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lockdar
Acolyte
Netherlands
18 Posts |
 Posted - 02 Jan 2007 : 08:55:16
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Greetings fellow scribes, I come here today before you to ask for your wisdom in several matters that have come across my path recently.
Me and two of my friends have decided to try something new instead of the usual campaigns that we play. After some discussions we thought about the possibility of playing a campaign centered around the drow and the warfare between the houses in a major Drow city. Ofcourse Menzoberranzan was mentioned as a possible starting point but we haven't yet decided on that. The thing that troubles me the most is figuring out how strong/weak I should make the house that both their characters come from. From the novels I can retrieve some info on the bigger houses and their numbers but the smaller houses remain a mystery to me.
Are there any recources besides Drow of the Underdark, Drizzt's Guide, The Underdark and several novels that I have missed and could be helpfull with this?
My 2nd question would be, has anyone had any experience with this kind of campaign? Out usual session revolve more around doing good and vanquishing evil. I do have some small ideas but nothing more then that unfortunately.
The timeline will be set after the War of the Spider Queen and the characters starts at level 8.
Any help or advice would be very welcome.
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Save yourself a penny for the ferryman. |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2007 : 09:07:52
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| Get the old Menzoberrazan boxset it details all the ruling houses in that city and large sections of city |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2007 : 09:08:59
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The Menzoberranzan box set for the 2ed. has information on many of the city's houses and these can easily be used to develop the houses of other city's. It would be a valuable resource for what you are planning
I am not much of a drowperson, so there is little other advice I can give; sorry. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2007 : 11:39:44
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A couple of DRAGON articles...
"Underdark Animals" from DRAGON #345.
"Fungi of the Underdark" from DRAGON #211 (this is one of my favorite UD articles).
"Dragon's Bestiary: Monsters of the Underdark" from DRAGON #227.
"Dragon's Bestiary: Predators of the Underdark" from DRAGON Annual #1.
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
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Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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lockdar
Acolyte
Netherlands
18 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2007 : 13:26:33
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Ah yes, I completely forgot about that old boxset, looks like I'll have to check if I can download it somewhere for a buck or 2. Thank you.
And after retrieving it I'l have some fun updating it all to the current timeline :)
Also thanks you Sage for those Dragon articles, the only problem is that I never subscribed to Dragon so do you perhaps know of legal place to download them? |
Save yourself a penny for the ferryman. |
Edited by - lockdar on 02 Jan 2007 13:27:48 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2007 : 17:09:54
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The Shadowdale booklet from 2e's campaign box set also has a many pages of underdark material since the adventure in that booklet takes place mostly underground.
There's also the Spider Queen module. Surprised no one mentioned it. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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ShadezofDis
Senior Scribe
402 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2007 : 17:44:51
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One of the interesting things about running a drow based campaign (imo) is the difficulty of running any sort of good character. The way a drow society functions is pretty terrible for those who trust easily or who try and help others.
One of the things I would suggest is the multi-level power play type game.
ie. You start your pc's as minor nobles in lower leveled houses, ie. second or third sons or whatever, and the game revolves around them trying to move up in the house hierarchy (subtly, as the heads of the household have no use for clumsy folks), trying to keep whatever level of power they have and trying to move thier houses up in ranking.
Creates quite a web work, the pc's would have the house resources to use against other houses (assuming they get approval to use the resources, or figure out a way to use some without approval) but when dealing with their siblings they need to remove the siblings support (ie. characters who are under the sibling, their personal guards or hanger ons, sabotage some of their scemes so that the head of the house's opinion of them is lowered, ect)
There is a wealth of oportunity for a "grey" type of campaign (what's right and wrong in a drow society?) or an "evil" campaign but I can't really see a "good" campaign working well in your typical drow society (though it'd be fun to have followers of . . . oh, that dancin goddess, you know who I'm talkin about, try to undermine the clergy of lloth in an attempt to bring more followers to . . . eh, that dancin goddess *g*)
Alright, I'm done rambling, sounds like it could be a killer campaign though :) |
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Thauramarth
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
735 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2007 : 20:28:16
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Also, if you are heading towards downloads from Paizo, the 1st Edition D1-D3 modules (Descent into the Depths of the Earth, Shrine of the Kuo-Toa, Vault of the drow) and Q1 (Queen of the Demonweb Pits) (which were inserted in GDQ1-7 Queen of the Spiders, also available as a download).
Around six-seven years ago, I ran a campaign based on evil drow (six players involved). I used the approach that others have recommended, making them either minor siblings of a minor house in a drow city or their "allies" (as far as that could possibly go). It went reasonably well, until the campaign died down due to people moving in various directions.
The characters' main ambition was to better the standing of their house in the city, and to better their own standing within their house.
As far as adventures ideas are concerned, I mostly ran published adventures (including adventures published in Dragon Magazine), which worked just fine - it was just a matter of twitching things a little bit here and a little bit there. I ran them through the start of the Night Below megacampaign, with just a slight modification to the start: instead of doing things out of the goodness of their heart, they intervened to eliminate a threat to a trade route used by a merchant house front of their noble house, then went in deeper in the hope of gathering magic, servants, allies, and whatnot to help them in the struggle for domination within their house and within the city. Hmmm... being a packrat, I probably have some notes from that time lying around... |
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Hawkfeather
Seeker
Brazil
64 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2007 : 21:19:47
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I ran a (chaotic evil) drow based campaign last year and I tell you: was the most fun and entertaintmented game ever. Both me (as DM) and the players loved it. The Menzomberranzan box set was very valuable, as Drow of the Underdark, The Drizzt's Guide to de Underdark, and the Underdark sourcebook from 3rd edition.
