Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Temrek 04-13-05, 12:54 PM	Have you ever had a DM throw you a plot hook that makes you wonder what the DM was thinking? If so tell us about it. (Could not find a thread like this so apologies if it has been done before) 1: I was playing under a new DM (his first session) and after defeating one of the bad guys we found a glove on him with a tag: Made in <insert location here>. It was obiously a plot hook but the worst I have ever encounterd.
LCD2YOU 04-13-05, 01:11 PM	orphaned, living with your paternal uncle and his wife on a planet with two suns, far, far away. 3: At first level you and your companions are summoned, read dragged, to the king's audience hall to stop some great evil because one of you has been fated to do so. 4: Any hook that leads to railroading.
mcnoo 04-13-05, 01:36 PM	Just on the subject of plot hooks, one i came up with lately that i'm fairly proud of... The party are relaxing in their local tavern between games when a new player comes in as a halfling thief. The halfling drops through the tavern's skylight in a shower of glass, lands on thre PC's table and rolls underneath it. Suddenly a band of the city watch burst in and shout "where's the halfling". The halfling whispers the the party from his hiding place "Now, this may LOOK bad..."
LCD2YOU 04-13-05, 02:14 PM	Just on the subject of plot hooks, one i came up with lately that i'm fairly proud of... The party are relaxing in their local tavern between games when a new player comes in as a halfling thief. The halfling drops through the tavern's skylight in a shower of glass, lands on thre PC's table and rolls underneath it. Suddenly a band of the city watch burst in and shout "where's the halfling". The halfling whispers the the party from his hiding place "Now, this may LOOK bad..." Love it. :D
Jarlaxle_The_Rogue 04-13-05, 02:20 PM	4- I can kill you. Do Insert quest here for me and I won't. 5- Theres a battle going on even now that will determine the fate of the world...
Solidcobra 04-13-05, 02:22 PM	A thousand years ago...something bad happened...really bad...and...and...you have to do something about it! as Bob! there'll be bows, and swords...you'll like it. Honest!
LCD2YOU 04-13-05, 02:23 PM	5- I can kill you. Do Insert quest here for me and I won't. 6- Theres a battle going on even now that will determine the fate of the world... geesh....
LCD2YOU 04-13-05, 02:24 PM	7A thousand years ago...something bad happened...really bad...and...and...you have to do something about it! as Bob! there'll be bows, and swords...you'll like it. Honest! done by LCD2YOU, the **** retentive.....
Nuntius128 04-13-05, 05:18 PM	You're in a tavern, and a guy wants you to retrieve an item, possibly an artifact. Hunt some orcs. NOTE: I've been in the above 2 campaigns. Anyone looking for an online player? Yeesh.
Ekranoplan 04-13-05, 06:26 PM	10: A crystal is smashed up and you must retreive the peices. And guess what happens if these peices are not retreieved? The world is blown up. Amazing. This is just pure gold.
Maryk_Keiros 04-13-05, 07:59 PM	everyone meets in a dark cavern or cave or something and they get put on a quest to save the world!!!
wordserpent 04-13-05, 08:06 PM	Some cheesy hooks that I have used: 12) Your character has inherited a castle and some land.... ...unfortunately there are some monsters living there. 13) Your party are prisoners in a dungeon and you have to escape. 14) Your party are chained to the oras of a galley as slaves and have to escape... 15) You have inadvertently offended a god and have to complete a quest of atonement. 16) A portal opens up beneath the character's feet ...(what the hell, I was desparate)... 17) (rolls the dice...) Your party becomes lost in the wilderness. Ahead of you is an ancient ruin...
Arcuna 04-13-05, 08:07 PM	18: You're all put in jail, and in order to prove your innocence, you must pass insert test here. 18B: Wow! No one has ever done so well on this test! You must be the fabled Chosen Ones, destined to save the world...
Arrias 04-13-05, 08:17 PM	10: A crystal is smashed up and you must retreive the peices. And guess what happens if these peices are not retreieved? The world is blown up. Amazing. This is just pure gold. How about unbreakable magical items for a change. :headexplo
twad 04-13-05, 09:13 PM	18: You're all put in jail, and in order to prove your innocence, you must pass insert test here. 18B: Wow! No one has ever done so well on this test! You must be the fabled Chosen Ones, destined to save the world... Just tell him you cheated at the test and let the world go boom.
twad 04-13-05, 09:19 PM	10: A crystal is smashed up and you must retreive the peices. And guess what happens if these peices are not retreieved? The world is blown up. Amazing. This is just pure gold. The adventurers finnaly retrieve the very final piece of the crital, they place it with the others, you place them all together, just like a puzzle, then.. ... you notice the cristal is now a pile of useless dust that taste like strawberry. or ... you notice that nothing happens. the magic was gone from the beggining. or ... BOOM!
Moon-Lancer 04-13-05, 09:21 PM	these arent the best plot hooks but would be considerd a good one. A plot hook can seem bad but be exicuted with amanzing ability.
angryman 04-13-05, 10:49 PM	Some of my cheezy ones... * A half-dead peasant stumbles into an inn and says, "Blah blah blah evil blah blah blah coming eek help blah." Oh my! * A goblin raid on a town where the pcs inn is set on fire. Zing! * The god of a character says, "Do this now." *Meh* * A shifty looking man offers $$$ for killing evil NPCs. Oh no! * An old friend has now turned EVIL. Heavens! * And, yes, some obscure artifact has been damaged! Collect the set to create Voltron! Huzzah!
Mirikon 04-13-05, 10:52 PM	19) A meteor falls to earth nearby, cutting off your route to the nearby castle. The PCs meet there, but one of them has to go to the Wind Shrine across the big lake to check on her father. 20) A crystal at said shrine breaks, and you are charged to stop the three other crystals scattered about the world from breaking, or the world will be destroyed. 21) The Crystals give you powers to help with the task...
Flakster 04-13-05, 10:53 PM	22 - PCs are walking down a back alley at night, a secret door opens and a voice comes from an unseens person, "Psst! I have candy!!"
