My players want to run a campaign in the same vein as Overlord or How to not summon a demon lord. In essence, they would be playing godly characters, at least level 20. This will make combat trivial, which is fine. This means I need some non combat conflicts and adventure hooks. I have been brain storming but everything I have is kinda boring. Any suggestions?
I can make a bunch of fights of cr 20+ but 2 things:
first, places like forgotten realms and sword coast and whatnot are mostly full of monsters who are CR 5 and less. To do them more often is unrealistic.
Second, the point of the campaign is that most combat is trivial. The characters are supposed to be godly and fights that on their level should be rare.
I can make a bunch of fights of cr 20+ but 2 things:
first, places like forgotten realms and sword coast and whatnot are mostly full of monsters who are CR 5 and less. To do them more often is unrealistic.
Second, the point of the campaign is that most combat is trivial. The characters are supposed to be godly and fights that on their level should be rare.
Second, if I was you I'd make my players tell me exactly what they want to do in this campaign. I'd ask them what problems their characters would want to solve and then make the encounters that fulfill that. I guess, my thinking is that for high level play, the players should make the goals and the DM should plan encounters that obstruct and resolve those goals. High level characters don't have to try and earn gold by doing odd adventuring jobs, they don't have to do anything on behalf of someone else, so I think it's up to them to create their character's reason for existing and doing something.
Sorry if that's not helpful or what you're looking for. Just my 2 copper. I hope Web DM's video is helpful for you too.
I can make a bunch of fights of cr 20+ but 2 things:
first, places like forgotten realms and sword coast and whatnot are mostly full of monsters who are CR 5 and less. To do them more often is unrealistic.
Second, the point of the campaign is that most combat is trivial. The characters are supposed to be godly and fights that on their level should be rare.
Who told you that garbage? Only CR5 or less opponents? Your worlds must be boring if that's the case. It would be impossible to have story lines involving demon cults that will eventually lead up to high tier demons/devils on the physical plane. If that's how limited your view is...then just take your lvl 18+ characters to inter planar levels. Let's see how they fare in the Astral Plane for example where there are juggernauts that would immediately tear them apart.
There are lots of materials available for those realms in previous editions with a lot more interesting opponents as well.
The good thing about that level is you get to use kobolds and goblins properly, stick a goal in a dungeon behind thousands of goblins with ingenious contraptions or kobolds with traps slimes and oozes and you can go all out, just don't kill the cleric as that complicates matters. You can bring about hilarious situations where your party has to get back to civilization with all their armour and weapons, but no clothes as they got melted by the slimes, fighters having to take on a dozen kobolds barehanded because they had to leave their armour behind in a lake of green slime it's magical so green slime won't melt it, you can engineer some interesting inconveniences and grind them down, simply stick info they need in the dungeon in a dead magic zone. You have to become creative with things that hamper proceedings other wise it's scry teleport grab teleport end
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
All plans turn into, run into the room waving a sword and see what happens from there, once the first die gets rolled
Just a beginner here as a DM but a big fan of overlord, why not have them awaken in the ruins of a town they lived in before, these ruins are currently being plundered by something low-mid tier level like 0-3, like bandits and bandit captains or knights (like how AINZ came out slaughtered those "knights" and continue on, make the main story about conquering the lands of the world and claiming the elemental gems within (each gem is protected by a DRAGON or some sort of elemental hidden within the land for an occasional decent fight)
I read a story the other day that involved the characters trying to ascend to Diety status. Rather than limiting yourself to "simple combats" that involve cr 25+ critters, why not have them start having to fight societies, sects, groups, and other large entities. The combat can take place with swaths of opponents, or it can take place in the dinner hall of the lord of the land. Something of that calibur should require the players/characters to do more than just lay waste to everything.
I have an epic level character who was steps shy of becoming Demi-God status, his fights in Faerun were meaningless, there was little that posed a threat to him. He traveled to Underdark and razed an entire city by himself, simply to wipe out his bloodline. He became entrenched in a war of power between Tiamat and Llolth, a lot of it was him playing political games that turned the two on each other. His current mission is to disrupt Tiamat's domain as much as possible, he's sworn vengeance as his betrothed was murdered by a minion of Tiamat. He's traveled the outer planes and he's even stepped foot in the realm of the gods.
Imagine throwing together that kind of campaign for your players, political intruige, subterfuge, combat with lesser, demi, and full gods.
