It's funny because i'm planning to make a campaign on the Underdark.
My friend Stephen told me that Pathfinder is going to make an underdark Campaign. And now, i believe him.
Well, for my campaign, i'm trying to be original as possible. I'm trying to figure out how can i be original after all the supplements consacred to the dark elves.
My campaign will be base on Evil Characters. The character's house has displeased the evil god. Meanwhile, there's a fight between drows factions for territory. I'm at this point.
What is, for you, the more original concept for a drow campaign ?
My campaign will be base on Evil Characters. The character's house has displeased the evil god. Meanwhile, there's a fight between drows factions for territory. I'm at this point.
What is, for you, the more original concept for a drow campaign ?
Drow power struggles such as the one you've described are a pretty common concept, though that's not to say it can't be an enjoyable game.
What's the other concept you're asking about?
First of all, an underdark campaign doesn't have to be based on drow.
They are not the only race of the underground.
Duergar and derroes offer interesting options too.
Illithids too.
And then there are also aboleths, beholders, deep dragons, grimlocks, quaggoths, svirfneblin, troglodytes...
Drow power struggles such as the one you've described are a pretty common concept, though that's not to say it can't be an enjoyable game.
What's the other concept you're asking about?
I'm triying to get something special.
It's less common to see adventure from the evil side. Drow group without Lolth but fighting for another evil deity.
I think the concept of Love in Underdark should be original. Love between NPC a drow priestress and a mage for example(like Romeo&Juliette).
Another idea is to make a distortion of the magic and make the underdark without faerzress.
In fact, i'm asking what can be original idea on a Underdark campaign. Something that's never seen before.
First of all, an underdark campaign doesn't have to be based on drow.
They are not the only race of the underground.
Duergar and derroes offer interesting options too.
Illithids too.
And then there are also aboleths, beholders, deep dragons, grimlocks, quaggoths, svirfneblin, troglodytes...
Of course there's lot of underdark races, but my campaign will be compose by a priestress, a fighter, an Illithid and another undefine character.
My group want to play Underdark and Drow in particular. But the campaign should be playing by others groups too.How can you justify why an svirfneblin, aboleths, beholders are playing together ?
But i'm agree with you most of the encounter will be non-drow encounters except maybe for the "grand final".
Duergar and derroes offer interesting options too.
Illithids too.
And then there are also aboleths, beholders, deep dragons, grimlocks, quaggoths, svirfneblin, troglodytes...
Quite cool how those species ended up in alphabetical order!
Yeah - there's lots of stuff going on in the Underdark.
I once did a game where a cult (worshipping a power of Darkness and Order/Law) found a nice home close to a thriving Illithid settlement. The cult and the 'flayers got along for a while, until the cultists manifested an avatar of their Cthulhu-Mythos inspired Shadow Crystal god-thing...
Anyway, it was a great game! Lots of memorable moments. PCs were good or neutral (neutrals were mostly motivated by vengeance against the cult or the 'flayers). So, my group was kind of split about who was the worse villain. They decided to work together to get these powers in the Underdark to fight against one another.
Turns out that shards of this avatar could reflect psionic hoo-haa away from those attuned to them, but they had a pretty severe price associated with it. (The Shadow Crystal could send ethereal agents / threats thru the Shard into the Prime.)
It didn't take much instigation on the part of the PCs to get the nasties at each others' throats. Raids on the cultists yielded Shards. These Shards were passed on to the more powerful of the illithid's Thralls to allow them some chance to break free of their tentacled masters.
Throw in a tribe of Grimlock barbarians, an insane beholder, and a duregar merchant house and you really didn't notice the lack of drow.
Good times... :)
Good ideas indeed !!!
I'm triying to get something special.
It's less common to see adventure from the evil side. Drow group without Lolth but fighting for another evil deity.
I think the concept of Love in Underdark should be original. Love between NPC a drow priestress and a mage for example(like Romeo&Juliette).
Another idea is to make a distortion of the magic and make the underdark without faerzress.
In fact, i'm asking what can be original idea on a Underdark campaign. Something that's never seen before.
