Friday, September 24, 2021

RPG Campaign Scenario Idea: To Where the Sun Rests

The other day, I remembered the Scottish band Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie, a group that should have been much, MUCH bigger than they were (but I digress)... and when listening to the song that bears their name, an idea for a fantasy adventure scenario came to mind. (The main requirements for making it work is that the game world must have actual gods and other supernatural beings, and it must not be govern by real-world physics and such.


This material is far broader than what's usually posted here at the blog. It is, literally, just an idea that popped into my head, but it's for an entire campaign. If just one person out sees this as a seed for something they can create, I consider it time well spent. (The idea isn't quite suitable for my current D&D campaign, but perhaps in some future one...)



TO WHERE THE SUN RESTS
An Adventure/Campaign Idea for Fantasy RPG Settings


The Beginning
The Player Characters (PCs) are traveling through a remote part of the world when they come upon a town that is completely devoid of any life. It looks like everyone packed up their belongings, loaded them onto wagons that headed in the direction of a massive mountain range that the sun descends behind to recharge every night before it flows through the underworld to rise into the sky again for its daily journey. The gods have commanded those mountains to be off-limits to mortals, and all the religions of the world hold to that commandment.
   Searching the town may allow the PCs to find a few overlooked gold pieces and other minor valuables, but everywhere they look confirms that the citizens packed up and left, seemingly voluntarily. The answer to why all citizens in unison decided to abandon a perfectly safe and sound and seemingly prosperous town seems as if it can only be learned from the people themselves.




The Middle
The PCs can easily track the townsfolk and catch up with them; they are traveling in a massive caravan, moving slowly toward the Forbidden Mountains. Men, women, children; peasants, craftsmen, nobles; all are traveling together, working together, moving their entire community across the plains to Where the Sun Rests.
   All of the town's respected leaders began having dreams and visions a year ago, the priests foremost among them. They where instructed to lead the community to the Forbidden Mountains where their grand destiny would be revealed. A few weeks later, all the citizens were having the same dreams, and so they united in a common cause, packed up all their belongings and followed what everyone agreed had to be messages from the gods.
   The PCs can choose to join the caravan--they will be asked and invited to do so because the townsfolk will welcome the added protection as they head toward the unknown. The PCs can also form advanced scouting parties and clear out threats ahead of the group of hundreds of non-combatants that need protecting.
   The journey to the Forbidden Mountains will take many months, if not years. How frequently something exciting happens along the way is up to the GM. Time can also just pass. Soon after joining the trek, however, the PCs begin to have the same dreams that are driving the NPCs--strange, hazy images of figures beckoning them and moving toward the Forbidden Mountains. Sometimes, whispering voices say that a new world and a new destiny await beyond the mountains where the sun rests. The PCs are informed that they are among the chosen few and that a great honor has been bestowed upon them.
   Any priests, clerics, or other PCs who communicate with divine beings on a regular basis get mixed messages. Some dreams and visions guide them toward the mountains, but others direct them to turn back and to attempt to encourage the townsfolk to do the same. They similarly get mixed messages if they use their "direct channel" to whatever entity they normally communicate with.




The End
The caravan reaches the Forbidden Mountains where they witness any manner of wondrous things. Things get more dangerous and fantastic as they (or maybe just a scouting party with the PCs) head up a pass. Eventually, they reach the place where the Sun Rests but any mortals who get too close are killed instantly by the heat and supernatural energies. Eventually, gods/avatars appear, alternatively urging the group to turn back or to move forward.
   Eventually, PCs and NPCs who have close relationships with divine or other supernatural entities are brought into the presence of such beings. Here, they learn that the world has a very good likelhood of being destroyed as a side effect of a massive battle that's unfolding on other planes, between gods and demons and super-powerful beings. The citizens of the town were chosen by some of the gods to be evacuated to another world so at least some of this one will live on, but other entities either want everyone to die, or want some of the mortals from this world to have a chance to defend it and possible save it.
   The PCs have one of two choices: They can either join with the townsfolk and be evacuated and, quite literally, explore new horizons; or they and a select few of the people from the town, can stay behind and try to prevent the destruction of the current world and thus possibly save billions of lives.

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I hope you at least found the preceding interesting enough a read to not feel like you wasted your time. Maybe I'll do a follow-up post with some NUELOW Games-style random story outline generators to flesh this out. I will have to see if anyone is interested in seeing more.

Meanwhile, here's the song that inspired the above. Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Amazonian Artifacts: Death's Embrace

This post is the latest in our d20 Amazons post series. You can read the first one here, and you can see all of them by clicking on the "Amazons" tag at the bottom of this post.
   Although written with the d20 System in mind, these rules are easily adaptable to other, similar roleplaying games.

