Hunting for ideas...

[Storyteller01]

'ello folks. I'm running a Dragonstar military campaign, and have an idea for an adventure...

The players have to guard a dignitary and his entourage while enroute to draconis, to sign a treaty...

The catch: The dignitaries are vampires, and the 'antagonists' are paladins!

I'm hunting for ideas as for how to run this. While the vamps are evil, the treaty will aid the empire in good ways in the long run. Thepaladins are good, but refuse to be a part of anything 'evil'. What's your take?

Oh yeah, the players are neutral at best, so whacking paladins won't even blip their moral radar, but what consequences can I throw in?

NOTE: Also, in the spirit of Final Fantasy and Escaflowne, I had been thinking of having the paladin leader use a Huge Two Handed sword (since the sun sword is a bastard sword that can be wielded as a short sword, why not a Huge two handed sword that can be wielded as a Medium 2 hnd sword?)

Questions:
what kind of damage would it do (2d8?)?
what enchantments will be needed?
Is this a reach weapon?
Can it effect those next to him (it is all edge)?

Ideas??

 

[Geron Raveneye]

'ello folks. I'm running a Dragonstar military campaign, and have an idea for an adventure...

The players have to guard a dignitary and his entourage while enroute to draconis, to sign a treaty...

The catch: The dignitaries are vampires, and the 'antagonists' are paladins!

I'm hunting for ideas as for how to run this. While the vamps are evil, the treaty will aid the empire in good ways in the long run. Thepaladins are good, but refuse to be a part of anything 'evil'. What's your take?

Well, one nice point about paladins (at least the D&D PHB variant) is that they don't run around killing everything that registers as "evil" on their detect evil radar. They are oblieged to defend the innocent against threat and harm, though. So if the vampires are snacking on some innocent, unwilling bystander using coercion or magic to make them willing, the paladins will try and stomp their teeth in. If they behave like impeccable dignitaries, the paladins will have very thin ground to do anything more but form a protest group and march up and down with signs in an orderly fashion...and only if that doesn't break local law.
This whole setup sounds like it can be played for intrigues to the hilt. Have the paladins be around, constantly checking if the dignitaries are treading within the law's limits, and have them take action if they don't. Pepper your PCs with requests from the dignitaries that might look innocent, but could end up with somebody missing some valuable pints of blood. Set up an assassination against one of the dignitaries, have the players find incriminating evidence against the paladin group, and play it out to the max.

 

[Storyteller01]

Welll...that's the catch.

Mezzenbone is a red dragon, and the part of the empire that the players will be in is "morally challenged". Requesting snacks won't be illegal, nor will the vamps be inclined to hide it, or be nice to the snacks...

 

[Geron Raveneye]

Hmmm, then I have to admit I'm a bit stumped about the paladins. They could try to go for legal action against the treaty...or organize protest marches and such (which will probably be put down pretty brutally?)...but if they start causing too much chaos and destruction, you'll soon have a bunch of ex-paladins on your hands?
A group of paladins in a part of the Empire run by an evil dragon who's about to sign a treaty with a group of vampire dignitaries...and your PCs are neutral at best, and guard the vampires? You know...this could end up in a head-hunt for the paladins as "enemies of the peace", with your PCs trying to get some of the bounty?

 

[adwyn]

But if the treaty itself is evil the paladins might be good to go? So how about the paladins doing everything they can to look at the treaty before its signed? Bribes, cajoling, appealing to PC's good side.

Or they might want to switch the treaty for a carefully edited copy. Who has time when signing to read those things anyway - the details should already have been worked out.

 

[Storyteller01]

For those who don't know the Dragonstar setting (just in case )

There was a dragon war over 5,000 years ago. After the war, a treaty was signed. Basically, each collor of dragon controls a section of the known galaxy (each is a pie section, with the thrrown world at the center). Each section has a grand duke, who advices (ie: keeps in check) the emporer.

Every thousand years, the overall rulership of the empire is handed down to another dragon color. The metallics have all ruled, and it is 40 years into the rule of the red...

By the way, due to assassinations and other factors, the empire has not had 6 emporer's. The number is closer to 26...


Hope this helps!

 

[Napftor]

Well, if you're looking for reasons to have the paladins really be aggressive, how about relating them and the vamps somehow. We're dealing with Dragonstar; the universe is at your disposal for convenient plot devices.

Let's say the vampires and paladins are related by organization. The vamps could be some of the early members of the same group the paladin's belong to. For whatever reason, these former paladins were corrupted, turned into vampires, and caused a big schism in the paladin order. Now, centuries later, these vamps have found a legal way to get the other paladins into a lot of trouble with Mezzenbone and this treaty is the first step. The paladins know what is going on and need to take action *now* to stop these events. They are justified (given their order's background) in attacking the vampires on sight.

But whose side will the PCs' take when they learn the real truth behind the situation? You said the group was neutral, but that doesn't mean they want vampires to take more power in the galactic scheme of things. I mean, at least paladins are predictable.

 

[Storyteller01]

Well, if you're looking for reasons to have the paladins really be aggressive, how about relating them and the vamps somehow. We're dealing with Dragonstar; the universe is at your disposal for convenient plot devices.

Let's say the vampires and paladins are related by organization. The vamps could be some of the early members of the same group the paladin's belong to. For whatever reason, these former paladins were corrupted, turned into vampires, and caused a big schism in the paladin order. Now, centuries later, these vamps have found a legal way to get the other paladins into a lot of trouble with Mezzenbone and this treaty is the first step. The paladins know what is going on and need to take action *now* to stop these events. They are justified (given their order's background) in attacking the vampires on sight.

But whose side will the PCs' take when they learn the real truth behind the situation? You said the group was neutral, but that doesn't mean they want vampires to take more power in the galactic scheme of things. I mean, at least paladins are predictable.

Thaks naftor. This is what I'm looking for!!

Not sure who the players will pick though. We created the campaign as an open forum for Dming (if you have an adventure, run it. All the hooks are in place and your not subverting someone elses campaign).

Problem is, everyone decided to be evil or neutral. They might whack the paladins just for fun (they are part of the Imperial special forces)!! Be interesting to see...

Again, thaks for the responses.

 

[Lord Morte]

The players have to guard a dignitary and his entourage while enroute to draconis, to sign a treaty...

I'm hunting for ideas as for how to run this. While the vamps are evil, the treaty will aid the empire in good ways in the long run. Thepaladins are good, but refuse to be a part of anything 'evil'. What's your take?

Paladins are allowed to be short-sighted, so they can happily smite evil today and let everyone else hang tomorrow. I'd imagined they'd do their best to work within the system to begin with, but ultimately reject it as corrupt if it doesn't agree with them about what they know is right. Unless they were sworn to uphold the specific system involved, they'd then pursue their aims by extra-legal means. 'Course I always rule that paladins can hold their own moral and ethical beliefs as higher than civil law.

Looks like you've got a good old paladin vs party brawl ahead. Play it for intrigue to begin with as the paladins try to be subtle (of course these are paladins we're talking about) before switching to a frontal assault. Perhaps one of the paladins possesses the insight necessary see the benefit of the treaty and trys to warn the party?

Questions:
what kind of damage would it do (2d8?)?
what enchantments will be needed?
Is this a reach weapon?
Can it effect those next to him (it is all edge)?

Answers (in order)
A greatsword sized for a large creature (what you're looking for right) would do 3d6 dmg.
Apart from the one to making it usable? Anything you want, although lawful would be good.
No.
Huh?
Oh BTW, yoink!