I need an idea! [Archive] - Wizards Community

I need an idea! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
NightKnight
11-22-05, 12:51 PM I need some help... The group I am DMing for is made up of evil PCs (cleric, wiz, barb, bard) and are currently traveling west on the road to Yartar or their way to Waterdeep. I need an idea of something to happen in Yartar at the notoriously "dirty" market they have. I'm stressed out and overworked at my job right now and haven't had the time to make something decent, please help!
Trydan
11-22-05, 01:29 PM Well, if the market has a bad reputation, make it something good. A generous donation is given. It smacks of something sinister, but superficially it looks so charitable. So everyone is suspicious.

Either it can be something hiding a deeper problem, or it could be genuine.
NightKnight
11-22-05, 02:30 PM But the PCs are evil, why would they care?
This is the party:

Neutral Evil Cleric of Velsharoon
Neutral Evil Wizard - Patron: Velsharoon
Chaotic Neutral (Literally Psycho) Halfling Barbarian
Neutral Gnome Bard (Bordering on Neutral Evil, may consider an alighnment change)
Mobius
11-22-05, 02:54 PM Some quick ideas:
* They see a very unusual item for sale (perhaps an artefact of Velsharoon)
* Someone hires them to steal a powerful item form one of the merchants
* Someone tries to pickpocket one of them (an introduction to the local thieves guild)
* Someone wants to hire some muscle to help “influence” the local lord
* A local sheriff recognizes a PC from a past crime
JulesCARV
11-22-05, 04:52 PM I don't know much about Forgotten Realms, but here's a general extended subquest idea: a local merchant, noticing the PCs are from out of town starts asking the PCs to run various inconsequential courrier missions (delivering notes, messages, etc) for suspiciously good pay. After that, he starts asking them to do more dubious courier missions, acting as fences for stolen goods (e.g. the merchant sends you to pick up mysteriously acquired jewels, and gives you less than the legitimate price to pay for them, letting them know that whoever got these jewels can't pawn them to someone legit), smuggling opiates maybe, etc. After that, the merchant starts schmoozing them, saying "I've come to trust you, and people of your caliber and character are a rare find these days blah blah blah... I'd like to make you partners in my business, and give you 50% of this season's profits, but I fear I can't afford to do so, because I am too much in debt to [some lender]. Of course, if my debts were forgiven -- say, she were to keel over dead one day, for some mysterious reason -- then I would be delighted to make you partners!" effectively giving you a mission to assassinate the lender, who should have a few traps and guards.

Now from here, there are two possibilities: one, the merchant, though a scumbag, was being fairly honest with the PCs. After you kill the lender, you come back, the merchant gives you a cut (maybe a substantial underestimate of half of a whole quarter's profits, but how can you know?), and you walk away happily, with the warm glow of having done well by doing evil. The merchant advises them to get out of town ASAP and never mention his existence.

Second possibility: it's an ambush. The merchant warned the lender, because he really just wants to get the PCs killed. They've already done enough shady stuff (like fencing stolen goods, etc) to be able to get the merchant in big trouble, so the merchant, figuring they're out of town adventurers of the sort no one will get to upset about if they die, arranges for the lender to have them killed. Assuming they survive the ambush, they can do what they want to the merchant. If they're feeling in a kinda lawful evil mood, they can drop an anonymous note on all the shady stuff the merchant's been doing and have him turned over to the legitimate authorities. If they're in a neutral evil mood, maybe they can show up and threaten to do the first one, and only agree not to do it by extorting a lot of the merchant's ill-gotten gains for themselves. If they're in a chaotic evil mood, well, cut the merchant's head off, rob his home, and get out of town fast!
MistWolf
11-22-05, 07:52 PM Saddle them with an innocent orphaned child. Don't force the child on them- figure out which player- not charcter- is most likely to feel compassion for this child. Set it up so that one of the players will take this child in.

"A child breaks free from a long line of slaves- cast offs not sold during the long day of auctioning- bought in lots for the salt mines Serilkha. "Please great one! Buy me and I will serve you well till the end of your days."

The slaver laughs "You can have that one for 10 silver. Too puny to last the journey across the Anvil of God and eats too much by half!"

Or:

As the party slips along the alley, a gang of dirty street urchins stream by. The bard grin at their boldness as there comes a loud thok and a flash of pain in the skull. The bard turns to face one of those street rats, barely dressed in rags, eyes wide in his gaunt face. The child holds out the broken table leg as the bards bears down on him in a rage. "Please! It was that man! He threw this knife. I had to use this stick to stop it!" He turns the table leg to reveal a knife stuck deep in the scarred wood, the blade stained with a honey colored viscous fluid. The bards eyes narrow, then grow wide as he recognizes the poison.

The child looks up to the characters and attaches itself to them. However, what complicates them using the child for evil purposes is that the child brings out the mothering instinct in every woman the party meets and insists they raise it right.

I've pulled something similar on a female character who was a stone cold killer. The player had a soft spot for kids. Angel (The character) found a skinny preteen girl who was good with a knife. When she asked the little girls' name, I unashamedly told her "My name is Angel- just like you."

