| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 02 Feb 2007 : 02:49:39
In another thread some scribes were discussing what kind of high level/epic level adventures might occur in a Forgotten Realms campaign, which got my creative thought process going. So I looked through a few books and threw together some themes that might make for some epic level adventures that still feel like the Realms . . . let me know what you think, and feel free to throw some of your own out there as well. |
| 16 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 13 Feb 2007 : 19:28:57
quote:
Originally posted by WalkerNinja
Knight, I've got a question for ya. I certainly respect your abilities as a DM, and your Epic Hooks have a good deal more thought put into them than I've ever even attempted. My pc's know that my campaigns tend to shut down around 20th level.
Looking at these hooks, I don't see much variation. By this I mean that they look thematically simple. Basically Epic Level monster hunts.
Like I said, I'm not 'dissing' your proposals, but I wonder if there are more subtle multi layered Epic hooks that are feasible for Realms play.
Just to stress the point that I'm not criticizing your works, I think that you are one of the savviest (sp?) posters here, and when ever I start a thread on these forums I always wonder what you'll have to contribute.
I noticed that myself. They tend to suffer a bit from the idea that I was trying to post "generic" hooks that didn't have to do with a specific campaign. Ususally by the time I have higher level characters, I also have a lot of roleplaying hooks to tie them into various places in the Realms.
Most of my campaigns do tend to wind down in the mid to upper teens as well, so none of these are particularly from my own home campaigns. If I were going to "go epic" with my own character, I'd be following up on some of the hooks in my "Forbidden Enclave" thread, and perhaps messing around a bit with the plot hooks that I started about an artifact that the Unseelie Court had tried to aquire to allow them to warp fey crossroads to bring them "subjects," while encroaching on Faerie iteself.
Of the hooks I presented, I'd be most likely to throw tidbits of the Dracolich Dragon Ascendant one throughout a campaign, as I kind of like that one a bit better than the others.
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| WalkerNinja |
Posted - 13 Feb 2007 : 17:37:43
Knight, I've got a question for ya. I certainly respect your abilities as a DM, and your Epic Hooks have a good deal more thought put into them than I've ever even attempted. My pc's know that my campaigns tend to shut down around 20th level.
Looking at these hooks, I don't see much variation. By this I mean that they look thematically simple. Basically Epic Level monster hunts.
Like I said, I'm not 'dissing' your proposals, but I wonder if there are more subtle multi layered Epic hooks that are feasible for Realms play.
Just to stress the point that I'm not criticizing your works, I think that you are one of the savviest (sp?) posters here, and when ever I start a thread on these forums I always wonder what you'll have to contribute. |
| Rinonalyrna Fathomlin |
Posted - 09 Feb 2007 : 23:01:58
That's funny, and it goes to show that power need not always be a matter of levels. |
| WalkerNinja |
Posted - 09 Feb 2007 : 01:07:33
quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
quote:
Originally posted by WalkerNinja
My favorite Epic campaign that I ran involved a 3rd level illusionist commisioning the epic characters to find some evil artifacts for him under the guise of archaelogical missions. He didn't have to cast any illusion spells, he just lied to them, and they believed him. Boy were they upset when he took over their home city...
Hmmm... how did it end? I assume the PCs eventually whacked him...
Yes, they did. They fought their way past his uber-guardians, weaseled around his security spheres, traversed multiple planes to escape detection and then implemented a truly dizzying attack strategy. The BBEG died at first contact by the spell that was supposed to determine whether he was using Major Globe or Minor.
It was sort of anti-climatic but the shock value was great! "Whaddaya mean he's only 3rd level!" |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 09 Feb 2007 : 00:17:01
quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
Wow!  
Great work, Knight!
I was thinking about 'Sealed for your protection'... Ed has mentioned that there is a Worm that Wolks living within some ancient barrows in the Dalelands (Dun Hills? I don't have my books at hand right now...). If I remember correctly, those barrows contain Netherese complex with many other (besides the WoW) strange forms of undead ("wand-bound" wraiths and such...)
I had a whole adventure planned out for my Mistledale players back when it was going regularly, where the Barrowfields would tie into a whole Netherese themed adventure, since those ruins are suppose to be ancient Netherese tombs, according to Volo's Guide to the Dalelands.
Of course, being my players, they picked up on another hook and I never got back to that one.
