Character hooks [Archive] - Wizards Community

Character hooks [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
nordyboy
05-31-07, 03:54 AM My apologies in advance, this is a long post. A :cookie: to anyone who actually takes the time to slog through it.

So, I'm getting into the third month or so of a long term campaign, and it's going pretty well, save for one problem. All of the characters have uncovered/provided some sort of hook for an adventure that's being woven into the main story, save for one of them. I'm trying to find something personally relevent for him to work towads, but I don't know much about his character. I'll try and put all of the information I have in here, and any help would be greatly appreciated. I don't want this guy to just be a drifter in the party.

The world is very dark, but the players are adjusting. 50 years before the campaign began, the world was overrun by powerful fiends, devils, and other assorted baddies that had been held in stasis as a sort of weapon system. They broke out, and soon took over. (I got this idea from a thread on the mature boards, but it seems to have gone away between then and now.) The towns are now under the control of the lawfully inclined creatures, while the lands outside are populated by demons and undead. The PCs have advanced from 1st to 6-7th level by now, and have begun to make contacts, allies, and enemies, as well as gathered a great deal of infromation regarding their world. Over time, 4 out of the five of them have each had an effect on the world, or come closer to accomplishing their goals. Here's the information about each one.

Kerrin-Chaotic Neutral Half-Fey Sorcerer 5: Kerrin's mother, a nymph and prominant member of the Resistance, was taken prisoner by the most powerful force of evil on the plane; a Pit Fiend by the name of Teratogen. He has offered to return Kerrin's mother in exchange for a large sum of gold and for bringing in the leader of the Resistance. Kerrin has agreed, being more concerned about getting his mother back than for the long term effects of what he's agreeing to. He has so far made strides in locating the Resistanc leader, and had used his "ally" the Pit Fiend to get out of tough situations. He has also grown in power since Teratogen brought him under his employ, and is starting to entertain the thought of one day challenging him.

Artor-Chaotic Neutral Dwarf Barbarian 3/Figher 3: The most driven and angry member of the party, Artor is moving toward one goal and one goal only. Years back he lived in a mining colony with his clan, but they were without warning wiped out by a powerful sorcerer, who would later be introduced as one "Girden Darksun". After his clan was defeated, Artor was sold into slavery to a powerful demon in the area. He lived as a slave for many more years, until he finally broke free by slaying the beast in it's sleep. He took the demon's armor, which is now his only possession. It has been growing in power with him, getting powers which help him on his mission. (Two magic longswords ithat extend from the arms, for example.) He's been in search of this caster since his escape, and is getting closer than ever.

Chrystine-Lawful Evil Human Rogue 5/Assassin 2: A killer for hire, Chrystine has been travelling with the party since being hired by the Resistance, along with her husband, to do the more unsavory things that most people can't. She did not have much beyond her role in the party for some time, until she had a side mission to make up for an absence one week. She was hired by a member of the administration in Taeloc, a town the party had recently been exiled from. She was asked to take out a prominent member of the Resistance, and to plant a signet ring on his body. (She would later learn that this was the symbol of another town, one Taeloc was none too friendly with.) She accomplished her mission, and then decided to look around the target's house some more. Inside a secret room in his basement, she found numerous papers detailing Resistance activity, names of contacts, maps, and other plans. The papers included information about other towns, including links to higher up levels in the movement and a chart of alliances and stresses between the different powers in thw world. She took this information to the leaders of the town, and gave it to them for a nice sum of cash. Afterwords, she realized what she had just done, and that she may have inadvertantly stuck up the beginning of the largest wars the world has ever seen. She's okay with that.

Ilidin-Chaotic Good Human Evoker 5/"Blue Mage"1: A member of a secluded wizard school, Ilidin is just know learning about the darkness that has befallen the world. His master sheilded him from the knowledge, knowing that Ilidin would likely want to charge out and try to fix things despite any danger to himself. He know now only because he accidentaly mis-teleported while heading for supplies, and ended up with the party. New to the party, Ilidin is still looking for a place to fit in and a mission to fulfill. He already has two points of interest, though. First, he wishes to try and help this Resistance in their work. Secondly, he recognized the name "Girden Darksun". Girden was once a member of the order to which Ilidin belongs, but was unhappy with the slow pace of the lessons. One day, he abruptly left the school and took with him a powerful item, one linked to the admission of new pupils. After that day, the school was only able to host a small number of students, cycling the resources from the graduates to the new students.

