Campaign Seeds v1.0

December 13, 2016 | Author: seaninho11 | Category: N/A
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Campaign Seeds From Zero to Killer Campaign Concept Seeds written by Roleplaying Tips readers Collated and edited by Robert “Gem Cutter” Ferency-Viars Errors? Omissions? Please let me know Get more game master tips at RoleplayingTips.com

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit attributions to Johnn Four, RoleplayingTips.com.

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Campaign Seeds

Table of Contents Foreword ................................................................................................. 3 My 4 Step Recipe for Creating Great Campaign Seeds ...............6 The Campaign Seeds .......................................................................... 18 Contributors ....................................................................................... 107 More GM Books & Resources ......................................................... 108

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Campaign Seeds

Foreword I’m starting a new campaign and was thinking about why my last campaign, Riddleport, did so well. Not only did it end (climactic campaign endings are a rare beast) but it had fantastic drama, encounters and gameplay throughout. I realized the biggest reason for its success was the group acted as a team and collaborated to make each session a blast. And a huge reason for that collaborative effort was we were all on the same page for what the campaign was about. We all basically knew what was expected of us - players and GM – and we were all “pulling the rope” in the same direction. And the reason for this unity was how the campaign started. It was a high GM agency game, meaning I did most of the setting and adventure creation. I even used a few published modules sprinkled throughout the plot. But before the first initiative was rolled, I provided a clear, short, and simple brief on what the campaign was about. I communicated my vision for the campaign and the spirit of the campaign. Its premise, tone, and mood. From there, players made PCs appropriate to the game, and they made decisions all along the plot arc congruent with the initial seed I had shared.

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Campaign Seeds When sharing my vision for the game – an epic mystery unfolds in a dangerous pirate city where the PCs try to survive crime lords, gangs, and supernatural events while running an inn – I asked for player feedback and approval. We tweaked a couple of things, but once we all voted “aye” to play in this campaign, the rest was smooth sailing (sorry for the pun). So I put huge weight for the campaign’s success on this precampaign agreement and having a clear, compelling campaign seed to share and work from.

Campaign Seeds From Around the World Realizing a strong seed was a key ingredient for a campaign’s success, I turned to Roleplaying Tips readers for ideas. I wanted a book to help GMs kick campaigns off with a killer campaign concept. Sort of a Step 0 for campaign creation. So I ran a two-week contest. Readers entered campaign seeds using my 4 Step Recipe Campaign Seed technique (described in the next section). Prizes were given out and then Gem Cutter Roberts collated entries, shucked a few too tricky to format or edit within our tight four-week timeline, and then edited the remaining seeds. About a dozen seeds were non-fantasy. The contest was open to all genres, but I made an editorial decision to make this just a book of fantasy seeds. Non-fantasy GMs would be upset if I promised them seeds and they only found a small number for

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Campaign Seeds them. And fantasy GMs might get upset I put sci-fi or modern chocolate in their fantasy peanut butter. So after Gem Cutter Roberts handed off the edited seeds, I put them into book format, added a cover and a long, rambling Foreword. And here we are – 128 cool campaign seeds plus my formula for creating killer seeds of your own. I encourage you to use this book to help you run a successful campaign. Pick a seed, combo a couple, or use several as inspiration to create one of your own. Then share the seed with your players and ask them to work with its premise throughout the campaign. I think you’ll have a lot of success with this approach. And I hope you find the seeds in this book inspiring. Thanks very much to Gem Cutter Roberts for working so hard on a short timeline, to the Roleplaying Tips readers who participated in the contest, and to all the game masters who read the newsletter. Have more fun at every game! Johnn Four July, 2014

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Campaign Seeds

My 4 Step Recipe for Creating Great Campaign Seeds A friend once told me his philosophy on work and projects: "Begin as you would end." By this he meant a crappy start would put you on a course for a crappy end. And a great start puts you on a path for a fantastic end. I believe it works this way for campaigns. Nowadays, I work harder on the campaign concept and a few important ingredients before a campaign launches than on any other aspect of the campaign, even after it's started. I want an interesting concept with big story potential that seizes the imaginations of my players so they'll want to play to find out what happens. Start this way, and you have much better chances for an epic ending. So, those important ingredients I mentioned => let's talk about those right now.

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Ingredient 1: A Rat Bastard Villain If your players don't hate the villain, they'll hate you. Just kidding. But a dastardly villain with nasty minions does make great gameplay. So inject a bastard villain into your campaign seed. For example, riffing off current news, maybe a local group of religious fanatics lead by an evil high priest is kidnapping children to become soldiers in their army. Or, borrowing from my Chaos Keep campaign, perhaps a faction of demons lead by a ruthless Demon Lord plots to take over the region, enslave its people, and pillage and ruin the land. Four quick villain tips:

Make It Personal Connect the villain to what the characters and players care about. Avoid targeting friends, relatives, and contacts for termination – that just discourages the players from giving background details and making friends. Instead, craft complications. Instead of killing the PC's family, drop a blight on them caused by the villain. Instead of killing a character's friend, blackmail him into becoming a snitch on the PCs.

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Respond, Don't React This might be mere semantics, but to me a reaction means you're on your heels, parrying and doing what you can to recover from an event or attack. Responding, however, means you recover and then you try to take the ball away. Reacting is reflex and getting back to the status quo. Responding is pausing for a sec, gathering yourself, and making the best possible next move. Reacting is using your will to get through. Responding is imposing your will to get back on top. Have your villains respond instead of react. Rather than creating time-wasting, brittle plans that won't survive contact with the PCs, let the PCs throw the punches and then have the villain respond to each jab. In this way, villain and PCs leapfrog through the plot, creating natural story advancement and tension escalation. For example, the PCs whack thugs who are on a mission for the villain. The villain finds the bodies, raises them, buffs them up, and sends them back after the party.

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Campaign Seeds

Evolve Your Villain Between sessions, decide what your villain has learned. Change his approach and tactics accordingly. Use an encounter with the PCs through direct confrontation, spying, or minion contact as a learning experience for the villain. What will he do different next time? In this way, your villains get smarter. And doing this makes you a smarter GM over time as you ponder what there is to learn, trying to see things through the villain's eyes and considering how a villain might change things up. Instead of game crunch escalation or minion inflation, you learn how to play the game smarter. Any GM can rev up the monster generator and crank out tougher foes. But if you learn how to make villains cunning bastards with great roleplaying, better strategies, superior tactics, and nastier tricks, you will be a great game master.

Give Your Villain A Specific Goal SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, on a Timeline. But who says villains need to be SMART? They're often insane. They don't have to have realistic plans, just evil ones. The only part you should nail is Specific. This will guide you throughout the campaign and keep you and the villain on

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Campaign Seeds track. It'll help your bad guy respond better, stay on-plot, and keep your game focused.

Who Is Your Villain, What’s His Objective? For your campaign seed, include a blurb about who your villain is and their specific goal. This way, if you ever get confused about a villain's motive or next move, re-read your campaign seed to remind yourself what the end-game is for the bad guy.

Ingredient 2: An Interesting Milieu The dictionary defines milieu as: The physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops. You need interesting people and places in your campaign to make it exciting, mysterious, dangerous, and entertaining. Here is a quick recipe to do this.

Step 1. Start With An Index Card Constraint creates creativity. Limit space for your initial notes to force concision. This makes you pithy and saves time, too. Brainstorm cool people and place concepts. Put each NPC and location idea on an index card or Post-It Note.

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Campaign Seeds Build up a stack of cards so you have a pool of super ideas to flesh out and draw from anytime. Meanwhile, you've now got all these potential people and places for your campaign seed. Choose one place for the overall milieu. It might be a kingdom, continent, plane, mega dungeon, or simple village.

Step 2. Create A Cool Name The jerk who terrorized our PCs in a Cyberpunk 2020 game was called Umgumby Po. Say that name out loud, slowly. It's like chewing taffy. It's fantastic. One of the best NPC names I created was Lugubrious Shadows. Again, just 'cause I liked saying it out loud in the game. Also, the words themed the NPC well. Give your campaign, locations, NPCs, and especially your villain, cool names. For you campaign seed, give your campaign a great working title. You can change it later, but try for something cool right off the bat. For example, I got the name Chaos Keep by combining Keep on the Borderlands and the Caves of Chaos from D&D Module B2. It's also thematic. It was just a working title – a shorthand way to reference the campaign in my notes – but I liked it and made it official soon after.

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Campaign Seeds

Step 3. Connect Your Ideas Use mind-mapping software, put your Post-Its on a white board, or just draw diagrams on paper. Connect NPCs to each other in interesting ways. Create conflicts, secrets, and personality-driven relationships. Draw lines between NPCs and label the lines with a word or short blurb about the relationship. Create a timeline or history document. No need to go back far unless it's important. Note recent events and put your NPCs and locations in them. Now you've connected people and places - your ideas. For your campaign seed, write a few words about the major places where the PCs will adventure and a couple of notable NPCs to be encountered early in the campaign or who are pivotal to the plot. This is now your milieu. The setting where bad stuff's gonna happen.

Ingredient 3: The Stakes What are the PCs supposed to do in the campaign? And what happens if they fail? These are the stakes. The central conflicts and consequences.

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Campaign Seeds In many games today the PCs must save the world. This is fine fantasy tradition, but it's hard to get good characterization happening when the focus is so big. It's also hard to get the players to care about their world "just because it's in danger...again." So, in addition to the big picture and long-term play goal, narrow your campaign seed down to something personal and intimate in the milieu. Use relationships and factions as core conflicts. Then trap innocents in the crossfire. For example, I recently watched the TV series Hatfields & McCoys. Two families who really hated each other and caused all kinds of grief in their war. The conflict started during the civil war between best friends. They brought that conflict home and it poisoned their families and friends. The TV show did a great job in bringing the feud down to the level of each character and making it personal. Your stakes might be to save the realm from a terrible dragon, vile necromancer, or evil cult leader. But so what if the bad guy wins? The players just roll up new PCs and you create a new realm to save. Instead, think about who will get affected and how. Then pin your adventures on those folks and the PCs' struggle to save them. This brings the game down to a personal level. You can't just roll up new relationships and a milieu the PCs instantly care about – it takes time, attention to detail, and roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds bringing things down to the level of specific NPCs and locations. For example, I just re-read Dragons of Autumn Twilight, the first book in the Dragonlance Chronicles series. In the starting town, Solace, the PCs gather at the Inn of the Last Home. We meet Tika the barmaid there. We grow to care about the character and the place, both having special qualities and both getting roughed up by the villainous draconians. While the heroes are supposed to save the world, you really want them to save Tika, the inn, and Solace. Then you want them to save each other, and additional people they meet. In Chaos Keep, the early stakes are PCs saving the last people of the keep from demons and devils who have backed them into a corner and are in their last days unless help arrives. The bigger picture is to save the land from The Blight, a mysterious encroaching plague of chaos, destruction, and rot. If you GM Chaos Keep once I've finished it and the adventure's been published, your PCs won't care so much about The Blight. They'll care about the people in the keep, and in the nearby village of Mysty Cryk (old world for Misty Creek). When The Blight hits, the PCs will want to save their friends and the people they rescued from the keep. I've structured the plot this way on purpose so your group will bond with NPCs and locations first, before the big danger and villains arrive.

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Campaign Seeds

Ingredient 4: The Left Hook When you've got the PCs looking right, what will your left hook be? I feel great GMing is all about evoking the emotions of excitement, fear, and surprise in your players. The left hook is a twist or plot complication embedded in your campaign seed sure to catch your players off-guard. Hit them with your left hook when the time is right and your players will be jumping up and down yelling at you to find out what happens. Great gaming! Your left hook is not a gimmick or one-time surprise. It's gotta turn the campaign on its head and affect play thereafter. It's BIG NEWS. For example, one of my favourite left hooks is in the movie The Matrix. Neo learns about the simulation and I'm riveted, watching to see how things turn out, while being constantly entertained with the implications of being in a virtual reality. Another awesome one comes from the movie Unbreakable. Once we learn the protagonist's secret power, and the motive of the villain, we see their world in a whole new way and eagerly watch to see what happens next. I have a left hook for Chaos Keep, but I'm keeping it under wraps. No spoilers in case your players also read this. :) However, be aware I'm spending a lot of time mulling over the

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Campaign Seeds milieu and my left hook. They're two sides of the same coin. And I want your players to go WOW! when you finally reveal the twist and then have them bugging you daily to GM again to find out what happens next. Build your left hook in your campaign seed with the same goal in mind.

Putting It All Together Before digging into world building, adventure design, NPC crafting, and location creation => before doing all that => take a few moments to write the campaign seed. Write several campaign seeds or re-write one campaign seed until it all comes together into something you are excited about GMing. Because if you're excited, you'll be enthusiastic and infect your players with a desire to play. A great campaign seed doesn't have to be long. 100-200 words is a great length. The brevity will force you to be creative and get to the heart of what will make your campaign an awesome experience. You could write a longer campaign seed if you like, but I wouldn't do much more than a page. If you exceed a onepager, likely your concepts aren't tight enough or you are not writing a seed but the campaign itself. :)

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Campaign Seeds A campaign seed ideally has the following ingredients: 1. Rat Bastard Villain with a goal. 2. Interesting milieu with cool name, a great setting concept for adventure, and 2-3 notable NPCs who will stir the plot. 3. Stakes: what are the PCs supposed to do and what happens if they fail? Make it personal. 4. Left Hook. Knock'em off their chairs. *** Thanks to Brad D, Jesse Cohoon, Dave Sherohman, Alan Kellogg, and Mike Elston for thoughts and ideas about campaign seeds.

