My Group, Me, and My Forehead Vein (long/rant)

[Kugar]

I would also still make the bat give me a spot check opposed by hide for "consealed" enemies.

How about some more open ended challenges and just going with the flow.
Stop the Orc nation from going to war with the elves.
You need some orc villages, a camp, leaders, and an army on the move. Figure out what will happen if the PCs do nothing and adjust everyone's plans based upon what happens.

Hey! What happened to our spells?
Magic stopped. Why? Have the party stumble on something that gives them back most of their magic, and uniquely involves them is some serious plots.

What do you mean OUR castle
Give the party a chunk of real estate and a stake in local politics. When the party finds out who put them in this position and why, the sparks fly.

The contryside looks more demonic than I remeber
Ok, who released the bound demons. sigh.

What do you mean your husband's sword?
Before becoming a major pain in the PCs arse, an old bad guy had a life and family. They want his stuff back and the law is on their side.

Hello, you have reached the Pelor spell request line, all attendants are buisy at the moment please pray again later
A holy war has left one of the PCs gods without the normal contigent of celestials. The group is recruited until the god is again fully staffed.

 

[Xarlen]

Okay, here comes a *Looong* post.

In defense of the Oslyuth, he walled the monk and NPC rogue away from the rest of the party, and was going to sting the rogue. Well, rogue made the fort save, and about that time the party busted through and obliterated him. I wasn't about to use a spell like, since he'd have had to move, and he was kind've cornered, so an AoO would've been bad.

I am well aware of 3e rules. But, let's take example: They're 7th level. Get into a fight with an 11th level necromancer. On the second round, a Phantasmal killer shuts him down, for good.
True, that's the luck of the dice, but earlier, 3 PCs took out a CR 9 vampire. True, he wasn't a *smart* vampire, but still.

***********Spoilors*******************
If you're in my group, Do Not Look.
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Here's what I Was working on.

Group is relatively headed toward the High Forest; I've made hints about Eilistraee's faith connected with Guarding certain portals (The wizard is really interested in the portals). Well, they would come in, to find the Eilistraee clergy dealing with a Zhent camp, who's wanting to take the portal over. Not only that, but a Dragon, looking to play both sides of this, wants tribute by both sides, and those who don't pay, she won't help; if both pay, she'll stay out of it.

Knowing some of the party's history (She's got a spy network, via scry crystals; I took a model of her from 'Gnawbone' from the Wryms of the North on the FR website). Considering she'll come to them as a wood elf, and definetly Mess with their paranoid heads, they'll wonder *What* she is.

HOWEVER! I have recieved Ultimate Inspiration. Thank you

Also you might want to give them a magic item that's part of a set. As they gain another part of the set the original item becomes more powerful, as does the new addition. This will allow them to focus on finding the rest, which will include research and travel.

Here's what I came up with. The Codex Sphere.

Long ago, there was an artifact which was the artifact known as the Codex Sphere. Wether it was crafted from the God of Tyranny, or one of Travel, it is not known.

It was once used by a powerful Empror, to rule a good chunk of the continent, and he was even planning on invading elsewhere. He was eventually overthrown, but the Sphere had to be stopped. So it's powers were stripped into pieces, and scattered, hidden.

The Basic Piece is a silver globe. When the words are spoken, much of the sphere is covered in blue areas, and there are 'slots', that appear like the shapes of the continents, but they are blank.

The Codex Sphere is basicly multi-layered. First, let us consider the Outer layer, the most basic power of the Sphere; Imagine a map of the globe which could produce a holographic, 3D illusion of anywhere on the planet. This could be Zoomed in on, to observe houses, or even taken underground. So powerful is the magic, that the Codex is updated, as time passes; a magical version of gazing at the world through satelites.

This is the first layer; pieces were broken up, and hidden. These pieces look like a jigsaw puzzle of the continents; when one is placed on the sphere, in the right slot, then that area of land is accessable to be viewed.

The Next layer, a piece from the inside of the sphere allows one to hunt down, within the Holographic map, spesific places. Certain areas of power, also; the general areas where Portals might be, or severe magical radiation/dead-zones/holy grounds/etc. Powerful magics leave signatures that the Codex could home in upon.

The final layer, a very small interior, allows this signature matrex to home in on spesific *things*. People, objects, so forth. Basicly an enormous homing device.

Now, the second and third layers, the party isn't likely to get their hands on, or atleast, not until they're REALLY up there. Because those two would be hidden well. But, other power groups don't know that...

I introduce *this* into the campaign...

 

[Leopold]

sounds like the rod of 7 parts...

 

[Xarlen]

I thought the Rod o' Seven parts was a disintegration gun?

 

[Templetroll]

Rod of Seven Parts, find the Seven Dragonballs.... it's all good. I like the Codex Sphere; would you mind if I used it in my campaign?

When I ran the Rod of Seven Parts I did my own version, the Rod of Life. A ki-rin qeased the party to not slay anything while questing for it. They needed the Rod to lift a curse from a party member that was slowly draining his soul into the sword of a deathknight. The Rod had all manner of healing and beneficent magic and I ran them through the various D&D worlds in addition to the future and past of my own homebrew campaign world. The party ended up causing a major event in my campaign history that I had written up about 6 years previously, with no idea of ever using it in an adventure. The players were more delighted with that than with the Rod. After they saved their friend the PC with the Rod retired to be a wandering NPC doing good.

 

[Xarlen]

Sure! Use it! Just let me know how you it turns out.

I actually got the idea from that Iron DM thread, a while back, where I believe it was Radiant Gnome put that Illusionary Map of the campaign world in this little gnome's abode. Well, I thought 'My PC would *love* that, but I'm not just going to hand him such a versatile thing'. And the idea was born.

 

[hong]

Rod of Seven Parts, find the Seven Dragonballs.... it's all good.

Indeed.

Hong "and I know you know what I mean" Ooi

 

[Benben]

Okay, here comes a *Looong* post.
HOWEVER! I have recieved Ultimate Inspiration. Thank you

Awww schucks. I'm happy to get you moving and thinking again.

And I just might steal that codex sphere from you, or at least the name.

 

[Xarlen]

Sure. I got the name from the Codex of the Planes (Though I have no idea what that thing Is ).

Use whatever you like. I may impliment that into the Dragon/Portal plot.

Also, the Cleric of Luck owes a Celestial (Who's a servant to his goddess) a favor, due to the Planar Ally spell. I may also send him on a quest, to 'Be at this place, at this time'. Luck will guide his actions, then.

Lotsa ideas! Whee. But I still have to worry about challangable challanges (Boy, isn't *that* redundant).