D&D 4E Idea -- the Lost City
So I have this idea for a D&D campaign. Maybe some day a product I can sell.
The characters were "regular" folks in a fairly normal, non-magical medieval world before their city got lost. They were barons preoccupied with mundane politics, court astrologers, wardens of the King's hunting grounds, temple priests, and so on. Sure, they'd read about magic and elves and dragons, but those things were myths.
One morning, their city was overrun by monsters: dragons, goblins, gargoyles, the works. It was chaos. Tens of thousands of people were killed or enslaved. The rest huddled together in safe places.
Some tried to flee the city. They quickly learned that the city wasn't where it used to be. It had somehow been transported to another world. Outside the city's old walls was a jungle of maneating trees, 100-foot dragons, and other terrors too awful to contemplate! Someone--perhaps of this new world, or possibly of the old--had thrown up some kind of magical barrier to keep more awful things from coming into the city, but it also kept the city's remaining inhabitants (monsters and all) inside.
The new world has a transformative effect on some of its citizens. The player characters are affected by it more than others, it seems. They're changing, absorbing the magical energy of the world, and gaining strange powers. In short, they're becoming D&D fighters, paladins, wizards, sorcerers, clerics, rogues, and the like.
Theoretically, the transformations could include a change of race, too. In any case, the game focuses on how "regular" folks deal with this onslaught of magical threats while shifting into some other form. Some may love it, a dream come true; others may just want to go back to the mundane world of bakeries and bartering.
The city is changing politically. Some of the old citizens see the new order as a huge opportunity to live a better life. Evil comes out of the woodwork, and some of those ambitious people are gaining new powers, too. Some make deals with the "locals," teaming up with goblins and other monsters.
Why is the city "lost"? Where is it? How do people get home? Why are the people transforming? Who put up the protective barrier? Is it meant to keep things out or keep things in? Are there any secret ways in and out?
Ideally, I'd like to run this every other week or so. Maybe on a weeknight (like 6-10 and we'll order pizza or something) if local people want to play; otherwise, on one Saturday a month. This would be a pretty traditional D&D 4E game with the usual XP thing and leveling and all. If you're local and want to play, raise your hand.
The characters were "regular" folks in a fairly normal, non-magical medieval world before their city got lost. They were barons preoccupied with mundane politics, court astrologers, wardens of the King's hunting grounds, temple priests, and so on. Sure, they'd read about magic and elves and dragons, but those things were myths.
One morning, their city was overrun by monsters: dragons, goblins, gargoyles, the works. It was chaos. Tens of thousands of people were killed or enslaved. The rest huddled together in safe places.
Some tried to flee the city. They quickly learned that the city wasn't where it used to be. It had somehow been transported to another world. Outside the city's old walls was a jungle of maneating trees, 100-foot dragons, and other terrors too awful to contemplate! Someone--perhaps of this new world, or possibly of the old--had thrown up some kind of magical barrier to keep more awful things from coming into the city, but it also kept the city's remaining inhabitants (monsters and all) inside.
The new world has a transformative effect on some of its citizens. The player characters are affected by it more than others, it seems. They're changing, absorbing the magical energy of the world, and gaining strange powers. In short, they're becoming D&D fighters, paladins, wizards, sorcerers, clerics, rogues, and the like.
Theoretically, the transformations could include a change of race, too. In any case, the game focuses on how "regular" folks deal with this onslaught of magical threats while shifting into some other form. Some may love it, a dream come true; others may just want to go back to the mundane world of bakeries and bartering.
The city is changing politically. Some of the old citizens see the new order as a huge opportunity to live a better life. Evil comes out of the woodwork, and some of those ambitious people are gaining new powers, too. Some make deals with the "locals," teaming up with goblins and other monsters.
Why is the city "lost"? Where is it? How do people get home? Why are the people transforming? Who put up the protective barrier? Is it meant to keep things out or keep things in? Are there any secret ways in and out?
Ideally, I'd like to run this every other week or so. Maybe on a weeknight (like 6-10 and we'll order pizza or something) if local people want to play; otherwise, on one Saturday a month. This would be a pretty traditional D&D 4E game with the usual XP thing and leveling and all. If you're local and want to play, raise your hand.