# Campaign Ideas/Plots - Need inspiration



## weem (Apr 15, 2009)

When my current campaign wraps up (months from now), I will be starting a new campaign. I have been tossing around ideas for a while now and none have been very inspiring.

I've done a lot of searches online, but what comes up most of the time are adventure ideas/plots - but I want plot ideas/hooks for an entire campaign. Things like (off the top of my head)...

_The PC's are the reincarnations of various gods but don't know it yet. As they adventure together they realize they seem to always find themselves in the middle of important events, etc - something is going on - eventually, evil god #22 discovers their origin (after having looked for them for years) and is out to get them... can they stop him before he gets to them, etc etc._

My current campaign could be described basically as "a mysterious box leads the group on a journey spanning many kingdoms and planes - discovering the origin of the box and its purpose only poses more questions and they find themselves in the middle of a struggle between an ancient race trying to defend their secret homeland and an evil race of reptiles looking to take it from them."

With that said...

*
1/ Do you have an interesting campaign idea(s)?

2/ How would you sum up the idea of your current campaign?

3/ Do you know of any resources I could look to for inspiration? *I seem to recall a while back a thread of ideas... one of those 1001 Campaign Idea style threads... can't seem to find it now though

Thanks - much appreciated 


[edit] Just realized this might have been better to post in the plots forum - my bad[/edit]


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## Charger28Alpha (Apr 15, 2009)

Sorry to answer a question with questions.

1.  What Genre and scope are you thinking about running?

2.  At what power level do you see the PCs at the start and at the end?


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## Dannyalcatraz (Apr 15, 2009)

My favorite thread- see my sig- may be just what you're looking for.

I also tend to subscribe to all kinds of threads about campaign ideas, especially if I participate in them, like this one about aquatic campaigns:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/35621-why-underwater.html#post4607957

I don't recall exactly where or when, but I also posted one somewhere on ENWorld about letting your players design PCs from any genre of game, and then have them summoned across time and space to help an oppressed race of subterranean humanoids avoid genocide...and it was an open question as to whether the humanoids in question as to whether the people they had been summoned to help were truly victims (ethnic cleansing?  They control access to a particularly valuable resource that the surface worlders are tired of paying them for?) or finally getting their just desserts (like the cannibalistic Moorlocks of HG Wells' _Time Machine_).


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## Fallen Seraph (Apr 15, 2009)

Well random Campaign ideas I have had are:

*Opposite Shadowrun*: Not Fantasy in Cyberpunk but Cyberpunk in Fantasy. The campaign is about a world where the Spirit World and Material World become separated causing all sorts of chaos (big one being the spirits of seasons/nature die off causing a eternal winter). However prior to this thanks to the knowledge gleamed from Spirits technology has progressed signifigantly in a few years thus combining old medieval stuff with things like Ley-Line internet, Spirit possessed Mecha, Spirit "hacking", etc.

This is my current campaign setting. Style of gaming is lots of mysterious, noir, etc. Has a semi-Ghost in The Shell vibe (very purposefully with how much influence it has had in the design). They are investigating a series of dissappeances leading to finding the people "alive" but without their spirit, and finding out it leads to a conspiracy involving the Spirit Counsel and a major Guild.

*City Within a Wall:* Less a campaign setting or plot, but a place that can easily lead to one. The idea is a ancient city has been abandoned but one of its major walls has survived it is large enough that a city has been created within the wall.

*Vodou Campaign*: Taking lots of the various folklore in Vodou and making them all real in the game world. The campaign mainly involving the PCs finding out that the Loa they and everyone else they worshipped are actually devils from a distant land who forced the Loa out and who now inhabit only in the swamps and their underground town. So the PCs have to find the Loa and struggle with what to do, they don't know these Loa so which is worst them or the devils?

*Necromancy Campaign:* A Civil War has split a country in two for years. This country and the rest of the world is deeply engrained with Necromancy and is the soul force of magick in the world. It has combined with technology to cause a somewhat early 20th century world. 

Tanks are steel clad behemoths moving across the ground by the force of thousands of tied together limbs. Bolt action rifles have organic components as their mechanisms. Telephones are tied together nerves for the wire and ears and vocal chords. Things like that.

