08-11-2004, 05:08 PM
I think a fun plotline could be made using the current situation in Diablo, with the three prime evils vanquished and the worldstone destroyed.
Background: Angels and demons have complete access to the world. Huge celestial and infernal wars are fought, destroying most of civilization. One continent has fallen completely to the demons, and the people there are being twisted into horrific minions. They are trying to get enough blood sacrifices to bring the three back to their elemental forms, so that they can conquer the world.
Adventure areas: All lands are in chaos - one is a wasteland, totally devoid of life, and abandoned by both sides. A powerful necromancer here is raising his own army to fight "for" humanity; whose side he is really on is a major part of the plot. The rest of the world is a war zone, filled with ruined cities. One city is protected by the angels, and is a sanctuary (and the starting zone). Elsewhere, mortals have been forced underground, and they are finding that the arrival of their thousands of refugees does not go unopposed ...
Act I: Players begin in the shelter city. First missions involve going out into the wasteland (not too far), to save survivors; it is hoped that a few mortals will not be detected on these forays when an angel surely would. Frequent returns for angelic healing and more missions.
Act II: Survivors tell tales of a city thought to be annihilated, but the survivors went underground. Players are given the mission to make it to this city, go underground, and find a way to get everyone to safety. Travels across the wasteland, and into the ruins, with lots of fighting and running from fights that are too hot to handle.
Act III: The netherworld beneath the city is host to fiendish monsters - demons led by a lesser evil, who are independent, and don't want to be thralls to the evil overlords above. The players fight some of these clans, ally with others out of mutual necessity when the above-world demons attack.
Act IV: Refugees are saved, independent demons are being crushed; players are forced to go even deeper down to avoid the invading armies. They come to an underground, ancient city once filled with the original Hell-worshippers who freed Diablo. They don't at all like what they find there. They learn a lot, attract demonic attention, and must escape through an ancient portal that leads God-knows-where.
Act V: It turns out that the portal was used by the necromancer, who was exploring the underground city trying to find a way to banish the invaders. Players come to the land of the undead, where they must convince the necromancer to use his ever-growing armies to help fight off the demons. Unfortunately, with so many people dying, he can't control all of the undead even though he is certain he can, so the players end up leading some contingents against "renegade" ones. Along the way, they explore ancient Horadrim sites collecting the artifacts they will need to turn the tide.
Act VI: The necromancer's attack. Undead armies save many angels and mortals, the necromancer dies a heroic death. The undead under his thrall are destroyed. Meanwhile, the angels lead a desperate battle against the demons, to give the players a chance to sneak away on a crucial mission. They must go to the continent where the demons rule, for the final showdown. Players invade the high temple, trying to close the blood-sacrifice portal just as the three are being brought back into the former incarnations.
The final showdown: Inside the citadel, fighting the half-formed Diablo, Mephisto and Baal at the same time. Oh yeah.
B)
Background: Angels and demons have complete access to the world. Huge celestial and infernal wars are fought, destroying most of civilization. One continent has fallen completely to the demons, and the people there are being twisted into horrific minions. They are trying to get enough blood sacrifices to bring the three back to their elemental forms, so that they can conquer the world.
Adventure areas: All lands are in chaos - one is a wasteland, totally devoid of life, and abandoned by both sides. A powerful necromancer here is raising his own army to fight "for" humanity; whose side he is really on is a major part of the plot. The rest of the world is a war zone, filled with ruined cities. One city is protected by the angels, and is a sanctuary (and the starting zone). Elsewhere, mortals have been forced underground, and they are finding that the arrival of their thousands of refugees does not go unopposed ...
Act I: Players begin in the shelter city. First missions involve going out into the wasteland (not too far), to save survivors; it is hoped that a few mortals will not be detected on these forays when an angel surely would. Frequent returns for angelic healing and more missions.
Act II: Survivors tell tales of a city thought to be annihilated, but the survivors went underground. Players are given the mission to make it to this city, go underground, and find a way to get everyone to safety. Travels across the wasteland, and into the ruins, with lots of fighting and running from fights that are too hot to handle.
Act III: The netherworld beneath the city is host to fiendish monsters - demons led by a lesser evil, who are independent, and don't want to be thralls to the evil overlords above. The players fight some of these clans, ally with others out of mutual necessity when the above-world demons attack.
Act IV: Refugees are saved, independent demons are being crushed; players are forced to go even deeper down to avoid the invading armies. They come to an underground, ancient city once filled with the original Hell-worshippers who freed Diablo. They don't at all like what they find there. They learn a lot, attract demonic attention, and must escape through an ancient portal that leads God-knows-where.
Act V: It turns out that the portal was used by the necromancer, who was exploring the underground city trying to find a way to banish the invaders. Players come to the land of the undead, where they must convince the necromancer to use his ever-growing armies to help fight off the demons. Unfortunately, with so many people dying, he can't control all of the undead even though he is certain he can, so the players end up leading some contingents against "renegade" ones. Along the way, they explore ancient Horadrim sites collecting the artifacts they will need to turn the tide.
Act VI: The necromancer's attack. Undead armies save many angels and mortals, the necromancer dies a heroic death. The undead under his thrall are destroyed. Meanwhile, the angels lead a desperate battle against the demons, to give the players a chance to sneak away on a crucial mission. They must go to the continent where the demons rule, for the final showdown. Players invade the high temple, trying to close the blood-sacrifice portal just as the three are being brought back into the former incarnations.
The final showdown: Inside the citadel, fighting the half-formed Diablo, Mephisto and Baal at the same time. Oh yeah.
B)