The Almighty Dru 04-14-05, 12:38 AM	22 - PCs are walking down a back alley at night, a secret door opens and a voice comes from an unseens person, "Psst! I have candy!!" Hahahaha. I have to use that. 23. PCs are in a tavern when a crazed peasant woman runs in delerious and yells, "KOBOLDS ATE MY BABY!"
Stafir Ortnev 04-14-05, 02:20 AM	24. You must defend the town, for the paladins of toastytot has viewed your race to be evil!
Thorak 04-14-05, 08:46 AM	I've only skimmed, but I am short on time (have to invigilate an exam in a few) My personal best that I've experienced is; 25; "Now that you have defeated the vampire, a rip in the space-time continuum appears and the ziggurat turns out to be some sort of spaceship, flying through into another realm." Also known, forever more, in my group, as the "plot-hole big enough to fly a ziggurat through"
LCD2YOU 04-14-05, 09:11 AM	26: When you obviously ignore the DM plot hooks, and decide to go back to your hometown, you find it almost totally destroyed. The few remaining survivors tell you that while over half of the town was destroyed, your loved ones were singled out and taken prisoner. Now you're supposed to save them. 27: When you ignore the plot hook of #26, a LBEG comes down and has other civs looking for you as there's a price on your head. 28: When you ignore #27 and the party decides to go to a desolate area, the population boom puts LA in the 70s to shame and number of bounty hunters rises 16 fold in 3 weeks.
Jeremiah DeathFist 04-14-05, 09:41 AM	29: Oh, no! The princess has been captured! Some brave hansome man must face perilless dangers to save her!
Morka 04-14-05, 10:52 AM	30- Actually, not a bad plot hook, but it turned strange... For some reason, I had to start a new PC, I decided I would be a barbarian. Since the group was curently in a large city, the DM offered me to play the DMPC/recurent NPC, before the group could "meet" my PC. So I did. So the group is resting at an inn after some heroïc deed. During the night, we are attacked by low-level assassins. Every PC survived the initial hit, save... the DMPC! :rofl: :smirk:
Keenath 04-14-05, 09:39 PM	31: You're on the road, guarding a wagon. And then suddenly, um, a troll attacks you. Roll initiative. (Perhaps not the worst, but definitely a bad omen for the upcoming adventure! Thanks for all the free will and roleplaying, DM...) 32: An Important Person's life is in immediate danger from <muggers, assassins, randomized villians> in an alley! Kill the attacker, and then the Important Person hires you to do a job! (Again, not perhaps the worst, but I'm incredibly sick of it, because it seems like EVERY officially published module or "adventure path" starts out this way.) 33: A Monster Is On The Loose! Only You Can Save The Humans! (Sing it! TROGDOOOOOR! TROGDOOOOR!)
Keenath 04-14-05, 09:43 PM	10: A crystal is smashed up and you must retreive the peices. And guess what happens if these peices are not retreieved? The world is blown up. Amazing. This is just pure gold. How about unbreakable magical items for a change. I actually played a campaign with this hook. Only when I played it, it was called Final Fantasy 5, and it was somewhat original. (Final Fantasy 4 notwithstanding)
Chosen of the Dark Sun 04-14-05, 10:20 PM	I've only skimmed, but I am short on time (have to invigilate an exam in a few) My personal best that I've experienced is; 25; "Now that you have defeated the vampire, a rip in the space-time continuum appears and the ziggurat turns out to be some sort of spaceship, flying through into another realm." Also known, forever more, in my group, as the "plot-hole big enough to fly a ziggurat through" Were there any goa'uld on board? ;) (a cookie to anyone who has any idea what I'm talking about) Heres one, from my friends first time DMing. Great player, not so great DM. 34. This is a world that has just been created. You all start out TN, and your actions will shape the world around you. :rolleyes:
Chosen of the Dark Sun 04-14-05, 10:22 PM	(Sing it! TROGDOOOOOR! TROGDOOOOR!) Burninating the country side! Burninating all the peasants!
Arcuna 04-14-05, 10:27 PM	35. You're the child of a god, but you don't know that. You must quest to obtain the powers you are destined to gain, but OH WAIT! Avatars from your parent's rival are always out to get poor little level-1 you! But don't worry, you're the son/daughter of a god. You can't die.
SOKAR 04-14-05, 11:05 PM	Were there any goa'uld on board? ;) (a cookie to anyone who has any idea what I'm talking about) Stargate SG-1.
Chosen of the Dark Sun 04-14-05, 11:21 PM	Stargate SG-1. You get the cookie! :) :cookie:
Spabio The Great 04-14-05, 11:24 PM	36. There is a Great Blue Dragon in this room that you've faught valiantley to gain entrance to. Sadly, the highest among you is only 7th level. Wait, here is a high-level NPC to save you, as a thanks, follow him on this quest. I seriously wanted to slay my DM when he gave us this.
robertliguori 04-14-05, 11:43 PM	Are we going by player's predicted reactions? 37: The poorly-disguised gentleman who wants to to guard him from the cleric of Orcus who wants to nab him is actually a well-disguised vampire, who is doing his damnest to avoid becoming a LBEG. On the other hand, he has had a very poignant lesson in morality, and will deal fairly and confine his predations to animals, mostly as a way to distance himself from his previous unlife. He's still an evil unfeeling bastard, but he is currently doing his personal best to oppose a demon lord, which means being Good, or at least as Good as he can get.
Nor'Morgwae 04-15-05, 01:55 AM	38- You and your friend take advantage of a mysterious fire in the city's aquaduct to sneak into a the local mage guild in an attempt to steal whatever you can find. You are caught during the attempt and have to find a fabled scepter that will allow you to control dragons and stop an evil wizard trying to take over the kingdom... A cookie to anyone who has no idea what I'm talking about....
Solidcobra 04-15-05, 02:27 AM	-5 respect points for using the D&D movie.
Eliza_Stormwhisper 04-15-05, 02:42 AM	Any hook involving royalty and/or divinity. I recently pulled this one on my players: 39. The queen of the elven lands has requested that you accompany her daughter, a cavalier, on a quest to seek a suit of +3 elven plate. This armor is in a pyramid hundreds of miles away in the middle of the desert.
