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Rabilard
Acolyte
USA
23 Posts |
 Posted - 27 May 2004 : 10:02:43
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Hey all. I just started work on a new campaign set in the North of Faerun and wanted to share my ideas with a community. The first thing I should say is, the PCs are all EVIL. And I'm pushing them to be VILE. The party consists of a:
Male Draconic Monk, Lawful Evil
Male Tiefling Fighter (going for Blackguard) L/CE for Bane/Cyric
Female Human Cleric of Loviatar, going for the Maiden of Pain PrC
Human Rogue NE (going for Rogue7/Assassin8/Zhentarim Spy 5)
Mulan Red Wizard (going for Wizard6/Diabolist10/Archmage3/Red Wizard1)
This is the adventures as I've so far set it up (the characters were designed just today, so I started designing today too): One of the rogues contacts in a northern town passed along a potential job offer coming from an authority in Luskan. The party travels there with a caravan (including a bard and his novel writing wizard friend, there for no better reason than to urge the party to commit their first murder) and arrive at the hilltop outside the front gates just as a light rain, possibly the harbinger of true storm, starts up. They get in by showing the seal they recieved and are given a script to pass freely through town. The gateman they speak to, says mysteriously to another guardsman, "We'll want a detail and a 'special.'" The streets are controlled by gangs, ostensibly unknown and unofficially organized by the Five High Captains. The party has to prove their mettle on the streets, though they are shadowed by a patrol of guards and a 'special' (a 6th level fighter/barbarian hand fighter). They get to the inn specified, and wait until an envoy approaches them. Claiming to be a proxy for a wizard in the Hosttower (he doesn't specify Under or Over, and the party might not know to ask), he tells them there's a job available, but it requires a cunning mind and ruthless heart to claim. The party will, hopefully agree. The job is this: A small cell of Moonstars in Waterdeep has arranged for 'something' in a small chest to be transported by caravan to Silverymoon, and there delivered to a minor underling in Alustriels court. The proxy says his master wants the party to capture the chest en route and bring it to him. Is the party willing to do this? IF the party agrees he explains further: The chest is escorted by a Paladin and possibly a subordinate or two that knows it exists. It is needful that all those that know of the chest be killed, and that no one else in the caravan knows that they were singled out. The reason being the Wizard wants no one to know it was ever shipped. TO this end he has already had the cell in Waterdeep killed (it was small, only 5 or 6 members). This requires that a raid be staged on the caravan and in the chaos the escorts are dealt with on the side. The caravan is going by a safe route, so they must have there trail closed to them by avalanche, flooding, or fire. IF the party can capture the Paladin and squeeze out the name of her contact in SIlverymoon, there will be a reward.
Anyway, that's the general adventure as I've scripted it. I was figuring that I'd give the party either a week in Luskan to acquire funds and experience and then be teleported a ways, or have them just march out immediately. The caravan left the city five days before the party arrived in Luskan. The caravan will be stopping at several towns to do trade, so the entire route could take 3 or 4 tendays (I guess, haven't looked at the maps). For adventures in the City of Luskan, one might be for them to steal without bloodshed, a captains papers (what's that word for maps, sounds kind of like rutter I think?). Beyond that I'd have to create the city. For this I was going to use the City Creation tables provided in the DMG 3.5 and the Web Enhancement by David Noonan and James Wyatt. Basically, Luskan has 14,173 citizens which averages to 28 city Districts or so.
Do you the community have any criticisms you'd like to share for this adventure? Any helpful suggestions, including other ideas for adventures in Luskan, things to keep in mind as I build and draw out Luskan, and encounters the Party might have on their wilderness foray? Thanks for reading.
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Sarta
Senior Scribe
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 27 May 2004 : 19:38:42
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My main suggestion would be that you read Cloak and Dagger regarding the Moonstars if you haven't. If I recall correctly, the Mistmaster would be the most prominant member in the North. From the write up there are very few official members, but each of them very likely has quite a few agents and informers working for them without these individuals realizing that they are even doing work for the Moonstars.
