A Dungeons and Dragons Campaign

[Hybrid Sight]

I run a Weekly DND 3.5 group at my local library and I'm about to run a campaign for a new group of players, starting from level 1. I'd just like to hear your opinions on the story I've come up with so far. Any constructive criticism is appreciated.

Basically, the players go to a small village to deal with a kobold problem. Upon killing some kobolds raiding the town, they infiltrate the cave where the kobolds are living in and eliminate them. As they continue to fight there way through the cave the players come to a alter-like room with a giant crystal in it. After slaying the leader of the kobold horde they investigate the crystal further. Frozen inside the crystal appears to be some sort of winged creature.

The creature is actually a incredibly powerful Warrior that was imprisoned in the crystal by a cleric 450 years ago. The warrior had shattered his soul into 5 parts, making him immortal. The warrior was trying to summon a black hole to destroy the world so he could remake it in his image. The Warrior struck down the Cleric, the only person that had a chance at defeating him.

The Cleric's final words, were a prayer to the gods that would seal the warrior forever. Now the kobolds have found him and began sacrificing people to him. The Players accidentally wake him up and now need to stop him by finding the 5 parts of his soul to make him mortal.


Also, I'm pretty sure this is the right place for a thread like this. If it isn't feel free to move it.

 

[sms_117b]

If that was a video game, I'd play it.

Sounds really good, I usually just went around questing, mum was my DM.....that's so sad.

 

[blipblop]

sounds intresting enough.

 

[avelmen1889]

sounds cool, but a little hairy potter 7ish. still cool none the less

 

[jubosu]

First question. Have you thought about upgrading to the new version?
I didn't because i haven't upgraded since version two

It seems like a solid base for a campaign. Depending on how long you would like it to last for beginner players.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

sounds cool, but a little hairy potter 7ish. still cool none the less

Beaten to the punch.

Still, not a bad story. I'd play it. Personally I think it's more about the telling of the story than the story itself though.

Personally I think the best way to do this would be to have each piece of soul have it's own fleshed out, interesting and drastically different areas, back story and method of finding them (honestly I think Potter only managed this with a couple of the pieces locations). You should also leave it up to the players to figure out where to start looking though clues (obviously if they go too far off your original locations you can just change things up a little).

 

[scotth266]

Seems pretty good so far to me. The only problem you might run into is getting the players to believe in how a crystal with such a powerful entity wound up in such an undefended location. If I were you, I'd have the cave have some serious-looking old boobytraps lying around. If the Cleric is supposed to be any good at analyzing old junk, let him inspect some of it and give his opinion (I presume that the Cleric is DM-controlled.)

Example: Some runes on the wall flash after you step through a door, but nothing happens. Cleric examines the door, concludes that it was part of a magical trap that would have incinerated anyone passing through the door without a counter-spell... but the trap is so old that it's long run out of juice. This establishes that the cave is pretty damn old, and that there used to be something pretty important here worth protecting.

Since the kobolds have occupied the cave, you can have several disabled traps lying around as well (obviously the kobolds would have to mess with some of them to get to the crystal.)

That's my opinion, though I've never DMed before, so take it with a grain of salt

 

[Hybrid Sight]

First question. Have you thought about upgrading to the new version?
I didn't because i haven't upgraded since version two

It seems like a solid base for a campaign. Depending on how long you would like it to last for beginner players.

I've actually own all the core 4th edition books but I own much more 3.5 and know how to play it much better.

 

[Macgyvercas]

I would be very happy playing that campaign. Paladins would come in handy here.

In short...LOVING IT!

 

[Koeryn]

First question. Have you thought about upgrading to the new version?
I didn't because i haven't upgraded since version two

It seems like a solid base for a campaign. Depending on how long you would like it to last for beginner players.

There's a version after 3.5? What strange planet are you from?

AD&D ftw. =p

On topic:

Sounds like a good campaign. I'd probably play it.

 

[Hybrid Sight]

Seems pretty good so far to me. The only problem you might run into is getting the players to believe in how a crystal with such a powerful entity wound up in such an undefended location. If I were you, I'd have the cave have some serious-looking old boobytraps lying around. If the Cleric is supposed to be any good at analyzing old junk, let him inspect some of it and give his opinion (I presume that the Cleric is DM-controlled.)