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Campaign Seeds

The Campaign Seeds  

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Campaign Seeds

Dead Men Walking Astinus Cane, apprentice to the arch-necromancer Golganth, has stolen one of his master's grimoires, The Book of Dreams. He intends to raise his own undead army and set up a powerbase on the northern coast. The PCs, serving in the military, have just engaged in a battle between two kingdoms. Having been incapacitated during the fray, they wake to see the field littered with thousands of dead. A black-robed figure moves among the dead, chanting, as corpses rise to serve their new master. The PCs are infected with a deadly plague, a side effect of Cane's dark magic playing over the battlefield. Those who succumb to it will rise as undead. The only cure lies within The Book of Dreams. The Church activates a renowned witch-hunter, The Accountant, to deal with the mess. Golganth sends the Unholy Five to kill Cane and retrieve his book.

Of Orcs and Knights Yekreb Bloodclaw is an orc warlord leading a dragonworshiping clan from the southern desert. He threatens to summon the long-dead dragons and wage war on the nearby kingdoms. The desert is a blasted wasteland where a great magical war ended a mythical age of technology, magic, and culture. It is roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds said to contain an artifact that could protect the kingdoms from the orcs. The desert has been dormant and uninhabitable for countless years, but now something stirs there. Baleor Redbeard leads a zealous group of knights and priests who blindly persecute magic, evil, and anything that opposes them. Alaric Ironheart is a corrupt magister whose loyalty is up for sale. The PCs are in a race to find the artifact. While it might save the kingdom, it could also awaken a great evil. The artifact must either be destroyed or kept from the hands of competing enemy groups who seek it.

The Grim Citadel Severon is surrounded by mountains and still remembers the Decayed War when orc necromancers broke through the Grim Pass from their Steaming Jungles. First, the party is entrusted by Baron Fitzkrugar to scout to the ruined Grim Citadel ahead of his builders. Then the scholarly mage Lord Laidlin parcels out missions of exploration and diplomacy to visit the likes of the insular dwarves and wild forest elves. The black elf agent, Canaris, will use any means to destabilize the fort to get to the Shadow Nexus below. As more farmers settle the wilderness and valleys, the party is drawn into caring for the area by titles and rewards for their exploits.

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Campaign Seeds Dwarflord Cragrim may eventually trade metal and crafted items, but very few, even among his clans, know the secret of the Anvil (imprisoned dragons fuel the forge heat).

The Vigil A monstrous werewolf known as Greyback has been terrorizing the towering, claustrophobic city of Arondel. The PCs, recently accepted into the monster hunter guild known as the Vigil, have been recruited into helping hunt the menace. Through brawn and brains, they must trap the wolf and hold him until he returns to his human form, revealing his identity. But this is only the beginning. What happens when they find out that Greyback is, in fact the confused Lord Jaxxon One-Eye, the slovenly, chauvinistic mayor, who has been tearing his city apart to find the wolf by day, and unknowingly tearing the city apart for food by night. Will his work as mayor save his life, or will his curse doom him? And what happens when they find out the leader of the Vigil, the woman who dedicated her life to stamping out the monsters, is not only Lord Jaxxon's sister, but also a werewolf. Will her past actions save her future, or will her monstrous nature doom her?

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Highwater's Hope A ruthless pirate king named Captain Rotwood throws trade and travel into turmoil with a fleet of powerful warships. Seemingly invincible upon the open sea, the pirate has laid outrageous demands on the coastal towns, including building yet more pirate vessels to add to his forces. Admiral Brenton Highwater may be the last hope of the collected towns. He is backed by the sea elf priestess Sorularra and opposed by the sea hag witch called The Kelp Queen. The truth is the pirate is mere figurehead, while the pirate vessel is the true pirate king. The ship is possessed by the ghost of a legendary pirate king of old. It controls the pirate fleet through pieces of its magical wood crafted into their figureheads.

Plague of Rats A plague of rats, including dire rats, has hit Delver's Folly. The town is built not far from a huge sinkhole, the remnants of a mining accident decades past. The rats are led by Suffik and Glendal, a pair of bards armed with a Pipe of the Sewers. They lair within the crumbling mines of the sink hole. The town priest, Father Mirras, is the real mastermind behind the rat attacks, charging the bitten townsfolk for each Remove Disease he casts, and sharing the profits with the bards. roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds Father Mirras is unaware that Suffik and Glendal are wererats who seek to convert specific townsfolk into wererats to grow their pack.

The Beating Heart of Briarwood In a remote valley, the druids of the Rowan Brotherhood defeated the rot cultists and sealed their evil in a twisted forest in the center of the valley, the Briarwood. Now, evil stirs again in the form of a powerful rotting treant, the Thorn King. Archdruid Mendell Greenwood seeks help from the PCs and can serve as a mentor. His agent, Sabaall, a satyr, will be their guide in the Briarwood. The survival of the entire valley is at stake as the PCs try to slay the Thorn King and bring his heart to the druids so they can finish things forever. Meanwhile, the Thorn King's agents strike out at the druids and their allies to prevent them from penetrating into the Briarwood. The archdruid and his closest followers are actually cultists of rot and seek the Thorn King's heart so they may release plague and putrescence into the land.

The Mace of Justice Two clerics are murdered and a valuable relic, the Mace of Justice, has been stolen from a temple in the coastal town of Portington. With only the venerable and shrewd Brother Lloyd having any investigative experience, the remaining clerics are

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Campaign Seeds looking to hire an adventuring group to help track down this important piece of the town's legacy. The culprit, a greedy hobgoblin named Hobby Nobbs, and his gang of goblin thieves, are hiding the mace in a growing goblin settlement located underground in the Ruined Forest. In the same forest dwells the eccentric sage, Elbert Diggles, who will not only be a helpful ally in dealing with the goblins, but who also knows that this small theft of a local holy object is only one of a large, continent-wide string of thefts!

The Sail of Shadows In the large port city of Sailwind, a cunning rogue named Rulnig Hurlen makes his move to rule the city from its underbelly. At his command is a network of thieves and spies. Governor Sandivar Harriss, the PCs' patron, is Hurlen's prime target for assassination. If he succeeds in taking over, Sailwind would fall into chaos and become a center for evil. A local beggar named Flea is actually an assassin for hire and agent of Hurlen. An alluring bard named Melodi is an informant with her ear to the street. But where do her allegiances truly lie? Rulnig Hurlen has a few secrets of his own. He is a wererat whose true name is Sulvin Harriss, the governor's son, long thought dead.

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Campaign Seeds

The Return of Math 200 years after a great wizard war, the population is just beginning to trust wizards again. With this growing trust, Math, a minor god of magic, has reappeared and attracted new followers. The last of the old wizards, Moralyn, exiled himself from the world after the war. Now, Math has tasked him with mentoring these new followers. Aaron Grand is a medium-to-high-level wizard who has kept his powers secret for years. He plans to disrupt the reacceptance of wizards so he will become powerful and take control. The PCs all have magical talent and thus they are at risk of suffering due to Grand's schemes. Perhaps Notic, a local sage and priest of the god of knowledge, can help. Unknown to all, the Dark Forces of the Netherworld are manipulating Grand for their own unknown schemes.

Fall of the Black Rogue For a long time the Black Rogue has kept an iron grip on the city of Ashburgh. Recently however, his grip seems to be slipping. His followers go missing, only to be found dead later. Rumors say a “Red Rogue” has infiltrated the city to overthrow the Black Rogue and claim control for himself. Tahldul, the leader of the City Watch, hopes to use this power struggle as a way to end the rampant underworld corruption once and for all. roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds While the PCs are visiting the town, their innkeeper Jason disappears. This mild-mannered innkeeper is in fact the Red Rogue, and it turns out he and Tahldul are working together: divide the Black Rogue's court and conquer it. Tahldul hires the PCs to track down Jason, because if he goes missing permanently, Tahldul's plan is in ruins.

Shadows of the Dragonborn Hansel, the King's governor, is out to steal the kingdom. The problem is the King trusts Hansel, which is why he made the dragonborn his governor. The King's chamberlain, Leonin, is in charge of the royal secret service and needs evidence of Hansel's treachery. He employs the PCs to ferret out Hansel's spies and obtain that proof. Meanwhile, Hansel has an agent, Lasil, doing all of the dirty work. With the empire at stake, the PCs need to stop Lasil and find proof of Hansel's treachery. But how does the mysterious and sexy Matrin fit in? And which side does she truly support? If thwarted, Hansel has a backup plan. He will unleash an army of constructs on the city, which will force the King to evacuate people in his fleet of airships. The city will be razed.

Years of Night An astronomical occurrence blots out the sun. Lord Lucan, general and leader of the vampires, rises up to take advantage of the coming years of night. Vampires will rule the living roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds under a dark cloud of eternal night. If they aren't stopped, the vampire lords will rule forever. Nameless, an outcast cleric, has visions of what is to come and of the role the PCs will play in averting it. Valerie, a reckless warrior princess is related to a PC and begs his help in stopping the vampire army. A vampire turncoat named Damian sees a problem with vampire rule, especially under the bloodthirsty Lucan, and seeks to join the PCs' team. Just when things look bad, Nameless relates that the gates of the underworld are sealed. All the dead rise as zombies in 24 hours after death. And the vampires can control the zombies and the gates!

Games of Redemption The city of Redemption was once a hereditary penal colony built upon the ruins of great coliseums. After the revolution failed long ago, the first thing they took away was the heroes. Without heroes, the games stopped and the arenas sat empty. The Grand Chevaleresque Ervilis De'Monanse rules over Redemption. His only care is power: keeping it and lording it over those who live beneath him using his brutal and stupid pet giants or with the terrifying arm of his shadow police. With winter coming, so comes the "lottery" to pick two young girls for Ervilis to have, one of which will be the sister or betrothed of a PC.

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Campaign Seeds In reality, the revolution did not fail, but when the new guard took power they realized another revolution could overthrow them, so they changed history and locked away all their lesser allies in the dungeons of Redemption.

Save the Princess, Save the World King Winn Evermore wants to expand his kingdom. He plans to hold the princess of the neighboring kingdom as ransom, to force the King to sign over fealty. While staying at a roadside inn, the PCs are mistaken as a contact by Princess Ifery Qualis, who is in disguise. She thinks she is buying information about Evermore's plans, and tells her story to the PCs. Afterward, she is kidnapped by Evermore's spies. The inn is a spy outpost. Soon after, the party is arrested by the King's Guard. The castle seneschal, a dwarf named Mace Martine, enlists the PCs to save the princess, and thereby, save the kingdom. Her younger brother, Prince Draffal Qualis insists on joining them. He wants to adventure but can't seem to do anything right. Unfortunately, Draffal wants to be king but his sister is next in line. He thinks Evermore will reward him for foiling the PCs' plans.

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Campaign Seeds

Happiness is a Warm Sun Bard Merry Fane wants to live forever. He thinks developing a cold land will make him a Lich. Druids recruit the PCs to discover the source of the cold weather. The High Druid is a female elf named Mytral Starlane. The prince of the local keep, Joffery Housemor, is concerned about a shortened growing season caused by the cold. The innkeeper of Soni's Inn, a retired dwarven adventurer named Soni Martine, offers to help. The druids are actually a cult that wants to open a portal to an arid land of demons.

Port of Darkness Count Mortis Dowright is a vampire who wants to take over the coastal region by creating an army of vampires. The campaign opens with the PCs on a ship headed for a new land to seek adventure. The ship encounters another ship crewed by dwarves. Vampire dwarves. The port city where the PCs were headed and eventually wind up has had many children go missing lately. City mayor, Gerold Bristol, is more concerned with losing his job than getting rid of the problem. The local harbor master, Jorad Seablight, often has good leads on treasure and will pay well for magic items. He also sells useful items. Martin Van Atern is the dwarven innkeeper of the roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds Gold Hoard Inn. He can provide additional leads to nearby islands and inland to dwarven caves, in search of treasure. Seablight is an agent of the count. The PCs will encounter any of the magic items they sold.

The Rise and Fall of Master D A halfling sorcerer named Dinkle Littletoes (Master D to anyone that wants to live) plans to enslave the other races for making fun of halflings. He practices forbidden black magic and has a power base that just could lead to his success. But his success is not guaranteed. Master D's son, Titan, hates his father and would rather see him suffer than succeed. Master D's adviser, Castidious, has his own agenda. Cercinian is a nobleman who has ears everywhere and can give provide insight and leads to the PCs. Cercinian is taking information back to Master D to ensure he and his family remain free and in possession of their home and wealth.

Plight of Shadow's Edge The Great Wall is a towering cliff of water 1,000-feet high, stretching from south to north, effectively creating two oceans, one upper, one lower. The PCs hometown of Shadow's Edge is a floating city of wooden rafts, barges, and ships lashed together at the edge of the shadow of the Great Sea Wall in the low ocean. roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds Shadow's Edge suffers repeated attacks by a fleet of pirate ships. The pirate king is a vile, dwarven warrior named Red Havoc. He wants to carve out a real kingdom for himself, and has the town in his sights. The PCs can get help from a few fellow townsmen: Absalom Shade, a half-orc holy man; Vex Russman, a halfling sea-guide; and Rorik Truefrost, a human guard and secret ally of the pirate king. Out of nowhere, a fleet from the upper Ocean attacks the town. Can the PCs recruit Red Havoc and his pirate fleet to defend the town?

