Please help a novice DM with campaign construction.

[Jadestarwolf]

Hello everyone, I'm not exactly new to DMing or to the d20 system, but it's been a while and I was never very good at it in the first place, so if possible I would appreciate any and all help you can give me! I'll just describe what I've got so far in terms of info, and feel free to critique/suggest away. I just ask that you don't be too harsh.

Campaign Idea: Zombie Apocalypse in the current day. (D&D 3.5)
Yeah, I know it's already way overdone and there's some good pre-made campaigns out there, but I've been laid off so buying one isn't an option.

I've searched the web and found some interesting roleplay tidbits on the subject, and I've decided to use the zombie beginnings from a post 3 years ago by Xealot of wotc forums. I would've tried to make up my own zombie origins, but I don't have the technical knowledge to make it sound convincing. I know my players want to start from the beginning of the apocalypse, so I switched that. I've also decided to base the campaign somewhere in Japan cause we're all anime fans like that.

Plotline thus far:
Players will start their characters with 3 things in mind, how they know each other, one major strength, and one major flaw. Characters should make sense, but if you can come up with a good story for a leap of the imagination, I'll consider it. (I'm pretty open-minded.)

Setting: Some metro city in Japan. Each player has won a ticket to a premier party with their (collective) favorite band. At the airport they find out that the whole group's had the luck to be a winner. A few subtle hints on the airplane, but a safe if turbulent landing. The players have a few hours before the party starts to get settled in and do a little bit of sightseeing.

About an hour after the band starts the party, a commotion happens near the lobby, players may wish to investigate what appears to be a normal drunken attack on a hostess. About 20 min later, is another incident, possibly disguised as a moshing. Finally 2 hours into the party, women begin to scream bloody murder as the first zombie of the night is in the middle of the dance floor, eating a server. First encounter time! After dealing with the first wave or running for cover, a second rushes in from the lobby, players can attempt to handle them if they haven't run already. After the second wave, there's a small break where they can loot and gather themselves. If the decided to leave, there's the stage entrance in the back that goes into the dressing room corridor with mostly locked rooms, and a few scared survivors.

---
Possibility of a cure -

In the beginng of the infection stage scientists were A) Committing mass suicide (78%) B) Trying to divise a cure for the cure (22%). A few were close to one just as the surivors began to storm labs for answers and loot. Only a couple survived long enough to store the data behind a failsafe and take off for a new start. Of those, even less survived to pass on the knowledge of it’s exsistance. At about 0.25% chance there’s a trace of info leading to the whereabouts to this proposed cure, and the mind to finish it. If handled improperly, it will create a new gen of superzombies and humanity will truely be doomed.

At an underground military base, a lone figure (Stopher - the main villian) deems whats left of humanity and the world in need of cleansing and prepares to launch a set of missles that will decontaminate the world, allowing it to start anew without the human menace plaguing it. Feeling a last pang of remorse for those who are left in the putrid sea of virus and infection, he sends out a broadcast calling for the purification of those who’re infected and a location to gather for rescue. He’s planning on rescuing them in a plume of toxic gas, giving them a ‘kinder fate’ than the rest of the world.

Monsters:
Yeah, they're all going to be zombie based, with a few variants due to the nature of viruses and my highly-over active imagination. I'm taking another example from Xealot and using things based off Silent Hill and Resident Evil I may also throw in a random zombie based off their previous characters for kicks.

In short: Zombies, simple to beefed up.

Oh! Before I go any further, I must state that we're going to be using D&D 3.5 with the modern setting because that's what we're used to and that's what books and sheets we have. I'm going to use some stats for weapons/armor/vehicles from d20 modern most likely, but that's the limit. My players don't like the hero classes, lol.

Key things I think I need:
* Help with figuring out what to do with the plotline next. Maybe tips on making enough notes to wing it when they go off the beaten path.
* Suggestions for which Japanese city to use for the setting. I was thinking a metro one.

I guess I can only think of two. Well thank you so much for reading this far, and I appreciate your taking the time to read this, and even more thanks if you choose to aid me.
For anyone who reads this and would like to use what I've brought together thus far, you're welcome to it.

 

[aco175]

First off, welcome to the boards.

As far as plot, I try not to spend that much time planning everything out- just stay a few weeks ahead of the party. Do plan a few far goals and direction though.

I never been to Japan, but when I think of something cool I would like it would be Mt. Fuji. I seen a science show on a secret base in some artic mountain north of Scotland where there is a collection of seeds from every species on the planet just in case we have some sort of problem. Be that world wide volcanic eruption, genetic strains of mutant corn, whatever. There could be a secret base similar in Mt. Fuji but there they also study this plague, isolated from the rest of society. Breaking in could be a cool transition from low level to mid levels.

A cool npc type might be a retired ninja or samurai type. He could be a politician or scientist type as well and be some sort of mentor. Of course his sidekick or even himself will turn on the party later on when they actually get a sample of the cure.

Lastly, you need a group of antagonists. Some sort of Black Foot clan led by a scientist who is actually a pawn of some North Korean dictator who hatched this plan gone wild to take over the world, (put pinky to side of lip).

 

[Herobizkit]

The things that make zombie games interesting are:
a) the element of surprise
b) the stress of always being close to death
c) using anything you can grab onto to thwart zombies
d) interesting locations

In my opinion, the d20 system of hit points doesn't exactly give you (b) because there's no penalty for being injured; you're either up or down, so to speak. Also, (c) is hard because of the non-proficiency penalties for weapons and improvised weapons.

Also, fantasy characters are designed to have powers and abilities far beyond what 'normal' people are expected to have.

If you players don't like the d20 Modern hero classes, I suggest using the Advanced classes as Core classes.

Some random suggestions:
* Let the players Gestalt a Basic and Advanced class from d20 Modern. For example, someone could make a Fast/Gunslinger, or a Smart/Mage, or some such.
* Give the PCs a fixed amount of health, say, 20 HP. Now, keep their total "secret", and describe their degree of injury as light, moderate, serious, and critical for each 5 hp they lose. So, from 19-15 they're lightly wounded, 14-10 moderate and so on. If you really want to make them sweat, give them a cumulative -1 to every roll for each wound category they enter. And more, when they drop past half their health, they lose half their move. AND, if they are critically wounded, they can only limp along at a speed of 5 feet. (A critically wounded character would have -4 to all rolls and practically a sitting duck).
* completely drop the weapon categories. Anyone can use any weapon at no penalty, including improvised weapons.