How to begin a war-based campaign?
- Thread starter Dog Moon
- Start date
Nightfall
Sage of the Scarred Lands
Clueless,
I never much believed that character level ability always related to political might. True the powers (and especially spellcasting) of some classes often make for that, but what about rogues? Or Barbarians? Fighters don't always lead, they just get sent out to die often enough.
Just saying I can see your point but there's more to a political campaign than personal power.
Some times it more a matter of having the right intel/dirt on the person to make it work.
I never much believed that character level ability always related to political might. True the powers (and especially spellcasting) of some classes often make for that, but what about rogues? Or Barbarians? Fighters don't always lead, they just get sent out to die often enough.
Just saying I can see your point but there's more to a political campaign than personal power.
Some times it more a matter of having the right intel/dirt on the person to make it work.
Dog Moon
Adventurer
Hrm, I do like the idea of them being the handymen who people can turn to for minor things at first and that during this time, they learn about interesting things within the city they can use later. Could be interesting locations [like helping build a building so they are more knowledge about the layout for when they are forced into a standoff of sorts down the line] or even while working for someone, they hear an important person arguing about something they could definitely use later.
Herobizkit
Adventurer
In order to make PC's effective leaders, your PCs must demonstrate their ability to lead. Only then will they draw attention and inspire people to follow them.
Here's a fun idea. Put them in the political arena... as waste management officers.
Concept: The nobility of your city are renowned for being petty and outlandish, having entirely too much money and free time on their hands. Nobles have a "rags to riches" contest, each one pulling up a "commoner" (ie. the PC's) to transform into a member of the nobility with promises of power and fortune.
The joke is, the PC's are promised a seat on the council. What they are NOT told, is they are made the heads of all the menial and undesirable trades of the city; garbage collection, corpse retrieval, stable cleaner, whatever the nobles can come up with.
I'm not 100% sure how this would play out, but really try to accentuate how "common" the PC's are. I see some sort of labour union forming out of this scenario; they form their own "guild" of commoners who look up to them and, as war arises, become willing to assist them in whatever capacity they can. The labour union becomes a unit of irregulars and, under the leadership of the PC's, somehow save the day... this, in turn, gets them the attention of the local ruler who, after learning how stupid his nobles have been, offers the PCs some new titles, which grants them leadership over ACTUAL military units...
Thoughts?
Here's a fun idea. Put them in the political arena... as waste management officers.
Concept: The nobility of your city are renowned for being petty and outlandish, having entirely too much money and free time on their hands. Nobles have a "rags to riches" contest, each one pulling up a "commoner" (ie. the PC's) to transform into a member of the nobility with promises of power and fortune.
The joke is, the PC's are promised a seat on the council. What they are NOT told, is they are made the heads of all the menial and undesirable trades of the city; garbage collection, corpse retrieval, stable cleaner, whatever the nobles can come up with.
I'm not 100% sure how this would play out, but really try to accentuate how "common" the PC's are. I see some sort of labour union forming out of this scenario; they form their own "guild" of commoners who look up to them and, as war arises, become willing to assist them in whatever capacity they can. The labour union becomes a unit of irregulars and, under the leadership of the PC's, somehow save the day... this, in turn, gets them the attention of the local ruler who, after learning how stupid his nobles have been, offers the PCs some new titles, which grants them leadership over ACTUAL military units...
Thoughts?
Nightfall
Sage of the Scarred Lands
Actually, Hero gave ME an idea.
There's an adventure in one of the recent Dungeon offerings, about a were-rat controlling the waste to build up his own center of power.
Perhaps the PCs can use that as a way in and thus help with the war effort.
Good helping Hero!
There's an adventure in one of the recent Dungeon offerings, about a were-rat controlling the waste to build up his own center of power.
Perhaps the PCs can use that as a way in and thus help with the war effort.
Good helping Hero!
Michael_R_Proteau
First Post
If you go witht he rescung refugess idea, you could always have one of the refugees be a scion of a noble house in the city they were travelling to who was tying to travel incognito. He was disguised to avoid detection and the PCs actions save his life, gaining his notice and gratitude. Once the refugees are safely in the city, the noble family sends a courier to the PCs to summon them and to their surprise they are rewarded and offered postions in the noble's army, minor to start with, but if they continue to prove themselves they can advance.
Maybe they start out leading a party of foragers asked ot go out into threatened territory to gather needed supplies or to sneak out and aid other refugess to reach safety. Not important military positions to be sure, but filled with danger and a chance to win favor and notice. They can grow into positions of more importance-leading raiders out to attack the enemy supply caravan, search and destroy missions taking out opposing sige engines that threaten the city, etc. until they have sufficient power and cache to lead troops and tale a larger role in the war.
Never underestimate the power of a well-placed NPC to serve as a hook into the adventure.
-M
Maybe they start out leading a party of foragers asked ot go out into threatened territory to gather needed supplies or to sneak out and aid other refugess to reach safety. Not important military positions to be sure, but filled with danger and a chance to win favor and notice. They can grow into positions of more importance-leading raiders out to attack the enemy supply caravan, search and destroy missions taking out opposing sige engines that threaten the city, etc. until they have sufficient power and cache to lead troops and tale a larger role in the war.
Never underestimate the power of a well-placed NPC to serve as a hook into the adventure.
-M