Freeing the Genie Huckle Eberhearst is an unseen servant being punished for his petty crimes by serving out eternity in Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion. The PCs are tasked with taking Huckle to a location where his soul can be released. Matthias is an old friend of Huckle's. He overhears the group talking about him and has a hopeful hunch it may be the same person. He joins them in hopes to be invited into the house to see for himself, and to guide the group to the place where Huckle can peacefully go to the beyond. Unfortunately, Huckle is an old alias used by a vampiric warlord named Dillinger Von Char, who was forced to serve as an unseen servant for his crimes against humanity. His

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Campaign Seeds followers are waiting for his return so they can pick up where they left off.

The Antankeran Prophecy The heroes uncover a prophecy of a dark figure named Antankeran attempting to break the flow of time itself, giving him unstoppable power over everything past, present, and future. A local mystic named Miishi and a legless old swordmaster named Kale are the only ones who realize the gravity of this prophecy. They can teach the heroes to ride the flow of time to stop Antankeran from achieving his complete domination. Miishi and Kale are false names, and they are both older versions of the PCs, who had defeated Antankeran previously and at great cost to the rest of the party. They are unable to fully influence or give the characters too much information, due to the fragile nature of time. Antankeran himself is also a future version of one of the PCs.

A Curse Upon the Land An evil character has taken control of the Planar Gem and has bonded with it to form Darkhold and spread evil. The Darkhold is a large black castle that emits a growing globe of darkness all day. This allows all kinds of creatures of the night to run wild all day long.

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Campaign Seeds If the PCs do not stop this villain, the globe of darkness and evil creatures will envelope the world forever. The villain is a vampire and the guardian of his castle is an evil dragon. The PC who deals the killing blow becomes the new Gem Master. The gem changes the color of the castle and globe to match the PC's alignment. The globe is light if Good, a mix of both day and night if Neutral. This will then attract creatures of similar alignment to join their cause and creatures of other alignments to stop them. Until the gem is destroyed, this is a never-ending storyline.

What Prowls in Darkness Cedrick Swallowbottom is a second-rate cleric, turned evil necromancer. He uses an old tome of knowledge he found to raise an army of undead. He creates undead from anything he can, everything from local livestock skeletons, robbed graves and hunting trophies, to a band of thieves that snuck into his lair. His lair is an abandoned mausoleum that used to house a sun cult. Old relics of their lost religion are hidden and waiting for discovery. The local town sheriff thinks the disturbing activity is caused by a band of thieves from the north and offers a reward for their capture. The town mayor swears it is caused by a large beast roaming the countryside and will pay 100 gp for its head. The town priest knows it is Cedrick but is hesitant to implicate

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Campaign Seeds a fellow priest. He wants Cedrick saved and supplies the group with a few blessed tools to help. If the PCs do not solve this in time, Cedrick will have amassed a large enough army to take over the town and surrounding area. In actuality, the book Cedrick found is possessed by an evil demon. It is controlling Cedrick through his first animated creature, a feline named Khat.

War Torn In a ghost-riddled castle surrounded by storms of shifting shards of war-torn landscapes, the PCs awaken bloodied, battered, and without memory. They are a bloody siege's only surviving castle guards. One of them was busy killing the castle lord, the evil Soul-Lord Tempus, before he woke. The castle drifts in and out of parallel dimensions. Tempus's local incarnations are of various classes and power-bases, but always powerful. They attack the PCs with maximum prejudice. All the work of Tempus's weakened but vengeful ghost attempting to rid his castle of the PCs. In reality, the PCs were spies who had infiltrated Tempus's astral castle. As a last-ditch effort, he spirit-blasted their minds and memories, accidentally linking their life forces to the castle.

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The Hundred Kingdoms Centuries ago, the demon Nazacrusider transformed a circle of rebellious druids into NecroDruids: monster-makers who set the world aflame to pave the way for a massive demon invasion. Beaten back into a hardscrabble northern wasteland by the empire's armies and universally loathed, today they scrape together undead abominations to destabilize and harass the neighboring chaotic Hundred Kingdoms, the remnants of the tyrannical Bronze Empire. Dream-driven, the PCs (unknowingly: progeny of the ruthless immortal former Emperor, Karna Rex) seek the Portal Keys needed to kill Karna and let the demons finish their invasion. Kidnapped, they steal one of his flying galleons to escape. Left Hook: Karna's sneakiest ArchNecroDruid/Assassin is secretly helping them, because.... Uppercut: Karna Rex wants to close the portal and free his people from Nazacrusider's grasp. The assassin wants the PCs to prevent this closing.

Severed Lies Farncombe Vale has a major class divide. Recently, there has been an epidemic of burglaries. Punishment for theft is the loss of a hand. Despite investigations and convictions, crime has only increased along with the loss of limbs. Now, 1 in 3 roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds citizens are missing hands. The populace is seething and whispers of uprising are rampant. Audric 'the Cleaver' is the official taskmaster of amputations. Zaisme is an evil priestess. Audric has been collecting hands Zaisme uses to create crawling claws that act as thieves throughout the town. She is positioning herself, when tensions peak, to emerge as a savior Pied Piper in exchange for rule in the council. A barkeep named Lersal, whose son was wrongly convicted, fronts the developing rebellion. Councilman Delane wants resolution but will not jeopardize his position by openly associating should the rebellion fail. Delane's assistant, Gwatkin, will guide and aid the PCs. Failure brings riots and Zaisme is instated as despot. Secretly, Gwatkin is loyal to Zaisme.

Koruptum Apocalypso In ancient times a war between humans ended in a magical apocalypse. The result was a near extinction of the human race, and a lowering of their status among other races. Even orcs, kobolds, and goblins are viewed as nobler than humans. Koruptum the wizard wants to bring about a second apocalypse and return humanity to its former glory. Xethama is a Drow priestess working with Koruptum with plans to double-cross him.

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Campaign Seeds Kirk Shieldstorm is the leader of a knightly order dedicated to finding and destroying the ancient source of power that brought about the original apocalypse. He will task the PCs with missions of exploration. Myrin Heansteed is the jerk of a mayor of the last real human city.

Breaching the Wall A great wall divides the known world into two pieces. No one knows for sure what is on the other side. Attempts to climb it, go around it, or go under it usually meet with doom and are never heard from again. There are rumors of broken sections that allow entry into the wall but most explorers never return. Those who do bring back amazing items and tales of bizarre creatures. Drake, Sam, and Raleigh Galagher are famous explorers who have spent the better part of their lives exploring the Great Wall. Zad the Insane claims to have been to the other side, but speaks only in mad rambles. Arlock is a mind flayer Cleric of the Great Release who wants to breach the great wall. He intends to learn enough about it to find a way to put a hole in it. The great wall is actually a massive spacecraft that crashed thousands of years ago, cutting into the continent like a knife. The other side is inhabited by monstrous gods and their minions.

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Campaign Seeds

The Depths of the Demon Pit The Demon Pit is a canyon-sized gouge in the earth legendary for its massive size. It attracts so many tourists that several small towns have grown up around its edge. The bottom of the pit cannot be seen due to the fog and darkness within the accursed hole. Those who have explored the pit have reported no bottom to the thing, but instead have explored countless caves and dungeons dotted along its trails and cliffs. Farough, a wizard, owns a museum filled with objects from the pit, and will pay good prices for such things. The pit is growing. It widens occasionally accompanied by large earthquakes. The remains of two towns can be seen strewn into it. Keeb Slarthin, evil cleric and a former derro slave, is the only one who knows the horrible secret...the world is turning inside out...and he intends to make sure it happens.

The Sylvestrian Heresy Baradulio wants to be the god of everything. He has corrupted Arch-Patriarch Caspian IV, the head of the Cruthian Church. So far, no one knows. Caspian's servant, Cardinal Fesrun Oswhip, is charged with rooting out heresy in the name of the church. He is aided by the militant order of Saint Dennis, which is led by the fanatical Governor-General Valorous Balsimon.

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Campaign Seeds The PCs are devoted members of the Order of Saint Sylvester: exorcists, magical investigators, and demon hunters. Their activities will uncover a plot that threatens their beliefs and decides the fate of the church. This plot will lead them to uncover Caspian's corruption and secret allegiance to Baradulio. In the west, hordes of infidels mass to invade the Kingdoms of the Faithful. Is the Patriarch's call to crusade another part of Baradulio's plan?

Dream a Little Dream Those who dream are exiled by a superstitious populace. Dreaming is a rapidly degenerative physical and mental illness, leaving the Dreamer feeble and insane. Zara and Ezekial are long-forgotten sibling deities of good and evil. Centuries ago, Zara sealed Ezekial away at great cost: herself. They now reside in the Dream Realm, where Ezekial feeds on the world's subconscious until he can escape. Zara is a playful little girl who remembers nothing about her angry big brother. He is nightmare. She is childhood innocence. Dreamers travel to the dangerous realm in their slumber, where conscious effort manipulates reality: small tokens at first, growing more powerful with practice. Some are even able to manipulate the real world. But that power comes with a price. They draw from Ezekial's growing power, and it is a

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Campaign Seeds two-way link. Ezekial feeds on the Dreamers until they become his mindless servants.

Bitter Angel Trimethius is an angel disgusted with the sentient races of the material world. He decides to manipulate his declining god into decimating them. He plans to have his agents slay Omael, a sacred boy-priest, at the island temple of the god. Karex is a lower angel who has learned of Trimethius' plans and flees the realm of the gods to seek mortal aid. He finds the PCs and has them journey to the great island temple of the god. It is said the path to the realm of the gods can be walked by drinking a hallucinogenic cocktail and climbing the towering ziggurat at the temple's center. Many challenges must be overcome on this journey. Omael is in league with Trimethius and would willingly sacrifice himself to become a martyr. PCs have to uncover this secret and calm tensions before climbing to the realm of the gods to confront Trimethius.

Dreams of Kastra Kastra is a new continent shaped by magic and full of mythical beasts. Devrius Morstan, the CEO of Stolen Cauldron Enterprises, is motivated by money and wants to own this new land so he can

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Campaign Seeds pillage its resources, use its people as slaves, and steal Kastran magic. The PCs are explorers of this new world, perhaps working for a rival company. Early on, they discover this wild land is actually inhabited by nonhumans called Kastran. They encounter scouts from a Kastran village: Aras, the smart one; Beren, the tough one; and Cera, the charismatic one. They also encounter Morstan's Alpha Team, led by Jeren Ace. The team quickly becomes their rivals, racing to uncover the next wonder of the Kastra. What neither team expect to learn is a magical disaster eons ago was the cause of almost all mysteries in the world, and that the Kastrans were once human.

The Everwinter Saga Winter in the country of Maldan isn't ending by itself. People are worried. The fat lords of the Azuri, once invading conquerors, sit in their castles and do nothing. Sneering Count Osgood wallows drunkenly amid his whores while livestock and animals are dying amid the snow and cold. People will die soon. The poor and struggling Udatti will die first. The Udatti people have suffered greatly for their strange ways – accused of witchcraft, black magic, and worse. The Udatti elders are bitter, but powerless to fight back as the Old Faith fades. As Udatti heroes, the PCs must fight for the survival of their people and way of life. roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds Could the Everwinter be the product of the Udatti Grandmothers' ritual magic aimed at resurrecting the heroes of old?

Empires of Rubble and Dust Two ages have come and gone. The first was an age of technology, and it was destroyed by technology. The second was an age of magic, and it was destroyed by magic. In the ruins of both, the third age rises. The only rule is: no magic. The PCs are members of a community wiped out by a creature calling itself the Lord of Ruin. The Lord of Ruin is the remnant of a cybernetic defender from the first age. Having witnessed and survived the second age, it delved into magic. Now, as a composite creature, it sees a composite approach as a way out of the cycle of ruin and desolation. However, to accomplish this it must bring the people under its sway. Its influence and power grows, but its programming is erratic. The PCs must find ancient magics or technologies and learn how to use them to defeat the Lord of Ruin before the creature destroys what little life still clings in the rubble and dust.

Bone Spitter This vicious dungeon opens only one day each year. Most have learned to stay away, but this year is different. Someone has found the magical map to the deadly dungeon. The problem is roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds everyone knows someone has the map: an unwitting PC. Now heroes, villains, orcs, goblins, and the like have gathered at the gate waiting for the party. The center of the dungeon has a stone of one wish. And the Dragon wants it. Above the gate is a mouth that spits out the mashed, broken bodies of those who fail, intimidating all who wish to enter next.

