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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mercurius" data-source="post: 5030026" data-attributes="member: 59082">Here's the deal: I am in a twice-monthly campaign with eight people, two of whom (including myself) are co-DMs. The other guy just started DMing but we missed our last session and are in danger of missing the next (this Friday) because he's going out of state to visit his parents and a couple other guys can't make it. It looks like there will be 4 or 5 of us and I have offered to DM a short one or two session adventure with new characters, both to keep the momentum going and because we want to play D&D, goddammit.I will (re)take the reins of DMing in a couple months once we complete the current adventure and the PCs get to 8-9th level (they're currently at 5th). I am planning on an extended "Dark Realms" (Underdark) adventure for which I figured this mini-adventure could serve as a kind of prelude, setting up an adventure hook for later on. It would be one or two sessions and be extremely deadly, with the idea being of killing off most of the PCs. I wouldn't normally plan on being so diabolical, but want to instill a sense of fear and anticipation, plus they would be using new characters so wouldn't be as attached (I am reminded of the old Vecna module--can't remember the title--in which the players play the iconic wizards of Greyhawk and are killed in the intro, with their real PCs taking over to find out what happened).So anyways, I want a hook into my larger plot, but a plot that I haven't really figured out yet. I just know that it involves classic Underdark scenarios like mushroom forests, a drow city, an underground sea, aboleth, etc, with some kind of "ancient evil" masterminding it all and attempting to bring into the world a demon lord or greater Far Realm entity (or something like that...I haven't figured out the specifics yet). So I want the "temporary" PCs that they will make for this adventure to provide a kind of set-up for a later, more in-depth adventure.Their current characters are 5th level so I thought I would have them make 5th level characters for this short adventure. It will only be one or two sessions, about four hours per session, so we're talking a very limited time. They would be starting out in an adventuring city that has a portal to the Undercity, which is similar to Undermountain ala Waterdeep, that the adventuring guild charges admission for and "requests" a percentage of whatever booty adventuring parties bring back. I'm thinking of having the PCs be hired by the proverbial Mysterious Hooded Stranger who either accompanies them or employs them to look for something, perhaps with a map that takes them into the Undercity but to a door that leads to the Dark Realms proper. It may be that the only hook for the later adventure needed is that these characters discovered the way into the Dark Realms. But I also like the idea that at least one of them survives to hire, or warn, the regular PCs...maybe cursed with madness...As you can see, I'm still trying to sort things out. The problem is that we're playing on Friday and I am very busy between now and then, with limited time to plan. I'm looking for a few things:*Should I have them make their own characters or pre-make a party? If the latter, any ideas of a theme?*Clarification in plot. What's the hook that gets them interested? Is it just the lure for adventure and treasure or is it something else?*What's an interesting sequence of 3-4 encounters, 2-3 minor ones leading up to the "killer"?*What's the connection to the regular adventuring group?Any other ideas you have with be MUCH appreciated!p.s. It is 4th edition, but it doesn't really matter.</blockquote>

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