Critique my campaign (long) - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Critique my campaign (long)

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
veii
Jul 31, 2007 6:57:24 Hi all,

Just wanted to run some of the ideas, particularly the campaign storyline, of the game I'm currently DMing. I love Rloft, always been my favorite campaign setting but for my players it is their first go.

I'll start with the story and the lore I've used to make it work.

We all know that in some aspect, Ravenloft is a prison. I've gone and extrapolated the idea a bit.

Going with the idea of a prison, in my campaign, Ravenloft, as difficult as it is to leave, cannot be escaped by any creature that has failed a powers check. In short, the Dark Powers' ultimate rule is that no tainted soul may leave Ravenloft.

Please keep that in mind while I explain the story.

The campaign is based around the disappearance of Dr. Van Richten and a traveling companion named Ferdinand Iago. Iago is a young, bright eyed gnome from Il Aluk (No Necropolis in my campaign). He is a fledgling wizard who has grown up listening to the tales of Van Richten's fight against evil. His fondest hope is to join Van Richten on one of his adventures and help others as he did.

In fact, Iago is lying to himself in traditional Ravenloft "budding darklord" fashion. His real hope and goal is to attain the same level of love, respect and adoration that Van Richten has but, naturally, never can.

Iago does, in fact, accompany Van Richten, despite the Dr.'s numerous warnings to go home. Together, they do solve a great deal of problems. However, at every turn, no one noticed the little gnome wizard. All praise when to Van Richten, who, in typical Van Richten fashion, shrugs it off and goes on his way.

In time, Iago becomes jealous and the jealousy turns into a full blown resentment of Van Richten, who Iago will blames for "holding him back" and "never giving him any credit".

I should note at this point that I am also incorporating some new lore into Rloft. In my campaign, when a person who has failed a power's check dies, that soul is not allowed to leave the demiplane. In death, as in life, it is a prisoner of the Dark Powers and the Mists. Therefore, the soul will simply seek out the next nearest "tainted" soul (a person that has failed at least one powers check). The more tainted souls such a person collects (knowingly or not) the more depraved they become and the more mentally and physically unstable.

Iago will fail his first powers check on his own, and then, as he and Van Richten slay monsters and evil creatures, Iago's own tainted soul will be collecting the taint of other dark souls.

Iago, so tainted by the evil he and Van Richten have slain, begins to lose his grip on sanity. Calling upon his wizardly powers and his genius level intellect, he comes to believe (rightly) that he is going to eventually go completely mad if he doesn't leave Ravenloft. However, his body and mind are ravaged by the taint he has collected. To save himself, he betrays Van Richten, turning on him violently. His betrayal earns him his own island of terror where he begins to mix gnomish engineering with magical experimentation. The result is an island full of Half-Machine templated horrors. Van Richten himself, nearly dead from Iago's assault, is hooked up to a machine that will siphon his life energy to keep Iago alive until the gnome can escape Ravenloft.

Iago, through his research, comes to understand some of the nature of Ravenloft. Realizing he cannot escape the mists while so tainted, he hatches a mad and brilliant plan. He will gather as much of the taint in his island of terror as he can and then, using the power of the most ancient of Ravenloft artifacts, The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, he will purge himself of the taint and escape the demiplane.

To this end, and through powerful scrying, he believes he finds the Holy Symbol in the Forgotten Realms, in the possession of a local lord and paladin of Lathandar. He is, of course, wrong. To get it, he uses his own technology to remove his brain (and with it, his mind and the seat of his soul) and places it within one of his mechanical defenders. His body, he forces to undergo the half-machine template process. Then, he sends his new cyborg like body to the Realms to claim the symbol.

This is where the campaign starts for the players. They work for the lord and are there when Iago's body attempts to assassinate him and get the symbol. The PCs chase down this strange gnome creature and kill it after a viscious battle.

However...the demiplane comes to realize that some of its tainted souls have escaped...clinging to the body of Iago.

These souls seperate themselves from Iago's body and...having no likewise tainted souls to cling to, cling to the PCs in desperation. The Demiplane, seeking to reclaim its own, pulls the now inadvertently tainted PCs into Ravenloft via the Mists.

The PCs will then retrace the adventures of Iago and Van Ricthen. Their only guide, being a Journal Iago kept that is unlocked by special gnomish cogs. Each cog will reveal new entries of the journal and begin to unfold the story of Iago and Van Richten.

What do you all think? As an overall story?
Happy to have comments and criticism.
#2
emjaysmash
Jul 31, 2007 11:48:20 Wow. Very Cool! I love the whole tainted souls idea, and the backround story. The Pc's using the journal to retrace the steps of Iago, meanwhile getting clues about Ravenloft/the tainted souls within them is awesome!

Amazing Job. I'd love to be a PC in this campaign.
-EmjaySmash
#3
veii
Aug 01, 2007 0:23:09 Thanks!

They are going to be doing levels 4-10ish in Barovia.