Keolwynn-Neutral Good Half Elf Rogue 6: Here's the player I want to help out more. He's got a fine character stat-wise and such, but I don't have any good plot hooks for him. He lived a street rat in Taeloc before becoming an adventurer, using his skills to steal what he needed. He has said that he wishes to return some day to his town to free it from it's oppressors, but there is little he's mentioned beyond that. I'm hoping to have some sort of side-guest for him soon, as all of the other one's I have done have been rich in plot development and the like. (I hope to have one for each character, in time) But, I don't for the life of me know what to present him with. He's quite a good archer, very sneaky, and skilled with a lockpick.

If it helps, here's the rest of the information the party has gathered so far. Girden was once an adventurer, and apparently the least responsible one in the party. Over time, he unwittingly came under the influence of the Pit Fiend Teratogen, who guided/manipulated him into bringing powerful outsiders into the world to be used as weapons. Ready for what happened, Teratogen caused the failure in containment and moved quickly to conquer and set up his own area of control. The knowledge of what he had caused drove Girden mad, and he has since then been at different times an agent of either great good or terrible evil.

Chrystine has indeed sown the seeds of a war. Taeloc and it's ally city have moved on the city whose symbol was planted, and destroyed a great deal of it. They were repelled, but they are already regrouping an invasion force. If this city is destroyed, then the city to which it supplies slaves will be forced to look elsewhere. Their search will not be peaceful, and they will likely attack and occupy Taeloc and all those that helped it. This will continue, drawing in more and more cities and powers as it progresses. With time, the entirety of the world will be swept up in the conflict. Without outside interference, it is likely that Teratogen and his allies will come out on top.

The party has recently aquired a small keep within a central mountain range, courtesy of a Deck of Many Things. By the time they got to it, it had already been populated by a few ogres and bugbears from a nearby, powerful tribe; the Koog. The Koog once ruled all of the mountains at the center of the world by themselves, but they have since fallen under the rule of a powerful Balor lord. The party is not yet sure if they have drawn the attention of the tribe by clearing out the keep, but they know that the Koog would be a bad enemy to make.

So, that's the campaign so far. I apologize again for the crazy longness of this post, but there was a lot to get across. Does anyone have ideas on how Keolwynn can fit into this? I'd like to give him the opportunity that everyone else has had to make a difference of some sort, or to feel important to the plot. I'd like for him to have a large hand in regaining his home city, but I've so far had no luck thinking of a mission involving that. I'm also considering an encounter with the Koog at some point, where he his given the option of undergoing a ritual to join their tribe in order to get a piece of information, but he may or may not go for it.

Thanks in advance, and I'm very grateful for any advice you can give.
Will_DM_for_Pizza
05-31-07, 04:50 AM At this point I really think that the character's player should provide some back story to his character's life. If he's neuteral good then I would think sending him off to seek the dismantling of the Demon's hold on the world would be something he would focus on.
Mysteria
05-31-07, 08:29 AM The resistance contacts the character:

They want to make a move against those who rule the character's home town but need information from within the town (defenses, numbers of soldiers, backup defense plans, escape routes of the ennemy ... whatever, but something that is not readily available).

They know who might have those informations, but they need somebody to get the information - preferably one who has no ties to the resistance as of yet but isn't favouring the rulers either, somebody who's got an interest in seeing that city freed and somebody who knows the city ... and who knows how to steal: The character in question just fits that description!

They want him to go and recover the information without letting the opposition know that the information was stolen:
So the information needs to either be copied right there or gotten out, copied and replaced. The break-in should either be not detected at all or disguised as a normal burglary. (any stolen items could be kept by the character)

The resistance will provide more or less information on the person who has the informations and the protections in place. The character himself might have to do some investigating too - he should still have a few contacts in the city from when he was living there. The whole plan might also involve getting whoever has the information out of the way for long enough to steal it (either by the character or the resistance). There might be a time limit too.