Thanks for the compliment, and the comments! |
| Asgetrion |
Posted - 09 Feb 2007 : 00:08:30
quote:
Originally posted by WalkerNinja
My favorite Epic campaign that I ran involved a 3rd level illusionist commisioning the epic characters to find some evil artifacts for him under the guise of archaelogical missions. He didn't have to cast any illusion spells, he just lied to them, and they believed him. Boy were they upset when he took over their home city...
Hmmm... how did it end? I assume the PCs eventually whacked him... |
| WalkerNinja |
Posted - 08 Feb 2007 : 23:03:08
My favorite Epic campaign that I ran involved a 3rd level illusionist commisioning the epic characters to find some evil artifacts for him under the guise of archaelogical missions. He didn't have to cast any illusion spells, he just lied to them, and they believed him. Boy were they upset when he took over their home city... |
| Asgetrion |
Posted - 08 Feb 2007 : 22:30:30
Wow!
Great work, Knight!
I was thinking about 'Sealed for your protection'... Ed has mentioned that there is a Worm that Wolks living within some ancient barrows in the Dalelands (Dun Hills? I don't have my books at hand right now...). If I remember correctly, those barrows contain Netherese complex with many other (besides the WoW) strange forms of undead ("wand-bound" wraiths and such...) |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 02 Feb 2007 : 02:55:14
All for One: A powerful dragon necromancer that worships Null in his aspect of the Reaver deigned to let the Cult of the Dragon turn him into a dracolich some time ago. After the events of the last Rage of Dragons, the dracolich is worried that the Cult of the Dragon is falling apart, being attacked by enimies without (the Cult of Tiamat, various power groups), and within (disgruntled Sacred Ones, warring factions from different regions). In order to rectify this situation, the dragon returns to a path started in its youth. It finishes the process of becoming a Dragon Ascendant, and in essense, proclaims itself the God of the Cult of the Dragon (see the Draconomicon pg 91).
The dragons servants take the Servant of a Dragon Ascendant feat from Dragons of Faerun and become self sufficient, and begin to unify the Cult of the Dragon beneath the One True Dragon King, the one that will begin the Reign of Undead Dragons.
Obviously any number of organizations, lands, or faiths will be concerned over the potential of the Cult of the Dragon becoming even more unified than it was during the Rage of Dragons, and the PCs may have to work to break the various regional cults apart until they find out exactly where the Ascended Dracolich is. Killing it won't destroy the Cult, but it may keep it from becoming a focused and powerful church that is even more of a threat than it is now.
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| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 02 Feb 2007 : 02:54:43
Sealed for Your Protection: A collector of oddities in Waterdeep has found several jars from the east, each with similar signs and sigils on it, which he believes are the signs of the craftsmanship of ancient Narfell. He can tell that the jars are a matched set of five, and he has found four of them. He may hire the PCs to procure the last of the jars, or they may just stumble upon it in their travels.
In the jar are writhing, living carrion worms, somehow still living after all of this time, even with nothing to feed on in the jar. For the most part they simply writhe in the jars, not trying to move beyond them, but if all five jars are brought together and opened, the worms will wriggle free and form a Worm That Walks (ELH pg 228), the remains, for the most part, of a particularly nasty spellcaster from ancient Narfell, whose essense survives as this creature.
If the PCs defeat the Worm that Walks, it may escape using its discorporate ability. The jars can be used to call and trap the various worms that make up the creature, but this must be done before the creature reforms, and at least one maggot must be placed in each of the five jars to make this work. The PCs may have to travel far to the east, to ancient Narfell ruins, to be able to find the secret of making the jars work to be able to call and trap the worms, or perhaps they will have to seek out an ancient Narfell or Raumathari text that explains how to destroy the jars and worms together to finally rid Toril of this menace. |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 02 Feb 2007 : 02:54:09
Some Secrets Should Stay Buried: As a hook that might tie in with the above adventure, Imaskari ruins lead to a demiplane where ancient items summoned by the nation of wizards were stored for safekeeping. Inside this demiplane is an umbral blot (ELH pg 223) which was last instructed to seek out and destroy the servants and manifestations of the gods themselves, at a time when the Imaskari were trying to defend against the deities of their stolen servants.
The umbral blot will move from Raurin destroying ancient temples, perhaps large swaths of Mulhorandi or Untheric troops, but it will continue to move northward. Eventually, when the blot finds Chessenta, it will be found by cultists of Entropy, and the blot will find its “true” calling. While it never speaks, it will make known that it seeks to destroy the temples and preists of Tchazzar and Tiamat in the region, and many rebels rally around the newly invigorated faith.