The player looked daggers at me, but admitted having Angel attach herself to her character was quite fun
NightKnight
11-22-05, 08:03 PM That is an evil, twisted, dirty trick, something that would truely torment the players.... I LOVE IT!!!! :D Awesome ideas, thanks guys!!!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
NightKnight 11-22-05, 12:51 PM	I need some help... The group I am DMing for is made up of evil PCs (cleric, wiz, barb, bard) and are currently traveling west on the road to Yartar or their way to Waterdeep. I need an idea of something to happen in Yartar at the notoriously "dirty" market they have. I'm stressed out and overworked at my job right now and haven't had the time to make something decent, please help!
Trydan 11-22-05, 01:29 PM	Well, if the market has a bad reputation, make it something good. A generous donation is given. It smacks of something sinister, but superficially it looks so charitable. So everyone is suspicious. Either it can be something hiding a deeper problem, or it could be genuine.
NightKnight 11-22-05, 02:30 PM	But the PCs are evil, why would they care? This is the party: Neutral Evil Cleric of Velsharoon Neutral Evil Wizard - Patron: Velsharoon Chaotic Neutral (Literally Psycho) Halfling Barbarian Neutral Gnome Bard (Bordering on Neutral Evil, may consider an alighnment change)
Mobius 11-22-05, 02:54 PM	Some quick ideas: * They see a very unusual item for sale (perhaps an artefact of Velsharoon) * Someone hires them to steal a powerful item form one of the merchants * Someone tries to pickpocket one of them (an introduction to the local thieves guild) * Someone wants to hire some muscle to help “influence” the local lord * A local sheriff recognizes a PC from a past crime
JulesCARV 11-22-05, 04:52 PM	I don't know much about Forgotten Realms, but here's a general extended subquest idea: a local merchant, noticing the PCs are from out of town starts asking the PCs to run various inconsequential courrier missions (delivering notes, messages, etc) for suspiciously good pay. After that, he starts asking them to do more dubious courier missions, acting as fences for stolen goods (e.g. the merchant sends you to pick up mysteriously acquired jewels, and gives you less than the legitimate price to pay for them, letting them know that whoever got these jewels can't pawn them to someone legit), smuggling opiates maybe, etc. After that, the merchant starts schmoozing them, saying "I've come to trust you, and people of your caliber and character are a rare find these days blah blah blah... I'd like to make you partners in my business, and give you 50% of this season's profits, but I fear I can't afford to do so, because I am too much in debt to [some lender]. Of course, if my debts were forgiven -- say, she were to keel over dead one day, for some mysterious reason -- then I would be delighted to make you partners!" effectively giving you a mission to assassinate the lender, who should have a few traps and guards. Now from here, there are two possibilities: one, the merchant, though a scumbag, was being fairly honest with the PCs. After you kill the lender, you come back, the merchant gives you a cut (maybe a substantial underestimate of half of a whole quarter's profits, but how can you know?), and you walk away happily, with the warm glow of having done well by doing evil. The merchant advises them to get out of town ASAP and never mention his existence. Second possibility: it's an ambush. The merchant warned the lender, because he really just wants to get the PCs killed. They've already done enough shady stuff (like fencing stolen goods, etc) to be able to get the merchant in big trouble, so the merchant, figuring they're out of town adventurers of the sort no one will get to upset about if they die, arranges for the lender to have them killed. Assuming they survive the ambush, they can do what they want to the merchant. If they're feeling in a kinda lawful evil mood, they can drop an anonymous note on all the shady stuff the merchant's been doing and have him turned over to the legitimate authorities. If they're in a neutral evil mood, maybe they can show up and threaten to do the first one, and only agree not to do it by extorting a lot of the merchant's ill-gotten gains for themselves. If they're in a chaotic evil mood, well, cut the merchant's head off, rob his home, and get out of town fast!
MistWolf 11-22-05, 07:52 PM	Saddle them with an innocent orphaned child. Don't force the child on them- figure out which player- not charcter- is most likely to feel compassion for this child. Set it up so that one of the players will take this child in. "A child breaks free from a long line of slaves- cast offs not sold during the long day of auctioning- bought in lots for the salt mines Serilkha. "Please great one! Buy me and I will serve you well till the end of your days." The slaver laughs "You can have that one for 10 silver. Too puny to last the journey across the Anvil of God and eats too much by half!" Or: As the party slips along the alley, a gang of dirty street urchins stream by. The bard grin at their boldness as there comes a loud thok and a flash of pain in the skull. The bard turns to face one of those street rats, barely dressed in rags, eyes wide in his gaunt face. The child holds out the broken table leg as the bards bears down on him in a rage. "Please! It was that man! He threw this knife. I had to use this stick to stop it!" He turns the table leg to reveal a knife stuck deep in the scarred wood, the blade stained with a honey colored viscous fluid. The bards eyes narrow, then grow wide as he recognizes the poison. The child looks up to the characters and attaches itself to them. However, what complicates them using the child for evil purposes is that the child brings out the mothering instinct in every woman the party meets and insists they raise it right. I've pulled something similar on a female character who was a stone cold killer. The player had a soft spot for kids. Angel (The character) found a skinny preteen girl who was good with a knife. When she asked the little girls' name, I unashamedly told her "My name is Angel- just like you." The player looked daggers at me, but admitted having Angel attach herself to her character was quite fun
NightKnight 11-22-05, 08:03 PM	That is an evil, twisted, dirty trick, something that would truely torment the players.... I LOVE IT!!!! :D Awesome ideas, thanks guys!!!