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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rolenet" data-source="post: 7057841" data-attributes="member: 6874615">I've just finished DMing a HPE Dark Sun campaign, so I might add some insight. In particular, I started with the Ashes of Athas campaign, which has similarities with some of your ideas.Here's my two bits:- personnaly, I didn't use any Demons as such in DS, as they seem to be ill-suited to the metaphysics (planes) of the setting, and not that much thematic. Why not just plain defiling plus a DS beast? Or a more straightfoward elemental (e.g. some desert elemental)?As for your plot, it seems very good as is! But here are a few thoughts.(1) Not easy to make the templars attractive employers. Everyone hates them: they're defilers, bullies, administrators, and hold power. BUT for this reason it's a great notion. In fact, one could argue that they are doing a crucial job, because they keep Tyr from develoving into utter chaos. So be sure to paint them as benevolent safekeepers of freedom and order. That's a great challenge! The druid will be a hard sell: be sure for them to distinguish Tyr from Nature.You also need to make the VA appear as possibly evil, if you want the players to possibly go against them, rather than automatically siding with them "good guys". They are highly secretive, and do include arcanists, so that's a start. Here's an idea: becaue the VA is so secretive, the Templars could actually be genuinely misguided about who's in the VA and launch the players against a "cell" that's unrelated. This would allow some more good judgement call for the PC, moral quandary, and an opportunity for the PC to still side with the VA later on.(2) Why not use the noble rather as psionicist than defilers? This would allow showcasing that aspect of DS.Also, is Kalak to be brought as some kind of undead? Or is he still in fact alive? If so how did Rikus manage to not kill him? Maybe Rikus was in league with the Pure? Or it's a VA machination to start with?(In my campaign, Kalak managed to transfer his soul into the Heartwood Spear, then later into the pyramid when the Spear was broken. He was brought back by the heroes - after they foiled the Pure...- into a halfling body, because they needed him to use the pyramid.)The Nobles seem to have the least ties to the PCs. Maybe portray them as independant, third party that is genuinely worried about the in-fighting and want stability.Also I'm not sure how to link the nobles against the VA. Maybe add in some unrelated personal grudge? Then send the heroes against a fake VA cell, that's really a personal enemy of the noble house.(3) DS 4e has a rather unconvincing way of handling defiling. It could be an issue if the VA asks the arcane PCs for a defiling test (the Green Test, if I'm correct). Because DS4 is not very clear on whether arcanist always defile, or never defile, or can sometimes. Be sure to make it clear to yourself and to your players...The old AD&D sourcebook on the VA is quite cool. Written by one of Paranoia's authors, it's heavy on the secret society side of thing, if you like that.I liked to play the VA as incompetents who always get infiltrated or are downright useless (The Tyrean People's Front!). But they have great potential as hidden mastermind with unfathomable goals. They might be the actual providers of the Heartwood Spear, and motivators of Rikus - while hiding this fact, and having sinister goals (that will unfold in further Tiers...). In that case you need to establish subtle hints right now, or recurring characters. In fact, they could influence the nobles or the templars to send the PC into a fake VA cell that's actually their own enemies... presto, re-use of the same encounter...(4...) Why not involve the Merchant Houses? Maybe as part of the noble faction. They're important and kind of cool. Some of the houses supported slave trade, and have lost much to the deposing of Kalak, others not. Bonus: potential Caravan Mission! yay!</blockquote>

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