FR campaign help and suggestions wanted!

[clockworkjoe]

I'm getting a campaign started (or will when I get enough players..) in Forgotten Realms. The basic premise is that all the players were all in the civilized countries of faerun and enslaved one way or the other. Their master, a powerful Zhent lord, took them all to a massive encampment somewhere in the middle of the wilderness. The master used some slaves to excavate ruins in the nearby mountain side, and also to work the oars of ships he used as a sea was only a 3 day journey from the encampment.

The master left a month before the campaign is supposed to begin. A night before campaign starts, the master's servants fought each other for the treasures of the master and burned half his mansion down before all fleeing. The slaves have been abandoned. Approximately 350 slaves besides the PCs are wondering where the hell they are, what to do, and how to survive in the middle of a vast and unknown wilderness.

My questions:

1. Any FR experts got any specific ideas of where to set this? I just bought the FRCS a few weeks ago and I'm not entirely familiar with it yet.

2. Got any ideas for NPCs/adventure hooks/dangers/etc?

3. Any general advice for a campaign like this?

 

[Vanye]

My questions:

1. Any FR experts got any specific ideas of where to set this? I just bought the FRCS a few weeks ago and I'm not entirely familiar with it yet.

I'd suggest the Moonsea region, specifically the Mulmaster region. Mulmaster is actually built in the mountains, is near the nearby Moonsea, and seems to fit the basics of what you're looking for.

 

[DonAdam]

A few suggestions:

1) A group of people that large is bound to have its ne'er-do-wells. This is a great RPing opportunity for the players to have to deal with troublemakers that they're trying to save. This could take the form of:
a) thieves
b) bullies
c) racial difficulties (the elves don't want to share with the humans)
d) people who think they owe their loyalty to their master

2) They could come across a caravan ransacked by beasts. This would give them the supplies they need to survive, but whatever took out the caravan could still be lurking nearby...

3) Some of the slaves have fallen ill and the PC's are selected to go get the medicine.

4) The Egyptians are chasing them in chariots up to the Red Sea.

 

[clockworkjoe]

d) people who think they owe their loyalty to their master

oh, that's a good one! I never thought about that possibility.

I've got a somewhat similar idea in regards to the caravan, except instead of a caravan, it's a sunken city near the sea shore, and instead of food, it's a magic item supposed to create food.

I'm also creating a group of gnomes that live in a giant geyser (a permanent portal to the plane of steam) at the top of the mountain that live in the geyser's mouth. They move by using hang gliders powered by the geyser's constant blasts of steam upwards.

 

[Falex]

things you should NOT do....

1). Do not put Drizzt in your campaign.
2). Do not put Elminster in your campaign.
3). Do not put Artemis Enteri in your campaign.

You may be asking why.... and it's simple, using well-known NPC's can make your PC's feel very intimidated and often-times minute, try and use NPC's which they aren't familiar with.

things you SHOULD do....

1). Make common refrences so people get a feel that is is for the FR setting (use 10-day instead of week, thats how their time is based).
2). When talking with NPC's it's ok if you let them ramble on about minute things within the FR setting.
3). Be sure that when they visit temples and what-not they get the discrete feeling of the individual diety (big diff. between Gond and Helm).
4). Include such dangers, in the long run, of FR-specific cults/factions as the Red Wizards of Thay.
5). Include side-quests that can aid in such a way that would be sponsered by such good factions as The Harpers (if your campaign is lawful and what-not).
6). Be sure that you capture the individuality of the particular regions and cities, if a city has some elves, throw in an elf every now and then. If it has some of a half-orc population... why not? Use as much detail when running a FR campaign, thats what draws so much attention to the FR setting in the first place .

 

[Nightfall]

Also it never hurts to use FR beasts, like Abishi or even Darkenbeasts. Beasts of Bane (as they are now called) probably would be good too. Also toss in some FR specific spells, like Death to Undeath or some summon undead spells. Hand of the Martyr is also a good choice.

 

[Psychotic Jim]

You might want to ask yourself 2 questions before you make a plot for this.
1. How can people exploit this situation to make a buck? Are the slaves unarmed and defenseless? If so, a rival of their master in the Zhentarim might try to capture them. If the slaves' master was killed, his murderer may come to finish off the job by killing all of the slaves and minions of the former nemesis (or just enslaving them him/herself). Maybe some other evil group(s), like the Iron Throne or the Twisted Rune, might take an interest in in capturing the slaves for itself. Or if you want to be a really sinister bastard, do something based off of real life: have a politician/ruler of the local area the characters are in promise to make the freed foreigners full-fledged citezins if they swear loyalty to the politician and agree to support his/her nefarious political campaign/plots/movement/etc.

2. Whose day has been ruined by the freeing of the slaves? There is obviously the old master and those loyal to him, providing good sources of petty vengeance. Perhaps theres some local crazy druids or aristocrats who do not appreciate a bunch of barbaric slaves encroaching on their turf.
2. Whose day has been ruined by the freeing of the slaves? There is obviously the old master and those loyal to him, providing good sources of petty vengeance. Perhaps theres some local crazy druids or aristocrats who do not appreciate a bunch of barbaric slaves encroaching on their turf.

 

[clockworkjoe]

One thing: No contact with civilization until the campaign is well under way. They are in the middle of nowhere, many many miles away from the nearest civilized town. Of course, the master's past will eventually come back to haunt everyone but not right away.

However

2. Whose day has been ruined by the freeing of the slaves? There is obviously the old master and those loyal to him, providing good sources of petty vengeance. Perhaps theres some local crazy druids or aristocrats who do not appreciate a bunch of barbaric slaves encroaching on their turf.

Very good point. I will keep this in mind. Maybe I'll incorporate those skavenish guys from scarred lands...