Advice on adventure hooks? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Advice on adventure hooks? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
the_icon
12-01-07, 01:34 PM Okay, I need a bit of help. I've just started running a new campaign with my group, and I'm a fairly new DM. Let me give you a run-down of the things that have come to pass so far:

The campaign opened with the PCs arriving in a town to investigate some disappearances. The source was traced to an abandoned keep, several miles to the north -- but to gain access, the party needed a rogue; the only one in the area, however, was imprisoned in the town's jail for petty theft.

So, a breakout plan was readied and carried out, and the party went on to investigate. [During this time, unknown to the players, the captain of the town's guard -- enter the NPC: Cain -- noticed his inmate's disappearance and linked it to the party's visit. He fired some of the guards that were on duty at the time, and plans to arrest the party once he gets clear evidence of any wrong-doings.]

Anyhow, the PCs determined the cause of the disappearances (Goblinoids kidnapping humans for sacrifice, goblinoids who were much farther south and west than they should have been), and returned to the town to report. The rogue even thought far enough ahead to bring some heads with them, so as to prove that he had a hand in saving the town. Once this had been brought to light, the town council voted to have him freed.

This, of course, outraged Cain (who was the only member of the council to vote against the idea), as the party has not only deceived him, but now publicly humiliated him as well.

This is as far as we have gotten, and I need to make up some more adventure hooks stemming from the events that have transpired. I want to inject some political (non-combat) scenarios into the campaign, and I feel like this could be a great time for one. I'm just exhausted, and I have no idea how to go about it.

Any helpful advice you have, or ideas for plot hooks would be greatly appreciated.
the_icon
12-02-07, 05:14 PM Anyone?

Please?
WelcarThorn
12-03-07, 02:18 PM What happened to the goblins? Did the PCs wipe 'em out? Is the rouge a PC? How big is the town? Do you plan to limit magic in your campaign?
toucanbuzz
12-03-07, 03:45 PM The party presumably is enjoying some popularity here and may not be permanently tied to this area. If Cain has a dark heart and is vengeful, or if he simply wants to embarass the party, he may cut a deal in the shady areas of town that he will either regret or fully embrace, depending on how you play him.

If the goblins were part of something bigger (a dark wizard who used illusions to appear as a god to the goblins in order to gain corpses for his undead army), the wizard's agents might be researching the party to assess their threat, or just as vengeance. Toss in a political figure upset with them, and you might have a volitile combination.

Perhaps Cain convinces the council to send the party on a "mission" (a dangerous spot) with faulty information.

Perhaps there's a new "drug" in town that is killing people, and Cain plants manufacturing equipment at the party's place, at the least destroying their reputation and leaving them perhaps with an opportunity to "prove" their innocence by finding the real suppliers before trial.

The party could be appointed town ambassadors to seek out trade relations with a nearby city/town. Cain could expose their rogue's connections (what does he need lockpicks for except to break into your homes??) at an inopportune time, leading the party to have to balance their reputation as well as the financial deals.

And so on, hope this spurs some ideas!
the_icon
12-03-07, 11:10 PM WelcarThorn, all good questions.

What happened to the goblins?
They're dead.
Did the PCs wipe 'em out?
Yup.
Is the rouge a PC?
Why, yes he is.
How big is the town?
Ohh, about 900 people or so.
Do you plan to limit magic in your campaign?
Nope.

Hopefully these answers provide the information you need to offer me some suggestions?

Also -- toucanbuzz, those are great ideas. I'm particularly interested in the thought of the PCs being town ambassadors, and I'll probably use it. Thanks a lot.

Keep these good suggestions coming, people!
Gerry
12-04-07, 12:14 AM Some more questions:
- what level are you guys now?
- how long do you want to play this?
- many years
- until end of term

- how high do you want the levels to get?

- what world are you in ?
- your own?
- F.R.
- G.H.
- Eb.
- Elsir Vale (if not, why not :) ? )

- if it's your own, how are the countries set up? do they get along, etc?

- do you like pre-built modules that you modify, or want "grow your own" exclusively?
- Have I mentioend Elsir Vale yet?

