Triumph (Evil Won)
Campaign Themes: Post-War, Tyranny, Fantasy, Against-All-Odds
Description:
Ages ago, a grand battle was fought between the forces of good and the forces of evil. The battle raged for generations, until, finally, evil won.
This is the world after the triumph of evil.
The world of Triumph is much like other fantasy campaigns. The landscape is divided into kingdoms ruled by noble lines. There are monsters, dungeons, and other settings for adventures. The greatest difference is in the population.
After the forces of evil won, they set up a system to exterminate all good from the land. Much like the Witch Trials and the Inquisition, these forces would imprison or kill anyone performing charitable, honorable, or righteous deeds, along with anyone who witnessed and never reported them. Many people in the war-ravaged land saw this as an opportunity to report a rival farmer, a competitive business, a refused lover. After a few generations, there was no good left. If a man drops an apple, no one will stoop to pick it up. If a child is lost, no one will lead it home. If an elder falls in the street, people would sooner trample than assist.
Everyone is evil.
Except for the characters.
Are they crazy? Have they received some divine vision? Are they champions of a secret line of moral defenders? Or are they secretly evil, pretending to be good for the rewards until they turn their companions in?
How's it work?:
This campaign would be very similar to other fantasy campaigns, except the reward for each adventure would not just be gold or magical weapons... each adventure would win some small, tiny fraction of the population to the side of good.
One way to run this campaign would be to cluster adventures into different population centers. The first adventures might take place, for example, in a cluster of villages. The characters will fight ogres, skeletons, dire rats (all those early-level fodder), but they will be the only ones defending others! Their actions will at first bring great suspicion and fear, but again, after each adventure they've won over a few people.
A campaign like this needs a big threat. When I ran a similar campaign, I introduced the Knights of Zodr. These were holy knights trained from birth to seek out and defeat chaos (this world's name for 'good').
In each population center, you can have a counter that counts down how soon the Knights will be alerted to the actions of the characters. The characters might even have to weight the "cost" of each adventure. For example, fighting off that gang of trolls who gobble up travelers might be worth four marks, while assisting an injured farmer with his cattle drive is worth two marks (each mark bringing the attention of the Knights of Zodr closer).
Note that the solution for each social inequity or evil should lie in what adventurers do best: explore dungeons, fight monsters, etc. Thus, a DM would want to pair a problem with the population (slavery, for example) with a more standard fantasy problem (oh, let's say zombies).
Example:
Mark is playing Gullivan, a rogue whose Robin-Hood-esque band of do gooders was wiped out by the Knights of Zodr.
Tammy is playing Lyra, a paladin who escaped from prison after receiving visions from the last remaining of the ancient good-aligned gods.
Sebastian is playing Zogo, a barbarian so dumb he follows anyone. Lyra befriended him in prison and helped him escape, and so for now he is on the side of good.
The characters have arrived at the city of Qoyor. Its people are divided into a hierarchical class system that basically treats each class as a slave to the next. The city also suffers from extradimensional stalkers called Zinjis, terrible alien beasts who appear suddenly, kidnap individuals for meat or slaves, and vanish to their own hellish realm. The upper classes can afford magical protections from the Zinjis, each class affording more effective wards. The lower class is basically left as prey for these alien hunters.
Gullivan, Lyra and Zogo arrive on the fringes of town, and find out about the stalkers. In their first adventure, they defend a woman giving birth from a group of Zinji who wish to kidnap her baby. After finishing the adventure, the characters have brought a bit of good into this neighborhood, but also have raised their Impact by 2 marks. If their Impact reaches 12 marks, the Knights of Zodr will be alerted, and all those they helped will be in danger of imprisonment, torture and execution.
The characters now face a decision. They can continue to help the lower class, each adventure only worth a few marks of Impact. Or they can attempt to get into the upper classes, and through their adventures create awareness of the plight of the peons. However, each adventure would create a greater impact!
