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Sammael
Underboss
1881 Posts
    
 | | 05/21/2006 10:00 AM |
| ...and it was absolutely great. I cannot go into details because they would require too much backtracking to explain why the things are as they are, but here's a brief outline:
PCs are exposed to some of the greatest magic treasures in existance but choose to ignore them and focus on their goal (while at the same time fighting powerful enemies on their way to that goal). They manage to seal an ancient evil by completing a complex ritual that almost costs them their lives. Upon returning, they are ambushed and killed (as per a prophecy they've known about for more than two years now). An avatar of a god arrives and slays their enemies, but cannot raise them from the dead because of something that happened during the aforementioned ritual. They travel to the City of the Dead where all souls are supposed to be judged only to discover that god of the dead has been deposed by the god of undeath. One party member is judged to be an atheist and sealed in the wall that surrounds the city, while the other PCs are left to wait for their judgment. A party of demons attacks the wall and steals a number of souls from it, including that of their comrade. The PCs use the general confusion and the fight between demons and devils as cover to flee the city and pursue the demon who holds their friend captive. | |
Hypethetical Blood War Set List | Champion of the Gelugon | Vindicated Prophet of Blood War
Ha 69/80 | De 60/60 | Ar 57/60 | GoL 72/72 | Ab 60/60 | DK 60/60 | AF 60/60 | UD 59/60 | WD 57/60 | WDQ 3/60| BW
Total DDM Count: 1037 | No chance of finishing the set | Will finish the set | Set | |
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Mjollnir
Underboss
1437 Posts
Canary Islands - Spain
| | 05/21/2006 10:17 AM |
| | Sounds quite epic! Which levels are your party of pc's. Could you go into some detail describing race, pc class and magic-wielded by them; I mean have you got a 17th level human paladin with a holy avenger, for example? | |
Champion of the Molydeus
Vindicated Blood War Called Shot: Cornugon (Horned Devil)
Icons Called Shot: Tarrasque
Vindicated Dungeon of Dread Called Shot: Mind Flayer
Against the Giants Called Shot: Uncommon Fire Giant
Demonweb Called Shot: Myrlochar
Feywild Called Shot: Molydeus
"Sé que me acusan de soberbia, y tal vez de misantropía, y tal vez de locura. Tales acusaciones (que yo castigaré a su debido tiempo) son irrisorias." - Jorge Luis Borges
I sell my collection at:
http://www.maxminis.com/Forums/tabid/104/forumid/54/view/topic/postid/801203/Default.aspx | |
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Sammael
Underboss
1881 Posts
| | 05/21/2006 5:07 PM |
| I'll try to give a brief outline of the PCs:
NG Human Cleric 7 / Divine Disciple 5 / Divine Agent of Selûne 5 (level 17)
Party leader and a powerful representative of his goddess. He rarely enters melee combat, prefering to rely on spells. Thus, he doesn't wield a powerful weapon. On the other hand, he recently received a magnificent gift: Moonlight’s Cradle (+6 sacred blueshine mithral chainmail reinforced with Ysgardian heartwire), a powerful relic of his faith.
LN Human Fighter 10 / Devoted Defender 1 / Cleric 1 / Divine Champion of Helm 6 (level 18)
For all intents and purposes, he is the party "paladin." I personally dislike the paladin core class, so I've converted it into an "advanced" class (not quite prestige, but you can't enter it from 1st level) that can be taken by characters of any alignment (appropriate to the deity they serve). He currently wields a Watchknight's Sword (+3 axiomatic holy darksteel bastard sword) and Wall Around Nolavan (+3 light fortified tower shield of resistance), and wears Watchknight's Plate of Earth's Embrace (+5 everbright full plate with additional stability bonuses).
LG Human Ranger 1 / Fighter 4 / Kensai 10 / Purple Dragon Knight 1 (level 16)
As his kensai signature weapon, this PC wields a +2 flaming holy shock bastard sword of speed. He recently cleansed a powerful suit of armor, Sir Eudric' Demise, (+5 empyreal everbright glamered mithral full plate) of a demonic infestation and is currently wearing it. He worships Lathander, the Morninglord.
CG Half-Moon Elf Bard 11 / Seeker of the Song 5 (level 16)
Quite powerful for a bard, this character is a gambler/drinker and worshiper od Sune (goddess of beauty). He wields Firehair’s Caress (+2 sweeping whip that also grants Improved Trip as a bonus feat and returns to wielder's hand every round if the wielder is disarmed). His armor is Melodic Chain (+6 glamered nimble elven chain that increases the bard level by 5 for the purpose of bardic song abilities).
