Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Edymnion 03-22-06, 02:35 PM	Well, not really screw them over, but since they've bitten onto a hook I didn't really mean to dangle, I need to figure out some way I can yank the thread ;) Its a homebrew campaign, but several of them read the normal boards, and I want a bit more of an Eberron toned responce than the normal boards would provide, so I'll post it up here instead. Without giving too much away, in case they find this thread, the party is currently in a medium sized fishing villiage at the edge of a large lake, with mountains on the other side. They are hunting down a series of artifacts, one of which I've been seriously hinting at may be at the bottom of said lake. They met the NPC girl, Ginny, at the inn they stopped in for food and information. The party rogue took a shine to her (heh, apparently my description of her pushed his buttons ;)), and the rest of them seem to be falling in behind them. Any good intrigue-y ideas on what I might be able to do with this one?
ChristopherGroves 03-22-06, 02:48 PM	Well, the obvious is "she's not what she appears to be". This can range from the harmless - she's not human, she's a changeling, she's got a secret - to the wicked - she's something else in human form. Chompy chompy. Second is "she's not always what she appears to be" ... she's a good girl most of the time, but has moments of profound difference. Lycanthrope, maybe she's a conflicted host to a quori or possessed by a demon. Still, I'm more inclined to use an NPC like this as a pawn or plot device Want the thing at the bottom of the lake? Give the bad guy Ginny and he'll help. But me, I like to screw with folks even more. Want the thing at the bottom of the lake? Did I mention that Ginny's family was tasked years ago with keeping the thing hidden? She's LG and no matter how nicely you ask, she won't budge - the thing stays at the bottom of the lake. Now you have a choice with a bad outcome regardless ... leave the artifact (or delay in finding it long enough for the bad guys to get it) versus taking it and having to deal with Ginny. If your players are invested in their characters, this will be a doozy. Heck, maybe the last guardian is Ginny's mom/dad/uncle/dog/whatever and you'd have to kill it. - Leave the device, make Ginny happy but the bad guys get it first. - Take the device, make Ginny angry. Do you *fight* Ginny? Do you kill Ginny's mom/dad/uncle/dog? And does Ginny start to hunt them down?
Rechan 03-22-06, 02:49 PM	The fishing village offers sacrifice every year to the God O' The Sea. The Sea God, being a mercilous nasty SOB, requires placation to keep the fish comin' and the tsunamies/huricanes at bay. Ginny just won the lottery, so she's the sacrifice. This means the PCs either have to let her get whacked to placate the God so the village can keep going, or save her, causing the entire village to get into an uproar. Torch and pitchfork time!
jonthegm 03-22-06, 02:56 PM	The obvious answer would be to have her play hard to get a few sessions, and then just callously kill her off meaninglessly as an introduction to a new Bad Guy or something.
Belabras 03-22-06, 03:04 PM	Or, to play along similar lines, have her hang around awhile and string the PCs along, only to disappear after a particularly hairy encounter. Then, she can show up later in her 'true' from as a BBEG - Lich, Succubus, evil Sorcereress or somesuch
(Psi)SeveredHead 03-22-06, 03:16 PM	What are the politics of the nation the village is in? If it's got a good king, she could be opposed to him. Or maybe the place has a bad leader, in which case she could be a "freedom fighter" or a spy for the evil leader. Any way you choose, trouble could be close behind.
Kreistor1 03-22-06, 03:16 PM	Well, assuming this is Breland, she could be a mole from Aundair or Karrnath. Over the long term, she's trying to get deep into Sharn society and create a spy ring to learn about Brelish war projects. So, let them take her along, she sleeps with them or whatever is necessary to get her setup in Sharn. She works her way up from one man to another, eventually getting involved with a General or Admiral.
