely outcome of the three mentioned here. I will post notes and files for this possible future if it becomes evident that it is where my own AP is heading. It could prove very interesting, as it will amount to an entirely new setting.]
Final Thoughts
Okay, that pretty much sums up what I have on paper at the present time. Thoughts and feedback are welcome, especially from those of you who have played the listed moduled under the rule systems that I have mentioned. Also, if anybody else ends up running this, I'd love to compare notes just to see how different experiences may be from one AP to the next.
The Basic Set-up
To start, this whole thing started about a month back while I was struggling to pen some rules that truly supported generational roleplay mechanically (and utterly failing to do so). And then it struck me -- I'm not certain that there is a single vanilla fantasy game on the face of planet Earth that does this (there is Aria, of course, though I'm not entirely certain that it's playable). I am certain that there is a reason for this (most likely the reason is that the desire to play thrugh something truly epic, such as the Volsungasaga, is not something that many people have the desire to do).
This got me thinking about ways that I might attack a generational epic with existing resources, while establishing a strong thread of commonality throughout (both in-game and around the table). The Adventure Path of Horrors is what I evetually came up with. If you want to try running this (or something like it) at your own table, you'll need the following materials (I bought physical copies of each, though for some, PDFs may be a more realistic option, financially speaking):
Core Books and Supplements
- OD&D (1974) Boxed Set
- AD&D 2e Core Rule Books (PHB, DMG, MM)
- D&D 3.5 Core Rule Books (PHB, DMG, MM)
- Libris Mortis (entirely optional, though recommended)
- Unearthed Arcana (also optional, though recommended)
Adventures and Campaigns
- Return to the Tomb of Horrors (including reprint of original module)
- Tomb of Horrors (D&D 3.5 conversion, currently free via WotC)
[Note: I will also be using a plethora of other adventures, though the above adventures are the only ones that are, strictly speaking, necessary.]
Leg 1: The Age of Legend
This leg of the AP will be played using the AD&D (1974) rules. Rule adjustments will be made as necessary (if there is enough interest, I'll post them to this thread). Heroes are heroic, all damage is rolled on a d6, and a dagger actually has a good chance of killing you if it breaks the skin. This is the Age of Legend!
We begin with a classic AD&D 1e adventure (Barnicus: City in Peril) which gives us both an excuse to bring heroes together and keep them together, working in the employee of the patron who is present in said module. You can start with pretty much any adventure you like, so long as it provides you with the same kind of set-up.
Working forward, we fill the lower levels of play with The Temple of the Frog (Woot! Woot!) and various AD&D 1e modules. Really this is just good, old-fashioned, fun for all play -- there isn't a lot of 'story' here past building levels. The real story begins with the end of this age, as you'll see in a moment.
When then characters have achieved 'name' level, they're ready for the Big One. So come rumors of black happenings in a swamp to the South -- and a tomb of a very evil Lich Lord well known to the Duke's advisor (assuming that you started this whole thing with Barnicus). You can pretty much guess where this is going, I assume.
Enter the Tomb of Horrors!
More than ever, an exhibition of tactical prowess will be necessary here in order for the PCs to emerge alive (or victorious in death). OD&D is very unforgiving where combat is concerned, as that voluminous hit point buffer enjoyed by players of later editions is not present. So, be warned, the tomb may well be a Quisinart rather than the expected meat grinder when used in OD&D. I am certain that adjustments will be made to stage down lethality here (again, I'll post them if interest warrants it).
Whether the players succeed here or die is largely irrelevant -- the idea is simply to have fun. If the PCs emerge victorious, the characters of the next age will have some big shoes to fill (which will bring them back here, obviously). If the PCs die, then characters of the next age will have some ancestors to avenge! Really, for the purposes of this adventure path, there is no way that The Tomb of Horrors can end badly
Leg 2: The Age of Heroes
This leg of the AP will be played using the AD&D 2e (Revised) rules. Rule adjustments should be minimal (if there is enough interest, I'll post them to this thread). Heroes are born that way, the world has been largely cleansed of demonic evils, and life is good. This is the Age of Heroes!
Here, we fiddle with a bit of In Media Res -- PCs should start play roughly where the PCs (i.e., their ancestors) in the previous age left off. So. . . uhm. . . right around 11th to 13th level, I'd estimate (I'll post those figures when I get this leg of the campaign started myself). Here, the real objective is the Tomb of Horrors (or, more correctly Return to the Tomb of Horrors). Why the PCs are here has a lot to do with how the Age of Legend ended for their ancestors. . . did their forerunners die on a final heroic mission, or did they emerge victorious and live out the rest of their lives in fame and prosperity?
Regardless of why the descendents of heroes past seek out Acererak's tomb (either to avenge their anscestors or to prove themselves as the descendents of said ancestors), they'll need a little bit of prep work. I recommend running them through A Green Place to Die (an AD&D 3e module, which I'll post conversions for later should anybody have interest) -- this will get them into the swamp while giving them a less plot-intensive bit of adventure to serve as a run-up to the events in Return to the Tomb of Horrors.
