Unique Game Idea


Advice


As this is my first post, I don't want to start off sounding like I don't know what I'm doing. In fact I'm asking you all for advice because I want to be sure I know what I'm doing. I'm starting a big game soon, this will be a big saga that I've been planning for awhile now for my friends. Since this is important, I wanted to propose, to anyone who will listen, what the big idea is behind this unique (possibly) game so I can get feedback. Anything from tips to complete criticism is welcome. I can stomach it. I wont bore you all with the insane details so I'll be covering the cliff-notes about the riskier ideas supporting this fantasy/planar game. Stuff like, dwarves n' elves aren't going to win me any awards (are there awards around here?)

I want them to make two character sheets. Both at level one. The game will start off with them in normal fantasy land, doing regular things, until the rug is pulled from underneath them. A very Rapture-y event shakes the world and transports all lawful-good, and/or very powerful warriors from the world away to somewhere else. Not long after this happens and the investigations are underway, the main party is also sucked away to another plane entirely by the hands of a shady bunch of mystics (I'll call this place, Plane B). The party is informed Armageddon is coming to plane A, and the Mystics need to find out what and how thats going to happen but their best guess is demons. They also need to learn where all the lawful good/ powerful warriors went. The main party of five random jackholes is chosen for reasons you all don't need to worry about unless it comes up later on for some reason.

So, here's the tricky part. The main party is going to stay on that plane with the mystics. The reason I had them make two character sheets is because the mystics are going to ritually mix up some magic whatever to send them back to Plane A. There, they will be given tasks and leads, trying finding out how to stop Armageddon and figuring out where that bunch of people went. But at the same time accomplishing their goals, obviously. In Plane A, they will be leveling up and whatever. But they're technically still in Plane B with the mystics. They will be going back and forth, and they will use their second character sheet to represent themselves in that other realm, staying at level one while under control of the mystics.

I'd almost compare this all to Assassins Creed, how you would be advancing your history dude ( getting loot, weapons and becoming stronger) while still being regular ol' vulnerable Desmond Miles back in the real world. Basically, I want them to get powerful and accomplish their goals/ the main goal while still feeling like their lives are at risk in this secondary plane. I have quests and leads to follow on both planes and it will be similar to assassins creed in that regard as well.

I figured it would be cool for the players to be in a world that lost most of its good warriors and lawful good folk. Don't worry by the way, none of the party is lawful good. It will make the party seem that much more heroic if there aren't just ten other guys around the corner who could accomplish the same thing but faster. I think it would also be cool for them to have a main quest line that would be difficult to get money from. Stopping an event that hasn't happened yet. That could encourage side-quests and tasks on the side in order to get the supplies they need. NPC's might not even believe that the party has gotten their quest from another plane or that Armageddon is coming. It might leave their party helpless just enough for it to be interesting.

Concerns: If they do level in Plane A and don't level in Plane B, they might feel like they aren't actually accomplishing anything. What happens if they die in plane A? If they die in Plane B its obvious they're dead but if they die in Plane A would it work like in the Matrix and they just die in Plane B too? Should I have them stay at level one in Plane B due to some magic whatever or should I give them two separate builds even though that's weird? Should I make the mystics evil? Are there any other concerns you all might see with doing this or am I leaving out too much information?


I'm going to be honest and say that this game idea wouldn't interest me too much as a player. It's not that it's a bad or uncreative idea; it's just that it's not the sort of game that would grab my attention.

As a DM, though, I'll toss my two cents in.

I'll think about answers to the questions you asked in the bottom paragraph later, but one thing that comes to mind would be working with the idea that since they are using avatars of themselves, essentially, changes could be made to those avatars to prepare for certain missions. Example: perhaps they'd take on Lizardfolk traits for a mission involving bog adventures. Perhaps they'd turn into elves and half-elves to seal a peace treaty with elves. Etc. Basically, if your players are thrusting a version of their selves into the other plane, you should use the mechanics of the game to represent that. Likewise, my vote is that there's only a %chance they die on Plane B if they die on Plane A, and if they survive they can come back with few or no penalties. Why? Because then the mechanics more closely fit the themes you're using.

Also, you definitely want adventures to happen on Plane B as well.

And I do think the Mystics should have evil ulterior motives, even if they DO want to stop Armageddon.


I have to say that this kind of game is something I would be interested in, whether playing or running. I have a few suggestions though.

1) Don't cap the level of the players at 1. Desmond was able to apply skills from his experiences in the real world, though he didn't have the years of training. I would suggest maxing the players levels to five or six. Let skill ranks and feats (within reason) transfer between planes. Allow BAB and saves to progress normally for those five or six levels, as well as class abilities. I suggest this because the players will be learning and accomplishing things and level six is pretty much the top tier a normal human reaches in real life. Let them be heroes in both planes. For every three to four levels gained in plane B allow them to level once in plane A.

2) One the concept of player death in plane B, you could rule that the player's bodies are created from the substance of that plane and never really destroyed. I suggest death in plane B be traumatic to the character is plane A but not ultimately fatal. Have plane B character lose a level and plane A character take some sort of penalty to a stat of your choice that will go away after a bit as they recover.


Hmmm, howzabout a mash-up of Inlaa & Deathless One's suggestions?

Make them mystics evil like Inlaa said. Allow the level progression as Deathless One suggests, maybe even allow them to get even higher... and if PC death occurs in Plane A, apply it as a negative level in Plane B also, that is if you allow resurrection/retcon/raise/etc. of the dead PC in the first place.

Ultimately (end of campaign) maybe have the Mystics congratulating themselves for stopping the Armageddon and start to put their own machination in play; only to have the PC's counter and defeat them (kind of, "they know not what they did in granting these pawns knowledge and power.")

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