You'd be surprised how common evil drow campaigns are. It seems whenever a group wants a game centered around playing an evil race, drow is the usual choice. And even if they're not serving old eight-legged and spidery, it sounds like they're still subservient to an evil power; it's the same concept, and only differs in specifics. If you're looking for a unique underdark campaign then these concepts should take a backseat to your story.
Love in the underdark could be interesting, though for an evil campaign, especially one focused on drow, I imagine it would be more of a lust/control/ownership situation. It would probably involve a lot of RP, whether you plan it or not, and could easily move into themes that, at best, are frowned upon by many of the more common modern societies. Carefully consider if you, and your players, are up for such a game.
Unless you and your group have experienced underdark games in which faerzress has played a major role, its absence is not likely to be noticed by your players. Once again, it's more along the lines of background information that something that would define the story.
The drow are cold, calculating, manipulative, and self-centered. They're creatures of chaos by nature, but to them their schemes are well planned and make perfect sense. Their motivations seem to always revolve around personal gain, be it through power or influence, or often both. You probably want to build your campaign around these factors.
A couple of questions for you. What level of play are you looking for? Along a similar line, would your players be content to start by serving someone else, or do they want to be major players in the setting from the start?
A couple of questions for you. What level of play are you looking for? Along a similar line, would your players be content to start by serving someone else, or do they want to be major players in the setting from the start?
I have rode about twenty differents officials and non officials books, guides and adventures about the Underdark and the drows, and almost all of them are oriented Good versus Evil.
I think love can be a good 'intrigue' for the game. The hook will be more usual : An house has despleased the evil god etc...
The campaign will be in three part. One scenario from the 1 to 3 levels
the 3-6 and 6-9.
My players know the Underdark and the drows motivations and there's at least one priestress on the group. So, they have to play under her orders. And she will work under the matron's control.
I also have to get another hook (more standard)for others groups. If, one day, my scenario is release...
I have rode about twenty differents officials and non officials books, guides and adventures about the Underdark and the drows, and almost all of them are oriented Good versus Evil.
I think love can be a good 'intrigue' for the game. The hook will be more usual : An house has despleased the evil god etc...
The campaign will be in three part. One scenario from the 1 to 3 levels
the 3-6 and 6-9.
My players know the Underdark and the drows motivations and there's at least one priestress on the group. So, they have to play under her orders. And she will work under the matron's control.I also have to get another hook (more standard)for others groups. If, one day, my scenario is release...
You're right, there's not many published evil v evil content out there. The reason's basic; in general, PCs are meant to be the heroes of the game, not the villains.
Keep in mind that your 1-3 level range will in actuality be for levels 3-5 once you take into consideration the racial +2 level adjustment. It gives a little more freedom in selection scenarios due to the party's increased capabilities, but you need to be careful as many of their abilities will still be those of 1st-level characters.
Also be aware that even though your players are familiar with the drow society presented by Salvatore (which it sounds like you're running with), they may chose to not adhere to that society. PCs are supposed to represent atypical members of a race, and that often includes atypical perspective and actions as well.
As I mentioned before, internal struggle and attempts to gain demonic favor are common themes in drow-based adventures. But if you do want to run with one, or both, of these concepts then you need to focus on them. They will dominate your campaign as the primary themes, at which point your focus should shift away from designing a unique story to designing an enjoyable story within the concepts you've selected.
Also be aware that even though your players are familiar with the drow society presented by Salvatore (which it sounds like you're running with), they may chose to not adhere to that society. PCs are supposed to represent atypical members of a race, and that often includes atypical perspective and actions as well.
I must confess that my players are very special and they love playing evil. So, an atypical drow is an outcast. If this is the case i think we are going to make a pure evil drow scenario with typical character.
Well, the characters aren't made yet but except the ithilid (and perhaps a drider) all are evil drow.
I must confess that my players are very special and they love playing evil. So, an atypical drow is an outcast. If this is the case i think we are going to make a pure evil drow scenario with typical character.
Well, the characters aren't made yet but except the ithilid (and perhaps a drider) all are evil drow.
