Post by yakk on May 15, 2020 21:47:34 GMT
So I'm working slowly on a campaign+world.
The basic idea is that there are 13 MacGuffins. Getting a MacGuffin gives you a significant power boost (including gives you a level).
(The MacGuffins are dragon eggs; their birth heralds a big change).
The PCs "accidentally" (ok, fate) find MacGuffin #1 in their first adventure, which (a) gives them clues where more are, and (b) releases signs and portents that other "rivals" also notice and start chasing them.
The PCs get "1 for free", and then as time passes the Rivals become more and more likely to either (a) snarf up a MacGuffin before the PCs do off-screen, or (b) show up at the same time.
Some of the Rivals I want to be "friendly" Rivals, "scummy" Rivals, and others I want to be jackbooted thugs (obviously bad guys).
Sort of Indiana Jones style. But instead of 1 or 2 things in play, 13 of them.
I have a few world powers sketched out as well; some are going to be official representatives.
1) A sea-side kingdom, built on the ruins of an ancient empire, blockaded by merfolk.
2) Some mountain-top dwarves unearthing dawn war artifacts, building airships and warforged.
3) A raiding Island-folk who have recently tamed Wyverns and are spreading their wings.
4) A Heavenly Empire with a huge fortified wall surrounding the kingdom, expanding through copious loss of life into the wilderness.
5) Pastoral farm-folk who use primal magic to generate beasts of war and labour.
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As a source of adventure hooks, the PCs have a bookish scholar (who provides them info about #1 MacGuffin, and then more trickle in).
Rival ideas I can think of:
1) Jackbooted thugs. These could really come from any of the 5 world powers above.
2) Another branch of the Cult they defeated in MacGuffin #1 adventure.
3) The HillFolk they negotiated with in MacGuffin #1 adventure (not quite an ally).
4) The merchant guild that sponsored 1 or more of the PCs to look into the trade problem that led them to MacGuffin #1.
5) A secondary prince/heir of one of the above empires, looking for glory.
6) Private agents of a necromancer whose goal is to suck the life out of the MacGuffins to generate power; this necromancer can "level up" to lich this way (for T3/4 rivalry).
7) The "bookish scholar" themselves, who themselves (or their organization) decides to bypass the PCs when they realize what is going on.
8) A guide or helper they hire in MacGuffinQuest 1-3 who goes off on their own.
9) A hero reborn from the time of legend, who knows the prophecy (better than the PCs, or so they think), and thinks of this time as a bunch of ignorant savages who don't know what they are doing (which, honestly, will be true).
10) A MacGuffin itself, acting as its own agent.
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Now I'm also aiming for a "rebirth" theme, and as yet none of the above rivals carry that connotation. Maybe I need a renavent?