CN Strongheart Halfling Rogue 11 / Assassin 1 / Unseen Adept 4 (level 16)
This halfling has such a high Sneak modifier (+41) that he is effectively invisible 99% of the time. He is an Unseen Adept (an assassin variant that specializes in stealth and sniping with ranged weapons), and uses Adder’s Dragonslaying Kiss (+5 mighty dragonhunter poison-storing shortbow) to great effect... unless his opponents are immune to sneak attacks. He is also under effects of a cursed minor artefacts that greatly enhances his assassin skills, but at a price... he is slowly being transformed into an ophidian. Fortunately, the party leader has means to suppress his curse, but no permanent cure has been found yet.
BTW, assassins in my games are merely nongood instead of being automatically evil, and using poison to coat a weapon is not an evil act.
N Human Enchanter 13/ Mentalist 3 (level 16)
This is probably the most powergame-y of all characters. Accordingly, he has lots of powerful items, but few that stand out and are as unique as the ones others have. He is an enchanter who also focuses on illusions, which his custom-made (by me) prestige class emphasizes. | |
Hypethetical Blood War Set List | Champion of the Gelugon | Vindicated Prophet of Blood War
Ha 69/80 | De 60/60 | Ar 57/60 | GoL 72/72 | Ab 60/60 | DK 60/60 | AF 60/60 | UD 59/60 | WD 57/60 | WDQ 3/60| BW
Total DDM Count: 1037 | No chance of finishing the set | Will finish the set | Set | |
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IHawk
Underboss
1049 Posts
Lisle, Illinois
| | 05/21/2006 5:55 PM |
| I see you have removed the alignment restriction of the Assassin
class. I too have done this...even the church has had assassins'
in thier ranks from time to time.
Pretty cool stuff. Where did you come up with the idea of the whip
returning to the wielders hand if it has been disarmed. I like.
mark | |
mark - Champion of the Goblin Worg Riders | anteblue_at_yahoo_dot_com
IHawk's Have/Want List | IHawk's Trade List | Completed Trades - 214 | Pending Trades - 0
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Monsoon28
Underboss
2299 Posts
Toronto
| | 05/21/2006 9:20 PM |
| Ya I did away with the Evil alignment for Assassins as well ages ago. I mean Governments use assassins and they do it for the betterment of their country (Well at least the non-phycho ones do). [:D]
I also liked the idea of the character Martin Blank (John Cusack) and he isn't evil in my books. | |
"I was sittin' here eatin' my muffin, drinkin' my coffee, replayin' the incident in my head, when I had what alcoholics refer to as a moment of clarity." - Jules Winnfield
Sales/Trades Bad (1): Ironfist Boulderbender
Trades/Sales completed (8.): Danthl, Dafrca, Garyaxe, qillan_dvra, realmaster, Vandal_Savage, cavedweller, unearthed arcana.
Champion of Gem Dragons, VINDICATED Squire of Duergar Commander, Knight of the Astral Stalker.
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zenthrus
Commander
4836 Posts
SLC, UT
| | 05/21/2006 11:13 PM |
| Assassins in my games have always been of non-good alignment. Nice to see I'm not alone.
Sounds like quite the campaign. Congraulations on making it through 132 sessions [^]
Longest campaign I can recall running lasted about 30 sessions. | |
Knight Warlord a.k.a. Commander (#32) in only 6 months. Where's my pie?
Champion of Dwarven Thunderlashers
Knight of the Large Dire Chicken
Have/Want List
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Sammael
Underboss
1881 Posts
| | 05/22/2006 2:46 AM |
| All that happened in the 132nd session, BTW. The campaign is far from over; my estimate is that it'll take some 40 additional sessions to complete the storyline (in whatever manner the PCs decide to do it), which probably menas it'll end up being something like 60 sessions or so.
The next two sessions (at least) are supposed to take place in the Grey Waste, as they chase after their friend's soul and then have to find a way to deal with the plane's denizens (night hags, yugoloths, nightmares) without getting obliterated. After all, their current forms (similar to the Ghost template from Ghostwalk) are nowhere near as combat-capable as their former magic-weapon-equipped bodies.