Example: Some runes on the wall flash after you step through a door, but nothing happens. Cleric examines the door, concludes that it was part of a magical trap that would have incinerated anyone passing through the door without a counter-spell... but the trap is so old that it's long run out of juice. This establishes that the cave is pretty damn old, and that there used to be something pretty important here worth protecting.

Since the kobolds have occupied the cave, you can have several disabled traps lying around as well (obviously the kobolds would have to mess with some of them to get to the crystal.)

That's my opinion, though I've never DMed before, so take it with a grain of salt

The cleric that imprisoned him is long dead since the warrior killed her 450 years ago. The cleric did manage to fire off one last spell though so that's how the warrior ended up frozen. But I certainly agree with everything else you said, I hadn't thought of any of that at all. Thanks!

 

[scotth266]

The cleric that imprisoned him is long dead since the warrior killed her 450 years ago.

In that case I'd recommend having a DM controlled character accompany the party to provide the same functions as the one I just outlined. You can have him/her get knocked off by the Warrior when he gets awakened so the party doesn't wind up dragging him/her around the rest of the game.

For extra badass points, have the DM'ed character protect the rest of the party with his dying breath. One way to do this is to have the character use his last bit of life to fuel a group teleport out of the cave.

Something like this, only with less sarcasm from the players. [http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=740]

 

[Tireseas_v1legacy]

I run a Weekly DND 3.5 group at my local library

Here's your first problem. Unless I'm very much mistaken, Libraries don't allow liquor, and liquor always makes D&D more interesting.

and I'm about to run a campaign for a new group of players, starting from level 1. I'd just like to hear your opinions on the story I've come up with so far. Any constructive criticism is appreciated.

*laughs evily*

Basically, the players go to a small village to deal with a kobold problem. Upon killing some kobolds raiding the town, they infiltrate the cave where the kobolds are living in and eliminate them. As they continue to fight there way through the cave the players come to a alter-like room with a giant crystal in it. After slaying the leader of the kobold horde they investigate the crystal further. Frozen inside the crystal appears to be some sort of winged creature.

Okay so far... any particular reason it's kobolds rather than, say, the undead or a cult?

The creature is actually a incredibly powerful Warrior that was imprisoned in the crystal by a cleric 450 years ago. The warrior had shattered his soul into 5 parts, making him immortal.

Rewrite this part, because anyone with little tolerance for Harry Potter will knife you over this.

Also: how exactly does a warrior trapped inside a crystal shatter his soul? Yes, it sounds like a trite question, but that is what D&D is at it's core: lots of trite questions.

The warrior was trying to summon a black hole to destroy the world so he could remake it in his image. The Warrior struck down the Cleric, the only person that had a chance at defeating him.

Not the most original, but doable nonetheless.

The Cleric's final words, were a prayer to the gods that would seal the warrior forever. Now the kobolds have found him and began sacrificing people to him. The Players accidentally wake him up and now need to stop him by finding the 5 parts of his soul to make him mortal.

Another moment of unoriginality and Harry Potter knock off.

Okay, first fix the story around the warrior's immortality and shapeshift. It doesn't have to be original, but it really shouldn't be such a blatent rip-off of the Harry Potter series. I recommend a demon/devil pact (which would also explain why he had to be sealed in the first place, as well as set up the generic "gathering of his weaknesses" quest line).

Come back when you have it more fleshed out.

 

[Hybrid Sight]

The cleric that imprisoned him is long dead since the warrior killed her 450 years ago.

In that case I'd recommend having a DM controlled character accompany the party to provide the same functions as the one I just outlined. You can have him/her get knocked off by the Warrior when he gets awakened so the party doesn't wind up dragging him/her around the rest of the game.

For extra badass points, have the DM'ed character protect the rest of the party with his dying breath. One way to do this is to have the character use his last bit of life to fuel a group teleport out of the cave.

Something like this, only with less sarcasm from the players. [http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=740]

That's an awesome idea thanks!

 

[tiredinnuendo]

Maybe it's just my style of gaming, but something that's built like this sounds a bit too "every mission must be about the end of the world" for me. I understand that you're giving a high-level overview, but it just sounds cheesy to me. Sometimes a journey into a cave is just a journey into a cave, the very foundations of the earth being shaken are not required.

If you do decide to go this way about it, have them go on what appears to be a string of basic stuff, and have the crystal crap be a much more understated backdrop that you eventually sew up into a coherent whole for the campaign. Level 1's want to find treasure and take their minor victories over kobolds and bandits. Let them have that as you weave the tapestry underneath them, and then when you're ready tie it all together.

