I'm considering running a campaign, for the first time ever. Sure I did a barfight for a group of friends' 2e characters (1 was a minotaur, 1 was an invoker, I was a sylvan elf berserker...), but I've never truly DM'd. The storyline, and main character would revolve around a pc I created and am using currently in a campaign...only he's a ghost at some higher level. He'd be a cleric/ranger with favored enemy undead...which leads into the plot line. 1. He's a ghost, which means that theoretically he can be put to rest 2. He's obsessed with the undead, a negative energy true neutral cleric, he's a skull collector- might as well be a bone collector from Ghostwalk 3. Find his gear and take it or secure it so that you have his help. (naturally his primary weapon would be ghost touch) 4. Put him to rest or go on a quest to fight the undead and to, I figure, put down his evil necromancer father. (who's possibly undead- like a Necropolitan from Libris Mortis)
I'd give the ghost guy feats like ectoplasm (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20030606a , and yes I just bought this, like now.) and if I can find the rules for it, a ghost touch version of the Skull Lash. or part of the quest would be to find his Skull Lash and he'd use a ghost touch morningstar or something.
anyway, this is just a preliminary idea and I'm more interested in hearing what I need to do to become a DM first, advice on encounters especially. I don't want to over power any Pcs I get, but I want them to have a challenge. I haven't decided what gameworld to do this in. (Not Eberron, I'm not buying those books) I haven't decided how far this campaign of undead would go, but I have the Libris Mortis just in case. I want it to be an original sort of story, but I'm willing to mince in sidequests and modules or whatever (like campaign goodies and dungeons from the Libris Mortis maybe). I'm looking at almost a year away for this thing, but I want to start now incase I can get the campaign off the ground...say before I have to choose between grad schools which would be in say January. (Right now the character I'd have be the ghost is only 2 cleric/2 ranger but I could modify him accordingly)
well, assuming your not going to run a module and are going to run a free form game and after you have decided on a map and setting you will need to decide some basic issues; I usually discuss this with my players so we are all on the same page.
1) decide the level of technology and magic that the area will have; for example does plate armor exist or is chain the best; maybe for a twist your pcs might like a bronze age; ect or maybe highly advanced with plate commonplace.
2) decide the wealth of your starting area and how that wealth is generated; it is usually best to start in a area of fairly low population with perhaps a few retired heroes in town or a tower of some reputed hero nearby; they can be good adventure lures for your pcs; ie such and such mage is needs 6 worms from a zombies brain to make a potion that the pcs need to penetrate some undead lair or some such. Keep working on your city ideas though for the time your pcs graduate so to speak to the complexity of a city and its treasures and dangers.
3) create some notable npc's that provide a skeletal functionality to the place; ie; mayortype guy; sherif type guy; bartender type guy; General goods type guy; the local priest or priestess and the town drunk; These are the guys that will help plant rumors; perhaps complaining about something that undead are behind like animals or people missing or graves disturbed or whatnot.
4) create your first protagonist and flesh him out with some thugs; these will be the first bad guys the pcs will encounter; start thinking about who this guys boss is and what his goals are so that when the pc's do things he can respond by sending threats; thugs; whatever.
If you dont have Libre Mortis; i suggest you get it; there is also a book dedicated to ghosts but i dont remember its name right off; for example; a direct decendent of a ghost according to that book can coexist inside a pc's body and cannot be turned for example.
This is how many games start out; most gms have a real problem in the beginning finding a way to get the party together and the pcs always have a problem getting organized and working out what role what person will perform. I highly recommend you limit starting characters to good alignments as this will make your job easier and give the pcs at least a sliver of a reason to work together.
hope this helps
well, assuming your not going to run a module and are going to run a free form game and after you have decided on a map and setting you will need to decide some basic issues; I usually discuss this with my players so we are all on the same page.
1) decide the level of technology and magic that the area will have; for example does plate armor exist or is chain the best; maybe for a twist your pcs might like a bronze age; ect or maybe highly advanced with plate commonplace.
2) decide the wealth of your starting area and how that wealth is generated; it is usually best to start in a area of fairly low population with perhaps a few retired heroes in town or a tower of some reputed hero nearby; they can be good adventure lures for your pcs; ie such and such mage is needs 6 worms from a zombies brain to make a potion that the pcs need to penetrate some undead lair or some such. Keep working on your city ideas though for the time your pcs graduate so to speak to the complexity of a city and its treasures and dangers.3) create some notable npc's that provide a skeletal functionality to the place; ie; mayortype guy; sherif type guy; bartender type guy; General goods type guy; the local priest or priestess and the town drunk; These are the guys that will help plant rumors; perhaps complaining about something that undead are behind like animals or people missing or graves disturbed or whatnot.
4) create your first protagonist and flesh him out with some thugs; these will be the first bad guys the pcs will encounter; start thinking about who this guys boss is and what his goals are so that when the pc's do things he can respond by sending threats; thugs; whatever.
If you dont have Libre Mortis; i suggest you get it; there is also a book dedicated to ghosts but i dont remember its name right off; for example; a direct decendent of a ghost according to that book can coexist inside a pc's body and cannot be turned for example.
I now have Libris Mortis AND Ghostwalk. So I'm ready as far as that goes. I'll make a higher level cleric/ranger/bone collector npc ghost be the guide and I'll probably take a page from Ghostwalk and have Manifest be a city, but right now I'm still building up to work on the bones before fleshing out the monstrosity that will be my gameworld.
1. Technology wise- it'd be high. In the gameworld my character is currently in they have friggin Airships, but of course his technology level is more along the lines of the barbarians in comparison to the romans. He's intelligent and has access to some significant technology, but he's using a +1 heavy flail type weapon. I'd make the pc's gameworld tech at or above this sort of technology. (no airships though, again that's someone else's gameworld and I'll just presume that the ghost character's personal battle allows this small world to exist outside of that gameworld.2. Wealth will be tricky, but like the first interaction with the ghost (And that'll be the hard thing to do, introduce the ghost character without scaring the pants off of the pcs, well maybe scaring them will be a good thing.) would lead to the first big windfall of wealth for the PCs. And yes I'd start off in a village or something and work my way up to city complexity. (thanks for the sidequest advice though I'm not sure what I'll do exactly, it'll be something akin to the ghouls' claws sidequest my other dm gave us.) Perhaps I'll have the first quest have nothing to do with the ghost, merely a graveyard or someplace the ghost would haunt (perhaps keeping a vigilance for other undead) and then from there he'd be getting the player characters to do his bone collecting.
3. Thanks, that's exactly the kind of advice I want to hear, the basic stuff that I shouldn't forget.
4. Protagonist or Antagonist (I have my protagonist, the ghost, who's also an optional Antagonist. if they choose to slay the ghost, as if possible, then he'll come back and haunt them.) but thugs are a good idea, perhaps the boss could be the potentially undead necromancer, but not to get too heavy on the undead, there would be some instances where live opponents mingle with undead opponents. (thus the advantage of rebuking/commanding undead would shine through for the cleric ghost)
I could introduce the ghost by the player characters finding a possession of his that he wants to keep- ie. the skull lash. and thusly he haunts them. If the ghost thing gets too cumbersome in the building I can drop it, but keep the undead theme.
And as far as malevolent forces, Orcus- demon prince of the undead, a lesser deity from ghostwalk, might serve as a decent if not perfect force of evil for the characters to go up against. the necromancer could serve him and that could be part of the bane that keeps the Skull Collector on the mortal plane.
I'm considering doing a Ghostwalk campaign...
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The DMG2 has some good ideas for DM's (obviously) and may provide some inspiration.
I also recommend (especially for your campaign) thumbing through Heroes of Horror. I don't think you need to adopt Taint rules or anything, but it has some excellent tips at creating atmosphere (even if it's not meant to be a horror campaign per se) and on adventure design. There's a lot you can take away from the book even if you don't run the type of campaign the book is geared towards.
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i'd recommend the following.
set out how you'd like your initial plot line to start, a couple of notable things to happen along the way, and end.
ie,
ghost-ranger (GR) finds the PC's after they acquire some mundane part of his old gear (perhaps a cloak or backpack).
they are looking for some adventure, so GR manifests (or uses telekinesis, or whatever ghostly powers you give him) and prompts them along to the place he died/is buried/the lair of his murderer.
along the way, they are beset by bandits/orcs/undead, and must defeat them to continue. (or similar situation)
at the location the GR wants them to go, they must find his bones/determine if the map/other quest item/personal artifact is really there, or similar goal, which is PARTIALLY completed.
they go back to GR's original place of communication (perhaps a certain room in a certain inn at a certain time of night), and get more back story/info on the baddies.