Return to the Tomb of Horrors!
In this outing to Acererak's final resting place (and beyond) there isn't much guidance that I need to provide you past that already covered in the adventure module (it is, after all, actually designed for this edition of the D&D rules). That said. . . if your players are incompetent boobs, the next age will be a total nightmare realm (because, if they fail, that means the demilich has succeeded). Remember! The fate of the world hinges on the heroes being successful here! Which brings us to a fork in the road. . .
Leg 3A: The Age of Evil Ascending
This possible future assumes that the heroes of the previous age were successful and that Acererak was stopped but not killed (per the Return to the Tomb of Horrors, the demilich had a contingency plan or two). This leg of the AP will be played out using the D&D 3.5 rules. No adjustments will be necessary here (sofar as I can tell at this time). This age occurs roughly 1000 years after the Age of Heroes has ended and its legends have faded from memory, eroded to dust by the winds of time. Acererak, on the other hand, has been busy.
Again, we start In Media Res with the heroes of the age starting play at roughly 16th level, hired by a patron (at this point in the campaign, such details will vary so much from one group to the next that providing information on them here seems like a waste of space) to plunder tombs of magnificent rulers or priest kings of ages past. Although it has long since been turned to dust, the ruins of Skull City (no longer known by that name) are thought to house one such tomb. Yep. That tomb. . .
Reaping the Tomb of Horrors!
The tomb as it appears here is run much like the D&D 3.5 revision -- though you should reduce the number of encounters and make certain that some of the traps are non-functional if the PCs in the last age freed the souls trapped in the demi lich's phylactery (if they only destroyed the skull, all of the traps in the tomb are still intact). Run the adventure as a straight-up dungeon crawl -- only the final scenario needs tweaking.
[Notes on the final encounter forthcoming. I'm still doing a bit of work to balance this against the possible outcomes for the last leg of the AP, per the RttTH box set. Mainly, I haven't quite decided how Acererak has decided to exact his revenge -- only that he will and that it will start with an encounter in his former resting place, as he once again pursues godhood.]
Leg 3B: The Age of Evil Avenged
This possible future assumes that the heroes of the previous age were successful and that Acererak was stopped and killed -- but that the phylactery was physically destroyed. This leg of the AP will be played out using the D&D 3.5 rules. No adjustments will be necessary here (sofar as I can tell at this time). This age occurs roughly 1000 years after the Age of Heroes has ended and its legends have faded from memory -- but one of those tormented souls freed from the phylactery, on the other hand, has been busy.
Again, we start In Media Res with the heroes of the age starting play at roughly 16th level, hired by a patron (at this point in the campaign, such details will vary so much from one group to the next that providing information on them here seems like a waste of space) to plunder tombs of magnificent rulers or priest kings of ages past. Although it has long since been turned to dust, the ruins of Skull City (no longer known by that name) are thought to house one such tomb. Yep. That tomb. . .
Reaping the Tomb of Horrors!
The tomb as it appears here is run much like the D&D 3.5 revision -- though you should reduce the number of encounters and make certain that some of the traps are non-functional if the PCs in the last age freed the souls trapped in the demi lich's phylactery (if they only destroyed the skull, all of the traps in the tomb are still intact). Run the adventure as a straight-up dungeon crawl -- only the final scenario needs tweaking.
[Notes on the final encounter forthcoming. I'm still doing a bit of work to balance this against the possible outcomes for the last leg of the AP, per the RttTH box set. Mainly, I haven't quite decided how the maligned spirit has decided to exact his revenge -- only that he will and that it will start with an encounter in Acererak's former resting place, the place where the spirit's physical body initially died (might be nice if it is an ancestor of the PCs who died in the tomb).]
Leg 3C: The Age of Evil Triumphant
This possible future assumes that the heroes of the previous age failed, that Acererak's plans came to fruition, and that he now holds sway over creation. This leg of the AP will be played out using the D&D 3.5 rules. No adjustments will be necessary here (sofar as I can tell at this time). This age occurs roughly 1000 years after the Age of Heroes has ended, though the 'heroes' of that age are widely reviled by the world's populace and their descendents have been enslaved by Acererak as testimony to his might.
[There will be much adjustment here, none of which I have done yet, as a world with Acererak encamped as a God is the least likely outcome of the three mentioned here. I will post notes and files for this possible future if it becomes evident that it is where my own AP is heading. It could prove very interesting, as it will amount to an entirely new setting.]
Final Thoughts
Okay, that pretty much sums up what I have on paper at the present time. Thoughts and feedback are welcome, especially from those of you who have played the listed moduled under the rule systems that I have mentioned. Also, if anybody else ends up running this, I'd love to compare notes just to see how different experiences may be from one AP to the next.
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I guess I should have been more specific and noted that no vanilla fantasy RPG does generational roleplay. Pendragon is fantastic for Arthurian Legend, though I honestly can't see using it for much else. I'll make that edit.