Joni-san 03-22-06, 03:43 PM	Have you seen the Lovecraft movie Dagon? Think in those lines ;)
DarkWarriorKarg 03-22-06, 03:45 PM	At what pace do you want the screwjob done? A few sessions, the whole adventure or the campaign? And at what intensity? Perhaps she's a cultist of the Dragon Below (or the equivalent in your homebrew), who has decided that the party rogue is HERS. Then the party wonders why other female NPcs who even just smile at the rogue, begin dissapearing. However, she is actually very helpful to the party, knowing that none of them pose a threat. Perhaps she's possessed by the psychotic ghost/succubus who acts as above. But once Ginny is rescued from the possession, it turnes out that the poor girl has severe emotional and educational retardation, and is angered that the "Heroes" took away her one chance at relative normalcy. Perhaps she's a nut who shows up, 9 months later with a swollen belly, telling stories of how this so-called brave adventurer abandoned her after taking advantage of her. Maybe he meets the rest of her family, the one that the village doens't talk about, mainly because they "keep to themselves" a bit too much (cue dueling banjos & a certain X-files espisode)
jaydubyadub 03-22-06, 03:52 PM	Femme Fatale. Double Indemnity or another noir flick might be a good place to start. Say Ginny's got a hidden agenda, a husband she didn't mention or some other big secret, someone or something that needs killing and she's gonna drag the whole party down with her... course that ain't exactly plan A. That's pulp noir Raymond Chandler style stuff for you, which is what Eberron is supposed to derive from somewhat. Need more information on classic femme fatales? Well, that's what Google's for. :D
Golbez57 03-22-06, 05:10 PM	The obvious answer would be to have her play hard to get a few sessions, and then just callously kill her off meaninglessly as an introduction to a new Bad Guy or something. Wow.... That's "women in refridgerators"-ish. I'll take it as sarcasm! If they truly like the character, there's probably more to be gained by developing her into a more key role in the story, or even the campaign. Rechan's suggestion runs closest to my likings. Tying into the artifact idea you've introduced, Edy, perhaps one way to do away with the Baddie in the Water could be to remove or otherwise manipulate the object of power that's also in the lake.
ekomega 03-22-06, 06:02 PM	The fishing village offers sacrifice every year to the God O' The Sea. The Sea God, being a mercilous nasty SOB, requires placation to keep the fish comin' and the tsunamies/huricanes at bay. Ginny just won the lottery, so she's the sacrifice. This means the PCs either have to let her get whacked to placate the God so the village can keep going, or save her, causing the entire village to get into an uproar. Torch and pitchfork time! A twist on this idea. The artifact in the lake is held by some kind of powerful creature who demands the sacrifice. Ginny wins the lottery and gets sacrificed. This will likely get the PCs interested in killing the creature. The real twist is that the monster doesn't kill her for good, but reanimates her somehow (undead, gravetouched ghoul, dust-stuffed, whatever) and has her lead his evil forces against the PCs when they do get to the bottom of the lake. Then, when they defeat her, she says she was possessed by a demon (have her be able to cast Glibness) and she's okay now and just wants to go home. Then later, she raises an evil army from her home and sets after the PCs. Finally, she could be like a lich and never killed. Maybe a PC gives her an item as a gift (flowers or a ring or something), maybe on a date before she is sacrificed, and the monster uses that as her phylactery. Then when she is 'rescued' from the monster's den, she gives the item back to the PC for some reason, like she wants to forget about the whole incident. So the PCs end up carrying her phylactery around and they don't even know it.
Splendide 03-22-06, 06:17 PM	The Crying Game
maollelujah 03-22-06, 07:00 PM	The obvious answer would be to have her play hard to get a few sessions, and then just callously kill her off meaninglessly as an introduction to a new Bad Guy or something. Even better have her play hard to get for a few sessions, then give the PCs a cold shoulder as she marries someone wealthy, or even worse one of the PCs' rivals.
jonthegm 03-22-06, 07:08 PM	Even better have her play hard to get for a few sessions, then give the PCs a cold shoulder as she marries someone wealthy, or even worse one of the PCs' rivals. I like this one! I might try introducing a love-interest for my female players just to try this one out...
Thramzorean 03-22-06, 08:50 PM	The old tried and true... beautiful maiden is kidnapped and leverage applied to party. Can't go wrong. Twist: it's all a set up and the girl is in on the kidnapping, at great cost she's rescued... and then just when the party is revelling in their job well done, the heroes are about to get their reward, things go really really wrong ;)
alger 03-22-06, 09:21 PM	Three letters for you. STD Make it a high fortitude save DC.
Edymnion 03-22-06, 10:48 PM	Like I said, its a homebrew game, not an Eberron game, but that doesn't mean I can't mine some of these for ideas. I'm thinking I might end up stealing an idea from Stargate SG1 and have her be possessed by the badguy. Party likes her, and won't want to hurt her, but while the baddie is in control, she'll have no such restrictions from hurting them. :)
flamingshark 03-22-06, 11:11 PM	Or, to play along similar lines, have her hang around awhile and string the PCs along, only to disappear after a particularly hairy encounter. Then, she can show up later in her 'true' from as a BBEG - Lich, Succubus, evil Sorcereress or somesuch I'm new. Does BBEG mean "Big Bad Evil Guy?"
Rechan 03-22-06, 11:13 PM	I'm new. Does BBEG mean "Big Bad Evil Guy?" Yes.
flamingshark 03-22-06, 11:14 PM	WOOHOO! I guessed right! Yeah! By the way, that homwbrew adventure looks pretty interesting.