Then, 11-15 in Zherisha - Urban based in Peridon and later Timor

Then, 15-19 in Har' Akir - Using the Stone Prophet video game for quest inspiration

Finally - 20 in Iago's own Island of Terror
#4
kwdblade
Aug 02, 2007 16:23:53 Pretty good, a genuinely original idea in my book. You've created your own darklord, domain, changed the storyline, and got rid of that awful Necropolis.;) Praise be to you.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 veii Jul 31, 2007 6:57:24	Hi all, Just wanted to run some of the ideas, particularly the campaign storyline, of the game I'm currently DMing. I love Rloft, always been my favorite campaign setting but for my players it is their first go. I'll start with the story and the lore I've used to make it work. We all know that in some aspect, Ravenloft is a prison. I've gone and extrapolated the idea a bit. Going with the idea of a prison, in my campaign, Ravenloft, as difficult as it is to leave, cannot be escaped by any creature that has failed a powers check. In short, the Dark Powers' ultimate rule is that no tainted soul may leave Ravenloft. Please keep that in mind while I explain the story. The campaign is based around the disappearance of Dr. Van Richten and a traveling companion named Ferdinand Iago. Iago is a young, bright eyed gnome from Il Aluk (No Necropolis in my campaign). He is a fledgling wizard who has grown up listening to the tales of Van Richten's fight against evil. His fondest hope is to join Van Richten on one of his adventures and help others as he did. In fact, Iago is lying to himself in traditional Ravenloft "budding darklord" fashion. His real hope and goal is to attain the same level of love, respect and adoration that Van Richten has but, naturally, never can. Iago does, in fact, accompany Van Richten, despite the Dr.'s numerous warnings to go home. Together, they do solve a great deal of problems. However, at every turn, no one noticed the little gnome wizard. All praise when to Van Richten, who, in typical Van Richten fashion, shrugs it off and goes on his way. In time, Iago becomes jealous and the jealousy turns into a full blown resentment of Van Richten, who Iago will blames for "holding him back" and "never giving him any credit". I should note at this point that I am also incorporating some new lore into Rloft. In my campaign, when a person who has failed a power's check dies, that soul is not allowed to leave the demiplane. In death, as in life, it is a prisoner of the Dark Powers and the Mists. Therefore, the soul will simply seek out the next nearest "tainted" soul (a person that has failed at least one powers check). The more tainted souls such a person collects (knowingly or not) the more depraved they become and the more mentally and physically unstable. Iago will fail his first powers check on his own, and then, as he and Van Richten slay monsters and evil creatures, Iago's own tainted soul will be collecting the taint of other dark souls. Iago, so tainted by the evil he and Van Richten have slain, begins to lose his grip on sanity. Calling upon his wizardly powers and his genius level intellect, he comes to believe (rightly) that he is going to eventually go completely mad if he doesn't leave Ravenloft. However, his body and mind are ravaged by the taint he has collected. To save himself, he betrays Van Richten, turning on him violently. His betrayal earns him his own island of terror where he begins to mix gnomish engineering with magical experimentation. The result is an island full of Half-Machine templated horrors. Van Richten himself, nearly dead from Iago's assault, is hooked up to a machine that will siphon his life energy to keep Iago alive until the gnome can escape Ravenloft. Iago, through his research, comes to understand some of the nature of Ravenloft. Realizing he cannot escape the mists while so tainted, he hatches a mad and brilliant plan. He will gather as much of the taint in his island of terror as he can and then, using the power of the most ancient of Ravenloft artifacts, The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, he will purge himself of the taint and escape the demiplane. To this end, and through powerful scrying, he believes he finds the Holy Symbol in the Forgotten Realms, in the possession of a local lord and paladin of Lathandar. He is, of course, wrong. To get it, he uses his own technology to remove his brain (and with it, his mind and the seat of his soul) and places it within one of his mechanical defenders. His body, he forces to undergo the half-machine template process. Then, he sends his new cyborg like body to the Realms to claim the symbol. This is where the campaign starts for the players. They work for the lord and are there when Iago's body attempts to assassinate him and get the symbol. The PCs chase down this strange gnome creature and kill it after a viscious battle. However...the demiplane comes to realize that some of its tainted souls have escaped...clinging to the body of Iago. These souls seperate themselves from Iago's body and...having no likewise tainted souls to cling to, cling to the PCs in desperation. The Demiplane, seeking to reclaim its own, pulls the now inadvertently tainted PCs into Ravenloft via the Mists. The PCs will then retrace the adventures of Iago and Van Ricthen. Their only guide, being a Journal Iago kept that is unlocked by special gnomish cogs. Each cog will reveal new entries of the journal and begin to unfold the story of Iago and Van Richten. What do you all think? As an overall story? Happy to have comments and criticism.
#2 emjaysmash Jul 31, 2007 11:48:20	Wow. Very Cool! I love the whole tainted souls idea, and the backround story. The Pc's using the journal to retrace the steps of Iago, meanwhile getting clues about Ravenloft/the tainted souls within them is awesome! Amazing Job. I'd love to be a PC in this campaign. -EmjaySmash
#3 veii Aug 01, 2007 0:23:09	Thanks! They are going to be doing levels 4-10ish in Barovia. Then, 11-15 in Zherisha - Urban based in Peridon and later Timor Then, 15-19 in Har' Akir - Using the Stone Prophet video game for quest inspiration Finally - 20 in Iago's own Island of Terror
#4 kwdblade Aug 02, 2007 16:23:53	Pretty good, a genuinely original idea in my book. You've created your own darklord, domain, changed the storyline, and got rid of that awful Necropolis.;) Praise be to you.