Help Wanted with ideas for Chapter 3 (levels 9-14) of my campaign

[Michael Morris]

Don't be jealous - just do it. It's not that hard

Anyway, I'm on the lookout for what to do for the next chapter of the saga. Lot's of stuff can occur between now and the final chapter.

 

[Dax Doomslayer]

Wow - great stuff Spoony - just great stuff. One question, what did you do with the NPC Naleria to earn such strong reactions? How were you able to 'earn' this moment? I'm just curious as this was quite an evocative scene and evidently you must have done a lot of work to get her to become so dear to the PCs.

 

[Michael Morris]

One of the characters agreed to play her brother, so the player need only imagine what it would be like to lose a sister, and he's a fairly good actor it turns out. As to the others, the party first met Nelaria back in May when they where sent to find her. The party was set up by Triel who attempted to murder her and the party on the voyage home. Since the party was, at that time, mercanaries in Triel's employ, Triel could claim the loss of his men as proof he wasn't involved in the attack. Nel travelled with the party for two sessions as a guest character (I hesitate to use the derisive DMPC though for those two sessions she was in a role like that). The party has been in her service ever since that time.

At one point I had stated that if someone wanted to play Nelaria they could. And while both the female players where interested, they also where interested in their own characters quite a bit.

Now Nelaria is dead, but she's a ghost. For the next couple of sessions she's going to be aiding the party. The quasi-plot I have for next session is she will drive off Triel with an aging attack (I prefer that attack from 2e to the 3.5e alternatives) and allow the party to strike back at him. Having done that though she will finally fade away. I'm still jumbling around what I want to do next session.

Overall the moment was the payoff of several threads. The game has been going on since May with 8 hour Saturday sessions -- Approximately 192 hours of play. Part of the power is due to the hatred and loathing the party has for Nel's killer - Triel. As much as they love him, they hate him just as much so having him personally kill her was very much a clinching moment.

 

[Michael Morris]

Chapter 3: The Flames of War

Next session opens chapter three. I plan it to take approximately 16 to 20 sessions to complete during which time the party will move from levels 9 & 10 to level 15. The end of this chapter will see the union of Telzoa and prepare the party for the final facedown of the nemesis of Kurok and his lackey Travis Triel. The party themselves haven't learned of Kurok, but he's the final BBEG - Triel is the BBEG the party is focused on at the moment though they have other villains to go through before all is said and done.

Please help me brainstorm missions appropos to characters in this level range

Next session I've got planned out, but beyond that details are somewhat sketchy. I like keeping them that way though - it let's the players have an impact on the world.

Next session I have 5 scenes coming up.

1) Nelaria's Ghost discovers she is still able to prepare spells
2) Party fights Valsil and Triel (Triel will retreat early in the fight driven off by Nelaria's Ghost).
3) Attack Triel's manor only to discover he has retreated, but party finds notes left behind in the hasty move that reveal there is a force behind Triel far more malevolent and dangerous than he.
4) Funeral of Nelaria
5) Coronation of Nathan
6) Marriage of Samara and Dimitri
7) Nelaria finally passes on.

I actually may need to break this up over two sessions, though the final 4 should go relatively quick.

The first one I could use help on. Fighter ideas anyone (EL 10 or 11).

 

[Wik]

Dunno if this helps, but once your kingdom allies, there should be a sect of people who oppose the politics of the situation and somehow rail against the PCs.

I would have Nelaria show herself not in any spirit form, but through reflections and the like. A party member sees her face in a pool, watching him. Another party member sees Nelaria in a mirror. They all can hear her, but onl faintly - she never outright appears. And when she DOES cast spells to help the PCs, it's only faintly, for a few seconds, before she vanishes in a wisp. But that's just me.

As for fighter ideas, I've been wanting to run a fight against two or three fighters with Glaives, who set themselves up in such a way that if you go after one, the other two get attacks of opportunity. It'd be a fun (and unusual) fight, if you ask me, while at the same time being absolutely mundane in terms of magical power.

 

[Michael Morris]

That could be interesting. Still I'd like to have these guys be a little memorable. Feat ideas? Also, think Greek Hopolite era

 

[Herobizkit]

Easy answer is to give the opponents some levels in Fighter (or Barbarian) and Rogue. Give them all the Dodge feat chain and give them reach weapons... or givem them things like Improved Disarm and watch the PC's go crazy.

Harder answer is to somehow make the opposing army a "good" army railing against the PC's "good" army who just disagree on how the area should be controlled.

 

[Michael Morris]

Rogue levels might be inappropriate. These are royal guards after all. However, hmm... The having to fight or kill someone you knew.... Hmm..