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Creations & Ephemera / Voyage Across the Sea (Working Title)
« on: September 21, 2015, 11:47:25 PM »
The fine details will be hashed out later, but here is the basic skeleton of the plot I have cooked up for the campaign I have in mind.
This will be somewhat of a community project. Solo and I will need help coming up with ideas primarily for the adventures between levels 8 and 16, and I'm sure we'll need additional help elsewhere, as well.
(click to show/hide)
Years ago, the PCs' parents set out on a voyage across the sea to escape the war that was escalating heavily between a would-be Evil Overlord and the established governments, threatening to end the golden age of magic and technology (similar to Eberron). They planned on colonizing the continent overseas, a la Christopher Columbus, and they planned on taking everything with them, including all of their belongings and their children. Teleportation and other attempts to cross the sea via magic are not an option, as nobody who has tried has ever reached their destinations or returned, to the best of current knowledge. Divination is likewise curtailed, returning nothing but static when tried.
A mere week after their ships set out, an explosion reminiscent of a nuclear blast detonated on the mainland they'd just left, which was visible from the ships, and a massive storm riding an equally massive shockwave soon swamped them. All of the ships but one sank completely, and that one cracked in half. The remaining ship's stern broke off from the rest of the vessel, which just happened to contain the nursery. The man who was in charge of the children at the time, an aging bardblade hired on to chronicle the journey, managed to save himself and the children. They were the only survivors. Most of the wreckage was caught up on some rock outcroppings on the outer edge of a bay of the largest island of an archipelago in the middle of the ocean, which was the only reason any of them survived.
The bard managed to salvage what he could from the ship, which was enough to help them survive for a time, and he made several alliances with various races on the island in exchange for his own assistance, as he's a high level character (though going blind from something magic can't fix, so no DMPC status).
The island itself is half lush jungle and half wasteland, separated by a volcanic, mountainous spine, with shifting volcanic vents that burrow their way through the mountains. The goblinoid races that live on the other half have basically destroyed the ecosystem through overbreeding and ecological abuse, with no care for the land whatsoever, leaving the place a literal disaster area. They're at war with the races on the other half of the island so they can take their land, too. Suffice it to say, the grippli, a few tribes of more intelligent and responsible kobolds, and other thereomorphic races on the jungle half are not at all happy with the idea of turning the rest of the island into a wasteland as well, and so they have spent generations fighting back and forth. The goblinoids are extremely prolific and lead enough raids to barely keep themselves fed, while the others are smarter, use better tactics, and take fewer losses to compensate for their lower breeding rates. The bard's help has been instrumental in keeping the jungle half safe from predation in recent years, as he can produce higher level magic items, high-quality alchemical goods, and offer stories, education, and advice to improve the situation for the jungle residents.
The old bard and the teenaged PCs live in the upper boughs of a massive, hollowed-out tree covered in liana vines, which have been woven into walkways through the branches. The tree itself grows in the bay where their ship crashed, and one can still see its remains on the giant stone fingers jutting out of the edges of the bay. The PCs have been taught by both the bard and the various tribes on the island, which gives them the full range of character classes to choose from. Modern combat arts, arcane magic, world history, and skills can largely be taught by the old bardblade, which has been the primary mentor for (at least most of) the PCs. Psionics, incarnum, binding, barbarianism, divine magic, herbalism, and other less refined subjects can be taught by the tribes on the island. Anything else can be studied from the small library of books that the bard managed to salvage from the ships via bag of holding.
It's unknown what disaster happened on the mainland, as the bard has never seen or heard of anything that could cause that level of devastation and reach all the hundreds of miles offshore.
The following level ranges are approximate.
(Levels 3-5) The first several adventures will involve survival, exploring the island, running supplies from Point A to Point B, defending against jungle monsters and goblinoid incursions, and the like. Get to know the jungle and the situation, allies, and enemies therein.
(Levels 5-8) The PCs start delving into the deeper mysteries on the island, including several strange Temple of Doom-esque ziggurats deep within the jungles and the volcanoes, which are linked to a heretofore unnoticed magical bubble surrounding the island, and which may or may not something to do with the teleportation and divination interference. (See: Yes. Yes, it does.) Near the end, they learn that the bubble is actually holding the island in a temporal stasis field, which is basically a demiplane of its own which overlaps the Material Plane, forcing time to move at a MUCH slower rate than it is outside of it. About a decade has passed on the island, while outside of it millennia have passed, at least.