To Slay a Dragon The PCs meet the paladin Tordek Holyshield who is on a quest to stop Sarvek, a dragonborn champion of Bane. Sarvek intends to enslave the region. He started by taking over a temple of Bahamut and turning it into a temple for Bane. When the PCs agree to help Tordek in his quest, they follow him to a temple where Tordek immediately kills the guards at the temple entrance. The guards bear the symbol of Bahamut, but Tordek tells the PCs it's a disguise. They venture into the temple and encounter more guards dressed like those in front of the temple. The guards attack and are likely slain. Tordek will accept no survivors. Suddenly Sarvek appears, asking why they are raiding the temple of Bahamut. Tordek is revealed as the champion of Bane. His mission is to kill the temple guardian, Psock, a gold dragon. roleplayingtips.com

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The Children of Lynne Years ago, Burgomeister Thorward, priest Eliphas, and their followers founded the small township of Lynne next to Lynne Hill, and built a church on top of the hill. The town attracted many people seeking to live their lives in honor of the deity the group pretends to worship, but unknown to these people the founders are a cult. Below the church they built an underground temple to their dark deity. Long biding their time, they have recently begun abducting and sacrificing the young children of the town in their underground temple. Right before the PCs arrive, the daughter of a befriended NPC goes missing, held in the underground temple awaiting sacrifice when the moon waxes full in several days. If not found, she will be sacrificed with terrible consequences. Even worse, the NPC's spouse is secretly a cultist, and knows all that has happened.

The Color of the Magi The Rose Empire is similar to historic Japan, but with magi instead of samurai. The incarnation of black magic, the black magus, is born into every generation and always dies by age 20. Fallen Leaf, the current black magus, plans to break this cycle by harnessing his future reincarnations to gain

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Campaign Seeds immortality. He seeks the Rote of Ages and the Sign of Ages to enact his spell. White Sand, a monk learned in magic but not a magus herself, recruits other magi to find the Rote and Sign before Fallen Leaf. The roads are made dangerous by bandits such as Petal of the Blooming Orchid, a crimson magus. When the Rote and Sign are united, White Sand reveals the truth; she is the black magus and she used magic to manipulate Fallen Leaf, the white magus.

Ice Fortress of the Frostmere Barrens Hoarfrost is an ice elemental who wants to take over the Prime Material Plane by making everything icy cold, thus either destroying life or making it suit him much better. Frostmere Barrens is his base, a vast tundra that never thaws and is filled with all sorts of cold-adapted creatures. His subordinates are a pair of frost wraiths, the bruiser Ice Pick, and brainiac Brainfreeze. They have set their sights on a town where the PCs are staying and have killed several wellliked NPCs. When frost wraiths kill someone, that person is raised as a new frost wraith. The more frost wraiths in an area, the more the temperature drops. Once an area gets to be freezing or below, the temperature will remain frozen until Hoarfrost himself is defeated. If anyone in the town is to survive the cold snap, it's up to the PCs to defeat the menace. roleplayingtips.com

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Reap the Whirlwind The medieval land of Greynland has been seized by the ancient witch Hortensia, who rules it with an iron fist. To keep herself young she annually culls the best and brightest from throughout her provinces and fiendishly sacrifices them to her dark god. Not willing to let such a heinous travesty befall the land he loves again, the wise sage Ehthelbert hatches a plan. He covertly selects a group of those who would be taken by the witch and secrets them out of the kingdom. Their goal is to go into the world and gather what they need to destroy Hortensia, free their land, and prevent anyone else from being sacrificed by the evil witch. Little do they know, however, their intentions have been betrayed to the witch almost from the start by The Viceroy of Greynland (the former king) and assassins and saboteurs follow them wherever they go.

Vampire's Dawn Count Dy'kon Malar, an ancient vampire in a Transylvania-like province, is crafting a magic device that creates a fog that allows undead to move around as if it were night. One of the PCs stumbled upon the notes of a deceased mage whose spells could make such a device a reality.

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Campaign Seeds The Count sends two assassins to plague the PCs. The one nicknamed Near is a close-quarters fighter/thief specializing in hand-to-hand combat and poison. The one named Far is a ranged fighter/mage who knows how to take advantage of distance. They harry the PCs until one the following happens: the PCs willingly give up the notes, they are corrupted, they destroy the notes, or they die and the notes can be taken from them. What the PCs don't know is the notes are cursed and the longer the notes are in their possession, the more tainted the PCs become.

Dweller in the Dark A half-fiend rust monster, Nox Marrode, the Dweller in the Dark, is the terror of the iron mines under the mountains around Happy Valley. Olaf Unstraaser, dwarven mine foreman, needs the PCs’ help. Sheryn Darrow, elven village elder, resents this outside interference. Happy Valley is a pastoral valley high in the mountains. Several small holdings sit alongside the trade road running from one end of the valley to the other. The miners all live in the village named Arumrood. But this valley is anything but happy. Marrode has stripped the iron from the mines and the will from the people. Only the PCs can stop this mad creature from eating the very life from the valley. And if they don't stop it

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Campaign Seeds soon it may chew its way to uncovering an ancient evil even more deadly that it is.

Bad Blood Family feuds are bad enough, but in the case of the Jacobs, a family of werewolves fighting with the Hardcastles, a clan of werebears, it is enough to tear the township of Bransgore Creek apart. Henry is the stern patriarch of the Jacobs and has nothing but hatred for Josie, the dour mother of the Hardcastles, who loathes him in return. With the PCs stuck firmly in the middle can they bring peace to these warring families? Will the local sheriff, Kale Tyran, be any help at all? Or can they discover the hidden threat that started the feud in the first place - the manipulative vampire lord Aelvar Rosca? Keeping the two families fighting each other lets him hunt with impunity.

Kill Ten Rats The City of Canton is a cosmopolitan center for trade, production of ceramics, and academia. It is also plagued by rats, wererats, and halfling wererats. This cult of wererats, the Shi Da Shu, is led by Zhang Shuzhen, a demon worshiper of the vilest kind. He has brought his nine disciples to the city to find a book, the Tyburn Codex, that contains a demon summoning ritual.

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Campaign Seeds Jan Shen is the owner of an impressive library and hires the PCs to protect her property and investigate the cult. Local half-orc, Sabik "Rat-catcher" Kerenzikov, may be able to help. Or is he more sympathetic to these talking rats? If Zhang finds the codex, all hell really is about to break loose.

Ring of Fire Firelord Sunscorch wants to inhabit and reactivate a longdead volcano called the Ring of Fire. The problem is his plan will decimate a large portion of the countryside where thousands of acres of land and tens of thousands of people reside. Sunscorch has accomplices in this task. Blaze is a hot-headed, half-fire elemental fighter/mage and his magma-terraforming, elemental familiar, Cinder, and Blistered-Ash, Blaze's demonsummoning partner. They have already set fire to a large portion of the forest where the PCs' families are staying. The ironic thing is Blaze's and Blistered-Ash's powers are made even stronger by the presences of a magic item owned by one of the PCs. Will the PCs realize what's happening in time?

Dark Were His Eyes Ksala, a northern fishing and logging town, is your home. It is also a town in crisis. Many young men and women of the town, children of your friends and neighbors, have gone missing. roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds Only one has returned, with his eyes completely black. He is able to say only one word: "Xormaluuk." Mayor Smallton, a hairy bear of a man, asks you to find the missing teens. Your guide is the local trapper, Taren, a young widow who knows the mountains better than anyone. She suspects Xormaluuk is a god of the arctic dwarves. Under the leadership of the fiery-bearded Morill, they may have captured the youths. In reality, Xormaluuk is a great eye-beast, who has the teens in his thrall. He hopes to use them to seek out the Great Stones, buried in the permafrost since the Old Ages. With these, he will darken the eyes of the world.

Plague of the Alligator Swamp Lich-lord Lyzra Lazuli was scorned by her friends, betrayed by her family, and rejected by her love. In retaliation, she intends to subjugate the land. She lives in the Lykan, a swamp replete with disease-causing mosquitoes, flesh-eating plants, murky waters, and were-alligators. Two of her were-alligator "friends" are a barbarian/shaman known as Teeth, and a mad scientist/sorcerer known as Scales. They are capturing the well-liked townspeople and subjecting them to magical-scientific experiments to warp them into something monstrous. The PCs are hot on their trail and have been delayed by their creations, some of whom were actually the PCs' friends. roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds Time is not on their side. The longer it takes the PCs to catch up to the were-alligators, the more likelihood of the changes becoming permanent.

Green Politics Verdant is a shape-shifting shambling mound ranger who doesn't like the world becoming overpopulated by humanoid races. He intends to do something about it by starting an allout race war. He plans to have his agents infiltrate and replace key figures in governments and to assassinate political leaders. The PCs are hired by a pair of travelers to escort them through a particularly dangerous area. From these travelers, they hear about the local civil unrest. What the PCs don't know is the changeling travelers R'ydur and Pythos are master assassins, masters of disguise, and have more than a few tricks up their sleeves. Through their insidious tales and selective information, they are manipulating the PCs to be their agents to kill the last important figure and plunge the entire area into war.

March of the Boneyard Bones, a necromantic ivory dragon perched atop of the Tomb of the Thousand Immortals, floods the countryside with an ever-growing army of tough skeletons. Among his allies are a strategist, Dracolich Darkfyer, and a skeleton sorcerer-priest, Blake Masters. Through their eyes he roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds expertly coordinates their actions, changing their tactics according to the enemies they face. Through their fights, he becomes more powerful. The skeletons have already wiped out several small towns in the area. Among those people killed are some known by the PCs. The skeletons have become a threat to the entire area due to their growing numbers. The PCs are en route to collect an ancient, powerful artifact to defeat another evil force, but it is what allows the growing skeleton army to exist in the first place. Do they destroy the artifact, thus dashing their hopes of defeating the other evil, or let the skeleton army grow?

Race for the Gems Gruumsh seeks to re-open the Orc Gate and unleash a horde of orcs upon Toril. The God-Ward gems holding the gate closed have been scattered throughout the Realms. Ishtar, having learned of this plot, seeks to warn others but is killed by Bahgtru. In her last act she imparts some of her divine essence into the unsuspecting heroes, who now face the task of making sure the gates are never opened. They must seek the gems and take them back to the gate so the portal remains closed. But the PCs are not the only group seeking the gems. A second troupe seeks the gems for their own reasons. Young Kelvin Arunsun and his band seek the God-Ward gems with the help of Rashemen berserker, Auzrik Foehammer. Kelvin's childhood roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds friend, Avaereene gives him a good luck charm, a necklace from her grandfather. She said it will bring him good luck in his quest, but will it?

Fight for the Daystar The shadow dragon Umbral, living in the Mistymire Mountains, seeks to banish light on the surface of the Prime Material Plane by merging it with the Plane of Shadow to rule over it. Doing so would have numerous negative effects, including loss of crops, widespread starvation, disease, and more. The only thing that can stop his plans is the existence of the Daystar, a perfectly flawless gem the size of an ogre's fist that has daylight trapped inside it. He plans to destroy it, and has enlisted two agents to help do so: Nightwing, a shadow-walker rogue/sorcerer and his shadow friend, Shade. The PCs are searching for the Daystar for their own purposes and have been thwarted at every turn by these two.

The Code of Magic In Valas, anyone can use magic. All they need is an ancient wand. Each wand controls a unique aspect of magic. Damian Dax is a master of magical combat and a petty bully. He seeks the map to the Fountain of Creation to recreate the world in his image.

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Campaign Seeds Dax's minions are Clayfacers, doppelgängers who can take on the appearance of anyone. The Clockmaster, a genius living in a giant clocktower, knows the location of the map. The Yellow Hood, a mysterious magician, is trying to stop anyone from reaching the Fountain. The Fountain of Creation, hidden in a steel dungeon, isn't actually magical. It's a high-tech computer terminal that controls the properties of the world through code. Wands rewrite code to perform "magic". Interacting with the Fountain reveals Valas is actually built atop the remains of Earth after a high-tech apocalypse.

Isle of Dr. Manchester Dr. Montgomery Manchester, a renowned, albeit eccentric scientist, has invited the PCs to his mist-shrouded tropical island under the guise of giving them a cure for a deathly sick NPC. Unfortunately, while they are visiting with their host, something goes wrong with their boat and they are forced to stay. In the confusion, the cure is never given to them. The PCs soon realize their lives are in danger after encountering his twin Oriental-looking servants, Sing, a master of vivisection and dark magic, and Ming, master of torture and science. The PCs discover the servants are performing experiments to create various mundane-andmagical animal combinations.

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Campaign Seeds With time ticking town, the PCs must gather the parts to fix their boat, retrieve the cure for their friend, and escape with their lives.

Children of the God A boy—the child of a friend or relative—has been taken. Was it the wandering tribe of Pokatok with their grotesque rituals and strange powers? Was it the bestial warlord, Torkay Mawla, whose favorite wife miscarried again? As more boys go missing, the clues point to the simple villagers of Efersec who are plagued by a child-demanding god in their local well. The god is actually Gorgapuk, the cannibalistic high priest of a cult lurking in the caverns beneath Efersec. The cult needs fresh recruits, and to avoid their wrath, the villagers kidnap children from neighboring towns and lower them into the village well to become Gorgapuk's devotees. The pretender-god—immobilized by his obesity—is fed a steady diet of his devotees' own severed limbs, the highest priests having sacrificed the most body-parts. The kidnapped boys will become brainwashed acolytes within a week if not rescued.

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Ice Rescue Illian Bull's pregnant concubine was sunning herself when the miles-long ice sheet she was on broke from the mainland and drifted out to sea. Chief Illian hires the PCs to help get her back. The canoes seem sturdy enough, but Cerkus Tamp, the navigator, repeatedly attempts to murder Illian—who turns out to be a powerful, violent lunatic—and frame the party. With a storm approaching, the canoes reach the ice floe and the search begins. That's when the aquatic seal people spring their trap. They hope to divide and destroy using sea creatures to break up the floe and drown the hated landsmen. Can your party can rescue the concubine and make it back to the canoes? Will they be able to outrun the storm, fend off the seal people, and get back to land? Are they in Illian's canoe when Tamp's final sabotage is revealed?

