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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
 Posted - 01 Apr 2005 : 17:06:20
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I was just wondering if anyone else has some thoughts on good ideas for Epic level adventures and high level adventures in the Realms. My first planned high level items are a modified version of the Githyanki invasion from Dragon/Dungeon, and taking the PCs to visit Greyhawk and Sigil and tie it all together. I was kicking around a rogue Shade Arcanist opening up a cerbrotic blot on the edge of Anauroch, as well as having the PCs have to chace down a chronomancer that goes back to Myth Drannor to learn some things he shouldn't.
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Snotlord
Senior Scribe
Norway
476 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2005 : 20:28:33
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FR is perfect of Epic play, and I have myself run an Amn campaign up to 25th level with some success. I have no ideas for the story you describe, but I have worked on a basic plot for my current Cormyr campaign that may help you to broaden the scope of your story. It goes something like this:
The events in “the Storm Lord’s Keep”, see Dungeon 93, affects the shadovar because Shade likes to keep an eye on everything that flies and because the Storm Lord in a potential ally or enemy. The Storm Lord may not like the changing weather patterns on the borders of Anauroch.
Talos sees the shadovar experiment as a chance to expand his power and has sent his clerics subtly hassle adventurers in Cormyr and the Harpers to keep them occupied while he waits for the shadovar and Talos’ enemies to destroy each other.
The clerics of Talos and shadovar excavation teams (see Lords of Darkness) are looking for the tomb of the long-forgotten storm giant king in the Storm Horns, and both groups triggers avalanches throughout the Year of Wild Magic.
Not much yet, but there it is. Anyway, your story about the rogue shadovar arcanist sounds very interesting, so please tell us more as your story develops. I for one would like to hear it.
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Crust
Learned Scribe
USA
273 Posts |
Posted - 03 Apr 2005 : 01:34:12
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I'm running an epic level campaign set in the Dales and beyond. I recently exhausted the githyanki invasion materials, and we recently completed Vlaakith's palace and a large-scale battle on Tunarath itself. I used the Prison of the Firebringer, pieces from City of the Spider Queen, the old Return to the Tomb of Horrors box, and the paired Dragon/Dungeon githyanki invasion materials, along with the Tunarath web enhancement. I posted this last summer:
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My group is currently between 15th and 21st level, and they have the githyanki city of Tunurath (sp?) awaiting them, and the Lich-Queen herself.
The campaign is set in the Dalelands, specifically Shadowdale and Daggerdale. Vlaakith struck a bargain with a trio of phaerimm sorcerers from Ooltul (they wanted no part of Evereska or the Shades), and those phaerimm amassed an army of orcs, ogres, bugbears, beholders and a number of dragons to lay seige to The Tower of Ashaba, simultaneously attacking Castle Daggerdale and Daggerfalls. Then the githyanki arrived en masse in their huge astral ships, and red dragons came when called. Randal Morn was captured, and Castle Daggerdale and Daggerfalls fell under the control of the githyanki. The efforts of the Knights of Myth Drannor and my PCs helped save Mourngrym from assassination, and the Tower of Ashaba beat back the army. This was all happening while Elminster was under the heel of Nergal. Only later did he return, and then he and other archwizard mentors of my PCs were wrapped up in spell duels against the phaerimm. It was up to the PCs to save the day.
Vlaakith's aims weren't known yet, but she was searching Faerun for the secrets of soul gems, the doorway to demi-lichdom. Should her ascent to godhood fail or take longer than expected, her transition to demi-lichdom would increase her power ten fold. Her attentions are turned toward Myth Drannor, of course. Her search begins there, but she must control the surrounding area first. She learns of a being known as Acererak, a demi-lich half-fiend who rests somewhere in the eastern Dales. The party elf wizard and gnome sorcerer cast multiple legend lores and other divination spells to learn of Vlaakith and her plans. Many Harper agents, elves, and folk of the Dales helped to gather information as well, especially those in or near Daggerdale.
The PCs dogged every move of the githyanki. They thwarted the githyanki's attempts to free the mighty Bazim-Gorag, the Firebringer (from Dungeon #101), thereby avoiding the rampage of a very powerful slaad lord. They helped beat back another attack against Shadowdale, this time consisting of not just orcs, but githyanki warriors, knights, and warlocks, reinforced by astral frigates and a few red dragons. The PCs aided Elminster in the destruction of two of the three phaerimm sorcerers. They aided in the seige of Daggerfalls and help to retake the city, killing two adult red dragons, and when the githyanki attacked again, the PCs helped defend the walls of Dagger Falls. They freed Randal Morn from the Tethyamar mines and freed hundreds of Dalelands people from the mines. They sought out and slew the great dragon Scarlagora, an ancient female red wyrm, thereby destroying another powerful githyanki ally. They led the seige of Castle Daggerdale, a seige that lasted for four 6-hour gaming sessions, slaying Kurgoth Hellspawn (City of the Spider Queen), the death knight Dhuron Ilstryn, and the commander of the Dalelands githyanki forces, Skeelthraki. The PCs are heroes, obviously.
