The basic premise would be to act as Spec. Forces trying to rally grassroots support and arrange discreet sabotage since the Pact of Greyhawk forbids organized military action. The gov't would of course disavow any knowledge of the PCs actions. I amthinking of a double cross in there somewhere...
Anyhow, any ideas or preferences? My PCs are a blend of combat oriented and story oriented gamers. They lean toward action, but like the backstory to make sense with some feeling of making a difference in the world.
Remember, argument and disagreement foster new and innovative ideas! :D
Those campaigns are very different. Since I've not read of many Rhizian (naming the barbarian kingdoms of the Thillonrian Peninsual) campaigns, that one sounds most interesting.
In the LGG, mention is made of the Rhizians uniting to assault Stonehold, which forced the Rhelt to pull a significant force out of Tenh. While driving off the Rhizians, Arapahi (self-name of the Rovers of the Barrens) warriors -- inspired by Tang the Horrific (a nomad prince of the Dry Steppes) -- sacked one of Stonehold's cities.
The LGG also described a new branch of Rhizia, the so-called Sea Barbarians. You might use this tribe to help ferry PCs from the heartlands (of the Thillonrian Peninsula) to the lands north of the Empire of Iuz. The PCs might ally with (or even include) Arapahi and so harry the northeastern Bandit Kingdoms (which remain under Iuz's hegemony. In the chaos of the Bandit Kingdoms, the PCs might not always already be presumed to be enemies... That could be a very fun, tres guerilla sort of campaign -- making allies, testing their loyalty, lots of fighting and plundering old arsenals, etc.
In Tenh itself, Suel Barbarians would appear starkly different to the majority of people, so disguise would be somewhat more difficult, but central Tenh remains a messy contested land, and the Tenha underground resistance definitely could use help!
More as others post.
Also, make sure that you can have some occasional support for them from the parent government in terms of funds or magic or something as most campaigns have wealth gathered from dungeons/adventuring so you might need to work in an alternate method.
As a cool group of npcs, throw in a special forces team on the other side and have them carry out the same types of missions the PC's do against the PC's.
Originally posted by Coldpenguin625
Convincing rebel forces who also hate eachother to work together or hunting down spies would provide some good non-combat adventures.
Hmm. Can you imagine a group of Furyondians and/or Shield Landers trying to work with some remnants of the Horned Society or Bandit Kingdoms against Iuz?
Each land could be a different "chapter" in the campaign. They would meet up with different groups of "resistance" in their respective native lands. I really like the idea of the traditional enemy states such as Horned Society and Bandit Kingdoms making much needed allies that need persuasion to help, but at a significant cost.
I had an idea for an adventure hook that involves protecting the Torch of Gruumsh so that he could provide much needed subversion. The twist is that neither he nor Iuz's forces could know of the PC's intervention. A total clandestine operation where they have to save someone without him knowing he has been saved and without Iuz's forces knowing who or how they were stopped.
I am in support of PC movement into Iuz's holdings from Furyondy. How about a Ho Chi Minh Trail-style route north into the Fellreev Forest on the east side of the Riensa River. A mobile base of operations can be established in the Fellreev if PCs accomplish a task that gains the tolerance. if not the help, of the Sylvan elves there, and maybe the Reyhu.
If the Ritensa is unviable, maybe a route along the Artonsamay River can be used to infiltrate the Fellreev from the east. Whichever, the Fellreev loooks like a good place to execute small raids into any part of Iuz's lands. But the inhabitants of the Fellreev must explicitly understand that PC are not looking for territorial gains in the forest.
I think the river routes (any of them) are an especially good idea as a means of quick travel with few interruptions (unless planned for MUHAHAHA).
As far as level goes, I am of the firm opinion that even a 1st level character is far and above the ordinary warrior/0-level man-at-arms. Having said that, I was toying with the idea of giving everyone 1 level as Warrior NPC class just to buff them a bit and to model their time in the army of whatever nation they are from...
