DnD Homebrew Campaigns

[Surf314]

I've been asked to DM for a campaign so our friend (who is currently DMing) can play a character not that the 5e player rules are out. Our group is mostly librarians and their SOs (who also like books) so I thought up a premise for a cool campaign involving various literature. The background of the campaign is that a so far unidentified evil dragon (I have not figured it out yet) is pulling stories from our dimension and warping them to suit his own purposes. Stories have a bit of magic in them, magic that effects peoples hearts and minds. Its not a lot, but it can quickly add up to powerful magic. The dragon is taking the stories to rip them apart and steal that magic for himself. The goddess Lirr (DnD goddess of literature and shit) summons the party to make sure this doesn't happen. I'm thinking of giving party members that take actions against the stories narrative the opportunity to join the side of the dragon.

Here is what I got so far. I still need to design the dungeons and puzzles, figure out what monsters they will be fighting, etc.

Dungeons and Dragons Library Campaign

Preface

You find yourself walking alone. After some time you reach a small pool about 10 feet in diameter.  You stop and admire the water. It looks clear but as you gaze into it you can see nothing but blackness. You are overcome by an intense feeling of déjà vu. You are alone, but you feel the presence of others. All around you is a thick fog and you can only see about 15 feet in each direction.

If a character chooses to walk away from the pool repeat the above verbatim. If a character wishes to examine their surroundings further go to below.

The ground is a fine shimmering grey sand. The pool seems to call you, like it has its own weak gravity. You sense no danger from the pool but you feel like if you stare too long at the water you will fall in. [If character wants to further examine pool they need to make a Dex saving throw or fall in]

Preface ends once all party members have entered the pool. Give each party member a note that places their character somewhere in a ballroom to set up the first Act. Individualize as needed. Have their armor change in appearance, but not function, to Victorian appropriate attire.

Act 1

The adventurers find themselves at a ball [in Meryton]. The party members get to enjoy the ball, at which their attention may be drawn to a couple that dances together twice. At the end of the ball everyone files out. The party members can try to exit but their way is blocked by some sort of barrier.

A book catches the parties attention, like it is more real than the rest of their surroundings. When a party member opens the book introduce Lirr.

A fresh-faced Oeridian woman with dark blue eyes and long black hair appears. The woman carries a tome that can show any prose, poetry, spell, or artwork ever created. [Lirr gladly cooperates with all who respect knowledge, learning, and the arts, and opposes those that would destroy knowledge and art or hide it from others.]

Lirr appear and talks with the party. Lirr’s attitude is annoyed and generally upset, although not necessarily at the party. Lirr gives the party basic information about what is happening and asks for help, but only when asked an appropriate question. Lirr appears to be bound by certain rules governing her ability to help the adventurers.

Adventurers can’t leave the building until they solve the puzzle that Jane may have been poisoned.

Act 2

They successfully leave the building. Based on Wisdom or Intelligence rolls (character choice?) the party notices the following:

You look up and see the sky but something seems off.  As you look closer you can see that above the clouds the boundary of the world seems to contain letters. These letters are from alphabets you know and many that you don’t know. The letters aren’t fixed but are in a constant state of flux. One particular patch of letters begins to roil. Behind it you think you can make out the outline of a dragon, which quickly disappears. You hear a faint roar, although no one around you seems to be affected.

Party works to recover antidote from cave dungeon. Return with antidote and give to Jane.

Act 3

Party discovers that Mr. Wickham is behind the trouble working for the dragon. When confronted Mr. Wickham escapes, battle ensues with monsters.

Act 5

Party has to rescue Lydia, who has been kidnapped, from Mr. Wickham. After defeating Mr. Wickham the party finds out that Lydia is a huge bitch and also working for dragon. Party has to fight her too.

Epilogue

The party hopefully figures it out and returns saying that Mr. Wickham and Lydia have married and all is right and that Elizabeth should shack up with Mr. Darcy already.

[Surf314]

I kinda want the next part of the campaign to have the party help the Fonz jump a shark. Also if the party is not at the right level to fight the dragon at the end I was going to have them first face Deus Ex Machina, servant of Lirr. I would give him crazy OP abilities but he wouldn't be able to kill party members (they would just fall unconscious instead). The party would either have to beat him outright or come up with some crazy ass plan that would succeed despite all reason. After being beaten Deus Ex drops tokens that will allow the party members to temporarily level to a point where it would be very difficult, but not impossible, to beat the dragon.

