| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
 Posted - 30 Jun 2006 : 08:52:52
|
Until now I've basically been discussing lore and mayhap ask the odd question about a specific topic...
now here 'tis: the campaign I run.
Power level: it depends, the items the characters own are at times very powerful, whereas the characters themselves are in their intermediate levels and will remain slowly rising if I have any say in that (which I do). Fortunately the players don't want to breeze through levels themselves.
Time frame: the game started roughly at 1363 DR and we are now in the beginning of 1366 DR.
Adventuring: So far it has basically been a string of seperate adventures with onlyone common theme: the adventurers.
The party: the nucleus of the group consist of one human(mulan), a shield dwarf(Citadel Adbar), and a drow. These three have been in the group since the beginning. The rest (another human(Chondathan), a moon elf(from Evermeet), and a svirfneblin(Blingenstone)) joined later. During their adventures the nucleus had several members whom they picked up and who left along the way.
The members in both the old AD&D 2nd and D&D 3.5 versions:
Mulhorandi (AD&D) scrivener (wiz7/priest7) (3.5) priest1/wiz8/warwiz1
Adbar dwarf (AD&D) fighter 8, (3.5) barb1/ftr6/battlerager1
drow (AD&D) ftr6/priest7 (Eilistraee), (3.5) ftr2/clr7/sworddancer1
human (AD&D) ranger 8, (3.5) ranger 8
svirfneblin (AD&D) ftr6/rog7 (I think), (3.5) thief7 (courtesy of yours truly and the ECL)
Moon elf (AD&D) ranger8, (3.5) ftr7/peerless archer1 (a change of concept brought this about)
A very well mixed group of superb players. Sometimes they, especially the scrivener's player, astonish me in the ways how they work spells and do their tactics. They are a rough bunch as well, yet they are quite able to grace even a regular social encounter.
Supporting character: Dhumagahoin, lovingly called Hoiny by the dwarf who wields it, well...sometimes it seems Hoiny is wielding the dwarf, since this ancestral dwarven artifact is mentally quite more capable than its wielder. Both Hoiny and the dwarf make a good duet when it comes to singing songs about long noses when they want to annoy the svirfneblin.
My DMing style has, until recently, been to string various adventures together and call it a campaign. Well, that in itself is the basic definition of campaign, but since players in general, at least in my experience, never do what you want them to and I've given up guiding them in any way, I usually have two or three ideas upon which I can expand. I also weave little hints of other things into the adventures which the characters may or may not pick up.
Currently the group is exploring an ancient Netherese laboratory in which Lord Shadow first experimented with and researched the plane of shadow (thanks Kuje!). So far they helped a bunch of orc/shade-hybrids out of their misery and discovered various quasi-magic items, which naturally do not work anymore. They also traveled a quick way through the plane of shadow from the initial staging point of the laboratory in the foothills of the Nethermountains a day south of Silverymoon to the real laboratory deep under the Nether Mnts. There will not be much of anything left in the lab, and since it lies in a dead magic zone the containment fields that held various shadow creatures have failed.
What happens then, I have no idea.
The entire set-up is from a player's perspective meant to introduce us all to 3.5, and in the FR it also gives me the opportunity to foreshadow (no pun intended) the return of Shade.
What lies in the future?
A plot to disrupt the forming of the Silver Marches, an angry drow house striking back at their least liked daughter(which has been happening on and off), the war in Cormyr, naturally the emergence of Kelemvor, the Fall of Zhentil Keep...and more.
All in all I want to give my players more freedom...no wait, actually I demand of them that they decide their own path, I'm tired of doing the "a mysterious man approaches you and offers you money to do such and such" ploy in all its colors.
If you wanna know more...ask! 
|
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
Edited by - Mace Hammerhand on 27 Jul 2006 11:24:13
|
|
|
Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2006 : 09:35:43
|
quote:
Originally posted by Mace Hammerhand
All in all I want to give my players more freedom...no wait, actually I demand of them that they decide their own path, I'm tired of doing the "a mysterious man approaches you and offers you money to do such and such" ploy in all its colors.
If you wanna know more...ask!
That is a very good approach ( I would love to dm in similar ways) - but as I have said in some other thread before: some players are not that much in the realms to know there way around or are just not willing and able to pic up those "given" hints. |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
 |
|
|
Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2006 : 09:44:05
|
| I told them that I am tired to make their choices for them and they should learn a little bit (of course not more than I know or even coming close to that level) about the world etc. My way is to put hints here and there, add some general knowledge if needed, and thankfully my players do keep detailed logs by now, since I refuse to repeat names if they did not pay attention. |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
|
|
|
Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2006 : 13:54:26
|
The problem for my campaign is that it is likely to happen that a month or two go by until we find a time to meet again. Most players have forgotten the big points of that day by than. So, instead of having the players summing up last game sessions events
(a custom my former DMs always used and I always disliked, because mostly only a bunch of useless information came forth like: we went to that castle, or was it a citadel? and killed that old mage, or was it a fighter? and than of course we got *listing of all magical items gained*)
I do that now by writing a story of those events (in 3rd person) and reading it to them. That works fine and the players always enjoy it. However, they hardly ever take notes and if they do they always draw the wrong conclusions out of them. For example, the wizard in my group believes to be a chosen of Mystra! AAHHHH - very frustrating. but what the heck...