Rim-Soulfang 04-15-05, 04:29 AM	19) A meteor falls to earth nearby, cutting off your route to the nearby castle. The PCs meet there, but one of them has to go to the Wind Shrine across the big lake to check on her father. 20) A crystal at said shrine breaks, and you are charged to stop the three other crystals scattered about the world from breaking, or the world will be destroyed. 21) The Crystals give you powers to help with the task... 1. Don't forget the chocobo's. 2. Final Fantasy 5 wasn't 1/10 as bad as FF X and X-2.
BRAZILIAN FATBASTARD 04-15-05, 09:33 AM	All of you are in the Tavern. An local old madman enter and start to tell the tale of (insert campaign here....) And this was a very funny one... I had a character killed.... then My new character, a rogue, will come into play... I was disguised as a dwarf in a dwarven village, and entered the tavern where the other PCs were... and whispered to the others: "Shhhh.... don't tell the guards i'm here... i've heard of your reputation and want to join you..." this moment one of the PCs screamed: "Guards! There's a fugitive on the tavern!!!!" and whispered to me "OK. if you survive this, you can enter the group... we will be waiting outside the town...."
Alcari Ambaron 04-15-05, 04:33 PM	Quote: Originally Posted by SOKAR Stargate SG-1. You get the cookie! what do you want with a name like Sokar :P I was disguised as a dwarf in a dwarven village, and entered the tavern where the other PCs were you were halfling or gnome then? i would LOVE to see ahuman disguise himslef a a dwarf though :D anyway, my :twocents: Cant believe nobody said this before: i think it's #40 - You all wake up in a field, with no memory of what happened before. #41 - You all wake up in an empty, square, white room, with no memory of what happened before #42 - You wake up in an empty house and find some pictures with you and somebody else. When you look around you find his corpse, and a secret doorway leading to an underground cavern. (another cookie for who thinks this looks familiar)
Ohtar Turinson 04-15-05, 05:01 PM	#42 - You wake up in an empty house and find some pictures with you and somebody else. When you look around you find his corpse, and a secret doorway leading to an underground cavern. (another cookie for who thinks this looks familiar) Not sure, but the house reminds me of zork... speaking of which... 43. You are in an open field west of a big white house with a boarded front door.
Mirikon 04-15-05, 07:26 PM	2. Final Fantasy 5 wasn't 1/10 as bad as FF X and X-2. True. IMHO, FF5 was the last good Final Fantasy game. The moment they dropped the job system, they lost me. Back on topic... 44) You're going along, doing your own thing, and then suddenly one of the gods comes down out of the heavens, and gives you a quest.
Nor'Morgwae 04-15-05, 07:45 PM	-5 respect points for using the D&D movie. Sorry, I shal make no more reference to the dark times. Well, the dark hour and a half or whatever. Ok here is a real one, I did this to my group once. In my defence I was a very new DM and must have been exposed to some noxious fumes or something because I didn't see a problem with it until it was too late. 45)Wandering just outside a village you find an abandoned cart. Upon investigating you discover that it is filled with platinum bars! It went nowhere fast. No one cared where this cart came from or who's it was, they just stashed the plat as fast as they could. I think that game lasted about 2 sessions before it fell to complete ruin.
Flakster 04-15-05, 07:58 PM	#40 - You all wake up in a field, with no memory of what happened before. Hey man, I used that before.
Insane Pixie 04-15-05, 08:07 PM	46. You have to save the world. It doesn't matter what from, but you have to save it. Oh, and you're level 1.
Kolo 04-15-05, 08:35 PM	47. Anything involving extensive planar travel before lvl 10. or 15, for that matter. 48. Time Travel. 49. The Invasion! common offenders are Orcs, Hobgoblins and Githyanki. I will admit that the last is a bit fun, but do try to find a new angle... :rolleyes: 50. A dragon is holding a town hostage and demands a virgin sacrifice every month, and it's up to you to slay him. (Even worse is 50b; It's up to you to help the [I]DMPC get close enough to slay him.) 51. One of the PC's ancestral relics is key to saving the world or somesuch, blah blah blah... 52. NINJA ATTACK!
Lord Xcapobl 04-16-05, 05:45 AM	Well, that house with the pictures, and the secret entrance is most definately from the first Resident Evil movie with Mila Jovovic naked on the shower floor (though you see nothing of her... weaker parts). Also, memory loss can be a great thing to (ab)use. I once had been asked to start a new campaign. I never gave the players any clues as to what world or type of characters to expect. On the day of the first session they wanted to know what method to use to build their charatcers. Instead, I just told one of them her character woke up. No memory of who or where she was. (No character sheet with stats to cling to, either.) Through trial and error the players really had to find out everything. I gave them clues about their characters (being muscular, or nimble. Feeling well or ill. Having difficulty swinging the sword they found or actually, subconsciously, being able to judge its swing to the milimeter). Imagine their surprise when they find out there's a group of assassins out for the King's life. They find and fight their way all the way to the King's Court. there, on the final session, they confront the King with the fact that he is being targeted. Says the King's wizard advisor: "See, your Majesty ? People can, and do change if brought up under different circumstances, and evil isn't always an inherent factor. This time, the assassins whose memory I wiped return to save you." As for bad plot hooks... Any that have been over done time and time again. An example (I will not give out any cookies, though.) 53: Your character inherits a plain ring from his uncle who disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and has a wizard friend keeping an eye out for him.
Pippa 04-16-05, 10:50 AM	That's not fair; I adore cookies. Anyway: how about this one? The party, while journeying from point A to B, crosses a wide plain, until suddenly a deep drumming and the sound of trumpets and warhorns can be heard. Nowhere to hide! Moments later they find themselves in the middle of the clash between two awesomely huge armies! Aaaawwwrrr! This one never occured, but one day it will! I have sworn to give my game-mates an epic battle! By Garl I have!