The Civil War is similar to World War 1. Since Necromancy and death is so common there has been rifts to the Shadowfell in No Man's Land and all manner of monstrosities have come forth. At the same time in the now abandoned holy land, ancient scrolls (taking analogies to Dead Sea Scrolls exist). With these scrolls the first Clerical Orders exist they have no ties to any country/order but their own and exist only to close these rifts.

The plot revolves around the PCs either as members of the order or others sent to watch over them as the plot involves a Clerical Order trying to lead a war against civilization. Their powers being ones that could utterly destroy civilization because of its ties to Necromancy.


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## Quickleaf (Apr 15, 2009)

> 1/ Do you have an interesting campaign idea(s)?



The PCs are parents whose children have been abducted by an archfey, and they have become adventurers to rescue their children.



> 2/ How would you sum up the idea of your current campaign?



PCs protect an illegitimate heir to the throne while thwarting the wicked crown prince's efforts to become king.



> 3/ Do you know of any resources I could look to for inspiration?



I highly recommed Ultimate Toolbox (Alderac) - there's an entire chapter full of campaign inspiring ideas.


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## weem (Apr 15, 2009)

Charger28Alpha said:


> Sorry to answer a question with questions.
> 
> 1.  What Genre and scope are you thinking about running?
> 
> 2.  At what power level do you see the PCs at the start and at the end?




Guess I should have included that, my bad...


1/ Standard fantasy stuff - think any of the common/popular D&D settings (though I have not decided 100% if I am running a pre-existing world or my own). As for scope, again, pretty standard town-spanning to plane/world spanning

2/ Starting between levels 1-3 and going to 30. (4th Edition D&D btw)


And thanks for the responses so far - just now getting to them as my (home) computer died last night


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## timbannock (Apr 15, 2009)

D&D campaigns that I've done or wanted to do:

1. PCs uncover a plot by a group of villains to collect Dragon Orbs (orb of dragonkind) to control a flight of dragons to help them conquer an area.

2. An Immortal -- cursed by Orcus himself to everlasting life -- seeks to raise Orcus (who was slain at some point by the Drow Goddess Kiaransalee) in order to appease him, and thus (hopefully) get Orcus to lift the curse of immortality, allowing him to rest in peace.  Of course, raising Orcus is difficult (see the Planescape adventure: Dead Gods for some ideas), and requires the Immortal to slay thousands of people.  He does this by unleashing the Tarrasque on an unsuspecting world.

3. Buy a good campaign-length megadungeon and play around with the plot.  World's Largest Dungoeon, Rappan Athuk Reloaded, Castle Greyhawk (in its many incarnations).

4. The PCs are the agents of some powerful villain, sent on a quest to gain new evil allies (PCs get to play badguys!  Yay!).  For a twist, have them wake up with amnesia, and believe they are good guys, only to find out all the evil that they've done.  The amnesia came about during an epic fight against some heroic adventurers, who the PCs either killed, badly injured, or gave amnesia to in turn, causing no end of fun as the PCs decide whether they want to turn their lives around and be good guys or go back to their evil ways.  Either way, they have to deal with the consequences of the actions they took before their amnesia...


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## Bodhiwolff (Apr 15, 2009)

My advice ...

a)  don't buy a single campaign product, megadungeon, or anything of the sort.  You wind up investing in a single throughline, which might not play out.  More to the point, it locks you in too early in the process.  Nothing hurts worse than designing a campaign about slave-rescues and finding out that the players are completely disinterested in that topic.

b)  your campaign has to grow as a natural extension of your initial ideas and your player's reaction to these ideas.  Furthermore, you want to include the player's interests, and the PC's backstories.  The campaign doesn't develop all at once, but rather as a series of responses to the player's responses.  You can try to guide it a little, but it is better if they wind up guiding it as well.

c)  towards that end, pick a simple initial hook -- a stylistic/adventure style -- and write up a simple adventure that hints that this is the driving force behind it.  Have the players run through it, and see how they respond.  If they're 'into' it, then you run them through another adventure which reveals more of that style, introduces a minor villain, etc.  Take their responses and build the next part.  Eventually you introduce your major theme, and you're off.

