I need help designing a first-level adventure. [Archive] - Wizards Community

I need help designing a first-level adventure. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Six Million
09-06-04, 07:58 PM I read the DMG and ECS cover to cover, and am starting DMing in a few weeks. I've DM'ed before, but, to tell the truth, I'm not too good at it.

I have an idea for a (lvl 1) adventure, and was wondering if some of the esteemed boards members could help me flesh it out a bit.

Hmm. Maybe the PC’s are hired to “rescue” someone? Protect someone?
This someone. Let her be… young. A surly teenager? I like. Ok.

So this surly teenager is trying to leave and join some cult (or so the Parent thinks). In reality, this talented youngster has heard the call of the binding flame and want’s to join the Ghaash-kala. (The orcs who live in the demon-wastes and protect people from demon outbreaks).

The PC’s are charged with escorting the youngster everywhere, to make sure she doesn’t escape. I think they’ll have fun booby-trapping the house so that she doesn’t try to leave during the night.

And now, the old idea:

A ‘terrible and mighty’ force is about to be unleashed. Somehow (fix this) the PC’s are contacted by someone to stop it. They are to stop a Blackguard from unleashing this indomitable force.

What the PC’s don’t know, however, this that the Blackguard is about to unleash a ‘terrible and mighty’ force for good. The PC’s are opposed by “the good guys” (say, the silver flame), and aided by the Blood of Vol? Order of the Emerald Claw?

This allows the PC’s to never be too much danger, because the people who oppose them are good-aligned and would (theoretically) try not to kill the PC’s. Also, the PC’s are lied to (in good old noir tradition). It would be kinda unnerving to see a Blackguard suiciding because he did a great act of good.

Now, I have no idea how good this idea is. Also, this scenario possesses some problems:
1. What happens if/when the PC’s are subdued by their opponents? (The good guys) The whole surprise is gone.
2. There isn’t enough betrayal in the adventure. I’m trying to follow the example set here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20040809a
3. A blackguard is a PrC. Wouldn’t that, by definition, be too hard for a party of Lvl adventurers? I don’t want to pull a Deus Ex by having some powerfull ally help the PCs. Maybe the Blackguard was level drained by some undead being the Blood of Vol brought in, and just manages to defeat it when the PC’s burst on the scene.

Thanks in advance.
Atlictoatl
09-06-04, 08:12 PM If you are rusty with DM'ing, which by your admission sounds is the case, I'd recommend easing into this plot. World-shattering plots are difficult to pull off well, and ultimately best done over a period of time, IMO. Start your 1st-levels off with something much more innocuous -- perhaps a courier run, or a research or observation mission. When they have proven their worth to their benefactor with that, they get a slightly more dangerous or sensitive mission. Perhaps there could be a shadowy figure watching them as they go through these two missions. Take 1-3 sessions with each mission, get the feel for your players and their characters, DM'ing, and the world.

By the third or fourth mission (you can also have a sideplot in there, not directly related to the overarching campaign, but the players needn't know that), they can confront this shadowy figure, or directly learn that the figure is the power behind their benefactor. By this time (3rd-4th level), they can begin to be better agents for him/her, can begin to suspect that what they're doing might not be for the good of all, might start to entertain going against said benefactor.

By the time they are 5th-6th, you can have them directly confronting the shadowy benefactor, and having to make moral decisions based on what they have learned throughout the campaign.

Intersperse the linear campaign with some episodes exploring the character hooks of the PCs and some red herring type side sessions, just to make everything richer and less linear.
Six Million
09-06-04, 08:23 PM That sounds logical. I wasn't really thinking world-shattering when I thought of the adventure, though. Maybe releasing a Couatl or something.
Forget that, then.

So, courier service? I dunno. I think I should somehow ease into an undead heavy campaign, because I'm really looking forward to Libris Mortis.

I guess I'm just not good at intrigue and betrayal.
Give me a few moments, and I'll see if I can whip up some mundane adventure.