After some debate, the characters decide to take on guard duty for a merchant who travels between the fringes of the city and some inner market. While guarding this merchant's stall, a portal to the Zinji realm opens up, and the alien hunters pour out and start dragging people back in! The characters must leapt through the portal and (after a brief dungeon) destroy the device used to make it. (Yeah, I'm totally stealing from Oblivion now, but oh well!). They complete this adventure, and have gained the trust of a select group of merchants... but the adventure earned them 6 Impact! They may need to leave town soon and let things "cool down" before they try and bring good to the Upper Class of Qoyor.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Necronomics
Necronomics
Campaign Themes: Undead, Business, Fantasy
Description:
This campaign is a quirky one. It takes place in the city of Ibuaros, a Constantinople-like hub of magic and economy. The economy of the city is not based off of gold, but off of the trade of magic. The characters work for an apothecary who specializes in medicines, oils and potions concocted from the undead (think Mummy powder).
Each adventure of the campaign is based around defeating some sort of undead. The twist is that the characters are not after treasure, revenge, or justice. Instead, they are trying to collect portions of the undead for the Apothecary.
How's it work?:
The adventures are grouped into seasons, perhaps three or four to each. After each season, depending on how well the characters did, the apothecary improves or falls in its economic power. This is important because the markets of Ibuaros are open only to those of a certain class. There's a Beggar's Market, a Merchant's Market, a Noble's Market, etc. The characters start the campaign only with access to the Beggar's Market, at which they can buy items of, let's say, 10 Magics (instead of gold) or less. If the apothecary does well in the season (if the characters were successful in their adventures, in other words), the characters will now have access to the Merchant's Market, at which they can buy items worth up to, let's say, 50 Magics! This will definitely make undead hunting easier!
Each adventure will deal with a different kind of undead. Keep in mind "undead" can cover a lot of ground. For example:
Mummy
Vampire
Ghoul
Zombie
Brain in a Jar
Ghost
Poltergeist
Flesh Golem
Ghast
Skeleton
Werewolf
Crawling Hand
etc, etc, etc
Example:
Eliza, Tammy, Sebastian and Mark have all made their characters: various clerics, fighters, paladins, etc, who are good at fighting undead.
In this adventure, their apothecary is quite low on Zombie Brain Oil. Fortunately, a plague of zombies has been ravaging the country side. Unfortunately, this zombie plague is not human-specific. While trying to collect as many Human Zombie Brains as possible, the characters will also be fighting Cow Zombies, Pig Zombies, Horse Stampede Zombies, etc. They will also want to figure out and destroy the source of the zombie plague (a carnivorous juju plant, or something), to stiff the competition!
Campaign Themes: Undead, Business, Fantasy
Description:
This campaign is a quirky one. It takes place in the city of Ibuaros, a Constantinople-like hub of magic and economy. The economy of the city is not based off of gold, but off of the trade of magic. The characters work for an apothecary who specializes in medicines, oils and potions concocted from the undead (think Mummy powder).
Each adventure of the campaign is based around defeating some sort of undead. The twist is that the characters are not after treasure, revenge, or justice. Instead, they are trying to collect portions of the undead for the Apothecary.
How's it work?:
The adventures are grouped into seasons, perhaps three or four to each. After each season, depending on how well the characters did, the apothecary improves or falls in its economic power. This is important because the markets of Ibuaros are open only to those of a certain class. There's a Beggar's Market, a Merchant's Market, a Noble's Market, etc. The characters start the campaign only with access to the Beggar's Market, at which they can buy items of, let's say, 10 Magics (instead of gold) or less. If the apothecary does well in the season (if the characters were successful in their adventures, in other words), the characters will now have access to the Merchant's Market, at which they can buy items worth up to, let's say, 50 Magics! This will definitely make undead hunting easier!