As for the whip, I dunno how I came up with it. As with all other magic items I create, I just started throwing the ideas down on the paper and it all sort of clicked together. You can see detailed whip stats (and all other items mentioned above) on my homepage. | |
Hypethetical Blood War Set List | Champion of the Gelugon | Vindicated Prophet of Blood War
Ha 69/80 | De 60/60 | Ar 57/60 | GoL 72/72 | Ab 60/60 | DK 60/60 | AF 60/60 | UD 59/60 | WD 57/60 | WDQ 3/60| BW
Total DDM Count: 1037 | No chance of finishing the set | Will finish the set | Set | |
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bshugg
Underboss
1821 Posts
| | 05/22/2006 10:35 AM |
| We are closing in on our 60th session in my Forgotten Realms campaign. We have been running FR for 4 years now, but only for a little over a year with the current campaign Arc.
Where has your group been located for most of the time. I can't really pick it up based on your characters. I see a Cormyr player from the Purple Dragon Knight, but the rest don't tip any clues. | |
Looking for someone to cosponser a midwest DDM event. let me know if your interested!
Check out my brand new blog:
http://bshugg.blogspot.com | |
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Sammael
Underboss
1881 Posts
| | 05/22/2006 11:40 AM |
| The game started off in Eastern Shaar. Around level 6 or so the PCs arranged to get transported to Berdusk, and the following part of the campaign took place in Western Heartlands (Berdusk, Iriaebor, Asbravn, etc). Afterwards, they traveled to Thay and Rashemen to rescue a kidnapped friend, and then moved on to Waterdeep and the North from there. In Waterdeep, they got hired by Semmemon to destroy Manshoon's Undermountain clone, but they weren't swift enough and he escaped to the Stonelands between Cormyr and Anauroch, along with an army of monstrosities. Next part of the campaign (war against Manshoon) took place in Cormyr, after which the players pursued their prophecy further and traveled first to Shadowdale, then to Evereska (stopping by Well of the Dragons to destroy the Cult of the Dragon fortress), and finally to Myth Drannor, where they died. They also visited several planes and demiplanes over the course of the campaign.
In other words, they've been all over the place. And yet, the campaign focus has really remained good. I am rather pleased with how the whole thing turned out, and I doubt I'll ever be able to run a longer, more epic campaign than this one.
The cleric is from Cormyr, divine champion from Unther, Purple Dragon Knight from Cormyr (obviously), enchanter from Waterdeep, rogue from the Western Heartlands, and bard from the Dalelands. | |
Hypethetical Blood War Set List | Champion of the Gelugon | Vindicated Prophet of Blood War
Ha 69/80 | De 60/60 | Ar 57/60 | GoL 72/72 | Ab 60/60 | DK 60/60 | AF 60/60 | UD 59/60 | WD 57/60 | WDQ 3/60| BW
Total DDM Count: 1037 | No chance of finishing the set | Will finish the set | Set | |
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Zenako
Commander
3468 Posts
| | 05/24/2006 11:00 AM |
| Excellent stuff.
How often do you run sessions and for how long each time?
I used to be able to run games twice a week (one weeknight 3hours or so) and then either Sat or Sun afternoon into night (8-10 hour sessions). I have run 3 major campaigns in my DM career and all appear to have been similar in scope (time and levels) that you have reached. Our gaming group tends to find it more rewarding to play characters for years and really get into them. I applaud your dedication and commitment. | |
Built the addition for this addiction, now on to the "gaming table" project....
http://www.maxminis.com/hw_list.asp?user=Zenako last updated 29 May 2006
Set Status: in a nutshell = all of all
In Process trades 0), (Sig last updated 05/29/06) 300 plus Completed Trades -
If I seem scarce at times...blame DDO - Sarlona | |
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Sammael
Underboss
1881 Posts
| | 05/24/2006 5:17 PM |
| I usually try to run one session per week for at least four hours. The last session lasted almost 11 hours, as the players were very eager to do as much as possible (and didn't want to be left with a "you're dead" cliffhanger). However, to avoid DM "burnout," I've taken several breaks that lasted anywhere from one month to three months. During that time, one of the other players usually ran a game that was different in scope and style, but the players were always thrilled to go back to this campaign.