Sieylianna 03-23-06, 07:35 AM	Allow me to point out that doing something bad to a NPC the PCs have taken an interest in will encourage them never to develop attachments to other NPCs in your game. Before you do something too bad, make sure that is what you want to happen. Ed
Edymnion 03-23-06, 11:31 PM	WOOHOO! I guessed right! Yeah! By the way, that homwbrew adventure looks pretty interesting.They're hunting down the nine pieces of the Platinum Dragon statue. Once assembled, it grants a Wish that cannot be twisted or perverted, nor can it fail. Yes, I ripped the basic premise off of hunting down the Dragonballs. Except instead of a radar, they've got a Diviner wizard. Great reward, good reason to have the party to travel to exotic locals, big flashy special effects when they summon the eternal... I mean the Platinum Dragon (Bahamut) to grant their wish. Of course, considering I have my Kaiju-Half-Black-Dragon-T-Rex ready to unleash on the world just before they get that last piece, they won't actually get to *USE* the wish on themselves, just to put the world destroyer back to sleep. Then the pieces will scatter, and we can do it all again :D
Dex 03-24-06, 12:37 AM	*Applauds* You could always actually NOT have anything happen to the girl, just when they decide to leave town, she follows them (the rogue, really) of her own accord, but this gets them in trouble with her folks. Cue return to the village, torches and pitchforks time as the village accuses them of "stealing their women!". Though I also second the angry-seagod-mofo-to-whom-she-is-sacrificed-and-also-happens-to-be-guarding-a-part-of-the-statue-thus-needs-to-be-defeated idea.
Papa_duval 03-24-06, 04:55 AM	Actually, i'd go with the following The girl appears to have some deep dark secret, she keeps having to run off, she's not around at suspicious times, she turns up in strange places - all designed to make the other players think something strange is going on. (like they find her praying on the edge of the lake, strange symbols drawn around her, and when she hears them approach she runs off - they find the symbols, and catch a glimpse of her) You give them enough clues to make the party think something wierd is going on, but (and its this bit thats important) Its all perfectly mundane and ok - the rogue simply needs to deal with the conflict between his suspicions and his interest - it also teaches the lessons that sometimes things are perfectly innocent, and that such NPC's can stick around. If the rogue starts getting suspicious and treats her badly, then he'll lose the chance for romantic interest, if he defends her and wants to find out the truth to prove she is innocent of any wrong-doing, she may very well fall for him as he stood by her when the others suspected her. (i'd have the whole thing be something to do with a sick relative - she gets called away at strange times, she prays to the gods using ancient rituals that are supposed to work, she goes into the woods late at night to harvest rare herbs that might help the sick relative (father would be best). If the PC party has a cleric/druid - they may be able to cure the father of his ailment for free, as the girl could not afford to hire a cleric/druid to do so.
Ricohard_Draconis 03-24-06, 06:58 AM	perhaps the best trap is the lack of trap, leave her as just a girl if the party decide she can come along then they have to protect her anytime they're in combat, rescue her whenever she goes missing/gets kidnapped etc. don't make everything your players touch explode in their face since then they'll never touch anything. perhaps though she could be one of the nine parts of the statue, either its melded with her as a child, perhaps to save her life perhaps for some other reason. Then the party has to work out how she can be 'integrated' into the statue, perhaps she is the governing mind that actually grants the wish...
il Kav 03-24-06, 08:54 AM	In my campaign, I presented my PCs a strange fishing village, full of hippy people of every race, living in peace (and eating fish all day). The mayor of this place was a charismatic Khoravar called Merry (he was always happy...). Obviously my valenar she-elf PC fell in love with him, and convinced the entire party to accept his hospitality. during the night, obviously, 2 dozens of skums entered the PC rooms and took everybody to the sacrifical chamber of the aboleth, were his priest, Merry, was waiting them to appease his god...
Golbez57 03-24-06, 11:04 AM	Fun stuff, il Kav. Have you read the Dungeon adventure by Richard Pett called "The Styes"? I'm betting you'd enjoy it.
il Kav 03-24-06, 11:16 AM	Fun stuff, il Kav. Have you read the Dungeon adventure by Richard Pett called "The Styes"? I'm betting you'd enjoy it. I'll see if I can find it... in which number of "Dungeon" is published?