Each adventure will deal with a different kind of undead. Keep in mind "undead" can cover a lot of ground. For example:
Mummy
Vampire
Ghoul
Zombie
Brain in a Jar
Ghost
Poltergeist
Flesh Golem
Ghast
Skeleton
Werewolf
Crawling Hand
etc, etc, etc
Example:
Eliza, Tammy, Sebastian and Mark have all made their characters: various clerics, fighters, paladins, etc, who are good at fighting undead.
In this adventure, their apothecary is quite low on Zombie Brain Oil. Fortunately, a plague of zombies has been ravaging the country side. Unfortunately, this zombie plague is not human-specific. While trying to collect as many Human Zombie Brains as possible, the characters will also be fighting Cow Zombies, Pig Zombies, Horse Stampede Zombies, etc. They will also want to figure out and destroy the source of the zombie plague (a carnivorous juju plant, or something), to stiff the competition!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Cremation Valley
Cremation Valley
Campaign Themes: Western, Historical Fantasy, Characters Influence Setting, Heaven and Hell
Description:
Set in an alternate version of Yellowstone, Cremation Valley is known as one of the last true frontiers of the United States. Its plateaus are filled with precious ores, Its forests are stalked by primeval beasts, and the people drawn here are those who see prospect in danger. The frontier towns are rife with escaped criminals, vicious bandits, and lawmen brave (or crazy) enough to deal with them. Surrounding this chaos is an older evil, glimpsed in the ruins of some pre-Columbian civilization, in the whispers of the trees, in the sulfurous smell off the hot springs and geysers.
The players start the game as a standard western: gunfights with outlaws, horseback chases across vast grasslands, raids on criminal hideouts... But behind the scenes, Cremation Valley is the site of a holy war. Both Heaven and Hell have selected the land as their battlefield, and draw individuals of great power to battle in their staid. Another power works its interest in the valley: the Trickster, an ancient god of the Native Americans. He is Coyote, Raven, Rabbit, and it is his force that corrupts men into madness.
How's it Work?
Cremation Valley could be played with a modern game mechanics (d20 Modern, for example), or a magic-lite fantasy setting. Instead of armor, classes should have class bonuses to defense. Introducing a variety of cheap and valuable guns is absolutely necessary.
For a d20 Campaign, I recommend allowing Wisdom to be added to defense versus Ranged Attacks (to replace shields, in essence), and to damage with firearms.
The campaign can start out as a standard Western, with the characters acting as a New Law in the land (or just your standard adventurers). But as the campaign progresses, the characters should be individually approached by two different figures. These figures will offer the character some sort of special ability if they take on a task in his favor. The characters might assume that these figures represent the Devil and God... when in reality, these figures represent the Devil and the Trickster.
Some system of Corruption should be introduced to the campaign. Corruption Points can be spent on the abilities that the Devil and the Trickster grant characters, but should also hold some sort of penalty: health damage, occasional bouts of blindness, uncontrollable rage, physical transformation, bloodlust, etc.
If a character should refuse the offer, the DM will secretly keep track of his Faith Points. Faith Points work like divine intervention: when the character is the victim of a critical hit, fails a saving throw versus poison, is surprised by an enemy, or regrets some action, the DM should offer to spend a Faith Point to re-do the action or cancel the effect.
However, should a character with Faith Points take a deal from the Devil or Trickster, he loses all Faith Points.
Example:
Tammy has created a British gunslinger named Victoria Kingsolver.
Mark has created a Shoshone medicine man named Tohopka.
While investigating the disappearance of the Sheriff of Tumbleweed, Kingsolver and Tohopka wind up exploring an ancient cave. Within the network of caverns bubble foul mudpots, and occasional blasts of hot air reveal the presence of underground geysers. At some point in the cave, the characters must avoid the sudden burst of a geyser "trap." The DM turns to Tammy, and asks Mark to ignore all he is saying.
