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TOPIC: The Task of the Pearl (campaign workshop) | |
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| Lich_Nexus |  The Task of the Pearl (campaign workshop) |
  Member Since: May 2000  RK: 13 MP: 6,723      | Sunday August 24, 2008 1:21 AM I'm going to use this as both my campaign log and as an aid to provide and example for aspiring new DMs.This campaign takes place in the 2nd Edition campaign setting Al-Qadim. As one would expect, it is a realm taken from the pages of Arabian Nights... Sinbad, Ali-baba, Aladdin, etc. Within that setting, the majority of gaming location will be in the areas known as the Pearl Cities, The Crowded Sea, and the Ruined Kingdoms. Luckily I possess the various Dragon magazine issues featuring d20 conversions of the older 2nd Ed. "kits" into prestige classes. These being the Sha'ir, Holy Slayer, Barber, Mamuluk, and Coursir. Located close to the Pearl Cities is a cluster of cities called The Pantheon League. The League somewhat reflects a Taliban attitude. They only recognize their version of theology and are intolerant to others, sexes are separated, women inferior and wrapped in tents etc. The Pearl Cities are the most tolerant, and in the mind of Pantheist, the most decadent. The Pearl cities gets the name because of the yearly pearl harvest off the coast of two of its cities, Gana and Jumlat. They are bitter rivals due to state sanctioned privateering amongst their captains, and prey on each other. As such, a bitter war is brewing... held off at times before by decree of the Grand Caliph. All this information comes from the campaign setting, as well as the Task of the Pearl. It is with these details I'll forge my campaign... The Pantheists hope to exploit this hostility and has entered a conspiracy to do so. At the closing of the pearl season, the Caliph of Gana holds a festival called The Task of the Pearl. Those wishing to do so offer a great gift to the Caliph, and the person with the greatest gift is titled Warrior of the Task, and is given a court position for a year. The plan is thus: the Pantheists dispatched a lone Holy Slayer to Gana with the plan to become a pearl boat captain. After harvesting some pearls and creating a reputation, the Holy Slayer is going to enter the Task of the Pearl, with the plan on returning the following year and assassinating the Caliph and framing Jamlut for the deed. When war breaks out, the Pantheists can come in and take the Pearl Cities with an Iron Fist and petition the Grand Caliph for annexation as to keep the peace. Only they didn't consider two things: Giant desert scorpions and the PCs...  Pierced from below, souls of my trecherous past Betrayed by many, now ornaments dripping above I you fear, seeing through your lies You I fear, raping of innocent minds |
| Lich_Nexus | RE: The Task of the Pearl (campaign workshop) |
Member Since: May 2000 RK: 13 MP: 6,723 | Sunday August 24, 2008 2:13 AM The players:Jeremy: Human male, Cleric 3 Kim: Elven female, Druid 3 Ron: Human male, wizard 3 Sara: Elven (1/2 high, 1/2 aquatic) female, ranger 1/ rouge 2 Chris: Dwarven male, fighter 3 They had just finished guarding a large caravan to one of the inland Pearl Cities. It was uneventful and paid each PC 50gp. The druid and ranger took oppertunities along the way to collect 3 barrels of cinnimon. Now their task is done they decided to travel to Gana to see what adventure the up-comming pearl harvest might bring. After a week of travel, they come to a "wadi", a seasonal river that runs into Gana's delta. So it is this path they take. First bit of trouble came when they were ambushed by a large sized scorpion. To my chagrin, it worked out the person whom stepped on the buried scorpion was none other than the dwarf with a 20 Con... thus, the poison didn't do shit. He bashed it with his axe while the others shot arrows or hurled spells. The wizard made a critical fumble and hit the dwarf with a glob of acid, so the others had to keep him from kicking the wizards ass after the scorpion was dispatched. Ranger made a spot check and tracked the scorpion's tracks back to it's lair. The wizard and the cleric stayed with the mule and the wagon to guard it. The others went with the ranger. When they arrived to the lair and entered, a female scorpion charged and it was on. Dwarf rolled a critical hit and buried his axe in her head, then crushed her with a shield bash. The druid summoned a dire rat to check the rest of the lair and it located three things for them. Three scorpion eggs, a human leg, and a human torso. On the human torso was an ivory scroll case capped in silver and an odd obsideon bladed kukri. The ranger made a DC 25 search check and found a emerald and a ruby in the boot heel of the leg. When the scroll case was presented to the wizard, it was found to contain a grant to a ship. These were the