This is what I’m planning, but need some ideas, criticism, thoughts… First time DM here by the way, although long time player…
Minor KOTS soilers....
So I’ve started with Keep on the Shadowfell, in a world of my creation, but I have no desire to run the other modules in the H series, so I’m thinking of using the evgents in KOTS to lead in a different direction.
After BBEG fails to open the rift to the shadowfell and the PC’s clear the place and kill him, his actions have other physical consequences… he does in fact open a rift after all, just not the one he was ultimately hoping for. He split the world open. Canyons form, the world changes physically, earthquakes, etc…
Due to his actions, the world is facing an assault from the Underdark, a previosuly unknown underworld. The earth splits in several locations, and Drow start spilling out into the world, as an invasion army. Word spreads through the land that hundreds of these strange and unknown dark elves are invading villages, towns, taking slaves, food, and basically taking over the world…
The Eladrin and Elves are not looked at kindly for keeping secret their evil kin’s existence, and the PC’s, known in my world as the “Dragonslayers of Fallcrest” for the Kobold Hall victory, are faced with the task of eventualy saving the world.
Obviously at the low levels there won’t be much to do, but secret little resistance missions here and there as the races band together to stop these drow invaders, but at epic level it could be an all out epic fight for the world’s survival....
I see it kind of like the movie “Red Dawn”, (I am dating myself big time here), those that have seen it, you get the idea…
I like the concept. It seems a little massive for my taste, but it definitely gives me the “after the end of the world” feel, similar to a zombie survival storyline.
It’s meant to fit in with the “points of light” idea. The world is dark and towns and cities, miles apart don’t really communicate with each other, and this cataclysm makes it worse… There’s rumors, merchant caravans,…
“Dwarven griffon-riders saw a canyon open up, with thousands of these elves slithering out, they slaughtered the entire town of Liam Sands” That sort of thing. It’s meant to be massive and epic… Taking the world and the PC’s to their lowest point and then forcing them to be the epic heroes the PHB suggests they become…
As far as punishing them, well… at least Orcus didn’t show up…
I like it. I think it is a really broad idea that you will have to make sure you can keep under control though. At least for me, if I let an idea I am still working with get to large and broad without realizing it becomes hard to tackle it. Just lots of organization, putting thoughts out on paper (or typing them in a computer) and other things.
That is true, a large idea like this allows you to fill it in with lots of little things along the way. But even when they go off to retrieve that item or rescue that person, they still know the main goal they are trying to accomplish
This is what I’m planning, but need some ideas, criticism, thoughts… First time DM here by the way, although long time player…
Minor KOTS soilers....
So I’ve started with Keep on the Shadowfell, in a world of my creation, but I have no desire to run the other modules in the H series, so I’m thinking of using the events in KOTS to lead in a different direction.
After BBEG fails to open the rift to the shadowfell and the PC’s clear the place and kill him, his actions have other physical consequences… he does in fact open a rift after all, just not the one he was ultimately hoping for. He split the world open. Canyons form, the world changes physically, earthquakes, etc…
Due to his actions, the world is facing an assault from the Underdark, a previously unknown underworld. The earth splits in several locations, and Drow start spilling out into the world, as an invasion army. Word spreads through the land that hundreds of these strange and unknown dark elves are invading villages, towns, taking slaves, food, and basically taking over the world…
The Eladrin and Elves are not looked at kindly for keeping secret their evil kin’s existence, and the PC’s, known in my world as the “Dragonslayers of Fallcrest” for the Kobold Hall victory, are faced with the task of eventually saving the world.
Obviously at the low levels there won’t be much to do, but secret little resistance missions here and there as the races band together to stop these drow invaders, but at epic level it could be an all out epic fight for the world’s survival....
I see it kind of like the movie “Red Dawn”, (I am dating myself big time here), those that have seen it, you get the idea…
What do you think, getting past the cliché?
1- Talk to your players, without telling them what you have in mind, try to determine what they’re looking for in a campaign. You could throw out a list of possibilities, including the cataclysm option, just to see how they react. It’s their campaign too- you may find your ideas aren’t what they have in mind.
2- It might not fit into your Red Dawn scenario, but I would make the players to blame for the cataclysm- either directly or by implication. Maybe they didn’t cause it but get blamed for it. Maybe they’re framed by those actually responsible. But the point is, it gives them a major motivation- redemption or clearing their name.
3- I haven’t got a copy of Thunderspire yet, but my understanding is that it has some connection to the the underdark (of sorts). You don’t have to use the adventure, but I think that would be a better place to have the cataclysm start.
4- I don’t know what kind of world you’ve described to your players, but the Nentir Vale described in the DMG is already post apocalyptic, or at least after civilization has largely collapsed. This is far different from the world of Red Dawn, in which happy, free people suddenly find themselves enslaved and oppressed by an occupation army. My point is, it would make more sense to have your cataclysm occur preapocalypse, before civilization collapses.
Just some thoughts- I hope you take them in the spirit they are given.
Good luck with your campaign!
