The Campaign Builder's Guild

OK, call me lazy, I'm looking at building a stand-alone adventure, not a campaign world for project with MapTools. Although I'll need to wait until June 6 to get D&D 4e rules to do the crunch properly, I plan to create a published product: Adventure PDF, 25-40 maps at 200 ppi at about 5000 x 3000 pixels each (1 inch = 5 feet scale), 200+ map objects for $5 and sell it from my site. I'm getting a huge reaction at MapTools on the idea.

Here's the basic plot and storyline so far...

 [spoiler=The Bogwood Rath]An adventure scenario for 5th - 7th level (4E) and still be challenging, but not overwhelming.

Basic adventure idea: the Bogwood is swamp forest - mixture of marsh, bog, slow moving rivers, but heavily forested. In times past the Bogwood was as dangerous as swamps can be, but still a "natural" swamp environment. Lately the Bogwood is turning dark, the Swamp Druid is nolonger keeping the balance (part of the quest to discover why), the inhabitants are reporting a darkness turning the Swamp into something enchanted and evil. (Dark fey have built a Rath or fey mound, near the Swamp Druid's enclave and ensorcelled him, binding him with sorcery - and taking over the swamp.)

Road's End Tavern - the road leading to the Bogwood ends at the edge of the swamp forest. A tavern here for hunters and fisherman, place to pick up clues and meet a "bogling".

17 miles of plank bridging and muddy trails to reach, "Handy's Crannog", a bogling village. Beyond this, you need a boat to travel the Bogwood.

"Boglings" (swamp dwelling halflings on stilt homes or crannog) the friendliest race in the Bogwood. They distribute pure water to other Bogwood inhabitants for their economy. (Water Oak, long story, explain later...). They have clues to where a hunter dwells and may know more.This is the next location.

Hunter's Swamp Lodge, accessable by watercraft only. The hunter there is found dead, though his hunter's log and a map can aid players to finding location of the Swamp Druid. Problem is that the Hunter is now a ghost, having been recently killed by the Fey and cursed to haunt his lodge and torment visitors.

Maybe one more location, haven't decided what, but I see shambling mounnds there... the Bogwood is filled with giant insects, spore emitting fungi, carnivorace plants, crocodiles or something similar, constrictor and venomous snakes, slimes, oozes, perhaps an Otyugh, some new creatures like the Swamp Cat and the Tree Goat.

Final location, the Swamp Druid's Enclave with the adjacent Dark Fey Rath. Big fight with Fey Queen and her entourage. I don't want to have the typical prankster spritelings, but murderous enchanters with enslaved guardians.

Must defeat the fey, break the spell that binds the Swamp Druid to succeed in quest.

I might include a couple optional side quests within the adventure, or as an addendum.[/spoiler]

I looks like I'll be creating a wide view map at 1 inch = 1 mile, with a 25 x 25 pixel symbol representing the adventure party. At keyed locations or provided random encounter maps are loaded at 1" = 5 feet scale.

This looks like it will be an interesting project.

The following is my May Mapping Entry at CG, this is the style I plan to create my maps and map objects for this project. (Lots of people seem to prefer hand-drawn style to realistic...)

 

Thoughts?

GP

Needs more intrigue.  Too straightforward.

Maybe I'm just twisted.

I personally would have some sickle wounds on the Hunter's back, and have him  moaning about revenge.
And have the Druid, who every one else thinks is a great guy, actually be in league with the Fey Queen.

That's certainly not out of the question. This is just the development stage of building the idea. Twists are certainly welcome - the Druid in league with the Fey Queen. I was thinking that the real skill of the fey queen is her ability to seduce, which could very well be what "captured" the swamp druid in the first place.

Twists, I have to think what works best. Thanks for the idea - Lorg Vreeg...

GP

On giving it more thought, I really don't want to turn the druid in question into a conspirator, however, fey - those crafty trickster they be - may want to implicate the druid's duplicity (that doesn't really exist) because perhaps they cannot destroy this druid, but require outsiders to help. The adventure is a ruse by the Fey Queen to find adventurers to help slay the Druid.

After the final battle scene, when the PCs finally discover the "bound druid", they in fact are being duped again, as the "druid" is actually a changeling of the fey. The druid is held elsewhere - perhaps in the Rath itself...

For my Fey, I'm looking at   Baobhan Sith or Baavan Shee  - a sort of an evil vampiric fey female, not undead, as the leader fey of the entourage, led by a Sorceress among them.

It looks good but it seems like it's missing something. Hard to explain exactly but it's like it could use more if you know what I mean. Maybe more areas, a side quest or two (which I think you posted about possibly doing). That sort of stuff. It could possibly like Vreeg said use some more intrigue but overall I like the feel of where you are taking things.

Other races of the Bogwood:

Dipterans - a fly-like race of gnome sized humanoids (or smaller), low LA, they don't fly, but have vestigial wings allowing them to control a 1/turn Jump as per spell, they also spiderclimb, primitive culture, led by druid-like Shaman - most spells involve summoning and controlling other insects for tasks. They live in the canopies of larger trees near water. Huge faceted eyes give them 270 degrees of viewing, difficult to surprise.

Fungoids - some type of fungus based humanoid, also primitive culture and shaman led, "villages" consist of gatherings of fungal mounds in close proximity (a few feet apart), actually down-facing fetal position with fungal growths on "skin" camoflaging to resemble mushroom pods or something (feeding on mycelium in soil). Usually a few are upright guards with spears. If guards are assaulted, entire "village" stands-up and have a spore attack.

Kuo-Toa - or something similar, a freshwater version living in boat wreckage at bottom of Great Muddy River (main waterway through the Bogwood).

Lizardmen - but I'd like to differentiate 3 species by scale skin color, with differing attitudes towards other humanoids, perhaps one type agressively hunts humans and boglings.

Wererat Colony - poachers and rafters living on an island on the Big Muddy River.

Not all of these races would necessarily be encountered in the adventure, dependd on where the party goes if options or side quests become apparent. Also could fall under random encounters.

GP