Example:  I picked up "Open Grave", and was intrigued with some of the concepts.  I read in the FR guide about Wheloon (prison-city, walled off from the world) and was intrigued.  I also was intrigued with the shadow realm, and the country that had replaced the Anarauch, etc.

I wanted to see if I could make anything with necromancy, the prison-city, and the shadow realm.

So I ran a little adventure where the 1st level PCs ran into some Shadar Kai while dungeon-busting.  These Shadar Kai were obviously in league with somebody, looking for artifacts of necromantic power.  

The PCs dug it.  So I invested in designing a second adventure.

I re-vamped "Scepter Tower of Spellgard" and played up the necromantic angle on it, and made the Shadar-Kai villain at the end talk about some menacing, mysterious overall plot.  One of his henchmen had a zombie arm-graft ... oooh, mysterious ...

The PCs dug it.  So I invested in the next major chunk.  Now I look at the character's backstories.

One PC had in his backstory that his religious sect had been wrongly imprisoned. 

Another PC hates drow, with a passion.  He wants to eliminate them all from the face of the earth.

So I wrote those two factors in.

 I had the religious order wrongly imprisoned in Wheloon, but actually they went in voluntarily, because some of the higher order had switched to worshipping Shar, and were now manipulating things behind the scenes.  In fact, the PC himself was "off on a mission" when this all happened, because they didn't think they could convert him.  He'd be a thorn in their side.  They had access to a node inside Wheloon, and could use it to hide their nefarious activities in plain sight, while coordinating with their allies -- a disaffected Shadar Kai sect and a Drow family seeking power.

The PCs are asked by an agent of the crown if they would investigate the mysterious goings on *inside* Wheloon.  Since nobody is supposed to be getting out of the city of Shadow/Shar worshipping prisoners, then how come new weapons and signs of prosperity are showing up inside the prison-city?  The PCs agree, and are promptly told that their cover-story is that they are wanted criminals.  Wanted posters are even now going up outside in the village.  Good luck!

The PCs escape the village, find their own way into Wheloon (the just didn't want to get thrown in, after all!) and then proceed to fight gangs, earn their bones, investigate a ruined chapel where the PC's old Order was doing nasty necromantic experiments.  They discover remnants of the instigators there -- some Shadar Kai, some drow, and a few Shar-worshipping members of the PC's order.

The PCs are now thoroughly invested in this campaign, have an ongoing villain or two to chase, have direct connections to some of their backstories.

..............

Is it as cohesive and smooth as a campaign designed from the very beginning?  No.

Are the PCs feeling that this is *their* story, and invested in following it through?  Yes.

Is it cheesy and over the top at times, reminding me of a soap opera where plotlines get added and forgotten?  Absolutely -- but the players recognize that this ongoing soap opera is *their* soap opera, and they're as invested as any fans.


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## avin (Apr 15, 2009)

1. Buy Planescape: Torment, the game.
2. Play it and see why Nameless One can't die.
3. Apply.


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## weem (Apr 15, 2009)

Thanks for the feedback so far - some great ideas and I have noted a few things here and there - also tossed you some XP!

I would still love to see some more ideas, or details as to what other peoples campaigns are all about.

*Have a new campaign idea, or feel like sharing the plot of your current campaign?*


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## Jack7 (Apr 15, 2009)

Our campaign involves two separate worlds.

Our world circa 800 AD, with the player characters set in Constantinople, in the Byzantine Empire. Our world is an all human world.

The other world is exactly like our geogrhaiclaly but is inhabited by Elves, Dwarves, Giants, etc, though they don't call themselves that.

Magic is real in the Other World, miracles are real in our world, but not the reverse.

The campaign therefore is about the interaction between these two worlds, the different races inhabiting them, the differences between "Magic" and "Thaumaturgy" (miracles), the Nephilim and God, and the different religious and political and cultural struggles on both worlds and how they effect each other.

Monsters from the other world also escape into ours on occasion.


