D&D 5E Dragon Soul campaign - Looking for tips and ideas.

[Gabriel Pendragon1]

Ok so I am looking to run a campaign with the concept of each of the players are dragons who are trapped in humanoid form, i.e. playable races.
Have a few ideas of why they are trapped:
First thought was that they are cursed dragons and have no memory of being dragons and over time get little tid bits that reveal this truth to them and hopefully set them to break the curse.
Second, Low magic world, used to have more magic in it, in an age when dragons flew the skies, but for some unknown reason they vanished, and with them magic mostly vanished from the world too. In this one I figure the player characters would likely have some knowledge of their dragon heritage, maybe weird memories or dreams from the age of dragons. Thinking that weird things always happen around them, due to them being fonts of magic trapped in mortal shells. Perhaps making random rolls on the wild magic table to portray this effect.
I know there is a couple other ways to do this theme, but can't really think of them right now.

So far I am most fond of the second option for a full party, the first might work well for a single character but makes far less sense when it comes to a full party, looking like 4 players.
Thinking of having all the players be semi dragon or at least reptilian related in some way. Be it by being dragonborn, yuan-ti, or i forget the lizardfolk race name, or by being like dragon soul sorcerers or a warlock with a pact with a dragon, maybe a cleric or paladin with a dragon patron. The pact and/or patrons being the dragon trapped with-in.
Kind of thinking of having the first adventure or two being pretty normal other than the odd magic stuff happening around them. Then adding in more and more hints and pushes about the dragon souls inside them, but also thinking it might be ok for them to know about right away and have the whole campaign just about them adventuring to free the dragon souls inside, which should take them to somewhere between 15 and 20 if all goes to plan.
Much past that and I have no idea. Thoughts? Suggestions? Feel free to use this idea or a modified idea for your own campaigns

 

[steeldragons]

I am intrigued and, actually, rather excited. It sounds like a great concept for a campaign setting/world.

The second of your original thoughts is certainly more interesting/would make for a better game, imho. But you do have to take into account...what the players are going to want to do. You can't just havea game and tell everyone they have to be a draconic sorcerer or warlock, dragon god paladin or cleric, or dragonborn[yuan ti or lizardmen] characters.

I initial though is, why not combine your two ideas?

"<insert campaign setting name> is a world that was once awash in the wonder and beauty (and power) of magical beings and sorcery. None embodied that beauty and power moreso than the great wyrms of ancient times. A myriad rainbow of dragons, associated with the various elements and natures of the world itself, at once being fed by and emanating their magical force throughout the world.

Magical creatures and beings teemed in the sylvan glades, soaring peaks, the roiling tides, and beneath the earth. Great sorcerer-kings and archmages ruled over gleaming empires/ Devout priests and druids kept their mysterious and sacred places. The forces of Evil and practitioners of dark magic were held in check, outside the world, through the combined power of the goodly races' magic-workers, and that of the dragon magic which infused the whole of <setting name>. The world was in balance. The realms, for the most part, at peace.

Until it wasn't.

The dragons disappeared. Even the most learned sage knows not why or where they went (though theories abound). <Some great evil -and their hierarchy of minions of varying power- can be/become the overarching Big Bad of the campaign world to pit against the party, repeatedly. Keep them close to the vest and make the players piece together the who's and why's.>

With the disappearance of the great wyrms, the magic of the world slowly withers and atrophies. Magical creatures have become ever-increasingly rare, many falling into whispered legend. Magical beings and races (like elves and gnomes) have receded from the world, seeking or creating hidden fonts or sanctuaries to attempt to conserve their magic, carefully protected and jealously guarded. Dark otherworldly forces, the outside evils long held at bay, seeped into the world and multiplied.

Time turned. The gleaming empires dimmed and fell. The sacred places, largely, lost and forgotten.

Now, those capable of the working of magic are strange and rare individuals. There are few that can muster more than the slightest force to fuel the simplest incantations. Priestly prayers and sacrifices, by what religions still attempt to hold societies together, go largely unanswered. Those who dare to wander the dangerous and dark recesses, seeking riches of the lost kingdoms, following the occasional whispers of a dragon sighted (never believed), or searching for the places or items of magical power are rarer still.

YOU are such rare individuals."

Let your players choose their characters and their classes. NO dragonborn (I'll explain)! If you want, no elves, gnomes or tieflings either...half-elves and dwarves (depending on how 'magical" you consider dwarves) would be extremely rare. Halflings, I guess, could be uncommon but generally not considered "strange" or magical. Though, that whole thing about evil forces infiltrating and multiplying in the world kind of speaks to tieflings being a possible thing...I would still say rare though.