THE THREE PARTS OF DEATH'S EMBRACE
The exact origin of the three artifacts (which some Amazon historians refer to collectively as Death's Embrace) are unknown. Some say they were created in response to amorous fairy creatures in the British Isles and vampires in the Balkan mountains. Others say they were a gift from Athena to an Amazon who had caught the eye of Zeus.

Each of the three artifacts that make up Death's Embrace provide the wearer with magical benefits or protections, but when worn together by an Amazon, they resonate with each other to provide a collective enhancement.
   Each of the three items radiate faint magic of an indeterminate type, but that magic seems to grow more powerful if the items are brought together.


THE CUPS OF SWORDS
This piece of equipment is worn on the character's chest, but it does not provide any bonus to AC or DR. The Cups of Swords consists of two, felt-lined metal cups, linked by a small chain that is worn across the wearer's chest and fastened around her by two lengths of adjustable chain and a clasp. A 10-inch long blade projects from each cup.
   Benefits: The Cups of Swords grants the wearer a +2 bonus to all d20 rolls (attacks, attribute checks, skill checks, and saving throws) when grappling. Unless otherwise specifically stated, any successful pin means the opponent has been pulled close to the character's chest and impaled by the cups of swords, suffering 2d8+2 points of damage each round the pin is maintained.
   The Cups of Swords is considered a +2 weapon. The blades are made of magically-strengthened silver. The 2d8+2 stated above includes the bonus.
   Drawbacks: None, except the Cups of Swords and its fastening chain must be in contact with the wearer's skin or the +2 bonus to d20 rolls while grappling is lost.


THE MASK OF REVEALING CONCEALMENT
This dark green mask covers the upper-half of the wearer's face and flares to upward-facing points on either side. 
   Benefits: When held to the wearer's face, it attaches magically to his or her skin. As long as the wearer is alive, the mask can only be removed willingly by the wearer, or through the use of dispel magic, cast at 20th level or higher. (The mask could also be torn from the wearer's face with a successful Strength attribute check [DC22], but that would tear both skin and flesh from the wearer that w but see Drawbacks for what happens if such a violent act is undertaken.)
   When the mask is worn, it provides  +1 bonus to all Bluff, Hide, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot skill checks.
   In addition, the wearer may spot beings who possesses shapeshifting abilities by merely looking at them. The wearer must specify a target, take a standard action to look at it, and make a Will saving throw (DC11). If the save is successful, the character will see a faint, multicolored glow around the target indicating that it is a shapeshifter. The wearer doesn't know what type of being the target is, whether the form it is wearing is its natural form or not, or anything other than it has the natural ability to change between one or more forms.
   Drawbacks: Once applied to a wearer's face, the mask can only be removed if the wearer wishes to remove it and takes a standard action and makes a successful Will save (DC8). The mask can also be ripped or cut from an unwilling wearer's face. This causes 5 hit points of damage and leaves the one-time wearer with a scarred and disfigured face, as well as a 25% chance of suffering damage to his or eyes that causes blindness. This brutal act gives the character a -2 modifier on Charisma-based skill checks if his or her face isn't covered when interacting with NPCs.
   Whoever removes the Mask of Revealing Concealment from its wearer through brutal means is cursed, since the Amazons still retain a favored status among the now-remote Olympians. The brutalizer suffers a -4 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks until the mask is returned to the reigning Queen of the Amazon and the character has gained the forgiveness of the person he mutilated.


THE NECKLACE OF SAFETY
This large necklace consists of 20 unevenly shaped strips of silver and platinum on a pair of linked silver chains.
   Benefits: The wearer gains a +2 enhancement bonus to AC/DR and saving throws made to resist mind-altering drugs and environmental effects, as well as mind-affecting magic and spell-like abilities. (When appropriate, these bonuses stack with those gained from the Cups of Swords.)
   Drawbacks: This bonus does not stack with any bonuses gained from enchantments on items that must be worn or carried by the wearer.





COMBINED MAGIC OF DEATH'S EMBRACE
When all three items are worn together, Death's Embrace, the wearer enjoys the following benefits:
   *All bonuses to saving throws, skill checks, and AC/DR increase to +4. (Those from the Cups of Swords and others stack when appropriate.)
   *The Cups of Swords is considered a weapon of +4 enchantment.
   * The wearer inflicts a minimum of 2 points of damage with any melee or unarmed attack that is successful (regardless of damage reduction or immunities).

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All text in this post is presented under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright 2021 by Steve Miller.