possessions of the Holy Slayer. A member of The Storm Which Destroys... a group that uses obsideon bladed weaponry in holy slayings. Adventure Hooks: The ship grant Obviously the players are talking about cashing it in and buying a pearl harvest permit and raising some fat capitol. After the harvest, this will lead into entering the Task of the Pearl, which entails the players exploring the islands of the Crowded Seas and/or sailing to the Ruined Kingdoms... later, after some weeks of pearl harvesting, they will return to port to hear the Harbor Master, the person they cashed in the ship grant was murdered. Adventure Hooks: The two gems The ranger/rouge will hopefully sell those gems as to split their value with the other PCs. After she leaves the shop she will be assulted by street thugs "protecting their territory". Possible outcomes... hostility with local thieves guild. Also, if she is alone when doing this, I'll introduce a handsome aristocrat coming to her aid and inviting her to a feast his merchant family is throwing. Potentual coorperate conections... later, she'll hear some street gossip about the merchant who bought the gems from her being murdered as well. Adventure Hooks: Scorpion eggs Not much, just an oppertunity to swap with some wizard for some minor scrolls and potions. Perhaps a mentor for the party wizard. Adventure Hooks: The obsideon blade The cleric suspects something shady with this weapon. When they get to Gana he plans on doing some research. He'll learn they found the remains of a Holy Slayer on a mission for The Storm Which Destroys. They'll start connecting dots, they'll realize they are in some deep shit.... . [[Edited by Lich_Nexus on Sunday August 24, 2008 2:19 AM]] Pierced from below, souls of my trecherous past Betrayed by many, now ornaments dripping above I you fear, seeing through your lies You I fear, raping of innocent minds |
| Lich_Nexus | RE: The Task of the Pearl (campaign workshop) |
Member Since: May 2000 RK: 13 MP: 6,723 | Sunday August 24, 2008 2:39 AM This comes from the Al-Qadim boxed set adventure called Cities of Bone. An adventure called the Genies Terror...So the party contines along the wadi, and on one morning they awaken to find clouds have gathered... the monsoons have come. The cleric in real life was trained in desert warfare, thus when the wadi started to trickle with water he told everyone to "get the fuck out". Luckily they escaped the flash flood that was bearing down on them. I would have given both the ranger and druid a knowledge check to see if they were also aware of that danger as well... but it was moot. However the raging current unearthed something interesting. First they found an inert contsruct known as a Copper Automation sticking out of the muck. As they were investgating a way to retrieve it they found its source as it was guarding a forgotten tomb buried by the ages. So they hoisted the copper automation into their cart, and investigated the tomb. Through the descipher script of the rouge, and the ancient history of the wizard, they were able to discover this was the tomb of a great shiek. In a time when the genies weren't as englighten as they are today, they preyed on the various roving tribes. The shiek had sorcerers of each elemental province work together and forge a sword of great power called Cyclone of the Four Quarters. With this sword, he was impervious to elemental attacks and was able to slay the four races of the genies. Through hubris he later enslave genie lords and forced them to grant wishes. What became of him was lost, but by happenstance, the PCs came across his final resting place, entombed with his sword. After the dwarf bashed the door open, the thief entered first and discovered the floor was cover in muddy soot, a layer hiding all the various glyphs of warding, pressure plate traps, and pit traps. The wizard got a clever idea and used the cleaning cantrip prestitation to slowly clean the floor of the tomb. Then the thief went to work. About midway, i had the wrapped skeletons in the side alcoves attack, hoping to fool them into thinking them mummies, and have them tap resources mainly the cleric's rebuke undead. It didn't pan out that way and they dispatched them easily. They entered the second chamber and were met by the late shiek, a mummy wielding his great sword. The sword protected him so the fire attacks of the PCs were virtually ineffective. The dwarf made a heroic attempt and was able to disarm the mummy's sword... then the druid summoned a small fire elemental and made short work of the mummified shiek. Adventure Hook: copper automation I plan on highlight a Shop of Curious Wares run by a gnomish artificer and a goblin alchemists. The player can excange it for some groovey equipment and get a fat hook-up with these two. Or sale it for scrap metal, or sale it to the highest bidder. Depends on them. Adventure Hook: Cyclone