That's what sticks in my craw. Mundane. The PC's are supposed to be heroes. How heroic is guarding a caravan? Logically you make sense, especially since Goblins, orcs, and kobolds get really boring. The thing is, I have a really "ramshackle" group of players. I don't want to unburden myself here, but I really have to have something engaging in the beginning, or I'll lose them.

Edit: Oh, and thanks. A lot.
Atlictoatl
09-06-04, 08:30 PM Ah, I mis-read 'terrible and mighty'.

Throw them into exciting, heroic combat-oriented adventures, if you want. I just think the overall story arc will be more memorable if you turn their respect and gratefulness for their benefactor into fear and loathing, then when they are in the middle of a moral quandary after finally learning his/her true identity, you reveal that they're actually working, ultimately, for good, even though they've started truly thinking they've unwittingly become forces of evil.

I'm just saying that kind of emotional manipulation of your players / player characters takes time. You can just throw it at them and they'll think afterwards, "hey, that was a kinda cool twist there" but the way to keep them from being able to sleep in between adventures is get them emotionally involved in the complexities you want to introduce, developing it over enough time that they think they know what is going on when they really don't.
Atlictoatl
09-06-04, 08:32 PM One other thought: ultimately, this type of moral quandary is better explored at the 4th+ levels, when characters can have some degree of real impact on their surroundings. A 1st-level character, faced with that kind of moral complexity, will often throw in the towel, because they are so dependent on their external circumstances for survival.
Six Million
09-06-04, 08:40 PM Ok. I've got a new idea, and (to me) it promises to be lots of fun. Do you have any thoughts?
Ch@pel
09-06-04, 11:28 PM So you're into undead huh? Well heres a little situation I have been cooking up for my PCs, feel free to steal it.

So they're wandering around some woods somewhere (I'm setting mine at the tip of Valenar) when they get the feeling they are being watched, hunted even. They hurry their pace a little and come to a small hamlet, maybe about 15 buildings in it. It seems deserted, though in actuality, there are a few denizens in the town. The first one they come upon is a vampire, who stalks them for a little, but when he attacks, he deals non lethal damage. See, he doesn't want to kill anyone, just knock them out, take a little blood (they won't miss it) and be on his way. He is actually a family man, who tries to feed his bloodlust to avoid attacking his wife and injured daughter, who also resides in the town, hidden in the basement of one of the buildings.

The deal with the town is this: Some evil necromancer/ vampire has taken over this town as his own private sanctuary from the living world, making most of the inhabitants into vampires and zombies. Now they all wander around the woods outside the town, and scare victims into heading into the town, providing a meal for their master. They don't attack anyone who enters the town, only those who try to leave.

Obviously if you're going to make an escape, you do it during the day, when there isn't so many undead baddies running around. But since the nice man with his family is a vampire, he can't escape, especially with an injured daughter. So he needs the PCs to help him escape.

There are all kinds of encounters that can come out of this:
-the good vampire attacks, and the PCs must decide how to deal with him (they probably need him as much as he needs them)
-they must stay overnight in the house the good vampire has fortified and fend off hordes of zombies, a la Night of the Living Dead.
-they must make their way to a church of The Sovereign Host, where the townspeople staged their last stand against the undead. Here the PCs can find clues about what happened in the town as well as the supplies stocked up by the townspeople, like stakes and holy water.

There you go, lots of undead, including a good vampire to give it that gray-alignment Eberron feel. Enjoy! :)
Brastan
09-06-04, 11:47 PM I would recommend running though the published adventures first. This gives you and your players time to get into the setting. Your lucky staring so late. You can go from published adventure to published adventure with out braking for your own material. This should get the adventures up to 5th or so level. Just right for blackguard fighting. Also you can bounce to the boards for clarification.
Six Million
09-07-04, 10:02 AM I dislike using published adventures, for a few reasons.

