I am designing a homebrew campaign that revolves around the actions of an army of revolutionaries and how they fight against evil and oppression to retake their homelands from the grasp of a manipulative, power-hungry lord (Lord Darodek) who has abruptly risen from power over the last generation and enslaved the good people of Gaeron (the PCs' homeland, also the smallish island-continent that the campaign takes place on). Obviously, the setting is outside of Golarion, but I plan on using the Pathfinder pantheon of deities, etc. The campaign will be a low-magic campaign, with no full-blown caster classes available to the PC's (no Wizards, Clerics, etc, but Bards, Rangers, Paladins, and etc are allowed), and to make up for this handicap they will be rewarded with a powerful arsenal of magic weapons and gear. Anyway, here is what I have for a story arch, and I'm wondering if anyone here has any suggestions or comments to make. I only have a real structure laid out for the first chapter, and vague ideas for the 2nd and 3rd chapters. I'd really like to get more into writing my own homebrews, so any advice from veterans is much appreciated.
Chapter 1: Freedom (On the Run) Levels 1-3?:
Part 1, Escape from Darodek Castle. At the beginning of the campaign, the PC's are all prisoners in the dreaded Darodek Dungeon--they were recently caught by the Darodek armies and were declared revolutionaries: sentenced to the Darodek Dungeon until starvation or violence brings death. The Darodek Dungeon is a widely-dreaded place, and people sentenced there only expect to live a few weeks. It is a maze of dark cells in various conditions of functionality, where the guards are viciously cruel and the food is moldy, and there is little hope for prolonged survival. Despite this, there is one man, a true Gaeron rebel named Horatio (also potentially a cleric of Cayden Cailean?), who has been held captive in the Darodek Dungeon for many, many months. He has been biding his time, and with the arrival of the PC's, he's finally found the right group of people to help him enact an escape plan that he's been molding for weeks. In this section, the PC's work with this influential individual to execute a mass prison-break, where the prisoners rise up from the Dungeon (attacking isolated guards using ambushes and some special gear appropriated by Horatio and a few of his prison contacts over the past months--I'm thinking, a few potions of CLW and various other potion buffs that would help the PC's with their inferior weapons and "soldiers" successfully overrun the prison guard and, eventually, raid the castle grounds by surprise and escape over the walls into the wilderness). During the final battle of this section, where the prisoners escape the castle, Horatio takes half of the prisoners over one wall, while the PC's lead another group over a different wall, the two groups planning on reuniting outside of a small town far to the south, away from Darodek Castle.
Part 2, Into the Wilderness. Darodek Castle is situated on the edge of a cliff, the cliff marking the edge of a massive plateau. When the escaped prisoners go over the castle walls, they land on the plateau, which is covered in a dark, dense jungle of unwelcoming shrubbery and rocky ground. Little do they know, these parts are infested with armies of the undead (the byproduct of Lord Darodek's recent alliance with a cult of necromancers), and before long they are happened upon by a small mob of skeletons and zombies. At this point, the PC's are probably accompanied by 10-15 other escaped prisoners, everyone armed with weapons and gear stolen from the prison's guardhouse. Several of these scenarios might occur during their search for a way down the cliffs, which eventually leads them into the temperate land of continental Gaeron.
Part 3, Reuniting with Horatio. Eventually they escape down from the top of the plateau, and return to continental Gaeron, only to find that they still haven't escaped the grasp of Lord Darodek. Furious with the humiliation of the prison break from inside his own castle's dungeon, he's dumped tons of resources into recapturing the escaped prisoners by hiring all of the local goblin and hobgoblin clans to his service. These goblinoid hunting parties are scouring the forest and roads at the base of the plateau, rounding up anyone who might fit the description of the escaped prisoners. Persistence perseveres for the PC's, and eventually they make it to Horatio's meeting place: a small town far to the south, where the towering plateau is just barely visible on the horizon. Oak Haven is officially loyal to Darodek, but the seeds of revolution have taken hold in nearly all parts of Gaeron, and the revolutionary process will take the PC's and Horatio down a fateful path of rebuilding the great legacy of Gaeron, using their soon-to-be stronghold outside of Oak Haven as their base of operations.