(Levels 8-16) The PCs find two magical artifacts. 1.) A shrunken ship in a bottle, and escape the island, likely destroying the bubble and the island in the process. They can save most of their friends and allies if they can manage it, as the ship is quite magical and largely automated, and it can comfortably hold an excessively large crew and cargo. The ship itself can be pulled from the bottle or returned to it for storage, along with anything on the ship, including creatures. The bottle is extremely sturdy and hard to break, but there are both upsides and downsides to either keeping the ship out while ashore or keeping it in the bottle. It's possible to turn the ship into an airship at a certain point, around level 15 or so. 2.) A healing pod that can be used to heal and even resurrect those placed in it. This pod is transferable to the ship, where it will fuse with the vehicle permanently. This will allow the DM to throw complex and difficult challenges at the party with less chance of TPKs. This section of the game will involve traveling from island to island in the archipelago and elsewhere, finding fantastic wonders a la Voyage of the Dawn Treader or The Odyssey. Islands of cyclopes, talking animals, magical springs, golden gardens, castles of ancient horrors, oceanfalls (basically giant rents in the ocean that the water spills into in the world's most massive waterfall), floating castles on waterspouts, and more. Whether the PCs choose to head back to the mainland or on toward their original destination, there will be a huge number of island adventures to choose from, either chosen by the GM or rolled randomly. Some will be marked on maps the PCs find, if they choose to visit them that way. For whatever reason, longdistance teleportation and divination directed at the mainland still do not work, and are nonoptions. This section will likely take up the largest percentage of the players' adventuring careers.
(Levels 16+) The PCs and their crews reach their ultimate destination, only to discover the place is long-overgrown and wild, with civilization long gone, the land overrun with monsters and undead. The "new lands" they'd originally been heading for were actually the same supercontinent they left, just the other side of it. The apocalyptic explosion witnessed by the colonists was an epic level spell cast by a demilich wizard, and it basically ended the golden age of civilization, which is now nothing but ancient tales thought to be myth. Beyond a few immortals that still exist, the PCs are the only ones left from the Before Times. The demilich rules the entirety of the known world, and life is miserable for everyone. Once he learns of the PCs, he will see them as a potential threat and hunt them down. Not only are they a potential threat, but he finds interest in their ship and healing pod, as well. The rest of the game will involve exploring the continent, learning about it, and taking the demilich down a la FFVI's Kefka.
A mere week after their ships set out, an explosion reminiscent of a nuclear blast detonated on the mainland they'd just left, which was visible from the ships, and a massive storm riding an equally massive shockwave soon swamped them. All of the ships but one sank completely, and that one cracked in half. The remaining ship's stern broke off from the rest of the vessel, which just happened to contain the nursery. The man who was in charge of the children at the time, an aging bardblade hired on to chronicle the journey, managed to save himself and the children. They were the only survivors. Most of the wreckage was caught up on some rock outcroppings on the outer edge of a bay of the largest island of an archipelago in the middle of the ocean, which was the only reason any of them survived.
The bard managed to salvage what he could from the ship, which was enough to help them survive for a time, and he made several alliances with various races on the island in exchange for his own assistance, as he's a high level character (though going blind from something magic can't fix, so no DMPC status).
The island itself is half lush jungle and half wasteland, separated by a volcanic, mountainous spine, with shifting volcanic vents that burrow their way through the mountains. The goblinoid races that live on the other half have basically destroyed the ecosystem through overbreeding and ecological abuse, with no care for the land whatsoever, leaving the place a literal disaster area. They're at war with the races on the other half of the island so they can take their land, too. Suffice it to say, the grippli, a few tribes of more intelligent and responsible kobolds, and other thereomorphic races on the jungle half are not at all happy with the idea of turning the rest of the island into a wasteland as well, and so they have spent generations fighting back and forth. The goblinoids are extremely prolific and lead enough raids to barely keep themselves fed, while the others are smarter, use better tactics, and take fewer losses to compensate for their lower breeding rates. The bard's help has been instrumental in keeping the jungle half safe from predation in recent years, as he can produce higher level magic items, high-quality alchemical goods, and offer stories, education, and advice to improve the situation for the jungle residents.