I'd appreciate any feedback. I'm thinking of dividing each story into about 4 acts with 4 different play styles. I'm also working out a way for players to work at cross purposes to each other and for there to be a possibility of failing with consequences.

[CaffeinePowered]

From my own time GM'ing, players can and will fuck up every pre-planned bit that you make. Plan to have no plan, for each scenario/act or whatever you want to run do the world building, outline, and a general idea of what you want players to accomplish and let them take it from there.

You can make some 'pre-canned' encounters, but also be ready to make things up on the fly for when things go off the rails.

The first bit of acts you have sounds a bit like a classic Victorian romance novel with some murder and fantasy thrown in. I would propose as well that you could conceivably roll all of those acts into 2 - 4 sessions, and have the campaign continue with players journeying through other stories the dragon is trying to rip apart.

You could be really generic about it, like the second arc is in a sci-fi story, or be super specific (eg. you are now in Ender's Game). Which also could be a lot of fun especially if all of your player base are avid readers.

Also don't be afraid to kill characters....reward creativity and punish ignorance. If there is no tension or no risk involved, its much less fun.

[Surf314]

The way I want to set it up is that each Act can have a success or failure. The failures add to the strength of the dragon and the successes add to the strength of the goddess Lirr. I also want to give party members the ability to defect to the dragons side. At the end the party will have to fight either the dragon or Lirr. If at least some of the party ends up working for the dragon I was thinking of having a fight before the final fight between the party. At parts of the battle the party members will have a chance to persuade another character to join their side.

[Surf314]

Here is an update to my campaign. I just finished my character intros, its sort of a co-authorship of each player's back story I will hand out at the beginning of the campaign. I worked with whatever they told me about their character to try and give them something to ground them into this world I'm building and to sort of set up their motivations and knowledge. I'm hoping that they choose to keep a lot of this information personal, but we will see how it goes Sunday.

Alaine

You feel yourself falling and everything goes black. Gradually your fall slows. You feel like gravity itself is weakening its control over you. You are now floating. Suddenly the black turns into a blinding white light. As your eyes adjust you fear another of your awful visions coming on. The whiteness resolves itself into two groups of shadows fighting each other. Above them you see a mighty dragon doing battle with a beautiful goddess. Their war seems to tear apart the fabric of the world around you. Just as you start to gasp in horror everything returns to black.

A new world begins to resolve around you. You find yourself seated along a wall. You sense your familiar nearby but cannot see it. When you look down at yourself you are shocked to see that you are in a gown of fine muslin with long gloves, a fancy hair ornament, a fan, a dance card, a delicate necklace and earrings, and a beautiful India shawl. You also appear to be quite human.

You decide to wait to see what happens next. You are unsure what information you should reveal to those around you.
 
Seraphina

You feel yourself falling and everything goes black. Gradually your fall slows. You feel like gravity itself is weakening its control over you. You are now floating. Suddenly the black turns into a blinding white light. Your eyes adjust and you are shocked to see the goddess or stories and art – Lirr - before you. This was the goddess you had been studying! You know that Lirr has been plotting something involving stories from an entirely different universe. You believe that Lirr plans to bring these stories into your world so she can lay claim to them, but you know she is not the only one after these stories. Your years of hermitage have opened your mind and allowed you to glimpse certain knowledge. You have a vague awareness of these alien stories, but much of this knowledge was sealed away. Lirr is arguing with another powerful presence. Before you can make out what she is saying the world fades again.

A new world begins to resolve around you. You find yourself seated at the edge of a group of musicians. Bagpipes lay next to you, but you can tell that no one would be especially happy if you began to play them. When you look down at yourself you are shocked to see that you are in a gown of fine muslin with long gloves, a fancy hair ornament, a fan, a dance card, a delicate necklace and earrings, and a beautiful Norwich shawl. You also appear to be quite human.

Two gentlemen approach you from the side. You overhear the following conversation - "Come, I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better dance."

"I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such an assembly as this it would be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with."

The conversation fades behind the din of the ball. Yes, ball, that’s what this is called.

You decide to wait to see what happens next. You are very guarded about the information you have.
 
Mortana

You feel yourself falling and everything goes black. Gradually your fall slows. You feel like gravity itself is weakening its control over you. You are now floating. Suddenly the black turns into a blinding white light. Your eyes adjust and you find yourself face to face with a majestic dragon. The dragon is hidden in a shroud of darkness so you can only make out the outline of its features. The dragon speaks to you:

“Oh, how interesting! I was not expecting you. It must be HER doing. But she doesn’t know you like I know you, does she? Come now – would you like to have some fun? Or is it simply power that you seek? Well, this shall certainly be amusing. I will be most curious to see you choose.”