Part 1, Escape from Darodek Castle. At the beginning of the campaign, the PC's are all prisoners in the dreaded Darodek Dungeon--they were recently caught by the Darodek armies and were declared revolutionaries: sentenced to the Darodek Dungeon until starvation or violence brings death. The Darodek Dungeon is a widely-dreaded place, and people sentenced there only expect to live a few weeks. It is a maze of dark cells in various conditions of functionality, where the guards are viciously cruel and the food is moldy, and there is little hope for prolonged survival. Despite this, there is one man, a true Gaeron rebel named Horatio (also potentially a cleric of Cayden Cailean?), who has been held captive in the Darodek Dungeon for many, many months. He has been biding his time, and with the arrival of the PC's, he's finally found the right group of people to help him enact an escape plan that he's been molding for weeks. In this section, the PC's work with this influential individual to execute a mass prison-break, where the prisoners rise up from the Dungeon (attacking isolated guards using ambushes and some special gear appropriated by Horatio and a few of his prison contacts over the past months--I'm thinking, a few potions of CLW and various other potion buffs that would help the PC's with their inferior weapons and "soldiers" successfully overrun the prison guard and, eventually, raid the castle grounds by surprise and escape over the walls into the wilderness). During the final battle of this section, where the prisoners escape the castle, Horatio takes half of the prisoners over one wall, while the PC's lead another group over a different wall, the two groups planning on reuniting outside of a small town far to the south, away from Darodek Castle.
Part 2, Into the Wilderness. Darodek Castle is situated on the edge of a cliff, the cliff marking the edge of a massive plateau. When the escaped prisoners go over the castle walls, they land on the plateau, which is covered in a dark, dense jungle of unwelcoming shrubbery and rocky ground. Little do they know, these parts are infested with armies of the undead (the byproduct of Lord Darodek's recent alliance with a cult of necromancers), and before long they are happened upon by a small mob of skeletons and zombies. At this point, the PC's are probably accompanied by 10-15 other escaped prisoners, everyone armed with weapons and gear stolen from the prison's guardhouse. Several of these scenarios might occur during their search for a way down the cliffs, which eventually leads them into the temperate land of continental Gaeron.
Part 3, Reuniting with Horatio. Eventually they escape down from the top of the plateau, and return to continental Gaeron, only to find that they still haven't escaped the grasp of Lord Darodek. Furious with the humiliation of the prison break from inside his own castle's dungeon, he's dumped tons of resources into recapturing the escaped prisoners by hiring all of the local goblin and hobgoblin clans to his service. These goblinoid hunting parties are scouring the forest and roads at the base of the plateau, rounding up anyone who might fit the description of the escaped prisoners. Persistence perseveres for the PC's, and eventually they make it to Horatio's meeting place: a small town far to the south, where the towering plateau is just barely visible on the horizon. Oak Haven is officially loyal to Darodek, but the seeds of revolution have taken hold in nearly all parts of Gaeron, and the revolutionary process will take the PC's and Horatio down a fateful path of rebuilding the great legacy of Gaeron, using their soon-to-be stronghold outside of Oak Haven as their base of operations.
Chapter 2: Responsibility (Reclaiming the Past) Levels 3-6?:
This Chapter will focus on the revolution gaining steam. They build a temporary stronghold, recruit new rebels, and overcome smaller obstacles leading to the overall goal of revolution. I imagine them working to eliminate the new goblinoid presence (who have infested the area and multiplied many times over using Darodek's payments as fuel to buy the service of other monstrous humanoids, as well). This section and the next is mostly where I'm looking for advice/help/brainstorming.
This Chapter will focus on the revolution gaining steam. They build a temporary stronghold, recruit new rebels, and overcome smaller obstacles leading to the overall goal of revolution. I imagine them working to eliminate the new goblinoid presence (who have infested the area and multiplied many times over using Darodek's payments as fuel to buy the service of other monstrous humanoids, as well). This section and the next is mostly where I'm looking for advice/help/brainstorming.
Chapter 3: Action (Revolution in Motion) Levels 6-10?:
This chapter will focus on the actual war between the Gaeron rebels and Darodek himself. I imagine several large battles, needing to secure resources and outside aid, that sort of thing. Culminates with a final assault on Darodek Castle, returning to the origins of the campaign and the PCs' role in the revolution.
This chapter will focus on the actual war between the Gaeron rebels and Darodek himself. I imagine several large battles, needing to secure resources and outside aid, that sort of thing. Culminates with a final assault on Darodek Castle, returning to the origins of the campaign and the PCs' role in the revolution.