1. I can't afford them.
2. My players don't like them. I dunno, they seem... kinda artificial, you know?

I would really like to use my "protect the surly teenager idea" as the first-level adventure, though I will definitely use Ch@pel and Atlictoatls ideas later on.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Six Million 09-06-04, 07:58 PM	I read the DMG and ECS cover to cover, and am starting DMing in a few weeks. I've DM'ed before, but, to tell the truth, I'm not too good at it. I have an idea for a (lvl 1) adventure, and was wondering if some of the esteemed boards members could help me flesh it out a bit. Hmm. Maybe the PC’s are hired to “rescue” someone? Protect someone? This someone. Let her be… young. A surly teenager? I like. Ok. So this surly teenager is trying to leave and join some cult (or so the Parent thinks). In reality, this talented youngster has heard the call of the binding flame and want’s to join the Ghaash-kala. (The orcs who live in the demon-wastes and protect people from demon outbreaks). The PC’s are charged with escorting the youngster everywhere, to make sure she doesn’t escape. I think they’ll have fun booby-trapping the house so that she doesn’t try to leave during the night. And now, the old idea: A ‘terrible and mighty’ force is about to be unleashed. Somehow (fix this) the PC’s are contacted by someone to stop it. They are to stop a Blackguard from unleashing this indomitable force. What the PC’s don’t know, however, this that the Blackguard is about to unleash a ‘terrible and mighty’ force for good. The PC’s are opposed by “the good guys” (say, the silver flame), and aided by the Blood of Vol? Order of the Emerald Claw? This allows the PC’s to never be too much danger, because the people who oppose them are good-aligned and would (theoretically) try not to kill the PC’s. Also, the PC’s are lied to (in good old noir tradition). It would be kinda unnerving to see a Blackguard suiciding because he did a great act of good. Now, I have no idea how good this idea is. Also, this scenario possesses some problems: 1. What happens if/when the PC’s are subdued by their opponents? (The good guys) The whole surprise is gone. 2. There isn’t enough betrayal in the adventure. I’m trying to follow the example set here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20040809a 3. A blackguard is a PrC. Wouldn’t that, by definition, be too hard for a party of Lvl adventurers? I don’t want to pull a Deus Ex by having some powerfull ally help the PCs. Maybe the Blackguard was level drained by some undead being the Blood of Vol brought in, and just manages to defeat it when the PC’s burst on the scene. Thanks in advance.
Atlictoatl 09-06-04, 08:12 PM	If you are rusty with DM'ing, which by your admission sounds is the case, I'd recommend easing into this plot. World-shattering plots are difficult to pull off well, and ultimately best done over a period of time, IMO. Start your 1st-levels off with something much more innocuous -- perhaps a courier run, or a research or observation mission. When they have proven their worth to their benefactor with that, they get a slightly more dangerous or sensitive mission. Perhaps there could be a shadowy figure watching them as they go through these two missions. Take 1-3 sessions with each mission, get the feel for your players and their characters, DM'ing, and the world. By the third or fourth mission (you can also have a sideplot in there, not directly related to the overarching campaign, but the players needn't know that), they can confront this shadowy figure, or directly learn that the figure is the power behind their benefactor. By this time (3rd-4th level), they can begin to be better agents for him/her, can begin to suspect that what they're doing might not be for the good of all, might start to entertain going against said benefactor. By the time they are 5th-6th, you can have them directly confronting the shadowy benefactor, and having to make moral decisions based on what they have learned throughout the campaign. Intersperse the linear campaign with some episodes exploring the character hooks of the PCs and some red herring type side sessions, just to make everything richer and less linear.
Six Million 09-06-04, 08:23 PM	That sounds logical. I wasn't really thinking world-shattering when I thought of the adventure, though. Maybe releasing a Couatl or something. Forget that, then. So, courier service? I dunno. I think I should somehow ease into an undead heavy campaign, because I'm really looking forward to Libris Mortis. I guess I'm just not good at intrigue and betrayal. Give me a few moments, and I'll see if I can whip up some mundane adventure. That's what sticks in my craw. Mundane. The PC's are supposed to be heroes. How heroic is guarding a caravan? Logically you make sense, especially since Goblins, orcs, and kobolds get really boring. The thing is, I have a really "ramshackle" group of players. I don't want to unburden myself here, but I really have to have something engaging in the beginning, or I'll lose them. Edit: Oh, and thanks. A lot.
