The Campaign

## Adventuring in the Imperial Dungeons

The campaign is based around the discovery and exploration of a vast dungeon complex named the Imperial Dungeons. Players will take on the role of adventurers and explorers who enter the dungeons to seek fame, fortune, adventure, or some other goal.

### *Character Motivation*

In the same way that it is up to you, the player, to decide on your character's race, class, background etc, it is up to you to decide what motivates your character to risk life and limb to venture into the dungeons of the Mad Emperor . Perhaps they seek to prove their bravery to their community, their family, or their sweetheart. Perhaps they are interested in historical research or in retrieving long lost artifacts rumoured to be sealed within. Perhaps they worry that the dungeons harbour ancient evils preserved from the reign of the Mad Emperor and seek to slay them, or at least seal them away. Perhaps they are simply motivated to accumulate wealth! All of the above are valid motivations.

The Imperial Dungeons are what may be loosely called a **sandbox campaign**. If you aren't familiar with this term, it chiefly means that the Dungeon Master has designed a world (or in this case, a city-sized dungeon complex) that characters are free to explore, interact with and plunder as they see fit. The dungeons are home to traps, hazards, monsters and other dangers, but they are also home to great wealth, not just material but also arcane and historical. Exactly what your character seeks to achieve in the dungeons is up to you and may even change as you explore them further and interact with various factions both inside and outside the dungeons - and of course, the rest of your party!

### *Adventuring Parties*

Generally, the largest number of characters who can adventure together without play being too slow is five. Since we anticipate more than five players being interested, the players will be divided into two or more parties who will adventure separately.

As a general rule, you won't interact directly with other parties, but you will all be adventuring in the same world and your actions may effect one another. For example, if one party retrieves the key to a locked door and leaves it locked, another party will have to find another way through the door, or go around it. Conversely, if one party slays the monster that guards a crucial passageway, another party that arrives later will be able to enter unmolested.

Exactly how parties are organised will be determined after character creation, but the DM will make the final decision. When putting players into parties I will try to achieve the following:

* Alignment compatability. There's nothing wrong with a bunch of Chaotic Evil characters, or a bunch of Lawful Good characters, but putting them in the same party is a recipe for disaster. Generally, parties should have alignments that are compatable, if not identical. Note that the party's alignment may effect which NPC quests it receives.
* Balanced character classes. A party made up solely of Wizards is likely to have a short lifespan, while a party made up entirely of Fighters will live a long time but may struggle to advance through the dungeons. Generally parties should have a good balance of character classes.
* Logistics. A purely OOC consideration, but an important one - the players of a party's characters should be able to get together most of the time.

Players are encouraged to come up with a party identity, including a name, symbols, a motto, etc etc. As they accumulate wealth, they may be able to use it to purchase facilities for the party (e.g. a permanent base) or even to expand the party by hiring servants and mercenaries.