DM: Victoria, after leaping away from the underground geyser, you find yourself surrounded by thick, hot mist. The walls of the cave are slippery and warm to the touch. There is a throbbing echo in the cavern- you think it's your heartbeat, but fear it could be the pulse of some terrible beast. Suddenly, a shadowy figure approaches. What you take for Tohopka reveals itself to be a different Indian. Short and skinny, his skin clings tightly to the sharp bones of his face. He has bright yellow eyes, and wears a hood made from a coyote skin. He winks at you and laughs. 'Well now little lady, that was quite a blast,' he howls. 'It's easy to get lost in this cave when the mists come. I can help you find your friend, if you just follow me.'
Tammy: There's no way I'm trusting this guy. 'Who the bloody hell are you?'
DM: The figure only laughs. 'You don't trust nobody, do you? Lissen- I'll point the way to your friend, for free. But I'll give you something more if you do me a favor. I lost a special little bone in this cave- I've been trying to find it, but my eyesight's no good anymore. It's a leg bone covered in old carvings. If you find it for me, I'll give you something special.'
Tammy: Victoria is still suspicious. 'What are you offering?'
DM: The figure winks at you. Tammy, if Victoria finds this bone, she will gain 10 luck points. You can use these points to cancel out a critical hit.
Tammy: Oh, that rocks! Victoria nods.
DM: As soon as you nod, the mists part, and you see Tohopka.
Later in the cave, Tohopka and Victoria will find the ancient leg bone. As she exits, Victoria will again be surrounded by mists and approached by the figure. When she gives him the bone, he will grant her the Luck Points... only the DM will then tell Victoria to write them down as Corruption Points.
As the campaign goes on, Victoria continues to make deals with the Trickster. As she gains more Corruption Points, the other characters notice strange effects. She barely has to sleep at night. Her footsteps are silent, even through dry leaves. And her teeth are growing sharp. Meanwhile, the town of Tumbleweed continues to fall into chaos. It seems that every time Victoria makes a deal, some figure of authority or order falls sick, gets stabbed in the night, or turns evil. Could Victoria's actions be destroying the town she's sworn to protect? And is she willing to give up her power to save it?
Campaign Themes: Western, Historical Fantasy, Characters Influence Setting, Heaven and Hell
Description:
Set in an alternate version of Yellowstone, Cremation Valley is known as one of the last true frontiers of the United States. Its plateaus are filled with precious ores, Its forests are stalked by primeval beasts, and the people drawn here are those who see prospect in danger. The frontier towns are rife with escaped criminals, vicious bandits, and lawmen brave (or crazy) enough to deal with them. Surrounding this chaos is an older evil, glimpsed in the ruins of some pre-Columbian civilization, in the whispers of the trees, in the sulfurous smell off the hot springs and geysers.
The players start the game as a standard western: gunfights with outlaws, horseback chases across vast grasslands, raids on criminal hideouts... But behind the scenes, Cremation Valley is the site of a holy war. Both Heaven and Hell have selected the land as their battlefield, and draw individuals of great power to battle in their staid. Another power works its interest in the valley: the Trickster, an ancient god of the Native Americans. He is Coyote, Raven, Rabbit, and it is his force that corrupts men into madness.
How's it Work?
Cremation Valley could be played with a modern game mechanics (d20 Modern, for example), or a magic-lite fantasy setting. Instead of armor, classes should have class bonuses to defense. Introducing a variety of cheap and valuable guns is absolutely necessary.
For a d20 Campaign, I recommend allowing Wisdom to be added to defense versus Ranged Attacks (to replace shields, in essence), and to damage with firearms.
The campaign can start out as a standard Western, with the characters acting as a New Law in the land (or just your standard adventurers). But as the campaign progresses, the characters should be individually approached by two different figures. These figures will offer the character some sort of special ability if they take on a task in his favor. The characters might assume that these figures represent the Devil and God... when in reality, these figures represent the Devil and the Trickster.
