Hello everyone,
For a long time I have been considering World of Warcraft, the lore that exists and the lore that is being created.
As a player with loving memories of the dark feelings inspired by the first two games I wanted to bring that back.
While I enjoy the story and most of the lore brought by Warcraft 3 I feel that it set itself apart from the previous games with its cartoonish graphics.
And also the fact that most, if not all, of the maps from warcraft 1 and 2 became obsolete when Warcraft 3 was released made me a bit disappointed.
But, nevertheless, I liked it. Then came Frozen throne. It was okay I suppose, I did not enjoy it quite like I did the original Rise of Chaos, but it was alright.
Then comes World of Warcraft.
Now, don't get me wrong, WoW is a good game, but the destruction of lore that I see is horrible. Original WoW is okay, then comes burning crusade... *shivers* and the Lich King... Cataclysm... and now latest... Mists of Pandaria. *shudders*
So, I commandeered of a thought to create my own lore following the events of Warcraft 3 the Frozen Throne.
And since my most favorite "faction" in WoW is the Scarlet Crusade, obviously, that's where we will start.
Now, the maps are a problem, since WoW made the maps smaller, dumber and removed a lot of flavor. So I took the opportunity of using Pathfinder's Kingmaker hex map to redo most if not all of the maps. I followed the general outline of the maps from World of Warcraft, even though they are not even close to Warcraft 1 or 2, or even WC3 for that matter.
I found it simplest that way, because the WoW maps are the most developed.
I now have tweaked and explored and re-engineered both Tirisfal Glades and the Western Plaguelands and I feel confident enough to start planning the adventure itself.
And I would like to hear ideas and plans from my fellow pathfinder GMs and players.
TL;DR Gaming in warcraft universe, starting pre-WoW, Scarlet Crusade, maps done, need ideas for adventures.
And for those of you who does not know about the scarlet crusade, there is quite a lot of information to be found here: http://www.wowpedia.org/The_Scarlet_Crusade
Campaign restrictions:
Alignment: I will allow my players to play either Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral or Lawful Evil.
Why Lawful? Well, if you read about the scarlet crusade you will note that they are fanatics that always without doubt follow orders.
Why allow good? Because there are still pure elements in the Crusade, elements that will be explored during the course of the campaign, for better or worse.
Class Restrictions: Rogues will be able to be played, but I will impress upon my players that they are not thieves, they are more like scouts and infiltrators than anything else.
Classes I won't allow are Druid and Sorcerer from the Core book, and most other arcane classes except Wizard. Remember, we are working with a religiously zealous group of fanatics here.
There will probably be more classes not accepted on a case to case basis.
During the game, fighters, barbarians, monks, paladins and clerics will be the ones experiencing the least amount of distrust.
Campaign Ideas:
So, here is the deal: Balnazzar has corrupted the Crusade as most know, but there are still elements remaining in the Crusade that are pure to it's ideals, there among Telean Fordring and to some parts, High General Abbendis.
I have decided to add a few others to the list, Arcanist Doan, High Priest Benedictus Voss, Scarlet Commander Marjhan and a select few others.
During the course of the Campaign, (depending on if the party chooses to follow the path of evil or the path of good), corruption will be rooted out, heresy stamped and heretics killed.
If they choose to follow the path of good then there will be a chance that they can purify the Scarlet Crusade from its corrupting elements (Balnazzar, Issilien, Renault Mograine, The Crimsion Legion etc.) or perhaps join the Argent Dawn and put the diseased beast that is the Crusade down for good?
If they choose to follow the road laid down before them by the corrupted elements of the Crusade they will likely end up corrupted to the core and turned into undead by Balnazzar and forged into the Risen, or perhaps they have well intentions and do all that one would do as good but fail to cleanse the horrific methods of the Crusade and still remain the evil monster of a organization that they are at the moment?
Now, the campaign will start in Tirisfal Glades, the characters have just completed their trials of Purification (and start as level 2).
While I have not established the particulars, several small mini-adventures will be done during the first two levels. Patrols, hunting for scourge/forsaken and the odd saving of refugees to show the everyday activities of the Scarlet Crusade and to develop the characters and their relations to other NPCs and also their impression of the Crusade as a whole.
After that time, Arcanist Doan will summon them to complete a mission for him. He wants them to head south to Vandermar Village and there find files from one of his former colleagues.
Now, since Arcanist Doan has begun to suspect the taint in the Crusade (Albiet in the form of undead and not in the infernal corruption of Balnazzar) he wants to find the research done by one of his friends on how to expose the plague, a divination spell specifically made to find those effected by the plague.
Of course, this wont help him since there is no undead corruption in the Crusade to speak of, but it will set Arcanist Doan on the right track and he will start searching for other forms of corruption.
And he will find it.
Arcanist Doan will die not long after he discovers the first signs of infernal corruption, he is murdered for poking in things he should not.
Depending on the actions of the players, they will be the ones who help expose him as a "traitor" or they will be shocked to hear the news of his passing and label as a traitor.
He will leave clues either way, and he will have spoken to others who shares his concerns.'
Now, before i delve to deep into my ideas into the campaign, here is what i need help with:
Do you have ideas on any side-plots or missions that I can throw into the campaign?
Do you have larger Meta-plots of your own that I can run at the same time?
Or just tips and lore-ideas.
Also, I will if possible upload the maps I have made if I find a good and simple computer program to make them in.
TL:DR
Well, too bad... :P
Have a nice day all!
Henrik