As for me, Weem, and how I design campaigns - Wherever I design campaigns I always have an objective or set of objectives. In addition to the subject matter there is what the campaign is actually about. I personally never design campaigns to take characters from this level to that level, rather I design campaigns to be about things, specific things in the campaign world or milieu, and the level rise is an indirect result of achieving the objectives. If I had some idea of what your objective(s) is or are then I might could suggest some ideas to you.

Aside from the campaign the players are in now, which has run a long time, the best camping I ever wrote or created involved resurrecting the previously destroyed Kingdom of Pesh.

Another good campaign was the recovery of the various sections of the Rod of Seven Parts. Which tied into but was separate from the Resurrection of Pesh campaign.


A few future campaign ideas I've thought of include:

*1. The New World* - about the establishment of a non-human outpost area in the Frontiers on our world by Elves, Giants, etc. (Possibly in Sweden, Northern Germany, or Eastern Europe. There is already a human outpost, of a certain type, on the other world on what to us - in our world - would be the Isle of Wight, and that outpost is populated by human descendants of the Court of Kamelod [Arthur's Court]) The objective of the campaign would be to see if characters from the other world could successfully establish an outpost on our world, and what they would face in doing so, if they could survive doing so.

*2. The Spiritual Labors* - a sort of take-off of the Labors of Herakles, each section of which is associated with a Vice (a Sin, and the corresponding demon/devil representative of that sin), and with a Virtue. I've already gotten this mostly written but haven't played it yet.

*3. The Return of the Nephilim* - except this time they would not return to the other world (which they had originally visited, resulting in the race of Giants), but to our world.

*4. The Wars of Prester John* - Many of the Byzantines in our world consider the Elven Priest King (Samarl) of Kitharia on the other world the be Prester John. This campaign would be about the Samarl's attempt to move a large force of non-humans into our world to assist the Byzantines with an attempt to retake Egypt and Syria and Palestine from the Muslims, and to retake Armenia and various other lands from the Persians. 

*5. Men of the West* - this would be a campaign about the party team launching an expedition into the Orient along the Silk Road in an attempt to explore India and even into China. It would be a Marco Polo type expedition to the East, but it would also involve supernatural and monstrous forces trying to obstruct them.


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## Charger28Alpha (Apr 15, 2009)

Bodhiwolff hits the nail right on the head, with his (?) three points.

Only advice I would add is:

1)  Pick a small geographic area (a City, a river valley, chain of islands, etc) and develop it.  Place a few "dungeons", some "safe areas", and NPCs.  These do not have to be highly detailed, just basic ideas.

2)  Once that is done, look over your newly made area and come up with a few ideas of what type of campaign you would like to run there.

3)  Then get the players together, give them a run down of your area, and tell them the ideas you came up with in 2).  Let them choose what they want and then have them make their PCs.  Encourage them to have shared back stories.


The first time I used the above method was many years ago.

The area I came up with was a series of large connected valleys in a major mountain range.  The inhabitants were Clan based tribes that worshiped nature spirits. Twenty five years before the start of the game a more advanced kingdom had invaded, they wanted to mine the mountains, and quickly subdued the natives.  They then built a series of keeps along the routes from the mines.  

I came up with three ideas for the basis of the campaign.  PCs as prospectors, searching for new mine sites.  PCs as members of one of the tribes, either supporting the invaders or resiting them.  PCs as settlers from the invading kingdom.

When we all got together the PCs went with a mix of the last two, two were from one of the tribes that had "joined" the invaders and the other three were former soldiers that had come to the valley to make their fortunes and eventually settle down.

They started as Caravan Guards and by the time we were done the PCs were leaders of a town that had been built outside of one of the keeps.  




Bodhiwolff said:


> b)  your campaign has to grow as a natural extension of your initial ideas and your player's reaction to these ideas.  Furthermore, you want to include the player's interests, and the PC's backstories.  The campaign doesn't develop all at once, but rather as a series of responses to the player's responses.  You can try to guide it a little, but it is better if they wind up guiding it as well.




To me this piece of advice is the main key to running a successful game.  As a DM/GM I love it when the PCs push the plot forward.  If I didn't I would be a hypocrite, since as a PC I often push the plot forward.