That Blasted Somoflange 03-25-06, 01:39 PM	Well, here's my idea, if the party is hunting for a piece of thie silver dragon statue, surely someone else is. Now to keep the PC's from obtaining this piece, whoever sees the pc's flirting with Ginny decides to murder her leaving all evidence pointing to the PC's as the culprit(s). This can force the PC party to be driven from town, or incarcerated, making this piece unobtainable to the PC's. Meaning the bad guy gets it. Causes a nice reason to confront the badguy. Now, if you make the BBEG's death the reason for this creature being released, you have a lose, lose, situation.
Golbez57 03-25-06, 01:50 PM	Again, why do so many plots seem to involve Ginny on the chopping block rather than as a living part of the action? I'll see if I can find it... in which number of "Dungeon" is published? It's in #121; the other adventures in that issue are top-notch, as well. Check it out!
Lord Kell 03-25-06, 05:27 PM	I'm in favor of either the possession by a key enemy (a.k.a. the SG-1 thing) or...a variation of she's perfectly normal. Have some of her activities become suspicious. Perhaps some of the other towns people too. Make it look like a significant part of the town are hiding something. But in the end, the fault lies with the PCs as they've been under some sort of malicious enchantment that has been affecting their perceptions and thoughts, increasing their paranioa. As a the DM you paint the picture of each adventure for them. But do you paint what is actually happening, or paint it as seen from the other side of the looking glass. :D
Commissar 03-25-06, 11:00 PM	How about she is a caregiver for an elder relative (dad, grandma, etc.) who is partially disabled and very reactionary - the elder does not approve of traveling outsiders (adventurers!). The girl is evasive about this at first, because she is conflicted. She'll eventually spill the beans, though. She won't leave town to follow the party. But she's taken quite a shine to the rogue. She'll even sleep with him (once) if he pushes it, but will regret it after the party leaves town... if they ever come back, she'll give him the cold shoulder for "using her". A perfectly normal, non-magical, non-dangerous human drama. It can highlight the otherworldliness of the more standard adventurey stuff... which can eventually start seeming commonplace if it's not balanced out.
PoeticJustice 03-26-06, 09:48 PM	1: Using her womenly wiles, Ginny wraps the rogue around her finger, exchanging lurid promises for the ancient treasure found at Surprisingly Dangerous Temple of Angry Sea Gods found at the bottom of the lake. 2: She's a disguised Green Hag and looking for a new lover... 3: She's not a werewolf, but her half-ogre boyfriend is. He's the jealous type, too.
Keth_Rhiavadhi 04-10-06, 11:54 PM	Ginny just won the lottery, so she's the sacrifice. Torch and pitchfork time! Dang! *looks around* "I don't remember buying a ticket for that!" Seriously, great idea. :evillaugh
Kamikaze Chicken 04-11-06, 12:45 AM	have ginny be in the tavern/general store/temple every day when the pc's go to visit. If at all possible make sure they only see her there, and in limited ammounts. Every time they meet her it is as if she has never met them before..... Upon searching for the reason to her state they find otu there was a tragic incident with a cart, a cow, and a miscast wizard spell. Any who...(a la 50 first dates) Ginny's memory resets each night as she sleeps. You can have her be the one who knows the way to the statue piece or what not, but they must find a way despite her mental position, to convince her to help them. If it isnt to late to use this, it would be hilarious for you to run in a ground hog day kind of way milking her mental re-set for as much as it is worth. Granted proper magic could end this quickly... but i know your resourceful edy KAMIKAZE! :chicken:
JulesCARV 04-11-06, 01:37 AM	In my campaign, I presented my PCs a strange fishing village, full of hippy people of every race, living in peace (and eating fish all day). The mayor of this place was a charismatic Khoravar called Merry (he was always happy...). Obviously my valenar she-elf PC fell in love with him, and convinced the entire party to accept his hospitality. during the night, obviously, 2 dozens of skums entered the PC rooms and took everybody to the sacrifical chamber of the aboleth, were his priest, Merry, was waiting them to appease his god... Did you read American Gods? Maybe we're overthinking this. Ginny wasn't supposed to be anyone special. You didn't plan on her being a werewolf, or a sacrifice victim. She doesn't have to be. She could, however, begin to ask the rogue for little, everyday favors. Nothing evil: just the kind of favors that a person would ask of adventurers with magical powers if they're around. You know... my cousin has tuberculosis, and there isn't a Jarasco hospital within 300 miles: can your cleric do anything for her? My old everburning torch somehow got lost, and lamplighter magewrights don't come here very often: would your sorceror mind making me a new everburning torch? Make her somewhat hesitant and apologetic about asking for favors at first, but if the PCs are accomodating, have her keep asking for more: still nothing evil or unusual (in fact, once she's taken care of her immediate concerns, she might try to use her influence to help the village as a whole, at the adventurers' expense), just time- and possibly money-consuming.