NOW, you've got them hooked on a particular quest, involving your GR, and you can send them all over creation so long as you keep the "getting there" fun and only ever partially completed.
---things to avoid:
paladins/pious exorcists in the party...not a good combo to start with a ghost-patron
giving TOO much info about the ghost away at once. then it seems like they are geting TOLD what is happening, rather than MAKING what happens
TELLING the players what to do. you've gotta be more tricksy than that. after you subtle lead into "follow this guy's instructions" make them seem reasonable and profitable. soon enough they'll be thinking it was THEIR idea to listen to the dead guy with the ghost-touch knives...
lastly, be prepared to improvise. your players WILL throw you curveballs. expect that. you won't know just WHAT they will do/say/burn, but expect that they'll do SOMETHING stupid to break your plot. if you're flexible about timelines, locations, and NPC's, you can go with the flow, and they'll never know that situation A was REALLY supposed to happen at Town C, and NPC Bob was never really a vampire-monk until AFTER they completely ignored the (you thought) obvious hints about NPC Lord Alucard d'Blood-Drinker. (exaggeration, but you get the hint.)
good luck, and stay cool!
namaste'
the hamster
Valegrim and Celestial Healer’s advice is excellent. Listen to them.
My best advice on starting a new campaign is to forget about the rules for a while and think about the story. Put aside the special abilities, feats, skills, and strengths each character class has to offer, and the fabulous magic items you’ll introduce. Those are great sources of initial inspiration, but think now about the overarching storyline that will drive the campaign. Ask yourself (1) what’s the world like, (2) how did it get that way, (3) what will happen if someone – the PCs – don’t step in to change the course of events, and (4) how can they do that?
Your story must be your own, so I won’t presume to suggest that you adopt the following ideas; I offer them for illustrative purposes only.
QUESTION 1: WHAT'S THE WORLD LIKE? Perhaps it strikes one at first blush as an ordinary, late medieval fantasy setting, but a shadow of necromancy is growing in the dark places of the realms.
[Here I might turn to classic horror imagery without disclosing up front to the players that this is a Ghostwalk setting. Other DMs would argue that involving your players in the decision to use such a setting ensures ideal character generation and goodwill from the group, but I’m secretive by nature. So here goes.]
Apparitions seem more common than in generations past. Recently, many community cemeteries that have always been revered as places of holy ground show signs of grave robbing. Coffins are found unearthed and bodies missing. Other graves have seemingly collapsed into heretofore unknown dark tunnels or caverns beneath the graveyards. Villagers throughout the countryside are nervous. Rumors circulate in poorer communities outside city walls that vagrants seen at night on the country road and moors are actually ghouls, or worse. The wealthy have quietly hidden away portraits of their ancestors whose images have inexplicably begun to rot or distort into undead visions.
You get the idea. Not everyone knows it yet, but darkness is seeping into at the corners of reality, and safety has become a fool’s illusion.
QUESTION 2: HOW DID THE WORLD GET THIS WAY? How about this? Several hundred years ago, a young man -- your PCs’ ghostly patron -- discovered that his father, a powerful lord and pillar of society in the land’s greatest city, was secretly worshipping and sacrificing innocents to Orcus. The father feared that his debauchery and untoward deeds committed through his life (and unknown to the world at large) would damn his soul to eternal torment. But then he learned (through ancient, profane scrolls, or some similar nefarious source) that the most wicked human souls are actually elevated to the ranks of powerful demons upon death. The father thereafter committed himself to the most terrible and fiendish deeds, while maintaining his public image of virtuosity, to ensure that he would become one of the tormentors, not the tormented, upon death. He discovered a natural gift for necromancy, and turned to Orcus as his sponsor.
Using his family’s vast wealth and political stature, the father turned dozens, hundreds, even thousands of other mortals to dark deeds that would, in turn, condemn their souls. To ensure his postmortem position as one of Orcus’s chief lieutenants in the hereafter, the father, when his power grew sufficient, broke the carefully crafted seals on the mystical doors between the material world and the lands of the undead. This welcomed into this living world the growing shadow that now haunts the land.
All of this his son (the PCs’ ghostly patron) discovered. After the son’s initial horror wore off, he responded with unexpected clarity and conviction. He confronted his father in the midst of crucial ceremony in which his father planned to sacrifice dozens of innocents to Orcus. He pleaded with his father to return to reason. The father flew into a rage and attacked the son. The son, to save the would-be victims, stood and fought. The two killed each other.
The father’s soul plunged to the Abyss, but Orcus refused to elevate the father to a true demon's stature. Instead, he turned the father into a unique undead minion and cast him back to the material plane with instructions to ensure that undead overrun and dominate the world of the living. Only then will his father earn his place at Orcus’s side as a lord of demons. The father hurtled back to our world, empowered but enraged, blaming his son for his failure to ascend immediately.
The son rose as a ghost, and cannot rest until his father’s taint is cleared from the lands.
The undead father’s influence is cause of the advent of necromantic power throughout the land. He unlocked the doors to the nether realms and plans to channel all of that power against the good of mankind. The son, a far less powerful entity in the world of the undead, stands alone against him to save mankind. He cannot stand alone for long. He needs help.
QUESTION 3: WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE PC'S DON'T INTERVENE. That’s simple. Unless the son finds a living power to oppose the rising undead force, the undead will take over the world. They will work subtly at first, chipping away at the edges of the mortal races, until the forces of the material world are sufficiently compromised. (This has already begun. Ask the caretaker at the cemetery. He'll tell you tales to turn your hair white.)
Once the mortal races are suitably infiltrated and undermined, the father will launch the true war, the war that none will survive. Unless a sufficiently powerful living force is raised to both understand and face the horror, this world, in a few years time, will become a horrific realm of populated by nothing undead. Then Orcus will claim it as his own, drag it down into the Abyss forever, and the father will have his reward. The son understands this, and has chosen the PCs as his best hope to turn the tide. It’s all up to them.
QUESTION 4: HOW CAN THE PCS TURN THE TIDE? One adventure at a time. The first three or four adventures should teach the PCs that the son, although a ghost, is someone to trust, not some undead menace. Thereafter he can point them to the allies, to magic items, to knowledge, and ultimately to the armies they must lead to face his father’s crusade against the living. All must be obtained through heroic actions, daring deeds, and personal sacrifices. Whatever the PCs initial alignment, the must ultimately accept that they alone are the light in the darkness, and on their decisions rests the fate of the world.
* * *
Okay, that’s an example of how one might think in sketching out a campaign. The details will follow. Nifty magic items and clever character classes are trivial compared to the overarching plotline. Now, toss mine aside as junk and craft your own.
Best wishes!
Listen to Psionicamister too. His advice is particularly sound. Especially true is his axiom that no adventure survives the PCs. It's sad, but absolutely true. If you prepare for them to go left, right, straight, or backwards, they'll find a way to go up. If you give them a clear choice between A or B, they'll choose 4, or blueberry. Flexibility is the key here.
Roll with it. Pretend that whatever the PCs do is exactly what you expected them to do. Bluff. Let events roll wherever their and your collective imagination takes you while you secretly look for ways to reintegrate their rediculuous frolics and detours into the storyline they've escaped. With a little practice, you'll become a master at doubling back.
The key not to panic. Never panic. At least not outwardly. Smile. Laugh. Roll some dice with no purpose. Call for meaningless spot or listen checks, then dubiously announce, "Seems clear." Create an NPC on the fly who has bad breath and clings to the a PC, professing the benefits of purchasing a dubuious looking bottle of curative. Announce a sudden change in the weather. Improvise. And while doing so, always let the players' good ideas work, and their stupid ones fail embarrassingly. If the PCs actions call for skill checks, and their still low level, make 10 a no-brainer, 15 a legitimate challenge, 20 a serious challenge, and 25 something they should aspire too without solid training or a load of ale in their bellies.
And keep looking for that hook to drag them back into the real plotline. Be patient. It will come. It always does.
On the subject of player unpredictability, a wise friend once passed down the three rules of GMing to me.
1) The more you plan the more you have to redo when characters do something else.