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## weem (Apr 16, 2009)

Very cool ideas, especially coming up with some ideas and letting the PC's help decide the direction before it even starts.

I love the ideas and they are doing exactly what I had hoped - provide inspiration. I have run many campaigns, all of which have been very open and guided primarily by player actions so I hope no one thinks I am looking to plan a campaign step by step from beginning to end (railroading the players) - but I do like to be prepared.

For example, for my brothers campaign involving a demon from his previous campaign, we knew that eventually, the players would need to contend with him (players were level 3 at the time) - and I said, "How cool would that be if they had to lead their armies into hell to kill him once and for all in the epic tier" - and that was one 'idea' for the ending. May or may not happen, but it gave him an idea about where things were probably leading (demon must be dealt with on his home turf).

As for knowing ahead of time that it will go from levels 1 to 30, I only mentioned numbers since I was asked about it. My current campaign I would have told you the same, that we could go from 1 - 30, but as it turns out, it may end somewhere between 18-24.

I love to write - as such, a lot gets thrown out - same with my campaigns and I don't mind it, I expect it - I do like to be prepared though. I usually look at what I think the PC's will do (mine are pretty predictable) and loosely plan around that - if it doesn't work out that way, that's fine and in many cases I wing it as we go - also cool.


So again, love the idea of involving the PC's in the decision regarding the direction of the campaign based on some ideas I might come up with - I will definitely be doing this.

And Jack, I love your campaign hooks there - very cool. I have been considering doing a 2-world thing connected by some force (possibly dreams) but I'm still not quite sure. Yours sounds really fun - the kind of game I would love to play, but I'm not sure about running.



*Have a new campaign idea, or feel like sharing the plot of your current campaign? Please, post it here!*



--edit-- _I have given too much XP today to give away more today  _--/edit--


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## Jack7 (Apr 16, 2009)

> As for knowing ahead of time that it will go from levels 1 to 30, I only mentioned numbers since I was asked about it. My current campaign I would have told you the same, that we could go from 1 - 30, but as it turns out, it may end somewhere between 18-24.





I wasn't implying this was what you were doing Weem, or even that it was a bad thing to do necessarily. I have read where people said that they wrote campaign specifically with the intent of going from a certain level to another level. I don't do it that way, things like level advancement are incidental to me.

I also agree with the idea for allowing players direct input for campaign, and even world development. It's your show to write, but they will help develop it.

By the way, I don't know if adventure ideas will also help you with campaign development, but if they do, try here: *Adventure Ideas*

There are also some other good adventure threads about. Unfortunately I can't remember what most are called.

Happy Hunting.


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## fba827 (Apr 16, 2009)

One thought before I toss out some ideas ...

Try for something that is a different "tone" / "feel" than your just-now-ending campaign.  Otherwise it will ultimately feel the same with just different characters.
Plus, as a DM, you'll find that if things are setup differently, you'll be inspired to try things you didn't in the last campaign.

As for some plot ideas ..

1) Start off small, the PCs end up finding (or hired to find) some small item or whatever.  After a couple levels they realize that item they retrieved is one part of several (maybe part of a set or maybe they are pieces of a bigger item, etc).  And some bad people are trying to collect these different parts, so it turns in to a race to locate and retrieve the parts.  In the end, the PCs will have some and some bad guys will have some.  Just make sure that individually each part can do 'something' or else the PCs "win" at the start of the campaign just by getting the first piece.  So each piece has to pose a potential minor threat, while all the pieces together are a potential bigger threat.
Did you ever see the first season of Jackie Chan Adventures (cartoon, from early 2000 i think).  They collected talismans, each with their own power.  Or, together, they were used to summon an ancient evil spirit.

