Need Help with Adventure Plot [Archive] - Wizards Community

Need Help with Adventure Plot [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Vharuck
12-05-07, 02:31 PM Hey everyone. The group I DM for is having its next session this Friday, and I'm fleshing out the details. You see, I already know what I want to occur in the session, but two things that, while not directly impacting the next session, are important in the long run have me stumped. Well, not so much stumped as indecisive. I have some ideas I can't decide between, and I'm hoping to bounce them off of you and maybe hear some new ideas as well. But first, I'll sum up the story so far:

The players' last adventure dealt with the druidic circles of the Eldeen Reaches and a Cultist of the Dragon Below (which of the evils of Khyber she specifically worshipped wasn't given). The party made a contact in the local Eldeen druidic circle, saved a small farming village, and rescued a man from being turned into a mutant by a khyber shard-bedded pool of inky water.

The man, Marden, is a Ghashkala warrior priest(forget how to spell it, it's the tribe that fights evil in the Demon Wastes) on a mission. Two Thuranni agents entered the Wastes and attempted to smuggle out an evil artifact. It's associated with a rajah who commanded darkness and fear, and the agents hope to exploit it to their house's benefit. One agent was captured by the Ghashkala, but the other escaped into the Eldeen Reaches with the item. Marden and two other tribesmen were tasked with retrieving the item and killing the Thuranni agent. Since his companions were killed by the cultist's ritual, Marden asked the PCs to assist him. They accepted and set off for Fairhaven, and the next session will start with them arriving in the city. Also, they have just hit level 3.

Now for what I need help with. First off, I want to finish the session with the players discovering that the Thuranni agent is meeting two or more people in the sewers and either confronting or spying on him there. My first problem is I don't know who the Thuranni agent is meeting. Here are some of my thoughts:

#1. The Order of the Emerald Claw: I like this because Thuranni deals extensively with the Emerald Claw, and it's an organization that plays the villain well. I don't like this because I have no idea why the agent would be showing the artifact to them, and the last campaign our group played had Vol as the villain (which is close enough).

#2. Servants of a Karrnathi Warlord: I like this because I can throw in some political intrigue that could easily include fights (warlords use diplomacy and war equally), House Thuranni deals with Karrnath, and the meeting makes sense (the warlord doesn't have the manpower to retrieve anything in the Demon Wastes, so he outsources).

#3. Cultists of the Dragon Below: Of course, I'd make them worshippers of the rajah connected to the artifact or at least a fiend in service to the rajah. This is tempting, because the meeting could have been arranged so that the cultists can give the agent a map to an abandoned temple of the rajah (for whatever's there that entices him). Also, I could then even throw in the twist of the cultists attack the agent, since they only met him to seize the sacred (profane?) relic.

Any of your ideas are also welcome.

My second problem is... I have an idea what the artifact should be, but I'm extremely hesitant about it. So far, I know a few rules I want the artifact to follow:

1) Not primarily a weapon or armor. Otherwise, it would be too powerful to give to the PC's opponent if it were to live up to its reputation.

2) It's cursed. I don't know what effect I want it to have.

3) It has powers relating to darkness and fear, for obvious reasons.

4) It contains a rakshasa who corrupts the item's possessor. Whether or not the item is intelligent or only has a bound spirit that subtly influences, I plan on it allowing (actually, guiding) the Thuranni agent (a warlock) into the Acolyte of the Skin prestige class. I'm planning on the rakshasa allowing the warlock to bind the two of them together long enough for the fiend to possess the body and escape his bonds.

Now for what I currently have written down, but am really unsure of.

The Torch of Shadow
This two foot long rod made from solid obsidian resembles a torch in shape, with a head carved to look like a flame. Between some licks of the solid black fire, gaps reveal the head to be hollow with a medium-sized Khyber dragonshard sit into the bottom. Aside from the sculptured flames, the rod is surprisingly plain. The haft is smooth and bereft of any symbols or art. However, its simplicity masks a malevolent consciousness within.

The Torch of Shadow is an intelligent item (LE, Ego 9, Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 17). The khyber shard in the head contains a powerful rakshasa who serves the rajah of darkness and fear. Like most fiends, he enjoys witnessing destruction to the world, and causing it even more so. However, his main priority is escape. His plan is to seduce the rod's possessor with promises of bestowing fiendish powers and carry out his deal by slowly imprinting himself onto the mortal. Once enough rituals have been conducted and the mortal contains enough of the fiend's essense, the rakshasa will simply possess the mortal and complete the transformation. Until then, he is content to assist the rod's corrupt possessor with his dark powers.