2) Players always do something else.
3) If player do something else and you've planned for it, there's something seriously wrong with your players.
Generally, I find two types of planning helpful.
First, what would the world be doing if there weren't players? When? Flesh out a few major actors in the setting and get to know them in your own head so that you'll have some idea of where the plot should go when the PCs choose 'blueberry' over A and B.
Second, NPCs, situations, encounters, etc. in general form are invaluable. As has been mentioned, the drunk guy, the madame, etc. Or, highwaymen seeking plunder, etc. These are particularly useful when you can fit them into the overall plot somehow, while still retaining the 'plug-and-play' aspect.
Also, Edward Reed: Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. :-)
The DMG2 has some good ideas for DM's (obviously) and may provide some inspiration.
I also recommend (especially for your campaign) thumbing through Heroes of Horror. I don't think you need to adopt Taint rules or anything, but it has some excellent tips at creating atmosphere (even if it's not meant to be a horror campaign per se) and on adventure design. There's a lot you can take away from the book even if you don't run the type of campaign the book is geared towards.
Thanks, I'll give both a look.
i'd recommend the following.
set out how you'd like your initial plot line to start, a couple of notable things to happen along the way, and end.
ie,
ghost-ranger (GR) finds the PC's after they acquire some mundane part of his old gear (perhaps a cloak or backpack).
they are looking for some adventure, so GR manifests (or uses telekinesis, or whatever ghostly powers you give him) and prompts them along to the place he died/is buried/the lair of his murderer.along the way, they are beset by bandits/orcs/undead, and must defeat them to continue. (or similar situation)
at the location the GR wants them to go, they must find his bones/determine if the map/other quest item/personal artifact is really there, or similar goal, which is PARTIALLY completed.
they go back to GR's original place of communication (perhaps a certain room in a certain inn at a certain time of night), and get more back story/info on the baddies.
NOW, you've got them hooked on a particular quest, involving your GR, and you can send them all over creation so long as you keep the "getting there" fun and only ever partially completed.
---things to avoid:
paladins/pious exorcists in the party...not a good combo to start with a ghost-patrongiving TOO much info about the ghost away at once. then it seems like they are geting TOLD what is happening, rather than MAKING what happens
TELLING the players what to do. you've gotta be more tricksy than that. after you subtle lead into "follow this guy's instructions" make them seem reasonable and profitable. soon enough they'll be thinking it was THEIR idea to listen to the dead guy with the ghost-touch knives...
lastly, be prepared to improvise. your players WILL throw you curveballs. expect that. you won't know just WHAT they will do/say/burn, but expect that they'll do SOMETHING stupid to break your plot. if you're flexible about timelines, locations, and NPC's, you can go with the flow, and they'll never know that situation A was REALLY supposed to happen at Town C,...
I like the mundane gear bit. I might take that, but I'm just as likely to come up with a different method of introduction. (for one thing the players have to do something before the ghost is introduced to them, the when and where he comes in will be the fun part. (I'd like to think of his introduction as an event that leads the characters into the rising action part of the plot. They can probably tell freaky things are going on, but they don't have to know what yet.)
Ooo, but I want a paladin to try to turn him...
seriously, a paladin of the right deity could be a good thing to have in the party, so I won't rule them out at least. its not like I'll give them levels enough to become Ghost Slayers to start with. Besides, at first, they might not even realize he is a ghost. And also, if they do try to turn him, then they lose out. I'm not going to make them team up with a ghost, that's just they're best bet at survival in a campaign geared towards the undead in general. (especially since I plan on circling the campaign around Manifest, the city of ghosts and people from Ghostwalk.)
The ghost-patron, as you call him and as I've now claimed the reference, would probably not even trust the characters with the whole truth and nothing but the truth, he's true neutral, he's naturally suspicious of even well meaning characters. He'll work in his best interests/obsessions and for the best outcome of any given situation...not for good or evil though.
I'll give the players options, that's part of the plan. They don't even HAVE to team up with a dead guy, but that's the beauty of it, if they kill him- he can come back. If they try to lose him- he can follow, and if he ends up disliking them he doesn't have to help them- he isn't lawful good.
I'll prepare options A, B, C, D, E, and F. I'll have a few dozen npcs prepared just as citizens and villagers and baddies as well as good guys. If they break the plot, the wheels keep turning and they get to watch as their world crumbles. If the story doesn't suck them in, I'll consider my job as over and incomplete.
Thanks for the three rules advice. That's the way I'm leaning. Being prepared for Blueberry. (I too would like to subscribe to Edward Reed's newsletter)
On the subject of player unpredictability, a wise friend once passed down the three rules of GMing to me.
1) The more you plan the more you have to redo when characters do something else.
2) Players always do something else.
3) If player do something else and you've planned for it, there's something seriously wrong with your players.
Generally, I find two types of planning helpful.
First, what would the world be doing if there weren't players? When? Flesh out a few major actors in the setting and get to know them in your own head so that you'll have some idea of where the plot should go when the PCs choose 'blueberry' over A and B.
Second, NPCs, situations, encounters, etc. in general form are invaluable. As has been mentioned, the drunk guy, the madame, etc. Or, highwaymen seeking plunder, etc. These are particularly useful when you can fit them into the overall plot somehow, while still retaining the 'plug-and-play' aspect.
Also, Edward Reed: Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. :-)
Newsletter? Newsletter? Good gracious. I'm just proud I figured out how to post my first messages here last night. Now, can someone tell me how I change my name to something more interesting?
Artemis - those rules are fantastic! And so true.
Punkassjoe - another great source for ghostly ideas is all of the past October issues of Dragon Magazine. (Seems an appropriate recommendation on a Paizo Messageboard, doesn't it?) October's issues are traditionally brimming over with with spooky ideas and gothic content to satisfy those with Halloween urges. They're not all undead oriented, but they're riddled with good horror hooks.
Last October's issue, number 336, had a nifty article describing six templates for haunted locations -- places infused with malevolent, necromantic power independent of any particular creature. The haunted house where the house itself is the true villain, for example, rather than some ghosts who linger within its confines. Another article explores in depth the origin of all of the intelligent undead in the various Monster Manuals. A third presents "curios of corruption", magic items like blasphemous figurines, a sacrificial knife that casts death knell when used in a coup de grace attempt, a staff of nightmares, and a book that eats you.
The October 2004 issue, number 324, has an article on H.P. Lovecraft's influences on D&D, an article introducing nightmare monsters from the realm of dreams, and an article outlining how to animate more powerful undead.
The October 2003 issue, number 312, has an article on necromancer archetypes and abilities, an article on evil enchanters, and one on a very Lovecraftian demon prince that eats everything.
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Newsletter? Newsletter? Good gracious. I'm just proud I figured out how to post my first messages here last night. Now, can someone tell me how I change my name to something more interesting?
Just click on the "my account" button at the top of the web page. It's in the same place where you can change your avatar (messageboard settings). As long as you haven't posted 10 times yet, you can change your posting name.
I now have Libris Mortis AND Ghostwalk. So I'm ready as...
Make sure to get the conversion material for Ghostwalk. It was designed in 3.0. It's on the D&D website.
And as far as malevolent forces, Orcus- demon prince of the undead, a lesser deity from ghostwalk, might serve as a decent if not perfect force of evil for the characters to go up against. the necromancer could serve him and that could be part of the bane that keeps the Skull Collector on the mortal plane.
I'm considering doing a Ghostwalk campaign...
From what you are describing, you probably want to maximize the involvement of the evil, undead dominated nation (forget the name) and minimize the whole yuan-ti thing. It might confuse things to have TWO major sources of enemies. Though an occaisionaly problem with yuan-ti completely unrelated to the main undead oriented plot might be good. A diet of ONLY undead nastiness can get monotonous.
If you are going to involve the worship of Orcus, you might want to get Book of Vile Darkness too. It would certainly flesh out the nastiness of the undead country and set you up with more evil bad guys (e.g. demons). Hordes of the Abyss could help with this too, but it doesn't really focus very much on Orcus.
Last October's issue, number 336, had a nifty article describing six templates for haunted locations -- places infused with malevolent, necromantic power independent of any particular creature. The haunted house where the house itself is the true villain, for example, rather than some ghosts who linger within its confines. Another article explores in depth the origin of all of the intelligent undead in the various Monster Manuals. A third presents "curios of corruption", magic items like blasphemous figurines, a sacrificial knife that casts death knell when used in a coup de grace attempt, a staff of nightmares, and a book that eats you.