Also, I'd like to echo what others have said about your story being VERY derivative. Be ready to have a sense of humor about it when everyone insists on calling the big bad Voldemort.

The cleric that imprisoned him is long dead since the warrior killed her 450 years ago.

In that case I'd recommend having a DM controlled character accompany the party to provide the same functions as the one I just outlined. You can have him/her get knocked off by the Warrior when he gets awakened so the party doesn't wind up dragging him/her around the rest of the game.

For extra badass points, have the DM'ed character protect the rest of the party with his dying breath. One way to do this is to have the character use his last bit of life to fuel a group teleport out of the cave.

Something like this, only with less sarcasm from the players. [http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=740]

That's an awesome idea thanks!

I disagree. You know your players, maybe it would work for them, but in general, the players like to be the heroes. Watching the DM masturbate for awhile with his god-mode guide character gets old, and no one is EVER surprised when he makes the heroic last stand to get the players out of a jam. It's railroading and it feels cheap. Players want to make the last stand. They want to accomplish things, not have the DM basically play with himself while they watch.

- J

 

[Hybrid Sight]

Maybe it's just my style of gaming, but something that's built like this sounds a bit too "every mission must be about the end of the world" for me. I understand that you're giving a high-level overview, but it just sounds cheesy to me. Sometimes a journey into a cave is just a journey into a cave, the very foundations of the earth being shaken are not required.

If you do decide to go this way about it, have them go on what appears to be a string of basic stuff, and have the crystal crap be a much more understated backdrop that you eventually sew up into a coherent whole for the campaign. Level 1's want to find treasure and take their minor victories over kobolds and bandits. Let them have that as you weave the tapestry underneath them, and then when you're ready tie it all together.

Also, I'd like to echo what others have said about your story being VERY derivative. Be ready to have a sense of humor about it when everyone insists on calling the big bad Voldemort.

The cleric that imprisoned him is long dead since the warrior killed her 450 years ago.

In that case I'd recommend having a DM controlled character accompany the party to provide the same functions as the one I just outlined. You can have him/her get knocked off by the Warrior when he gets awakened so the party doesn't wind up dragging him/her around the rest of the game.

For extra badass points, have the DM'ed character protect the rest of the party with his dying breath. One way to do this is to have the character use his last bit of life to fuel a group teleport out of the cave.

Something like this, only with less sarcasm from the players. [http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=740]

That's an awesome idea thanks!

I disagree. You know your players, maybe it would work for them, but in general, the players like to be the heroes. Watching the DM masturbate for awhile with his god-mode guide character gets old, and no one is EVER surprised when he makes the heroic last stand to get the players out of a jam. It's railroading and it feels cheap. Players want to make the last stand. They want to accomplish things, not have the DM basically play with himself while they watch.

- J

What I was going to do was have them fight the "kobold menace" for awhile before they actually find they cave where the kobolds are living. The thing with a npc cleric may be good though because these players don't know much about dnd in general. I think having a healer 1-2 levels may not be a bad thing.

 

[MrSnugglesworth]

Seems like you're rushing them into a really huge challenge right at level one.


But it seems pretty good.

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

It seems a bit challenging and a bit disbelieving that some puny 1st levels would have to deal with this. But asides form that its good from what I can judge (In my D&D we did more intrigue and courts so you would win if you found a way to [i/]not[/i] fight as boring as that sounds.)

 

[Zahri]

I haven't even read harry potter, though i am put off by the collection quest aspect.

Could i get a comment on my campaign?

 

[fletch_talon]

sounds cool, but a little hairy potter 7ish. still cool none the less

Rewrite this part, because anyone with little tolerance for Harry Potter will knife you over this....
Another moment of unoriginality and Harry Potter knock off...

Also, I'd like to echo what others have said about your story being VERY derivative. Be ready to have a sense of humor about it when everyone insists on calling the big bad Voldemort.

I think Liches and their phylacteries existed before Harry Potter, and its essentially the same concept as far as I can tell.
Even when I read Harry Potter I instantly thought Horcrux = Phylactery, its just that you can have multiple Horcrux but only 1 Phylactery.

I honestly don't see the issue here. If one of the party turned out to be destined to destroy the warrior because he was marked with his power and only his blood can give the warrior life again... Then I'd see a problem.