Before you have a chance to respond the world goes black again.

A new world begins to resolve around you. You find yourself seated at the middle of a group of musicians. In your hands is a viol, which you are instinctively playing to the music that surrounds you. When you look down at yourself you are shocked to see that you are in a gown of fine muslin with long gloves, a fancy hair ornament, a fan, a dance card, a delicate necklace and earrings, and a beautiful India shawl. You also appear to be quite human.

You decide to wait to see what happens next. You instinctively know to keep your encounter with the dragon to yourself.
 
Zaida

You feel yourself falling and everything goes black. Gradually your fall slows. You feel like gravity itself is weakening its control over you. You are now floating. Suddenly the black turns into a blinding white light. Your eyes adjust and you find yourself face to face with the ghost of your father.

“I’m afraid all I have taught you may not be enough for what lies ahead. You are being pulled into a new realm where your wisdom will matter as much as strength. Fortunately you have always had both. And even more fortunate still is that I was able to intercept you before your final destination. Here is my final gift to you, use it wisely. You will soon be caught up in a chain of events whose outcome will be both immeasurably important and insignificant. It is up to you to choose.”

Your father grabs your hands and you feel yourself overwhelmed by knowledge of heroes, loves, wars, deaths, laughter, horror, and so much more that you can barely describe. All of it is alien to you. Before you can say a word the world around you again falls into blackness.

A new world begins to resolve around you. You find yourself seated at the edge of a great dance. When you look down at yourself you are shocked to see that you are in a gown of fine muslin with long gloves, a fancy hair ornament, a fan, a dance card, a delicate necklace and earrings, and a beautiful Norwich shawl. You also appear to be quite human.

Although this angers you, you remember your father’s warning. You decide to wait to see what happens next.
 
Molly

You feel yourself falling and everything goes black. Gradually your fall slows. You feel like gravity itself is weakening its control over you. You are now floating. Suddenly the black turns into a blinding white light. Your eyes adjust and before you is a beautiful woman. She begins to speak.

“Some bards can be trusted with my stories and some can’t. I wonder, can you be trusted?”

As you stare into her eyes you fall yourself fall into a trance. It feels as if your brain is being ripped open and thousands, no hundreds of thousands, no millions of stories are being forced inside. There are too many to focus on and each only leave you with a faint impression of what they are about.

“Don’t disappoint me bard” the woman says as everything fades to black.

A new world begins to resolve around you. You find yourself seated in the middle of a group of musicians. In your hands is a lute, which you are instinctively playing along with the music. The lute feels out of place so after a time you decide to put it down and pay attention to the dance. You seem to instinctively recognize the dances being performed. Their names, although alien, pop into your head: the English Country Dance, the Cotillion, the Minuet, the Boulanger. When you look down at yourself you are shocked to see that you are in a gown of fine muslin with long gloves, a fancy hair ornament, a fan, a dance card, a delicate necklace and earrings, and a beautiful India shawl. You also appear to be quite human.

You decide to wait to see what happens next.
 
Rando

You feel yourself falling and everything goes black. Gradually your fall slows. You feel like gravity itself is weakening its control over you. You are now floating. Suddenly the black turns into a blinding white light. Your eyes adjust and before you stands the goddess of art and stories, Lirr. Being both an acolyte and a cleric the goddess is instantly recognizable.

“Well aren’t you supposed to be kneeling? No matter. I summoned you to perform a service for me. I’m afraid certain rules prevent me from going into too much detail. I’ve also brought you some help, although some might be more helpful than others. Be careful with my things! Look … just seek the book.”

Before you can respond the world fades to black once more.

A new world begins to resolve around you. You find yourself seated at the edge of a great dance. When you look down at yourself you are shocked to see that you are dressed in a long sleeved shirt and waistcoat under a coat and cravat that covers your neck up to the chin. You expect yourself to be blisteringly hot, but you are surprised to find that you are not. You sense magic in your appearance.

Your first encounter with a deity was not quite what you expected. You realize it is up to you to decide how to proceed, but you have the feeling you might want to be careful not to piss off a certain goddess any further. It is up to you what you wish to reveal to the party.
 
Rickard

You feel yourself falling and everything goes black. Gradually your fall slows. You feel like gravity itself is weakening its control over you. You are now floating. Suddenly the black turns into a blinding white light. Your eyes adjust and before you is a great dragon. The dragon has disguised its features and you cannot distinguish what color it belongs to.

