Dark Sun adventure ideas
- Thread starter Dice4Hire
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WalterKovacs
First Post
I'm also looking to run a Dark Sun games.
So far I have nothing huge planned, mostly just doing stuff that ties into the world which includes:
Doing some caravan duty, dealing with ambushes on the road and the like.
In the event the party decides to leave the path there are other wilderness encounters that fit will in the desert area. (One I particularly want to do after reading through the creature compendium is the "vultures" which would either join a fight midbattle or attack soon after another fight as they try to pick off the weak, etc).
At some point, there will likely be a gladiatorial games portion where the group takes part in some arena fighting, (I especially want to make use of the rules from a while back that have a skill challenge for getting the crowd on your side and includes a "rioting crowd" as a massive swarm, lol).
And then, of course, there is some in-city intrigue around the sorceror kings and the like, and if they do some desert exploration they can end up in a good old fashioned dungeon delve (with a bit more of a time limit thanks to the provisions system of Dark Sun).
I have to see what kind of characters the players end up coming up with. If it's primal and arcane, with the arcane guys leaning towards preservation that will likey focus the overall arc towards that conflict, for example.
I'll keep an eye on the thread to see if anyone has any ideas I can steal
So far I have nothing huge planned, mostly just doing stuff that ties into the world which includes:
Doing some caravan duty, dealing with ambushes on the road and the like.
In the event the party decides to leave the path there are other wilderness encounters that fit will in the desert area. (One I particularly want to do after reading through the creature compendium is the "vultures" which would either join a fight midbattle or attack soon after another fight as they try to pick off the weak, etc).
At some point, there will likely be a gladiatorial games portion where the group takes part in some arena fighting, (I especially want to make use of the rules from a while back that have a skill challenge for getting the crowd on your side and includes a "rioting crowd" as a massive swarm, lol).
And then, of course, there is some in-city intrigue around the sorceror kings and the like, and if they do some desert exploration they can end up in a good old fashioned dungeon delve (with a bit more of a time limit thanks to the provisions system of Dark Sun).
I have to see what kind of characters the players end up coming up with. If it's primal and arcane, with the arcane guys leaning towards preservation that will likey focus the overall arc towards that conflict, for example.
I'll keep an eye on the thread to see if anyone has any ideas I can steal
Negflar2099
Explorer
The 3.x version of Dark Sun had an adventure where the PCs have to protect a fort from a regular set of nighttime attacks by Athasian Zombies. Sort of like Minecraft but set in Dark Sun. I never got to play it but it looked like a blast.
zoroaster100
First Post
One idea is having the characters enslaved for a period of time, either by capturing them (hopefully with a fair shot for them to avoid capture) or by having a situation where the best way for them to infiltrate is to allow themselves to be enslaved.
Another concept is finding a village in the wastes which appears to be made up of weak escaped slaves scrambling to survive, but are in fact controlled by a terrifying evil force such as an evil defiler, psion, or intelligent monster behind the scenes.
One concept that can be tied in to almost any adventure is discovering ruins or artifacts from past ages which hint at the vast history and the greatly different past of Athas.
Another concept is finding a village in the wastes which appears to be made up of weak escaped slaves scrambling to survive, but are in fact controlled by a terrifying evil force such as an evil defiler, psion, or intelligent monster behind the scenes.
One concept that can be tied in to almost any adventure is discovering ruins or artifacts from past ages which hint at the vast history and the greatly different past of Athas.
fuzzlewump
Explorer
The PC's get a job to chase down a Mul into the desert who fled from a noble. On the Mul's way out, it managed to kill a guard. The PC's might talk to the Watch, the guard's family, or the Noble.
The Mul was actually exacting revenge on the guard because the guard enslaved him to begin with before selling him to the Noble. The PC's can learn this from following a paper trail, from the Noble, or from the Mul.
They find the Mul, through tracking or whatever method sounds possible, but he's been captured by Halflings. When the party finds them, the Halflings are preparing to kill the Mul and cook and feed themselves and their children.
The Party can be revolted and stop the ritual, killing the Halflings (if they can.) They can bargain with the halflings just for an identifying body part (the head,) or to let him go by offering other food stuffs possibly. This is a hard challenge though, because to the hungry halflings the party is holding plenty of food supplies and are food supplies themselves.
