So this is the second campaign I've DMed, having only started playing DnD about 6 months ago.
I set this campaign in Azeroth (World of Warcraft), since I've played that game for 13 years and got to be a bit of a lore junkie. It's the world I'm most knowledgeable about and comfortable describing. It's also incredibly similar to forgotten realms, so it took very little work to adapt and fit all the dnd races and classes in.
Because of the Horde and Alliance factions dynamic, I told my players to make Horde characters. The group consists of a kobold Barbarian, a Grung (murloc) artificer, a two-headed ogre warlock, and a half blood-elf bard.
Naturally, my other two players wanted to make characters who were Alliance races. I advised against this, informing them that they would find it very difficult to play these characters with this group. They decided to make alliance characters anyways.
Well, last session the ogre warlock mistakenly released a minion of the great old ones from its prison, and the group was confronted by a squad of Night-Elf sentinels deep in Alliance controlled territory. Now the sentinels are all dead, and one players NG Night-Elf Druid is a now an NPC antagonist under my control.
The group has a new Forsaken (undead) rogue from the Darkmoon Faire that should fit in much better with the group dynamic, and I have a druid who believes this group will destroy all balance in the world to figure out what to do with.
So this is the second campaign I've DMed, having only started playing DnD about 6 months ago.
I set this campaign in Azeroth (World of Warcraft), since I've played that game for 13 years and got to be a bit of a lore junkie. It's the world I'm most knowledgeable about and comfortable describing. It's also incredibly similar to forgotten realms, so it took very little work to adapt and fit all the dnd races and classes in.
Because of the Horde and Alliance factions dynamic, I told my players to make Horde characters. The group consists of a kobold Barbarian, a Grung (murloc) artificer, a two-headed ogre warlock, and a half blood-elf bard.
Naturally, my other two players wanted to make characters who were Alliance races. I advised against this, informing them that they would find it very difficult to play these characters with this group. They decided to make alliance characters anyways.
Well, last session the ogre warlock mistakenly released a minion of the great old ones from its prison, and the group was confronted by a squad of Night-Elf sentinels deep in Alliance controlled territory. Now the sentinels are all dead, and one players NG Night-Elf Druid is a now an NPC antagonist under my control.
The group has a new Forsaken (undead) rogue from the Darkmoon Faire that should fit in much better with the group dynamic, and I have a druid who believes this group will destroy all balance in the world to figure out what to do with.
The simple question that you have to ask yourself is who is the BBEG: an outside character like Malygos, the Lich King, someone from the Burning Legion, etc., someone from one of the factions working against faction goals, or are the factions themselves going to be against each other. The druid might be antagonistic now, but could come to work with the party again if a greater evil is present. However, if the druid will always view the Horde as the greatest evil within the scope of your campaign, then the Druid could very well be the BBEG for your group.
BBEGs will most likely be C'thun and Yogg Saron. In the immediate future, the party has also gotten into quite a lot of trouble with the Steamwheedle Cartel, and owe them quite a lot of money. Next session might involve racing and gambling at the Shimmering Flats Raceway.
I've given each of them a background related story thread that points to the impending Hour of Twilight.
Kobold Storm Barbarian is in search of the missing minor elementals that Kobold societies worship as deities. These tiny elementals have started abandoning their tribes as they return to the Elemental Planes to rejoin with the forces of the Old Gods.
Two-Headed Ogre Warlock is a Tome/Fiend warlock who discovered a book of shadows that led to the sentient dagger Xal'atath. Last game he claimed the dagger from the favoured pet of the Old Gods, Aku'Mai within Blackfathom Deeps. Claiming the dagger triggered a trap that released a powerful minion of the old gods (Soggoth the Slitherer), who is now working towards rallying an army to break the prisons containing the Old Gods, and usher in the Hour of Twilight
Half Blood-Elf bard is an orphan who washed up on the Wandering Isle after being lost at sea, learning to live the life of a Brewmaster, before the opportunity to travel to the lost land of Pandaria presented itself. He traveled to Pandaria, and became a disciple of Chi-Ji, who sent him out into the world beyond the mists to investigate, as the Red Crane of hope can sense hope dwindling in the world as the Old Gods strain at their weakening chains.
The Night Elf druid was investigating the Emerald Nightmare. I'm having vague ideas of her potentially joining the final battle with an army of Night Elves she rallies, but on which side depends on whether my group turns out to be Good or Evil. Right now I'm still not entirely sure which side they fall on. They just instigated all-out war by killing a group of Sentinels, and flooding the entire Western coast of Ashenvale with the earthquake and tidal wave caused by the release of Soggoth. The bard incapacitated her during the fight with the Sentinels. She pissed lol.
