[ooc=What is this?]
I need a project to keep me occupied for a few weeks (hopefully longer) to help take my mind off a few things. I have decided to start a brand new campaign with a few goals in mind:
Nothing Epic, I just want a few adventures I can run thru if I ever get a game going again.
Inside out method. Too often have I drafted an enormous world map and ended up getting lost in my own illusions of grandeur. I'm going to start small and see where it goes.
Basic D&D is OK- I like the points of light idea and it does give plenty of opportunity for adventure. I have not touched my 4E books in nearly a year and I actually miss them. Plus I dropped at least $100 and only ran through one small campaign arc that died out after ten sessions.
I want to keep track of my progress in 'Journal' style posts. I think it would be cool to look back on the process later (especially if I ever get to run the adventures)
[/ooc]
Now that I've got my mind set on something small and manageable, I want to lay some basic world stuff out. I'm going to start with the bad guys.
My first thoughts are to stray from the typical goblins and kobolds early on. But I do like goblins...Perhaps some sort of twisted version of aforementioned monsters..Like these guys:
[spoiler=Dolgrim]
DOLGRIM GRUNT - Level 4 Brute
Small aberrant humanoid - XP 175
---
Initiative +5; Senses Perception +3, low-light vision
HP 64; Bloodied 32
AC 17; Fortitude 16; Reflex 17; Will 17
Speed 5
---
Club (standard; at will) * Weapon: +7 vs. AC; 1d6+4 damage.
Javelin (standard; at will) * Weapon: +7 vs. AC; 1d6+4 damage.
Javelin (standard; at will) * Weapon: Ranged 10/20 +7 vs. AC; 1d6+4 damage.
Many Armed (standard; at will): The dolgrim grunt makes a club attack and a javelin attack (melee or ranged).
Dolgrim Tactics (reaction; when an enemy moves into position that flanks the dolgrim; encounter): The dolgrim grunt shifts 1 sqaure and makes a basic melee attack, targeting one of the prospective flankers.
Dual Consciousness: At the end of its turn, the dolgrim grunt automatically saves against the dazed and stunned conditions and against charm effects that a save can end.
---
Alignment Chaotic Evil; Languages Deep Speech
Skills Athletics +10, Endurance +8
Str 18; Dex 17; Wis 12
Con 14; Int 6; Cha 8
---
Equipment: club, leather armor, light shield, three javelins
============================================================
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
============================================================
DOLGRIM PEON - Level 10 Minion
Small aberrant humanoid - XP 125
---
Initiative +8; Senses Perception +6, low-light vision
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
AC 24; Fortitude 21; Reflex 22; Will 22
Speed 5
---
Many Armed Assault (standard; at will) * Weapon: +17 vs. AC; 7 damage.
Javelin (standard; at will) * Weapon: Ranged 10/20 +13 vs. AC; 5 damage.
Dolgrim Tactics (reaction; when an enemy moves into position that flanks the dolgrim; encounter): The dolgrim peon shifts 1 sqaure and makes a basic melee attack, targeting one of the prospective flankers.
Dual Consciousness: At the end of its turn, the dolgrim peon automatically saves against the dazed and stunned conditions and against charm effects that a save can end.
---
Alignment Chaotic Evil; Languages Deep Speech
Skills Athletics +13, Endurance +11
Str 18; Dex 17; Wis 12
Con 14; Int 6; Cha 8
---
Equipment: club, leather armor, light shield, three javelins
[/spoiler]
I never played Ebberon but I just liked the way these guys look and they popped up in an old PDF of Khybers Harvest I had laying around my harddrive. Further googling has revealed that these abberations were created by the insane daelkyr.
From the World of Ebberon Wiki:
Lords of the plane of Xoriat, the Realm of Madness, daelkyr are immortal and immensely powerful, and have legions of monsters created by them (like beholders, mind flayers and other kinds of aberrations) at their command. They resemble handsome humans bearing armor and weapons made from chitin and raw muscle.
Perfect
Having found my upper level bad guys and a basic creature type to work with (abberations) I can start figuring out what there goals are. But first I need a setting. Considering that abberations are generally grotesque and disgusting I want to contrast that with some sort of idyllic happy farming community, set amidst endless fields and forests.
I think I will call this place the Sun Vale. A fertile valley filled with wildlife, farm tracts and smiling halflings, gnomes, humans and elves. Isolation is key, so perhaps some sort of magical (or other physical barrier) keeps this settlement isolated from the outside world; which is viewed as dangerous, immoral and generally evil ala M. Night Shyamalan's The Village.
I also need to think about who is in charge, why and how. I think I will roll with the magical barrier thing..(I recall something about a magic barrier in The Sword of Truth books, and rangers or something or other that patrolled it). Barrier it is.
Whew. That is a good start. Let's recap:
Basic D&D setting...points of light.
Bad guys are Abberations created by Daelkyr (I might keep the name and general feel of these guys, but I'm not exactly privy to the Ebberon lore...)
The setting is a place called the Sun Vale, an isolated near-utopian farming society that has blocked out the world with magical barriers.
[ooc]
Thanks for reading. If anyone has ideas or thoughts or general comments, post away!
[/ooc]
This whole strategy-- that of starting with one small place and some general themes, and then building outward from there-- is one I've recently become quite enamored with. (I fear that by doing things the other way 'round, you end up doing a ridiculous amount of extra work, plus also leaving minimal room for your players' contributions to the fiction.)
I say this has promise, and I want to see where it goes from there.
I also think you should decide either to fully embrace Eberron or, as may work better in this case, file the serial numbers off completely. Mutated monsters made as experiments by mad overseers, that's a prevalent-enough idea that I think you can make it stand on its own, and use less specific names with less setting-specific connotations you may not want.
Quote from: Luminous Crayon
This whole strategy-- that of starting with one small place and some general themes, and then building outward from there-- is one I've recently become quite enamored with. (I fear that by doing things the other way 'round, you end up doing a ridiculous amount of extra work, plus also leaving minimal room for your players' contributions to the fiction.)
I say this has promise, and I want to see where it goes from there.
I also think you should decide either to fully embrace Eberron or, as may work better in this case, file the serial numbers off completely. Mutated monsters made as experiments by mad overseers, that's a prevalent-enough idea that I think you can make it stand on its own, and use less specific names with less setting-specific connotations you may not want.
I agree that inside out is a great way to start an adventure. I have a umber of times started that way to great success...
I agree too! Look forward to seeing more.