The October 2004 issue, number 324, has an article on H.P. Lovecraft's influences on D&D, an article introducing nightmare monsters from the realm of dreams, and an article outlining how to animate more powerful undead.
The October 2003 issue, number 312, has an article on necromancer archetypes and abilities, an article on evil enchanters, and one on a very Lovecraftian demon prince that eats everything.
The article on the haunted locations was great. A perfect compliment to Libris Mortis. And it was a completely new idea.
Adding Lovecraftian overtones (usually Far Realm stuff) might be too much and a little off center for what you have been describing so far. Undead are horrorific. Lovecraft is madness.
Let me warn you first: be very careful with your NPC. The PCs should always be the stars of the adventure-- don't get seduced by your ghost-patron's cool concept and overshadow the PCs. They're going to play their characters to have fun-- they probably won't enjoy being overshadowed by an NPC.
This GMing advice page has a great series, called the color of adventure. It walks you through a lot of elements you'll need for planning your first adventure. Most of the advice is very quick-- just having picked D&D fantasy means you've made many choices. This article in specific ( Keeping the Player Characters (PCs) in Mind) has good advice about assuming specific skills and interests among the PCs.
Edward Reed here, now Ashenvale. Thanks, Celestial Healer! And damn, the mechanics of changing my avatar name were so obvious and simple I'm embarrassed I had to ask.
Punkassjoe -- Let me echo CallawayR, with whom I agree wholeheartedly. Hordes of the Abyss, for all its interesting content, adds nothing meaningful to Book of Vile Darkness's treatment of Orcus. Likewise, pure Lovecraft elements would be off the mark for an undead theme. I'd nonetheless take a look at all kinds of horror themes while in the early stages of mapping out a ghost-driven campaign because, as CallawayR points out, facing nothing but undead would grow tedius in time. (I'd imagine that had to be one of the biggest challenges faced by the Age of Worms Adventure Path writers at Dungeon.)
Let me warn you first: be very careful with your NPC. The PCs should always be the stars of the adventure-- don't get seduced by your ghost-patron's cool concept and overshadow the PCs. They're going to play their characters to have fun-- they probably won't enjoy being overshadowed by an NPC.
I was thinking along the same lines. So far I have heard a lot about a ghost dude and very little about the overall plot. Lots of good advice on this thread but I have to agree with the poster that said skip the rule books and think of the plot line.
I agree with that theory of DMing for a campaign. For the moment put all the rule books down. You don't need them. Design your plotline. Once that is done one can go back and use the rules to convert the plotline into D&D format so that you can run it as a D&D game. The rules should support your fantasy RPG - they are not, however, the plot itself.
Another note on the Ghostworld world (pardon the awkward phrasing). The online supplement actually has the map of the world they deleted from the book!
Make sure to download both it and the 3.5 conversion notes.
Let me warn you first: be very careful with your NPC. The PCs should always be the stars of the adventure-- don't get seduced by your ghost-patron's cool concept and overshadow the PCs. They're going to play their characters to have fun-- they probably won't enjoy being overshadowed by an NPC.I was thinking along the same lines. So far I have heard a lot about a ghost dude and very little about the overall plot. Lots of good advice on this thread but I have to agree with the poster that said skip the rule books and think of the plot line.
I agree with that theory of DMing for a campaign. For the moment put all the rule books down. You don't need them. Design your plotline. Once that is done one can go back and use the rules to convert the plotline into D&D format so that you can run it as a D&D game. The rules should support your fantasy RPG - they are not, however, the plot itself.
I'm not so sure that putting down the books is a must. The books have a lot of potential to spark ideas. I'd leaf through them and make some notes when something caught my eye. I'd pay particular attention to the undead, considering the themes in the game. I'd also look in the other books for spells, items, prestige classes, etc. that can be used by the PCs against their enemies or by the enemies against the PCs.
Since one of the games major players has an iconic item (the skull flail) you should decide what role you want it to play. Who has it? Is it one of their opponents? Does the ghost want it or will he be fine with it being used against his enemies? Etc.
I'd also be careful about locking then PCs and yourself in any particular plot-line. The adage about "no plan surviving contact with the enemy" is being repeated in this thread for a very good reason. I'd stick more to defining the agendas of the potential opponents and allies. Including the fact that their agendas may have NOTHING to do with the PCs until they become a nuisance.
For example, if Orcus wants to conquer the world and make it a hellish wasteland crawling with undead who sing hosanahs to his name while indulging in a whirlwind of Darwinian selection against one another, I doubt he will have figured the PCs into his plans beyond a general "keep in mind adventurers will be an annoyance, plan accordingly" to his minions. After they have made a significant dent in his plans, then he might start formulating a specific strategy to deal with them.
All of which goes out the window if there are prophecies and the like floating around. But that is a whole other discussion...
CallawayR is absolutely correct that detailed plotting of anything as specific as individual adventures or the future actions of particular characters (especially the PCs) would be premature now. I nonetheless think that developing a compelling story during the campaign-design stage is a must, but by “story” I mean an overarching storyline outlining the major conflict at the heart of the campaign.
Take the “Orcus plans to take over the world” campaign. Use this overarching conflict as a filter through which to focus the campaign’s mood, themes, and, eventually, adventures. Both the Shackled City and Age of Worms Adventure Paths used similar conflict-driven storylines to frame things up generally before delving into specifics.
Consider jotting down a few lists that will help define the conflicts and events to come:
• A list of the principal tools and undead minions Orcus will use, and the individual major goals of those minions.
• A rough timeline of the pace at which Orcus’s plans, if unhindered, would proceed.
• A list of the principle obstacles Orcus anticipates (which, as CallawayR says, surely do NOT include the PCs or the ghost patron at this point).
• A list of some possible future events that might tip Orcus’s hand and awaken opposition.
• A list of the principle individuals or organizations likely to fight back and the overall motives of each. (The ghost patron is likely to be one of these. Maybe, because of his past history or access to information inaccessible to mortals, the ghost patron could, if things go well, steer the PCs in the right direction numerous times. But he surely has only the sketchiest grasp of what Orcus plans when the story begins, and likely has no idea a demon prince is behind it all anyway. I’d certainly save revealing the true identity of my big bad until near the end of the campaign.)
• A list of places where the conflict will likely come to a head. (Make them exotic and interesting!)
• A list of the major magics or magic items that could turn the tide either way.
And so on. By organizing things in this form, you leave room for flexibility – and changing your mind altogether – as things develop once the PCs take the reins. Maybe you’ll decide later that the ghost patron has been in league with Orcus all along, that Orcus knows (while the PCs do not) that the PCs have been prophesized to save the world, and the ghost patron’s real task has been to get close enough to learn their plans and ensure that they fail at the critical moment. Maybe you’ll junk the whole Orcus-and-undead theme down the line. Maybe an army of inevitables from Mechanus will clock Orcus and his minions and then, in turn, try to impose a reign of unbearably rigid order on the mortal world. Anything’s possible. But I find an overarching storyline gives everything purpose.
I now have Libris Mortis AND Ghostwalk. So I'm ready as...Make sure to get the conversion material for Ghostwalk. It was designed in 3.0. It's on the D&D website.
So I noticed, but thanks for the heads up about the D&D website.
Here's the overarching plot for all you people who bothered checking this thread:
A plague has appeared in the land...people falling dead, some rising again as undead, the undead leaving their former homes. The few lucky people to just die, a select few of them return as ghosts and eventually lead the suspicious Player characters to the city of Manifest- the city of ghosts.
Players start in one of the outlying countries surrounding Manifest (check the map in this pdf: page 8 http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20031225a) or in Manifest itself...they're choice.
Along the way, or once they reach Manifest the player characters encounter each other- on the road (perhaps in one of the towns outside of Manifest or at the cross roads to the road that leads to Manifest). Again, before they find themselves used to the presence of Ghosts in Manifest, one comes to their aid...perhaps they are attacked by undead, or by another ghost. (preferably outside of Manifest, thus the ghost-patron would rely on magic/ghost touch weaponry/armor) Forced by circumstance to rely on one another and they're ghostly patron, an uneasy alliance is formed as they enter/go about the city in search of information about the plague. The Ghost-patron (Again, a Cleric/Ranger/Ghost with a favored enemy of undead) accompanies them on a quest to find A. His gear B. His Body C. His Murderer- if taken down by undead though they try to find the force behind the undead D. The Necromancer responsible for the undead attacks outside and near Manifest. E. the source of the plague...which is presumably Manifest from the pattern of pestilence, yet the plague hasn't fully erupted in the city, in fact with the ease and habit of resurrecting people within the city, the plague hasn't been much of a threat except to the poorest inhabitants.