My world came out of a magically induced ice age 500 years ago… it is starting to get back on it’s feet when this nightmare happens… The ice age was caused by a crazy elf wizard, so elves and eladrin are already sort of mistrusted…
Preventing the ice age would have been a 3.0/3.5 campaign I was planning years ago, that I never got to DM… When 4th ed. was announced, I moved up the timeline of the world 500 years, and the ice age did happen… thankfuly, I am now DM’ing regularly…
There is only one thing i find strange about the entire scenario. Why exactly do the drow pour out of the underdark? Was it a prophecy for them? I can’t imagine an army standing right at the crack at that exact moment for any other reason. The idea of a drow prophecy might be worth investigating, and perhaps throwing in other verses of the prophet could spawn other course for adventure.
Because the true intent, and I misrepresented what i was trying to say, is that the invasion starts slowly… Once the Drow discover a world, “up there”, they slowly mobilize to explore… scouts… spies, inflitrators, that sort of thing, to get a feel for the world… then bam! some time later… (years?) invasion....
A typical 4-5 lvl adventure under this scenario could be to stop a couple of drow scouts and assasins from infiltrating the duke’s keep, as they are trying to poison him to cause a panic in the sorrounding lands…
that sort of thing… little events and adventures under the backdrop of impending doom…
I know what you meant, but no, the drow aren’t waiting by the door, ready to mount a world wide invasion… they are however, curious about what’s out there, and whether they can offer anyone out there to Lloth....
I wouldn’t talk to the players about what they want in a game. They inherantly trust you to run a cool campaign.
Don’t worry about why the army was standing at the gates to invade. Let them hit the world in a flourish. I would prefer a wham bam invasion as a player. How do you role play a growing coldwar at low level without resorting to simply telling the players that “tensions are mounting”. Have temples to Lloth spring up all over the place and sacrifices as an impending doom of being dropped by that poison. If you run it out slow then the players will figure its their job to stop the invasion. Go apocaliptical, you know you want to.
Keep things very local right away. Have the players worry about these dark elf raiders and nothing else for as little bit. As for the distrust of the eladrin and elves, don’t play it up too much. Use third party sources news articles, traveling priests spreading the hate of them, or what ghave you to pass on the mood of the survivors. The players shoud focus on surviving the invasion, and then finding a point of light to huddle in and get direction. I get where the Red Dawn reference plays in and you should use it well. The first place they find should be a “Jerico” location that doesn’t know what is going on either and is freaking out a bit as well. Then the party can make a run for more information on behalf of the community.
Great action potential, great NPC potential, and very memorable setting. The players will like it. I truly suggest you read the dungeoncraft articles on getting a homebrew setting up and running. This one would be awesome if those principles are applied. Keep it local, and only flesh out the motives amd setting when you need to.
I once ran an Eberron campaign to find out what happened to Cyre to level 17 never knowing myself what happened. It wasn’t important yet so no need to decide. Keeps you mentally flexible when the party digs one angle you were not expecting. Lets you follow that interest. Thats how you consult the players.
Yea, I would say don’t really bother with consulting them too much about anything. If they trust you to run their campaign as DM, then they trust you to run them a good one
I was referring to the dungeoncraft articles at the wizards site that have been in the Dungeon Magazine in one incarnation or another over as many years as I recall.
You can go here http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/duarch/features to see a list of the columns that have been written on the subject. After looking at the link you posted I would say they are a rehash of what I was getting at. Just create the environment around the players and don’t worry about the fully story or the full range of motives until you need it. Unlike writting a movie or a book the story will unfold however it will. If you have something in stone in your mind then you will force it for the players. If you don’t then you can explore whatever angle grabs them the most as you make the campaign.
Example.
At third level your players have survived a few encounters with the drow raiders that have unleashed a horrific invasion of the surface world. Ash clouds the sky for some unknown reason and when it rains, as it does every single night, the slick grey mud that gently falls to the earth is dried and caked by morning. Unclean, unkempt, and only coming accross bodies for the last three days the party finds a temple being built in the center of a village they once knew as children. The town is desolate. The hope that the villagers fled the armies of the dark skinned elves is washed away as they see on closer inspection that the temple is adorned with an entrance built of skulls and a fan of bones that jut out in a mockery of city architecture.
The party huddles to find out what course of action to take.
***Now at this point the party could flee the temple and try to evade contact while searching for info or be horrified at the destruction of innocence. Lets say you need them to attack the church to learn that the religeon of these elves is what is driving them on. If they run away you have to come up with another way to get the info to them, or force an encounter with a scouting party that brings them back as prisoners that must escape or what have you. They know they are being forced to “go into the dungeon in front of them” so to speak.
If on the other hand you have no idea what is motivating the army then you can let them slip past the scouts that patrol the area. They get a success, some loot, and get “their” mission, of fleeing the temple, accomplished (heck, you can even give them a story bonus of xp for getting away and they will think that you wanted them to flee the temple.)
A great DM can have the motive in mind and let the story unfold like that anytime. The trick is that you can be a good DM who has a life without unlimited prep time and still be flexable if you build flexibility into the campaign. You build that flexability by not overdetailing the grand arc of the campaign too early. Patch together a few short arcs (3 sessions) one after another as they are completed. Focus on shaking up the world to start, detailing the local impact. Bring action and adventure right to them and keep them running from the start.