of the Four Quarters This is an artifact, and very dangerous in introduce. But the players were smart enough to figure the genies will not be please about it being unearthed, and decided not to use it. Don't know where this will go as it is a fat trump card concerning barter with the genies. I will include a tale in the pub of a vessel going into a dangerous area to look for pearls, only to barely escape with a few lives. If researched they'll learn that area is indeed ripe with unmolested pearl beds, but the domain of a marid (water genie). Thus they could barter for pearl harvest rights. Unknown to them, the flash flood created an elemental vortex and a water elemental stepped in. What really unearthed the tomb was a fight between the water elelmental and a rouge dao (earth genie). The rouge dao is aware of what lies in that tomb and he watched the PCs leave with the sword in their possession. Next encounter the PCs will be attacked by summoned sandmen so the dao can gauge the PCs power... . [[Edited by Lich_Nexus on Sunday August 24, 2008 4:24 AM]] Pierced from below, souls of my trecherous past Betrayed by many, now ornaments dripping above I you fear, seeing through your lies You I fear, raping of innocent minds |
| Lich_Nexus | RE: The Task of the Pearl (campaign workshop) |
Member Since: May 2000 RK: 13 MP: 6,723 | Wednesday October 8, 2008 11:55 AM Thus far everything is going as planned. I'll also add my aquisition of Sandstorm and Shipwrack was an excellent addition to source material and inspiration.The sandman attack was good as they realized the desert was seemingly striking out at them. They didn't use the sword thus the artifacts recovery is still somwhat unknown to the elemental powers that be. They sold the loot has planned, made the contacts I was hoping to engineer. Player's cashed in said loot for some magic items to be made. I set the resources of the city at 10,000 gold pieces for consideration of maximum fabrication value. The dwarf crafted a set of armor made from the scorpion carapace, and gave it to the druid. He rolled a natural twenty on the DC check, thus not only was it masterwork in which he intended, but i threw in the DMs intervention an added it also feature spiked gauntlets made from the venom sack/stinger that could hold and deliver scorpion poison with a sucessful melee attack. The druid got like 10 doses of venom from the scorpions, but refined them into 4, but with a higher value Fortitude DC. They cashed in the grant and recieved a boat that was confiscated by the state. The previous captian was a bit over-zealous in her privateering. A bit of irony is they hired her out to be their captian, with the ship eventually being turned over to her possession. For this NPC I made her a half-elven bard/honorable dread pirate of an aristocratic background. First was to hire a good crew, in which the captian was essential in that knowledge. They traveled to a small island off the coast to find it about to be besiged by sahuagin. The ranger's 1st favored enemy. They kicked some ass with some good stratigic planning. Introduced an intelligent trident for the ranger. A memento a former adventure turn innkeeper kept of his late aquatic elven friend. He didn't know it housed a splinter of his friend's personality. That done, they started the harvest. I set the normal everday bullshit at 1d10 pearls harvested a day. That coupled with the meat from the oysters equates chump-change to restock supplies, food, spell components, pay the crew etc. For the big adventure money I threw in a old shipwreck turned coral reef now laired by giant electric moray eels encounter. It started with a diver pulling on his rapid ascending emergency cord, followed by the attendent being in turn, pulled into the water. Then the water turned red. The PCs managed to save the sailor by quick action from the cleric and druid. The dwarf made shitty rolls when trying to break a grapple from the eels mouth and damn near died. The ship was once a cargo ship that was bringing in adamantite from an ancient ruined city of the drow. It sunk and the oxidizing adamantite cause the pearls to produce black pearls (in the hull), dark silvery pearls (captian's cabin), and spiraled white/black pearls (top of the reef). What was left of the adamantite was roughly 8 pounds, which the Dwarf is going to craft and magic a dwarven waraxe. On the way back to port in Gana, the came across a sacked vessel in which the crew was hung from the railing upside down, hands tied behind their backs to slowly drown as the ship sank... Pierced from below, souls of my trecherous past Betrayed by many, now ornaments dripping above I you fear, seeing through your lies You I fear, raping of innocent minds |
| Lich_Nexus | RE: The Task of the Pearl (campaign workshop) |
