I wanted to share with some of the fellow designers the general thread of my campaign. Of course I'm open to spontaneity from the players to a certain degree but this is overall what I have planned.
1. My players (a fighter, a psionicist, a cleric of Apollo) attend the Lookinghaven Academy, where they learn the history of their home, the Republic of New Edom and also are trained for war and leadership. They have a few minor adventures that are mostly really training exercises, but will ooc be used to bond the party together.
2. They graduate and are given their final training in solo adventures; the fighter is to capture a small tower in a mock battle while the psionicist is given a fake mission as an intelligence operative and the cleric has to help in a training exercise involving the theoretical evacuation of a plague stricken mining camp.
Once they have completed this they join Fox Company of the Light Troops Corps, a unit largely used for scouting and border patrols and the occasional special mission. It is commanded by Captain Loegaire, a Ranger.
3. Following a brief period where they obtain inheritance and pay (their starting money) they are assigned along with other units to be on alert for hostile activity on the banks of the Silver River, (a huge river the size of the Mississippi) not far from the Great Swamp. Upon hearing from locals of a strange light in the marshes that seems to happen at the same time as raids and disappearances, they follow up and discover that a sage has told their superiors that the light is made by lizard folk and is likely to be some evil rite. If they investigate properly they find that it is just one clan of lizard folk, not all, and that that clan is being bribed by pirates for the use of an abandoned tower as a lighthouse into a secret navigable channel in the marshes. The pirates are the ones really behind the raids, using lizard folk as scouts and mercenaries. They have a chance to make friendly contact with another group of Lizard Folk and may earn allies for their country and useful help in dealing with the Swamp.
4. Their commander, the Ranger Captain Loegaire, will respond in two possible ways. If they have actually tried to investigate and discovered the truth he makes a report to that effect and will instruct them to make further contact with the friendly lizard folk to employ them as guides in the swamp, and also to get them to set up an ambush for another group of the pirates.
5. The piracy problem plagues their nation and others. It is revealed that they mainly operate out of a great city in the southwest called Deva, which used to be a trading hub for a powerful but decaying empire. The reason for the piracy in the main is that they are the privateering fleet of a rebellious duke, seeking to carve out a kingdom by the most unscrupulous and expedient means. The New Edomite Republic is largely defenseless against piracy except on the coast, and so they make a deal with the old Yasg Empire to help them recapture the area under the duke's occupation as a means to suppress the piracy. In exchange for the help in regaining their lost province the New Edomites will gain the services of shipbuilders from the Yasg Empire in order to build a galley fleet of their own.
The players are members of an expeditionary force that is prepared to join a coalition of different countries eager to stop the pirates from raiding the coastlines and sea lanes.
6. The players arrive in the Yasg port capital, Culhar, where they are among gathering forces. Diplomats go to the Duke to urge him to surrender the city of Deva, which he does not do. While the players have a chance to explore the city, pick up rumors, buy exotic equipment they learn of a semi-secret slave revolt and discover that some slaves are being sold from Deva via a secret black market.
7. The expedition cannot directly attack Deva, which has towers and a boom defending the harbour, so instead they make a coastal raid on the towns of Tondam and Minden. The players do scouting missions and small raids on enemy patrols during this part of the campaign.
8. As the Coalition begins to move to surround Deva, the Duke rallies forces to defend it. Meanwhile, the New Edomites are to re-secure the overland trade routes to the city in order to permit supplies to move to the Coalition forces there. As they take part in this the players are instructed to keep an eye out for this supposed secret slave trade, since it must have a route somewhere. They capture a village oppressed by a warlord in the service of the duke and learn of a ruined port city that is shunned since the province fell into chaos a generation ago. They also discover that the duke while tyrannical was initially imposing order until he began to grow ambitious and his ranks swelled with barbarians, brigands, bandits and humanoids.
9. The players are sent to investigate this ruined city, and told from there that they are to link up with other units intending to occupy the abandoned fort of Agrapur. They find the ruined city much overgrown, but the stone piers still functional, the location generally secluded and most local villages long abandoned. Within is a still standing temple to Gruumsh, and in it they find a tribe of orcs supporting the slavers' operation. As a caravan was preparing to embark from there to the fort, they realize they must get there fast to warn the other unit heading there. They also are able to free a number of slaves if they succeed, some of which will be helpful to them.
10. They head to the hillfort, on the way encountering more ruined villages and some sign of humanoids and brigands, but likely avoiding them with the urgency of their mission. Encountering two scouts from the other unit near the half ruined fort, they discover that the main body of troops had an encounter with a flying column of the duke's troops and are delayed. On scouting and spying on the fort they find that a hobgoblin tribe and a curious band of slavers led by an elf woman of all things occupies the fort, and that it seems to be a crossroads for the slave trade.
11. In part the slave trade ends up in the city of Bahadur near a flat rocky desert, which is half ruined and apparently had been a place of demon worship in ages past. Now it is only used by nomads, caravanserais, local tribesmen and the like, and is a sort of neutral territory by common consent, since there is little local infrastructure about and it is the only source of fresh water for miles around. The players if clever can infiltrate the city and discover that a still standing temple is one place where the slaves are brought. Some of the duke's people now and then have been known to visit it according to local rumor.