Soon, the characters find themselves the uneasy defenders of the spook filled city, since they find allies there against the undead...in the Spirit Wood there are the Arboreal Guardians, in the catacombs beneath manifest are the Deathwarden Dwarves who protect the Veil.
Are the undead attacks because of the sinister will of the Yuan-ti (especially to destroy Manifest)? Is the plague in the land from another malevolent force? What will happen if the plague isn't halted? What will happen to Manifest if the Necromancer's plot succeeds? What will happen to the other countries?
Possible/Preferable player classes:
Paladin
Cleric
Monk
Druid
Ranger
Fighter
Wizard
Sorcerer
Rogue
Warmage...?
Duskblade...?
Preferred Races:
Human
Dwarf
Elf
Half-Elf
Starting level(s)
1st-4th (I'd like help determining which one would be the best, I'm considering even higher levels to let players play a level 1 prestige class)
Stats: 5d6, best 3.
HD: normal
Considering Armor as Damage reduction and the parry bonus rule one of my DM's uses.
I'm even considering rolling up a select amount of PCs for players to choose (part of this idea is in the case of allowing them to actually start with a prestige class, such as the Dwarven Deathwarden Chanter)...but I feel that'd be too limiting and they'd blame me if their choice got them killed (which btw wouldn't be a huge drawback close enough to Manifest, since rezs there are only 500 gp and we presume the ghost patron has earned some gp acting as an undead hunter.)
XP: I need to read up on this, but I'm considering ad hoc experience what with the npc(s) such as the ghost-patron possibly getting in the way and hogging some of the experience.
This will be a game I'll want to play, thus the ghost-patron's high predominance, but he won't be the only npc to come to the party's aid, and hopefully they won't mind some assistance.
Thanks to everyone who gave me advice, links and comments in this thread.
Ok; for your ghosts introduction to the party you might try something like this: have the ghost be a bit timid; as the party stumbles upon the ghost you can have it doing some mundane action that it did in life; kinda repeating when the party stumbles upon it; have the ghost be scared or act scared as a ploy; it can cower and tremble and plead for the pc's not to hurt or kill it and to please not steal its whatever whatnot or some such story trigger; then it could perhaps offer a small reward if the pcs protect or guard or retrieve something; best to act like the ghost doesnt know its a ghost and that it fears the parties power as they are adventurers and those types tend to betray and hurt peeps even when being helpful; this could work out well; diffuse any combat before it starts; perhaps even if the party attacks it; have it ignore the attack and act as if it is not sure what is happening; after all it can always flee and start the scene over.
Ok; for your ghosts introduction to the party you might try something like this: have the ghost be a bit timid; as the party stumbles upon the ghost you can have it doing some mundane action that it did in life; kinda repeating when the party stumbles upon it; have the ghost be scared or act scared as a ploy; it can cower and tremble and plead for the pc's not to hurt or kill it and to please not steal its whatever whatnot or some such story trigger; then it could perhaps offer a small reward if the pcs protect or guard or retrieve something; best to act like the ghost doesnt know its a ghost and that it fears the parties power as they are adventurers and those types tend to betray and hurt peeps even when being helpful; this could work out well; diffuse any combat before it starts; perhaps even if the party attacks it; have it ignore the attack and act as if it is not sure what is happening; after all it can always flee and start the scene over.
I dunno. The ghost he is describing seems kinda bad-ass (see the other thread on this character). I would seem him more as raging at how ineffectual he is without any way to affect the material world. Maybe something is happening he would simply not have allowed to come to pass if he was still alive. Undead munching on helpless pilgrims bearing the bones of their dead to Manifest, for instance. He comes to the PCs to get them to accomplish the mission he CAN'T.
Ok; for your ghosts introduction to the party you might try something like this: have the ghost be a bit timid; as the party stumbles upon the ghost you can have it doing some mundane action that it did in life; kinda repeating when the party stumbles upon it; have the ghost be scared or act scared as a ploy; it can cower and tremble and plead for the pc's not to hurt or kill it and to please not steal its whatever whatnot or some such story trigger; then it could perhaps offer a small reward if the pcs protect or guard or retrieve something; best to act like the ghost doesnt know its a ghost and that it fears the parties power as they are adventurers and those types tend to betray and hurt peeps even when being helpful; this could work out well; diffuse any combat before it starts; perhaps even if the party attacks it; have it ignore the attack and act as if it is not sure what is happening; after all it can always flee and start the scene over.I dunno. The ghost he is describing seems kinda bad-ass (see the other thread on this character). I would seem him more as raging at how ineffectual he is without any way to affect the material world. Maybe something is happening he would simply not have allowed to come to pass if he was still alive. Undead munching on helpless pilgrims bearing the bones of their dead to Manifest, for instance. He comes to the PCs to get them to accomplish the mission he CAN'T.
that is more like what I had in mind. Frustration at the undead...he's obsessed with the undead, destroying them is a primary objective (power over them is also one). The player characters being attacked by undead is probably the route I'm going to go, the ghost appears and assists with a ghost touch morningstar- since manifest allows him a base of operations he can actually continue his undead hunting, albeit minus the skull collecting he took to when he was alive and with some minuses to his abilities. He'll feel ineffectual even if he isn't that ineffectual against undead...as a cleric he'll be torn between serving his god's purpose of putting the undead to rest and heeding the Calling and going to rest himself. (Naturally his obsession is what's keeping him on the material plane)
I might even try the reverse of the ghost patron assisting the party, he might even need THEIR assistance...I think I'll roll percentiles or something to see if he's already in combat, but lets say he's tracking a group of ghouls (he is a ranger as well) and the party stumbles along the same party of ghouls.
Again, once the campaign gets started I plan to focus in on the player characters and their wants/desires/hang ups and missions more than the ghost-patron...afterall I'm really just fleshing him out (heh) to make my job easier in the long run. I'll give him more character as the story goes along.
If there was any quick advice I would give about plot line development, its this. Make sure to use your players' backstories. If you have an over arcing story, thats fine, but try to tie the characters interestes into it. This will take a bit of the work load off of you shoulders and more importantly it will help draw the players into what is going on in the world. When players have a persoanl stake in what is going on, they will be more interested in your story and success will be all the more gratifying.
If there was any quick advice I would give about plot line development, its this. Make sure to use your players' backstories. If you have an over arcing story, thats fine, but try to tie the characters interestes into it. This will take a bit of the work load off of you shoulders and more importantly it will help draw the players into what is going on in the world. When players have a persoanl stake in what is going on, they will be more interested in your story and success will be all the more gratifying.
While I'm familiar with that method, I hadn't fully considered it for my campaign.
Thank you. I will do that. Of course it'll be great to use their backgrounds, considering that they'll tie in with the story.
Just to clarify; I was suggesting the ghost act, with the acting skill, like he was timid, as this is a tool that bad guy archtypes use to disguise there true intents until some epic confrontation after the pcs figure out that things dont add up.; just a lure, nothing more.
Just to clarify; I was suggesting the ghost act, with the acting skill, like he was timid, as this is a tool that bad guy archtypes use to disguise there true intents until some epic confrontation after the pcs figure out that things dont add up.; just a lure, nothing more.
while that's an idea, and one I may use, I don't think that's the route I'll take in introducing the ghost, although he does have the tendency to mask his intent/abilities until he reveals them in use.
Preferred Classes:add bard
Preffered Races:
add halfling. but most likely only from Salkiria for both.
Director of Narrative
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As a beginning DM I would suggest not messing with the rules too much. This is especially true if your players are either more experienced than you or are munchkins/powergamers/whatever. I still support your chance at high abilities, because hey, they ARE heros after all. (But I could show you an 11th level Sous Chef)
The armor as DR, nix it. The starting high enough to get a prestige class, throw it out (start at ECL 3 at the highest). Use CR/ECL experience, but with heaps of wiggle in it. Set the power curve, but give them numbers that relate to what they're doing or the number-minded players will get role-playingly listless.