Maybe I should refuse repeating major details as well? I will think of that. |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
|
|
|
Arkhaedun
Senior Scribe
869 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2006 : 16:33:18
|
| Its always interesting to hear about someone's campaign, especially if they take the time out give the rest of us details. I look forward to reading anything that you care to share Mace. Sounds like an interesting campaign, especially since its spanned 2nd/3rd/3.5. |
|
|
|
Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2006 : 16:49:20
|
Actually I skipped 3rd edition completely, we started around 2001/2002 with 2nd edition since at the time I wasn't really happy with 3rd. After several years of playing and me being more and more drained after each session because of keeping track in my mind where everyone was in combat and far too many arguments about basically nothing, I first decided to develop my own movement system, since I never really used the old 2nd edition. Push came to shove and I said, why not use the combat/movement rules of 3.5 since I loved TOEE and the way the game handled the rules.
So, basically the first step was to read the combat rules of 3.5 and implement them. While reading them I got the feeling that, judging by the personal development of the characters and the accessibility of the rules, a change was needed. I discussed it with my players and they agreed. So basically I eased them into 3.5 by playing the last adventure (Dark Clouds Gather) with the combat system of 3.5 and miniatures. Everybody was so hyped and excited about the combat because for the first time they saw their band facing twenty monsters that they didn't want to quit playing until everyone only had a few hours to sleep until they went to work! Plus I didn't have a headache anymore, so I knew I was doing something right.
Now, with the shadow-dungeon-crawl we had our first 3.5 game and although I read the rules beforehand I am still learning, along with my players. After the first few skill rolls they immediately saw the advantage, some players comparatively new to 2nd edition never got the hang of rolling high or low, with the new rules even us old hands have to admit that it is so very much easier.
The danger that people will start character-builds, which in itself I think is an abomination, is nonexistant since all of us have been growing up with the old ways and it makes more sense to all of us to stick to one's guns. |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
|
|
|
Bluenose
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
134 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2006 : 18:00:19
|
| It looks like an interesting campaign with an imaginative group of players. What particularly interested me was that you skipped 3rd edition as my group did. We haven't found it quite so easy to slip into as you seem to. Have the miniatures been a real advantage? It does seem that 3/3.5 benefit from a "tactical" approach, where in 2nd edition you would have to make rule judgements. We've got plenty of miniatures - a legacy from various wargames that we play - and can easily obtain more. Do you need a map-grid, or can you manage without? It's actually the combat rules of 3.5 that we find hardest to deal with, so if this would help I'm very much going to try it. |
These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when earth's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling
And took their wages and are dead.
Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood, and earth's foundations stay;
What God abandoned, these defended,
And saved the sum of things for pay. |
|
|
|
Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2006 : 18:17:41
|
The grid/mini setup helped me as the GM tremendously, no more bleedin' calls of "Oh they are in melee, well I won't throw the fireball then."
Once you use the grid/mini setup the rules become pretty obvious, although I will prolly switch to the facing rules from Unearthed Arcana pretty quickly, I like the realism.
You should get a map grid since the rules are set up that way, I suggest what I use, not the cumbersomoe big-ass roll up maps... try this:
http://www.steelsqwire.com/prod01.htm |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
|
|
|
Bluenose
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
134 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2006 : 18:59:00
|
Thanks then. I'll give it a try. And I've seen soemthing like that in my FLGS, so I'll pick one up this weekend.  |
These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when earth's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling
And took their wages and are dead.
Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood, and earth's foundations stay;
What God abandoned, these defended,
And saved the sum of things for pay. |
|
|
|
Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2006 : 11:39:08
|
Well, 2 days of 3.5 gaming have passed...hints were dropped, some group infighting...to the details.
During the Time of Troubles a Dead Magic zone came into being in the mountains near Anauroch, forgot the name atm, but oh well... These mountains contained a secret lab built by Tanthul; Lord Shadow. His earlier experiments were kept there in stasis, and since he did not want to be discovered by his peers Lord Shadow planted the entrance to the lab in the Nether Mountains, south east of Silverymoon. He could reach the lab through a gate/path through the plane of shadow.
Due to the dmz the dstasis fields were disrupted the experiments escaped. The gate/pathway way designed to either function only for beings of lesser power and/or by use of a command word. The orc/shade-hybrids, being low in personal power, escaped to the Nether mountains, the shadowbeast Tanthul used as "mother" for the mergings and a half-crazed proto-shade could not, since the gate lay beyond the dmz.