Some system of Corruption should be introduced to the campaign. Corruption Points can be spent on the abilities that the Devil and the Trickster grant characters, but should also hold some sort of penalty: health damage, occasional bouts of blindness, uncontrollable rage, physical transformation, bloodlust, etc.
If a character should refuse the offer, the DM will secretly keep track of his Faith Points. Faith Points work like divine intervention: when the character is the victim of a critical hit, fails a saving throw versus poison, is surprised by an enemy, or regrets some action, the DM should offer to spend a Faith Point to re-do the action or cancel the effect.
However, should a character with Faith Points take a deal from the Devil or Trickster, he loses all Faith Points.
Example:
Tammy has created a British gunslinger named Victoria Kingsolver.
Mark has created a Shoshone medicine man named Tohopka.
While investigating the disappearance of the Sheriff of Tumbleweed, Kingsolver and Tohopka wind up exploring an ancient cave. Within the network of caverns bubble foul mudpots, and occasional blasts of hot air reveal the presence of underground geysers. At some point in the cave, the characters must avoid the sudden burst of a geyser "trap." The DM turns to Tammy, and asks Mark to ignore all he is saying.
DM: Victoria, after leaping away from the underground geyser, you find yourself surrounded by thick, hot mist. The walls of the cave are slippery and warm to the touch. There is a throbbing echo in the cavern- you think it's your heartbeat, but fear it could be the pulse of some terrible beast. Suddenly, a shadowy figure approaches. What you take for Tohopka reveals itself to be a different Indian. Short and skinny, his skin clings tightly to the sharp bones of his face. He has bright yellow eyes, and wears a hood made from a coyote skin. He winks at you and laughs. 'Well now little lady, that was quite a blast,' he howls. 'It's easy to get lost in this cave when the mists come. I can help you find your friend, if you just follow me.'
Tammy: There's no way I'm trusting this guy. 'Who the bloody hell are you?'
DM: The figure only laughs. 'You don't trust nobody, do you? Lissen- I'll point the way to your friend, for free. But I'll give you something more if you do me a favor. I lost a special little bone in this cave- I've been trying to find it, but my eyesight's no good anymore. It's a leg bone covered in old carvings. If you find it for me, I'll give you something special.'
Tammy: Victoria is still suspicious. 'What are you offering?'
DM: The figure winks at you. Tammy, if Victoria finds this bone, she will gain 10 luck points. You can use these points to cancel out a critical hit.
Tammy: Oh, that rocks! Victoria nods.
DM: As soon as you nod, the mists part, and you see Tohopka.
Later in the cave, Tohopka and Victoria will find the ancient leg bone. As she exits, Victoria will again be surrounded by mists and approached by the figure. When she gives him the bone, he will grant her the Luck Points... only the DM will then tell Victoria to write them down as Corruption Points.
As the campaign goes on, Victoria continues to make deals with the Trickster. As she gains more Corruption Points, the other characters notice strange effects. She barely has to sleep at night. Her footsteps are silent, even through dry leaves. And her teeth are growing sharp. Meanwhile, the town of Tumbleweed continues to fall into chaos. It seems that every time Victoria makes a deal, some figure of authority or order falls sick, gets stabbed in the night, or turns evil. Could Victoria's actions be destroying the town she's sworn to protect? And is she willing to give up her power to save it?
Monday, February 7, 2011
Trial of the Gods
Campaign Themes: Fantasy, Random Generation, Heroic Characters, Clash of the Titans, Players as Gods
Description:
The land of Gaein, with its feuding city-states between tall mountain peaks, its ancient ruins amongst the olive groves, its azure seas host to boisterous trade and piracy, is a playing ground for the Gods. From the populations of humble crafters, daring sailors, and scheming politicians, heroes are chosen - and tested. When a cyclops claims a city-state's territory for its own, when a deific curse strikes a noble family, when savage barbarians find a pass through the icy ranges, these are times when true heroes prove their bravery, their god-granted skills, their inhuman cunning... or die. And those who triumph will be celebrated, granted wealth and wine and women, mythologized - until the Gods test their merrit with another horrendous threat.
