So I'm struggling with how to start my adventure. I've got the general campaign arc figured out, and I have a good idea for the first session, I just don't know how to start it. I want something that hits the ground running, starting the party in the middle of the action.
The campaign starts with the assassination of the Sovereign, a sort of holy emperor of the setting. How can I make the adventure kick off in a way that makes this relevant to the party? I considered having the party be framed for conspiring to assassinate the Sovereign, but I'm not too tied to that idea since I can't make the prison angle seem exciting, nor can I figure out how they would prove their innocence. So either new ideas on how to start the adventure, or ways to improve the prison idea would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading, and thanks again for any help!
You could start them out on the run, no prison. It’s immediately after the assassination and they realize their own compromising circumstances.
They could be witnesses and the assassin knows who they are.
They could be witnesses, but the actual assassin or circumstances are so obsurd, nobody believes it and they have to prove it.
One character is blood related to the sovereign and tasked themself to getting to the bottom of it.
As above, but the religious order of the sovereign requires the entire bloodline to be exterminated when a new godhead is selected.
Death of the godhead disrupts all magic until a new sovereign is identified. One of the characters is tasked with this or with protecting the chosen one (like the Golden Child). All magic follows wild magic rules if the chosen one is in danger.
The society is highly religious and superstitious. People must be chosen to avenge the sovereign, and this is done by lot/other method of divination. It just so happens that the people chosen are the party.
Maybe they work as servants of some royals that were prestent at emperors castle that day. PC had to fulfil duties "bring me fresh wine" etc and saw the assasination
The party are all childhood friends of the third son/daughter of the sovereign. They are visiting the prince(ss) for a hunting trip or whatever when the sovereign is killed and their good friend is abducted/trapped in a pocket dimension/banished to another plane/something by the assassins. They all want to avenge the assassination, but the sense of urgency comes from the possibility that their common friend could be still alive, suffering etc. No one else witnessed the abduction so only the party knows the truth of that and only they can act (while the rest of the royal types deal with the chaos of succession).
1. They were summoned before the Emperor for a conflict in the streets with another adventuring group. The Emperor is assassinated while they are present by the other group or by a strange figure that disappears as quickly as it appears. All the court goes into uproar and the group manage to slip away to an uncertain future.
2. The Emperor awards one of the party members with a post humorous medal for the heroics of their father. They are taken into his private chambers where a group breaks in and tries to kidnap the emperor.
3. The empire mourns the death of their leaders son, from a mysterious illness. In the week that follows, the emperor himself comes to the party under the cover of secrecy, to tell them that his life is in danger and that he needs them to track down his long lost (or illegitimate) son who is now heir. He respected one/some of the groups father/s and he needs someone unanimous because he fears that his own life is in danger. The Emperor is assassinated the next day.
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So I'm struggling with how to start my adventure. I've got the general campaign arc figured out, and I have a good idea for the first session, I just don't know how to start it. I want something that hits the ground running, starting the party in the middle of the action.
The campaign starts with the assassination of the Sovereign, a sort of holy emperor of the setting. How can I make the adventure kick off in a way that makes this relevant to the party? I considered having the party be framed for conspiring to assassinate the Sovereign, but I'm not too tied to that idea since I can't make the prison angle seem exciting, nor can I figure out how they would prove their innocence. So either new ideas on how to start the adventure, or ways to improve the prison idea would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading, and thanks again for any help!
You could start them out on the run, no prison. It’s immediately after the assassination and they realize their own compromising circumstances.
They could be witnesses and the assassin knows who they are.
They could be witnesses, but the actual assassin or circumstances are so obsurd, nobody believes it and they have to prove it.
One character is blood related to the sovereign and tasked themself to getting to the bottom of it.
As above, but the religious order of the sovereign requires the entire bloodline to be exterminated when a new godhead is selected.
Death of the godhead disrupts all magic until a new sovereign is identified. One of the characters is tasked with this or with protecting the chosen one (like the Golden Child). All magic follows wild magic rules if the chosen one is in danger.
The society is highly religious and superstitious. People must be chosen to avenge the sovereign, and this is done by lot/other method of divination. It just so happens that the people chosen are the party.
Maybe they work as servants of some royals that were prestent at emperors castle that day. PC had to fulfil duties "bring me fresh wine" etc and saw the assasination
The party are all childhood friends of the third son/daughter of the sovereign. They are visiting the prince(ss) for a hunting trip or whatever when the sovereign is killed and their good friend is abducted/trapped in a pocket dimension/banished to another plane/something by the assassins. They all want to avenge the assassination, but the sense of urgency comes from the possibility that their common friend could be still alive, suffering etc. No one else witnessed the abduction so only the party knows the truth of that and only they can act (while the rest of the royal types deal with the chaos of succession).
1. They were summoned before the Emperor for a conflict in the streets with another adventuring group. The Emperor is assassinated while they are present by the other group or by a strange figure that disappears as quickly as it appears. All the court goes into uproar and the group manage to slip away to an uncertain future.
2. The Emperor awards one of the party members with a post humorous medal for the heroics of their father. They are taken into his private chambers where a group breaks in and tries to kidnap the emperor.
3. The empire mourns the death of their leaders son, from a mysterious illness. In the week that follows, the emperor himself comes to the party under the cover of secrecy, to tell them that his life is in danger and that he needs them to track down his long lost (or illegitimate) son who is now heir. He respected one/some of the groups father/s and he needs someone unanimous because he fears that his own life is in danger. The Emperor is assassinated the next day.