- There is the Mystara/Oerth combination on my wold of Mystoerth I have been running for The Order of the Platinum Dragon. Which cover all the classic "Greyhawk" modules. Big bad is Lolth.
- There is the one I have been calling The Second Campaign which I have started in the Forgotten Realms (2017 is my year to be introduced to the Realms). I am running other classic 1st modules here too. Big Bad here is Asmodeus. I am including some elements of Dark Sun here too.
- There is a third campaign I have not started completely just yet. It is a resurrection of my old 4e game and deals with the rise of Orcus. Originally I wanted this one to be the Realms but I am likely to set it in the Nentir Vale. Have not decided yet. If I do then I need a better home for the Second Campaign. I'd love to play a little with Krynn, to be honest.
But I need to know my end game. I know all three are coming together at the very end. In the "main" Order of the Platinum Dragon game, the PCs have already been to Hommlett. They know about the Temple of Elemental Evil, so they have a pretty good idea that they are headed back there.
I know that I am planning that have the big bads, or at least their proxies, in the final battle too. But how do I get the characters of three universes together?
Then it dawned on me. There is a Temple of Elemental Evil in every game world.
Let's look at it from this point of view. Nearly every game world (notable exception Mystara) got its genesis from First Edition AD&D. The first level First Edition adventure was T1 The Village of Hommlett. So if you played regularly in any game world there is a good chance that that world had a Hommlett and accordingly a Temple of Elemental Evil.
I thought at first I wanted a Tanelorn-style temple that flitted from world to world. But that is unsatisfactory to me and I already had something like that in Halfway. I thought about having it as a place that exists on all worlds at the same time, but I also have that in West Haven.
So instead I am thinking of something more along the lines of the Altgeld Castles here in Illinois.
On five different campuses here in Illinois there are five gothic-style castles all (except one) called Altgeld Hall. Named after Gov. Altgeld. The rumor was that all these buildings can be combined, Voltron-style, to make one complete castle. There is no facts to back this up, but it is much more fun than the rumors that usually surround campuses in Illinois.
So I propose the following:
Every game world has a Temple of Elemental Evil. Some are decrepit and decayed, others are active and strong, and others still are only just starting. The main feature of these is that all are connected. They can be combined together across time and space to form a giant Temple and Cathedral of Elemental Evil.
For locations, I went to the experts online.
- Forgotten Realms, https://www.facebook.com/groups/335373333286538/permalink/894888417335024/
- Mystara, https://www.facebook.com/groups/2349484166/permalink/10156696389579167/
- Krynn, https://www.facebook.com/groups/1485418471778860/permalink/1910566742597362/
For maps, it will be easy. I can grab one from the T1-4 Supermodule for each world. I can also grab an absolute ton of material from the Princes of the Apocalypse. Appendix C of PotA gives me plenty of ideas of different loacations and backgrounds for the Temple in various game worlds too.
Heroes of the Three Worlds will have to come together to defeat evil and face the ultimate evil in Tharizdûn.
It's gonna be epic!
6 comments:
Now I'm trying to think of them in RPGs from other Genres
We got a Lot of use from the "Elemental Evil" resource .... used bits for more than a few Adventures... enjoyable post, good Sir... and a pleasant mid-week to you and yours.
What is the brown cover book with PotA and the old T1?
A custom T1-4 a buddy made for me.
I can imagine that many, many folks played in, enjoyed, and firmly planted in their own campaign world a Temple of Elemental Evil. My friends and I started up in 1974 but moved into 1E AD&D as the books came out. A couple/few of us all DMed from time to time and my own setting of Grymvald started, as many do, a village with a ruins nearby with a dungeon beneath. It grew from there to include many other places year after year. However, my buddy Gerry who also DMed had dibs on the stuff from TSR, Judges Guild, and Mayfair, which was fine by me because I preferred to make my own stuff up anyway. This means there's no Temple of Elemental Evil in my setting Grymvald. That is, unless someone else runs it and puts one in there, of course.
I adapted the Temple to Shadowrun 5e, nestled in the foothills of Mt. Rainier. Got many good sessions over a campaign out of the adaptation and still didn’t get through much of the material. The conversion was quite fun.
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