Also regarding the gameplay around the Barbarian tribes...what if the PCs assist them in discovering that Redbeard is under the control of Iuz just as he impersonated Vatan (sp?) the great god of the North. The Barbarians could then assist some dissidents in Stonefist to rise against Iuz's puppet gov't...with plenty of battle and carnage
Besides, I'm not sure that you'd be doing your players any favors in the long run by giving them a warrior level. With a level of warrior and a level of fighter, they'd still be second level characters, wouldn't they? In that case, you might consider just starting them as 2nd level fighters.
As far as letting them get better ability scores, I'm not sure about that. The warrior level helps out with HP and such at low level, but the ability scores will have an impact even much later in the game. I will have to think about it. I meant it to allow wizards and such to have better HP and BAB. I was not going to count it for multi-classing XP and such. Any other ideas?
Originally posted by Jag Arin
As far as letting them get better ability scores, I'm not sure about that. The warrior level helps out with HP and such at low level, but the ability scores will have an impact even much later in the game. I will have to think about it. I meant it to allow wizards and such to have better HP and BAB. I was not going to count it for multi-classing XP and such. Any other ideas?
Well, my feeling on the higher ability scores is that heroic adventurers should be larger than life, and therefore have better than average ability scores.
However, if your goal is just to give them better hit points and base attack bonuses, maybe you could just tell them that their special training gives them a couple of extra feats, which you then assign them (for instance, give everybody Toughness and Weapon Focus).
You can then even use those histories as possible adventure hooks in the future.
As for earlier idea of making allies with evil organisations.... It usually works like a charm. I've done it on few occasions, one very memorable was when players had to make alliance (of all things) with kobold sorcerer and his troops against a necromancers army.
A few things:
Do you own Iuz the Evil? Your "end game" might involve the PCs raiding the "Soul Husks Caverns" -- see page 22. See also the Adventures in the Empire chapter, starting on page 73.
Regarding the Torch of Gruumsh, you may be interested in reading "Evil's Changing Face in the Vesve" by Andy Seale. Oerth Journal issue 14 (April 22, 2002), available to download at
Canonfire.com.
Finally, I'd love to hear about the characters your players create. Given your interests, if the players are experienced, you may even have them start at 3d lvl. Encourage them to tie their characters' histories to the several lands that suffered during the Greyhawk Wars.
Jag, in your first post you mentioned the PCs would "act as Spec. Forces" -- but I don't imagine that they'd actually constitute such a force for any kingdom. You just meant that metaphorically right?
To be viable, I imagine the PCs would need a good mix of classes (though not necessarily a good mix of races: an all human group is probably fine).
Will many of them be of dispossessed noble families from the Shield Lands -- perhaps even of the same (extended) family?
The goal of the campaign will be to advance King Belvor's agenda to end the evil reign of Iuz and free the subjugated states; good and evil alike. However, since Belvor and his kingdom are Lawful, he cannot stand to act against the LETTER of the Pact of Greyhawk. Enter the PCs. The characters will represent a diverse group both racially and in terms of classes. They will be given general goals and support, but will be blind to their superiors and their superiors will be only report their general actions. These and other steps will reduce the possibility of linking them to any one government. I am thinking that mages will use teleport scrolls to drop supplies at pre-specified locations. Their goals will be to strike blows against the infrastructure that Iuz has developed in the captured lands as well as support and strengthen any resistance they may find along the way. They will move swiftly around (magical aid?) to differing locations to accomplish this and also to make it seem like more than one force making them harder to track and capture. They may be one of several such groups. They will begin with a small raid on the Razing Line, destroying a cache of scrolls and attacking a group of low level clerics being sent to raise more dead. They will then advance into the Shield Lands since they will likely find the most support their in the early stages of the campaign.
I think the PCs will start at level 2 with some buffing to their stats. The term spec. forces is indeed metaphorical, but does describe them well. I also can point to historical and fantasy examples of elite spec. forces units that kingdoms did keep at the ready.
I own most of the old Carl Sargent works (Marklands, UftA, ItE) and the Soul Husk cavern would be interesting. I will read the material from the Oerth Journal re: Torch of Gruumsh activity.
Thanks again for the help. Character creation will begin this weekend. I will post the occasional updates.
In particular, The Marklands features an interesting olven Knight. See pages 28, 38-39 (describing Cerenellyl). I don't own Castle Hart, but that might also be a handy source.
Have a great game!