Also, if these players are the same people that are playing in the game where you are a cleric ranger that hates undead and collects skulls they might be a bit bored by the character by then. I'd consider making the patron someone completely diferent. You can always notice how much a DM loves an NPC by how hard they fight to keep that NPC alive and still a nuissance to the PCs when things get ugly. As one of my art mentors once told me, "You have to love a piece enough to make it a wonderful piece, but not too much that you can't bear to sell it."
None of this previous advice may be relevant to your situation and player set-up, but like the other posters to this great thread have stated - Know Your World.
Part of being ready is knowing what's going on in the world whether the PCs are there or not. What they're doing is what the story is. There are certainly different levels of doing this and the most well-thought out, descriptive and interesting sites/encounters/NPCs can easily turn into a waste of your week if the players pull their inevitable "blueberry". The simplest way to know your world is to have a rough calendar of events and locations in which these events are taking place. Some will be experienced by the PCs and some will affect them, just know when -ish and where-ish. Motivation is something to always keep in mind with your NPCs and other folk or organizations. Just having a rough personality and knowing how someone would react to an unexpected encounter for that NPC will really help you on those on-the-fly encounters. And always be descriptive, a good DM can make a walk to the tavern a tiny encounter on its own, and all of our favorite D&D moments were most likely well painted in our heads.
I hope this helps. I've enjoyed your posts.
One thing that I don't think has been addressed yet is the fact that you said this ghost is a higher level, ghostly version of one of your characters. This can work just fine, but you have to be careful about it.
It is important that you don't fall into the trap of shining the campaign spotlight on this ghost, which is a mistake I often see made when basing a campaign off a former character. I've run into this problem before, both as a player and as a DM, and it's an easy trap to fall into. It's your character, and you love him. You want him to shine. Remember though, the campaign is about the players, and not the NPCs.
Make sure your PCs aren't busting their butts just so they can sit on the sideline and watch the story unfold around this ghost. Keep them involved, and let the ghost take the backseat every now and again.
You also said something about the ghost aiding the PCs. If this happens, make CERTAIN that it's indirect. I've never seen an adventure that didn't go bad when the party gets help from a high level NPC. If you balance the monsters to challenge the PCs, this ghost will eat them alive, but if you balance them to challenge this NPC, the PCs aren't likely to survive.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't run this campaign. By all means, go ahead, just be wary of falling too much in love with the central NPC.
I’ll echo the poster who recommended that you keep the PCs’ starting levels low, certainly lower than necessary for many of the most desireable prestige classes in your setting. There are two reasons for this.
First, when you are new to dungeon mastering, there’s a lot to juggle. I’ve seen many smart, experienced players, even proficient rules lawyers, switch from players to DMs only to discover that there’s much more to keep in mind than they thought. The DM is ultimately responsible for setting the evening’s mood, making each one of the players feel entertained, useful, and special, keeping the story on track, handling all the rules, bluffing with conviction and ad-libbing for the unexpected, and numerous other demanding tasks. It’s great, but it can be exhausting, and at times overwhelming. The rules are easier to manage at low level. The higher the level, the more complex everything becomes, particularly combat encounters. Consider giving yourself the comfort of beginning with less complexity and allowing yourself to grow more skillful as a DM as your demands grow with the party’s advancement.
Second, there’s a unique thrill to low-level play that diffuses at higher levels. At low level, risks are greater because the players are weak. Mortality is a genuine threat to every encounter. In this high-risk environment, PCs get to take momentous chances, face staggering sacrifices, and often pursue acts of unadulterated desperation. This breathless excitement is wholly different from the tenor of challenges later on.
Now, I’ve never met a player who didn’t WANT to start with a stronger character, one who whose enhanced abilities, competence, and durability would improve his chance of survival. The truth, however, is that he’ll probably have a better time if he has to face greater threats to his survival, does so, and survives. Players bond most deeply with their characters when they engage in battles certain they’ll perish and yet, through smart play, luck, and perseverance, survive by the leanest margin. Low-level play is often the best chance for this. Don’t steal this from your players (or yourself) lightly, regardless of what they might tell you otherwise.
One thing that I don't think has been addressed yet is the fact that you said this ghost is a higher level, ghostly version of one of your characters. This can work just fine, but you have to be careful about it.
It is important that you don't fall into the trap of shining the campaign spotlight on this ghost, which is a mistake I often see made when basing a campaign off a former character. I've run into this problem before, both as a player and as a DM, and it's an easy trap to fall into. It's your character, and you love him. You want him to shine. Remember though, the campaign is about the players, and not the NPCs.
Make sure your PCs aren't busting their butts just so they can sit on the sideline and watch the story unfold around this ghost. Keep them involved, and let the ghost take the backseat every now and again.
You also said something about the ghost aiding the PCs. If this happens, make CERTAIN that it's indirect. I've never seen an adventure that didn't go bad when the party gets help from a high level NPC. If you balance the monsters to challenge the PCs, this ghost will eat them alive, but if you balance them to challenge this NPC, the PCs aren't likely to survive.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't run this campaign. By all means, go ahead, just be wary of falling too much in love with the central NPC.
well, he's a ghost, so I won't be throwing a hissy fit if he dies, he already had his chance and maybe he gets a second one, but that's it. I want to make the game about the players, its just that right now I have an npc that I do, yes, love and want to succeed, but not at the cost of a well run fun game. I'm thinking more along the lines of aiding with information- and again perhaps the pc characters help HIM rather than the other way around. I might even have the ghost duck out of the picture for a bit, too much of him could- as you mention, wear on the party. I plan to make the encounters based on the pcs, and I want them to be a similar CR to them, he's just equipped especially well to handle the undead. If there are no clerics in the party, then maybe I'll consider keeping him as the consistent cast member, otherwise I'll try to give reasons for the npc to not be there or let the players do their own thing for a bit and then he'll show up. Again, the story will unfold with or without the NPC in the picture, the undead will still attack their countries of origin, the undead will still attack Manifest, the Yuan-ti will still be behind the scenes in the shadows and the necromancer will still be a threat to the characters. Basically I want the ghost-patron to be the mission giver, but he'll tag along since he's got to be a guide, and perhaps he's powerless in some aspects. (outside Manifest for one thing he's incorporeal).
Oh well, I'll just have to adapt the story to my players and let them take the reins more or less. I'm just willing to have this campaign have one character, the ghost-patron, who needs help to stop his father, and who helps stop the wave of undead and the Yuan-ti. The player characters would be from different countries , united by a simple mission, find out who or what is behind the plague that's threatening their respective countries and to put a stop to it.
If my players come to role play, I want to serve that desire.
If my players come to fight, I want to serve that desire (and will).
If my players come for a story, I want to give that...I like the idea of the ghost-patron being more of their guide and storyteller than the main character.
Eventually the pcs will face the cleric/necromancer/true necromancer father whom I'm working at 13th level currently.
I’ll echo the poster who recommended that you keep the PCs’ starting levels low, certainly lower than necessary for many of the most desireable prestige classes in your setting. There are two reasons for this.
First, when you are new to dungeon mastering, there’s a lot to juggle. I’ve seen many smart, experienced players, even proficient rules lawyers, switch from players to DMs only to discover that there’s much more to keep in mind than they thought. The DM is ultimately responsible for setting the evening’s mood, making each one of the players feel entertained, useful, and special, keeping the story on track, handling all the rules, bluffing with conviction and ad-libbing for the unexpected, and numerous other demanding tasks. It’s great, but it can be exhausting, and at times overwhelming. The rules are easier to manage at low level. The higher the level, the more complex everything becomes, particularly combat encounters. Consider giving yourself the comfort of beginning with less complexity and allowing yourself to grow more skillful as a DM as your demands grow with the party’s advancement.
Second, there’s a unique thrill to low-level play that diffuses at higher levels. At low level, risks are greater because the players are weak. Mortality is a genuine threat to every encounter. In this high-risk environment, PCs get to take momentous chances, face staggering sacrifices, and often pursue acts of unadulterated desperation. This breathless excitement is wholly different from the tenor of challenges later on.
Now, I’ve never met a player who didn’t WANT to start with a stronger character, one who whose enhanced abilities, competence, and durability would improve his chance of survival. The truth, however, is that he’ll probably have a better time if he has to face greater threats to his survival, does so, and survives. Players bond most deeply with their characters when they engage in battles certain they’ll perish and yet, through smart play, luck, and perseverance, survive by the...