I used the description of the House Millitor, described in the adventure included in the Menzomberranzan box set and created some extra NPCs. The PCs were some of the house's nobles. I used the Shadow Weave instead the wild magic stuff for the house (the adventure states that this house discovered the secrets of wild magic; I just change it to the Shadow Weave).
Here's an advice: ask the players to not create PCs that will probably clash in future due the drow's obsession for station. For example, if two PCs are fighters they'll probably fight for the House's Weaponmaster position. The PCs will never be friends or trust each other (and sometimes one will backstab other) but you must make them feel that if they don't work together their house will loose station or be destroyed.
I really hope that you'll have a great game!! |
Edited by - Hawkfeather on 02 Jan 2007 23:57:27 |
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Wenin
Senior Scribe
585 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2007 : 15:49:44
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The group I'm in has a Drow campaign that is just as you are describing.
- The group is 6 players.
- Everyone played a male character.
- All but one of us played an Evil alignment, but the good guy got turned evil.
- We were all in different houses, from 24th to 60th rank. Most were 24th-35th.
- Some of the houses were aligned with each others, others were not. None of the houses were opposed to each other.
- We were bonded together through a magical contract, that prevented us from backstabbing each other. We signed the bond when we were 30, just before entering the academy, so the GM played it off like we were kinda stupid about what the contract did... so it left it totally to him as to whether we betrayed each other. We never did, so the contract was never a real issue.
- Being all males, and one of us being a Cleric of Vhaerun the campaign turned to a Male vs Female thing.
- The game was originally ran in 2nd Edition
We're now revamping our characters, progressing the storyline 15 more years (end of the contract) and running it in 3rd Edition.
It has been the best game we've ever had. It was filled with political fighting within everyone's houses, we were doing assassination work for various people, and now we have controlling interest in a Drow Outpost near the surface.
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Session Reports posted at RPG Geek.
Stem the Tide Takes place in Mistledale.
Dark Curtains - Takes place in the Savage North, starting in Nesmé. I wrapped my campaign into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but it takes place in 1372 DR. |
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lockdar
Acolyte
Netherlands
18 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jan 2007 : 07:18:28
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Thank you all very much for the advice, it looks like I was planning on moving in the same direction that several others have already chosen. My two players will be cousins and will have to content with several other siblings and family in the house itself. The house will probably be somewhere around 35th-45th so they will have enough competition lurking around.
So far it looks they are willing to advance their own house and try to work their way up in the hierachy.
Their characters will be a rogue and a ranger (no, not like Drizzt thank god) that just graduated from Melee-Magthere, the campaign will kick of with them returning to the house and taking up their (somewhat) rightfull position. |
Save yourself a penny for the ferryman. |
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Zireael
Master of Realmslore
Poland
1190 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2010 : 11:19:50
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
A couple of DRAGON articles...
"Underdark Animals" from DRAGON #345.
"Fungi of the Underdark" from DRAGON #211 (this is one of my favorite UD articles).
"Dragon's Bestiary: Monsters of the Underdark" from DRAGON #227.
"Dragon's Bestiary: Predators of the Underdark" from DRAGON Annual #1.
Anything else worth looking for? |
SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!
http://zireael07.wordpress.com/ |
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Ralderick Hallowshaw
Acolyte
Italy
36 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2010 : 13:00:45
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quote:
Originally posted by Zireael
Anything else worth looking for?
Dragondex reports, under "Underdark", few other articles.
For a complete AD&D list of references check the FRIndex, here at Candlekeep.
Furthermore, Goddman Games published the interesting Underdark Adventure guide, which I found very useful for my campaign. |
"Adventurers are best used to slay monsters. Sooner or later, they become your worst monsters, and you have to hire new ones to do the obvious thing" - Ralderick Hallowshaw, Jester - from To Rule A Realm, From Turret To Midden, published circa The Year of the Bloodbird
And forgive me for my bad use of English language!  |
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Zireael
Master of Realmslore
Poland
1190 Posts |
Posted - 13 Oct 2010 : 14:15:12
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| Anyone seen statistics for pech? If not in 3.5e, can you whip up a quick summary? |
SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!
http://zireael07.wordpress.com/ |
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Ralderick Hallowshaw
Acolyte
Italy
36 Posts |
Posted - 13 Oct 2010 : 14:45:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Zireael
Anyone seen statistics for pech? If not in 3.5e, can you whip up a quick summary?
Pech's stats (in 3rd edition format) can be found at the Creature Catalogue. |
"Adventurers are best used to slay monsters. Sooner or later, they become your worst monsters, and you have to hire new ones to do the obvious thing" - Ralderick Hallowshaw, Jester - from To Rule A Realm, From Turret To Midden, published circa The Year of the Bloodbird
And forgive me for my bad use of English language! |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Zireael
Master of Realmslore
Poland
1190 Posts |
Posted - 13 Oct 2010 : 19:06:45
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quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
I seem to recall someone doing a Menzo NPC list somewhere on here. It was fairly extensive, as I recall. It had some of the mjor NPC's of other drow cities too. could be useful, as it seems to have covered all the sources up to WotSQ and LP books.
This is undoubtedly Zanan's list, fairly extensive and probably the best source on drow NPC. Head over to DnD Gate and grab it. Or you can PM Zanan here and get a full version, which includes class levels. |
SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!
http://zireael07.wordpress.com/ |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Zireael
Master of Realmslore
Poland
1190 Posts |
Posted - 19 Oct 2010 : 11:49:45
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Another question of mine: would it be reasonable to introduce Torog from 4e in a 3.5 game?
EDIT: And another: what 3rd-party books could I use for an Underdark campaign? |
SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!
http://zireael07.wordpress.com/ |
Edited by - Zireael on 30 Nov 2010 12:09:26 |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Drow and Underdark Campaigns
