Alright so i have gotten a good foundation for my campaign world, and as im trying to work out ideas for the first game i want to run, i hit a little snag. I can't think of anything! mind just goes blank. I've hit a writers block a mile wide, and its killing me.
So while i often ask these boards for advice or suggestions, i need some real help here.
Little Background - I'm going to be starting up the campaign in a relatively small (3,800 or so people) fishing/whaling village called Shores End.
Information on the village:
Shores End: A small harbor town located within the center of Frostpeak Bay, it has quickly become a hub for shipping lane traffic traveling through the coastal northern Scarrwind Ocean. Shores End is home to a variety of people: Adventurers seeking to plunder the ruins dotting the land to tradesman, trappers, sailors and other more honest folk.
Shores End was originally founded 70 years ago as a way point for ships passing through, as time has gone on it has become a major shipping point for traffic traveling north. Though Shores End has had its trials; from marauding bands of giants, orcs and ogres, to terrible blizzards, to threats from the sea the town of Shores End has stayed stable and thrived.
Now the country that it is in is a northern (think Washington or the southern parts of Canada) landscape. Originally it was the home to a great dwarven empire and that empire, along other more ancient ruins, dot the landscape.
The area is fairly uncivilized, with all manner of creatures and monsters about. Giants, Ogres, Orcs, Goblins, Fey, Lizardfolk, other nasty stuff. Not to mention the clockwork machines of the old Dwarven Empire.
The village itself, much like many cities, are built upon these ruins (whether knowingly or not). I am currently trying to figure out what do for the beginning adventure, and for whatever reason its just not coming to me.
I've hit a wall and could use some aid for one somewhat frustrated DM.
I'm from Canada so I don't consider Washington state to be "northern!" :) "Frostpeak Bay" sounds more like Alaska to me!
I guess the question is: do you want your first encounters to tie in to the general thread of the adventure (like an AP) or should they be just "random"-ish events?
Also, what are the goals of the encounters? Are they there to just give the players some XP or do they gain some kind of acclaim for doing them? I am running RotRL right now and in that the opening encounters are designed to make the characters "local heroes" in the town.
The opening encounters shouldn't be especially dangerous. Maybe some low-level aquatic things, or perhaps some kind of critter that had stowed away on a ship and is now loose in the city.
Maybe some RP'ing encounters would also be good.
If you want to set a darker tone you can throw some negative stuff at the characters right away. Perhaps they arrive in the town by ship; unbeknownst to the ship's captain, war has broken out between the country the ship is from and the country Shoresend is in. When the ship docks the guards arrive and arrest everyone as spies. The party has to talk (or sneak) their way out of trouble. Of course, this may make the characters have negative feelings about the town.
Perhaps the characters are told to meet a particular person of some standing, only when they arrive at his rooms at the inn, they find he has been murdered, and suspicion falls on them. They have to prove their own innocence and find the real culprit.
Peet
Thanks Peet those are good suggestions, i think i might be able to build something off of that. :)
Happy Gaming!
Any other suggestions are always welcome.
@Peet: I would like to intertwine everything, AP style, as i plan on running this particular campaign for about a year or so. At the moment though im just trying to introduce the players.
I do plan to use the town of shores end for several adventures.
In "Frostpeak Bay" ? Can I assume there is a Frosty Peak nearby? :)
Idea #1) There has been a column of smoke that started rising from near the top of the mountain, and it has not stopped in over a week. It started as a trickle but is now easily visible and has the entire town buzzing about what it means.
The city needs to know, for the safety of its populace. Is it evidence of a coming eruption? Is it a forest fire? Is it something worse??
The party might be hired by the city to investigate.
-maybe they're not the only ones investigating. They might run into competition up there where there are no witnesses!
Idea #2) Fishermen have been reported missing lately. The count is now up to four, all gone within the last week.
The party overheard some old sailors in The Salty Walrus Inn harping about evil druids who turn themselves into seagulls, and then kill honest sailors by magically warping the wood planks, causing their boats to sink. Rumor has it these druids don't like the rapidly growing trade hub and all of its worldly troubles that accompany the city life. They're striking back for the good of nature. (evil druids = awesome!)
Idea #3) A party of dwarves who were all the rave a month ago. They strolled into town with tales of ancestry, honor and adventure. They told everyone in the Inn that an old dwarven ruin several miles up the coast, now half buried in sand and ocean, was once their ancestor's forge and foundry, but was abandoned ages ago after an earthquake shifted most of the city it was in. They're sure there is still wondrous treasure to be had, it just needed to be found again! They said they'll be back in no time to trade and sell their finds!
