My playing group wants to start a new campaign, and I am going to be running it, my first time as a GM. All the players are playing evil PCs, and I am starting them all out as level 1 characters. As the game starts, they are going to be slaves in an underground drow city.
I have a good portion of the world created at this point, and lots of ideas for challenges to run them through, but I am trying to think of a compelling way to get them to just start down the road.
I am planning on having the whole thing start with the house they are slaves in coming under attack by a rival house, and them escaping during the ensuing carnage. What I am trying to figure out is a way to have them either get out of the city and start down the roads to the rest of the adventure, or figure out a way to lay low for a while in the city until the chaos settles down a bit. What does everybody think?
Have them be held by the clan that has access to the underground river. That is why the clan is being attacked, the river is a huge boon and tactical resource and highly desireable. They can then steal a boat in the confusion and head down the river.
Have the river lead to where ever you want the main game to be played out, and maybe have them meet a potential ally or two.
On a side note, I must say that making your first GM attempt be an evil party may be a mistake. Evil parties tend to self destruct very messily.
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There are plenty of evil characters in literature who have friends, and why would you want to kill your friends...?
Having said that, evil characters can be a lot of work for a GM so be careful.
The river idea is a good one and could be a great start to a campaign. The trick is to take them through normal slave life for 30 minutes of the first session to get into the groove and work out who is who. Introduce the reality of the character's lives, the daily grind, the nasty, random, casual evil of the drow. Don't be afraid to emphasise how appalling slave life is whilst juxtaposing this with the beauty and elegance of the drow city.
Then, once you have established your setting, blow it up.
Trust me, that 30 minutes you take establishing the characters will give the PC's all the motivation they need to get the hell out of Dodge. On top of that 30 minutes of cutting mushrooms and witnessing the casual abuse of the drow will forge the players into a team.
When running the attack make sure you inject urgency into the event. Don't give your players time to consider anything. The character doesn't have this time so the player shouldn't either. Bit like this:
GM: As you are stacking the mushrooms on the cart there is an almighty explosion. You swing round looking at the source of the sound to see the main gates of the complex shattered and broken; lying discarded like a child's toy. Through the gates are pouring drow and some kind of large demonic creature. A second explosion sounds further to the west although you can't see the source. Giant spiders and drow drop into the courtyard from vantage points above the complex. Spells and crossbow bolts are flying everywhere and the sounds and sights of carnage assault your eyes and ears. What are you doing?
PC#1: Running!
GM: OK which way?
PC#1: Anywhere away from the combat
GM: OK you flee round the side of the storehouse. What are the rest of you doing?
PC#2: *Shuffles character sheet* Um... can I identify what type of demon it is?
GM: Make a Knowledge (the Planes) roll
PC#2: dangit 6
GM: You have no idea. Oh by the way take 6 points of damage and two fortitude saves.
PC#2: Eh? what from?
GM: The two poisoned crossbow bolts in your chest. Whilst he's rolling those saves what are the rest of you doing
Rest of Party: RUNNING!!!
I like the above post, you need to establish that the PCs are a group, and set the setting. +1
You could always introduce someone, like a taskmaster, who beats down the most willful slaves. When that guy gets crushed in the attack, the PCs will know they are outmatched.
My objection to evil parties is not the idea of evil pc's not being able to work together. Evil can have friends too.
My objection to evil parties is that 99 times out of 100 the players treat 'evil pc' as an excuse to 'Totally Kill Billy's character cause he got my paladin killed last month in that other game', or they assume they are playing Evil Stupid or Evil Jerk alignments.
Thanks for the responses. I like that river idea, think I'll use that.
I knew I would get flak from people about trying to run an evil game my first time, but it will be fun. My group is funny enough to make it work, and hell, most of them always start good and turn evil eventually anyways.
And we usually refrain from killing each other. Sometimes.
Thanks for the responses. I like that river idea, think I'll use that.
I knew I would get flak from people about trying to run an evil game my first time, but it will be fun. My group is funny enough to make it work, and hell, most of them always start good and turn evil eventually anyways.
And we usually refrain from killing each other. Sometimes.
Evil pc's can work out fine, if you want to motivate them, do it with revenge, wealth, power, knowledge, hate and fun. Evil players can be a handful, but usually less so when the party agreed to be all evil.