The old bard and the teenaged PCs live in the upper boughs of a massive, hollowed-out tree covered in liana vines, which have been woven into walkways through the branches. The tree itself grows in the bay where their ship crashed, and one can still see its remains on the giant stone fingers jutting out of the edges of the bay. The PCs have been taught by both the bard and the various tribes on the island, which gives them the full range of character classes to choose from. Modern combat arts, arcane magic, world history, and skills can largely be taught by the old bardblade, which has been the primary mentor for (at least most of) the PCs. Psionics, incarnum, binding, barbarianism, divine magic, herbalism, and other less refined subjects can be taught by the tribes on the island. Anything else can be studied from the small library of books that the bard managed to salvage from the ships via bag of holding.
It's unknown what disaster happened on the mainland, as the bard has never seen or heard of anything that could cause that level of devastation and reach all the hundreds of miles offshore.
The following level ranges are approximate.
(Levels 3-5) The first several adventures will involve survival, exploring the island, running supplies from Point A to Point B, defending against jungle monsters and goblinoid incursions, and the like. Get to know the jungle and the situation, allies, and enemies therein.
(Levels 5-8) The PCs start delving into the deeper mysteries on the island, including several strange Temple of Doom-esque ziggurats deep within the jungles and the volcanoes, which are linked to a heretofore unnoticed magical bubble surrounding the island, and which may or may not something to do with the teleportation and divination interference. (See: Yes. Yes, it does.) Near the end, they learn that the bubble is actually holding the island in a temporal stasis field, which is basically a demiplane of its own which overlaps the Material Plane, forcing time to move at a MUCH slower rate than it is outside of it. About a decade has passed on the island, while outside of it millennia have passed, at least.
(Levels 8-16) The PCs find two magical artifacts. 1.) A shrunken ship in a bottle, and escape the island, likely destroying the bubble and the island in the process. They can save most of their friends and allies if they can manage it, as the ship is quite magical and largely automated, and it can comfortably hold an excessively large crew and cargo. The ship itself can be pulled from the bottle or returned to it for storage, along with anything on the ship, including creatures. The bottle is extremely sturdy and hard to break, but there are both upsides and downsides to either keeping the ship out while ashore or keeping it in the bottle. It's possible to turn the ship into an airship at a certain point, around level 15 or so. 2.) A healing pod that can be used to heal and even resurrect those placed in it. This pod is transferable to the ship, where it will fuse with the vehicle permanently. This will allow the DM to throw complex and difficult challenges at the party with less chance of TPKs. This section of the game will involve traveling from island to island in the archipelago and elsewhere, finding fantastic wonders a la Voyage of the Dawn Treader or The Odyssey. Islands of cyclopes, talking animals, magical springs, golden gardens, castles of ancient horrors, oceanfalls (basically giant rents in the ocean that the water spills into in the world's most massive waterfall), floating castles on waterspouts, and more. Whether the PCs choose to head back to the mainland or on toward their original destination, there will be a huge number of island adventures to choose from, either chosen by the GM or rolled randomly. Some will be marked on maps the PCs find, if they choose to visit them that way. For whatever reason, longdistance teleportation and divination directed at the mainland still do not work, and are nonoptions. This section will likely take up the largest percentage of the players' adventuring careers.
(Levels 16+) The PCs and their crews reach their ultimate destination, only to discover the place is long-overgrown and wild, with civilization long gone, the land overrun with monsters and undead. The "new lands" they'd originally been heading for were actually the same supercontinent they left, just the other side of it. The apocalyptic explosion witnessed by the colonists was an epic level spell cast by a demilich wizard, and it basically ended the golden age of civilization, which is now nothing but ancient tales thought to be myth. Beyond a few immortals that still exist, the PCs are the only ones left from the Before Times. The demilich rules the entirety of the known world, and life is miserable for everyone. Once he learns of the PCs, he will see them as a potential threat and hunt them down. Not only are they a potential threat, but he finds interest in their ship and healing pod, as well. The rest of the game will involve exploring the continent, learning about it, and taking the demilich down a la FFVI's Kefka.
This will be somewhat of a community project. Solo and I will need help coming up with ideas primarily for the adventures between levels 8 and 16, and I'm sure we'll need additional help elsewhere, as well.