Death Unlimited 04-16-05, 12:09 PM	54: You are sitting in a tavern, when a guy walks by and something falls out of his pocket. It's a map! (yes, this was used) 55. You walk out of a cave and take 50 points of damage. (same DM. Used against a 5th level wizard just entering the party) 56. A guy comes up to your party and says 'My, you look like a group of hearty adventurers! I have just the quest for you!' (yes, same DM) 57. The king has been kidnapped by ninjas!! Are you a strapping enough lad to save him??? (cookie to anyone who gets the reference)
Steel Dragon 04-16-05, 12:18 PM	58. While wondering, you come across a bard who needs you to go beat things up so he can get a new song. 59. You're charmed by a 50th level Fighter/Assassin/Rogue/Wizard/Cleric/Demi-God to fall inlove with every man you find. You must go break this curse by killing the man who charmed you. You're first level. (Can anyone tell I didn't play in this game again?)
Stafir Ortnev 04-16-05, 12:19 PM	57. The king has been kidnapped by ninjas!! Are you a strapping enough lad to save him??? (cookie to anyone who gets the reference) I dunno..I'm not sure I'm a bad enough dude....:D
Alcari Ambaron 04-16-05, 12:30 PM	:cookie: Well, that house with the pictures, and the secret entrance is most definately from the first Resident Evil movie with Mila Jovovic naked on the shower floor (though you see nothing of her... weaker parts). :cookie: Originally Posted by Death Unlimited 57. The king has been kidnapped by ninjas!! Are you a strapping enough lad to save him??? (cookie to anyone who gets the reference) I dunno..I'm not sure I'm a bad enough dude.... I knew that one.....Bad Dudes Vs Dragon ninja. I actually own the game.... #60 ZAP, you're suddenly in another place.
GobalinKing 04-16-05, 01:48 PM	"The president has been kidnapped by ninjas! Are you a bad enough dude to save him?" :D I think I was about to use this one before I changed what my campaign was gonna be... 61. The God of Darkness notices a bunch of level 1 adventurers to be the ones to be his downfall, so now his hellish army is trying to kill you. Get strong so you don't die.
ToxicWiz 04-16-05, 02:02 PM	62. your in a forest, there's a ramp to an elf tree village. they won't let you in. (and!?! :confused: ) we ended up just destroying the village, the DM was not happy ;) 63. your captured, and they took the liberty of burning all your equipment :eek: the session ended right there. we lost alot of stuff :(
Death Unlimited 04-16-05, 02:04 PM	Allright, lots of people got the reference of the most amazing video game plot ever written :invasion: *hands out a cookie jar* :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: 62. You wake up because the inn's on fire.
danielinthewolvesden 04-16-05, 02:12 PM	Some cheesy hooks that I have used: 12) Your character has inherited a castle and some land.... ...unfortunately there are some monsters living there. 13) Your party are prisoners in a dungeon and you have to escape. 14) Your party are chained to the oras of a galley as slaves and have to escape... . #12 isn't cheesy at all. But there is nothing cheesier that the old "you wake up naked in the ......". Pulling this on a group of PCs that have adventured in your world for a while, and gotten some well-deserved loot they are attached to- well, it has killed some games. OTOH, it isn't a bad way to start off a new group. (it's not a really good way, either, but for those DM's that really really want to do the old "you wake up, stripped of all your possessions" then do it to a newly starting group.) The old "I saw a movie last nite, and now you're all in it" is fairly cheesy, but it can be fun cheese.
Alcari Ambaron 04-16-05, 03:05 PM	The old "I saw a movie last nite, and now you're all in it" is fairly cheesy, but it can be fun cheese. hmm, without actually using these words, I do this all the time. steal your ideas when you're not creative, a good ripoff is better then a bad idea :P
Fargren 04-16-05, 08:49 PM	63. You've just been revived after fighting level (your level +15) wizards. Suddenly you feel reality tearing apart(???)and appear at a big white room. The the grabshis Magic the Gatheinr folder and points at Urza un his Mind Over Matter as he says"you see this guy". He says:"The profecies tell you are the ones destined to change the course of the war against Pyrexia" I bealive cookies are unnecesary in this case
Chosen of the Dark Sun 04-16-05, 11:22 PM	63. You've just been revived after fighting level (your level +15) wizards. Suddenly you feel reality tearing apart(???)and appear at a big white room. The the grabshis Magic the Gatheinr folder and points at Urza un his Mind Over Matter as he says"you see this guy". He says:"The profecies tell you are the ones destined to change the course of the war against Pyrexia" I bealive cookies are unnecesary in this case Yeah, I think a lot of people on these boards probably play Magic. I pity anyone who gets that as a campaign though. Taking plot hooks from other stuff is fine, entire campaigns are not.
pzykotikjp 04-16-05, 11:44 PM	64. The party returns home after a hard day's work only to find a Tarrasque sitting in their living room. The Tarrasque informs the party "Bring me turkish delights or I will devour your children!" Of course, no one in the party has children because they're all level 1, and so, the Tarrasque says "Wtf man?" and leaves. But the thought of turkish delights, that delightful treat of naughty children, does intrigue the party, and thus, an adventure begins.
Thanqol 04-17-05, 12:08 AM	65: The rap-dancing shadow army of ninjas who were created from the evil IPod growth attack!
Yoho1.5 04-17-05, 02:16 PM	66 After years of enslavement in the gladiator pits of blahh blahh blahh your released unexpectantly to go destory the evil snake cultists of blah blah... now go get your ubersword and a sack for carring large rubies. 67 Zombies rise and attack the inn your staying in roll intiative.