Member Since: May 2000 RK: 13 MP: 6,723 | Friday November 21, 2008 7:57 PM Well, this campaign took a shit.Starting from the first session I had problems with one of the players, always arguing the way I judged things or with various house rules I have. It came to a head over the past month. Him and his wife had some S.C.A. events two weekends in a row, then the following weekends, his wife was sick, and missed one session, then the next week they both flaked on game day after I and the others showed up. Then after that, I had three weekends where I couldn't play. Two I had to work, one with a friend visiting from out of town. What pisses me off was the dude totally bitched about that, and pushed to start another campaign without me. First my Underdark campaign was put off to accomadate this dude and his wife... fine, but now a second one scrapped. I put alot of work into this one, both campaign setting and planar plot in which the PCs would have direct influence with the outcome. More "roleplaying" than I usually do, as oppossed to non-linear dungeon crawls of massive power acqusition and destruction. So I'm a bit pissed. Pierced from below, souls of my trecherous past Betrayed by many, now ornaments dripping above I you fear, seeing through your lies You I fear, raping of innocent minds |
| SisqAlpha | RE: The Task of the Pearl (campaign workshop) |
 Member Since: April 2007  RK: 4 MP: 780 | Saturday November 22, 2008 6:16 PM Rightly so. So are your original gamers willing to shift back to the Underdark campaign? Or is problem child simply going to be cut out of the loop? And off topic: Are you still going to put up that thread to showcase shit? [[Edited by SisqAlpha on Saturday November 22, 2008 6:19 PM]] SisqAlpha took Mother Nature from behind. We refer to it as the Big Bang. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Climb down off your cross, build a bridge and get the fuck over it. |
| Lich_Nexus | RE: The Task of the Pearl (campaign workshop) |
Member Since: May 2000 RK: 13 MP: 6,723 | Tuesday December 23, 2008 8:23 PM Both are on the table, but after the holidays. What thread? And... if things are starting to calm at your house, we can start that nature-based druid campaign you've been wanting. I was thinking: You: Human Druid Wife: Elven Sorcerer allied with the fey (Seelie Court) Cousin: Dwarven Barbarian Boy Shitheel: Halfling Ranger Girl Shitheel: Halfling thief Pierced from below, souls of my trecherous past Betrayed by many, now ornaments dripping above I you fear, seeing through your lies You I fear, raping of innocent minds |
| SisqAlpha | RE: The Task of the Pearl (campaign workshop) |
Member Since: April 2007 RK: 4 MP: 780 | Wednesday December 24, 2008 10:43 AM I thought we were kicking around an Elven Druid for racial access to the longsword and longbow. Maybe Half Elven with only the longbow? Ultimately, I'll leave it up to you. Whatever you decide, I can roll with it.  SisqAlpha took Mother Nature from behind. We refer to it as the Big Bang. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Climb down off your cross, build a bridge and get the fuck over it. |
| Lich_Nexus | RE: The Task of the Pearl (campaign workshop) |
Member Since: May 2000 RK: 13 MP: 6,723 | Wednesday December 24, 2008 12:51 PM Dude... unless you're a chick or playing evil drow, playing elven characters is fucking gay. And shit like that don't fly in my campaigns. If I said that shit, I was high. Druids can use the scimitar, and that is as good as a long sword... but any druid that fights with that over a club and shilleighe spell is a fucking tonze! Not to mention shapechanging into a dire bear! As for ranged, many druidic spells enhance stones to be utilized with a sling. Read your spell lists. It's your character, play what you want. But if i was playing a druid, I'd be human and spend my bonus feat either for martial weapon/great club or for the two-weapon fighting feat, and use a club and dagger... depending on my ability scores for STR and DEX. When you reach shapechange level, transform into a bear or lion for melee fighting. In retrospect, ability with the bow and long sword is no big poo! Also... think on what kind of druid you want to be, what druidic ability you might want to focus on and/or what other core class you might wanna mix into a prestige class. All kinds of shit is possible. Pierced from below, souls of my trecherous past Betrayed by many, now ornaments dripping above I you fear, seeing through your lies You I fear, raping of innocent minds |
| SisqAlpha | RE: The Task of the Pearl (campaign workshop) |
Member Since: April 2007 RK: 4 MP: 780 | Wednesday December 24, 2008 3:54 PM That explains it. I withdraw the elf in favor of the extra feat at start up.SisqAlpha took Mother Nature from behind. We refer to it as the Big Bang. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Climb down off your cross, build a bridge and get the fuck over it. |
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