Thank you again Ashenvale. I don't want to rob my players of anything, i'll probably start my players off low and without ECLs unless of course they choose to be ghosts (a Ghost Monk would kick ass, if what the Ghostwalk book leads me to believe is so) I want bread and butter pcs
I want a sorcerer or a wizard, a cleric or a paladin, a fighter or a ranger, a druid or a bard...and that's all I want. I could work around that at low-levels. but what's low enough but still good for rapid advancement? I'm very tempted to just start them out at 1st, but then the ghost patron might overshadow them since I at least would have him be CR of about 4-6.
I concur with your point about surviving at low levels increasing enjoyment when they do succeed. That's been my experience as a player at low-levels.
As a beginning DM I would suggest not messing with the rules too much. This is especially true if your players are either more experienced than you or are munchkins/powergamers/whatever. I still support your chance at high abilities, because hey, they ARE heros after all. (But I could show you an 11th level Sous Chef)
The armor as DR, nix it. The starting high enough to get a prestige class, throw it out (start at ECL 3 at the highest). Use CR/ECL experience, but with heaps of wiggle in it. Set the power curve, but give them numbers that relate to what they're doing or the number-minded players will get role-playingly listless.Also, if these players are the same people that are playing in the game where you are a cleric ranger that hates undead and collects skulls they might be a bit bored by the character by then. I'd consider making the patron someone completely diferent. You can always notice how much a DM loves an NPC by how hard they fight to keep that NPC alive and still a nuissance to the PCs when things get ugly. As one of my art mentors once told me, "You have to love a piece enough to make it a wonderful piece, but not too much that you can't bear to sell it."
None of this previous advice may be relevant to your situation and player set-up, but like the other posters to this great thread have stated - Know Your World.
Part of being ready is knowing what's going on in the world whether the PCs are there or not. What they're doing is what the story is. There are certainly different levels of doing this and the most well-thought out, descriptive and interesting sites/encounters/NPCs can easily turn into a waste of your week if the players pull their inevitable "blueberry". The simplest way to know your world is to have a rough calendar of events and locations in which these events are taking place. Some will be experienced by the PCs and some will affect them, just know when -ish and where-ish. Motivation is something to always keep in mind with your NPCs and other folk or...
I'm not too worried about recruiting players familiar with the cleric/ranger since it is a new campaign and so far they know nothing about the idea of a campaign based on his obsession. Furthermore, in the campaign he is in, he'll be low impact, likely overshadowed by the sorcerer, drunken master and the barbarian (whom I play as well), and the DMs npcs that have their very well developed characters.
I'm probably going to recruit players that I'm playing with that aren't in that campaign, but I won't deny the opportunity to the other players. In fact, and this supports the low-level or even 1st level idea, I might be recruiting a couple people who've never even played D&D, while I might learn less from them, the game will start out as a means to which to familiarize them with D&D. I'll drop the armor as damage reduction...as much as it works in the campaign I'm in, its a lot of number crunching I'm probably not interested in doing. I'll encourage characters to have prestige classes in mind, that way they'll have something to work towards, but I won't require them to already have them even if I start out at with higher low-level or mid-level pcs. (which is actually the way I started out in 2nd edition, as mid-low level to mid-level.)
I probably won't consider starting them out above 4th level actually. That allows some thin possibility of prestige classes, but most likely they'll be plain pc classes, and I won't be encouraging multiclassing though I'll certainly allow it.
I've got a lot of book reading to do before this campaign gets off the ground so I'm not too worried about who's going to play yet or what level they'll start out at.
I want a sorcerer or a wizard, a cleric or a paladin, a fighter or a ranger, a druid or a bard...and that's all I want. I could work around that at low-levels. but what's low enough but still good for rapid advancement? I'm very tempted to just start them out at 1st, but then the ghost patron might overshadow them since I at least would have him be CR of about 4-6.
Don't get too attached to a specific party organization; especially with your setup, a non-standard party might work well. (A whole cloister of clerics? That'd be an interesting adventuring party...)
The Ghost Patron doesn't have to "adventure" with the PCs, especially not at first. Perhaps the first adventures he hires them for, as a patron, is something that breaks the curse that binds him to this spot. If it takes several adventures to free him, he'll be closer to the PCs' levels. The players might appreciate him enough (after engaging conversation, etc. as they run his tasks and learn his history), that they might be OK with him joining them once he's freed.
Remember Simon's advice above: don't force him on the PCs and let him die if the PCs go against him.
I have to say, Punkassjoe, (and perhaps I speak for many of the posters who've been dungeon mastering for years) that I'm delighted to have a chance to offer my ideas and suggestions. I'm impressed by both (1) your willingness to listen to the ideas of others to get your campaign off on the right foot, and (2) the amount of thought and energy you're devoting to your task. You're showing all the care and good judgment that makes a great DM. Well done.
Now, on a separate tact, here's is an out-of-the-box idea that could easily go EXTREMELY wrong. I'll toss it up for consideration nonetheless because, if it works, it creates an opportunity for thematic looping and narrative closure that's pretty fun.
What if the ghost patron is ALIVE when you open the campaign? Can you come up with a first adventure in which people convince the PCs that this living person (who will become the ghost patron) is a villain? Then, after a desperate chase to prevent him from doing some dire deed, the PCs kill him? When the PCs slay this soon-to-be-ghost, he is, of course, actually in the process of doing something far from evil, something dangerously heroic but misunderstood, something central to your campaign's themes.
The deceased "villain" then rises as a ghost tied not to some mundane piece of gear, but to the PCs themselves. He needs and will try to convince the PCs of their error and to carry on his dying errand in his place. This could take some time, but if the PCs are slow, and just kill the ghost a lot, he can keep coming back and pleading again. Eventually, either through the ghost's efforts or discoveries the PCs make on their own, the PCs find irrefutable evidence of his innocence and their error. When this happens, the PCs will likely find themselves far more deeply obligated to the ghost then they would be if they just pick some random a piece of ordinary gear and find it comes with a complementary ghost attached.
Of course, the number of things that could go wrong with this wacky idea are beyond counting and almost certainly outweigh it's virtue. But I thought I'd toss it in your lap and see what happens.
I have to say, Punkassjoe, (and perhaps I speak for many of the posters who've been dungeon mastering for years) that I'm delighted to have a chance to offer my ideas and suggestions. I'm impressed by both (1) your willingness to listen to the ideas of others to get your campaign off on the right foot, and (2) the amount of thought and energy you're devoting to your task. You're showing all the care and good judgment that makes a great DM. Well done.
Now, on a separate tact, here's is an out-of-the-box idea that could easily go EXTREMELY wrong. I'll toss it up for consideration nonetheless because, if it works, it creates an opportunity for thematic looping and narrative closure that's pretty fun.
What if the ghost patron is ALIVE when you open the campaign? Can you come up with a first adventure in which people convince the PCs that this living person (who will become the ghost patron) is a villain? Then, after a desperate chase to prevent him from doing some dire deed, the PCs kill him? When the PCs slay this soon-to-be-ghost, he is, of course, actually in the process of doing something far from evil, something dangerously heroic but misunderstood, something central to your campaign's themes.
The deceased "villain" then rises as a ghost tied not to some mundane piece of gear, but to the PCs themselves. He needs and will try to convince the PCs of their error and to carry on his dying errand in his place. This could take some time, but if the PCs are slow, and just kill the ghost a lot, he can keep coming back and pleading again. Eventually, either through the ghost's efforts or discoveries the PCs make on their own, the PCs find irrefutable evidence of his innocence and their error. When this happens, the PCs will likely find themselves far more deeply obligated to the ghost then they would be if they just pick some random a piece of ordinary gear and find it comes with a complementary ghost attached.
Of course, the number of things that could go wrong with this wacky idea are beyond...
It is an idea, but it screws up a couple of useful features of the ghost-patron being a ghost...
