I’m getting ready for my first campaign as a GM, and I’ve chosen to run a heavily-modified version of Iron Gods. I just wanted to share some of my plans here; figured maybe I could get some feedback or suggestions.
First of all, I’m running it under 5e rules, with much thanks to badmudderfugger for all the conversion work they’ve already done.
Since most of my players have busy lives and unpredictable schedules, I’m planning on having an open table. I have a pool of about 20 friends who are interested in playing, and I figure I can probably handle up to 6 of them playing at a time. Most of them are RPG newbies, but I’m optimistic that they‘ll be able to get the hang of it.
Since a linear, story-based campaign isn’t really ideal for an open table, I’m running the AP as the “main quest” in a hexcrawl. If anyone has any suggestions of short site-based adventure modules that I can plug in to the hexcrawl as side quests, I’d love to hear them, because I’m a little nervous about being able to create enough content to make wilderness exploration satisfying.
As for the changes I’m making to the adventures themselves:
Background: Instead of Androffa, the starship Divinity came from Pharagos, the old homeworld of the pre-schism Gith. It was attacked and boarded by Illithids shortly after they succeeded in conquering Pharagos itself.
They were unsuccessful in taking over the whole ship, but they ultimately did enough damage to cause the eventual crash. The Pharagans managed to contain them in one of the habitat modules, where they established a new colony, complete with an Elder Brain.
In the present day, the Illithid colony in the habitat module is still active - surviving by breeding the module’s other inhabitants as livestock - but is trapped inside the Silver Mount. Another Illithid colony, at the Scar of the Spider, has learned of their existence and is trying to make contact.
Meanwhile, agents of both the Githyanki and Githzerai have noticed the similarities between the Pharagan language and their own, and have deduced that Divinity was built by their own ancestors. Both Gith factions are trying to gain access to the Silver Mount, to claim what they see as their birthright, while also trying to prevent the Illithids from doing the same.
Fires of Creation: I’ve replaced the Skulks with Duergar - they tracked an Illithid and its minions to the Black Hill Caves. They managed to corner the minions - 10 Grimlocks and a Quaggoth - in the tunnels to the north of their camp (replacing the gremlin nest), but haven’t been able to finish them off, and want the PCs to help them do so.
The Illithid itself managed to slip past the Duergar, and will encounter the PCs some time later in the dungeon (I haven’t decided where yet). Since there’s very little chance the PCs will be able to handle a fight against an Illithid this early, I’m planning on having it hit them with a low-strength mind blast and then plane shift out of there.
Someone in another thread had the idea of having Meyanda be the newest personality in Casandalee’s old body. I like that idea, and I think I’m going to use it. Just have to decide how to indicate to the players that she’s more than she appears to be, and how to handle her from then on.
Lords of Rust: I don’t have much in the way of planned changes here so far. I’ll probably add some cranium rats spying for the Illithids in Scrapwall. I’d like to work some Gith in as well, but I’m not sure how.
I’m thinking about changing Hellion’s name, but I’m not sure to what. I’ve just never liked it.
The Choking Tower: I haven’t read this module very thoroughly yet, and I’ll obviously do so before I firm up my plans for it, but I’m thinking about reworking it so that Iadenveigh is slowly being taken over by the Illithids, who already have a number of its prominent citizens in their thrall. Their lair would be in the Aurora.
I might crib some ideas from A Darkness Gathering (a late-2e module about Illithids taking over a town) and/or The Shadow Over Innsmouth.
The Choking Tower itself would probably be a separate side quest.
Valley of the Brain Collectors: Obviously, this will be an Illithid colony. I’ll probably keep the Brain Collectors around as well, and justify them as creatures created by the Illithids as brain-collecting shock troops.
I’ll probably re-fluff the Mi-go as the Voor, an alien species mentioned in the 2e module Dawn of the Overmind as ancient enemies of the Illithids.
I definitely want to work the Gith in here as well, but I haven’t decided how yet.
Palace of Fallen Stars: The setting I’ve created for this campaign is basically a mashup of Golarion, Forgotten Realms, and Eberron. I’ve replaced the Kellids with the Rashemi people from FR, so the Witches of Rashemen will definitely be involved in the palace intrigues.
Traditionally, the Witches were the power behind the throne, and they resent the Technic League’s influence on Kevoth-Kul. The PCs might be able to enlist their help against the League.
The Divinity Drive: As mentioned, I’m adding an Illithid colony to one of the habitat modules. Apart from that, though, my plans for the Silver Mount are still pretty vague. I’d like to tie the Illithids and the Gith more tightly into the main Unity plot, but I’m not sure how. One thought I had is that Unity might have been originally corrupted by some sort of psychic influence from the Elder Brain, but other than that, idk.
So, any thoughts? Suggestions? Criticisms?