2) If all the players like a certain "flavor" of PC (no, not talking chocolate or strawberry, but if they all like magic inclined, or combat style, etc) then you can start it off as a wizard school or a military unit etc  (that doesn't mean just one class, just of that mind set - a cleric of magic or battle could fit in either of those two examples)

3) go for some sort of post-apocolypse.  the PCs are at ground 0, day 1.  No yet-established civilization area, though over time people will start to work together for mutual saftey if there are still threats out there (scavangers seeking the survivors since food is now much more scarce, etc).  Maybe the PCs start to uncover what the "nuke event" was, or maybe they already know.  In any case, the campaign, or at least the first part of it, will have to deal a lot with survival.  And then getting supplies to help ensure the survival of a building community.  and the PCs could be in charge of that new town, etc.

4) Do a small twist on a common fantasy element.  What if non-divine magic is outlawed (or heavily controlled - must be registered or be part of the military, etc). Thus wizards and all would need to keep their craft a secret.  Or (as an added variable extension of that) don't allow arcane style classes for PCs _but_ give each PC a bonus multiclass feat to an arcane class (if using 4e, or just give them a bonus minor wizard spell if using another system)... thus, it becomes about the party hiding what they can do or face penalties, etc.

5) If you're willing to "deal with" water (and the eventual underwater situation) have a boat.  And day 1 of the campaign is the PCs getting (individually) hired on to the crew.  And the adventure is in going from place to place

6) The current kingdom can not sustain itself.  So the king hires out adventurers to journey out (possibly by boat? or on the other side of some great environmental hazard) to explore possible expansion territory.  So the campaign is about exploration and then dealing with any cultures they find while there

7) War. PCs are in it. The who what where when why all can vary...

8) PCs are apprentices/hired hands at a noble (either minor or major)'s keep/castle/estate.  But there is treachery of some kind and the mentors, and possibly the noble are missing.  What are the PCs (and possibly noble) to do? Who to trust?  How do you get back the missing key figures while keeping things running?  etc.

9) (slightly similar to something earlier in this list, but different).  The PCs know something is different about them, but don't quite know what/why.  Each of them is divinely touched (possibly with a divine class multiclass - or each PC just gets one per encounter use of some channel divinity feat as if they had channel divinity) - just be sure that each of them has a different divinity power. of course, that would step on the toes of actual divine classes, so you'll want to fiddle that idea depending (such as it doesn't count towards channel divinity use for divine PCs).  Anyway, they can all realize eventually that they're touched by the gods or prophets, or children of the gods who at one time mated with mortals, etc.  And maybe they have to prove to themselves or others... and of course, this just begs for other NPC villains who are also similarly divinely touched and corrupted by the power (starting cults or bending communities to their will through fear, etc).


yes - lots of typos here and i know it is just one giant ramble. I'm just tired. sorry.


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## weem (Apr 16, 2009)

Thanks Jack, much appreciated 

And thanks fba - I really like #3. I had this idea about the PC's beginning in some frontier land where things were just being established. With this in mind (#3) it might be cool to have them far from civilization as part of some exploration team that is mysteriously wiped out while they are out - or almost wiped out - there are some survivors. Their ship could be destroyed perhaps. Maybe another ship is do in X amount of time so they make due until then... good stuff I'll have to think about that some more.



*Have a new campaign idea, or feel like sharing the plot of your current campaign? Please, post it here!*


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## Dannyalcatraz (Apr 16, 2009)

Re: fba's #3.

1) You might get some good inspiration from Asimov's short story "Nightfall,"
later novelized with Robert Silverburg's assistance.   The short story is widely considered one of the best sci-fi stories ever written, and it DOES involve an apocalypse...and one that could be applied to a fantasy setting.  Hint: Its kind of like the setup to the movie _Pitch Black._

2) Another good source for a postapocalyptic campaign: SM Stirling's stories of _The Change_ (which, btw, is the flipside to his _Island in the Stream of Time _stories).

3) Technically, Terry Brooks' Shannara books are postapocalyptic fantasy.  Implied in the early books, it became more strongly implied as the series progressed.  However, it became explicit when he linked the Shannara storyline to his _Knight of the Word_ series which blends into the Genesis of _Shannara _series.

4) As the writers above make clear, the nature of your Extinction Level Event- *ELE* for short- will greatly shape the world in which your players' PCs will live. 