The Torch of Shadow can emit a shadowy radiance (as per the spell darkness) at will, and it can end this effect whenever it wants. If used as a weapon, the rod acts as a +1 flaming light mace. In addition, any creature damaged by the rod must make a DC 14 Will save or be shaken for a round. The Torch of Shadow's greatest power is its ability to create undead shadows. Once per day while radiating darkness, the Torch of Shadow can turn all dead bodies in the area of darkness into shadows under the control of the rod's wielder. Unlike most intelligent magic items, however, the Torch of Shadow is unable to use its powers when nobody is holding it. If the Torch of Shadows is tranferred from one character to another (for whatever reason), any powers it is currently using end and any shadows it created vanish.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I like it, I really do. It has a story I can work a plot around, it isn't too great of a weapon to hit the PCs with (though I'm considering dropping the flaming ability), and the power to create shadows sounds and seems amazingly powerful (to 3rd level adventurers), but not from my point of view. All I have to do is take the shadows' EL into account and it's no different than if I had simply included them from the beginning. But I'm afraid that I'm breaking one of the cardinal rules of DMing: Don't give your NPCs anything you don't want your players to have. I mean, I know the curse and negative level (since it's an intelligent item) will deter the players from using the thing, but... never assume your players will or won't do anything.

Anyways, like before, I welcome both criticism of my idea and new ideas. Thanks for reading this whole thing, and thanks in advance for your help. :)
cloud413
12-05-07, 03:36 PM I think you should use the or the Cultists of the Dragon Below or the Aurum.
Rechan
12-05-07, 06:57 PM I like the cultists, simply because I rarely see Cultists to the Rajah. :)

My question is, despite this Agent being of House Thuranni, what's he getting out of meeting these other guys? Unless he's passing the item off, or getting something from the guys he's meeting, he shouldn't show up. So my thinking is that either the Cultists or the Karrns are giving him safe passage. "I need a safe house to stay at." "Sure, we can do that. But you need to do something else..."

The cultists might take him back to their temple, only intent on whacking him there, for instance.