Swaths of enemies is a fun idea. Kind of like swarm rules but for people. Maybe I can use that to make dynasty warriors type fights. A conquer the world campaign could be fun, but I think maybe I could do it as a case of the world is oppressed by warlords and the PCs need to conquer the land to protect the people.
I can make a bunch of fights of cr 20+ but 2 things:
first, places like forgotten realms and sword coast and whatnot are mostly full of monsters who are CR 5 and less. To do them more often is unrealistic.
Second, the point of the campaign is that most combat is trivial. The characters are supposed to be godly and fights that on their level should be rare.
Who told you that garbage? Only CR5 or less opponents? Your worlds must be boring if that's the case. It would be impossible to have story lines involving demon cults that will eventually lead up to high tier demons/devils on the physical plane. If that's how limited your view is...then just take your lvl 18+ characters to inter planar levels. Let's see how they fare in the Astral Plane for example where there are juggernauts that would immediately tear them apart.
There are lots of materials available for those realms in previous editions with a lot more interesting opponents as well.
Not garbage at all. Simple logic and economics. Most of the world's population is level 0 aka commoners. The world can't be full of tarrasques or else humanity would be extinct. Most enemies in the world are going to be what low level guards of cities can handle, aka CR5 and lower. Adventurers might run into some things that are bigger but that is not the norm. And specifically my players don't want to fight tarrasques We want combat to be as easy as breathing and for the campaign to focus on other challenges such as social intrigue. It's a different dynamic when the players can say "we could just annihilate everyone at this dinner party but then how do we find the secret heir?"
Switch things up on them and have some previous action earned them disreputable reputations with the Kingdom. Their goal of saving thing can only be accomplished by winning over the people, who have secretly hidden artifact. Now you have these powerful characters who must humble down to their social skills vs Everyday Joe to move forward. For even more flavor, have each feat of godliness interpret as 'distasteful' display of power. Oops!
Couple of ideas: the players' power could attract the attention of ancient dragons, demon lords, and archdevils who want to either recruit them or eliminate them as a threat.
Power of that scale goes way beyond what a kingdom would let run around freely, wrap your players in politics as multiple countries bid for their allegiance, and the losers threaten to go to war.
CR20+ are a good way to challenge high max level characters, but you could also throw literally hundreds of CR3 and below. For example if a country goes to war on them.
You can send a party of level 15+ adventurers at them as hired mercenaries or as a kingdom's greatest champions. Might be good to include a battalion of throwaway soldiers with them.
Lastly, disasters both natural and supernatural might force your PCs into action. A wildfire engulfing half the nation, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, a Lich and his army of undead try to conquer the world.
Switch things up on them and have some previous action earned them disreputable reputations with the Kingdom. Their goal of saving thing can only be accomplished by winning over the people, who have secretly hidden artifact. Now you have these powerful characters who must humble down to their social skills vs Everyday Joe to move forward. For even more flavor, have each feat of godliness interpret as 'distasteful' display of power. Oops!
Couple of ideas: the players' power could attract the attention of ancient dragons, demon lords, and archdevils who want to either recruit them or eliminate them as a threat.
Power of that scale goes way beyond what a kingdom would let run around freely, wrap your players in politics as multiple countries bid for their allegiance, and the losers threaten to go to war.
CR20+ are a good way to challenge high max level characters, but you could also throw literally hundreds of CR3 and below. For example if a country goes to war on them.
You can send a party of level 15+ adventurers at them as hired mercenaries or as a kingdom's greatest champions. Might be good to include a battalion of throwaway soldiers with them.
Lastly, disasters both natural and supernatural might force your PCs into action. A wildfire engulfing half the nation, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, a Lich and his army of undead try to conquer the world.
Natural disasters is a very cool idea. I also love the idea of adventurers trying to stop the players to prevent them from joining enemy factions. Thank you so much!
If your setting supports it, it's almost trivially easy to put a 20th-level party in mortal danger. Consider these examples, all of which are fairly likely to result in a TPK:
A lich challenges the wizard to a duel while its mummy lord minion battles the cleric, its skull lord minion keeps the fighter busy, and the rogue tries to seal the temple to keep the rest of the lich's minions from interfering. The lich, of course, invested in incorporeal minions like wraiths in case of just such an eventuality.
