CotSQ gone wrong - DM Help!

[Eccles]

OK. I'm getting there now.

Just to give the PCs a bit of help, a number of the giants are going to have retreated back into the Amphitheatre, fighting for survival. If my group want to, they can butcher their way through the undead outside the building, slaughter all the giants inside, and come back out none the wiser. Alternatively (and this is pretty unlikely knowing my lot), they might try to talk to 'em.

Most of the patrols within the city will be replaced with undead equivalents, although the demons still have air superiority.

I'm about 1/4 of the way through statting a revenant army. I've done all the slaves and low level standards, but still have to make some big scary undead.

To add a little bit of a sinister touch, most of the undead slaves are wearing flayed giant-skin armour...

I like the point above about the Zhents; especially since one of my PCs may walk away from the undead horde specifically to fight the Zhentish 'allies'!

And thank you for the point about Elmister's descent into Baator. I'm not a big FR novel reader, so I'd missed that point!

 

[Kae'Yoss]

It looks quite clear to me: The PC's are in the underdark when the spell is completed. And since they probably are in the way of all the revenants, They will get some first-hand experience with the undead horde. Since teleportation into and out of the underdark is a little tricky, a quick retreat or getting help down there might not be possible. Looks like quite a fight

 

[Calico_Jack73]

1. What to do about all the high powered heroes in the Realms.

That is one of the problems with using the Realms. As I posted in a discussion on Greyhawk, it is your campaign... do what you want. Being that you are bringing in a ton of Undead you could always have Orcus show up in the realms. Undoubtably his presence would also be followed by Grazzt and Demogorgon and the three would probably move to grab different parts of the realm to fortify positions so that they can continue their battle on the Prime. They really have nothing to lose... if they are killed on the Prime they simply are sent back to the Abyss. Anyway, the evil gods most likely would ally themselves with any the three archdemons. The established heros could be so busy fighting back hordes of demons that it is up to your PCs to save the day. Even then you could continue the campaign with your PCs taking the fight to each of the archdemons to send them back to the abyss.

Definitely would make for an epic campaign.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

That is one of the problems with using the Realms. As I posted in a discussion on Greyhawk, it is your campaign... do what you want. Being that you are bringing in a ton of Undead you could always have Orcus show up in the realms.

Orcus wouldn't bother attacking elminster or any of the other big whoppers. He would try to get the control of the undead army or even attack them - after all, they're loyal (more or less) to Kiaransalee, the nemesis of Orcus. It might even come to blows between the two once again. But I doubt it: the Great Revenance would increase Kiaransalee's power even further (she's become minor deity already, because of the influx of followers).

 

[Endur]

I have Orcus, Grazzt, and Demogorgon involved in my version of City of the Spider Queen.

They are not physically manifesting, however, instead they work through agents.

I have Kurgoth and Badrazel (the leaders of the fiends in Maerimydra) working on behalf of Orcus. That makes sense since Orcus is seeking revenge against Kiaransalee, he is attempting to have his agents foil Kiaransalee's plans.

Demogorgon and Grazzt are less involved. They have various agents to disrupt the plans of Orcus.

 

[Eccles]

Don't tell my players, but Orcus has already shown an interest. He's implanted a "watcher" (think Babylon 5) in / on one PC. He then threw him back into the party, making a ham-fisted job of framing Graz'zt for the kidnapping and torture of that PC.

The players have passed that off as me being extravagant in introducing a character. They didn't notice my reference to "six fingered hands tearing a hole in the fabric of reality" next to them. Even when I mentioned it twice.

And with 2 serious AD&D historians in the group, that's all the clue they should need - they're both hellers for metagaming, so I'm just making use of that. If they'd just picked up on it...

So Orcus is watching everything the group does. He was hoping that they'd declare war on Graz'zt for him. But they didn't...

I think Orcus is likely not to get involved until that PC spots the extent of the army.

Since the party is entering from the North West of the city, and the army is leaving through the South East, there's no real worry about them running into a 3000 strong force of the undead!