Let's see... My PCs have had to come to clash with Lizardfolk, a Dwarven Vampire, a sect of clerics determined to turn a city into a deadzone of sick, poisoned, and dead individuals to turn it into a monument to their goddess, and dealt with a human murderer in a mystery. As well as your guardian monsters like demons, chuuls, carrion crawlers, summoned elementals, and trolls.
The next adventure intales a green dragon, her Minotaur Deepwood Sniper Henchman, the monsters of the High Forest, and the Human organization of the Zhentriam.
However, to note, the party has saved a tribe of Gnolls from the lizardmen, made business deals with Frost Giants, as well as a promise of Neutrality to a Rakshasa, hired a Kobold trapmaster to get them through the abandoned Thieves Guild he worked for, and there's a natural Werewolf and also a Half-dragon in the party.
I pick no bones about it: Black and White are not an aspect of my gameworld. Nothing is of absolute aligment sans animals, and Outsiders. Humanoids I treat like they had a culture; gnolls are very tribal, with a native-american bent, for instance (it really weirded one of my players, since most of them were old school gamers, who felt odd about helping the gnolls who were to be sacrificed).
Infact, my players have made one real judgement call on something by what it is, and quite recent: an ettin was lairing near a farmstead, and instead of talking to it (Which I had been looking forward to, since I figured they'd RP it out), they decided the Ettin was too stupid to reason with, and proceed to obliterate him before talking. I was dissapointed.
So, no, 'Monster campaigns' don't have to be black and white, very expectant and obvious, or you can do it differently. I play them like they were real: some have cultures, some are beasts, some are (in a few cases) commodities.
There's one NPC IMC who hired the party to hunt and capture for him two able bodied Winterwolves (The reason they made deals with Frost Giants), for breeding purposes. He's a dealer in mounts, guardians, pets and servants of various creatures, using magic to alter them for preferences or better qualities.
The next adventure intales a green dragon, her Minotaur Deepwood Sniper Henchman, the monsters of the High Forest, and the Human organization of the Zhentriam.
However, to note, the party has saved a tribe of Gnolls from the lizardmen, made business deals with Frost Giants, as well as a promise of Neutrality to a Rakshasa, hired a Kobold trapmaster to get them through the abandoned Thieves Guild he worked for, and there's a natural Werewolf and also a Half-dragon in the party.
I pick no bones about it: Black and White are not an aspect of my gameworld. Nothing is of absolute aligment sans animals, and Outsiders. Humanoids I treat like they had a culture; gnolls are very tribal, with a native-american bent, for instance (it really weirded one of my players, since most of them were old school gamers, who felt odd about helping the gnolls who were to be sacrificed).
Infact, my players have made one real judgement call on something by what it is, and quite recent: an ettin was lairing near a farmstead, and instead of talking to it (Which I had been looking forward to, since I figured they'd RP it out), they decided the Ettin was too stupid to reason with, and proceed to obliterate him before talking. I was dissapointed.
So, no, 'Monster campaigns' don't have to be black and white, very expectant and obvious, or you can do it differently. I play them like they were real: some have cultures, some are beasts, some are (in a few cases) commodities.
There's one NPC IMC who hired the party to hunt and capture for him two able bodied Winterwolves (The reason they made deals with Frost Giants), for breeding purposes. He's a dealer in mounts, guardians, pets and servants of various creatures, using magic to alter them for preferences or better qualities.
) who demands humanoid sacrifices. This eel also happens to be the 'god' of the local CG gnome population with whom the human-ish (Half-Elf and Half-orc being considered human) PCs must maintain good terms - ie they cannot just go and kill the Fiendish Eel without offending the gnomes.