There, some random ideas from me, hope they help. :)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
nordyboy 05-31-07, 03:54 AM	My apologies in advance, this is a long post. A :cookie: to anyone who actually takes the time to slog through it. So, I'm getting into the third month or so of a long term campaign, and it's going pretty well, save for one problem. All of the characters have uncovered/provided some sort of hook for an adventure that's being woven into the main story, save for one of them. I'm trying to find something personally relevent for him to work towads, but I don't know much about his character. I'll try and put all of the information I have in here, and any help would be greatly appreciated. I don't want this guy to just be a drifter in the party. The world is very dark, but the players are adjusting. 50 years before the campaign began, the world was overrun by powerful fiends, devils, and other assorted baddies that had been held in stasis as a sort of weapon system. They broke out, and soon took over. (I got this idea from a thread on the mature boards, but it seems to have gone away between then and now.) The towns are now under the control of the lawfully inclined creatures, while the lands outside are populated by demons and undead. The PCs have advanced from 1st to 6-7th level by now, and have begun to make contacts, allies, and enemies, as well as gathered a great deal of infromation regarding their world. Over time, 4 out of the five of them have each had an effect on the world, or come closer to accomplishing their goals. Here's the information about each one. Kerrin-Chaotic Neutral Half-Fey Sorcerer 5: Kerrin's mother, a nymph and prominant member of the Resistance, was taken prisoner by the most powerful force of evil on the plane; a Pit Fiend by the name of Teratogen. He has offered to return Kerrin's mother in exchange for a large sum of gold and for bringing in the leader of the Resistance. Kerrin has agreed, being more concerned about getting his mother back than for the long term effects of what he's agreeing to. He has so far made strides in locating the Resistanc leader, and had used his "ally" the Pit Fiend to get out of tough situations. He has also grown in power since Teratogen brought him under his employ, and is starting to entertain the thought of one day challenging him. Artor-Chaotic Neutral Dwarf Barbarian 3/Figher 3: The most driven and angry member of the party, Artor is moving toward one goal and one goal only. Years back he lived in a mining colony with his clan, but they were without warning wiped out by a powerful sorcerer, who would later be introduced as one "Girden Darksun". After his clan was defeated, Artor was sold into slavery to a powerful demon in the area. He lived as a slave for many more years, until he finally broke free by slaying the beast in it's sleep. He took the demon's armor, which is now his only possession. It has been growing in power with him, getting powers which help him on his mission. (Two magic longswords ithat extend from the arms, for example.) He's been in search of this caster since his escape, and is getting closer than ever. Chrystine-Lawful Evil Human Rogue 5/Assassin 2: A killer for hire, Chrystine has been travelling with the party since being hired by the Resistance, along with her husband, to do the more unsavory things that most people can't. She did not have much beyond her role in the party for some time, until she had a side mission to make up for an absence one week. She was hired by a member of the administration in Taeloc, a town the party had recently been exiled from. She was asked to take out a prominent member of the Resistance, and to plant a signet ring on his body. (She would later learn that this was the symbol of another town, one Taeloc was none too friendly with.) She accomplished her mission, and then decided to look around the target's house some more. Inside a secret room in his basement, she found numerous papers detailing Resistance activity, names of contacts, maps, and other plans. The papers included information about other towns, including links to higher up levels in the movement and a chart of alliances and stresses between the different powers in thw world. She took this information to the leaders of the town, and gave it to them for a nice sum of cash. Afterwords, she realized what she had just done, and that she may have inadvertantly stuck up the beginning of the largest wars the world has ever seen. She's okay with that. Ilidin-Chaotic Good Human Evoker 5/"Blue Mage"1: A member of a secluded wizard school, Ilidin is just know learning about the darkness that has befallen the world. His master sheilded him from the knowledge, knowing that Ilidin would likely want to charge out and try to fix things despite any danger to himself. He know now only because he accidentaly mis-teleported while heading for supplies, and ended up with the party. New to the party, Ilidin is still looking for a place to fit in and a mission to fulfill. He already has two points of interest, though. First, he wishes to try and help this Resistance in their work. Secondly, he recognized the name "Girden Darksun". Girden was once a member of the order to which Ilidin belongs, but was unhappy with the slow pace of the lessons. One day, he abruptly left the school and took with