Po's Campaign

Campaign Code: AAEAAFDB

Po is overly concerned with The Fist. It's funny. As the other DM in our group, he's more in the know about the system and how adventures work. I typically skew a bit higher then recommended because there's more then the standard four in our group. However, he hears what is going to be happening, and begins preparing an escape route. I find it funny, because his campaigns are much rougher then mine. Stupid Shadowdale, stupid Elminster, stupid Zhents, and stupid crocodile in the river. Ah, well, his custom campaign is easy peasy.

Urban
Europe
Aberrations
Planes
Warriors/Rogues
Exploration
Upper (11-15)
Expanded PHB

Background: The PCs have been adventuring for awhile, and are each the soul survivors of different groups. They are each separately approached by a robed figure (cliche, I know). Who offers to hire them for the adventure of a lifetime. What the PCs don't know is that the robed figure is actually a Githyanki. Fun stuff. The Githyanki is actively recruiting adventurer's because they have an idea that the Illithids (it always comes back to them, doesn't it?) are getting ready to try to recapture the Gith races as slaves. Knowing that wizards and clerics would be able to detect the Githyanki, they are actively recruiting warriors and rogues. People who are expendable are being gathered from throughout the prime material plane. If they die, no Githyanki were lost in the attempt, if they succeed, all the better.

Adventure 1: The PCs are taken to the Astral plane by the Githyanki. Stranded with no way home because of the lack of magical assistance, the PCs are basically black mailed into doing the Githyanki's bidding or face an eternity without food or other resources in the astral plane (or so they think). The Githyanki is going to act as their guide. The purpose is to get them into the planes where the Illithids were starting plots. The first place that the Githyanki takes them to is a portal that will expel them onto a twisted tower on Limbo. The Illithids are making a tentative probe into the Chaotic Neutral plane to probe the defenses of the Githzerai. The PCs mission is to assess and destroy the tower. The purpose is two fold, 1. To see how the PCs can handle things, because while renown, they are an unknown quality to the Githyanki. 2. To destroy the tower. During this adventure, there are so many things that can work it. Limbo is the most fun stuff. First off there are the obvious combat encounters, Illithids and their enslaved servants. The servants can run the gamgut, but I would suggest Slaad. Those are really fun. And the really fun stuff is the ever changing plane itself. You can completely change everything constantly. Man, if you don't reverse gravity at least once, you aren't doing your job right.

Adventure 2: While exploring the twisted tower, the PCs should learn that the Illithid's are setting up some sort of vast machine to retake the Gith Races. The first piece was taken from the Twisted Tower, and taken to a secret location. Apparently there are pieces on several of the outer planes. The second adventure should take place on Elysium. The illithid have set up a search party here to look for the next piece of their grand machine. They have it set up so that it is an in and out mission. Being that they are inherantly evil creatures, its hard going for them. So the PCs will find them harried. However, the Illithids carry a significant bit of information; where the rest of the machine is. However to get it, they have to actually fight good creatures to allow one of the illithids to live. Moral conundrum, rocking it. Po loves that sort of stuff.

Adventure 3-6: The rest of the pieces.
The Abyss: Demons and Illithid. What could be better for the groups holy rollers? Which is probably a paladin. Do a nice recreation of 'A Paladin in Hell' from the first edition books, if at all possible. The real adventure though is a massive castle made from corpses that is controlled by a Nelfeshnee. Lots of small demons and a pretty big one in the end.
Pandemonium: The howling caves should be crawling with the Illithid. After all this is the home of the Illithid God, Illusine. This can be done almost like a traditional underdark adventure. You gotta kill some grell, and some illithid and a brain tank.
The Outlands: Ha. The true neutral plane. This can be fun. The last piece that they get should be something utterly outlandish and huge. The adventure should be more about getting the thing out rather then the fights they have to go through to get it. Because the outlands are almost prime material, it should be easy to throw something together here.

Adventure 7: So all the pieces are gathered, and the Githyanki is attacked by the Illithid who had set the whole thing up to have the Githyanki gather the stuff. Secrets within secrets. What dying Githyanki should tell them is that the hideout is in the astral plane. The Illithid had created a subspecies that was short lived by psychically blank, which would render them invisible to the Githyankis psionics. The PCs should be able to find the place with minimal effort. Then the new Illithid subspecies are found in a vast crystal castle which acts as a focusing agent for the pieces of the machine. The Illithid subspecies seems weaker then their normal counterparts, since they lack the regular Illithid's psionic/mental abilities. However, they should be combat monsters. They still eat brains, but have muscles and high natural armor class.

Ending the Campaign; Machine is destroyed, the Gith kind are safe. Yay!

Continuing the Campaign: Duh. The Githyanki are still a threat, and the PCs are still stuck on the astral plane. Unaging, unresting, unchanging astral plane. Still a problem. Have fun.

Alright. I think I phoned this one in. I probably hit all the points here. Sleepy and stuff. Or I overreached with the concept. Maybe I'll do this over another day. I dunno. Not my best work. I think that I can do better. Blerg.