Righteous Judgement Lucian Aarons, a former paladin whose god has abandoned him, is trying to destroy everything that is neither lawful nor good. To help him, he has his magnificent black stallion Champion, the pariah zealot sorcerer Anders, and the disgraced priest, Orion Masters. Everywhere he goes, destruction follows in his wake, along with death for those who don't pass his test of righteousness.

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Campaign Seeds Because of Lucian's formidable powers, few have been able to stand up to him. When he's not out spreading mayhem, he resides in a pocket dimension called Resplendent Ravine. The next town he's heading for is where the PCs have their base. A showdown is about to happen, but neither the PCs nor Lucian know there is a radiant dragon watching all that is happening from the outer planes, ready to help whichever side he deems to be the party in the right.

Shadows of Royal Blood Amidst pirate attacks and ever-worsening storms, the death of King Vanden has thrown the wealthy coastal kingdom of Kirad into chaos. Belar Duvane, the Shadow Prince, has emerged from the shadows and claims to be the rightful heir. He is the spitting image of King Vanden, which has garnered him the strong support of many, despite his bastard status. Duvane's three half-siblings and two uncles are challenging him. Foremost are Crown Prince Rayne, a brave but witless, warrior, and young Princess Saffron, a cunning apprentice magician. Azen Blue, the royal magister, is secretly Duvane's ally and uses his influence and magic. Unknown even to Blue, in the last years of his life King Vanden was cursed with vampirism, and Duvane is none other than Vanden himself, hiding his true nature to reclaim his own throne.

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The Freak Show The circus has come to town, and its Ringmaster is a circus barker, illusionist, and entertainer extraordinaire. He and the rest of his freak show entertain the crowds. His chief helpers are the Strongman, a monk and the Human Pretzel, a contortionist and thief. What's not obvious about the show is it's a cover for a variety of illegal and immoral activities including theft, slave-trading, assassination, and others. An organization that doesn't like the PCs' activities has hired the circus to eliminate them. What no one else in the circus realizes is the Ringmaster is actually an ancient vampire, controlled unbeknownst by even himself, by an extra-planar entity.

A Country in Panic Gillarish is an ancient dragon, awake after 5000 years and imprisoned in the ancient Tractic Gate Temple. He seeks to destroy his prison and learn about the world around him. Un'ardo is a specter working for Gillarish. He is tired of his master's constant bad mood and wishes only to please him. So he sends their minions to bring back people to talk to the dragon. Strange creatures have been attacking the villages and kidnapping village leaders. The villagers are disorganized and

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Campaign Seeds scared, and now the farms aren't producing enough food for the winter. Someone must find the leaders. Ivan Redsteel, captain of the castle of Nelloren, is searching for his lord and will do what it takes to save him. The only thing that can keep Gillarish from leaving the Temple is the players telling him about their adventures and making him a visit every couple months.

The Ballad of the Mad Dwarf The mad, dwarven bard, Baalan Bloodlock, sits enthroned in the Halls of Chevron, an ancient dwarven stronghold. Using forbidden magic, he's enslaved the red dragon Raziel the Insane and drawn upon the power of an ancient evil entity, Kalinth. With their help, he has oppressed the entire countryside. As time goes on, the dwarf and dragon become more powerful. If they aren't defeated soon, their combined powers will make them unstoppable. The PCs have the means to stop the tyrants, but there's a mole in their midst. Will the spy be found out before confronting the mad dwarf or will he dash their chances at victory?

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Cutting Edge Excitement strikes the old world as a new continent is discovered. Five years into exploration, suddenly all communication ceases. It is as if some strange force always interferes with the ships and magic coming from and going to the continent. A triumvirate of three undead leaders has reunited. Ahatnizea is a legendary blacksmith and enchanter. His brother Rehatnizea is a brilliant tactician and unrivalled military leader. Brelos is a skilled politician, diplomat, and infiltrator. As the PCs will soon learn, his reach already extends to the new capital's city council. Unknown to most inhabitants the continent itself has a consciousness. Whoever first subdues its spirit may gain control of the land itself. Will the PCs be the ones and will the continent's support be enough to stop the triumvirate, or will it all end in darkness?

Fight for the Astria Porta This plane was locked 1000 years ago by a coalition of deities to prevent a war that would destroy it forever. The lock has decayed and can never be restored. Every deity wishes dominance over this plane.

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Campaign Seeds Dro'Sha Doomquake - Half-orc anti-paladin. Wants the Astria Porta, a magic item that allows immediate travel between the planes, to bring legions to this plane for his god. Karaktikus Vinter - Dwarven wizard and blacksmith. Wants to use the Astria Porta to tap the power of the planes to obtain immortality. Julio Ap Pachytair - Hollyphant. Guardian of the Astria Porta. He just wants to go home. The PCs must find a way to bring balance to the plane or have it torn apart from within. Dro'Sha is the absentee father of one of the PCs. Ex-paladin of the lawful good deity who shunned him for breaking his vow of celibacy.

Rescue of the Dwarven Outpost Norrin Tordan, leader of a dwarven guild, asks the PCs to launch an expedition to an overrun dwarven outpost, its inhabitants slaughtered to the last. His brother, Sabeth Tordan, accompanies them. The attackers are a tribe of werewolves, led by the sadistic Darius, who took great pleasure in torturing his victims before slaughtering them. Wishing to expand his tribe, he decided the dwarven outpost, which had delved deep into the mountain range and had already acquired considerable wealth, would be an ideal new home. roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds If the PCs can reclaim the outpost and the heirlooms are returned, they may claim the outpost for themselves. Unknown to the guild, Darius has since been driven out by the angry spirits of the dead leaders of the outpost, who now haunt the corridors and chambers and who will no longer tolerate anyone seeking shelter within.

Uniting Varthen In the small region of Valerian, two nations rule the lands. Carthenia is ruled by King Carthen, a wise and knowledgeable king. Euromia is ruled by Arthmul, a young and promising king. One day, the nations went to war with each other over newly discovered islands. They could never get along well due to political differences. The PCs were agents of Carthen, sent with his army to defeat the villainous King Arthmul. When they arrived however, the PCs realized Arthmul wasn't the villain. Their very own leader, Carthen, had betrayed them! All he ever wanted was power. Now, the heroes return to their homeland, but with a new goal. In a corrupt land where nobody but their guide can be trusted, they have to dethrone their corrupt king!

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Arghana, the Rose of the Desert The dwarven city of Arghana sits at the gate of desert. It has gone from bustling mining town to a minor caravan stop. The last descendant of an ancient family wants to reopen the family mine sealed for 1,000 years. The rival cousin, allied with a dark cultist human, plans to take possession of the mine. His partner strives by all means to destroy the city and foster the dark deeds of his obscure cult. At the bottom of the mine lies the legacy of a genius ancestor and a map that points the way to a mountain of incredible power and wealth. The secrets of the mountain can change the destiny of the city and the whole region. Who will be able to take possession of the forgotten inheritance? When the PCs finally reach the mountain, they discover it has become a magical flying fortress.

To Catch a Mountain A clan of dwarves led by a brilliant leader terrorizes a large area of the world from the top of his flying mountain, spreading horror and destruction in its cyclical passage. The mountain obeys the rhythms of the magnetic field along a predetermined route. An old pygmy servant of the dwarves fled from the mountain and has set up a monastery atop a forested peak. He observes

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Campaign Seeds and calculates the passage of the mountain in search of a way to break the curse that pervades those lands. Within the mountain fortress is hidden incredible riches and extraordinary knowledge capable of tremendous power. Who dominates the mountain could dominate the world. Can the PCs destroy this aberrant curse on the world? Or will they be corrupted by the immense power of the dwarven clan?

Heavenly Jailbreak Jenora managed to die while trying for her post doctorate dissertation (Pentacles, Hexagrams and Bending Archangels to Your Will) at the academy. She's now enjoying afterlife in the 6th subpocket of the Lord of Light Paradise. Licatron, head of the archangels, is not satisfied because he wants Jenora to be in his inferno realm where she'll suffer eternal torments for her heretic discoveries. The PCs are dead and suffering from amnesia. It was the only way for them to reach the afterlife and fool the guardian cherubs. They've been hired to accomplish Licatron's vengeance and must find and extract Jenora from this paradise. One of the PCs discovers a magic scroll in their pocket explaining this. But is it really their writing on it, and why does Jenora look so familiar?

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Brave New World The confederation of Teluria, an outright plutocracy, seeks to conquer the neighboring kingdom of Augur, known because of its rich mines of iron and culture of invention. The problem is some groups have begun rampaging Teluria, knowing those who could stop them are far away. Particularly strong is the influence of the mercenaries lead by Aaron Brightstorm, a Luddite seeking to stop the technological advance Teluria is undergoing. The PCs are sent to stop him by Willman, the king's advisor and strategist. If they fail, society will lose years of development. Once they succeed, whether by killing Brightstorm or convincing him to give up, Willman will try to get rid of the PCs so as not to pay them by sending them to a sure death in the line of battle with Augur. They will be put under the command of General Ray Thunder, a reckless brute.

The Enemy of My Enemy After his retirement, General Zu-Wei Li Halan just wanted to tend to his garden. But one day, he called his troops and started a campaign of harassment and attrition between the other feudal estates. Karla Hawkwood is a knight seeking a diplomatic way to solve the problem, while her aide, James Julian, seems to believe the worst situation will happen. roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds A country might fall into war if nothing is done, threatening the PCs' families and homes. The general is actually being influenced by an Antinomist (James) who holds his granddaughter captive.

The Great Cleansing Fire Eklor, the fire-branded wizard, from his tower on the hill of high winds sent his minions to search for eight elements to start the Great Cleansing Fire. Hunar is the leader of a mercenary team, hired by Baron Tucides III, to improve his ranks in the fief and win him greater prestige in the kingdom. Thus far, Hunar has done well and the baron's fame grows. One of the elements Eklor needs is known as the Imoge Vase, which contains a liquid known to catch fire, and it happens to be located in the baron's castle. PCs get involved when the baron summons them to retrieve the vase, stolen by Eklor's minions. From the minions, they learn the story of Eklor's plan for the elements. Now it's a race to recover the elements before other minions do. Hunar is the son of Eklor, and will get the Imoge Vase to his father and also learn the locations of the other seven elements.

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Fear of the Dark After a terrorist attack on a parade downtown, Tera Nar, a ghoul, states that life as we know it will change in his fear campaign. No one is safe in crowded places. The city is gripped by panic, and any public transportation, market, and building can be targeted. Miranda Aza is the detective in charge of the investigation of the attacks on the city. Lorael is the elven mercenary responsible for making the bombs. Lorael is innocent. He makes bombs to sell to any buyer. Tera Nar is actually human and has issues with not being ghoul.

One Key Too Much D'ajji is a powerful telepath who hunts Charioteers: priests and nobles who have jumpkeys to lost worlds. The latest killing of a priest holding a jumpkey made things worse because it was a unique key. Baronet Roberto Masseri is in charge of the investigation of the missing keys. A powerful noble, Marquis Alexei Decados, hires the PCs to help retrieve the unique key from D'ajji. Roberto and D'ajji are lovers, but they are not aware of each other's jobs. The Marquis is D'ajji's employer.

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A Friend in Need Bloodstone is a city built on gold and blood. It is ruled by three bickering trading families who vie for control of the city. The city is protected by the mystical Stone Guardians, who have been there since before the city was founded, who are powered by the mysterious Red Orb. The Scarab has stolen the Red Orb and brought it to his Unseen Palace in the Sea of Sand. There he intends to use its power to control the Guardians and conquer Bloodstone. The Scarab pinned the crime on a relative or friend of the PCs, who will be executed unless proven innocent. Rhadon the Fox is a tavern owner and information broker. He knows how to find the Scarab. Opal is a thief who works for one of the trading families who could be charmed into becoming an ally or antagonized into an enemy. The Stone Guardians' true objective is to guard their master who has been sleeping beneath the city for centuries.

From Mentor With Love The mage PC's former mentor, Master Hilarius, is in trouble. The competition for the rector's place is huge. All wizards desperately try to fight their way to the top. Being the current rector of Doomsburgh Academy of Magic Arts, Hilarius is the target of many plots. The true threat arises when Kaimu Mabaya, the dean of DAMA, starts to compete for his place. roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds And the easiest way to get promoted is to make the current rector leave. Preferably, this world. Kaimu is rumored to dabble in the darker arts. The set of caverns under DAMA would make a perfect lair for a scheming necromancer. Will the PC mage save Hilarius in time? Doing nothing when your mentor's life is at stake won't be good for your reputation. Guaranteed attractions: labyrinth corridors of DAMA, a serious case of musophobia, undead minions, and an army of sapient rats.

The Magistrate's Heir The PCs are hired by a wealthy magistrate to save his heir, who has been taken hostage by the nave Brandy Teo. The party must also contend with the bard, Wendy the Whimsical. She plans to tell the tale of the PCs' heroism as her entry in the Minstrel Guild's annual competition. The PCs seem to have developed symptoms of a plague that's sweeping the region. Getting paid may be the only way to afford the treatment. Wendy has chosen to create her own story. The plague in the region is a poison she is spreading. She intends to nudge the PCs towards the cure. Brandy Teo is a skilled pickpocket helping her fellows survive the plague, including her younger brother. She is secretly in roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds love with the magistrate's son and they do not wish his father to learn of it, as he would have her killed.