A portal to the Nine Hells has opened, and the PCs must close it, but to do so, they'll have to get past spined devil, imp, and erinyes scouts; narzugon riders; and merregon legions commanded by assorted CR 6+ devils. And they can't risk killing any devils until they get to the portal, lest the devil they kill reports back in time for the portal to be reinforced. And it'll take a 9th-level dispel magic to close the portal. And closing the portal won't send the devils that have already come through back to the Nine Hells. And, just for good measure, the area around the portal is warded against teleportation, possibly with Mordenkainen's private sanctum. Use this one only if you actively want a TPK.
An enterprising goblin with 3 levels of Battle Master fighter, 2 levels of rogue, and the Archery and Close-Quarters Shooting (UA) fighting styles has taken over a tribe of kobolds and taught them Archery, Close-Quarters Shooting, and Cunning Action. They live in a labyrinthine warren of Small-sized tunnels, riddled with arrow slits. Think Tucker's Kobolds, but even more evil.
Some powerful entity or other has hired Primus, Lord of Mechanus, to send a tridrone, the 12 duodrones under its command, and the 144 monodrones under their command to kill the PCs.
Taking inspiration from the DMG's disclaimer, the PCs must attack a hill giant feast hall to kill the dozen most influential hill giants in the realm. Why? Because those particular hill giants are instrumental in an ambitious plot by the giant trickster-goddess Diancastra to restore the fallen empire of Ostoria.
Yes, I know you're not trying to endanger the PCs, but I thought I'd throw this out there anyway.
The players actually desire to become a new pantheon gods. That’s got to have some substantial obstacles. They must satisfy the tests of “the first, the elder”, the gichi-anishinaabe (alter if familiar with Ojibwe).
These are tests of intelligence, cunning, strength, leadership, commitment to building a pantheon, and demonstrating personal bond to a pantheon. This path is inaccessable to mortals. Unless perhaps it isn’t.
If you have the time, I recommend you read some translation of Chinese fantasy novels. The perfect place to start would be Coiling Dragon, but there are other popular titles like Desolate Era and I Shall Seal the Heavens. The characters in these novels eventually reach god-like levels of power and even beyond, where they can destroy and create planets, galaxies, and even universes. You could probably get a lot of really unique inspiration from books like that.
Here are some random scenarios I can think of from various novels like that: a corrosive rain starts to fall that never ends, and causes slow but unstoppable flooding, the characters have to discover its origin and stop it; the players are hired by a cabal to lead them into the tower of a wizard, who turns out to be the clone of a god the players worship; the players explore the body of an enormous giant, who is now dead and petrified, but whose heart contains a crystal of immense power; etc.
Anyway, I know it's not a solution that can help immediately, but still suggest checking out some of those novels for similar situations down the road.
My first question would be "Why do you want to play God Level PCs and what do you mean by God Level?" Then I would follow Lightspeed's advice and ask them what type of challenges they think such characters would face in their decade to decade existence.
Why should the DM have to do all the work?
If they are not just murder hobos* and power gamers, then this desire to play high level protaganists probably stems from a book they have read, a movie they have seen, or a game they have played. Find out the source, and you discover the flavour. (*Nothing wrong with that - I have recently discovered that I am a murder hobo when playing!)
"God Level" in D&D probably means level 20+, but that is not always the case.
Inspiration for such a campaign:
Any Marvel comic/movie ever! Wheel of Time* Eternal Champion novels* Malazan book of the fallen Riftwar Saga* (Feist) Silmarillion/Book of Lost Tales* Greek Gods Norse Gods Indian Gods Any other real world Pantheons... The Almighty Johnsons TV show* The Last of the Renshai (after the first, low level book)
And the ultimate D&D high level Demon trouncing book - The Gord series by E. Gary Gygax!
*God like in their own universe, but not classically god level...
That should cover a massive range of flavours of campaign, and that was just off the top of my head, most famous/accessible (And Malazan - not accessible in the least!)
Good luck - You'll need it! D&D at that level can be a hell of a challenge.
My players want to run a campaign in the same vein as Overlord or How to not summon a demon lord. In essence, they would be playing godly characters, at least level 20. This will make combat trivial, which is fine. This means I need some non combat conflicts and adventure hooks. I have been brain storming but everything I have is kinda boring. Any suggestions?
Who said combat would be trivial at lvl 20?
