Plot Idea for a new Campaign

[Paladin of Fenrir]

I'm a bit new to D&D as a whole, but I think that I could DM pretty soon (not immediately, but soon) I've already got a plot for my PC's to follow, but I need some feedback and a little help.

So the first idea I had was to have the PC's face some unbelievably powerful monster (Death Titan was the original idea) at the beginning of the campaign and slowly work their way up until meeting with him in a final confrontation, thus ending the campaign.

Another idea I would like to run with is one where the PC's are attacked by a group of monsters (I had a watered down Bluespawn Godslayer in mind) and go through the campaign with the PC's facing an enemy that grows at the same rate they do. The only difficulty I have with this is actually editing stats for the Godslayers to dumb them down to 1st level and then build them steadily up.

If anyone can offer feedback or help, it would be much appreciated.

 

[fba827]

Depending on the mentality and experience of your fellow players at the table, you may have a couple things to consider - though any of those could work.

Your first idea:
You may very likley end up with a total party kill; either the players will fight that first fight, not realizing it is the big bad evil guy for the end, or the big bad evil guy (if played intelligently) could wipe the floor with the party. So you'll have to have the big guy there with some other purpose rather than in combat with the party... perhaps they are on a hilltop and witness him slaughtering everyone in a village down in the valley with a single strike. That leads to the questions of who is he, what does he want, how can we stop him ... perhaps it is even the PC's hometown that was just destroyed.


Your second idea:
I can't tell by your wording, did you intend for it to be the same individual monsters that grow and keep facing the party (always Bob, John, and Peter and they escape at the end of each battle to return stronger next time)? Or the same monster type (Bob John and Peter died the first battle, but their cousins Mary, Jason and Paul are stronger and come for the second battle)?

If it's the exact same individual monsters then the players may feel frustrated that they can't seem to kill these same 5 monsters and they just keep coming back stronger and stronger.

Or, if it's the same monster type, then you will have to be sure and have variety (occasionally toss in other mosnters, or other tactics, or something - because it will feel boring if all the encounters are the same monster just bigger numbers to hit and damage). Perhaps to avoid this, perhaps it is just the villian's army captains that are these bluespawn that you want to use... and each of these captains uses a different sort of henchmen. That way you can have varied monster types to over come, with each set being led by a bluespawn godslayer captain.


Heck, you could combine your two ideas -- there is the big bad evil guy that you mention in idea one, but he also has captains for his army that you mention in idea two. (or something similar)...

 

[Ydars]

Paladin; maybe you could take your ideas but be a little more subtle. It is always tempting as a new DM to use your power but beware of this; showing most PCs how weak they are is seldom a good idea.

This is because one of the most important reasons for playing the game is to feel your character's actions MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

If you like the idea of the protagonist/ BBEG appearing at the beginning, have some plot where he wants something from the PCs otherwise they will get killed.

Yet the BBEG will have something in mind that he wants from the PCs. He will set something up so that he is manipulating them in some way or using them to get to his enemies.

Say, for example, that your Death Titan captures the PCs at the beginning of the adventure and he infects them with a deadly undead disease. The PCs then seemingly escape because the titan deems them beneath his notice; like ants. But in actual fact, the escape was allowed by the titan so that they will try to find the "well of life" guarded by the avatars of good on your world. The adventure then focuses on them finding this well and all the many travels they have to undertake to find the well.

What they don't realise is that one of them is being magically tracked and this allows the Titan to find the well, which has always been hidden from him, and possess and claim it.

Make your villain powerful but also subtle. Make him far cleverer than the PCs and allow him to manipulate them; just think what they will do in a given situation and then have the monster plan for this. That way, they will hate and respect this monster and he will be more than a bunch of stats. Give him an agenda and make some of the PCs actions, instead of opposing him, actually lead to the very events they are trying to stop. Don't overdo this to the point where the Pcs feel they can never win; the point is to "big up" the BBEG and make them want his head all the more.

Then, at the last, they can finally discover ways to thwart him and will be of high enough level to physically challenge their nemesis.