How's it work?:
Trail of the Gods is a campaign setting in which the adventure ideas are generated by the players. The players will be roleplaying as both their heroes and the Gods who cause havoc upon the land.
The players would start out by designing their Gods. They are not the only Gods that the people of Gaein worship, but soon they will be the most powerful. The only "stats" the Gods would have would be Spheres of Influence. There should be a large list of spheres (war, life, chaos, luck, travel, nature, prophecy, etc), each one with a special ability granted to those who worship the god. At creation, each God would choose one sphere.
The map of Gaein would be divided into a number of territories, each ruled by a city-state. Think of the board for Small World. Each player would choose a single territory. The city-state in this territory now worship them.
Now the players would create their heroes. Each hero should worship the God that the player is roleplaying. The hero gains the special ability of the Sphere of Influence his player chose for the God. This Special Ability is useable once per session- something like re-roll one attack roll, add to damage, take half damage, etc.
Adventures in Trial of the Gods will be randomly generated by the players. At the end of each session, the players will each pull a card from a deck of adventure ideas (example cards: a minotaur / a curse on a noble line / a gateway to hell / a weapon of great power, etc). There are many, many lists of adventure ideas online. A DM could even create a few decks: setting, goal, threat, etc. The players (roleplaying their Gods) and the DM would work together to come up with some flavor for the adventure, and the Gods would then choose which territory they will place the plight in. Behind the scenes (and in between sessions), the DM will fill out the adventure with dungeon maps, traps, monster stats, and such.
In each session, the heroes will go out and play the adventures that their gods have placed as trials. During the adventure, the DM will secretly keep a tally of "heroic deeds" that each hero accomplishes. These might be different depending on the hero- a crafty Odysseus might get a point for ingenious strategy, while a blunt Hercules will get a point for clobberin' something good. At the end of the adventure, the DM will announce which Hero was the most heroic. The God of that hero gains another territory, and another Sphere of Influence.
As a God gains more Spheres of Influence, the hero will gain more special abilities. The hero can still only use one special ability per session- but the variety will add to his survivability.
If a God wishes to take the territory of another God (something that will inevitably occur), they can make opposed rolls to battle over the territory. A God can even "bet" his spheres, each one adding one or three or such to the rolls. However, if an attacking God loses the roll, he loses the spheres he has bet. A God can never bet his last sphere.
Now because new adventures are generated randomly at the end of each session- not at the end of each adventure- there could easily be the danger of there being too many new adventures! The DM could easily fix this by limiting the number of new adventures on the map to something like Three or Four.
Examples:
Sebastian has sat down at the first session of Trial of the Gods. He decides to create a God in the mold of Hermes. His God's first Sphere of Influence is Luck. The special ability associated with Luck is "The hero can re-roll an attack roll, saving throw, skill check or ability check." When Sebastian creates a hero, his hero will be able to use this special ability once per session. Sebastian imagines his god as a Trickster type. He decides his god has the head of a fox. He names his god Arimi.
Looking at the map, Sebastian selects a territory that contains a city-state called Vox Hollow in the middle of the Redtail Forest. The people of Vox Hollow now worship Arimi the Fox-Headed Trickster.
Now Sebastian makes his hero. The DM is using the d20 Conan RPG, and Sebastian creates a thief named Semper. Semper worships Arimi as well, and Sebastian decides he was born and raised in Vox Hollow.
The other players make the following Gods:
- Eliza makes Postos, a God of the Anvil
- Mark makes Xero, a God of Knowledge
- Tammy makes Kalamity, a God of Chaos
Each god chose a territory. And here are the players' Heroes:
- Eliza makes Cervil, a prospecting Nomad.
- Mark makes Yetch, a necromantic Scholar.
- Tammy makes Bloody Barbitsi, a crazed Barbarian.