Several things can happen at this point. Eventually the umbral blot can simply turn on the rebels, destroying them with impunity and showing itself to be a threat to all, or perhaps sages can point out to the PCs, or they can discover themselves, that the blot's purpose is to destroy all divine agents and signs. They may act directly against it, or they may find out that the Imaskari created an epic version of a Talisman of the Sphere that can control an umbral blot, but to find this talisman, they must venture back into the demiplane that the Imaskari used to hold the umbral blot.
(Once inside the demiplane of storage, it would be possible for the PCs to run into experiments of the Imaskari that delt with the Far Realm, and thus introduce Uvuudaum [ELH pg 224] or pseudonatural creatures [ELH pg 211]. In fact the psuedonatural creatures could now serve the Uvuudaum in its prison plane) |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 02 Feb 2007 : 02:53:39
The King is Dead, Long Live the King: Cultists of Set have traveled to the Astral Plane and stolen the congealed blood of dead gods for use in a rite to bring a god touched being back to life. The God Kings of Mulhorand for long years were the recepticals, in mortal forms, of the gods of Mulhorand. One of the god kings, a host for the power of Set, was mummified, and his body is interred in the wastes of the Raurin desert.
The ancient god king is reborn as a hunefer (ELH page 198), and he an army of the dead from the interred followers of Set to besige his old nation. The army of undead marches on Mulhorand and threatens to tip the balance of power in that nations war with Unther.
The PCs might just be wandering when they happen upon the army, or they may be mercenaries workin in Mulhorand themselves, and asked to investigate this improbable tale. The PCs might also be helping the forces in Unther, and the Untheric rebels wish to see if trouble really is brewing for Mulhorand.
Not only does this afford the chance to fight against an epic level threat of undead, but depending on how you wish to resolve this Mulhorand/Unther war, this threat might be seen as big enough to cause the two warring factions to find at least a temporary peace to face it. This kind of adventure might give the PCs the chance to do some negotiating between the warring parties, as well as give them the chance to ride at the head of an army facing down the unthinkable. |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 02 Feb 2007 : 02:52:50
The Shape of Things to Come: Various local rulers and important personages report being attacked by a power thing of indeterminate origin that does horrible amounts of damage to any guardians that they might have. When questioned, no one can give a good description of the assailant, except to say that the monster was large and constantly fluid of form. The creatures are able to plow through small armies of retainers and walk away nearly unscathed.
In reality, the assailants are hagunemnon (ELH pag 196), powerful shapeshifters that have been coopted by the Maulagrym. In reality, entire merchant caravans, knightly patrols, and the like are being destroyed and replaced by Maulagrym, but the hagunemon take the brunt of the attacks, and are being coerced by the Malaugrym so that the powerful of Faerun don't suspect their involvement.
The PCs might be hired as bodyguards themselves, and they may have to face a defeat a protean, only to find out that other caravans or retinues have been assaulted elsewhere. Eventually upon tracking down another one of the creatures, it may actually communicate to the that they have been poisoned with an axiomatic poison devised by the Maulagrym, which, if they don't work for the Maulagrym, will cause them to solidify in form, a fate worse than death to a protean.
Not only does this afford the PCs a chance to track down the permanent antidote themselves, it gives them a reason to travel the Plane of Shadows, to fight Maulagrym and other shadow creatures there, and to track down the important persons that “survived” the assaults before they take over even more influential personalities. |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 02 Feb 2007 : 02:52:07
Supremecy Gone Awry: A cabal of Elder Orbs gather the requisite spells and reagents for a ritual to transform the Hive Mother of their colony into the ultimate expression of their race, a being of such surpassing dominance that other beholder colonies will not be able to do anything but surrender in the face of the perfect expression of the beholder form.
In truth, the Elder Orbs mange to change their Hive Mother into a Gibbering Orb (Epic Level Handbook page 191), which then proceedes to “grant their wish” by proving its supremecy. It goes on a rampage, proving that it is above other beholderkin, starting with its own home colony.
PCs may hear of beholder activity in an area that has connections to the Underdark, and when they investigate, eventually they may find a path of destruction that leads to the Gibbering Orb. Alternately, one of the Elder Orbs might actually decide to bargain with the PCs and fill them in on what exactly has happened.
As a twist, the PCs might find out that the Gibbering Orb has arrived in areas controlled by the Zhentarim and has viciously attacked their beholder allies, and the Zhentarim offer to aid the PCs in hunting down the beast, reasoning with them that the creature is a threat to every living soul near it, not just the Zhentarim and their beholder allies.