The Planes of Goldacre The Northern Planes of Goldacre are set on fire by henchmen of the neighboring kingdom, Whitestein. King Hendrick the Just of Goldacre instructs his Northern Lords (Alistair the Red, Robert the Strong, Charles the Bearded) to levy troops to protect Goldacre's granaries until his own army arrives to help. The PCs are sent with those troops to help protect the kingdom from war, impoverishment, and famine. They are also tasked to discover why Whitestein is attacking. When facing the captain of Whitestein's assaults, Noël Barnabé, claims it was Goldacre who began smash-and-grab robbing of Whitestein's border towns. It's true, but will the PCs believe him? The conflict arises from a Northern Lord's eagerness for power, which he hopes to increase by claiming the borderlands of Whitestein. Which side will the heroes chose? How will the other side respond?

Tainted Water The elven city of Erogar turns out to not be the best place for weary PCs to resupply. All the nearby water sources have become poisonous and the situation is tense. The townsfolk roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds cannot cook normally and the supply of wine and juices is running out. Strangers aren't so welcome anymore. Taralynn, the high priestess of Eola, the goddess of life and blossoming, suspects a group of trolls, led by a brute named Glut, could have poisoned the streams. They reside near a bridge and charge everybody trying to bail water. Or maybe it's the nearby quarry and its greedy owner poisoning the water? If the PCs don't do something, the city's people will suffer. Tensions rise further as children start to behave strangely. Is it the tainted water, or is there now something else at play?

Trouble in Carendhel The sleepy town of Carendhel is horrified to learn stonecutters working in nearby quarries have gone missing. Soon after, corpses start flowing down the river. Their faces are frozen in masks of terror. Travelling merchants flee the town so as not to be the next victims. Then the guards start to vanish – did they flee or something bad happened to them? And why is Mayor Helga nowhere to be seen, even though everybody talks about her? The PCs must investigate or they'll be imprisoned and possibly executed as the townsfolk start to turn crazy with fear. The mayor's little sister Anna looks innocent, but there's something very disturbing behind those doe eyes and fiery braids. roleplayingtips.com

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The Island of Stars The Island of Stars vanished years ago when the conquering sorceress, Queen Victoria, took the island by force from the Wizard King Mooney. Now the island has returned. After a mighty storm, the PCs awake on the island's shore with foggy memories. They are veterans of the Great War and had recently captured the war criminal Stok. Where is he? The PCs' memories return as they explore this magical island and its diverse factions. The inhabitants all pay homage to Victoria and all live in fear of her wrath. A mysterious old man appears from time to time to help guide the party. Ghost of the Wizard King? The PCs must find and capture Stok, unite the factions of the island, and defeat the evil Queen and her dark forces. The island will vanish again if the curse of the Wizard King is not undone.

Prisoner of the Dark Amazons The PCs are hired by a desperate and rich noblewoman, Esther McGuffin, to rescue her firstborn, William. After one of his bar crawls, he was kidnapped by a group of Dark Amazons. Led by Aydan the Betrayer, the Dark Amazons kidnap young men and make them ritual slaves for carnal pleasures until the

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Campaign Seeds slaves grow their first grey hair. Then the men are sacrificed to please Belhalhar. McGuffin pays dearly. Additionally, a PC's elderly cousin Rita has her eyes set on the bachelor and begs the PC to save him. Can PC females play the roles of Dark Amazons long enough for the guys to free William? And what if Willy turns out to be perfectly satisfied with a short, but very pleasant life? A ritual slave doesn't work, feasts all day, and has all the warriors to please.

Everybody Hides The PCs are hired by Baron Nordcrust to investigate and track down a gang of opium smugglers. Whynoburg is a crowded city with great social inequities. Diseases and suicides spread, people are jobless and frustrated. The imposed atheism, ban on books, and violence of the City Watch make Nordcrust a despised tyrant. Rebellion is in the wind. The baron's hound, General Harlot, is a cruel man of terrible lust and greed. Nordcrust's stepbrother, Aldik, schemes against him and prepares a nefarious plan. Can the PCs sit the fence and keep their heads attached? Is there a single person they could seek support from? And what if they uncover Harlot's secret involvement in bribery and paid protection of the local brothel? Stepping on his toes is a bad roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds idea. In Whynoburg, there is no black and white, only different kinds of shadows.

Hound's Chase General Maximo Wolff, Hound of the Celestial Emperor, is after the PCs because the Ostrantos Prophecy claims they will bring the destruction of the Celestial Empire. The PCs are only able to stay one step ahead of him and his network of agents as they race across sea and sky to escape. On their way, they meet Slayer Aulphanse, a smuggler that can transport them out of the Celestial Empire. The notorious pirate queen Mariya Axum stands in their way out on the Glittering Sea, and when they reach the far shore, they are met by a former Ostrantos Prophet, Bellarra, where they learn the true price of their destiny, and the secret behind the Golden Throne. Will General Wolff catch them, or will they bring down the greatest nation the 1000 Isles have ever known?

Into the Rotating Maze The Minotaur King reposes in his Rotating Maze of sliding chambers and shifting corridors. The PCs seek the Locking Broach (for whatever reason), which will secure the labyrinth, and it's lost somewhere inside. Tinis the Rat-man, the only being to successfully negotiate the

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Campaign Seeds labyrinth, will guide the party for the right price, or betray them for a better price. They must avoid the Elmwood Six, a party lost for years in the labyrinth. Maddened by hunger and thirst, they kill and consume any they meet. The Minotaur King also seeks the Broach. It is his only way to break his curse and escape the maze so he can take his rightful place from the Usurper on the throne.

Scepter of Kings Deylgha is the new leader of the troglodyte horde. He seeks the Ormn, the Scepter of the Father-Kings. Though he has bested his rivals, he needs the scepter to legitimize his claim as leader. The PCs must beat him to the scepter. The Ormn is guarded by a champion, Bruyn. He is undefeated in battle. Scarred, regenerating, and implacable, he has yet to relinquish the relic. Unknown to all, Bruyn tires of his role and will yield the Ormn to the first person who politely inquires. And anyone carrying the Ormn from its sanctuary will become leader of the Horde of Troglodytes.

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The Death of a Dragon The death of a noted dragon at the hands of adventurers triggers a contingency that later opens a rift to the realm of Tiamat, Queen of Dragons, and an emissary is sent through the portal. This emissary, a powerful kobold cleric named Kirkuk Scorchscale, raises the dragon as an undead horror. He sets about gathering items of dragon slaying, sometimes using ignorant proxies (such as the PCs). Sir Georn Wyrmsbane is a rival who owns such a dragonslaying item. Felicity is a skilled scout and rogue, and the sole survivor of the band that slew the dragon. She knows the location of the dragon's lair. Flamsearix is the ghost of an ancient dragon that claims to oppose Tiamat, but can the spirit be trusted? The fate of the kingdom is at stake. The dragon souls trapped within the slaying blades play an important part in making the rift permanent.

Cry of Angels The epic battle of the fiendlord Skalrogga and the archangel Malandriel spills over to the prime material plane, each of the outsiders blazing through the night sky like comets before crashing to the ground. Earthquakes shake the kingdom, volcanoes spew ash skyward. Paladins and priests rush to the crash site and find the angel mortally wounded. His last act is roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds to gather the heroes destined to pick up his mantle and continue the fight, for Skalrogga survived the impact. Archbishop Merren Silvertome heads the church, aided by Malandri, an aasimar claiming to be the angel's granddaughter. A giant-blooded, half-fiend named The-Mountain-In-Chains gathers the forces of evil to crush the champions of good before they can defeat the recovering fiend lord and stop hell from boiling over.

The Aging Mage Mithriclis the wizard has grown old and sees death only a few winters away. He devises a plan to become a lich. He hires the PCs to quest and gather some ingredients for him, without revealing their purpose. He likewise sends a pair of lessscrupulous half-orcs to obtain the unwholesome ingredients: a rogue named Daggerface and a sorcerer named Red Death. The quests take the parties to a ruined castle, a dismal swamp, a goblin warren, and the ghetto of a large city. It is in the decadent city the PCs learn their patron is attempting to become a lich. Mithriclis believes he will retain his Chaotic Good alignment after the transformation. Will he?

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The Creeping Sickness Hrith-Bblur the aboleth was recently driven from its cold, mountain-lake lair by Tarantaran, a silver dragon. The aboleth has taken refuge in the river near the small logging town of Lakedge, not far from its lake. It sends its skum minions to capture Gordon and Ezra, owners of the town's popular inn, The Logjam. Hrith-Bblur dominates the innkeepers and has them slip doses of its mucous into the inn's food. The skum minions also poison the water supply with the mucous. The aboleth intends to create an army of skum to battle Tarantaran. As the PCs search for the cause of the town's illness, the aboleth attempts to get the townsfolk to blame the silver dragon (using dominated ogre slaves and illusions). It hopes to trick the PCs into killing the creature so Hrith-Bblur can return to its home.

The Banshee of Dusty's End The loggers of Dusty's End have a problem. An angry banshee, calling herself Arisitalia, has appeared in the area of forest loggers have slated to harvest, vowing none shall enter the wood. Her scream killed two loggers before the others ran. In reality, a trio of pixies, Narf, Tweebok, and Junga, are protecting the glades of their home. The banshee is an illusion

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Campaign Seeds and the slain loggers were merely put to sleep by sleep arrows. They are safe but have no memory. If reasoned with, the pixies will allow select logging within the forest. However, Narf has a vicious streak, and follows the PCs back to town, using his spell-like abilities (including irresistible dance) to cause mischief and real harm, all in the guise of Tweebok, who lacks the irresistible dance ability.

The Jungle Tyrant Gurgah the were-monkey king has taken control of the Arboreal Reaches, his troops swinging through the vines, ladders, and bridges of their treetop kingdom. The bodies of the vanquished litter the forest floor. The plant-beings of Jura monitor the were-monkeys' movements, imperceptibly traversing the forest, and allying with the Cannibal Apes to counter the threat. The PCs’ fights against lycanthropes are well known and the plant-beings want these groundlings to use their magics to pressure King Gurgah from below. The challenge is an intriguing one, but will the inscrutable plant-beings and their allies bring peace to the forest, or become another set of despots?

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The Eater of Stars Prophecies announce the coming of Ur-Goliath the Eater of Stars, a gigantic monster the size of multiple countries. It is said if he was to be free, the world of Kynass wouldn't last a day. An old and insane magician, Nerghis, wants to wake him. Nerghis created the moon cult and started to unleash monsters on the world to find Ur-Goliath's eternal prison. Cesert, the ex-bodyguard of Nerghis, created the Guild of the Sun Warriors to stop Nerghis. He recruits heroes to his cause to personally stop Nerghis' plans. In reality, Nerghis intends to control Ur-Goliath and avoid the end of the world, but his means are hard to morally defend. Ur-Goliath doesn't need help and has already decided to wake up.

Terror from the Deep The independent people of the Thousand Islands have lived peacefully for generations. But now stories circulate of mysterious disappearances and monsters emerging from the sea. Soon, villages are being attacked, the people slaughtered by amphibious men. Their ruthless leader, Darw'gul, wants the land dwellers away from his sea for good. Magistrate Weatherby recruits the PCs to deal with the situation, promising full support. Meanwhile, King Tyren of the neighboring mainland kingdom offers his protection and roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds Magistrate Garret urges it be accepted. However, Tyren just wants to add the islands to his kingdom and Garret is his agent. Then whole islands begin to vanish beneath the water. Now the heroes must race to stop Darw'gul before their homes, and those of everyone they know, vanish forever. Will they be able to succeed while keeping Tyren's hands off their islands?

Sanctuary No More Long ago, ancestors retreated far underground to escape the conflagration and fallout of the Final Mage War. Today, the seven great Caverns of Sanctuary are full to overflowing and unrest runs rife. Skyview Cavern, home to the PCs, is plagued by unfortunate events: cave-ins, riots, a fouled well. All caused by agents of Korl Ironstone, oppressive Headman of Threespire Cavern, who seeks to rule all the caverns. Skyview's beloved Headman Riyan Numon is growing old and feeble and his young son, Vayn, is forced to shoulder ever more of his duties. Meanwhile, a new cult grows around the charismatic, retired explorer, Jorel Towst, who calls for a return to the surface claiming it now fit for inhabitation again. Amidst revelations Korl has been reviving the banned abhorrent arts of Magick, the PCs also learn Vayn has been replaced by a shapeshifter who has its own dark plans for the people of the Caverns.

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Shadows of Divinity In the City of Small Gods, vicious Sinda Maem seeks to attain godhood and doesn't care who gets hurt along the way. Her thugs of the Southside Maemers are out in the streets forcibly rounding up supporters, including some close to the PCs. Now they must race to locate and rescue their family and friends before Sinda's ascension ceremony takes place. The wily old thief, Nine Fingers Nat, may be able to help if first a simple task is achieved, and crazy Alma the alchemist is acting even more erratic than normal. Sinda actually wants to be the only god in the city and has determined a way to open the Well of Souls and release a plague of angry spirits upon the city. Now the gods are falling and the PCs may have to choose between saving those they love and the city that is their home.