Sarta |
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Rabilard
Acolyte
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2004 : 02:52:17
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| Where would I find Cloak and Dagger? Is it a download or something I'll be able to find at a used book store or game store? Also, does the campaign sound alright by you? Anything that I'm obviously betraying in the FR saga? |
By heart and hand |
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Rabilard
Acolyte
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2004 : 03:10:26
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One scene I really want to occur as the party is traveling to attack the caravan is this: Comiing up on some hills the party sees a swarm of circling scavenger birds. As they watch, one swoops down and alights in the area just over the rise. Investigating, the party comes across a scene of slaughter. A troop of dwarves lie about in a small basin amidst the hills. Their bodies are mangled and disfigured by sword and mace, and some look like claws have rent their bodies, pulling flesh from bone. The party can see that their livery sports designs of Sundabar and Moradin. A wagon is overturned and broken amidst the slaughter, and some strange beast with ragged fur and exposed ribs is giving off a great stink as it rapidly decomposes. Crawling up one hill away from the characters, a wounded dwarf tries to get away, making a high pitched keening sound as if his wounds permit nothing else. A huge man in black armor with a black cape crawls after it, and raising a spiked bloody mace, hammers down, crushing the dwarfs head. Again and again he brings it down, with crunching, messy splashes, until finally he stops and rests on the hilt of a massive greatsword dug into the ground. What do you do?
I just want to do this, because the man in black is as you might have guessed, a powerful blackguard of bane. He's terribly wounded, but still has 30 hp and is wearing a small collection of minor magic as well as a masterwork weapons and armor. I want to see if the players will ally with him, or try and kill him for the spoils. If they try, even wounded as he is, I bet the party will suffer a loss or two. |
By heart and hand |
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Rabilard
Acolyte
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2004 : 04:11:08
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| Also, what do you think is in the chest? I was thinking it might be an agreement between the Moonstars and someone in Silverymoon, but that might not make sense as you'd expect others in the Moonstars to know about it. Perhaps a magic item, sent from one cell to aid the people of Silverymoon, or another branch of Moonstars in Silverymoon that was trying to either combat a unique threat, or gain information in Silverymoon. Perhaps it's a contraband item, an evil artifact kind of thing, that the Moonstars hope will be more guarded in the predominantly good society of Silverymoon? Dunno. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. The box for me has the same flavor now as the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. |
By heart and hand |
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Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2004 : 04:14:10
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My best advice is to make sure that your party does not turn on itself...a group of PCs playing evil characters can be tempted to "one-up" another by showing who is the most evil.....and subsequently slaughtering each other.
Plotting and scheming against one another is fine...but the party may degenerate if there is no trust built up(even "forced" trust, i.e.-the party MUST stay together to survive, a geas which prevents them from outright spilling one another's blood, etc.). |
My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
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Rabilard
Acolyte
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2004 : 04:18:21
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| I have some experience with that, it's not going to be a problem. Two things I always found to keep a party together: An overmastering goal that eclipses personal needs for revenge over slights, and an overbearing Authority, such as an organization or single boss. For this adventure, I'm planning on keeping the party guessing so much that they'll never have time to turn on each other. |
By heart and hand |
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Sarta
Senior Scribe
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2004 : 08:44:26
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To my knowledge, Cloak and Dagger is not one of the supplements available for free download. However, it can be downloaded from here for 4.95 US: http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=1599&
You can also most likely find a copy for sale on Ebay, from second party used gaming dealers, and quite possibly still in stock at many gaming shops.
The most obvious thing to be of interest to Moonstars in the Luskan area would be the Arcane Brotherhood. I'd suggest that they have located a book that has been encoded that details either Arcane Brotherhood trade routes and/or bandit activity. The Arcane Brotherhood is well-known to use banditry against opposed merchant caravans. Perhaps these agents are attempting to move the ledger to Silverymoon in order for it to be decoded.
Since this is an introductory adventure, I wouldn't spill the beans on stuff too quickly. I'd have the agents not realize they even work for the Moonstars, but simply know the person they do work for. The chest itself when opened reveals several potions of healing and curing disease safely nestled in moss used as packing material.
If these are removed from the box it is revealed that while the bottom of the inside of the box is flush with the chest's bottom itself there is still a secret bottom which can be removed to reveal a hidden extradimensional cavity. This functions like a very shallow bag of holding being 30 cm X 25 cm X 6 cm deep. Within this extradimensional cavity is the hidden book. A permanent non-detection enchantment has also been used on the box to not reveal its magical nature. The party will undoubtedly find all sorts of uses for this box such as smuggling, but given the limited space won't be able to go crazy with it.
Cheers,
Sarta |
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The Evil Campaign in the North