Atlictoatl 09-06-04, 08:30 PM	Ah, I mis-read 'terrible and mighty'. Throw them into exciting, heroic combat-oriented adventures, if you want. I just think the overall story arc will be more memorable if you turn their respect and gratefulness for their benefactor into fear and loathing, then when they are in the middle of a moral quandary after finally learning his/her true identity, you reveal that they're actually working, ultimately, for good, even though they've started truly thinking they've unwittingly become forces of evil. I'm just saying that kind of emotional manipulation of your players / player characters takes time. You can just throw it at them and they'll think afterwards, "hey, that was a kinda cool twist there" but the way to keep them from being able to sleep in between adventures is get them emotionally involved in the complexities you want to introduce, developing it over enough time that they think they know what is going on when they really don't.
Atlictoatl 09-06-04, 08:32 PM	One other thought: ultimately, this type of moral quandary is better explored at the 4th+ levels, when characters can have some degree of real impact on their surroundings. A 1st-level character, faced with that kind of moral complexity, will often throw in the towel, because they are so dependent on their external circumstances for survival.
Six Million 09-06-04, 08:40 PM	Ok. I've got a new idea, and (to me) it promises to be lots of fun. Do you have any thoughts?
Ch@pel 09-06-04, 11:28 PM	So you're into undead huh? Well heres a little situation I have been cooking up for my PCs, feel free to steal it. So they're wandering around some woods somewhere (I'm setting mine at the tip of Valenar) when they get the feeling they are being watched, hunted even. They hurry their pace a little and come to a small hamlet, maybe about 15 buildings in it. It seems deserted, though in actuality, there are a few denizens in the town. The first one they come upon is a vampire, who stalks them for a little, but when he attacks, he deals non lethal damage. See, he doesn't want to kill anyone, just knock them out, take a little blood (they won't miss it) and be on his way. He is actually a family man, who tries to feed his bloodlust to avoid attacking his wife and injured daughter, who also resides in the town, hidden in the basement of one of the buildings. The deal with the town is this: Some evil necromancer/ vampire has taken over this town as his own private sanctuary from the living world, making most of the inhabitants into vampires and zombies. Now they all wander around the woods outside the town, and scare victims into heading into the town, providing a meal for their master. They don't attack anyone who enters the town, only those who try to leave. Obviously if you're going to make an escape, you do it during the day, when there isn't so many undead baddies running around. But since the nice man with his family is a vampire, he can't escape, especially with an injured daughter. So he needs the PCs to help him escape. There are all kinds of encounters that can come out of this: -the good vampire attacks, and the PCs must decide how to deal with him (they probably need him as much as he needs them) -they must stay overnight in the house the good vampire has fortified and fend off hordes of zombies, a la Night of the Living Dead. -they must make their way to a church of The Sovereign Host, where the townspeople staged their last stand against the undead. Here the PCs can find clues about what happened in the town as well as the supplies stocked up by the townspeople, like stakes and holy water. There you go, lots of undead, including a good vampire to give it that gray-alignment Eberron feel. Enjoy! :)
Brastan 09-06-04, 11:47 PM	I would recommend running though the published adventures first. This gives you and your players time to get into the setting. Your lucky staring so late. You can go from published adventure to published adventure with out braking for your own material. This should get the adventures up to 5th or so level. Just right for blackguard fighting. Also you can bounce to the boards for clarification.
Six Million 09-07-04, 10:02 AM	I dislike using published adventures, for a few reasons. 1. I can't afford them. 2. My players don't like them. I dunno, they seem... kinda artificial, you know? I would really like to use my "protect the surly teenager idea" as the first-level adventure, though I will definitely use Ch@pel and Atlictoatls ideas later on.