Zao Fato 04-18-05, 08:08 AM	68: You wake up in a 10ft by 10ft Room with one exit, there is an Orc Guarding a Treasure Chest. 69: Escort <insert characters name here> as he may be the new king of this country, you must take him to the king to be examined to see if he is the rightful ruler (Used this one, turned out to be my best campaign ever :) ) 70: The God of Neutrality comes down to you and says: "Hey, kill this badass wizard for us, or he will destroy everything including us. Mostly us....." We reply: "How, if 200,000 gods can't kill him, then how the hell are we 3 going to do it?" God Replys: "Do it or I will kill you" Huh? :confused:
Dunelord 04-21-05, 05:22 AM	71. After I roll up my level 1 PC CG cleric of Kord I awake naked in a cage with a pierced nipple. The cage is hanging from the roof of a large well light room and I can see the other PC an elf in the same situation a few dozen feet away. Neither of us has memories but knows what our class/skills are. After a while in real life and in character nothing happens. We desided that since we are hungery and thirsty dying slowing in a cage is something we'd like to avoid. I think it was ment to be a flavor thing but when we move we notice dust comes down from the place the cage enters the roof. I look closely and see that it's very brittle so I begin to pick away and it. After a while my cage falls and I take 2d6 damage. DM seems SHOCKED that my PC didn't want to wait in a cage for no reason. I cast a heal spell and then drag my cage under the other PC so he can do the same and not drop so far (1d6). DM rolls a 1, I cast a cure minor and we are off. Off to break down the door then fight the 12th level wizard! But not till after we wonder around a castle with no way out for hours on end. We kill the Wizard's familur which brought him down to 11th level. We got the drop on him and he rolled crap on inative so we each got a attack on him and the DM ruled that he didn't have all his magic on him since he was just chilling at home. 3 crits later the Wizard was really hurting. Then he tuned my buddy into a goat and critted me on an attack of opp so I was at negative 6 hit points. We use a house rule that once in your PC's exsistance you get a divine intervention roll. If you make it your god does something to help you get out of the spot your in. I made mine and we where both healed/degoated. We managed to kill the Wizard with a lot of luck, my PC with one shineing pretty hit point, and the other PC at negative hit points. The runner seems shocked that our PCs think it is a better idea to attack the Wizard when we have no other option besides surrender to him or starve traped in castle. Then the DM expected my PC to care that the other PC was "justly" imprisioned, while mine wasn't and that my PC had helped him get free. Still not 100% sure how my PC found that out. THEN we where still stuck in the castle prision thing. EDIT Stuck without cloths, food, or water.
sherretz 04-21-05, 09:05 AM	In my current campaign, we recently finished an adventure based on Heart of Darkness. Cool stuff! 72. You are the greatest of your classes in the land, and have been brought together to take down the BBEG before he takes over the world.
BobtheMighty 04-21-05, 01:03 PM	I think these plot hooks are starting to stray from the worst ever to the bland, overused, and cliché. While none of these are particularly good, of course, I can find a few that certainly aren't "the worst plot hooks ever." And they're starting to get repetitive and indistinguishable. Anyway, not trying to pop the fun balloon, but I figure I can pick up on what not to do as a DM from this thread, so I'd like to see it stay pretty useful.
Need_A_Life 04-21-05, 05:10 PM	73. You stand at a bar... 74. An old man with a long beard approaches you... 75. Undead have been sighted roaming the cemetary at night, you are charged with the mission of destroying them and locating their source (bringing you into a dungeon where a billion undead are waiting for you. Makes you wish you had the Sun domain...) 76. The apocalypse is near; only by destroying the magical portal you can prevent the material plane from breaking apart. You have little time and your supplies are few; no one believes that you are speaking the truth. and you're level 1.
Elemental 04-21-05, 06:13 PM	"In AD 2101, war was beginning."
Geflen Deeppockets 04-21-05, 09:47 PM	Hahahaha. I have to use that. 23. PCs are in a tavern when a crazed peasant woman runs in delerious and yells, "KOBOLDS ATE MY BABY!" I prefer PCs are in a tavern when a crazed peasant woman runs in delerious and yells, "BABIES ATE MY KOBOLD!" Theres nothing that tops starting out AD&D (1st ever game mind you) with a deity comes and says "you puny immortals!" and "You will draw from the deck of many things!" Or was it when two great dragon fought to the death and died at our feet and we skinned them and made armor out of those skins.
Sarella Starshine 04-22-05, 12:12 AM	any of the plot hooks in the Munchin Master's Guide (produced by steve jackson games, yep the guy who did GURPS). they list from the terably cliche ((you are at the tavern...)to the totally silly (you are in the town square when <insert bar name here> walks into you)).
Navar 04-22-05, 05:08 PM	77. A man with roaches for eyes enters your secreat Ninja stronghold to tell you that the county music superstars have all been kidnapped. By him. And he is just an astral projection, with Ewoks.
Jodjod 04-22-05, 05:30 PM	Were there any goa'uld on board? ;) (a cookie to anyone who has any idea what I'm talking about) Stargate, right? I love those guys. :P EDIT: Damn, already been answered. Stupid sleepiness....
Nitneuq Onitnarat 04-22-05, 06:15 PM	I once actually used this: random voice: "Go to the forest" PC: "what? why? no!" DM: "you are in the forest"
Herald@Large 04-22-05, 08:09 PM	As you lie sleeping, you have a mystical vision of a [blank] hidden in a [blank]. You awake with an obsession to find it.
Emanuel Faust 04-22-05, 09:23 PM	My first DM used this one me because I was being difficult. :P *Old man approaches you in a tavern* "I see you are a warrior, stranger. This town is filled with cowards. I wish to employ you to bring back my <insert artifact here>" "How did you lose it old one?" "It was stolen from me by orcs." "And what do I get in return?" "Absolutely nothing, but I just finished casting a Geas spell on you...so you either go get my <insert artifact here> or you die cause you are too poor to pay for a remove curse." ...Evil evil old man.
Need_A_Life 04-23-05, 08:22 AM	Actually that's a good plot hook... you just need to kill the old man afterwards. For those kind of ***holes I have found a routine that works pretty well... flesh to stone + transmute rock to mud + spread the mud over the entire continent.... Recurring villian my ***
JMalone 04-23-05, 02:50 PM	81(ish). You and a group of other miscreants (who are the other PC's, of course) are taken to the local jail to do time for minor crimes. However, the local jail in question is a magical prison (similar to the prison in the movie Cube) populated by kobolds, covered in Antimagical glyphs, and containing some devious traps and puzzles. It sucked for me in that one, as I was the only one to escape from my cell and I was a sorceror, so without spells I was about as useful as a rubber fork. Oh, and we were all FIRST LEVEL!