Tanthul was so cruel as to keep the perceptions active while in stasis...
Enter the party.
The party's wizard recognized the shadow weave...he basically explained what went on to his party members, and aside from being hunted by the mother-shadow, the mad proto-shade promised them spells should they help him to escape. The wizard wanted the notes left in the library to be transported to Suzail to be analyzed there, while the rest of the party wanted them destroyed. Neither group really wanted to help the proto-shade.
Things got heated...wizard clashed with his fellow adventurers and the big-ass showdown I had planned for the party to go against the proto-shade did not come to pass since I had to prevent the party from tearing itself apart...
Enter the shade hunters (don't ask me for the organization, I know it exists, but I tend to forget some things). A group of ten people entered the dungeon as well and while the party slept set about burning the library and destroying all of the netherese artifacts. They also set about to kill the proto-shade and aided the party in killing the mother-shade.
Only a few notes remained in the wizard's possession, and those he brought to Vangey to be studied and analyzed.
Thus: due to the lack of unity the events of Shade's return will come to pass unhindered since most of the knowledge accumulated in the library has been lost.
As for the party's unity...we'll see what happens.
Next up: my Realms interpretation and updating of the old "Ravager of Time" module...I'll post my notes here in the future. |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
|
|
|
Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2006 : 14:46:27
|
It has been a while, but o well...
My Realms. Are powerful...rather populated by the powerful and it goes on without the characters doing anything, and they realize it. If they want to change something they have to work for it. However, their actions have already caused certain reactions.
During one trip through the Underdark they made a deal with the Sceptered One whois already prepping his Scoured Legion. The party had to buy their passage through his "domain". With magic weapons nonetheless. Actually they promised to purchase lots of them for Kanyrr. And buy them they did, in the only place that could provide several hundred minor magical swords on comparatively short notice: Waterdeep. Of course they couldn't buy the swords unnoticed, and the Harpers, especially Khelben, became curious. This action will also have future consequences. Especially since Khelben helped them purchase the weapons.
What is curious is that they try to worm their way through the founing of Luruar/Silver Marches, trying to "help". It always makes me chuckle, BUT they have managed to talk to Harbromm and avail themselves to help during his campaign to reclaim Felbarr, a thing that still is in the future.
This have been planted and will, eventually, bear fruit.
Oh and the sworddancer of Eilistraee already managed to get Cyric's attention, by cursing his name while the party interrogated a Cyric worshipper. When the avatar appear, in image and sound only, they all were scared witless. (All means both players and characters!!) The only thing Cyric told them not to insult him, then he encouraged them to carry on their mental torment of the captive... we'll see how that will work out in the future. That all of them actually helped torturing the prisoner already caused the priests to loose their spellcasting abilities ... and a sacrifice to the respective gods.
Now to the current adventure: Ravager of Time (old AD&D module: I8) adapted to 3.5
The adventure basically deals with a stupid researcher falling in love with the myth of a tragic sorceress who was killed by her husband several centuries ago.
The original adventure, like all of the I modules back in the 80s, wasn't set in any specific world. Thus I placed the Ffenargh, the swamp where the entire thing takes place, in the Trollmoors. Eylea, the good guys' stronghold, became Watcher's Eye, a remote stronghold of Tyr's and Helm's. The settlements in the Ffenargh are more or less places where peat cutters live. Most of the locations haven't changed, however, I did turn the area map upside down and placed the area of the swamp at the southern end of the Trollmoors.
The characters were asked to go to Watcher's Eye and help with an investigation by an old Paladin companion of theirs. Upon arrival they found out, after killing a guardian demon, that a relic had been stolen, but for what reason wasn't apparent. When the murder trial began, the defender claimed his right to install a Jury of Inquisition. Some archaic method of truth finding. The Jury had to find the culpit within 30 days or the persecuter would be executed and the defendant would go free.
The entire thing, murder etc, has been orchestrated by the old sorceress that has been reawakened by the foolish historian, who incidentally is also the murderer. Which is kinda the truth. When the sorceress was revived an ancient and evil ritual she had begun before her husband killed her was finished, and Nuala, the sorceress's name, gained the power of Lifebane. Lifebane a) granted the wielder the ability to prolog her own life by draining the lifeforce of others, b) created youthful copies of the victims under the wielder's control, c) aged the victims to venerable age, and let the victims age 1 year per days afterward.
Her plan was to lure powerful adventurers into her trap, make dublicates of them, and use the young dublicates to gain control of the area.
For my group the events have already progressed that far. As of Sunday 19:30 CET their characters are all granpas and granmas now and quite doddery...
and my players confirmed again what a bastard I am...music to the ears of every DM!
