Heroic (good) campaign suggestions.

[Meeki]

So I just finished up running a fairly evil oriented campaign and my group is now clamoring for a more heroic, good flavored, campaign. However I am running into some creator's block. Generally my "good" campaigns revolve around a religion, with most characters following a good(ish) god and their reason for adverting revolving around their religion. This is fun and all but I want to try something different, perhaps an arcane oriented reason. The PC's are part of an organization that is primarily arcane casters and the organization seeks to destroy any "evil" magic items and preserve the good ones. Something like that.

This idea is alright but I was wondering if anyone else had any general ideas for a non-religion oriented heroic (good) campaign? Please share any ideas you have!

I do utilize a form of divine "arcane" magic that is granted by some dragon demi-deities. These deities can block out the use of lower level divine casters of the pantheon gods around their domain. Mechanically spells granted by these gods work the same as divine spells but for story sake they are arcane magics.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What I did with my Midwood campaign is create a community all the player characters are from and have them detail relatives and the like, and then I wove them into the adventures. And then, of course, I threatened the setting. It's a classic, but it works.

In my case, it was a village on the edge of the empire, but it can certainly work for a wizards college or the like as well. (Why, I think there may even be a popular book series that works that way.)

If your college had the secret to where a big bad artifact was being held, it would be a natural target for bad guys both infiltrating and openly attacking. Eventually, the player characters will want to get to (and destroy) the artifact before the bad guys can.

Incidentally, Green Ronin/Human Head's Redhurst: Academy of Magic would be ideal for this sort of campaign.

 

[Meeki]

Yea I think I will have my PC's make an outline of their community networks at least, thats a good idea. I've dm'ed numerous campaigns where destroying artifacts was a primary goal. I think I'm going to steer away from that this time. Thanks for the input.

 

[SavageRobby]

You could flip it on its ear; instead of trying to destroy an evil artifact, they have to preserve a good artifact from evil folks trying to destroy it. If you're focused around good arcanists, perhaps they're trying to preserve the Source of Magic, or something similar.

 

[Brazeku]

Off the top of my head:


-Participating in, and eventually leading an insurrection

-A rescue team that tracks down and saves lost travellers and expeditions

-Running a hospital

-Good hearted bounty hunters, with a grizzled veteran boss who gives them briefings and sends them on missions

-Plane hopping party of high powered half celestials, chosen as the instruments of heaven to rain destruction down upon selected communities in the prime material

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

The Universal Threat

An invasion by something, like the Incursion scenario from Dungeon and Dragon a while back, causes an alliance of necessity among the nations and races of the world. Morality is put on a back burner against the greater threat. Your PCs seek to maintain the high road by not condoning alliances with goblins, drow, orcs, or what-have-you, instead seeking to battle the invasion by adhering to their principles and not stooping to underhanded or downright evil tactics.

 

[Meeki]

I'm thinking maybe instead of an artifact they have to find and protect an arcane being, perhaps threatened by the falling out of practicing the arcane arts. I probably should say a bit about my setting.

The area that the PC's are in is basically a recovering post apocalyptic setting. Most humanoids live in city states and the population is fairly low. Technologically they are around the late 1400's. Also, the way magic exists, both divine and arcane, is through the will of all creatures with souls. Believing or surviving because of magic reinforces the existence of magic. If people stop worshiping a god or stop practicing magic the strength of "man's" manipulation over magic weakens. So the fact that it is a recovering post apocalyptic setting means magical study is expensive and generally resources are expensive. As an example many of the dwarves fell into dragon worship some time ago. Mainly because they thought the god's abandoned them due to these particular dragon's ability to block the granting of weak spells, and the largest bracket of casting worshipers is usually filled with lower level clerics.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

This figure that the PCs have to find and protect could be a messiah of sorts, promoting a belief in magic among the masses, or belief in a god of magic, or something similar. Certain anti-magic elements could make it their mission to eliminate this figure before he gains too much of a following.

 

[Meeki]

I like the incursion idea and the saving lost travelers and the like. Thanks for the input everyone. We are meeting here in an hour and discussing the new campaign Ill post what happens.

 

[Land Outcast]

An "interesting" setup:
Great Evil Artifact of Power containing the essence of "X"
Party has to protect the Evil Artifact so that Evil dudes (and an extemist branch of celestials/religion) don't free whatever is inside
They have to avoid being corrupted by the artifact int he meantime, but the artifact offers its powers freely... at first.