The Temple is the duke's secret weapon. a priest in it is seeking to gain great powers by reestablishing its altar and thus giving cult worship to the god that it was dedicated to. (in my game Gruumsh is actually potentially a greater god if humans dedicate a temple fully to him, as in ancient times humans and orcs and other humanoids worshipped him together...and bred together in obscene rites)
(Note: in my game there are few really powerful characters. Wielding powerful clerical spells would be a shocking advantage for the duke; most 'high priests' are really charlatans worshipping false idols or well meaning folk following philosophical and ethical principles)
Unfortunately the priest is protected by a powerful demon. The demon is very difficult to kill and in fact only a magical weapon could do the job. But magical weapons are scarce...
12. The players are faced with a difficult choice; they might be not that experienced but if they don't do something the duke will have his 'secret weapon' (the cleric and his powers) and will be far more likely to win. Furthermore it will mean the sacrifice of many slaves to the evil god should they fail. Inquiring of a friendly local they will discover that there are few experienced in such lore about...that a group of them attempted to take out the evil priest only to discover the demon. A possibility exists however: a slaver has captured an elvish noblewoman to take her to a ruthless and decadent warlord as a concubine. They have the option of rescuing her to gain her as an ally, and she will be able to tell them about a means to gain a magical weapon. Barring that they will have to find some quick way to track down a sage of some kind. (if they insist on this route then I have as an alternative a sagely hermit living in the desert, requiring a difficult dangerous journey to get to him which will waste a bit of time) Rescuing the elf woman requires them penetrating the slaver's encampment as secretly as possible, since it will technically be breaking the truce of the city, or else following him till he's out of sight of it first, which will not but will have him more alert. He has a motley group of helpers including a small pack of wererats, some slave-soldiers, and is himself a half orc cleric/assassin with a lot of cunning tricks up his sleeve. The elf woman is in a set of magic restraints he uses to capture magical creatures and spellcasters.
13. The elf woman, on being rescued, is deeply grateful and promises to reward them...she is not really a wizard per se but rather very wise in magical lore and legends and ancient history, and while not lacking in fighting skill is no great warrior. (this is to avoid having them unbalanced by a powerful spellcaster in the group) She will tell them that to beat a demon a truly powerful blade is needed, and that one exists...trapped within a mysterious gemstone.
The gemstone is actually a magical realm made by a wizard ages ago, in his desperate pursuit of avoidance of death. While his body has long gone to dust his soul enjoys the delights of the realm along with those it has enticed into it. This realm is something of a realm of dreams, but they are not so much whimsical as resembling a sort of hero's paradise. It is both enticing and dangerous...apparently according to the legends those who find the gem are enticed to send their souls into it and gradually their bodies die as their souls are reluctant to leave the paradise within.
According to the elfwoman the gem was finally taken from its resting place (the tomb of the wizard) by a thief, who managed to blind his senses to its enticements by placing it in a box made of lead. He sold it to a wealthy merchant, who in turn in exchange for favour gave it to a prince who had been wounded. This prince was wounded by a slave girl, so badly that he has not been able to recover from the wound (the slave girl was able for whatever reason to pronounce a curse which makes his wound unhealable). The gem is his only true comfort. (the prince has not understood that if he changes his decadent tyrannical ways the curse will leave him) This prince is exiled to an estate for crimes of conspiracy against the Yasg Empire; he is secretly plotting with the duke and the players should feel no twinge of conscience in ideally capturing the estate and the gemstone. While the prince is reasonably well guarded his most formidable defenses are high walls and well trained guards. (bearing in mind that this is a magic low world) They will have a difficult time with the gem, since they will have to go inside it to contact the wizard, which will involve facing a number of temptations and possible dangers from his guardian spells inside it. While he can't control who has the gem, he can control what happens inside it. Unfortunately no appropriate vessels have come along; the prince for instance is addicted to drugs which sap his mind and body.
15. The gem has magical treasures within it, among them the Sword of Fostus, which is a holy blade capable of slaying a demon. However it has powerful enticements in it, which charm and beguile those who are near it. Furthermore the wizard will be reluctant to give up the blade; he intends to at some point resurrect his servant, the warrior Fostus. However he will make a deal with them under the following circumstances:
a. They give him an appropriate, ideally young handsome and virile body.
b. They agree at the least to return him to his tomb and place a guard over it. (this can take place later but he will in effect produce a contractual spell binding them to this in exchange for the sword)
c. They make a binding agreement to return the sword when they're done with it. (this is the easiest thing to do. However if they help with the other two they will gain a powerful ally)
(btw I would truly appreciate any help for this point of the campaign, since I'd kind of like a unique and intersting adventure inside the gem ideally)
16. The sword will only answer to a character of good alignment. It is of ancient make and rather too powerful for any of the characters to keep, it has a strong mind of its own. They will find that the half ruined city is now occuppied by many humanoids and wild tribesmen in the pay of the duke, and that they will need to explain their situation to their leaders and get them to attack the city, while they at the same time go and kill the demon and the priest. I'm still working on this part of the campaign.
BTW, I should add my sources of inspiration:
Samuel R. Delaney's "Neveryon" series
Gardner Fox's "Kothar of the Magic Sword"
James Silke's "Tooth and Claw"
This online adventure: http://www.wickedtemptations.com/x1-202aj1.html which btw I highly recommend
and the Slaver series from the old AD&D game.
You know, even if this seems totally boring or uninteresting I'd like some kind of feedback. Like: if you don't like the sound of it say that. Give me some kind of reason why.
It seems to me like you have a reason for everything, which is really good. I like how you made the characters work (or at least do something) for their starting cash and items. It helps make the game feel more dynamic.
Are you prepared (as in alternate plothooks and such) in case your players zig instead of zag?
I generally am. I'm more or less prepared to deviate from this if need be. However the context of the game suggests that I should be able to more or less stick to the plotline overall.