| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Libelnon |
Posted - 06 Jan 2014 : 01:39:50
Hey guys, I'm new here. I'm also new to DMing (though I've run other systems from D&D, and I've also known of Forgotten Realms for a good few years).
I'm currently writing a campaign for my group in the upcoming month and have come up with a few blanks, as the original idea I had for a story-line was thwarted. So, in order to get those creative juices flowing again, I've a question and a request...
Firstly, the request. Does anyone know of or have a pre-Spellplague era map of Baldur's Gate? I'm running the campaign in 3.5, and the campaign will start in the Western Heartlands. I know the Baldur's Gate games have an okay map (of sorts) but I'd rather see if I can locate an official one first.
Secondly, with regards to the storyline: So far...
The players have arrived (or already live) within the city of Baldur's Gate, and in order to bring the party together I was going to have the rogue's partner-in-crime turn out to be a mischievous and young Metallic Dragon, who befriended the Rogue character while in the city. He's caught by the rest of the party in the marketplace having stolen a large gemstone from a merchant's estate; however, he's already dumped the gemstone by the time the party catch him. The merchant offers him and the party (who he assumes are cohorts with the thief) the chance to clean their hands of the whole mess if he returns the stone; he admits to having dumped it in the sewers underneath the city during the chase. The rest of the party are told to meet with the thief in a few hours, in order to take to the sewers together and retrieve the stone.
At the meeting, they meet the Rogue, who's probably quite annoyed that her partner-in-crime just dumped a good haul and got caught doing it, and discuss a way to get into the sewers and retrieve the stone.
During the course of the adventure, the party would have discovered more about the thief's nature (slight hints dropped as they go) until he finally told the party he had 'something to explain' and invited them to his lair, at which point he would offer them a small recompense for his troubles and tell the Rogue (who up to this point has only lived as a street urchin and has no real inclination to travel) that she should explore the world and turn her talents to slightly more honest work than petty thievery.
However...
In my research while writing this campaign, I've sort of hit a brick wall on the basis that all of the metallic dragons capable of shape-shifting are Lawful Good in alignment, suggesting that the brash lifestyle of a thief would be somewhat against their usual just nature. However, as a way around it, I've decided that rather than scrap the storyline and start anew, the thief could instead owe a debt to a dragon of some nature, and he needs the gem to be taken to the dragon in order to repay the debt. Question is, which of the dragons would be ideal for this?
As an aside to the idea, yes, the Draconic start is a thematic thing - one of the party members and one of the recurring villains are both (or will likely become) dragon disciples, so I thought that tying the theme in early would give the party, who know little about the setting, a knowledgeable individual to ask about dragonsblood, sorcery and a potential character to ask later. |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Libelnon |
Posted - 09 Jan 2014 : 13:17:17
Found a good pre-Spellplague map in Volo's guide to the Sword Coast, I'll use that to finish writing the adventure. |
| Ashe Ravenheart |
Posted - 09 Jan 2014 : 12:49:49
Lawful Good in a society of corrupt aristocracy would sometimes demand thievery... |
| Khelben |
Posted - 09 Jan 2014 : 10:19:16
You should really try this one http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/45370000
Most excellent background maps etc :-) |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 06 Jan 2014 : 11:53:24
Magic items for 1st level characters arent necessarily off limits.
I once placed a +1 sword in a river bed as treasure that the party could find based on an obscure historical reference about a battle at a river ford between an orc horde and defenders of a town lead by a farmer with a sword said to cut through armour as if it were butter.
It required a bit of research on history and geography and persistence on the part of the players; they would have to dig for about 2 days in order to find this sword since the battle was several hundred years ago. A single +1 sword wouldnt boost the party all that much.
It was really just a ploy by me to get players interested in the history if they had bothered to follow the small clues from tavern tales and bits of conversation with local town notables.
Of course they didnt and the sword still resides at the bottom of the river bed with that piece of history undiscovered.
Such is the life of a DM, cursed to having most of your creations go unused and or unappreciated. |
| Libelnon |
Posted - 06 Jan 2014 : 11:20:20
Hadn't thought of using magical items. Guess it seems too early with only 1st level characters. I'll write up the adventure and then put a .pdf if anyone wants a copy.
As of the map, that one looks familiar; does anyone have the list of numbered features? |
| Caladan Brood |
Posted - 06 Jan 2014 : 08:55:06
Here's a nice Baldur's Gate map that I used in a campaign last year that sadly died after three sessions.
https://once-upon-the-realms.obsidianportal.com/maps/39917 |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 06 Jan 2014 : 05:06:56
quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer
Lastly, non-lawful dragons can utilize spells or magic items that allow them to alter their forms.
This is the one I'd go with. Perhaps your dragon is a copper dragon with some magical device that lets him assume human form, which he gleefully does because humans are just so interesting and fun to watch.
There was, in the 2E book Forgotten Realms Adventures, a smallish map of Baldur's Gate. The more recent Murder in Baldur's Gate has a good map in it. It is post-Spellplague, but the map should still work well enough for you. |
| The Arcanamach |
Posted - 06 Jan 2014 : 04:52:52
Even lawful folks can be greedy or prone to mischief so I wouldn't worry about alignment at all. Azoun IV is a good example, lawful good but prone to chaotic behavior involving infidelity. |
| Jeremy Grenemyer |
Posted - 06 Jan 2014 : 02:19:04
Ignore the alignment constraint. There are numerous examples of dragons not fitting their alignments perfectly, which is how it should be in the Realms.
Further, even young dragons can be enigmatic and possess far thought goals that require them to sometimes behave in ways that would otherwise run counter to their alignment.
Lastly, non-lawful dragons can utilize spells or magic items that allow them to alter their forms. |
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