I'm designing a fantasy campaign that will take place after an ELE in which Mind Flayers from the future (see WotC's _Lords of Madness_) used mass drivers to deflect asteroids to pummel Örth in order to hasten the rise of the Mind Flayers to ascendancy.  While successful, they have a mishap and crash land, losing their Elder Brain- in shock, they cannot remember their mission, and thus cannot take full advantage of the world they've recreated.  There are elements of Asimov's _Nightfall_ and Stirling's _Change_ (how society fails) as well as HG Wells' _Time Machine_ (subterranean critters nibbling on relatively clueless surface-dwellers).


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## Aeolius (Apr 16, 2009)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I'm designing a fantasy campaign that will take place after an ELE in which Mind Flayers from the future (see WotC's _Lords of Madness_) used mass drivers to deflect asteroids to pummel Örth in order to hasten the rise of the Mind Flayers to ascendancy.




I've been working on a few ideas for a post-apocalyptic Oerth set in the years after Tharizdun was released. There isn't much left. Fortunately I'm working with the lesser moon, the handmaiden Celene.

As for the whole PCs are gods approach, I was going to explore a similar angle, albeit with animals being epic heroes, with my back-burner campaign concept "Nature of the Beast".


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## Kestrel (Apr 16, 2009)

The next campaign I'm going to run is based on the Whedonverse (Buffy/Angel).

I'm going to be using 4e, with the heroic levels representing High School, Paragon levels representing College/Adult.

The campaign idea is that the High School is a representation of Sigil, with the PCs weekly battling nasties from the various gates that spontaenously appear in different, hidden areas of the school.  Some adventures will deal with going through the gates to rescue other students and closing the gates.

The principal of the school is very rarely seen, her nickname is the Lady of Pain.  Her team of janitors are only seen after hours, they look strange and do not talk.  They clean up any strangeness left over from the PCs battles...

Anyhoo, thats the beginning that i have designed, working on "episodes" now.


PC ideas already generated:  Eladrin Cheerleader (Class to be determined), Shadar Kai Emo Goth, Githyanki Drug Dealer.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Apr 16, 2009)

Kestrel said:


> The next campaign I'm going to run is based on the Whedonverse (Buffy/Angel).
> _<snip>_




Cool!



Kestrel said:


> _<snip>_
> PC ideas already generated:  Eladrin Cheerleader (Class to be determined), Shadar Kai Emo Goth, Githyanki Drug Dealer.




Eladrin Cheerleader?  Paladin, _duh!_


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## weem (Apr 16, 2009)

> Eladrin Cheerleader?  Paladin, _duh!_




I could see the cheerleader as a Warlord, instructing people telling them what to do, "Gimme an 'A', gimme a 'B', gimme a flanking rogue and a caster at range hitting the big one!"


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## Dannyalcatraz (Apr 16, 2009)

That, too, would work.

If I were in that campaign, I'd probably go for a Dragonborn Football Player (Fighter).

Hmmm...just had a mental crossover of this with _Heathers_:  "I love my undead gay son!"


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## Kestrel (Apr 17, 2009)

This is the quote that I was using for inspiration:

"This is our year, I'm telling you. Best football season ever. I'm so in shape, I'm a rock. It's all about egg whites. If we can focus, keep discipline, and not have quite as many mysterious deaths, Sunnydale is gonna *rule!* "

I was going to convert the Dungeon Adventure, Last Breaths of Ashenport, to a beach field trip gone wrong, but my current DM started running it last night.


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## fba827 (Apr 26, 2009)

weem said:


> I could see the cheerleader as a Warlord, instructing people telling them what to do, "Gimme an 'A', gimme a 'B', gimme a flanking rogue and a caster at range hitting the big one!"




a cheerleader? I'd have to say warlord or bard.