Finally, the Gibbering Orb might end up tracking down and attacking spectators that are bound to temples of Helm, and the church gladly proclaims a crusade to hunt down and destroy the abomination. PCs might be hired by the temple to aid in this endevor, or might be allied to the church and asked to take up this quest on their behalf. |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 02 Feb 2007 : 02:51:18
A Little Piece of Home: Gargauth, despite becoming a god in his own right, wants to rule the Nine Hells. Since this is, even for a god, a long term goal, he has set in motion a plan that will allow him to work toward gaining his future title of Lord of Hell. Gargauth has had nine children, each one with a powerful fiend, and each child is an Infernal (Epic Level Handbook page 164).
Gargauth has set his children a task. They have stolen several plane warping artifacts, and created nine towers. Each tower acts as a gate into a newly formed demi plane, which is strikingly similar to the environs of Avernus, the first layer of Hell. With each soul that is bound in a pact with Gargauth or his children, with each soul that comes to inhabit this new demi plane, the plane becomes more “real,” and eventually his plan is to “shift” the entire plane into the Hells, supplanting whatever was there before hand.
This is not a goal that will be easily accomplished, nor something that Gargauth plans on bringing to fruition in the next few thousand years, but it is a steady, long term goal. None of his children can leave their towers or the demiplane, and each must guard their artifact or the demiplane will begin to fall apart.
The PCs might find out about this when the Church of Kelemvor realizes that souls bound to Gargauth are not coming to the Fugue Plane, but going directly to the demiplane that Gargauth's children maintain. Rightful claim or not, this is a violation of the standard actions of the gods in these matters, and Kelemvor's clergy will not hear of it.
The PCs might also find a random portal from where the towers were originally anchored to Toril, and travel to the demiplane themselves, only to stumble upon the horrid plan that is unfolding slowly before them. It might also be that a relatively famous or important personage has been tricked into a bargain with Gargauth, and that person's family or organization has hired the PCs to follow their soul into the demiplane.
The PCs might initially wander into the plane, or come to save (or at least find out the disposition of) a particular soul, but then find out the depth of the plan going on, and thus plan several other forays into the demiplane, until they finally slay enough of Gargauth's children and disable enough of the artifacts to cause the plane to collapse in on itself.
Gargauth, for his part, has many other plans afoot, and is not overly counting on this particular one to work, although he would be delighted if it does. Neither is he particularly loyal to his children, and will not directly come to their aid if they are assaulted (if they were worthy heirs, they would be able to preserve their father's domain, would they not?).
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| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 02 Feb 2007 : 02:50:30
Welcome to the Machine: Just before the Time of Troubles, Gond was working on a particularly complex and singularly powerful machine, but when he was summoned to the Cynosure, he left his machine nearly complete, and assembled in his domain. When Gond and the other gods were hurled from the Heavens, the resulting surge of power activated the still domant machine, and it was thrown into the planes by the upheaval.
For years the machine (an anaxim from the Epic Level Handbook, page 158), has been traveling the planes looking for its “father,” trying to receive praise for its superior performance in every perameter designed by the god of artifacers. Unfortunately the anaxim traveled extensively in the Abyss and other planes of chaos, and soon became upset with Gond for abandoning his “masterpiece.”
Gond himself had never realized that the machine was activated, assuming it had been destroyed when he was cast from the Heavens. Then the anaxim found its way to Toril. Angry at Gond for abandoning it, it has begun to systematically destroy shrines and temples to the Wonderworker, and particularly targets grand feats of engineering that it can sense were created by priests of its “father.”
Now that Gond is aware of its existance, he has sent dream messages to many of his high priests to try to capture or incapacitate the machine if possible, and if not, to make short work of it and to preserve its remains and to make a study of its construction once it has been dispatched.
PCs might encounter the machine at random, attacking a newly designed and constructed ship or castle, or a temple to Gond. One of them may be a cleric of Gond that recieves the dream vision to preserve the anaxim if possible. For an extended campaign, the church may hire the adventurers to hunt down the anaxim as it is beyond their ability to subdue. Perhaps it has just attacked a temple to Gond on the Sword Coast (possibly in Baldur's Gate), and after the priests managed to drive it off, it set off for Lantan to dismantle the entire island. This might be a good excuse to have the PCs visit the isolated island and even be welcomed there as heroes, if they can stop the anaxim before it causes too much damage.
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