Behind The Screen: Multi-Tiered Campaigns Part 2: Primary Tier

Behind the Screen

Look Piter... Guests!

Welcome to part 2 of my series on Multi-tiered campaigns. In this article I want to talk about the creation of the Primary Tier of the campaign. The Main plot if you will. This is the central story for the adventure to circulate, will provide the GM with an idea of what the final outcomes may be, and give concept to what will be needed to create a realistic setting.
And since I'm in a Fantasy kind of mood (I'm watching Willow),We'll create a Fantasy plot :)



Primary Tier:
Basis: The discovery of a primordials frozen soul-essence on the prime-material plane leads the nations of the world to war, for he who controls the essence controls the universe!
Major players: The 4 Kingdoms of man, The daemon shadow-kins of the east, the PCs

Mission one: The players are hired to help a wizard locate an item of power (the Essence) from a lost labyrinth deep beneath a nearby mountain range. The players are given a partial map of the labyrinth to help them locate the item and given fair warning of the terrors ahead of them, including an weapon of great power to combat the everliving creature that defends it's treasure.
Note: The Wizard is actually a Shadow-kin warlock from the east, and has been searching for the item for seven centuries. It has finally located the essence, lost for eons, in the heart of the labyrinth, and discovered a way to defeat it's dreaded protector.

Mission two: The Essence was found to be locked in an alternate dimension who's access is only found at the center of the labyrinth. The players must recover the ritual to open the gate, which, according to the wizard, can be located amongst the many magical tomes in the Great Library of Zharn. Unfortunately a rival has learned of the players discovery and seeks to steal the ritual (and therefor the Essence) for themselves.
Note: the "Rival" is actually a Keeper of the Secrets,  a member of the ancient order that banished the Essence for the good of the world. Upon delivery of the ritual the Warlock will trap the players and use their life essence to power the ritual leaving a curse upon the players.

Mission three: Realizing they have been used as pawns by the Shadow-kin, the players must recover the Essence from the Warlocks tower.... But first they have to escape the dungeons they find themselves imprisoned in.
Note:The Essence has already been taken by a rival to the Warlock, assassins of the Blue orchid, working under contract to one of the kings of man (he's corrupt and an all round not-nice guy. Wants to unleash the power of the Essence to control the UNIVERSE! Skeletor style. Cause Skeletor is awesome).

Mission four: The players must recover the Essence from from the assassins caravan as it makes it's way back to the not-nice-kings kingdom.
Note: During the fight, the Warlock appears (didn't the player know that obviously he knew they were still alive and had marked them and been tracking them through his curse?) and steals the Essence right out of their almost-victorious grasp. What a dick!

Mission five: Reclaim the Essence from the Warlock (who's power has grown significantly, yay Essence!) who has retreated to his tower of power.
Note: The Warlock escapes through a portal during the final battle (half wounds) to HIS masters citadel in the Shadow-kin lands of the far east. With armies surrounding them and a Demon-lord confronting them, they are forced to surrender or die. Begin capture and torture round 2: revengence!)

Mission six: The players must escape the citadel and stop the demon and the warlock, who has begun a ritual that will summon the Primordials back into existence and set in motion the destruction of the world. Failure means the end of everything.
DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN!

So that was easy. And only six missions, seems pretty short for a campaign right?

Hahaha.....WRONG!

If done correctly, and assuming a weekly game, this could easily take 6-8 months of play time, if you include all of the rests, level ups, town trips, info gathering, traveling and random encounters you include in your games. AND THIS IS JUST THE FIRST TIER. Don't forget, this is just the central plot outline. a bare-bones idea of the campaign. Next time, we'll write the Secondary Tier, where we introduce six or more secondary quests that are available any time the players feel like stretching their legs and getting away from the main plotline. After that, the tertiary tier, where we add mutable elements to make the game world really thrive.

Until next time,
Keep your creative juices bubbling (cause if you don't let them out, your skin will look like the barons...)
Bean out~