The party may converse with the Mul to figure out why he murdered the guard, and may let him go, or just take him back for the reward and the Mul executed.
It's rudimentary since I just thought of this but maybe that'll get some wheels turning.
The Mul was actually exacting revenge on the guard because the guard enslaved him to begin with before selling him to the Noble. The PC's can learn this from following a paper trail, from the Noble, or from the Mul.
They find the Mul, through tracking or whatever method sounds possible, but he's been captured by Halflings. When the party finds them, the Halflings are preparing to kill the Mul and cook and feed themselves and their children.
The Party can be revolted and stop the ritual, killing the Halflings (if they can.) They can bargain with the halflings just for an identifying body part (the head,) or to let him go by offering other food stuffs possibly. This is a hard challenge though, because to the hungry halflings the party is holding plenty of food supplies and are food supplies themselves.
The party may converse with the Mul to figure out why he murdered the guard, and may let him go, or just take him back for the reward and the Mul executed.
It's rudimentary since I just thought of this but maybe that'll get some wheels turning.
renau1g
First Post
If you're willing to spend a bit of cash, Dungeon had a few good ones recently. If you buy one month you can DL all the old issues.
(Psi)SeveredHead
Adventurer
I'm introducing my PCs to a "templar of Borys".
PCs go "wait, who is Borys?" Given their low level, they're not taking him down though, but defeating the templar is quite possible.
PCs go "wait, who is Borys?" Given their low level, they're not taking him down though, but defeating the templar is quite possible.
zoroaster100
First Post
Some of the big campaign arcs that have been used before in the novels and in the prior edition adventures include (SPOILER ALERT):
1) Free Tyr from its Sorcerer King, Kalak, then take on Hamanu (you don't defeat him, only keep him from conquering Tyr), then find superpowerful weapons and magic to be able to take on the Dragon itself, which involves a series of world-spanning adventures, then go to the Valley of Dust and Fire to take on the Dragon, only to find out that sometimes what you thought was the worst thing in the world was keeping you safe from something even worse.
2) Gith raiders are attacking worse than usual near Black Spine Mountains, but it turns out behind the gith are actual Githyanki, who have come back to Athas only to find their long lost relations have degenerated in to Gith. No matter, they make good rabble for the Githyanki armies that shall conquer Athas!
3) The Order of superpowerful Epic Level psions decide to use the most powerful psionic artifact, the psionatrix, to end all psionics use on Athas. It takes a world-spanning series of adventures, including allying with both treacherous sorcerer kings and avangions, to find legendary locations that lead you to the source of the trouble. But be ready to face the highest level psions and their minions at the end of the adventure.
4) A normal freed slave village in the wastes turns out to be mere puppets for a group of ultra-powerful psurlons. After sending the adventurers on many quests and involving them in many plots, the adventurerers are finally powerful enough to discover that their own employers/contacts are the worst evil of all, and must enter the secret ruins under the village to find and defeat the psurlons and their powerful guardians.
1) Free Tyr from its Sorcerer King, Kalak, then take on Hamanu (you don't defeat him, only keep him from conquering Tyr), then find superpowerful weapons and magic to be able to take on the Dragon itself, which involves a series of world-spanning adventures, then go to the Valley of Dust and Fire to take on the Dragon, only to find out that sometimes what you thought was the worst thing in the world was keeping you safe from something even worse.
2) Gith raiders are attacking worse than usual near Black Spine Mountains, but it turns out behind the gith are actual Githyanki, who have come back to Athas only to find their long lost relations have degenerated in to Gith. No matter, they make good rabble for the Githyanki armies that shall conquer Athas!
3) The Order of superpowerful Epic Level psions decide to use the most powerful psionic artifact, the psionatrix, to end all psionics use on Athas. It takes a world-spanning series of adventures, including allying with both treacherous sorcerer kings and avangions, to find legendary locations that lead you to the source of the trouble. But be ready to face the highest level psions and their minions at the end of the adventure.
4) A normal freed slave village in the wastes turns out to be mere puppets for a group of ultra-powerful psurlons. After sending the adventurers on many quests and involving them in many plots, the adventurerers are finally powerful enough to discover that their own employers/contacts are the worst evil of all, and must enter the secret ruins under the village to find and defeat the psurlons and their powerful guardians.
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