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I can make a bunch of fights of cr 20+ but 2 things:
first, places like forgotten realms and sword coast and whatnot are mostly full of monsters who are CR 5 and less. To do them more often is unrealistic.
Second, the point of the campaign is that most combat is trivial. The characters are supposed to be godly and fights that on their level should be rare.
First, try taking some advice from this video from Web DM.
Second, if I was you I'd make my players tell me exactly what they want to do in this campaign. I'd ask them what problems their characters would want to solve and then make the encounters that fulfill that. I guess, my thinking is that for high level play, the players should make the goals and the DM should plan encounters that obstruct and resolve those goals. High level characters don't have to try and earn gold by doing odd adventuring jobs, they don't have to do anything on behalf of someone else, so I think it's up to them to create their character's reason for existing and doing something.
Sorry if that's not helpful or what you're looking for. Just my 2 copper. I hope Web DM's video is helpful for you too.
Nothing wrong with running your own world. There isn't much official content that isn't non-material plane that will challenge a lvl 20 party.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Who told you that garbage? Only CR5 or less opponents? Your worlds must be boring if that's the case. It would be impossible to have story lines involving demon cults that will eventually lead up to high tier demons/devils on the physical plane. If that's how limited your view is...then just take your lvl 18+ characters to inter planar levels. Let's see how they fare in the Astral Plane for example where there are juggernauts that would immediately tear them apart.
There are lots of materials available for those realms in previous editions with a lot more interesting opponents as well.
The good thing about that level is you get to use kobolds and goblins properly, stick a goal in a dungeon behind thousands of goblins with ingenious contraptions or kobolds with traps slimes and oozes and you can go all out, just don't kill the cleric as that complicates matters. You can bring about hilarious situations where your party has to get back to civilization with all their armour and weapons, but no clothes as they got melted by the slimes, fighters having to take on a dozen kobolds barehanded because they had to leave their armour behind in a lake of green slime it's magical so green slime won't melt it, you can engineer some interesting inconveniences and grind them down, simply stick info they need in the dungeon in a dead magic zone. You have to become creative with things that hamper proceedings other wise it's scry teleport grab teleport end
All plans turn into, run into the room waving a sword and see what happens from there, once the first die gets rolled
Just a beginner here as a DM but a big fan of overlord, why not have them awaken in the ruins of a town they lived in before, these ruins are currently being plundered by something low-mid tier level like 0-3, like bandits and bandit captains or knights (like how AINZ came out slaughtered those "knights" and continue on, make the main story about conquering the lands of the world and claiming the elemental gems within (each gem is protected by a DRAGON or some sort of elemental hidden within the land for an occasional decent fight)
I read a story the other day that involved the characters trying to ascend to Diety status. Rather than limiting yourself to "simple combats" that involve cr 25+ critters, why not have them start having to fight societies, sects, groups, and other large entities. The combat can take place with swaths of opponents, or it can take place in the dinner hall of the lord of the land. Something of that calibur should require the players/characters to do more than just lay waste to everything.
I have an epic level character who was steps shy of becoming Demi-God status, his fights in Faerun were meaningless, there was little that posed a threat to him. He traveled to Underdark and razed an entire city by himself, simply to wipe out his bloodline. He became entrenched in a war of power between Tiamat and Llolth, a lot of it was him playing political games that turned the two on each other. His current mission is to disrupt Tiamat's domain as much as possible, he's sworn vengeance as his betrothed was murdered by a minion of Tiamat. He's traveled the outer planes and he's even stepped foot in the realm of the gods.
Imagine throwing together that kind of campaign for your players, political intruige, subterfuge, combat with lesser, demi, and full gods.
Swaths of enemies is a fun idea. Kind of like swarm rules but for people. Maybe I can use that to make dynasty warriors type fights. A conquer the world campaign could be fun, but I think maybe I could do it as a case of the world is oppressed by warlords and the PCs need to conquer the land to protect the people.
Not garbage at all. Simple logic and economics. Most of the world's population is level 0 aka commoners. The world can't be full of tarrasques or else humanity would be extinct. Most enemies in the world are going to be what low level guards of cities can handle, aka CR5 and lower. Adventurers might run into some things that are bigger but that is not the norm. And specifically my players don't want to fight tarrasques We want combat to be as easy as breathing and for the campaign to focus on other challenges such as social intrigue. It's a different dynamic when the players can say "we could just annihilate everyone at this dinner party but then how do we find the secret heir?"