....
These dwarves haven't been heard from in three weeks. What happened to them??
Thanks Zedth, all those are fantastic ideas :)
I'd love to hear back later sometime if you ended utilizing any of these, and hear how your game went.
Ill be more then happy to :)
Idea #3) A party of dwarves who were all the rave a month ago. They strolled into town with tales of ancestry, honor and adventure. They told everyone in the Inn that an old dwarven ruin several miles up the coast, now half buried in sand and ocean, was once their ancestor's forge and foundry, but was abandoned ages ago after an earthquake shifted most of the city it was in. They're sure there is still wondrous treasure to be had, it just needed to be found again! They said they'll be back in no time to trade and sell their finds!
....
These dwarves haven't been heard from in three weeks. What happened to them??
I immediately thought of something so similar to this, it's not worth writing my own version; this would work fine.
Just a comment by the way ... you describe it with a population of 3800 as a relatively small village. By modern northern-american standards that might be true, but by medieval and default pathfinder standards, that's a large town, not far off being a city:
Gamemastery Guide - Settlements
You are right sgriobhadair, i have it listed as a large town on my notes. Though i listed it as a relatively small village for just writing purposes.
thank you though, its good to have people keep an eye on stuff like that so i don't make mistakes.
Happy Gaming! :)
I like my starting adventures to be very low key.
A friend of a friend is a fisherman. He holed his keel and is stranded on a nearby uninhabited Seal Island. The friend has his own boat and needs some help with the rescue. It is probably no big deal. Take a boat ride to the island and help with repairs. The friend has engaged the PCs because not much is known about Seal Island and it might be dangerous and they are tough (being PC’s rather than experts or commoners). Seal Island could contain anything: old dwarf ruins, a weird statue, dangerous wild animals, a sealed chest cast up on the surf, old human bones, belligerent seals, ghosts or haunts, whatever. The key is to fit the challenge to the power and playing style of the players. Do they like mysteries and puzzles or do they like action? Or a mix? Introduce the friend and the FOAF as NPCs for the PCs to interact (role play) with. It might also be useful in a fishing village to have a friend with a boat. (No gender bias intended; the NPCs could be male or female.) The rescued fisherperson might also be grateful to the PCs for their assistance and romance could blossom.
CJ
Also a good idea thelesuit
"Thars gold in them there hills." Since this has a kind of Yukon vibe there could be a gold rush. A sudden increase in prospectors, competing claims and the fighting that inevitably comes with it, political corruption. It could make for a good "political" story arc with the occasional "the miners uncovered something horrible" subplot.
Or just a straightforward "miners start a new mine but after a few weeks are never heard from again" story that the PCs have to investigate.
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Or if the settlement is built on Dwarven Ruins, you could start with the classic "there is something in the tavern's basement" adventure.
That could lead to the discovery of a part of the ruins. I don't know if I would introduce clockwork too early as they are tough for low levels to deal with but perhaps some hints as to the nature of the former empire plus some cool items that might be important later like a strange clockwork key or amulet.
Good Advice Mike, and i was thinking about that as i have been working on the adventure and the campaign. Thanks Mike.
Happy gaming! :)
Good Luck! Sounds like a fun campaign.
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An idea for Shore's End would be organizations as well like the local Thieves' Guild - maybe more than one for competition, two crime syndicates perhaps. Magical Guild - for arcane casters, and a Security Firm re: Fighters Guild. You can even mix and match. Make three Priminent families involved in politics, base them off historic figures like the bush family or the Saudi Royal family (awesome information there), and don't forget temples for divine casters.
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I've never played an AP as a player or a GM, so I don't know that "style." You do say however you want everything entwined. How about a mini-campaign? Start it at 1st level and plan it out til about 3rd or 4th. Ex:
1. The PCs have heard that storms have been whelming down on the town. At the same time monster attacks in the area are up. The party has descended on Shore's End for these reasons or more personal ones.
2. At the gate they learn that Sheriff Mavlek is looking for adventurers; she's posted a bounty for spiders driven down out of the mountains into the hinterlands of the town due to the rains: 50 GP/female and a bonus of 150 GP for wiping out a nest. The gate guard are also discussing the disturbing fact that a merchant caravan of halflings bearing ore and wood for the town was due in yesterday and still hasn't arrived. The Crafters and Merchants League will likely reward anyone brave enough to venture up the road to search for the troop.
