What changes do you use? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

What changes do you use?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Sep 22, 2003 1:41:53 (Boy, I hope this doesn't start any fights)

I am curious about what "house rules" or GM's Decision changes you use. I am more curious about STORY elements that rules.

Example; our GM decided that a handful of heroes with a magic spear are unlikely to have been able to take down a dragon king, no matter what that king was otherwise occupied with doing at the time. So his campaign brought Kalak back. He had learned from the experience, and kept a low profile, ruling from the shadows. Tyr was his again and no one knew it. (Except Sadira, but she wasn't in much of a position to do anything about it.)

In another campaign run by the same DM Kalak's death awakened a handful of clones made at different times during his reign. That started a wonderful civil war that I was caught in the middle of, since I was a templar who had been chafing under Tithian's idiocy and then being led by "the Murderess" (Sadira) and now all of a sudden had her spells back and one Kalak inviting her to serve him and 3 others trying to kill her.

I think my DM must have had a Kalak fixation.

(and YES, I know the canon says Kalak died, that's it, the end. My point is, what changes have you made that went AGAINST canon?)
#2
zombiegleemax
Sep 22, 2003 2:13:12 The only changes I was going to make concerned the other SKs. In my campaign, Kalak dies. He falls from the Golden Tower to the floor below. Stunned momentarily he was assaulted by dozens of gladiators, arena beasts, and even a turncoat templar or two.

Its the other SK deaths that I altered. I ran a sorta crummy adventure where it was the PCs, not the Pentad Heroes, who take on Borys. When Rajaat appears and starts killing the SKs, Tec is banished to the Hollow, not Andropinis. Andropinis lives, but is crippled, mentaly lame. He wanders the wastes as an almost primal force now. Though banished, Tec has a strange connection with his 'false son' Atzetuk despite his imprisonment. He is manipulating the boy from beyond, charging the new King of Draj with finding a means to become immortal.

Also, Sacha and Wyan are still around as well, aiding Tithian in running Tyr. Tithian did not die and become part of the Cerulean Storm (I wasn't going to let the city of Tyr get off that easy). He still only cares about his quest to become a SK though, so nothing really changes here.

Rikus is dead, so is Sadira. Couldn't stand them in the novels and refused to have them upstaging the PCs in the game. Rikus bites the dust en route to Urik while leading the Crimson Legion. Abalach-Re offs Sadira in their little duel, while the PCs finished off the weakened SQ.

Dregoth is mad as a hatter. His planar gate is a farce. Its his delusions and insanity that make him think he's traveling the planes. Mon Adderath oversees New Guistenal and the catatonic SK while Dregoth is 'away'.

Hmmm . . . I'm sure there's other instances where I've strayed from the timeline. I'm starting a new DS campaign with a few people who have never played DS at all so I'm rather tossed as to which story line to follow (the campaign starts with the adventure Freedom).
#3
Kamelion
Sep 22, 2003 3:52:46 Running a game from Freedom onwards (just had session #6) with some changes in place and some others planned. Kalak died, but I involved the PCs instead of having them as spectators. Planning to off Rikus at some suitable point in the story (no real reason, I just like to beat up on the mul...). Busy trying to convince my players that the Dragon is nothing more than a fairy tale propagated by SKs to draw attention from their own transformations. Sadira currently on the run as everyone thinks she is a defiler (isn't she?) Also been having some recurrent thoughts about the Messenger and Rahn Thes Onel but the less said about those the better....
#4
zombiegleemax
Sep 22, 2003 5:20:20 My campaign simply was played in the old times, before Kalak was killed. The very startpoint from the 1st DS box, before the Prism Pentad. All SKs are living as decribed there. The zuggurat in Tyr is under construction, but the deadline to finish it is indefinite. Possibly not happening in the lifetime of my PCs. And even if it is finished, who knows, what purpose it serves.

I'm thinking about that Kalak is successful in the transformation, killing the whole populace of Tyr, ascending as a Dragon, than go away (maybe other planes, or to the Twin Moons for some arcane reason relating to the transformation). No heroes show up to stop him. Tyr can be an empty city, infested with scavengers, and some undeads (not much, or else it would be Bodach 2). Then a huge race can be started to claim the treasures of Tyr, and the control of the iron mines. SKs, trade dynasties, all can be ther to have a slice from the pie. Defilers would gather there to examine the ziggurat and other things, hoping to grasp some of Kalak's power. And then Kalak can come back, once again to reclaim it's city, now as a full dragon.