Kolo 04-23-05, 03:35 PM	Actually that's a good plot hook... you just need to kill the old man afterwards. For those kind of ***holes I have found a routine that works pretty well... flesh to stone + transmute rock to mud + spread the mud over the entire continent.... Recurring villian my *** Depends on wether his minion/s can gather it all up and make a clay golem out of it. :D
TheSmartIdiot 04-26-05, 12:34 AM	"70: The God of Neutrality comes down to you and says: "Hey, kill this badass wizard for us, or he will destroy everything including us. Mostly us....." We reply: "How, if 200,000 gods can't kill him, then how the hell are we 3 going to do it?" God Replys: "Do it or I will kill you" Huh?" This one is funny. I can see another one like this: 82. Neutral Deity: "Go, do something for me. I don't know what I want; I am indifferent. But it needs to be something, anything, just do it, not too flashy or boring. Make it ok, not great. Look, if you see orcs, stop them; you can torture them if you want, but don't kill them. Really, don't do anything that would make anything happen."
Settra 04-26-05, 04:28 PM	This one's very cheezy.. A friend of mine was DMing for the first time, and we tried to cut him a little slack, as he seemed a little uncomfortable doing it. This proved a little difficult.... First off, we were summoned before the court of the king and told to go hunting some dragon that was bothering the little village near the mountains (there would perhaps be treasure ;)). After having defeated the dragon, we began heading home. On the way home, we got frequent commentaries from the DM that we "heard noises" from the mountains. Also we were once in a while able to "spot a shadow moving very fast in the hillside". We decided not to follow this railroading, because our characters had no reason whatsoever to storm into the mountains just because they heard a noise. Then the DM got desperate. A day after leaving the village, we spotted a lumberjack by the road. Our DM described this lumberjack about five times before we finally got past him. Then he yelled "Hey there! I need some help over here!" Then it got awkward..... :nonono:
Ibbins 05-20-05, 06:14 PM	84. DM: You're walking through the woods, and you get knocked out. You wake up in a jail cell guarded by troglodytes. Evil cleric NPC: "We are dissidents! you cannot stop the Tide of Evil!"
Kohdok 05-20-05, 07:20 PM	85: The old mind-swap cliche. You take you PC's and have them *Bonk heads really hard/Get zapped by lightning/affected by a wizards spell* and you have to find a way to get back. I've never tried this, but I think it might be fun to see what other people will do in other character's bodies. (Swap a male player's male character with a female player's female character. Eee hee hee...Swap some feats, skills, and abilities, along with the fact that, in game, the characters have no idea how to use the other's powers, and voila: Absolute chaos!)
TheSmartIdiot 05-26-05, 12:34 AM	The Alias plot hook for the season finale belongs here: My name isn't really <insert name here> and it was intended for you and I to meet before you had to take on a great evil organization. I ... Suddenly an accident occurs leaving you in suspense.
Josheva 05-26-05, 01:27 AM	35. You're the child of a god, but you don't know that. You must quest to obtain the powers you are destined to gain, but OH WAIT! Avatars from your parent's rival are always out to get poor little level-1 you! But don't worry, you're the son/daughter of a god. You can't die. Heh just have to comment that this is an excellent plot hook that was used to extraordinary levels in the Baldurs Gate series (Not dark alliance, they sucked, I mean the PC Games (Not Player Character, Personal Computer...lol)). Bad plot hook: You have been captured by an evil wizard and now have some collars on you so you must do his bidding. He apparently is constantly scrying you, some of his lower level slaves, because every time you speak ill of him or start talking of escape you are shocked. You also later find a man who merely pulled his off cuz he's uber, but you have to kill the wizard and take his control panel.
Lily_Knight 05-26-05, 02:34 AM	I hate to be abit of a wet blanket, but some of these plot hooks are good! A plot hook can seem bad but be exicuted with amanzing ability. I am standing with Moon-Lancer on this one. There was a plot which which Paladins are attacking your village because they view your race as being evil. This is an excellent plot for me, because 1) nobody in my gaming group has used this plot yet 2) I can see it working i my game. However, so I am not a total spoil sport ( :eek: !!) I have one of my own: 88. Any plot involving a villian with the name; Elmo the Dark.
Soel Griffin 05-26-05, 03:16 AM	89. The skinheads have kidnapped Madonna... It was from an old Turbo Graphics game..Really!
Sargon 05-26-05, 12:49 PM	I had a character killed.... then My new character, a rogue, will come into play... I was disguised as a dwarf in a dwarven village, and entered the tavern where the other PCs were... and whispered to the others: "Shhhh.... don't tell the guards i'm here... i've heard of your reputation and want to join you..." this moment one of the PCs screamed: "Guards! There's a fugitive on the tavern!!!!" and whispered to me "OK. if you survive this, you can enter the group... we will be waiting outside the town...." HAHA thats awsome!
TheErsatzFacsimileOfMe 05-26-05, 01:51 PM	You just graduated from "The Academy" and evil cultists attacked your graduating class and stole the Waterdavian creatures... :D
Jeremiah DeathFist 05-26-05, 07:43 PM	91: Oh no! The princess has been captured! Some brave knight must travel across the land, facing countless dangers to save her! As a reward the knight will get her as a wife.
Vaelan 05-27-05, 04:14 AM	Some creepy nerd from a rival school across town has used his new-found evil powers to enslave the general populace. Now he has kidnapped your girlfriend, so go kick some punk pseudo-gangster ass and save her! Now that I think of it, that campaign wasn't all that bad... :) Obligatory cookie to whoever posts where my DM stole this from! :cookie:
Abalux 05-27-05, 09:12 PM	Wouldn't be River City Ransom, would it? The characters actually had stats in it. A RP campaign wouldn't be that much of a stretch.
Drood 05-27-05, 09:20 PM	Wouldn't be River City Ransom, would it? The characters actually had stats in it. A RP campaign wouldn't be that much of a stretch. I loved that game!
