Commentary?

The last two posts are almost not related to the campaign; included them mostly as a demonstration of how much my plans for the campaign changed as I started talking to the players. I ended up scrapping all that to go with a Diamond Throne/island-hopping structure, a decision I mention only because nowhere is it explicitly reflected in my notes, and because I never fully implemented it, either.

On a related note: does anyone want me to do commentary on these notes? Or just post them? Because the notes do mostly speak for themselves. I could mention things that I never actually bothered to write down, or explanations for various decisions, but I don't know that it's really necessary.

Elemental Themes

Created: December 26, 2006

Air
Autonomy, movement
Air Template—long distance

Earth
Stability, defense
Earth Template—object strength

Water
Words, magic, runes
Water Template—heightened on water

Fire
Courage, honor
Fire Template—more damage

Acid
Tactics, prudence, retreat
Acid Template—ignore hardness

Cold
Consequence, revenge
Cold Template—target slowed

Electricity
Danger, spontaneity
Electricity Template—target stunned

Sonic
Caution, speech
Sonic Template—target deafened

Negative energy
Introversion, hiding, emotion
Corrupted Template—Wisdom damage

Positive energy
Openness, extroversion, judgment
Blessed Template—beneficial long distance

Psionic
Psionic Template—no spell components

Change
Unraveling Template—dispel

Brainstorming

Created: December 26, 2006

• Capture rather than death
• Maps as handouts
• To do this: recon stage, plan missions beforehand
• They have a map (at least general layout) starting out
• Allows strategy planning, reduces tedium
• Home base
• Something else for players to do, during downtime
• Campaign blog – possibly an “in-character” thing
• Mission system?
• Themed character concepts
• Arcana Evolved rules
• Themed characters (echoing world themes)
• Epic—something big, world-shattering going on (maybe)
• Talking/investigation
• Primarily human enemies (more work)
• PCs are different; special
• That’s what makes it epic
• Character themes make them special—one of them is the Fire of the West, Soul of Courage (or whatever); they aren’t just “adventurers)
• Magic is common or uncommon? Either way could work
• Arcana Evolved setting?
• Dragons could be part of the theme/element system
• Less work
• Appearance of PCs makes them potential harbingers of doom
• Return of the dragons
• Dramojh
• When was the last time “they” (whatever they are) were around?
• Have the giants ever been involved?
• Were they all human last time?
• All other times?
• Restricted to this continent?
• Last time—they fought the dramojh? (Lost!)
• How connected are they to the dragons?
• Bring in “Superhero” themes
• That’s what adventurers are!
• (Secret identities? Ooh . . . like that idea)
• PCs are . . . the Justice League! With magic!
• Does this work with element theming?
• Replacement concept?
• Ditch themes in favor of “superheroes”?
• Use it to open up campaign?
• Cool costumes, cool names
• Ordinary/fantastic dichotomy? (Inherent in superhero genre)
• Secret identities might be . . . unfun
• Would they really want to be peasants sometimes?
• Maybe they’re (or one of them is) royalty
• Can’t be known they’re adventuring
• Make secret identity interesting in some other way
• Bring in Ye Olde Theme: What is people?
• Are robots people? (Okay . . . not really relevant)
• Are humans people?
• Some giants might not think so
• Some dragons might not think so
• Are mojh people?
• Rather—are all the core races people?
• Equally?
• Are “supers” people?
• Magic types are supers, maybe
• Akashics are very super-y, though
• None of the classes are really “normal”
• How do their abilities divide them from “normal people”?
• Are there normal people?
• Is there any group better than “normal”?
• Dragons
• Giants
• Humans
• Supers
• Note: don’t use term “supers” in game material
• How can I fit Supers together with the Epic concept?
• Do I want to?
• Is the Supers concept worth scrapping the Epic-ness for?
• Do I need to?
• “Saving the world”: Super and Epic (Super Epic!)
• Original Epic concept (character themes . . .) involved artifacts
• Not terribly super
• Makes it more about equipment
• Get their super-powers from equipment?
• Supers: tapping into the way the world works
• Going back: capture rather than death makes it more super-heroic
• Maybe just heroic . . .
• Other Super things:
• Colorful, dramatic bad guys
• Joker, Syndrome, etc.
• Personal conflicts with the players (characters)
• Distinct style
• Rules based? Gimmick?
• Costumes – this would actually be really cool
• “Batcave” – cool place to go between missions, during missions
• See above: home base
• Relationship with “legitimate authority”
• Side-kicks
• Competent NPCs who really aren’t in the same league as PCs
• Do useful things, speed up play
• “Take care of the hostages—I’ll go after General Doom!”
• Plot hooks “Oh noes! Captured!”
• Wildly varied character powers working together
• Fits perfectly with D&D assumptions
• Deathtraps
• Another good fit
• Very elaborate, wacky traps
• X Epic tasks
• Must be completed to “fulfill prophecy”
• Overthrow Empire (Skaraven)
• Gimmes—for rolls that failure isn’t interesting, auto success

Interested?