Hope you like it. I really want to keep Dark Sun dark: no place for shiny heroes.
#5
zombiegleemax
Sep 22, 2003 8:45:58 Whenever I ran a campaign in Dark Sun, the 'pentad heroes' never exsisted. I guess I'm partial to the 7 cities 7 kings idea. I'm going to start a new game soon and I think I'll do the same but have a 'timeline' advance as well. Still, no pentad heroes. Kalak will die but in a different way. Probably just "going from 21st level to 30th is impossible, he tried and failed" I'll work out the details later. In my opinion, Dark Sun without the SK's is not nearly as exciting as Dark Sun with Tyrants. ..2 cents

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Sep 22, 2003 1:41:53	(Boy, I hope this doesn't start any fights) I am curious about what "house rules" or GM's Decision changes you use. I am more curious about STORY elements that rules. Example; our GM decided that a handful of heroes with a magic spear are unlikely to have been able to take down a dragon king, no matter what that king was otherwise occupied with doing at the time. So his campaign brought Kalak back. He had learned from the experience, and kept a low profile, ruling from the shadows. Tyr was his again and no one knew it. (Except Sadira, but she wasn't in much of a position to do anything about it.) In another campaign run by the same DM Kalak's death awakened a handful of clones made at different times during his reign. That started a wonderful civil war that I was caught in the middle of, since I was a templar who had been chafing under Tithian's idiocy and then being led by "the Murderess" (Sadira) and now all of a sudden had her spells back and one Kalak inviting her to serve him and 3 others trying to kill her. I think my DM must have had a Kalak fixation. (and YES, I know the canon says Kalak died, that's it, the end. My point is, what changes have you made that went AGAINST canon?)
#2 zombiegleemax Sep 22, 2003 2:13:12	The only changes I was going to make concerned the other SKs. In my campaign, Kalak dies. He falls from the Golden Tower to the floor below. Stunned momentarily he was assaulted by dozens of gladiators, arena beasts, and even a turncoat templar or two. Its the other SK deaths that I altered. I ran a sorta crummy adventure where it was the PCs, not the Pentad Heroes, who take on Borys. When Rajaat appears and starts killing the SKs, Tec is banished to the Hollow, not Andropinis. Andropinis lives, but is crippled, mentaly lame. He wanders the wastes as an almost primal force now. Though banished, Tec has a strange connection with his 'false son' Atzetuk despite his imprisonment. He is manipulating the boy from beyond, charging the new King of Draj with finding a means to become immortal. Also, Sacha and Wyan are still around as well, aiding Tithian in running Tyr. Tithian did not die and become part of the Cerulean Storm (I wasn't going to let the city of Tyr get off that easy). He still only cares about his quest to become a SK though, so nothing really changes here. Rikus is dead, so is Sadira. Couldn't stand them in the novels and refused to have them upstaging the PCs in the game. Rikus bites the dust en route to Urik while leading the Crimson Legion. Abalach-Re offs Sadira in their little duel, while the PCs finished off the weakened SQ. Dregoth is mad as a hatter. His planar gate is a farce. Its his delusions and insanity that make him think he's traveling the planes. Mon Adderath oversees New Guistenal and the catatonic SK while Dregoth is 'away'. Hmmm . . . I'm sure there's other instances where I've strayed from the timeline. I'm starting a new DS campaign with a few people who have never played DS at all so I'm rather tossed as to which story line to follow (the campaign starts with the adventure Freedom).
#3 Kamelion Sep 22, 2003 3:52:46	Running a game from Freedom onwards (just had session #6) with some changes in place and some others planned. Kalak died, but I involved the PCs instead of having them as spectators. Planning to off Rikus at some suitable point in the story (no real reason, I just like to beat up on the mul...). Busy trying to convince my players that the Dragon is nothing more than a fairy tale propagated by SKs to draw attention from their own transformations. Sadira currently on the run as everyone thinks she is a defiler (isn't she?) Also been having some recurrent thoughts about the Messenger and Rahn Thes Onel but the less said about those the better....
#4 zombiegleemax Sep 22, 2003 5:20:20	My campaign simply was played in the old times, before Kalak was killed. The very startpoint from the 1st DS box, before the Prism Pentad. All SKs are living as decribed there. The zuggurat in Tyr is under construction, but the deadline to finish it is indefinite. Possibly not happening in the lifetime of my PCs. And even if it is finished, who knows, what purpose it serves. I'm thinking about that Kalak is successful in the transformation, killing the whole populace of Tyr, ascending as a Dragon, than go away (maybe other planes, or to the Twin Moons for some arcane reason relating to the transformation). No heroes show up to stop him. Tyr can be an empty city, infested with scavengers, and some undeads (not much, or else it would be Bodach 2). Then a huge race can be started to claim the treasures of Tyr, and the control of the iron mines. SKs, trade dynasties, all can be ther to have a slice from the pie. Defilers would gather there to examine the ziggurat and other things, hoping to grasp some of Kalak's power. And then Kalak can come back, once again to reclaim it's city, now as a full dragon. Hope you like it. I really want to keep Dark Sun dark: no place for shiny heroes.
#5 zombiegleemax Sep 22, 2003 8:45:58	Whenever I ran a campaign in Dark Sun, the 'pentad heroes' never exsisted. I guess I'm partial to the 7 cities 7 kings idea. I'm going to start a new game soon and I think I'll do the same but have a 'timeline' advance as well. Still, no pentad heroes. Kalak will die but in a different way. Probably just "going from 21st level to 30th is impossible, he tried and failed" I'll work out the details later. In my opinion, Dark Sun without the SK's is not nearly as exciting as Dark Sun with Tyrants. ..2 cents