And the Murloc Artificer is from the Oracles tribe in Sholazar Basin. The latent titan energy in the land has transformed these Murlocs, making them more intelligent than normal. Taking up residence in an ancient, partially submerged titan facility (The Makers Perch), the tribe evolved even more quickly and began to learn of the titan technologies inside their home. My player's character discovered an old and rundown Titanforged inside the facility and managed to repair him to the point of partial functionality. It would occasionally spout cryptic messages about prisons, old gods and the breakdown of critical failsafes.
So this is the second campaign I've DMed, having only started playing DnD about 6 months ago.
I set this campaign in Azeroth (World of Warcraft), since I've played that game for 13 years and got to be a bit of a lore junkie. It's the world I'm most knowledgeable about and comfortable describing. It's also incredibly similar to forgotten realms, so it took very little work to adapt and fit all the dnd races and classes in.
Because of the Horde and Alliance factions dynamic, I told my players to make Horde characters. The group consists of a kobold Barbarian, a Grung (murloc) artificer, a two-headed ogre warlock, and a half blood-elf bard.
Naturally, my other two players wanted to make characters who were Alliance races. I advised against this, informing them that they would find it very difficult to play these characters with this group. They decided to make alliance characters anyways.
Well, last session the ogre warlock mistakenly released a minion of the great old ones from its prison, and the group was confronted by a squad of Night-Elf sentinels deep in Alliance controlled territory. Now the sentinels are all dead, and one players NG Night-Elf Druid is a now an NPC antagonist under my control.
The group has a new Forsaken (undead) rogue from the Darkmoon Faire that should fit in much better with the group dynamic, and I have a druid who believes this group will destroy all balance in the world to figure out what to do with.
The simple question that you have to ask yourself is who is the BBEG: an outside character like Malygos, the Lich King, someone from the Burning Legion, etc., someone from one of the factions working against faction goals, or are the factions themselves going to be against each other. The druid might be antagonistic now, but could come to work with the party again if a greater evil is present. However, if the druid will always view the Horde as the greatest evil within the scope of your campaign, then the Druid could very well be the BBEG for your group.
BBEGs will most likely be C'thun and Yogg Saron. In the immediate future, the party has also gotten into quite a lot of trouble with the Steamwheedle Cartel, and owe them quite a lot of money. Next session might involve racing and gambling at the Shimmering Flats Raceway.
I've given each of them a background related story thread that points to the impending Hour of Twilight.
Kobold Storm Barbarian is in search of the missing minor elementals that Kobold societies worship as deities. These tiny elementals have started abandoning their tribes as they return to the Elemental Planes to rejoin with the forces of the Old Gods.
Two-Headed Ogre Warlock is a Tome/Fiend warlock who discovered a book of shadows that led to the sentient dagger Xal'atath. Last game he claimed the dagger from the favoured pet of the Old Gods, Aku'Mai within Blackfathom Deeps. Claiming the dagger triggered a trap that released a powerful minion of the old gods (Soggoth the Slitherer), who is now working towards rallying an army to break the prisons containing the Old Gods, and usher in the Hour of Twilight
Half Blood-Elf bard is an orphan who washed up on the Wandering Isle after being lost at sea, learning to live the life of a Brewmaster, before the opportunity to travel to the lost land of Pandaria presented itself. He traveled to Pandaria, and became a disciple of Chi-Ji, who sent him out into the world beyond the mists to investigate, as the Red Crane of hope can sense hope dwindling in the world as the Old Gods strain at their weakening chains.
The Night Elf druid was investigating the Emerald Nightmare. I'm having vague ideas of her potentially joining the final battle with an army of Night Elves she rallies, but on which side depends on whether my group turns out to be Good or Evil. Right now I'm still not entirely sure which side they fall on. They just instigated all-out war by killing a group of Sentinels, and flooding the entire Western coast of Ashenvale with the earthquake and tidal wave caused by the release of Soggoth. The bard incapacitated her during the fight with the Sentinels. She pissed lol.
And the Murloc Artificer is from the Oracles tribe in Sholazar Basin. The latent titan energy in the land has transformed these Murlocs, making them more intelligent than normal. Taking up residence in an ancient, partially submerged titan facility (The Makers Perch), the tribe evolved even more quickly and began to learn of the titan technologies inside their home. My player's character discovered an old and rundown Titanforged inside the facility and managed to repair him to the point of partial functionality. It would occasionally spout cryptic messages about prisons, old gods and the breakdown of critical failsafes.