The PCs currently seek Acererak's tomb, hoping to destroy the demi-lich before Vlaakith can claim his powers and rise further in power. The PCs struck a deal with the necromancers guarding the tomb, thereby allowing them free run of the Tomb and beyond, knowing that the human necromancers will keep the githyaki from the Tomb, as they had to do once in the past. A few radical necromancers will betray the PCs, allowing the githyanki to persue them. I'll soon be sending the group to Tunurath, and from there to Sussurus, Vlaakith's castle on the Astral Plane. Before then, however, they'll have to contend with the seneschal of Tunurath, a 52-HD advanced great wyrm red dragon named Gnarlagon.
Once (if) Vlaakith is destroyed, then the fully epic PCs will seek out the wizards who betrayed them and slay them all. That should be fun.
The battle on Tunarath was unbelievable. The highlight was when Vlaakith gated in a balor and sent him after the party barbarian/fighter, who was leading the ground fources. He smote the balor's head from its shoulders, and the resulting explosion was quite a sight, though the heroic barbarian survived the blast. Sussurus was also a lot of fun. The final encounter against Vlaakith (they fought her on three separate occasions throughout her castle) was a four-hour fight.
Each member of the group is now over 20th level. I have them delving back into the ruins of Castle Grimstead. Three arch-wizards (one a lich) have used what little of Acererak's life force remains to recreate the Dark Intrusion (described in the Return to the Tomb of Horrors box) beneath Grimstead. These three necromancers are three of the surviving wizards who betrayed the PCs as is explained above. With the aid of an ancient vampire lord, these powerful spellcasters have ressurected Acererak in the form of an atropal, which is the focal point for the Dark Intrusion.
The PCs are currently battling their way through hordes of undead, making their way to the lowest levels of Grimstead, hoping to find the source of the Dark Intrusion. The true foe is not the atropal or the necromancers, but the vampire lord, the Blood Elder, who is ancient beyond the years of even the lich. He is a human/half-fiend vampire sorcerer 13/blood magus 10/cleric of Loviatar 8/master vampire 3 who lairs in the Blood Pit, a multi-level den of awful pit traps, blood vats, torture chambers (served by kytons and vampire/clerics of Loviatar), and the Blood Pit itself, which is a massive cavern flooded with the blood of the Elder's victims and anyone who falls victim to the lair's many traps. The ghastly atropal rests in the Blood Pit, partially submerged in blood, served by motherly kytons, blood animotes, penengallans, and vampire clerics of Loviatar. The Elder swims in the blood, below the surface, using true strike along with its draining touches and awaken blood abilities, only casting crippling spells when necessary. Should the atropal be destroyed, the Elder will escape through a portal beneath the surface of the blood that leads to the Barrens of Doom and Despair, where the PCs must go to finally destroy the Elder (there's history here, obviously).
The Barrens should prove to be an excellent epic proving ground. I'll have a dizzying swarm of varrangions serving the Elder, and once the PCs exit the main cave, the full expanse of the Barrens will lie before them. I'll probably have a few pit fiends descend... have the group witness some random fiendish horrors, before they get wrapped up in a Blood War battle where they have to fight for their lives... have the Elder stalk them while they stalk him... etc. etc. We'll see what happens.
That, of course, is only the very tip of the iceberg. At this point in the campaign, PCs have cohorts, intelligent weapons, epic feats, and a history that is just wonderful. I want to end this campaign and start fresh this fall with a campaign set in Waterdeep.
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"That's right, hurl back views that force ye to think by name-calling - 'tis the grand old tradition, let it not down! Anything to keep from having to think, or - Mystra forfend - change thy own views!"
Narnra glowered at her father. "Just how am I to learn how to think? By being taught by you?"
"Some folk in the Realms would give their lives for the chance to learn at my feet," Elminster said mildly. "Several already have."
~from Elminster's Daughter, Ed Greenwood |
Edited by - Crust on 03 Apr 2005 01:42:10 |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 03 Apr 2005 : 07:06:36
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I was toying with Klauth being bound by one of the Githyanki generals by the red dragon pact, while Klauth sends agents out to some of the regional powers actually warning them that he is under duress and signaling adventurers that he would be very greatful if he could be freed from the pact.
Still a ways off on having to run this. My PCs are still fighting drow in the Dalelands for a while, no where near ready for these plots, but I try to plan ahead. Thanks for a lot of great ideas, and throw some more up here if you have them. |
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Crust
Learned Scribe
USA
273 Posts |
Posted - 03 Apr 2005 : 14:20:19
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| Cool idea using Klauth. You might think about making Klauth somewhat of a strange and dangerous ally for the PCs. I think it's a Will save DC of 35 to resist Vlaakith's scepter. In my campaign, there was no chance that Gnarlagon (a 52-HD colossal+ advanced red dragon) was going to fail that saving throw, so there was an uneasy truce between the great dragon and Vlaakith. The PCs were able to use that uneasiness to their advantage as they assaulted Tunarath. After all, Klauth might not like the idea of serving pathetic githyanki, regardless of whatever pact was made in the past. |
"That's right, hurl back views that force ye to think by name-calling - 'tis the grand old tradition, let it not down! Anything to keep from having to think, or - Mystra forfend - change thy own views!"