Does anyone still want me to post the notes for this campaign? I'm perfectly happy to do so, but I don't want it to be just a self-congratulatory exercise that no one else is interested in.

I don't have much in the way of "adventure notes," exactly, but I have all my notes taken during the sessions, NPC information, and various plans and brainstorming that didn't necessarily pan out.

So . . . just comment here if you want to read that stuff, or if there's anything particular that you want to see/not see.

Session 22 Notes

It's horribly late and perhaps not technically complete, but it is, in some fashion, finished. Everyone was there, we had a good time. If you think of something that I missed, just jot it down and I'll make an edit or two.

Session 22 Quotes

“Oh, god, please don’t kill my cohort.” – Sigrid

“Ah ha ha, I have more hps than Blank, a blurdy blurdy blur.” – Blank

“Mojh are like race traitors. Dracha were born that way.” – Sigrid

“I was going to betray the party, but then I fell in love with Mark and couldn’t do it.” – Jocelyn

“Soern fights Gannen, and nearly dies. No wait, he does die! Hahahaha! Stupid biter!” – Blank

“Gannen, really confused. Monala, giant flaming hydra. Jocelyn, urgh. . . . K’max’s! You are definitely an enemy!” – Sigrid

“All these flame-based monsters are really cramping my style.” – Paerk

“I’m not lying! I’M A PIRATE!” – Blank

“It was put there by wizards. Wizards cast spells. (Therefore, it’s a spell.)” – Paerk (more or less)

“Gannen, do it or I’ll give you the cold shoulder. And I give a mean cold shoulder.” – Blank

“Let’s do this! Hoo-RA! (beat) It’s pirate jargon.” – Blank

“Gannen! Think about sunshine!” – Paerk

“I need to get this power. Then I can be gardener of the world.” – Paerk

“Basically nobody likes zombies.” – Paerk
“Except champions of zombies.” – Blank

“I don’t think it’s treason.” – Paerk
“Not treason? Trying to take over the world.” – Sigrid
“Yeah, but it was in international waters.” – Paerk

Session 22: The Ultimate Showdown

On that door was an inscription. They translated, and it resolved into another, which they also translated. Then someone noticed that there was a place for a key—and Sigrid happened to have the key that Gannen had told them they should take. It fit, and they opened the door.

On the other side of the door was a large room, open room, with several floating platforms spinning around a central pillar of black-veined light. And Monala, sitting in a throne on the other side of the room, cackling. They were immediately set upon by fire elementals, which they fought off while Monala monologued at them. Something about taking over the world, and bringing back the Hora Quan empire, and how they had no hope to survive. And that Lord Morek was working for her. Mostly, they were too angry to care.

Paerk, meanwhile, took advantage of her relative distraction to start sneaking invisibly over to her area.

They defeated the fire elementals, (Soern pulled off some choice moves, combining acid pits and iron walls) but were thereafter joined in combat by K’max’s, the dracha working with Monala—and there were some revelations about Mixastomere’s apparent involvement in the schemes. They were able to take him down fairly quickly—Rellik dispatched him with grace and efficiency—but they were caused rather more trouble when Gannen attacked Soern, who survived only through great heroic fortitude and quick thinking by Jocelyn.

This resulted in some rapid-fire conversation, while Paerk blasted Monala and she started flying around, causing trouble. Apparently, Monala had captured Gannen’s brother (who had indeed been mentioned, once, many months ago) and now he was sort of working for her. Sigrid frantically tried to talk him out of it, while battling K’max’s, and Monala started going on about the how the pillar of light in the center was the source of her power and the Aur Xica had been forged here and how they were all doomed.

Finally, Sigrid got through to Gannen, and the two of them gated to the pillar and cast the Aur Xica into it. (I don’t remember exactly why, it seemed like a good idea at the time. There was something about removing the corruption, but I don’t remember exactly what it was.) Captain Blank iced Monala, Gannen got some weird weather power, and they all went back up to the city to watch the sun come out.

I Got Posted

The Champion of Loyalty got posted on DiamondThrone.com

Just thought that was cool.

Here's a link

Yay!