“I like you little one,” the dragon says in common, “you never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Do you know any good jests? Here’s one - How do you know if there's a Paladin in your party? Trust me, you'll know.”

Before you can respond the world fades to black once more. Just as the last light fades you hear the dragon whisper wryly “no one will ever believe you.”

A new world begins to resolve around you. You find yourself seated at the edge of a great dance. When you look down at yourself you are shocked to see that you are dressed in a long sleeved shirt and waistcoat under a coat and cravat that covers your neck up to the chin. You expect yourself to be blisteringly hot, but you are surprised to find that you are not. You sense magic in your appearance.

Your first encounter with a dragon was not quite what you expected. You realize it is up to you to decide how to proceed, but you have the feeling your lies might be more believable than this unusual encounter.

[Surf314]

I still need to write a contract from a sinister lawyer that they can find in the Meryton ballroom and start to write the story of Lirr and the dragon for Seraphina, who was a hermit until she discovered this knowledge and it motivated her to start her quest (although the knowledge was sealed away for some reason I haven't decided yet and she can only recover it after successful dice rolls throughout the campaign).

The basic premise of the story is that a young copper dragon became friends with Lirr through his fascination with stories. However, unlike brass dragons, who might have had more respect for the integrity of stories, this copper dragon was fond of rewriting the stories he was told and inserting jests and other things he found amusing. Lirr was upset at this because she believes in stories being fixed and unchangeable. She is fond of stories that are written and hates oral storytelling traditions where a bard can choose to rewrite stories as they tell them. If a bard is to tell a story they need to get it right every time in Lirr's opinion. This leads to a falling out. The dragon finds a way to bring stories from our world into the world of DnD. He needs adventurers to experience them so they can retell their exploits in taverns and pubs, the story becoming more interesting with each telling. Lirr, on the other hand, needs people who are respectful of stories to fix them in a magic book. From then on the story will be unchanging. The campaign is essentially a tug of war between competing interests with the party responsible for how it plays out. Both are responsible for bringing the adventurers into the stories.

The lawyer is how the dragon interacts with the story world, whereas Lirr interacts with it through a magic book given to the party in the beginning.

[Surf314]

Contract is done:

FAUST, FAUST & GOETHE
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
1808 S WOLFGANG ST.
SUITE 666
EIGHTH CIRCLE, THE ABYSS


PHONE:  (555) 867-5309
EMAIL:  MAKEADEAL@YAHOO.COM

January 28, 1813

Mr. Wickham
Somewhere
In England
P&P
The Book

Re: A Matter of the Utmost Discretion

Mr. Wickham,

It has come to my client’s attention that you may have your sights set on a certain young lady. My client is a man of not insignificant means and powers. If you are willing to undertake a certain task my client would be inclined to return a favor for a favor.

As the nature of this task is less than legal, discretion is required and no contract formed would be binding. If you should choose to undertake this task please go to the marked place on the map. There you will find proof of my client’s power and some gifts as a token of good faith.

Put simply, the eldest is soon due to take ill. If you make sure she never wakes, the younger will be yours.


Sincerely,
Dick Faust

I put it in an envelope and then burned it so that the address block and Mr. Wickham was removed. I spaced the text some to make more of it survive. They will find it in a fireplace.

[Surf314]

Here is the backstory I have written out so far. It's divided up into 4 pages, each page will be given to one of the characters on a successful dice roll she can make after a rest. Her character flaw is that she keeps secrets and she also was a hermit that learned something significant about a deity that made her leave her hermitage. She knows that this info is confidential.

Once upon a time, dear reader, a most magnificent dragon named Jörmungandr was hatched of fine copper dragon parentage. Most young copper dragons only have ruddy brown scales with just the finest metallic tint. This dragon’s scales were a beautiful warm and glossy copper right out of the egg. Everything about this dragon was perfect: his horns were perfect, his chin blade was perfect, and his brow plates were perfectly smooth with a soft coppery color.

This dragon wasn’t just looks either! His wit and conversation skills surpassed the wisest of brass dragons and his since of humor easily bested the other coppers. He was already wise at birth, but as he grew he grew wiser still.

Soon the dragon was old enough to set out and collect a hoard of his own. Being a most magnificent creature, dear reader, he of course set out to only find the most magnificent of treasures. Gold and jewels had no interest to him, they were trivial earthly things. What he wanted was something powerful, something magical, something that would leave all who beheld it in awe.

