Need advice (Mr. GR DO NOT READ)

[Blade of Desecration]

So heres da' thing. I just recently got Heroes of Battle, the new supplement on D&D warfare. I've had an idea ever since I got Lost Empires of Faerun that I've wanted to use on the PCs, and now I can, thanks to HoB. I just need some help on the specifics. I also have another idea as part of it which I got from the Champions of Ruin supplement (thats right, two new supplements in three days, I'm on a roll ).

Little backround. Alright, this is in our groups "Bloodlines campaign" in Faerun. For those of you who don't already know, this means that we will be using multiple parties at once, and often they will be family members. Or in conflict with the other party/ parties. Now then, the "hero" PC's (5th level), have just taken out a bandit lair. One of the enemies inside, a goblin wizard, had a ****load of notes. The PC's nabbed them. Now, in among the pile, the PCs will soon find what appears to be text mentioning the "Elfblades". These are ancient blades that once belonged in Myth Drannor (more deatil on them in LEoF), but have been missing since it's destruction. This scroll will have a clue on it as to the location of one of the three blades.

I am planning on this setting in motion several other events which will end with them on a quest to find the three blades. I'm going to have them create another party, all of them relatives of the PCs, to help search for one blade while the PC's search for another (no, I haven't forgotten the third sword, but I've got other stuff planned for that).

Now, here is one of my difficulties: deciding how to get them to go on this quest. They are all elves (2 sun elves, one drow/wood elf) except my human bard DMPC, and in his thirst for knowledge he'd be motivated to go as well. Motivation isn't a problem, it's "breaking the news to them". Any help on this would help. I'm looking along the lines of them doing research and then being asked by some elf scholar to help find them, not something like Correlon Larethian divine interventioning them into doing it.

Next. Though I'm working on the path for the other "hero group", I need some help on the ideas for this one. Once they are convinced to go in whatever manner it is you guys suggest, I'm planning on one of their options to find information, in fact the best way, to be to ask his Sage guy I made up (not the one from LEoF), a really powerful mage (and LN lich). There will be local rumors that this guy, being a diviner, can answer almost any question, but he has a price. No one is sure what it is, but it is something about "playing his game". This game will involve, if they agree, the PCs being transported to a demiplane the guy made (as of yet, no name). There will be soldiers and armies from all across the planes here, as well as people there from other parts of the Prime. Some of them have questions of their own to ask him, some are there because he imprisoned them, and some are there for the heck of it. You see, this guy's hobby is building armies, sticking them on this battlefield (which by the way, is theoretically limitless, and has all different types of terrain) and watching them duke it out. You impress him, he answers your questions. I'm planning on having them join a military as mercenaries. Any ideas as to how to go about this, and well as other details, such as what I should call this demiplane? Also, what should happen if the PCs die in there. Should they actually die, be teleported out, or be reserected in the morning like on that one plane in the DMG? By the way, I'm planning on having the PCs spend a good amount of time there.

Last but not least, I had them make an evil party. This is our "anti-hero" party. I want them opposed to the PCs, but not knowing it, if you know what I mean. They too will end up transported to this battlefield. Any ideas on how to do this?

Whoah, long post. I applaud you if you go this far. Anyways, if you need details on anything, just ask and I'll provide. Thanks in advance.

Blade of Desecration.

 

[Nightcloak]

I'm a little confused - I think.

Are you having your players roll up two seperate parties? One good and one evil, with the good party being the focus but the evil party providing an intelligent (and entertaining) opposition to the part while in the "war games" demi-plane?

Just curious. I'm trying to work through the set up to give some optimum feedback.

 

[Blade of Desecration]

Yeah, it was a long post, and likely quite confusing, but you got the idea right the first time. Though they will also be opposition outside of the demi-plane. Provided that the players can be mature about it, I think it'll give their enemies a more personal feel. They obviously aren't the only enemies, and many of there actions won't directly involve the good party, but I thought it would be interesting to try.

 

[Nightcloak]

A long term duel then. Very nice. Looks like a great campaign concept. Should be a blast

More questions (terrible, aren't I...)

Will the players be switching "sides" periodicaly to update the evil groups actions, or are you going to run them after a certain point?

Will there be a show down at one point between the two groups? Will you be running that one?

How much creative input are you looking for?

 

[Morbog of Ghetto D]

A few Ideas..

1) Through Countless Doorways by malhavoc press has some really cool
Demiplane ideas...One is a foresaken land of "dead angels".. the other which might be cool for a variety of intesting battle fields...is a demiplane that has all 4 seasons at one time...There is this machine that controls the different seasons @ the planes core, and the never ending battles could be to gain control of this machine. Who ever owns it could make it a plain of erternal autumn or summer , etc.

I actually plan on using this suppliment in my own campaign...MY pcs need to make 3 journeys into differnt plains......and this will be a very useful book.