As for the item, it doesn't look bad. My instincts say instead of the darkness/shadow creation, just make the thing create impenetrable darkness up to 30ft (including against darkvision), while allowing the wielder to see in it.
Cuaglar
12-06-07, 08:37 AM Perhaps another twist is that this Thuranni agent is doing this thing reluctantly. He was ordered to go retrieve this artifact by his superiors in House Thuranni and deliver it to the Dragon Below cultists, because the Cultists paid their Baron an extremely exorbitant amount of money for it, which he plans to use for some grand House scheme, or something. Vengeance against the Phiarlans, perhaps?
Anyway, this Thuranni chap is unwilling to do it, but must. He defends himself ably if the PC's catch up to him before he delivers the Torch (which I think is a good idea, maybe add a little ability drain, just a little bit of Wisdom per week or so,) but once the Cultists get the Torch, they capture him as a bonus, and thus when the PC's get to the lair of the Cultists they meet the Thuranni guy again, perhaps setting him free, in which case he gives a bit of valuable information, about the artifact or the Cultists.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Vharuck 12-05-07, 02:31 PM	Hey everyone. The group I DM for is having its next session this Friday, and I'm fleshing out the details. You see, I already know what I want to occur in the session, but two things that, while not directly impacting the next session, are important in the long run have me stumped. Well, not so much stumped as indecisive. I have some ideas I can't decide between, and I'm hoping to bounce them off of you and maybe hear some new ideas as well. But first, I'll sum up the story so far: The players' last adventure dealt with the druidic circles of the Eldeen Reaches and a Cultist of the Dragon Below (which of the evils of Khyber she specifically worshipped wasn't given). The party made a contact in the local Eldeen druidic circle, saved a small farming village, and rescued a man from being turned into a mutant by a khyber shard-bedded pool of inky water. The man, Marden, is a Ghashkala warrior priest(forget how to spell it, it's the tribe that fights evil in the Demon Wastes) on a mission. Two Thuranni agents entered the Wastes and attempted to smuggle out an evil artifact. It's associated with a rajah who commanded darkness and fear, and the agents hope to exploit it to their house's benefit. One agent was captured by the Ghashkala, but the other escaped into the Eldeen Reaches with the item. Marden and two other tribesmen were tasked with retrieving the item and killing the Thuranni agent. Since his companions were killed by the cultist's ritual, Marden asked the PCs to assist him. They accepted and set off for Fairhaven, and the next session will start with them arriving in the city. Also, they have just hit level 3. Now for what I need help with. First off, I want to finish the session with the players discovering that the Thuranni agent is meeting two or more people in the sewers and either confronting or spying on him there. My first problem is I don't know who the Thuranni agent is meeting. Here are some of my thoughts: #1. The Order of the Emerald Claw: I like this because Thuranni deals extensively with the Emerald Claw, and it's an organization that plays the villain well. I don't like this because I have no idea why the agent would be showing the artifact to them, and the last campaign our group played had Vol as the villain (which is close enough). #2. Servants of a Karrnathi Warlord: I like this because I can throw in some political intrigue that could easily include fights (warlords use diplomacy and war equally), House Thuranni deals with Karrnath, and the meeting makes sense (the warlord doesn't have the manpower to retrieve anything in the Demon Wastes, so he outsources). #3. Cultists of the Dragon Below: Of course, I'd make them worshippers of the rajah connected to the artifact or at least a fiend in service to the rajah. This is tempting, because the meeting could have been arranged so that the cultists can give the agent a map to an abandoned temple of the rajah (for whatever's there that entices him). Also, I could then even throw in the twist of the cultists attack the agent, since they only met him to seize the sacred (profane?) relic. Any of your ideas are also welcome. My second problem is... I have an idea what the artifact should be, but I'm extremely hesitant about it. So far, I know a few rules I want the artifact to follow: 1) Not primarily a weapon or armor. Otherwise, it would be too powerful to give to the PC's opponent if it were to live up to its reputation. 2) It's cursed. I don't know what effect I want it to have. 3) It has powers relating to darkness and fear, for obvious reasons. 4) It contains a rakshasa who corrupts the item's possessor. Whether or not the item is intelligent or only has a bound spirit that subtly influences, I plan on it allowing (actually, guiding) the Thuranni agent (a warlock) into the Acolyte of the Skin prestige class. I'm planning on the rakshasa allowing the warlock to bind the two of them together long enough for the fiend to possess the body and escape his bonds. Now for what I currently have written down, but am really unsure of. The Torch of Shadow This two foot long rod made from solid obsidian resembles a torch in shape, with a head carved to look like a flame. Between some licks of the solid black fire, gaps reveal the head to be hollow with a medium-sized Khyber dragonshard sit into the bottom. Aside from the sculptured flames, the rod is surprisingly plain. The haft is smooth and bereft of any symbols or art. However, its simplicity masks a malevolent consciousness within. The Torch of Shadow is an intelligent item (LE, Ego 9, Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 17). The khyber shard in the head contains a powerful rakshasa who serves the rajah of darkness and fear. Like most fiends, he enjoys witnessing destruction to the world, and causing it even more so. However, his main priority is escape. His plan is to seduce the rod's possessor with promises of bestowing fiendish powers and carry out his deal by slowly imprinting himself onto the mortal. Once enough rituals have been conducted and the mortal contains enough of the fiend's essense, the rakshasa will simply possess the mortal and complete the transformation. Until then, he is content to assist the rod's corrupt possessor with his dark powers. The Torch of Shadow can emit a shadowy radiance (as per the spell darkness) at will, and it can end this effect whenever it wants. If used as a weapon, the rod acts as a +1 flaming light mace. In addition, any creature damaged by the rod must make a DC 14 Will save or be shaken for a round. The Torch of Shadow's greatest power is its ability to create undead shadows. Once per day while radiating darkness, the Torch of Shadow can turn all dead bodies in the area of darkness into shadows under the control of the rod's wielder. Unlike most intelligent magic items, however, the Torch of Shadow is unable to use its powers when nobody is holding it. If the Torch of Shadows is tranferred from one character to another (for whatever reason), any powers it is currently using end and any shadows it created vanish. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I like it, I really do. It has a story I can work a plot around, it isn't too great of a weapon to hit the PCs with (though I'm considering dropping the flaming ability), and the power to create shadows sounds and seems amazingly powerful (to 3rd level adventurers), but not from my point of view. All I have to do is take the shadows' EL into account and it's no different than if I had simply included them from the beginning. But I'm afraid that I'm breaking one of the cardinal rules of DMing: Don't give your NPCs anything you don't want your players to have. I mean, I know the curse and negative level (since it's an intelligent item) will deter the players from using the thing, but... never assume your players will or won't do anything. Anyways, like before, I welcome both criticism of my idea and new ideas. Thanks for reading this whole thing, and thanks in advance for your help. :)
cloud413 12-05-07, 03:36 PM	I think you should use the or the Cultists of the Dragon Below or the Aurum.
Rechan 12-05-07, 06:57 PM	I like the cultists, simply because I rarely see Cultists to the Rajah. :) My question is, despite this Agent being of House Thuranni, what's he getting out of meeting these other guys? Unless he's passing the item off, or getting something from the guys he's meeting, he shouldn't show up. So my thinking is that either the Cultists or the Karrns are giving him safe passage. "I need a safe house to stay at." "Sure, we can do that. But you need to do something else..." The cultists might take him back to their temple, only intent on whacking him there, for instance. As for the item, it doesn't look bad. My instincts say instead of the darkness/shadow creation, just make the thing create impenetrable darkness up to 30ft (including against darkvision), while allowing the wielder to see in it.
Cuaglar 12-06-07, 08:37 AM	Perhaps another twist is that this Thuranni agent is doing this thing reluctantly. He was ordered to go retrieve this artifact by his superiors in House Thuranni and deliver it to the Dragon Below cultists, because the Cultists paid their Baron an extremely exorbitant amount of money for it, which he plans to use for some grand House scheme, or something. Vengeance against the Phiarlans, perhaps? Anyway, this Thuranni chap is unwilling to do it, but must. He defends himself ably if the PC's catch up to him before he delivers the Torch (which I think is a good idea, maybe add a little ability drain, just a little bit of Wisdom per week or so,) but once the Cultists get the Torch, they capture him as a bonus, and thus when the PC's get to the lair of the Cultists they meet the Thuranni guy again, perhaps setting him free, in which case he gives a bit of valuable information, about the artifact or the Cultists.