One day he found it. It was a treasure so vast that it could fill many caverns and yet could be carried in a vessel the size of a cabbage. This treasure could be given freely and yet never diminish. This treasure could capture hearts or change lives.

In fact, dear reader, you are holding one of his treasures right now. This most fine treasure was created by none other than the great Jörmungandr himself! However, now that you hold this tome in your hands that is no longer true. All good stories share some authorship with those that enjoy them, and I intend for this to be the best story ever created.

Already my magic has taken hold of you, dear Seraphina. You cannot escape my story now. As soon as you finish this tome it will be wiped from your memory, only to return when the time is right. But fear not, I have no desire to extinguish your life, after all who will be left to tell my story? I make no promises as to your health and well-being, however, and worse may befall you if you ruin my fun. So read on, dear Seraphina, and discover why this tome bears the mark 201 on its spine.
“What’s that in your hands?”

“It’s a magical book filled with all the stories of this world”

“What’s a story?”

“It’s something told or read that describes people and events, often fictional. Stories delight and entertain only intelligent creatures.”

“You are in luck! I happen to be a most intelligent creature and I would be most delighted and entertained if you could tell me a story.”

“I don’t tell stories, I only collect them. It’s kind of my thing - I am the goddess of all stories.”

“Well then I suppose you won’t mind lending me that book then, and perhaps teaching me to read?”

“I will not teach you how to read.”

“OK, but it just means I will have to borrow your book for longer.”

“You are not taking my book! Besides, this has every story ever written. It would take you an eternity to read them all.”

“I just so happen to have an eternity to spend – dragons have long lives you know. What better way to spend it than being delighted and entertained? Besides what is the point of having all of those stories and not sharing them?”

“Fine I will tell you a story if you will leave me alone.”

“Make it a good one then.” 
Thus began a friendship that was, while perhaps not great, certainly entertaining. Lirr was great at keeping a record of all the stories created in the world. She was not great at meeting expectations. The truth is, Lirr hated people, and she was even less fond of storytellers. She loved writers though. Just put it in a book and don’t bother anyone with it. That was her motto.

Our meetings would always begin with Lirr exclaiming “How the hell did you find me?” To which I would tease, “I’m not sure if I’ve told you – but I am a most magnificent dragon. Finding goddesses is just one of the many things I excel at.” After that I wouldn’t leave her alone until she told me a story or two. Or twelve. Sometimes a hundred. I can be very persistent.

The truth is, dear Seraphina, that I was never as good at finding Lirr as she believed. Even the life of a dragon can appear as a blink of an eye to an immortal goddess. Lirr’s noble domain did not stop her from being selfish, an affliction most deities suffer from. Lirr never seemed to notice that every time we met I was a little bigger, a little wiser, and a little more powerful. Eventually I became a master of an ancient magic that is rooted in the foundations of this world. This magic gives me a certain degree of influence over Lirr’s domain. Sometimes, I can even reach beyond it.

But we get ahead of ourselves, dear Seraphina.
 
“And then the brave adventurers slay the dragon and the wealth they find in its hoard saves the kingdom from bankruptcy. Why do you like this story so much anyways? You’re a dragon.”

“As I tell it the adventurers are sent by an evil king who is jealous of dragons. However, once they see how magnificent the dragon is the adventurers know they could never win. So they explain their misfortune to the dragon, who takes pity on the creatures. The dragon returns with the adventurers and overthrows the king. The kingdom is so pleased to be rid of their awful king, and so impressed by the wonderful dragon, that they immediately crown the dragon as the new…”

“What do you mean ‘as you tell it!!!’”

“Well I ran into this brass dragon the other day and you know how they can be. She was going on and on about how great she was at conversation and how lucky I was to have run into her so as to have the pleasure of her company. So to shut her up I decided to tell her a story. And I couldn’t very well end the story with the dragon being killed could I?”

“You made up a story? A new story! One simply based on an old story that I already have in my book? Don’t you know how miserable it is to be the goddess of stories when everyone just thinks they can make up whatever as they go? Six people go on an adventure and now there are six different stories told at the tavern to try and get free drinks. Then in each of those taverns there is always one asshole that decides to retell it as their story so they can try and get free drinks. And god forbid a bard gets ahold of it. Most of my work is just cataloguing all the variations of the same gods damned stories. Oh look, here it is, your new story of the adventurers who go on a quest to slay a dragon.”

And thus ended the friendship between the selfish Lirr and the magnificent Jörmungandr.