The Campaign Builder's Guild

Thanks!!!

I'm thinking that such a site as this would have a thread on this topic already have been covered, but I've been unsuccessful in locating it through the search feature.


Basically, i'm looking for a checklist of sorts. It would cover the major questions that a DM should look to have answered for their campaign world.

Examples:
How are Magic Items handled in a Buying/Selling point of view?
How does Healing magic resolve itself when healing HPs? (do they leave scars, do hitpoints = wounds, etc...)
Why is there a Common Language?  If it exists, how is it handled in the world?
How is currency in the world structured?  Will it even matter?
How is discrete spell casting handled, if it is even possible?
Are there alignments?  Are alignments relative, or concrete (ex: A slaver doesn't see themselves as evil)


Just curious if a thread exists, if not, could this be it? =)

Yes the PCs are to be evil or neutral alignments.  Most are to be native Zhents.

Quote from: Bill Volkdoes it represent the eye that Corellon severed from Gruumsh?

I avoided it being his eye, as I treat that as a sacred cow of sorts.  The gem was actually from just a hunk of flesh that was taken during the battle.  The elves have given the gem the name of "Gruumsh's Black Heart".  For after the loss of this piece of his divinity, he paid his orcs far less attention.


To answer questions about PC motivations:
The Campaign is taking place in the Forgotten Realms, in the year 1369.  Zhentil Keep was just sacked, and they are attempting to recover.  There are rumors of a growing orc horde in nearby Thar.  The PCs are from Zhentil Keep, and are sent on a mission to check out the rumors and if they are true to be emissaries of Zhentil Keep.

Depending on how it all unfolds, Zhentil Keep can't stop the horde from gathering, but they certainly want to prevent them from paying the fallen city a visit.  So they will be wanting to direct the horde against their enemies.

Anyway, when the PCs start off, they will just know that this is a typical orc horde that is gathering.  The horde's leader is being assisted by a "Red Wizard", who isn't really an official "Red Wizard".  (Nice side story to this)  This wizard came to the orcs, with the knowledge of what happened 7000 years ago.  He is looking to restore Gruumsh's power, in order to then gain favor from Gruumsh and become powerful in his own right.

So it will be the orcs, and this wizard that would be getting the PCs to go on "missions", to prove Zhentil Keep's alliegence to the future orc "king".  So my general idea is that at first the PCs won't know the over all purpose of these missions.  It would be cool that if over time, they put the pieces together themselves and begin to understand the magnitude of the situation they've found themselves within.

They'll be left navigating the fine line of helping the orcs in order to prevent Zhentil Keep from being sacked again, but hindering them enough so that they aren't a huge threat. =)

I've seen National Treasure, but I've never completed the Morrowind game. =)  What was the last half of the plot?

In the campaign I'm designing the central storyline is about Gruumsh.  I have an event between he and Corellon having happened about 7000 years in the past.  The event occurred during a battle between their avatars.  Corellon wounded Gruumsh to the point that he dies.  In his death throws, he falls from the sky and devastates a large portion of an elven nation (he fell like a comet essentially).  The wound resulted in a piece of Gruumsh's divinity being severed from him.  This missing piece of divinity has been a handicap Gruumsh has had to deal with over the eons.  It has been the main reason why his orcs have been unable to come together and create any kind of kingdom.

This piece of Gruumsh formed into an actual item, a gem.  The elves have been hiding it ever since it was created.  They've hidden it so well that they had even lost it in the past. =)

A small group of elves know of the item now, and keep it guarded.

So that's the background......


The foreground is that the Gruumsh is after the item again... and this time with the PCs help, they will be able to obtain the item.

The problem I'm having is that I don't want the campaign to result in a simple smash and grab session.  I want the PCs to be involved in the search for the ceremony/spell... process of how this item is to be restored as part of Gruumsh.

Other than saying... well a ceremony happens... and we're done.. =)

I'm generally looking to have the process developed with the PCs help.  They shouldn't know what they're doing, they'd be sent after obscure items or knowledge, which would ultimately be used within the ceremony.

What would be a cool way for the item to be rejoined with Gruumsh?