Dragon Shroud The dragonkin have reduced the surrounding lands to wasteland. The Mistvale is protected by a mystical fog that prevents the dragonkin from flying. The great wyrm Qalazar, with the assistance of fire elementals, has a plan to destroy the mist. The first elementals sent in did considerable damage to the vales, if not the fog. The PCs must thwart Qalazar or see their homes burn.

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Campaign Seeds Twilloo, leader of the air elementals who live in the mists, grows angry at the incursions. Sehric the Unaging offers cryptic advice, and grizzled Tamas is doing his best to organize everyone to defend the Vales. The PCs locate an artifact that will remove the threat of fire elementals, but will also remove the air elementals. Without creatures of air, will the protective mist remain?

The Curse of the Ninth A famous bard has been found dead shortly after he finished writing a bardic symphony for the church. This symphony, his ninth, would be used in a mass healing ritual planned by the church and did in fact have magical healing properties. His tenth symphony was going to be a symphony with magical warding capabilities. Now, the only copy of his ninth and the start of his tenth have both gone missing. A dark bard by the name of Zeroth is behind this, and has managed to trick an orchestra into playing the symphony in reverse in the city during the spring equinox celebration. If this happens, the entire city will be cursed with all manner of diseases.

Chekhov's Crossbow Lord Morous is a dedicated collector of weapons. He's recently acquired the famous Chekhov's Crossbow, the most legendary of weapons crafted by the master craftsman and roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds engineer, Chekhov. To celebrate, Morous throws a huge party. As minor celebrities, the PCs are invited to amuse the guests with stories of their many adventures. The crossbow is put on display and, of course, it's gone when everybody goes to see it. Someone must have stolen it. The PCs investigate and things soon turn from bad to worse. The city watch is helpless when several victims emerge, killed with bolts only Chekhov could make. Time to pay the old man a visit. He tells them for whom he made the bolts. Is there a serial killer creeping around? Are the thief and the murderer the same person?

Rebellion The Lord Chancellor of Ulbrecht, self-dubbed Azrael the First, has seized power of the kingdom. The king and queen are dead and the heirs dead, jailed, or disappeared. The once-proud, Viking-like people of Ulbrecht are thus defeated, enslaved, and put to work in a mine set inside a dead volcano. The Lord Chancellor's allies, halfling foreigners lead by Uther KingSlayer, wield a powerful spirit magic and are looking for something deep inside the volcano. Resources? A source of power? No one seems to know. Azrael's own protégé, the devious halfling Roscoe Tumbleweed, helps the PCs escape from their captors. Together, they must stop Azrael from reaching whatever he and Uther are looking for. Until they realize Azrael seized roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds control of Ulbrecht not for his own gain, but to prepare against an invasion by a horde from the Negative Plane.

The Broken Empire A backwater mercenary named Jahnu discovers a tome of power, allowing him to unite the kingdoms and become Emperor. During his conquest he kills each kingdom's royal males, takes their women as wives, and appoints one of his generals as regional king. One young girl, Lilith, is spared this fate and instead is adopted as his daughter. Decades later, the goddess Uaira awakes to find lesser gods are responsible for Jahnu's immense power. She sends a cataclysm upon the Empire's capital, but fails to kill the Emperor. Lilith escapes to her homeland and attempts to win back her throne. The PCs meet Lilith, posing as a merchant, in the tavern they work out of, and embark on quests to help her win the throne. While the PCs are busy, the Emperor works his god's will, which is to raise an undead army, kill everyone, and weaken Uaira.

A City Divided Kylinn, the Divided City, is the last source of great magic in the world. It gushes from The Rift, an apparently bottomless fault that splits the city west-to-east. The north and south halves of

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Campaign Seeds the city belong to two different nations and are bound by an old treaty to preserve the wellspring. The Darkshadows master, known as The Valnikàr, seeks to overthrow the rulers and gain total control of the rift. He is blackmailing King Rohmir, beloved ruler of the north. Rohmir is close to giving in and declaring war on the south. But Dom Loramàr, a Darkshadow traitor, seeks vengeance on his order and will eagerly help anyone who can spoil The Valnikàr's plan. How will the PCs act when they discover the real reason behind The Valnikàr's evil is the safety of the world from the real power dwelling in the Rift's abyss?

The Grim Lands Only the long-retired Heroes of the Realm can stop a brutal uprising of giants reported in the East. Tharion Alabaster, King and friend, and Onesiphorous, inscrutable court mage, summon them. Alabaster seems ill, but he deflects any questions, for time is of the essence, and a great magic is necessary to deliver the PCs to the scene. As Onesiphorous' magic nears completion, an inhuman smirk deforms his features, even as the King crumples to the floor. Then both vanish, replaced by a blasted, hell-scarred, and interminable landscape.

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Campaign Seeds Is Alabaster dead? Who or what seeks his throne? The PCs need to get home. But how, when they have no idea where they are? Two things are certain: Onesiphorous is not what he seems, and those are not friends vomiting from the fissures in the ground.

Children of the Beast Lone, giant beastmen descend from the mountains to terrorize scattered hill villages of the tribal confederacy. They claim to be heralds of the Avatar of Al-azael, the goat-headed god of the Iron Furnace. He demands the twelve tribes abandon their silent god and worship him with fear. The sitting-king of the tribes, Melchithor, is too concerned with disposing of his charismatic young general, Baruch, the people's favorite and obvious heir to the throne, to deal with the raiding goat men. Meanwhile, Baruch has gathered his champions (the PCs) and priests to discover the source of this new god's power. The priests of the silent god annually sacrifice one goat for the sins of the tribes and release another into the wilderness. These forgotten scape goats, bearing the sins of the people, are slowly changing into the same goat men that now terrorize them.

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Zombies A horde of zombies attacks the town of Soulguard. Survivors are holed up in the church, but the barricades are not going to last much longer. PCs come to the rescue by fighting through the undead mob. Can the local elven ranger, Switch Ventus, be any help against this undead threat? This is the first part of a plan of conquest by the necromancer, Jarrod Ransom. He wants revenge against the local mage's college that expelled him. Elnath Arroyo is the head of the college. Can he be persuaded to help? Or is the truth even worse? Did Elnath reject Jarrod because he was practicing necromancy or because Jarrod was a threat to his leadership? And whose soul is being guarded there, and what does Jarrod want with it?

Fall of an Empire The Holy Nilantium Empire crumbles. Centuries of wicked decadence and wilful corruption have taken their toll. Savage barbarian hordes have already sacked the fringes of the farflung empire, and get closer to the heartland every year. The once-feared, deadly legions have long since lost their fighting prowess.

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Campaign Seeds Emperor Mozen, head of the most powerful noble house, asks the PCs to find some way of saving his Empire. General Grigori Trontor commands the faded armies of Nilantium. Monique Vilanesti is the Emperor's personal soothsayer. Mozen's chief political rival, Scorn Blackmere, viciously opposes any investigations by the PCs. He has been supplying the barbarians with gold, weapons, and magic. He hopes to be crowned Emperor once they have sacked the capital. Save the wicked city from the rampaging barbarians, or let the corrupt old order fall and help build the new?

Return of the Shadow Legion Hundreds of years ago, the Shadow Legion was the elite military force that helped protect the land from the forces of darkness. But they were disbanded by Mad King Tyrell and have long since fallen into myth. Art Revo, a local priest, is worried about some recent tomb robberies and hires the PCs to investigate. All the tombs raided belong to former members of the Shadow Legion. A lich, Anzunden, is raiding the necropolis to build an undead army. Anzunden was in life Tor Rosso, Commander of the Shadow Legion. Why is Anzunden rebuilding his former command? The seer, Khese, points the PCs to an obscure prophecy that foretells one final threat the legion has to face before they can

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Campaign Seeds rest forever. Can the PCs find the truth of the prophecy? What will they do when they find they are the threat it speaks of?

Summer in the City The city of Roscan, Capital of Ealvick, languishes under a heat wave. Record temperatures have brought the city to a standstill. It is high summer and all signs point to this carrying on for weeks to come. Hattan Morgus is a petty, small-minded noble. He stumbled upon a powerful magic item and is exacting revenge on the city for years of imagined slights. Tiberius Sonne, head of the Thieves Guild, tasks the PCs with finding out about this prolonged hot spell, and if it's unnatural in origin, to deal with it. Chief wizard to the crown, Haldus Tarn, has his own team investigating. They get in the PCs' way at every turn. The magic item is an ancient, intelligent artifact called The Wrath, and it is using Hattan to fight a war that ended thousands of years ago.

The Rage of Dragons Thousands of years ago the mountainous kingdom of Napali was the scene of a great dragon war that left many of their remains buried beneath the earth.

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Campaign Seeds Today, the megalomaniac kobold king, Akthrazar, gifted with exceptional magical powers, plans to establish a dominance of kobolds by erasing all humans from Napali. Akthrazar may be mad, but his advisor Warsilix clearly is not. They begin digging up the bones of long-forgotten dragons to resurrect them, instructing his kobolds to kidnap as many human slaves as possible. Soon the roads become unsafe to travel, trade stagnates, and poverty and famine are sure to follow. Heliasara, a young, female, human paladin, steps up to face the challenge. She is joined by Cavindel, an old elven historian and dragon expert. What no one knows: Warsilix and Heliasara are actually blue and bronze dragons trying to end the decade-long conflict between the kobolds and humans.

The End of Peace The three neighboring kingdoms of Estmor, Belperi, and Drunal stand at the precipice of war after years of peace. Only the delicate balance of power has so far prevented military conflict. Nairn MacCall, highest advisor of King Osvald III, seems to be the only man at Estmor's court not looking for war. He employs the PCs to investigate a conspiracy against Estmor.

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Campaign Seeds Attacks on farms and villages in the borderlands, kidnappings, and assassinations seem to indicate that Drunal attempts to weaken Estmor before it launches a full attack. Yet the PCs find out that Belperi's agents, not Drunal's, are behind this, under orders by the mysterious man, Ashdar. Unknown to the PCs, Nairn plays a double game. He is actually Ashdar, and attempts not only to kill Estmor's royal family through Belperi's agents but also to take over the country by leading it against Belperi.

Evil Under Dragon's Claw Garem Bonesplitter, a dwarven necromancer, sought out the King's advisor, Edath Redshadow, to offer help in the mining operations of the metal-rich Kingdom of Irondale. Edath listened to the dwarf's elaborate plan to create undead slaves to work the mines and save people from the dangerous work. She gave him her blessing and her crest medallion to identify him as her steward. Reports come in of undead wandering the lands near Dragon's Claw. Patrols have not returned. Now the King, Edward Ironblade, wants adventurers to investigate and end the rumours. Edath hires the PCs to find out what's happening. She tells them she may have made a mistake with Garem.

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Campaign Seeds Edath is a lich who plans to control the kingdom with her undead minions and allies. Garem is now under her control, and has opened an ancient tomb buried deep beneath Dargon's Claw, the tomb of a dracolich.

A Kingdom of Gnolls The inhabitants of the nine hamlets in the Borash Valley, a large dormant volcano, have disappeared. Signs show gnolls are to blame. Gnoll tribes have banded together and seek to carve out their own nation, starting with the valley. The gnolls are guided by their high priestess, Eleelynne Razormane, a former elven slave who proved her loyalty to the tribe. With her ally Grazdoomfyr, a powerful demon, she seeks to gain revenge on those who left her to the gnolls. Her goal is to destroy the land of humans and elves, and create a nation of gnolls under her rule. Soon they will expand to control more lands and their raids grow strategic in nature. Unknown to Eleelynne, Grazdoomfyr seeks to reactivate the volcano and create a nation linked to the abyss where demons can run freely between planes and eventually enslave the mighty gnolls as their own minions.

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The Travelling Sideshow of Spectacles and Delights Zim Rodrigues is the twisted but charismatic ringmaster of the Travelling Sideshow of Spectacles and Delights. He travels the world and stops in villages and towns to entertain the masses. The amazing Majenta Wyldthyme is the star of the show. Zim has a sinister motive. Those who attend his show are afterward affected by a strange malady. They lose all the joy of life, becoming forlorn and depressed. The sideshow has come and gone from the PCs' hometown. Alderman William Journey asks the PCs to investigate the strange affliction that curses his people. If they connect it to sideshow, can they then track it down? Mercenary Fash Kurvon also hunts Zim, but can he be trusted? The truth is Zim is stealing people's souls, but he's using them to power a binding ritual that keeps a powerful and evil outsider from entering our world.

The Diamond Mind In the summer of 1897, London, the city of clockwork science, prepares for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Amidst the excitement are worried rumors: extranaturals, people with psychic powers like empathy and telekinesis, are becoming more common and more dangerous.

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Campaign Seeds Joseph Chamberlain, well-known politician, has kidnapped Archibald Spire (the renowned clockwork inventor) and schemes to replace Queen Victoria with an automaton. Chamberlain employs the empathic assassin Whisper as his right-hand man. Whisper knows nothing of Chamberlain's full plot: to use the clockwork Queen's authority to wipe out all extranaturals. Dory Locke, a telekinetic thief with a clockwork arm, turns to the players to help her rescue Archibald, her friend, and uncover the plot. The scheme goes deeper than even Chamberlain realizes. He is being controlled by a powerful telepath, Facet, who plans to take unopposed control of London once the other extranaturals have been wiped out.

