|
I was wondering how to go about ending the final session of my current group's Serpent's Skull Campaign.
I expect they will be successful, but didn't want to end it with...ok the big bad guy is dead and you saved the world. The End. Roll new characters!
I thought about some sort of epilogue experience, but am a bit unsure how to proceed without them just wanting to wrap things up and be done with this one-year real-time campaign.
Do you have any special events or throw a party to celebrate? How does everyone celebrate the end of APs?
Instead of ending the campaign with completion and reward, have the campaign conclude with an event that needs to be addressed by the revered characters. Something on a god scale. The characters are summoned to address this event which doesn’t come to volition until later down the road when you are ready to pull the characters out of retirement. The event could be anything you desire that creates a story hook. The players would then select a new scenario that they would like to play. The new character might want to add their previous character to the new characters back story (I.E. a friend or family member of the legendary hero) with an increased flexibility in starting gear (I would reward this flexibility based on how good the backstory turned out). I would caution not to allow the players to begin to over powered, but I would allow some accommodations. The previous hero would be reflected in the new campaigns history and backstory. Their success may have impacted the world’s economy, trade, tradition, and any other noteworthy effect that the new character might notice. Statues may have been erected within the city that provide a buff to anyone who performs the correct ritual or for any blood relative. etc, etc, etc. This is completely up to your creativeness as a GM. Good luck )
I usually prep an epilogue box text--not always something complete and written out, but an idea in my mind for the immediate aftermath of their victory. I then will provide (often in writing, sometimes right at the table) a "credits-sequence where-are-they-now" thing.
For example, by the end of one of the APs, one of the players was the last survivor of a particular noble line--he wound up inheriting the whole domain and title, even tho he'd started as a humble merchant. Another player was an inquisitor, he went on to found his own order within that particular faith (dedicated to hunting down one of the major types of enemies the AP had fought). The paladin had created some social issues with his rectitude, and so had to leave that land, despite being a savior. He did go on to another crusade, last seen plunging a blazing sword into a demon's chest...
You get the idea. If you've been with these characters for a whole AP, you have a pretty good sense of what their goals and ambitions (beyond just "beat the AP") are--it's nice to end with an epilogue that addresses those.