Overall Story Ideas

[Kossuth]

Hey all!

I am a semi experienced DM starting a new story with a group I am comfortable with. In general, we do not do much powergaming, putting the focus more on roleplaying. However, for our next campaign, we have agreed to take the gloves off, go epic level, and have openly said that each session is going to be a showcase of the DM's biggest middle-finger-to-your-mother builds. While there seems to be no shortage of help on the specifics of powergaming here, I was wondering if I could get some help writing the overall plot.

Here's my idea: They are epic level, so not a lot on the material plane is going to challenge them, so why not drag them face down through the bloodstained flagstones of The Nine Hells? Pretty much everything there is a decent match for a party of level 20s. The problem there is finding the right carrot to take them into Hell without Hell rising and marching into the land of the living [which asmodeus would never do]. I dont want to do a "They kidnapped the princess!" trope, but I cant think of anything really unique and interesting to send them into the inferno.

So yeah. Anyone care to weigh in?

[note, we like our campaigns long, so a one nighter wont do]

[Red Fel]

If you're planning a massive, epic campaign into the Hells, you're absolutely right, motivation is a must.

Now, if you were gradually building up to epic levels, you could easily work this motivation into the ongoing plot. The PCs encounter enemies who are part of a cult, eventually this cult is exposed as Diabolical in origin, eventually they root out the cult leader, eventually the cult leader is exposed as acting as an agent of an Archdevil, eventually the cult leader is killed and the Archdevil exacts a terrible vengeance, and now it's personal. All the motivation you need.

It's a bit harder if you're starting already high-level; you have less chance to make it personal. So consider this.

As you know, the Good Outsiders wage a ceaseless conflict against Evil Outsiders, and the only reason the Good ones haven't been completely overwhelmed is that CE and LE are also at war with each other, with NE switching sides for the highest bidder. So obviously, if something comes up, Good can't send in a team of its elite units, because those elite units are just a bit busy at the moment in this foxhole dodging infernal artillery, thank you very much, and would you kindly send the reinforcements you promised three months ago, that would be splendid. So when Good discovers that the Hells are planning something that could end the Blood War, and thus unify the forces of Evil against Good (and thus overwhelm Good), it has to recruit expendable, non-affiliated, powerful beings to go on a covert operation, to find the truth and, if necessary, thwart LE's aims.

Yeah. You guys get to be the Mission: Impossible crew. (I'd suggest calling dibs on Peter Graves while you can.)

And there you go. It's canned ham, as far as motivation goes, but it's enough to dump a high-level party into one of the nastier corners of the cosmology.