D&D General Encounters to get out of a civil war and to a safe kingdom.

[Anthony Winter]

I have players starting level one conscripted as mounted irregulars in a war between two city states. They may flee and become deserters, or be given a loose mission and be largely autonomous as scouts or auxiliaries.

I’m looking for ideas:
- a hook for why they would want to get to the other big kingdom in the first place?
- some ideas for encounters and adventures to get them from the war zone
- enough to get to level five by the time they reach the safe kingdom capital.

 

[aco175]

The can encounter another enemy patrol escorting a sage to locate a McGuffin to help end the war. The PCs can kill them to discover the sage or his journal or something to put them on the path to find the thing. Could be a bit like Indiana Jones. They could them cross through enemy territory and find the starting point or something. Several challenges and a lost tomb gets them to level 3. Throw in a couple side quests where they could disrupt a supply train and divert it to their forces. Get the McGuffin to their leader or bring it to Mount Doom or something like that. gets them to level 4/5. Bad guys are now in disarray and the PCs figure out how to get home.

 

[Dessert Nomad]

How is it a civil war if it's a war between two city states? A civil war is a fight between people in the same state, two city states fighting would just be a war unless they're part of a larger empire that the civil war is about. Hooks typical for a civil war are PCs want to keep their homeland from having a war or from falling apart, or that they have a strong tie to one side, either to begin with or once they discover something about the motives for the war, or that they've discovered a greater, external threat and need to factions in the civil war to come together to face the outside threat. Whether this is really a civil war (maybe the two city states are part of a larger empire) or not, and the nature of each of the states is pretty important to what story hooks you might have.

 

[Minion X]

They stumble on the heir to the kingdom and must now escort them home to claim rich rewards, however, they are pursued by a large enemy force led by a skilled commander (i.e. higher level than them) who they must avoid, which means you can push them in a suitable direction for adventures, like passing through an abandoned dwarfhold to cross a mountain and so on. Naturally, there are traitors on the same side who don't want to see the heir return and collude with the enemy.

 

[GMMichael]

I'm thinking the third city is charged with holding each warring city's supply of beer, for safe keeping.

For encounter ideas, watch Strange Brew.

 

[Krachek]

You will need precisions.
A city state is a kind of kingdom by itself.
Those two city are related in which way with the capital?
Why the war? Power, territory, religion, opposed alignment….
Why the PCs should flee the war? war is a great place to have adventure.

 

[Minion X]

How is it a civil war if it's a war between two city states?

They could be part of the same empire or confederacy, like the free cities in Italy that were at least nominally part of the Holy Roman Empire.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

I have players starting level one conscripted as mounted irregulars in a war between two city states. They may flee and become deserters, or be given a loose mission and be largely autonomous as scouts or auxiliaries.

I’m looking for ideas:
- a hook for why they would want to get to the other big kingdom in the first place?
- some ideas for encounters and adventures to get them from the war zone
- enough to get to level five by the time they reach the safe kingdom capital.

I think alot of this really is on you knowing your players as well as their characters.

It might sound simple to say, if you want them to go rogue and flee for the other land, you need to really hit them and hit them hard. You could start by having standard military missions, but then make them take a turn for the worse - maybe the ordering of killing civilians. Now, that may not bother people who are lawful neutral (following orders) or murderhobos or people who play without much attachment to the game (passive players).

If you want the game to focus on them becoming wanderers, no longer part of the military, you could have their homeland destroyed, either by the other main city or a third-party. Maybe a secret demon cult opened portals in their home, and anyone who can is fleeing while they can. Maybe a giant mana bomb destroyed their homes, leaving them a home in ashes.

What it's making me think of now, as I ramble, is the start of the rpg Twilight 2000, where the PCs are generally presumed to be part of a NATO push into Warsaw Pact countries. Once the nukes and the war really start going, the campaign starts off with the PCs, their equipment, information on the last known position of other friendly and enemy units, and word that if they can get back to France from Poland, they may be able to get a boat to America. Generally, you can have any kind of encounters - bandits, townfolk who want help, random things to loot like CIA safehouses.

I apologize for the ramble

 

[Shadowdweller00]

The easiest way to get the PCs to desert is to have their superiors act in ways that are cruel, evil, or corrupt. For example: Taking bribes to commit or overlook actions that harm the military force, ordering the PCs to kill civilians, screw over other military units, or do things that place them in the way of unreasonable harm.

 

[Umbran]

I have players starting level one conscripted as mounted irregulars in a war between two city states. They may flee and become deserters, or be given a loose mission and be largely autonomous as scouts or auxiliaries.

I’m looking for ideas:
- a hook for why they would want to get to the other big kingdom in the first place?

Because being consrcipted sucks? Because, right after conscription, their beloved Jenny was captured by an enemy raid, and getting her back is more important to them than serving their time in the army? Because the government that conscripted them is brutal to its citizens? Because they intend to unleash a necromantic device upon the enemy, raising hordes of undead within the enemy capitol, and that's Just Not Right?

Traditional conscription had major penalties for desertion - they leave because they have a really good reason, or because they think getting away will be easy - and they did just hand the party a bunch of horses and made them semi-autonomous. It'll be weeks before anyone knows they're gone...

- some ideas for encounters and adventures to get them from the war zone

If I recall correctly, locking down war zones so people can't get out of the way is a largely modern invention. Getting away isn't the hard part - not getting caught for desertion afterwards is.

- enough to get to level five by the time they reach the safe kingdom capital.

Pardon my questioning here:

Imagine a war zone so active that, even trying to leave it, you reach level 5. Now, imagine the levels of the people sticking around to fight (and survive). They just deserted people who are going to be incredibly powerful really soon...

There are entire campaign-adventures that only get you to level 7, and you want them to be 5 just running away?