They've invested a lot in these characters. Three of the above (cleric, divine champion, rogue) have been played from the beginning. The other players have replaced characters several times, for one reason or another, but I make sure to include their former characters in the story in some way, when appropriate. For instance, two years ago, the players got summoned into the Abyss to fulfill an oath they took earlier. One player's character didn't take the oath - but his previous character did. So, he appeared there in the midst of confused PCs, and I was ready to let the player play his old character so as not to be bored while the others played. He chose a different path and used one wish that he had at his disposal (as a reward for a previous quest) to get transported to the location of his friends. Very cool stuff.
Really, I think that's the key. I run a fairly story-driven campaign which has two huge metaplots and countless minor plots, but I always make it a point to take into consideration the characters' motivations, personalities, and goals. Each and every one of them has had sub-quests directly related to their character, and I do my best to include at least one opportunity every session for their character to shine. I don't always succeed at this, but it's all working out in the end. | |
Hypethetical Blood War Set List | Champion of the Gelugon | Vindicated Prophet of Blood War
Ha 69/80 | De 60/60 | Ar 57/60 | GoL 72/72 | Ab 60/60 | DK 60/60 | AF 60/60 | UD 59/60 | WD 57/60 | WDQ 3/60| BW
Total DDM Count: 1037 | No chance of finishing the set | Will finish the set | Set | |
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Cheddar Bearer
Warrior
298 Posts
| | 05/25/2006 5:24 PM |
| | Wow I think I've got to four sessions in our current campaign. I've been finding the characters have been leveling up faster than thought. Was debating about wether to hand out manditory level rises and just scrap the current xp thing. Was wondering what your take would be on it? | |
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Zenako
Commander
3468 Posts
| | 05/25/2006 9:11 PM |
| | If the PC's are going up too fast you might want to make sure you are handing out experience using the right algorithms. Typically in our games with sessions lasting about 8 hours, we end up going up a level ever two or three sessions. | |
Built the addition for this addiction, now on to the "gaming table" project....
http://www.maxminis.com/hw_list.asp?user=Zenako last updated 29 May 2006
Set Status: in a nutshell = all of all
In Process trades0), (Sig last updated 05/29/06) 300 plus Completed Trades -
If I seem scarce at times...blame DDO - Sarlona | |
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Myth Master Jr
Sergeant
418 Posts
| | 05/25/2006 9:52 PM |
| | Sounds great. I would have loved to have made it that far with my former group. We played in the realms in a homebrewed area I created around Baldur's Gate. I ran that game for right at four years and it broke up because of scheduling difficulties. I think in all we ran right at about 120 sessions. It was a sad day when all that ended.[:(] | |
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All Gamers of Any Sort are Welcomed!
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Sammael
Underboss
1881 Posts
| | 05/26/2006 6:59 AM |
| | I generally prefer 1) fewer combat encounters and 2) giving XP out for non-combat challenges. Thus, I usually divide the combat XP in half, and then assign additional XP for completing quests, obtaining new knowledge, etc. In the beginning, it took about 2-3 sessions to level up. It's more like 8-10 sessions now, depending on the session dynamics. Both my players and I are comfortable with this level of progress; they have enough time to master their characters' new abilities (and there are plenty of those at high levels), and I have enough time to get a feel for their new power level and then throw appropriate challenges at them. | |
Hypethetical Blood War Set List | Champion of the Gelugon | Vindicated Prophet of Blood War
Ha 69/80 | De 60/60 | Ar 57/60 | GoL 72/72 | Ab 60/60 | DK 60/60 | AF 60/60 | UD 59/60 | WD 57/60 | WDQ 3/60| BW
Total DDM Count: 1037 | No chance of finishing the set | Will finish the set | Set | |
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Zenako
Commander
3468 Posts
| | 05/26/2006 9:32 AM |
| | Absolutely, as character enter the mid teens, the spell casters in particular come into spells that can have major game impacts on encounters and how they get played out. A fighter going from 3 to 4 attacks or gaining a boost to hit or AC is mostly incremental stuff, just a change in the modifier or number of attacks, while new spells can doom old plans if not anticipated. The BIGGEST effect on campaigns in my opinion are the Divinatory spells and how useful the DM chooses to make them. If I as a PC can "roll the bones" and know with a degree of certainty that going through that gate is fraught with woe at this time, perhaps I choose to wait or try something different. | |
Built the addition for this addiction, now on to the "gaming table" project....
http://www.maxminis.com/hw_list.asp?user=Zenako last updated 29 May 2006
Set Status: in a nutshell = all of all
In Process trades0), (Sig last updated 05/29/06) 300 plus Completed Trades -
If I seem scarce at times...blame DDO - Sarlona | |
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