My std suggestion is "plunk them down in Elsir Vale" until they're fifth level, then throw Red Hand of Doom at them.

Read the index of many many threads, especially those that discuss running your own stuff in Elsir Vale prior to RHoD.

Index of RHoD Threads and Resource Links (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=855450)

Gerry
the_icon
12-04-07, 04:53 AM Well Gerry, to respond: They're still only at first level (this was actually their first adventure of the campaign, split up into two parts), and they plan to play it right out to epic and beyond. The sky is no boundary.

The world is pretty much of my own imagination, but still in its late formative stages; I'm trying to take the time I need to get everything just right. I do prefer to create places and scenarios on my own, but I'm always up for a pre-con in a pinch.

The countries and their relationships are rather up in the air right now, since we haven't even gotten through the skin of the world yet -- But for the sake of explanation, the unofficial cliffs-notes version is this: The PCs start off in Calendor (Humans, Dwarves and a sprinkling of Half-orcs), a cool, rugged area covered in icy mountains, untended forests and the like. Political tensions have arisen between its neighbour countries to the south, Nethir (mainly Humans and Dwarves) and Kesir Ra'Vaniel (Elves, with a few Gnomes and Halflings tossed in), to both of which Calendor is allied. As the story progresses, war breaks out between the two rival countries, as the leaders of Calendor play emmisary, attempting to heal the bad blood. As more and more information is revealed, it comes to light that the High Senator of Calendor is actually behind instigating the war, in an effort to weaken both of his allies enough to invade and conquer their territories unopposed.

I'm also currently planning some more subtle machinations so as to distract the PCs from the political storyline and focus more on the characters' backstories, but those won't come into play for quite some time. For instance, our party's fighter is adventuring to find the resting place of his ancestors, where it is believed that an ancient relic is buried among them. This item, unknown to even the player himself, is actually a sword that was created to slay a god, but never had the opportunity. Moreover, contrary to what the character/player believes, he's not the only one looking for it.

This, of course, is only one hook from one character; there are still seven more left in the group.