2) Heroes of Battle..I scoped it out and want to buy....I especially liked the section on OUTLINING the events of battle. In my current campaign the PCs will be facing a legion of 1500 undead and will be "Warleaders" of NPC skirmishers. Im using a simple skirmish combat rule sytem from AEG's Mercenary Book...each PC will have a squad of 6-20 NPC warriors...

3) Good party Bad Party
Ive runa campaign using Palldium Fantasy Rules. We have the "good" party that hasnt been run actively for almost ten years. The "evil" party really took on the cooler part of the campaign.. The basis is there are the "Gods of Light" and the "Gods of Darkness" and each panthoen has its own group of heroes. These Gods have allied together to fight against a multdimentional army of Demons that wish to enslave the world (s) .. So the groups work independantly butr ultimately for the same goal. Actually the "Evil" party claims that they arent heroes...but they really are...There are TOTAL different motivations, and its difficult to get some party members committed to a mission.
"evil" and "funner" party

Dular The Summoner (Alignment C.E.)
Antares the Orcish Assassin (L.E.)
Falkirk the Fallen Paladin (L.N.)
Grogin the Minotaur minion of Set-(N.E.)
Jandar -Elf Monk Psyonic-(N.G.)
Horag the Bleedetr-orcish Rogue
Sador the Undead Hunter (NG)


All Im saying is that there is agood chance that players will want to play the evil group over the good group. Suprisingly there has been no "back stabbing" or betrayal in 8 years of game play..

 

[Blade of Desecration]

Will the players be switching "sides" periodicaly to update the evil groups actions, or are you going to run them after a certain point?

Yes, they will be switching off periodically between the two parties.

Will there be a show down at one point between the two groups? Will you be running that one?

Yes, there will probably be several fights directly between the two groups. I haven't decide if the PCs will run both sides or just one.

How much creative input are you looking for?

Well, I'm looking for help on several things...
1. How to "break the news" to the PCs that they might have found a clue to the whereabouts of one of the elve's most powerful artifacts. Basically, how am I going to get them interested in the quest (as I said in my previous post, motivation isn't really a problem).
2. How do I get them to meet with the Sage guy? Same question with the evil group, though it should have similar goals to the good group, with different motives.
3. How do I introduce the evil group?
4. Just need a good name for the Battlefield (though I might just use Battlefield).
5. What happens when PCs die on the plane?

1) Through Countless Doorways by malhavoc press has some really cool
Demiplane ideas...One is a foresaken land of "dead angels".. the other which might be cool for a variety of intesting battle fields...is a demiplane that has all 4 seasons at one time...There is this machine that controls the different seasons @ the planes core, and the never ending battles could be to gain control of this machine. Who ever owns it could make it a plain of erternal autumn or summer , etc.

I'll see if my local hobby store has a copy.

2) Heroes of Battle..I scoped it out and want to buy....I especially liked the section on OUTLINING the events of battle. In my current campaign the PCs will be facing a legion of 1500 undead and will be "Warleaders" of NPC skirmishers. Im using a simple skirmish combat rule sytem from AEG's Mercenary Book...each PC will have a squad of 6-20 NPC warriors...

Just got HoB last week. Good book. I'll probably be using a lot of the encounters in there. One of my good PCs has already expressed an interest in going Dread Commando.

All Im saying is that there is agood chance that players will want to play the evil group over the good group. Suprisingly there has been no "back stabbing" or betrayal in 8 years of game play..

I doubt it. My players prefer good parties over evil ones. And this party, unlike yours, isn't a group of evil heroes. These guys are some of the villains, and are trying to thwart the other parites efforts.

 

[ChaosEvoker]

A bit of a suggestion

i'm not sure that having the PCs run THREE parties is a godo idea. Two they can handle i would imagine. The main thing that concerne me is having an evil party that opposes the others. I know that when I've tried to do something like this I end up favoring on eofver the other and therefore, some times sub-consciously, playing one better than the other. If you can, the best option might be to actually get four more people to play the evil party and then if it ever scomes down to a final showdown, bring them all together for the final battle.

 

[Blade of Desecration]

i'm not sure that having the PCs run THREE parties is a godo idea. Two they can handle i would imagine. The main thing that concerne me is having an evil party that opposes the others. I know that when I've tried to do something like this I end up favoring on eofver the other and therefore, some times sub-consciously, playing one better than the other. If you can, the best option might be to actually get four more people to play the evil party and then if it ever scomes down to a final showdown, bring them all together for the final battle.

Favoring won't work for the PCs anyways if I handle it the way I'm trying to. The characters, at least most of the time, won't be in direct conflict, so the the PCs won't know precisely how one group's actions effect the other. Also, the two teams might eventually become allies against a bigger enemy (and I already have an idea of who the "greater evil" will be). So, even though they might favor one, there isn't much they are going to be able to do as one party that will help the other one. And I've also stressed that both parties are equally important to the plot. The good party has the awesome characters in ways of backround, while the evil party has the "cool" factor.
As for the third party, they'll make that group, and then won't do much with it at first. After a while as the other two groups, I will go to a "Meanwhile..." kind of thing, to show whats happened to the other group.