I didn't mean atypical in alignment, I was meaning atypical in ability, ambition, and other equally devious words that start with the letter "A". Just because they're playing evil characters doesn't mean they're automatically going to conform to the society you present. In fact, if they really immerse themselves in the role, it becomes more likely that they'll be trying to go against the status quo in order to better their character's own position.
I didn't mean atypical in alignment, I was meaning atypical in ability, ambition, and other equally devious words that start with the letter "A". Just because they're playing evil characters doesn't mean they're automatically going to conform to the society you present. In fact, if they really immerse themselves in the role, it becomes more likely that they'll be trying to go against the status quo in order to better their character's own position.
It will depend on my work as GM.
If i succeed to describe the Underdark and the differents tensions between the characters of a same house it will be a great reward !!!
If I run Second Darkness as a campaign, after I finish up Crimson Throne, to fit my campaign world I'll be changing all the drow to neogi ...
Excuse me but what's neogi ?
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If I run Second Darkness as a campaign, after I finish up Crimson Throne, to fit my campaign world I'll be changing all the drow to neogi ...Excuse me but what's neogi ?
Wierd spider-eel aberration critters. They're in Lords of Madness in great detail. They're rapacious extradimensional critters that enslave others, keep umber hulks for pets, eat babies, and live (in my world) underground.
I'm running my underdark as a more uniform group of similar aberrant races (aboleth, mind flayers, neogi, and other tentacled creatures) that were driven deep underground during the Summoner's War.
Drow just don't exist in my game, but it won't take me much effort to match up neogi ... I can match CR's, and the culture's aren't that different -- heck, neogi have a bit of a spider motif going on already.
It will depend on my work as GM.
If i succeed to describe the Underdark and the differents tensions between the characters of a same house it will be a great reward !!!
So very true; I wish you success.
Excuse me but what's neogi ?
Online art galleries are such wonderful resources.
(hint hint)
Whoo! That's them. Creepy, creepy, creepy!
Whahoooo ! Very impressive ! They look like Alterates Spiders.
Great idea witch ER/level are they ?
Whoo! That's them. Creepy, creepy, creepy!Online art galleries are such wonderful resources.
(hint hint)
How the hell does it open the bag?
How the hell does it open the bag?
Good question. Extremely long prehensile tongue, perhaps? It'd make as much sense as any other part of the thing's anatomy.
How the hell does it open the bag?Good question. Extremely long prehensile tongue, perhaps? It'd make as much sense as any other part of the thing's anatomy.
Mouarf !!
They use their back legs in order to stand up and use the others legs to open the bag... Right ?
I've have to add that they seems to be from the Arachnid's family beacause they have 8 legs. So, they have the right to be in the underdark ! :-)
I've have to add that they seems to be from the Arachnid's family beacause they have 8 legs. So, they have the right to be in the underdark ! :-)
I think they're originally from space, as part of the Spelljammer Setting.
I've have to add that they seems to be from the Arachnid's family beacause they have 8 legs. So, they have the right to be in the underdark ! :-)I think they're originally from space, as part of the Spelljammer Setting.
Ohhh yes Spelljammer i remind that. I was 14...
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While it might not be helpful for the campaign you've described, I once heard a very original thought on the Drow. The DM in question had been running his campaign and from early on the PC's kept hearing legends of the horrible, evil, murderous, super-nasty drow. Around 10th level the PC's find themselves in the desert and they actually encounter the fabled dark elves! And it turns out that's all they were. Instead of going underground, they were a faction of elves who went off to live in the desert. Due to sun exposure and intense heat they got dark skin. Turns out the "wicked" drow were just some melanin gifted elves who got some really bad PR. I thought it was hilarious!
I think it's great to break metagaming expectations. I forget which Dungeon magazine editor wrote in his forward one month, but one of them replaced drow with half-fiend albino elves with a spider love-on ... the results were creepy and fun ...
I think it's great to break metagaming expectations. I forget which Dungeon magazine editor wrote in his forward one month, but one of them replaced drow with half-fiend albino elves with a spider love-on ... the results were creepy and fun ...
I think it's Dungeon119 ?!?