1. He's been to Manifest, he's familiar with it- as a ghost, and thusly would know the best places to find ghost touch gear
2. the revenge plot, why is the ghost-patron dead? if the player characters kill him, he'll doubtfully be coming back to garner their favor unless he truely believes they're his best chance at completing his quest and pursuing the source of the undead to his father (whom he may be unaware of.
however, it doesn't necesarily screw up them going to Manifest...
perhaps they meet him when he's alive, as you point out. and I'll even stick with my idea that they come to HIS aide- he's battling ghouls or perhaps similiarly ranked undead (so to avoid the nasty bite problem) and they happen upon him fighting, outnumbered, lets say he gets killed by a ghoul ranger or something like that that leaves him not too horribly disfigured. and either they meet him before then on the road to manifest when he's alive. (he just goes off on his own and meets a vile end) so they know that if they take his corpse to manifest, then they can ressurect him. But in the meantime he comes back as a ghost? well, that almost works, but he doesn't spend much time as a ghost that way, however with him rebuking/commanding undead they might mistake him as an evil cleric rather than a truly neutral one. I think I'll have to run some test battles to see exactly how he might die and/or do in combat as ghost or as a regular cleric/ranger.
Also, with him obssessed with the undead and him being most useful in destroying the undead despite his rebuking/commanding attributes, it isn't likely that any quest he's on will fall out of line with their objectives unless I put them on a very specific and strange quest to begin with and put him on an equally strange quest. Perhaps they're on the SAME quest, maybe for a cache of ghost touch weapons or to find the person, if any, responsible for the waves of undead appearing in the countries of their origin.
Again, alive, maybe he's in a battle with (an) evil cleric(s) and undead- the undead he makes quick work of even commanding them against the evil clerics- the player characters see him commanding undead, come in on the wrong side perhaps or too late...an evil cleric does a death touch on him or a simliar death dealing spell. (domains Death and or Undeath, perhaps one of the evil clerics has a Bodak's eye graft- thus allowing a death gaze attack once per day)
Then the party is left with this corpse, presuming they fight off the evil clerics and undead, and perhaps meeting him before hand, they realize they should take him to Manifest for resurrection (considering he has enough gold on his corpse to afford it), in the meantime they become haunted by the ghost of the cleric/ranger. Perhaps they even leave the corpse where it lies and thusly the ghost wants to go after it to give it a proper burial or to be resurrected. (maybe he LIKES being a ghost) But at least I have a method by which the ghost-patron dies, perhaps the evil clerics take his body, but being the son of the necromancer greater plans for his remains await and perhaps require the death of his ghost to enact them.
Basically, having him alive kinda complicates things, for instance he doesn't have to die, maybe he wins the fight with the evil clerics (though with a death gaze thrown in there as an attack, I don't see that happening even with a successful save)
oh well, brain storming is good.
I've read a lot of REALLY Good advice from everybody on this thread, some of which I will take note of myself! One hint that was given to me when I started to DM was TAKE NOTES, lots of them! This helps you as the DM to evolve the storyline and tweak it where necessary.
Start with low level PC's(1-3), I know as a player I get more attached to a PC I started from low level.
For a reason for the PC's being together, try compulsory militia service. This also gives you the ability to guide/send the PC's where you want them to go (initially).
Just my 2cp worth, OH, and don't be afraid to come back to the message boards for advice.
I've read a lot of REALLY Good advice from everybody on this thread, some of which I will take note of myself! One hint that was given to me when I started to DM was TAKE NOTES, lots of them! This helps you as the DM to evolve the storyline and tweak it where necessary.
Start with low level PC's(1-3), I know as a player I get more attached to a PC I started from low level.
For a reason for the PC's being together, try compulsory militia service. This also gives you the ability to guide/send the PC's where you want them to go (initially).Just my 2cp worth, OH, and don't be afraid to come back to the message boards for advice.
thanks. I was thinking of doing individual sessions since most the pcs will be starting off in different countries if they're of different classes or races. Say a sorcerer joins the group- well he or she will be most likely to play a female sorcerer from Bazareene or an elven sorcerer from Sura-khiri, a wizard will most likely be from Tereppek, a halfling anything from Salkiria or one of the islands off the coast, an elf from Sura-khiri or the Spirit Wood (as a Ranger or Druid), gnomes or dwarves (most likely Deathwardens from beneath Manifest) are more likely from Thurkasia- as would be druids though they might also come from Salkiria or the Spirit Wood or the elven lands. (most any class but barbarian and monk)
I am using the Ghostwalk setting for this campaign, and thusly the restrictions on classes will apply, and in my mind they should be for the sake of gathering the troops, so to speak, against a growing threat that the adventurers that answer the call will come to be aware of.
anyway, this is just a preliminary idea and I'm more interested in hearing what I need to do to become a DM first, advice on encounters especially.
Well, since you asked, I'll go ahead and throw in my two coopers on the issue. My first advice, don't worry if you make some mistakes your first time around, or even your tenth time around. Every time you make a mistake, figure out what you did wrong, decide what you need to do not to make it again, move on and don't worry about it.
With that said, here's some things that I keep in mind when I run encounters.
1. For the most part, your players are going to understand what the numbers mean, (especially if they are experienced players) it's your job as a GM to bring the numbers to life. Make sure that the things that the players are fighting seem as "real" as possble. Cardboard cutout foes can be dispatched and quickly forgotten. Make sure however that your players see the sneering stubble covered faces of the bandidt, smell the chlorine shench of the green dragon's breath and hear the creaking shuffle of the undead's feet. Also try to bring the actions to life as well. Combat can quickly fall into a long waltz of "roll initiative, I roll attack you roll attack". For example, if you a giant throws a rock at a player and misses, let the player see his hair get whipped back by the force of its passing and hear the thunderous crash on the wall behind him. A quick, vivid description (no more that a few words) can help bring and encounter to life and draw the players into your world without loosing the pace of the encounter.
2. Keep in mind that no one come to the table to get beaten. Players like to win. Sure, in good to have a fight that takes them to their limits. This is good when used in moderation. For every tooth grinding, hard core fight, you should have at least one encounter where the players really get to show their stuff. Let the snarling gnolls seems like tough foes, and then let the players go to school on them. Giving the players the occasional chance to mop up a few bad guys makes them feel cool and will add to the overall enjoyment.
3. In conjunction with number two, if the players get lucky and totally school one of the creatures you had planned as a boss or something, let them. Don't fudge the numbers in the enemies favor. In a homebrew setting I once ran, I had designed a particular monster to be a truely fearsome opponent. After a long build up, the players and the beast faced off, after a mere two rounds and some spectacular rolling the beast lay dead. I thought that the players would be upset, or feel cheated by what I though was an anti-climactic fight. I was surprised to learn that they loved it! Even though it was over a year ago, they still talk about how they owned that monster.
1. Thanks for this advice, I personally love descriptive battles, and they get left to the wayside too often, I hope to fix that with some clever tweaking/descriptions of monsters/npcs and settings.
2. Sage advice, I have 5 different forces of evil (two are deities), only 3 will have 20th level baddies, and likely they'll choose to escape rather than face a party that just took out two to three 15th level npcs. (that's how I set it up, maybe they face one 15th level npc at a time, some nasty monsters maybe, but mostly grunt type ghouls, zombies and skeletons with the occasional more powerful undead.) One of the forces of evil is off shore, so they really only have to worry about 2 that are really nasty, but neither of which are immediate threats, the Necromancer is a tierred quest with it's own quests within, and the Yuan-ti (spoiler here) is a major attack that won't come until the players are 10th level or so.
3. I'm preparing some nasty monsters, some bread and butter undead and some interesting npcs. I want this to be a game of anti-heros as much as heroics, the pcs choose who they want on their side from who or what they encounter, not every npc encounter will be friendly or even hostile. Monster encounters will be mixed. Maybe they face 20 zombies, maybe they face 5 and an Evil Cleric...I haven't decided on numbers yet, but it'll be tailored to their CR. I must say that at least one NPC will be something they won't want to tussle with if they can avoid it. Perhaps the highest level Yuan-ti, or one of the 15th level baddies, or the 20th level True Necromancer, perhaps its not an NPC they'll knowingly come on the bad side of. It'll be fun.
I'm thinking of starting 'em at 3rd level, but I'll poll my first player and if they don't mind starting at 1st, then they'll start at 1st level, in fact I really want them to start at 1st, but starting at 3rd gives them a little more ease to collecting useful feats that will help them survive in a world of ghosts, undead and nasty snake monsters.
Thanks again, and feel free to give me feedback anytime. And to everyone who posted in response to my "ghost-patron" I added a second True Neutral npc, so anti-heroes galore, whether or not they let him in the party will be an interesting thing to see. (most likely he won't be a permanant member, he's a Marshal, he'll have his own troops)