Because this is the first session, the DM has created an adventure. A Sphynx has taken the King of Kojos hostage until her daughter is rescued from the tribal army of barbarians who have captured her. The characters wind up cutting this army to pieces through their first adventure. It is a short adventure, and they complete it in one session. Behind the screen, the DM has been keeping track of heroic feats. For example, at one point Sebastian's character Semper snuck behind a troop of barbarians and caused a distraction that allowed the characters to pass by unharmed. At another point, Yetch used an undead soldier to lead them to the army's camp. Both of these are really cool things, and earn a mark.
At the end of the adventure, the DM announces that Semper earned the most heroic marks. His God chooses another territory, and another Sphere of Influence. Sebastian chooses his territory (adjacent to Vox Hollow), and the Sphere of Trickery. The special ability associated with Trickery is "The character adds his level to a Move Silently, Hide, or Sleight of Hand check." Now, Arimi has two special abilities to choose from, though he can still only use one per session.
Now that it is the end of the session, the players each pull a card from the Adventure deck. They wind up with:
- Sebastian: A Port
- Eliza: Sentient Plants
- Mark: Experiment Gone Wrong
- Tammy: Pirates
Roleplaying their gods, the players decide that this adventure will occur at the Port of Honoros. The people of Honoros were trying to grow crops underwater, and some magical experiment went wrong. The plants are now swarming all over the port, growing over ships and pulling people underwater to drown. To make matters worse, pirates have taken advantage of the chaos! The players place some sort of token on the Honoros territory.
Before the next session, the DM will fill in this adventure with maps, NPC's, monsters, etc.
NOTE: Campaign per Day is a collaborative blog! Please add commentaries with ideas, maps, mechanics, experiences, links etc.
Description:
The land of Gaein, with its feuding city-states between tall mountain peaks, its ancient ruins amongst the olive groves, its azure seas host to boisterous trade and piracy, is a playing ground for the Gods. From the populations of humble crafters, daring sailors, and scheming politicians, heroes are chosen - and tested. When a cyclops claims a city-state's territory for its own, when a deific curse strikes a noble family, when savage barbarians find a pass through the icy ranges, these are times when true heroes prove their bravery, their god-granted skills, their inhuman cunning... or die. And those who triumph will be celebrated, granted wealth and wine and women, mythologized - until the Gods test their merrit with another horrendous threat.
How's it work?:
Trail of the Gods is a campaign setting in which the adventure ideas are generated by the players. The players will be roleplaying as both their heroes and the Gods who cause havoc upon the land.
The players would start out by designing their Gods. They are not the only Gods that the people of Gaein worship, but soon they will be the most powerful. The only "stats" the Gods would have would be Spheres of Influence. There should be a large list of spheres (war, life, chaos, luck, travel, nature, prophecy, etc), each one with a special ability granted to those who worship the god. At creation, each God would choose one sphere.
The map of Gaein would be divided into a number of territories, each ruled by a city-state. Think of the board for Small World. Each player would choose a single territory. The city-state in this territory now worship them.
Now the players would create their heroes. Each hero should worship the God that the player is roleplaying. The hero gains the special ability of the Sphere of Influence his player chose for the God. This Special Ability is useable once per session- something like re-roll one attack roll, add to damage, take half damage, etc.
Adventures in Trial of the Gods will be randomly generated by the players. At the end of each session, the players will each pull a card from a deck of adventure ideas (example cards: a minotaur / a curse on a noble line / a gateway to hell / a weapon of great power, etc). There are many, many lists of adventure ideas online. A DM could even create a few decks: setting, goal, threat, etc. The players (roleplaying their Gods) and the DM would work together to come up with some flavor for the adventure, and the Gods would then choose which territory they will place the plight in. Behind the scenes (and in between sessions), the DM will fill out the adventure with dungeon maps, traps, monster stats, and such.
