Starting New Campaign (Need Ideas)

[Delgar]

Help me ENworld, you're my only hope!

Alrighty, now down to the nitty gritty! I'm going to be starting a new campaign in the next few weeks and I was hoping to pick everyones brain (mmm braaaiiinnssss!!).

Basically, I'm planning on stealing someones idea from here (I'm not sure who's idea it was, but I would like to know, so I can give credit where credit is due!) and start the campaign with the characters being turned to stone by a medusa in a tavern and then being reverted back to flesh by the former mayor of the town by magical salve, but only for a short period of time. Now, to be fully cured they'll need to collect some of the blood from the creature that turned them to stone, but it's not going to be easy, because while our hapless hero's had a nice long nap as statues, 15 years have passed and things are not as they once were. The Kingdom is now occupied by hostile forces and the creature that they seek, is safe and secure in their new keep.

Now I was also thinking of running an introductory adventure for the group, so they could get a feel of how things were, and then get the feeling of how things are now. But I'm not sure how that would go over, or exactly what sort of introductory adventure to run.


So now, what I want from the fine people here at ENworld are ideas on basically anything from:

1) Plotlines
2) NPC's, interesting people that they'll meet
3) Challenges
4) Secrets (What kind of interesting secrets can they discover along the way)
5) Treasures

I'll take anything, anything at all!

Thanks!

Delgar

 

[Lu Wei Fong]

Alrighty. If you have the Monster Manuel 2, Look up the Hellfire Wurm. Basically they're Devil Dragons from the Nine Hells of Baator. They will oftentimes come to the material plane polymorphed and take on the role of advisor or something within kingdoms, usually many different nations at once (under different guises). These wurms, like all devils, seek the corruption of mortals and attempt to steer entire nations to war and destruction. If you could concoct some connection between this Medussa and a Hellfire Wurm (underling, general, right-hand snake, the dragon itself polymorphed, etc...) then you could have the change over the last 15 years be a bad one in which the wurm's plans have been falling into place, casting the lands into bitter conflict. Heroes are dying out, great nations are crumbling, and innumerable petty factions are tearing eachother apart in the resulting bid for power, the whole nine yards. This way, not only do the players have some short-term goals like getting vengeance on the Medussa (if it's not the dragon) and finding out what happened to their friends and loved ones in the brutal chaos of the last decade or so, but they have a long-term goal as well. The ultimate antagonist of this campaign will obviously be the Hellfire Wurm. If you chose to make the Medussa and the Wurm one and the same, don't let the PCs know right away, let them think it's two different beings and discover over time the truth. As for interesting PCs, perhaps there's a Hound Archon on the material plane as well. The Wurm was responsible for the death of his family/tribe/mentor/whatever on another plane and has come seeking vengeance. Since it's arrived, it's gathered a small but dedicated following that serves as one of the last voices of reason who know the Wurm's true nature and oppose it (to make it really interesting, perhaps the Archon cares nothing for his followers.It's so consumed with the thirst for vengeance that it's willing to expend as many lives as possible to destroy its enemy, convinced it is for the greater good). Well, just some ideas for you to kick around. Feel free to keep, discard, change, spit on whatever you like. Best of luck!

 

[Angcuru]

I may have a few ideas, but I'd have to know if you're running the system in a certain setting or not before I suggest any.

And don't forget that if you can't think of anything, you can always fall back on a good old fashioned prophecy.

 

[Sir Whiskers]

Basically, I'm planning on stealing someones idea from here (I'm not sure who's idea it was, but I would like to know, so I can give credit where credit is due!) and start the campaign with the characters being turned to stone by a medusa in a tavern and then being reverted back to flesh by the former mayor of the town by magical salve, but only for a short period of time.

I think it was Rel who first posted this idea. I used it, and the players were definitely hooked from the first session.

 

[AlphaOmega]

15 years have passed and things are not as they once were.

Well even tho this is fairly obvious, the PCs might be encouraged to learn what's happened to their familes or interests during last 15 years. Time went on and so would have the beautiful village girl who was involved with one of the PCs... now she's married to the PC's nemesis.

Also you could have a future subplot with the magical salve used to reanimate them. Possible addiction or weird long-term side effects.

that's all I have and it might not be much :\

 

[Delgar]

Well thanks for all the ideas so far, keep them coming!

As for what setting I'm going to be using. Well it will most likely be a homebrew, so any ideas are welcome, no matter how off the wall. I haven't done any serious world building or planning as of yet. I'm probably just going to build as I go.

So keep the ideas coming!

Delgar

 

[Delgar]

I don't have monster manual 2, but I like the idea of having someone or something have a grudge against the kingdom for some reason. Perhaps the King or the Kings ancestors did some foul dead to said creature and it wanted revenge? Any Ideas?

I'm most likely going to make the Medusa a lackey of the major villian, but does anyone have any ideas why the Medusa would agree to help out? Any interesting secrets she could have?

How about to start out my campaign, the hereo's are just recently turned back to flesh by the mayor, they'll start slowly figuring out that things are not the same. What kind of initial challenges should they face?

Delgar

 

[Lu Wei Fong]

Well, about why the Medusa would help out, how's this? I know this is the case for demons, but I'm not sure for devils. But if your main villian is either of those two, their names hold extrodanary power over them. If you know a demon (or devil)s name, they're pretty much screwed assuming you're powerful enough. So perhaps the Medusa found out the creature's name somehow, and has used that knowledge to strike up a powerful alliance. *shrug* Just an idea.
As for initial challenges, maybe the town is one of the ones under the power of these fiends. It's basically under martial law and the mayor (who's pretty much just a figure-head) has found a way to free the players in a desperate bid to free his/her town. He/she takes them to his/her hide-out in the sewers or hills or something, and he/she implores them to help free the town whether by infiltration or a flat out attack. He/she will of course understand if they don't want to, at least having the satisfaction that by freeing them he/she defied the baddies in his/her own little way. The occupiers are mostly a brutish company of rogues who serve the Medusa, with one exception. To enhance their underlings and make them kindred, the baddies infect their enforcers with lycanthropy. The rogues in other words, are also were-rats who keep the citizens in line through terror. None know that the "monsters" seen skulking in the alleys and shadows at night and the rogues are one and the same.
Hope that helps!

 

[Iron_Chef]

Actually, I would have the player characters turned into ________!

Seriously, have you considered a "GARGOYLES" approach? What if the characters revert to stone whenever they are exposed to sunlight? That creates some exciting strategy issues for the PCs as they go about their quest! Plus, it allows you to "set them up" with new confrontations every time they turn back to flesh: 1) surrounded by enemies, 2) moved and placed in art gallery they must escape, either from noble's mansion, fancy gallery, rich merchant, decadent art collector/cultist, etc.

 

[dren]

I would have a rogue maedar be the one who unstones the characters, after taking them as statues a long distance from their starting point. As strange men in a strange land, they must come to terms with what has happened, and then decide whther or not they go back to deal with the medusa who stoned them.

Subplot: why is the maedar helping them. Did he stick around?