3. If the party stops off at the local inn to get a room and their bearings, they will ALSO find out that a local herbalist named Sorrel has lost an entire crop of bulbous Stinkweed, a key ingredient in Brewed Reek. Unfortunately she has an order due and needs more of the stuff pronto. She can be consulted for the job of locating the wild plant but she's a bit wary of adventurers. Finally there is a blind pilgrim, devout of Desna, seeking an ancient, forgotten shrine of the goddess somewhere in the foothills nearby. She promises a reward for guides who will help her locate the runestone known to her as Desna's Hand and remain with her overnight while she meditates before the device.
Now here's the hook: each of these has something to do with a mass of goblins looking to siege and raid the town in the name of a powerful witch.
- if the party goes spider hunting they find a mite lair under the roots of a tree where there's also a nest; the mites maintain a small (5 room dungeon) with a faerie portal. The goblins have dominated the mites and force them to all the goblins to use the gate for their own means.
- if the party goes after the Stinkweed they run across Grinning Goats (normal Goat with the Simple: Advanced template applied). These powerful beasts are highly aggressive and territorial; they are also being utilized by a goblin ranger as animal slaves.
- if the party seeks out the halflings they find the caravan smashed and the Halflings taking refuge in the wreckage. A few of their number were kidnapped by goblin brigands and taken to a nearby dungeon. There are goblin ambushes guarding the way.
- if the party helps the oracle they find that a goblin shaman is usurping the power of the shrine. The party must battle their way up the hills to the runestone and take out the shaman.
At each of the goblin-themed portions of the side quests leave at least 3 clues suggesting that these particular humanoids descended from the mountains and that they're working for someone more powerful. After the party finishes off a couple of these they'll begin to understand the mounting threat of the goblins and they'll also pick up a level.
Now you hit them with a pre-emptive siege. Launch some mass battles, let the party utilize all their new-found 2nd level power. Use this to establish that this was merely the first wave. Now the PCs can decide to either stay and defend the town or take the fight up the mountain. Either way you have them come across the Frostpeak Witch.
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You might consider a beachcomber start. The characters wash ashore from various shipwrecks. They are immediately hired (for food and lodging) to clear the beach. I used a deck of cards with fun stuff like campaign specific items(a dog slicer), trade items(a box containing a bolt of silk), and a figurehead carved by a famous murderer. I'll have to bump the topic.
Alright, to give everyone an idea of what I'm working on with all your suggestions.
Antagonist(s) -
Orcish Slaver (fighter 2/rogue 2)
* Orog Bodyguard
Sidiros Representative (rogue 2/Alchemist 1)
* Bodyguards 2 (human wererat rogue 1)
Undine Captain (Fighter 1/Magus 2)
Dwarven Turncoat (Alchemist 2)
Undine slavers/Ambushers/Guards
Half-Orc Guards/Slavers
Verrican soldiers (undead [skeletons])
Adventure -
Primary plot point -
Sidiros merchants have made a deal with some of the Orcish tribes in the region. The Orcs help them take over the region, and the Sidiros will help the orcs with slaves and armerments. They have decided to start on the town of Shores End, slowly taking people and brining in their own.
Secondary plot point -
Not all the dwarves from the empire think going back to the old ways is a good idea. Some are secretly working to subvert the mission of reclemation.
Sub plot -
N/A
Campaign -
Over Arching Plot (Primary) -
A group of Nagaul have begun to awaken from there self imposed sleep, and are working through agents to free them.
Over Arching Plot (Secondary) -
The Verrican Republic is moving forces covertly into Ascara to try and steal control from the dwarven representatives in the region, with help from the Sidiros trade company.
Setting -
Dwarven Ruins converted into a slavers quarters. Fisherman/whalers have gone missing within the past few weeks.
* Dwarven Adventurers, seeking out these ruins, vanished three weeks ago.
* Site is half buried beneath the sea, connects to a number of tidal caverns.
* Monsters of Interest (Bestiary 1, 2, 3, 4) - Humanoid (Giant), Orc, Goblinoid. Aquatic (Cold/temperate)
* Orog (Personal)
*Ankheg (Pet, Bestiary 1, pg 15)
*Clockwork Soldiers (rusted, wish i had a template... maybe the young template?)
*Clockwork serfs (CR 1) - New (Going to work on)
For some reason the entire town has stopped having children. The youngest person is 15. The PC's match a prophecied description of the heroes who a local diety will bless with the knowledge to remove the curse.
The first adventure is about learning of the curse and seeing the changes in town life without kids (holiday traditions change, no schools, etc). Perhaps finding an old wizard who has been researching the problem with no luck, except that some ancient artifact that a dwarven king was buried with might shed some light on the curse.
Each adventure from there adds a little more light to the situation, with a grand finale against a BBEG bent on revenge...