Abalux 05-27-05, 09:35 PM	I loved that game! Yeah, River City Ransom is one of the great NES games. And, to keep on topic, here's a bad plot hook I actually experienced. (It's not D&D, but I think a DM could easily apply it to their campaigns.): You must fetch Starbucks coffee for the boss. To make it to the Starbucks, you have to surpass three obstacles: 1. Mack trucks barrelling through every intersection on the way there 2. People so stupid you can't mind read them 3. A maze full of security guards Oh, and you fight the boss when you get back, and splattering him with the coffee is the only way to beat him. We didn't let the guy DM after that :rolleyes:
Relanir 05-27-05, 09:41 PM	THANK YOU <insert name here> BUT THE PRINCESS IS IN ANOTHER CASTLE
howlingwolf 05-28-05, 08:14 AM	The party are relaxing in their local tavern between games when a new player comes in as a halfling thief. The halfling drops through the tavern's skylight in a shower of glass, lands on thre PC's table and rolls underneath it. Suddenly a band of the city watch burst in and shout "where's the halfling". The halfling whispers the the party from his hiding place "Now, this may LOOK bad..." Most likely response. PCs : 'Is there a reward?' Guard : 'Yes!' PCs : *Kick halfing out from table and hamstring him* 'We'd like it in silver please. Actually pass it to the barmaid. DRINKS ARE ON THE MIDGET!' *Return to ale/water/milk/soda*
GDwarf 05-28-05, 09:02 AM	"The president has been kidnapped, are you a bad enough dude to save him?" :D
obrysii 05-28-05, 12:49 PM	What I plan to use in my new, Modern-setting (but not d20 modern) campaign: "Deep in the occult lairs of Microsoft, Illithids have begun to gather a cult of ignorant worshippers who do not understand the consequences. Seek out the illithids, and destory them. Or at least, save as many cult members as possible."
juggernaughteagle 01-02-06, 07:59 AM	Your in your hotel/inn in the early morning. Suddenly a huge explosion happens two blocks away. (I used this in star wars rpg. A turbolaser blast from an orbiting ship caused it. Cookie to the first who can geuss what happens next.)
Pz.Az.04Maus 01-02-06, 08:19 AM	"A man walks up to you and says, "Hi, I'm selling these fine leather jackets...""
Szat 01-02-06, 08:38 AM	So......this is a thread that bashes the ill-conceived, though legitimate, plot hooks of your various DM's? Seems a tad vicious given that many of the DM's thought they had figured out an interesting game and wanted you to play it.
ChaotikLawful 01-02-06, 10:25 AM	"So, there are these four missing creatures, oh and there is also trouble in the four different areas of the city..." "So, they stole four artifacts, and they could have gone in four directions..." "So, this large horde is gathering under the city and you're the only one tough enough to stop them..." "So, this archdevil is attacking with hordes of ghosts and you're the only one tough enough to stop him, but he's imprisoned you in his home plane and you have to make a perilous trek to make it back home..." I am not a big fan of the plot of NWN, as you may see.
Disme 01-02-06, 04:45 PM	So......this is a thread that bashes the ill-conceived, though legitimate, plot hooks of your various DM's? Don't be so harsh. Alot of these are DM's ammitting bad hooks they have used. You should actually read before bashing people. I would add to the thread but my games have an annoying habbit of not having a plot. Why I'm still asked to DM I have no idea.
Szat 01-02-06, 06:14 PM	Disme - I'm not being harsh and I didn't bash anyone. I was merely pointing it that is seems rather inconsistant to complaing about the bad plot hooks your DM has used and to continue playing in the game. I'm aware many people here are DM's but on the same token it's difficult work being a DM and not everyone is capable of coming up with award winning stories. Sometimes kill the orcs is a viable and rewarding campaign storyline and sometimes your DM really wants you to talk to a certain NPC. You snub the NPC because you don't want to bite on the DM's hook? Since when did PC's get to be so choosy about a game that is crafted for them. Threads like this are as useless as the 1001 Stupidest Players thread on the "What's A DM To Do Board". It's like complaining about your bread and butter. Without either PCs of DMs this game wouldn't exist. Be thankful that someone wants to take up the mantle of DMing and enjoy it or don't play.
tharivol266 01-02-06, 06:47 PM	"our city is protected by four anthromorphic turtles and one anthromorphic rat. for some reason they've gone evil and are causing havok. we suspect its mind control by the biggest crime syndacate in the city lead by a powerful fighter.
Salookanana 01-02-06, 06:59 PM	You enter a town with one goal; to be a mighty pirate. You must find the pirate elders and go on doing things so you can be (name) Mighty Pirate You must defeat the master of Insult Swordfighting so that you may prove your worth A ghost/zombie/demon/pirate (All at the same time mind you) is attacking [whatever] Stop that punk! You must discover the SECRET OF [name] ISLAND! You must ESCAPE FROM [name] ISLAND! You have to over come the CURSE OF [name] ISLAND! Yeah, I like me them adventure games. Ninjas have been kidnaped by the president! Are you a bad enough dude to save them?! A giant monkey has kidnaped your girlfriend! Defeat him and his evil barrels! Anything involving amnesia. Some uber powered wizard asks you to do something that is perilous to your 1st level butt, but he could probably do with cantrips. If he felt like it, that is.
Arcuna 01-02-06, 07:27 PM	"Your dad left when you were very young, and your mom lost the will to live as a result. In an attempt to resurrect her, your brother almost dies (but you manage to save him) and you lose two of your limbs. Luckily, a mechanic who lives next door makes prosthetic limbs, so you're just half-warforged. Now you must find a small red marble that can resurrect your mother." "Mass amnesia hits the city. You discover almost immediately afterward that you have a giant robot and are able to pilot it for some reason. By the way, other people have giant robots, too, but they want to destroy the city. Save the world and try to get back your memories." By the way, I'm not exactly a big fan of Fullmetal Alchemist or Big O.
Gaia 01-06-06, 08:06 PM	My DM once, when we aboarded a ship, it resulted to be cursed (the current day repeated again and again so we couldn't land and the killed enemies revived every day. The only way to finish the curse was to throw ALL of our equipment (and money) to the sea!?