Let them choose any class (I personally, would probably keep warlocks off the table to reserve them as specific bad guys, see below).

In short, somewhere in your behind the scenes story/history, the dragons never "left/disappeared." They, including the PCs, were all cursed into mortal forms...with no memory of their true/former selves! So, the PCs who are spellcasters innately have a capacity to [gain levels normally] use magic at a way that will eventually become awe-[panic-]inspiring.

Certain evil dragons still exist, but they are nothing more than large reptilean beasts of animal intelligence (rarely speak, no magic). As well as "warped" or mutated draconic creatures (but not "real" dragons) that are similarly ferocious and/or lost to insanity and/or mad with grief: hydras, dragonnes, behirs, (chimeras, basilisks?) etc...

Evil sorcerer-warlords [evil dragons who were also trapped in mortal forms -and maybe a few good ones that have gone evil/lost it in their attempts to regain their former glory- warlocks?] eke out their own dark domains...ever searching to claim more magic power (new spells, lost items, etc...). So they should come into conflict with these kinds of individuals (and their agents) repeatedly.

As the campaign progresses, hints can be dropped -perhaps some evil dragon-men know the reality, let it slip in some evil monologue or battle and/or say ALL dragon-cursed can "see" each other for what they are, or at least that they are something odd/magical about them (innate ability after a certain level, I would say, so the more powerful the dragon-turned-mortal, the more they know/glean about their reality). Draconic sorcerers, maybe have some dreams/visions about draconic pasts or themselves.

And work it so that the increasing power [levels] and claiming of their "real" selves transforms them -slowly- into full Dragonborn beings. I'd make a random chart to roll on for each level after, say 4th or 5th: gain the scales AC bonus, the elemental resistance, recognizing other dragon-cursed at a glance...eventually add in a full breath weapon, claws or horns/draconic form, forming wings? until they were fully dragonborn looking around, say, 8th or so. I'd say around 12-15th level, add in a temporary transformation into their full dragon forms.

The campaign is completed when the PCs are able to learn the truth, reclaim their "true self" forms, find and defeat the evil cause of the world's "curse" and return magic (and dragons) to the world.

Yeah. I'd play that.

 

[Gabriel Pendragon1]

Interesting take. Sounds like a really good way to run things. Might incorporate some of those ideas. Been working on a write up and organizing my thoughts a bit, this is what I have so far:

Dragon Soul
All players will have a character who was a dragon. Characters must have some strong link to dragons at creation, be it from race or class. Both is encouraged. Dragonborn are super rare and will draw significant attention from the populace, as are those who can use magic. Subtlty and stealth are suggested to hide from society as a whole. Having at least one character who is able to mingle with humans easily is suggested, but not required. (taking the ideas about how mortals react to magic from the city of mulmaster, in which it is highly illegal for those who aren't part of the magic guild)
Dragon's are fonts of magic, as such wild magic flows around each player. Will use the wild magic chart to make rolls for random magical effects due to this flow of magic in a low/no magic world.
PC's will be one of very few who are able to use magic, those around them with the ability may also be able to harness the magic.
The party gathered together shortly after learning of their magical natures, and is adventuring in order to learn more about their nature.
The characters will belong to a guild hall. While at the guild hall they have minimal worries of the outside world. The guild master is aware of what they are and is helping guide them. The rest of the guild is comfortable or indifferent to their oddities, this is one of the more odd guilds in the realm. The guild as a whole seeks to return magic to the world.
Other guilds work to fully purge magic from the world, and should be expected to be problems throughout the campaign.
PC's deaths will purge magic from the world, eventually. Purging magic will kill the plane of existence, generally unknown to all.
PC's will be the only entities able to perform resurrections, if they learn how to do so. Failing a third death save will not cause death for that PC, but will cause damage split between the entire party. Damage can not be resisted or mitigated in anyway, nor healed for as long as a PC is down. Working together is extra important, but also mitigates the inability to perform resurrections. (seems like a good way to bring the bond between the players to the fore front, mitigate the risks of no one being able to perform resurrections, and make sure a random crit doesn't pop anyone)
Returning to dragons will be a long and perilous journey. Exact method TBD. Perhaps gathering lost artifacts and placing them at altars in lost temples situated on locuses of ley lines, magical fonts, to counter a seal that was placed by a malevolent force seeking to destroy all existence?

 

[Gabriel Pendragon1]

As a side note, this spawned from an idea that one of the players had for their character and one of the other players really liked the idea, as such working on putting a full game together with the idea as the core, which should help significantly.