In each session, the heroes will go out and play the adventures that their gods have placed as trials. During the adventure, the DM will secretly keep a tally of "heroic deeds" that each hero accomplishes. These might be different depending on the hero- a crafty Odysseus might get a point for ingenious strategy, while a blunt Hercules will get a point for clobberin' something good. At the end of the adventure, the DM will announce which Hero was the most heroic. The God of that hero gains another territory, and another Sphere of Influence.
As a God gains more Spheres of Influence, the hero will gain more special abilities. The hero can still only use one special ability per session- but the variety will add to his survivability.
If a God wishes to take the territory of another God (something that will inevitably occur), they can make opposed rolls to battle over the territory. A God can even "bet" his spheres, each one adding one or three or such to the rolls. However, if an attacking God loses the roll, he loses the spheres he has bet. A God can never bet his last sphere.
Now because new adventures are generated randomly at the end of each session- not at the end of each adventure- there could easily be the danger of there being too many new adventures! The DM could easily fix this by limiting the number of new adventures on the map to something like Three or Four.
Examples:
Sebastian has sat down at the first session of Trial of the Gods. He decides to create a God in the mold of Hermes. His God's first Sphere of Influence is Luck. The special ability associated with Luck is "The hero can re-roll an attack roll, saving throw, skill check or ability check." When Sebastian creates a hero, his hero will be able to use this special ability once per session. Sebastian imagines his god as a Trickster type. He decides his god has the head of a fox. He names his god Arimi.
Looking at the map, Sebastian selects a territory that contains a city-state called Vox Hollow in the middle of the Redtail Forest. The people of Vox Hollow now worship Arimi the Fox-Headed Trickster.
Now Sebastian makes his hero. The DM is using the d20 Conan RPG, and Sebastian creates a thief named Semper. Semper worships Arimi as well, and Sebastian decides he was born and raised in Vox Hollow.
The other players make the following Gods:
- Eliza makes Postos, a God of the Anvil
- Mark makes Xero, a God of Knowledge
- Tammy makes Kalamity, a God of Chaos
Each god chose a territory. And here are the players' Heroes:
- Eliza makes Cervil, a prospecting Nomad.
- Mark makes Yetch, a necromantic Scholar.
- Tammy makes Bloody Barbitsi, a crazed Barbarian.
Because this is the first session, the DM has created an adventure. A Sphynx has taken the King of Kojos hostage until her daughter is rescued from the tribal army of barbarians who have captured her. The characters wind up cutting this army to pieces through their first adventure. It is a short adventure, and they complete it in one session. Behind the screen, the DM has been keeping track of heroic feats. For example, at one point Sebastian's character Semper snuck behind a troop of barbarians and caused a distraction that allowed the characters to pass by unharmed. At another point, Yetch used an undead soldier to lead them to the army's camp. Both of these are really cool things, and earn a mark.
At the end of the adventure, the DM announces that Semper earned the most heroic marks. His God chooses another territory, and another Sphere of Influence. Sebastian chooses his territory (adjacent to Vox Hollow), and the Sphere of Trickery. The special ability associated with Trickery is "The character adds his level to a Move Silently, Hide, or Sleight of Hand check." Now, Arimi has two special abilities to choose from, though he can still only use one per session.
Now that it is the end of the session, the players each pull a card from the Adventure deck. They wind up with:
- Sebastian: A Port
- Eliza: Sentient Plants
- Mark: Experiment Gone Wrong
- Tammy: Pirates
Roleplaying their gods, the players decide that this adventure will occur at the Port of Honoros. The people of Honoros were trying to grow crops underwater, and some magical experiment went wrong. The plants are now swarming all over the port, growing over ships and pulling people underwater to drown. To make matters worse, pirates have taken advantage of the chaos! The players place some sort of token on the Honoros territory.
Before the next session, the DM will fill in this adventure with maps, NPC's, monsters, etc.
NOTE: Campaign per Day is a collaborative blog! Please add commentaries with ideas, maps, mechanics, experiences, links etc.
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