Switch things up on them and have some previous action earned them disreputable reputations with the Kingdom. Their goal of saving thing can only be accomplished by winning over the people, who have secretly hidden artifact. Now you have these powerful characters who must humble down to their social skills vs Everyday Joe to move forward. For even more flavor, have each feat of godliness interpret as 'distasteful' display of power. Oops!
Couple of ideas: the players' power could attract the attention of ancient dragons, demon lords, and archdevils who want to either recruit them or eliminate them as a threat.
Power of that scale goes way beyond what a kingdom would let run around freely, wrap your players in politics as multiple countries bid for their allegiance, and the losers threaten to go to war.
CR20+ are a good way to challenge high max level characters, but you could also throw literally hundreds of CR3 and below. For example if a country goes to war on them.
You can send a party of level 15+ adventurers at them as hired mercenaries or as a kingdom's greatest champions. Might be good to include a battalion of throwaway soldiers with them.
Lastly, disasters both natural and supernatural might force your PCs into action. A wildfire engulfing half the nation, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, a Lich and his army of undead try to conquer the world.
My hero academia in dnd. Also jlyiu don’t have to just fight monsters. Make your own lvl 20s. Hell, assign those powers to a normal monster.
I love this! Thank you!
Natural disasters is a very cool idea. I also love the idea of adventurers trying to stop the players to prevent them from joining enemy factions. Thank you so much!
If your setting supports it, it's almost trivially easy to put a 20th-level party in mortal danger. Consider these examples, all of which are fairly likely to result in a TPK:
Yes, I know you're not trying to endanger the PCs, but I thought I'd throw this out there anyway.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
The players actually desire to become a new pantheon gods. That’s got to have some substantial obstacles. They must satisfy the tests of “the first, the elder”, the gichi-anishinaabe (alter if familiar with Ojibwe).
These are tests of intelligence, cunning, strength, leadership, commitment to building a pantheon, and demonstrating personal bond to a pantheon. This path is inaccessable to mortals. Unless perhaps it isn’t.
If you have the time, I recommend you read some translation of Chinese fantasy novels. The perfect place to start would be Coiling Dragon, but there are other popular titles like Desolate Era and I Shall Seal the Heavens. The characters in these novels eventually reach god-like levels of power and even beyond, where they can destroy and create planets, galaxies, and even universes. You could probably get a lot of really unique inspiration from books like that.
Here are some random scenarios I can think of from various novels like that: a corrosive rain starts to fall that never ends, and causes slow but unstoppable flooding, the characters have to discover its origin and stop it; the players are hired by a cabal to lead them into the tower of a wizard, who turns out to be the clone of a god the players worship; the players explore the body of an enormous giant, who is now dead and petrified, but whose heart contains a crystal of immense power; etc.
Anyway, I know it's not a solution that can help immediately, but still suggest checking out some of those novels for similar situations down the road.
My first question would be "Why do you want to play God Level PCs and what do you mean by God Level?"
Then I would follow Lightspeed's advice and ask them what type of challenges they think such characters would face in their decade to decade existence.
Why should the DM have to do all the work?
If they are not just murder hobos* and power gamers, then this desire to play high level protaganists probably stems from a book they have read, a movie they have seen, or a game they have played. Find out the source, and you discover the flavour.
(*Nothing wrong with that - I have recently discovered that I am a murder hobo when playing!)
"God Level" in D&D probably means level 20+, but that is not always the case.
Inspiration for such a campaign:
Any Marvel comic/movie ever!
Wheel of Time*
Eternal Champion novels*
Malazan book of the fallen
Riftwar Saga* (Feist)
Silmarillion/Book of Lost Tales*
Greek Gods
Norse Gods
Indian Gods
Any other real world Pantheons...
The Almighty Johnsons TV show*
The Last of the Renshai (after the first, low level book)
And the ultimate D&D high level Demon trouncing book - The Gord series by E. Gary Gygax!
*God like in their own universe, but not classically god level...
That should cover a massive range of flavours of campaign, and that was just off the top of my head, most famous/accessible (And Malazan - not accessible in the least!)
Good luck - You'll need it!
D&D at that level can be a hell of a challenge.
Roleplaying since Runequest.