Narnra glowered at her father. "Just how am I to learn how to think? By being taught by you?"
"Some folk in the Realms would give their lives for the chance to learn at my feet," Elminster said mildly. "Several already have."
~from Elminster's Daughter, Ed Greenwood |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 03 Apr 2005 : 14:44:57
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Yeah, I am working off of Ed's original articles for Klauth that mention that he is evil, but prone to do things that don't seem part of his nature. There are already a lot of stories floating around my campaign about how Klauth has aided adventurers and has tried to make truces with the Silver Marches, but just so they don't get the wrong idea, there are also a lot of stories of him killing a few Paladins and Silver Dragons as well. He really comes off as a wild card.
As for the rod, I was still working on some kind of "booster" for for Riik'Hranisko (the Githyanki general) to use because his agents have scouted the North and REALLY want to get Klauth. I have even been toying with the idea of the Morume dragons selling Klauth out in exchance for information about how to snare him. Then I have a dragon "gang war" set up for after this scenario plays out. |
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Sorenna_Melruth
Acolyte
24 Posts |
Posted - 03 Apr 2005 : 22:34:03
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Our group is currently going through the Fall of Myth Drannor and it will likely get to Epic levels as we go. Its a fun time line to play in and seems very interesting to boot, since there is not alot of information on it, its exciting to see it develop under these conditions of the party.
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History is written by those who survive such terriable times,and every person is a hero, and every person is a villan it depends on who's telling the tale. |
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Mareka
Learned Scribe
Canada
125 Posts |
Posted - 04 Apr 2005 : 21:39:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Sorenna_Melruth
Our group is currently going through the Fall of Myth Drannor and it will likely get to Epic levels as we go. Its a fun time line to play in and seems very interesting to boot, since there is not alot of information on it, its exciting to see it develop under these conditions of the party.
What edition are you playing this under? |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2005 : 05:46:10
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I'm probably not the person to ask for high level campaign ideas, because things keep getting blown up in my campaign. My players have already destroyed Lantan in an archmage-free-for-all and are currently trying to unleash all kinds of chaos by permanently (well, at least for a while) imprisoning the goddess Shar.
One idea I've been toying with for my other high level group follows: the leader is an elven chronomancer, and quite experienced in leading expeditions into the past for various reasons.
One day, time warps around him. All of the Realms change into something completely different and repugnant. History has been changed, and at the last instant Labelas shielded the character. Now, he's utterly alone, everything he's ever known is gone, and it's his job to change it back.
The main reason I haven't actually done it yet is that the back-work is enormous. I have to figure out what changed (I want one event) and then rework the entire timeline. All of the other PC's would be gone, so instead the chronomancer would have to recruit allies from throughout time, convincing them of the problem and getting them to help (which would be doubly hard, considering that for many of them, if they succeed they cease to exist).
Really, the possibilities are endless, including having a running battle through time as the PC's and villians keep shifting eras as they try to gain a strategic advantage. Hmm, maybe I'm going to have to do it, it sounds fun. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2005 : 05:47:30
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| Oh, and for that time war concept, I'm conviently ignoring the fact that the Chosen of Mystra would likely also be unaffected by the timeline change. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2005 : 06:31:12
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| I was also kicking around the idea of the PCs ending up in an alternate Faerun after they get back from Myth Drannor, and running into an insane, evil Simbul, where she has killed most of the other Chosen. Not sure how to do that though, becuase I don't want them to fight her, just to see what the Realms would be like under these conditions . . . |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36805 Posts |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2005 : 18:31:38
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| Yes. I think that's where the germ started. Well, that and Back to the Future II, and a bunch of Star Trek time travel episodes... I'm an equal opportunity gestalt kind of guy. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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SirUrza
Master of Realmslore
USA
1283 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2005 : 07:57:43
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| Epic level Necromancer Vampire Lord hiding in Waterdeep's City of the Dead, and just guess how much trouble he's causing in there. :) |
"Evil prevails when good men fail to act."
The original and unapologetic Arilyn, Aribeth, Seoni Fanboy. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2005 : 15:42:03
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Considering how many crypts have extra dimentional space the City of the Dead is a pretty good place to base a villain, except that if the cause TOO much trouble then you get the Lords involved.
I used the city myself ealier on as a base for a group of Kir-Lanan that were desecrating as many burial grounds as they could. At first the Lords didn't get involved becuase the individual noble houses were embarrased about the undead coming out of their family plots and didn't want the other nobles to find out about their troubles (hence the hireing of my PCs). |
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SirUrza
Master of Realmslore
USA
1283 Posts |
Posted - 08 Apr 2005 : 01:06:15
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| The Lords did get involved, they asked my adventuring party to help take care of the problem. :) |
"Evil prevails when good men fail to act."
The original and unapologetic Arilyn, Aribeth, Seoni Fanboy. |
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High to Epic Level Campaign Ideas in the Realms
