The new 'Faction War' Adventure

In some dim and distant future, I'd love to see the 'trilogy' of plane-shattering events that started with Faction War completed (quite possibly with the Factions returning to the Cage), but that's a LOT of work for folks who don't write professionally (meaning get paid) or full time - especially when there's so much setting work still to be done.

(On the other hand if you're about to announce you have a load of cash to spend, I'm ready to quit my job and start working on PS right now!!!!)

I think so many people were shocked and appalled by Faction War's consequences because they'd fallen in love so completely with the PS setting. We need that kind of feeling to be generated by the post FW setting before we go and jiggle it up again. Plus just about all the original PS adventures felt like they were evolving the world, and were part of an unfolding storyline, which would also need to be included before we even got to the major events.

To summerise: Lots and lots and lots of work, starting with a unified idea of what the PS "meta-story" should be, and how it should unfold via its published scenarios. Good luck on getting a consensus on that!

Also, we have a lamentable lack of complete scenarios (as opposed to scenario seeds, which we have oodles of and numerous great ones). Until that changes, you're unlikely to see any massive "super adventures" here...

Caladors? Did you not see all the Brainstorming threads on this sub-forum for the PSCS? Module creation is what those are *about*.

So give us time to get all the brianstorming, plots and thoughts out of our system and onto paper or PDF so to speak. In the meantime check out the Hooks section of the site for further information.

Pretty much kicking over any ideas you have and keeping the conversation going is about where we are right now. I need to go back through the brainstorms and pull out the parts we're going to go with and develop. I don't mind folks chattering over anything we don't pick up on - but if we want to have something solid for downloading and letting people play... eventually a decision's gotta get made. t's just a LOT of stuff to wade through, and I've been lazy lately.

An edition to my earlier post: How about making the Faction War the first part of a trilogy, the ‘Plane Wars’ campaign (any Star Wars comparisons are accidental): So “Faction War” is followed by say “Sigil War”, and “Blood War” (just examples). Unfortunately being a player rather than DM, I don’t know the dark of what goes on in Faction War so can’t comment on how expandable it is.

If you’re looking for things to do though, I have a suggestion

As someone who’s working on an ‘official’ PSCS adventure right now, what I think any future projects would find really useful is a complete list of all potential seeds and plot threads remaining from earlier scenarios: Things never explained, resolved, or of unclarified origins – like the barmy fiend from Carceri in Something Wild, who’s chanting foreshadows Hellbound, I think.

That would be very helpful to all future developments and help tie PSCS adventures into the earlier edition.

But while we’re on the subject…

Speaking of kicking ideas around, this one was inspired by the “I need to kill the Lady of Pain” thread. Rip’s response to the question sent off some inspirational fireworks in my head.

The main problem with getting ideas for “the New Faction War adventure” is thinking up something appropriately epic (in a setting that’s as epic as it gets) and clever/weird/planescapey enough to be a really top shelf idea. Quite a daunting proposition.

I’d had nothing whatsoever to suggest so far, but now I’ve thought of this:

Of Catechism & Cage - AKA: “Sigil War”

At present its just the bare bones of an idea.

Something strange is going on in the Cage. You can’t put your finger on it but something just feels wrong in Sigil… (PCs can notice these effects over several other adventures)

A piece of graffiti the PC scrawled last time they were in the Cage has changed to something similar but not the same.

A neighbour fails to recognise them – or seems to know them too well.

Someone can’t remember a conversation they had with the party, last time they were in town. The next time the PCs’ visit however, they do remember.

A major building looks slightly different.

Dabus don’t seem to be doing much anymore except float around

They meet someone in the planes who claims not to have seen them for ages – but the PCs met her in the Cage only recently.

The truth is, they’re not actually in Sigil anymore. Unknown forces are manipulating the PCs (probably the Lady, who can perform such tricks) and whenever they think they’re taking a portal to Sigil, they’re actually going to “Sigil2” – the Baatezu recreation of the Cage. Their plans are reaching fruition and the city is currently up and running as a full simulation.

More clues are available for characters who dig deeper:

Characters come across a pair of disguised Baatezu ‘fixing’ a broken dabus.

Noticing the Polymorphed fiends

Detecting shifts in the city’s landscape

Finding a construct of the Lady of Pain in storage (a modified permanent Phantasmal Killer?)

Once the PC’s investigations get properly underway however, they’re rudely interrupted – The Baatezu launch a grand invasion of the city. This is the DM’s opportunity to go completely wild: Lady’s Ward in flames! Blow up the festhall! Spheres of Annihilation flying overhead! Dabus armed with pikes! The last stand of the City Guard! Giant mechanical war machines rolling out of the Armoury!

I liked that part

The invaders are met by celestial/adventurer resistance as well as Tanar’ri forces, but all are soon defeated. People cry out for the Lady, but she does not appear. The adventure becomes an occupation: PCs can either join the resistance, ‘collaborate’ (possibly taking part in the provisional government) in an effort to gain power or save lives, or just try and keep their heads down. Obviously, all portals out of “Sigil” stop working at this point

Somehow the PCs learn the truth – possibly having delved into the Baatezu command centre beneath the Hall of Speakers (here the walls mix with the red-hot iron of Dis). The PCs free some captive dabus (?) who warn them that this is not the real Sigil.

Suggested climaxes include the two Sigil’s becoming intertwined – probably leading to a precipitous invasion of the real Sigil by Baatezu/Sigil2’s forces (a chance for Factol Rhys to duel herself and other madness…) and a final desperate run out of the simulation by the PCs, who are trying to outrun the Lady’s will as she transforms the false Cage into one giant Maze, with all the fakes safely trapped within it.

We could kick that idea around for a bit?