Edit: especially since I played Adam's Wrath with them 2 years ago and transplanted thei characters' brains into fleshgolems! 
Yes, I *am* a bastard. |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
Edited by - Mace Hammerhand on 17 Oct 2006 14:49:47 |
|
|
|
Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 20 Nov 2006 : 11:40:39
|
Another update:
The grandpa gang stirred into action, snivveling, drooling, complaining. Yes, it was that bad, and it was fun! Every character received physical and mental flaws due to old age. Two were hard of hearing, two (the casters!) were so easily distracted that they have a 30% chance of forgetting to finish casting their spells, one was fatalistic and had to get dragged along the way.
I usually don't like too much ingame fooling around but this day it had to be this way... a bunch of old and cranky adventurers, well past their prime, made their way through the trollmoors. Their was a lot of complaining, bickering and whatnot, at least none of them had a weak bladder!
The party found out that they had been duped from the beginning and now are moving to find the big bad witch...and to kill their younger duplicates so that they will regain their true age.
Not much else to say, but I thought I keep you updated.
Cheers |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
|
|
|
Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jun 2008 : 19:33:59
|
Wow, more than 18 months since I last posted anything new on the bugger. But here it is:
A LOT happened, to say the least, party members/players left, or characters bit the dust.
Let me take this step by step...
the toothless-brigade managed, in an epic fight against their younger twins (entangle and brambles are the archer's best friends!) to regain their youth. It would have been more interesting had the wizard's phantasmal killer not succeeded, but such is life. Bottom-line was their rejuvination, like there ever was any doubt.
Then, without their trusty warwizard who is still quite busy in Cormyr, the group chanced upon and old Tomb (of Horrors), which I conveniently placed in the trollmoors as well. And... they almost succeeded. It wasn't a TPK, more like a SGTK a single gnomish thief kill and the following resurrection of said svirfneblin AND a not so well worded wish. The wish's intention was to restore the gnome's level, and the wording was not bad, if it hadn't been the group NOT claiming the year, instead just saying the 21st of Mirtul. Being a little malicious (on the geenie's part, of course!) I granted the wish, only that their trusted svirfneblin companion was now an 8th level thief in a 10 year old svirfneblin's body. Pint sized thief, quite literally. After that mis-spelled wish debacle the group had had enough of the tomb... about 2 doors from the great treasure, but such is life.
Then they tried to decide what to do with the svirf. The battlerager suggested picking him into a backpack and taking him out whenever needed, the human ranger (my sister who is almost as malicious as I am) suggested selling the poor chap to a traveling circus (or worse!), while the elven ranger was still undecided on that matter. Finally the drow priestess put her boot down (followed by her shapely leg, of course) and sent the little guy to the Promenade to serve Eilistraee for services rendered (meaning the resurrection). I must admit, though, with all the nonsense going on, my sister cackling with glee, the gnome's player actually performing her 10 year old character, and the dwarf constantly trying to put the little fella into his bag of holding it was a blast!!!
After that we went off searching for a player to replace the marvelous/ingenious/sometimes annoying/always a diva player and to get a new wizard into the group. We got two players, one a wizard/spellcaster, the other a (now deceased!) scout.
Then we set off into the Fortress of the Hill Giant Chief... and the first of, already, many epic battles... I kinda was afraid that 36 giants against this group would be too much, but tactical advantage and superior firepower saved the day!
The group so far consists of:
drow ftr2/clr 7/swrddcr 3
dwarf brb 1/ftr 6/(Tom Costa's) Battlerager 5
human ranger 12
elf ranger 9/peerless archer 3 (again a change in concept, but who cares)
human rogue 12
human wiz 5/sorc 1/ultimate magus 6
and up until today, courtesy of a massive crit damage from an ogre club, a human scout 12
I'll tell more later...I think |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
|
|
|
Pandora
Learned Scribe
Germany
305 Posts |
Posted - 01 Aug 2008 : 12:06:54
|
quote:
Originally posted by Mace Hammerhand
... if they did not pay attention.
Kinda reminds me of the beginning of "The Gamers" ...
quote:
Originally posted by Mace Hammerhand
The grandpa gang ...
We had been captured once by a powerful MU (1st ed) and got transformed into "funny monsters":
- I was a "Turtle" with humanoid hands as feet and eyes on long eyestalks (actually nice because I could put the component for the Strength spell - bull dung - on top of the turtle shell),
- one other was humanoid, but with very strong legs and a really weak upper body,
- one other was the opposite of the above,
- two others were a kind of humanoid Ettin "It's all your fault" ...
All in all a funny adventure. |
If you cant say what youre meaning,
you can never mean what youre saying.
- Centauri Minister of Intelligence, Babylon 5 |
Edited by - Pandora on 01 Aug 2008 12:15:00 |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Mace's little campaign...updated