The Angry Widow The kingdoms of Topanna and the Reach Of Ambin warred against each other for centuries without any major wins and terrible losses on both sides. Verbena was a simple housewife whose husband and sons fell in war. In desperation, she turned towards necromancy trying to resurrect her family, but ultimately failed. Instead, she was transformed into a powerful lich whose only remaining emotion is wrath. She swore to destroy Topanna and the Reach of Ambin using her necromantic powers to raise an army of the vengeful soldiers who died in this pointless war. Her primary goal is the death of King Owain IV of Topanna and roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds Great Monarch Evermund II of the Reach Of Ambin, but she will destroy everything and kill everyone in her path. The PCs’ task will be complicated by the fact that either side may shun them if they approach the other side.

To Catch a Gnome Killer The trading town of Breydriche is widely known for the peaceful coexistence of the elves, gnomes, and humans who live there. Hence, everyone is shaken to the core when gnome corpses are found, each of them bearing an identical magical sign. Soon a human, the blacksmith Staiss Drunval, is accused. Yet, there are major doubts he is the murderer. Secretly instructed by human councilor Urs Toight, the PCs investigate and find out Staiss is indeed innocent. A hunt for the true murderer begins. Elvish councilor Kihatale and gnomish councilor Strishquold want to see a culprit, before further damage is done to society. In secret, Kihatale backs a group of elvish clerics who hunt down a gang of gnomish cultists. The gnomes, as directed by their evil goddess, aim to disrupt trade and bring chaos upon Breydriche and all of its citizens.

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Forged of Iron The Iron Plains are rich in iron, making magic rare in the mining towns along the King's Road. Weyar, dwarven warrior and matriarch of Knifehold, has been stealing and hoarding iron. The dwarves of Knifehold are forging a gigantic iron golem. Weyar plans to conquer the Iron Plains and forge her own nation. Feron, mayor of Rail, has allied himself with Weyar to keep her from revealing his lycanthropy. Meanwhile, Grinnark the Gruesome, chief of the Bloodspike goblins, binds fire spirits to take revenge against Weyar for the death of his son. Tya Treemind, druid and the protector of the woods, opposes the iron mines and works with the Fey to destroy the iron deposits. Little does Tya realize the extent of their plans: once the iron deposits are gone, the Fey will be able to enter the Iron Plains in force.

High Stakes in Greymoore The stakes are high. Queen Brunhilde is at the end of her rope. The evil and insane Steffan Warlock threatens to destroy all of civilization. The city of Greymoore is the main city on the continent. There have been few attempts to explore further. The main information broker, Kurtrik Snak, a sleezy kobold, has been rumored to know more about Steffan. roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds What the PCs don't know is Queen Brunhilde is actually behind all of this and Steffan is just a scapegoat to take attention from her. Once the PCs start adventuring, she will attempt to have them collect various artifacts to help her evil campaign.

Kildred's Legacy Hundreds of years ago, Kildred the Bloody raised an army of mystical creatures from the wilds of Hallfree, wreaking havoc on the land before the six keeps of the continent banded together to end Kildred and his monster army. Today, history seems to be repeating itself. Sarthan Granitebeard, king of the dwarven keep of Ironridge, dispatches the PCs, who are a special forces part of his guards, to investigate rumors of monsters gathering from all corners of the continent in the Cairnwood Forest. When they arrive, the PCs find none other than Sarthan's head Wizard, Norlin, controlling all of the beasts gathered there with a device not seen since Kildred's death. The PCs escape, only to find Ironridge has been destroyed by monsters since they left. Now, they must once again rally the politically split keeps in Hallfree to fight against this menace, before Norlin destroys everyone!

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The Windspires The Windspires have stood for a thousand years, keeping vicious elemental storms contained to the south. Their magic is fading and old threats arise. The city state of Okaris was once the jewel of the south, but is now a crumbling trade city. South, past the Windspires, is the Sea of Black Glass, a heatblasted desert. Leshva is a powerful oracle of the Broken Spears, a pride of lamia seeking revenge on old foes. She found an old weapon capable of bringing down the Windspires. Ferah Nim is a well-connected changeling being recruited by the Broken Spears. Harrkin Ruul is an ancient, disgraced djinn trapped in the shadow of the Windspires. The paladin Qui Dys is a devout follower of the nearly forgotten Lady of Stars. Leshva's weapon itself is the cause of the storms, and shattering it could save Okaris, but releasing its prisoner could be the worst of all.

The Stained River The river running through Eeltown has turned a dark, pungent purple. Anything that drinks from the water has begun to painfully, slowly shrivel, skin wrinkling in on itself. The town apothecary, Albert Stoutworth, is offering a reward to the more intelligent adventurers in town to go find the source of the problem. Secretly, he sends them into a trap of roleplayingtips.com

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Campaign Seeds hired mercenaries lead by the sly Grim Delver. Once the adventurers leave, Albert sells a cure to everyone in town and quickly becomes rich. Once the adventurers deal with the mercenaries and find the cause, a magical goblet that pours out the blood of a god when overturned, they return to a town effectively now owned by the villainous Stoutworth.

Tyranny of Pandraco Pandraco the Dragon King rules the mountains that separate the nations of the Eight Virtues. He seeks to keep the nations separate and bend them to his will. And unless he is stopped, everyone will become his slaves. The nations were united under Emperor Hadrian until Pandraco cast the lesser moon from the heavens. This broke the moon gates used to travel between them, and they fractured and split apart. Before his death, Hadrian forged the Bladehex, a set of powerful swords, to slay Pandraco. Now Montrose, a descendant of Hadrian's court wizard, is trying to activate the gates again and find the swords. And Gui Savant, a knight in black armor, is recruiting an army to fight Pandraco. The swords are rusted with age and useless in their current form, but they will renew themselves magically if they are bathed in Pandraco's blood.

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The Arcane Renaissance The world is changing as cheap magic items become available to the masses. But creating them requires many monster body parts. The PCs work as monster hunters for the wealthy industrialist Lord Raunt, although most of their interactions are with his lovely assistant, Alysine. The monsters, some of which have been driven to the brink of extinction, band together under the leadership of the oncenoble silver dragon Kaliya. They form an army to the north and strike back against Raunt's operation. Can the PCs stop them before the death toll grows? And if successful, do enough monsters remain to supply the growing magic item trade? Secretly, Lord Raunt researches a way to make magic items using demi-human parts instead of monster parts, especially magical races like gnomes and elves. His trusted assistant, Alysine, is really the dragon Kaliya in disguise. Can she recruit the PCs to her side?

Eclipse of Dusky Terror The evil Moon Goddess, wife of the Sun God, takes her orb in the astral plane and blocks the Sun God's orb. The world is cast in permanent eclipse, a never-ending dusk where emboldened terrors gain stronger footing daily. Cults blossom.

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Campaign Seeds Cordon Stavegrimace's cult becomes strongest and leads the others in a bid to rule the land for his mistress, the Moon Goddess. But the moon orb is starting to boil, and the goddess must gain quick victory or find a way for her horrific servants and races to flee to Eayrth. However, the Eayrth Goddess (and mistress of the Sun God) has other plans that involve a band of heroes prophesied to fight the dusky doom.

Vengeance of the Serpent Prince A charismatic snake leads reptile men out of the nearby swamp to slither the city's sewers as a new guild of thieves, kidnappers, and assassins. Unknown to the evil King and Queen, the snake lord is their polymorphed youngest son who seeks vengeance against uncaring parents, the wizard who cursed him, and a corrupt city. But the Prince must watch his back. Ss'Isiphus is the former leader of the snake men. The Prince usurped him, and Ss'Isiphus plots to lead his tribe again one day soon. But first he must win the back loyalty of his shaman S'Shassar who sees Ss'Isiphus as weak. It's up to the PCs to help friends afflicted by the new Thieves' Guild. But will they stop the Prince to save the people or help the Prince to save the city?

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One War to Rule Them All Civil war threatens the region as villages and towns raid each other, leaving bodies, ruined property, and broken families in the crossfire. A lawless giant with an army of orcs and half-orcs operating out of an abandoned dwarven mine leads the attacks. Using disguises and false clues, he pits communities against each other to instigate a full-scale war. However, the High Priest secretly funds the giant. He will swoop in when secular leaders are weakened from war to unite and rule the region himself. The PCs must foil this plot to save the realm from fratricide.

The Hidden Relics of the Mad Gods The gods of war, thieves, and dark gnomes wage a capricious contest, pitting their followers against each other while causing mayhem and suffering in the world as a bonus. They've hidden several artifacts in places above and below the land and cajole their chosen champions to recover them first. The PCs join the hunt at the behest of a mysterious patron. Soon, they are caught in the cross-fire as questers decimate villages, sacred grounds, graveyards, dungeons, city districts, monuments, and wonders in their destructive searches, much to the deities' delight.

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Campaign Seeds But the big questions is, what will the finders do when they discover one of the items, unknown to the three gods, is a god-killer? And what will the PCs do when they learn their patron is another evil god looking to slay his peers with the artifact?

Verdant Heart Bleeds The sacred forest of Verdant Heart birthed the deep elves, the centaurs, and the first human settlements. Nowadays, it attracts tomb robbers and looters who delve into its many ruins, abandoned cities, and caves. Worse, the forest is dying, despite frantic elven and druid intervention. And no one suspects all its secret sites are being connected by tunnels, which is the source of the disease and its spread. A diabolical alliance between a clan of deep dwarves and dark gnomes, lead by the crazed Nine Eyes, dig furiously night and day. However, Nine Eyes is just a puppet of Alocer, a Devil Prince who seeks to turn the region into a new staging ground in his war against the Demon Lord Nehazrapon. The forest will perish soon, and the land with it once deprived of Verdant Hart's eco-sustenance, if the PCs do not defeat Alocer and his minions.

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The Perilous Clouds of the Sky Realms The PCs discover a strange cave. After much struggle, they clear the dungeon, only to discover they're actually in a buried ancient airship. Serenity meets Forgotten Realms, perhaps. Meantime, Cutlass Kroat has uncovered a similar ship far away and uses it to attack villages from the sky. Four more such ships await discovery, and soon war will rage in the skies. This activity threatens Soar, King of the Rocs, and the war becomes perilous for all. But all this is a precursor to an imminent air elemental invasion, for the Air Emperor will not tolerate landers tainting the sky."

The Dead Tide Three centuries ago, the armies of the Ghoul King of Togora were defeated, shattered by the voice of Andowin, the greatest bard known since the golden age of the Imperium. Now the vampire lord Xillibas Durn has arisen and assembles the dead for war. The thriving city of Ithicus looms under threat of the Dead Tide. Horget, a music loving gnoll cast out from his tribe, has been chosen by prophecy as the Dirgest. Zava Poh, who saw her monastery fall to the Dead Tide, is a young monk out for justice. Savagris Tempse is an aged battle mage of Ithicus who

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Campaign Seeds made a pact with Durn, and seeks to trade the city for lichdom. If Ithicus falls, it becomes a seat of power for the Dead Tide and bisects the most critical trade routes between the east and west. But Durn does not act alone. The Ghoul King commands him from his sword.

Journey to the Moon For the first time in a thousand years, the planet will pass close enough to its once-lost moon to facilitate travel, and a gate is hurriedly constructed to send explorers through. Upon arrival, they meet Aegesalath, a silver dragon trapped on the moon when it first left the planet's orbit under mysterious circumstances. Before the PCs can return to report their findings, the crystal powering the portal fails. They delve deep into the strange ruins dotting the moon, searching for a new power source. They are hindered by a mysterious Caretaker, an insane man trapped along with Aegeselath. Other NPCs include Morgomir, an ancient shade sworn to vengeance, and Celec, a selfserving freelancer who followed the team through the gate. The team soon stumbles onto evidence that the moon was intended to be a prison for some great evil, which they must discover before they inadvertently unleash it upon the unsuspecting world.

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Contributors Thanks to the following Roleplaying Tips readers, and congratulations to them for their imagination and for taking the time to write campaign seeds: 1soni, Aaron Burke, Aaron C., Andrew "That One GM" Young, Andrew D. Joines, Andrew Wade, Andy Glenn, Archangel, Brad Russell, Brian Dixon, Buddy Derfelt, Chris Jarvis, Christopher Martin Olson, Craig Cartin, Daniel Brouwer, Daniel Gent, David, David + Kari, David Tregurtha, Dennis Desroches, DM Jen, Dominick Riesland, the Rabbitball, Dozy Jones, Duskilas, Felipe T. Holzmann, Glenn Vandre, Greg Shafer, Grumpf, Hudson Blair, Jack Butler, Jaime Sevilla, Jakob Foersom, Jeff McFarland, Jeremy Brown, Jesse C Cohoon, John Fredericks, John Kerpan, John W Pratt, Kari, KB, Koalford, Kurt Pearson , Lorenzo Pepe, Loz Newman, Lucas MacKay, Mads Ingdal, Mal "Boulder" Martin, Mark Macedo, Matthew O., Melissa Macunado (Arlesienne), Michael Hutchinson, Miri R., Nathan Martin, Nathan S. Forrester, Nicholas Jobidon, nw_meyer, Paolo Pustorino, Phil Nicholls, Raldog, Russell Irwin, Sam Commadeur, Sebastian Reid, Seth L Damas, SoapyGlint, Tony P, Tony Sailer, Vance Atkins, William J. Scott III.

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