Hope this helps.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
the_icon 12-01-07, 01:34 PM	Okay, I need a bit of help. I've just started running a new campaign with my group, and I'm a fairly new DM. Let me give you a run-down of the things that have come to pass so far: The campaign opened with the PCs arriving in a town to investigate some disappearances. The source was traced to an abandoned keep, several miles to the north -- but to gain access, the party needed a rogue; the only one in the area, however, was imprisoned in the town's jail for petty theft. So, a breakout plan was readied and carried out, and the party went on to investigate. [During this time, unknown to the players, the captain of the town's guard -- enter the NPC: Cain -- noticed his inmate's disappearance and linked it to the party's visit. He fired some of the guards that were on duty at the time, and plans to arrest the party once he gets clear evidence of any wrong-doings.] Anyhow, the PCs determined the cause of the disappearances (Goblinoids kidnapping humans for sacrifice, goblinoids who were much farther south and west than they should have been), and returned to the town to report. The rogue even thought far enough ahead to bring some heads with them, so as to prove that he had a hand in saving the town. Once this had been brought to light, the town council voted to have him freed. This, of course, outraged Cain (who was the only member of the council to vote against the idea), as the party has not only deceived him, but now publicly humiliated him as well. This is as far as we have gotten, and I need to make up some more adventure hooks stemming from the events that have transpired. I want to inject some political (non-combat) scenarios into the campaign, and I feel like this could be a great time for one. I'm just exhausted, and I have no idea how to go about it. Any helpful advice you have, or ideas for plot hooks would be greatly appreciated.
the_icon 12-02-07, 05:14 PM	Anyone? Please?
WelcarThorn 12-03-07, 02:18 PM	What happened to the goblins? Did the PCs wipe 'em out? Is the rouge a PC? How big is the town? Do you plan to limit magic in your campaign?
toucanbuzz 12-03-07, 03:45 PM	The party presumably is enjoying some popularity here and may not be permanently tied to this area. If Cain has a dark heart and is vengeful, or if he simply wants to embarass the party, he may cut a deal in the shady areas of town that he will either regret or fully embrace, depending on how you play him. If the goblins were part of something bigger (a dark wizard who used illusions to appear as a god to the goblins in order to gain corpses for his undead army), the wizard's agents might be researching the party to assess their threat, or just as vengeance. Toss in a political figure upset with them, and you might have a volitile combination. Perhaps Cain convinces the council to send the party on a "mission" (a dangerous spot) with faulty information. Perhaps there's a new "drug" in town that is killing people, and Cain plants manufacturing equipment at the party's place, at the least destroying their reputation and leaving them perhaps with an opportunity to "prove" their innocence by finding the real suppliers before trial. The party could be appointed town ambassadors to seek out trade relations with a nearby city/town. Cain could expose their rogue's connections (what does he need lockpicks for except to break into your homes??) at an inopportune time, leading the party to have to balance their reputation as well as the financial deals. And so on, hope this spurs some ideas!
the_icon 12-03-07, 11:10 PM	WelcarThorn, all good questions. What happened to the goblins? They're dead. Did the PCs wipe 'em out? Yup. Is the rouge a PC? Why, yes he is. How big is the town? Ohh, about 900 people or so. Do you plan to limit magic in your campaign? Nope. Hopefully these answers provide the information you need to offer me some suggestions? Also -- toucanbuzz, those are great ideas. I'm particularly interested in the thought of the PCs being town ambassadors, and I'll probably use it. Thanks a lot. Keep these good suggestions coming, people!
Gerry 12-04-07, 12:14 AM	Some more questions: - what level are you guys now? - how long do you want to play this? - many years - until end of term - how high do you want the levels to get? - what world are you in ? - your own? - F.R. - G.H. - Eb. - Elsir Vale (if not, why not :) ? ) - if it's your own, how are the countries set up? do they get along, etc? - do you like pre-built modules that you modify, or want "grow your own" exclusively? - Have I mentioend Elsir Vale yet? My std suggestion is "plunk them down in Elsir Vale" until they're fifth level, then throw Red Hand of Doom at them. Read the index of many many threads, especially those that discuss running your own stuff in Elsir Vale prior to RHoD. Index of RHoD Threads and Resource Links (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=855450) Gerry
the_icon 12-04-07, 04:53 AM	Well Gerry, to respond: They're still only at first level (this was actually their first adventure of the campaign, split up into two parts), and they plan to play it right out to epic and beyond. The sky is no boundary. The world is pretty much of my own imagination, but still in its late formative stages; I'm trying to take the time I need to get everything just right. I do prefer to create places and scenarios on my own, but I'm always up for a pre-con in a pinch. The countries and their relationships are rather up in the air right now, since we haven't even gotten through the skin of the world yet -- But for the sake of explanation, the unofficial cliffs-notes version is this: The PCs start off in Calendor (Humans, Dwarves and a sprinkling of Half-orcs), a cool, rugged area covered in icy mountains, untended forests and the like. Political tensions have arisen between its neighbour countries to the south, Nethir (mainly Humans and Dwarves) and Kesir Ra'Vaniel (Elves, with a few Gnomes and Halflings tossed in), to both of which Calendor is allied. As the story progresses, war breaks out between the two rival countries, as the leaders of Calendor play emmisary, attempting to heal the bad blood. As more and more information is revealed, it comes to light that the High Senator of Calendor is actually behind instigating the war, in an effort to weaken both of his allies enough to invade and conquer their territories unopposed. I'm also currently planning some more subtle machinations so as to distract the PCs from the political storyline and focus more on the characters' backstories, but those won't come into play for quite some time. For instance, our party's fighter is adventuring to find the resting place of his ancestors, where it is believed that an ancient relic is buried among them. This item, unknown to even the player himself, is actually a sword that was created to slay a god, but never had the opportunity. Moreover, contrary to what the character/player believes, he's not the only one looking for it. This, of course, is only one hook from one character; there are still seven more left in the group. Hope this helps.