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## steamsorceror (Mar 10, 2011)

*Ur-Priests*

Ur-Priests are an order of priests that distain gods and steal divine energy (the prestige class can be found in Complete Divine) they find a way to actualy kill the gods (through some sort of artifact that strips them of their divine power) and the party must find a way to stop them and destory said artifact.
Or They actualy manage to kill a god and the party must take the remains to some sacred sight to resurect it but find that an Ur-priest plans to steal the body and destroy it

DEMONS/ Devils - a host of lesser demons/Devils led by one of the Lords of the Abyss or one of the nine Devil Lords take control of a castle and the party must banish them back to wence they came

CELESTIALS- If the part is evil a group of celestial beings take charge of a group of adventurers and crusade across the land destroying evil where they find it now they are barking at your door


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## CuRoi (Mar 10, 2011)

neuronphaser said:


> D&D campaigns that I've done or wanted to do:
> 
> 4. The PCs are the agents of some powerful villain, sent on a quest to gain new evil allies (PCs get to play badguys! Yay!). For a twist, have them wake up with amnesia, and believe they are good guys, only to find out all the evil that they've done...




I had a very similar idea which I have yet to try. Details were about the same except the amneisa was induced by being killed - the party all "wakes up" as ghosts at the site of the big battle and they have to piece together who they are and what happened. Challenging to wrangle a bunch of Ehtereal PCs but seemed liek it could be fun.

My last campaign was a world being torn asunder. The PCs were in a hobgoblin occupied city and a great cataclysm had begun which was essentially dissolving the bonds between the Elemental / Transitive and Material Planes. Firestorms, Earthquakes, Floods etc. were all common and accompanied by quasi-Elemental forces which were partitioning the world and reclaiming that which had been "stolen".

Areas of pure Ethereal chaos existed with ghosts roaming around large swaths of land and other bizarre hazards. Sort of a fantasy apocalypse scenario. The hobgoblin rulers in the starting city were merciless, but employed "Storm Warders" - specialized Djinn and Druids that had been placed into servitude and would travel the elemental planes to bring advance warning of impending elemental storms. This way they maintained loyalty of the people...well and the draconian law helped a bit too 

Campaign sort of fell apart though *sniff*.


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## steamsorceror (Mar 11, 2011)

My roommates and I once played an evil campaign i was a skitsofrenic Paladin of Freedom / Paladin of Tyrany which added alot of contaversy to the group seeing as i would snap out of evil right in the mddle of battle to find myself slashing down on a helpless child then I would have to make a control check to revert back to the evil side and if i do say so myself nothing is funnier than a good character who unknowingly shifts back from dreaded tyrant to a freedom loving knight in shining armor in the middle of his own courtroom dual natured characters make games more fun but somewhat ruin deep plot lines unless handed carefuly and they make especialy great villians (no hero worth his salt wants to kill someone who they believe can be saved) and finding a way to strip the evil from the Tyranical King in order to stop a war that will consume the world is a great adventure in itself (btw. i my paladin went on to rule a kingdom of exiled necromancers who raised and army of skeletons, zombies and other undead to wage a war with the nation of the sun, pelor worshipers, which prompted everyone to create good characters to combat my forces which led us to the recreation of the world in the Image of the Tyrant-Lich Lord Von Ulrich the XIV)


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## hopeless (Mar 13, 2011)

*Hmm...*



> 1/ Do you have an interesting campaign idea(s)?




Alternate earth, this one has access to both what you'd call "Real Earth" and other worlds including some depicted in legends as "Heaven" and "Hell".



> 2/ How would you sum up the idea of your current campaign?




People from "Real Earth" end up in this world and seek a way home unaware that its being invaded by various forces including their own world whose foolish antics threaten to destroy not only this world but their own!



> 3/ Do you know of any resources I could look to for inspiration?




Pretty much anything even something not considered fantasy can be adapted, for example use the Titanic as a basis for how they travel to the new world, it doesn't matter its a passenger liner that as far as their own world is concerned capsized and sank during a storm. In the new world its a fantasic and unearthly artefact carrying an equally strange crew and passengers into a world where sailing ships have sails and motorized ships are unheard of save in legends of a far Western shore where they're depicted as warships of truly staggering power...



> 4. What Genre and scope are you thinking about running?




I like mixing things, when I ran Sundered Isles in Savage Worlds I used Lost to introduce the players to the setting and threw in that the dead would never rest since they were trapped within the Isles.



> 5. At what power level do you see the PCs at the start and at the end?




Initially neophytes and work from there.


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