him a powerful item, one linked to the admission of new pupils. After that day, the school was only able to host a small number of students, cycling the resources from the graduates to the new students. Keolwynn-Neutral Good Half Elf Rogue 6: Here's the player I want to help out more. He's got a fine character stat-wise and such, but I don't have any good plot hooks for him. He lived a street rat in Taeloc before becoming an adventurer, using his skills to steal what he needed. He has said that he wishes to return some day to his town to free it from it's oppressors, but there is little he's mentioned beyond that. I'm hoping to have some sort of side-guest for him soon, as all of the other one's I have done have been rich in plot development and the like. (I hope to have one for each character, in time) But, I don't for the life of me know what to present him with. He's quite a good archer, very sneaky, and skilled with a lockpick. If it helps, here's the rest of the information the party has gathered so far. Girden was once an adventurer, and apparently the least responsible one in the party. Over time, he unwittingly came under the influence of the Pit Fiend Teratogen, who guided/manipulated him into bringing powerful outsiders into the world to be used as weapons. Ready for what happened, Teratogen caused the failure in containment and moved quickly to conquer and set up his own area of control. The knowledge of what he had caused drove Girden mad, and he has since then been at different times an agent of either great good or terrible evil. Chrystine has indeed sown the seeds of a war. Taeloc and it's ally city have moved on the city whose symbol was planted, and destroyed a great deal of it. They were repelled, but they are already regrouping an invasion force. If this city is destroyed, then the city to which it supplies slaves will be forced to look elsewhere. Their search will not be peaceful, and they will likely attack and occupy Taeloc and all those that helped it. This will continue, drawing in more and more cities and powers as it progresses. With time, the entirety of the world will be swept up in the conflict. Without outside interference, it is likely that Teratogen and his allies will come out on top. The party has recently aquired a small keep within a central mountain range, courtesy of a Deck of Many Things. By the time they got to it, it had already been populated by a few ogres and bugbears from a nearby, powerful tribe; the Koog. The Koog once ruled all of the mountains at the center of the world by themselves, but they have since fallen under the rule of a powerful Balor lord. The party is not yet sure if they have drawn the attention of the tribe by clearing out the keep, but they know that the Koog would be a bad enemy to make. So, that's the campaign so far. I apologize again for the crazy longness of this post, but there was a lot to get across. Does anyone have ideas on how Keolwynn can fit into this? I'd like to give him the opportunity that everyone else has had to make a difference of some sort, or to feel important to the plot. I'd like for him to have a large hand in regaining his home city, but I've so far had no luck thinking of a mission involving that. I'm also considering an encounter with the Koog at some point, where he his given the option of undergoing a ritual to join their tribe in order to get a piece of information, but he may or may not go for it. Thanks in advance, and I'm very grateful for any advice you can give.
Will_DM_for_Pizza 05-31-07, 04:50 AM	At this point I really think that the character's player should provide some back story to his character's life. If he's neuteral good then I would think sending him off to seek the dismantling of the Demon's hold on the world would be something he would focus on.
Mysteria 05-31-07, 08:29 AM	The resistance contacts the character: They want to make a move against those who rule the character's home town but need information from within the town (defenses, numbers of soldiers, backup defense plans, escape routes of the ennemy ... whatever, but something that is not readily available). They know who might have those informations, but they need somebody to get the information - preferably one who has no ties to the resistance as of yet but isn't favouring the rulers either, somebody who's got an interest in seeing that city freed and somebody who knows the city ... and who knows how to steal: The character in question just fits that description! They want him to go and recover the information without letting the opposition know that the information was stolen: So the information needs to either be copied right there or gotten out, copied and replaced. The break-in should either be not detected at all or disguised as a normal burglary. (any stolen items could be kept by the character) The resistance will provide more or less information on the person who has the informations and the protections in place. The character himself might have to do some investigating too - he should still have a few contacts in the city from when he was living there. The whole plan might also involve getting whoever has the information out of the way for long enough to steal it (either by the character or the resistance). There might be a time limit too. There, some random ideas from me, hope they help. :)