Darkuwa 01-06-06, 08:42 PM	This is how the hooks in my campaign have been so far. Hook 1: Your sitting in a tavern in a logging town. The head of the guard comes in looking for recruits to get rid of orcs that have been stealing from the village, if you don't volunteer he volunteer's you. Hook 2: You've just beaten the orcs, in the center of their camp is a golden sphere about 5 ft in diameter. You have to go to X town to melt it into coins. You also find a paper with a ritual that will turn you into a half dragon(Wizard wanted it) On the way you get attacked by a weretiger that gets the monk(he wanted to be one) and then runs away. Hook 3: You reach the town and melt down the coins. A few minutes after leaving a rogue steals all your money. You recognize him as one of the desert people, if you go to their camp they might give you your money back. Hook 4: The Sultan gives you have your money back and says that he can only reimburse you that much but if you go stop the darkness spreading in the desert he will give you the rest. Hook 5: You've killed the evil witch and taken her staff and ring, you need to go back to the sultan. Hook 6: You've now got your money watta ya wanna do? Oh theres an adventurer's agency in the town, they have a job perfect for you, protect a caravan heading to a port town to the south. Hook 7: you get attacked by a white dragon on the way to the port down. they won. Hook 8: Your at the port town, it has a rather big library you could probly research the other rings here. Oh theres one in the upper west of the continent, in the city based on Oriental Adventures, you can stop at the human capitol on the way. They decided at this point to go looking for the white dragon's cave. They find it and defeat the troll that was guarding it. Thats all happened in the first session. If they get all 5 rings they can go into hell to get rid of the darkness thats spreading in several parts of the world. If they do, the uber evil wizard trapped in the darkness will escape and do ordinary BBEG things.
CryoSilver 01-06-06, 08:58 PM	Or, the utter lack of a plot hook: DM: "You're going to go retrieve (insert magic dealie bob)." Me: "What if we don't want to?" DM: "The sky darkens and the ground cracks under your feet..." Me: "WTF?"
Pandaemoni 01-06-06, 09:13 PM	The worst plot hook I have ever used was when my players came upon a castle and (due to pending rough weather) prevailed upon the lord to let them spend the night there...then an impassable blizzard started that lasted several days. It was the veritable "dark and stormy night" on which the adventure started. :D One of the players managed to find a secret passage that led to a long abandoned (hidden) set of rooms. There they found three sets of skeletal remains and it was apparent that one them (now long dead) had killed the other with arrows. The one riddled with arrows wore the signet of the lord of the castle (indicating that he was a relative), so was laid to rest in the family crypt. Alas, he was also a vampire, who rose again once those pesky arrows were removed from his ribcage. People began disappearing the next night (blizzard still raging). The storm was just there to keep the PCs locked into the adventure as venturing outside would have meant certain death for some of them. The weather (miraculously) cleared the morning after they destroyed the vampire.
TwistedShadow 01-06-06, 09:18 PM	All the characters have grown up all their lives in a Metropolis sized city surrounded by a huge desert. the city has been ruled for hundreds if not thousands of years by an evil lich the characters are brought together on the loose pretenses of fate and given the enormas task of destroying the evil lich... at first level! Did I mention the Lich was a powerful epic level character before becoming a Lich? or that the average dung merchant has at least 2 character levels and most of the town guard are between 4th & 12th level? Well they are so you guys are super peons. In the mean time while you build up strength to eventually fight the Uber Lich we will follow several story archs that are largely unconnected and that few or none of the characters actually have any real interest in. Oh I almost forgot, half the party is evil and none of you like or trust each other. Me: So why does my character, who has grown with this government and see's no real problem with it, want to topple the ruler who maintains the corrupt peace? DM: Because it is your destined Task... Just trust me it will all make sense at the end. ME: Ok and the reason that my Chaotic Neutral character is going to hang around with a bunch of Lawful Evil character who he dislike and in a few cases hates is? DM: Because this shadowy figure who gave you the task will kill you if you don't work together. ME: Yeah, let see.... do something that will kill me.... or this other guy will... Kill me... My character Tells the Shadowy Guy and those PC's that he hates where to shove it and meets death on his terms... Me: anyone need some scratch paper? cause i am about done with this character sheet That is the short version of my Time in the World known as Discordia
trashdog 01-07-06, 02:06 AM	Thus far in my Eberron game, I've used a few, shall we say, less than original plot hooks. 1) PC#1 finds dead body in an alley in Sharn, being an annoying Aundairian, he is taken in for questioning. PC's #2 and 3, cousins, have their breakfast interrupted when dead guy's sister, an old friend of PC#2, asks for their assistance. PC#4 is hired as an independent investigator, and eventually works with the party. 2) PC's #2 and 3 are given an oppurtunity to elevate their status in their House by stealing letter's from a Minister in Thrane. 3) PC#4, a shifter, is handed a sack of gold by a total stranger in a tavern. He just says, "You're shorter than I imagined..." and walks out. A huge shifter walks through the door soon thereafter, looking grumpy.
Istarion 01-07-06, 11:39 AM	X) You have to try to keep a sacred jewel from the hands of the BBEG. But on the first encounter, one of the PC shattered the jewel into an unknown number of shards, that you must recover, helped by the "shardsense" that one of the PCs has. (used by me) X+1) You wake up in an inn, and a drow assassin is about to kill you.
Dead_Karma 01-11-06, 09:05 PM	these may or may not be on here. longish thread. you walk into the tavern and notice a billboard titled plot hooks or the tavern owner hires you to fix the rat population in his cellar
tsuyoshikentsu 01-12-06, 02:08 AM	"A man walks up to you and says, "Hi, I'm selling these fine leather jackets..."" It's evening. You wash ashore an island. Suddenly, you decide: you want to be a pirate!
revaar 01-12-06, 06:41 PM	this is great for one shot-games: YOU ALL DIE! But first....
Arcuna 01-12-06, 07:29 PM	Someone committed [insert horrible-beyond-description crime here] and framed you for it. You, the level one adventurer, must prove your innocence by capturing the epic guy who framed you.
Fluffy Bunny of Doom 01-12-06, 10:45 PM	While playing Shadow Run one DM of mine used this There was a substance called Jello, which was a heavy duty drug (can't remember much of the whole plot been a few years). The drug dealer you are up against is named Bill Cosby, and while fighting him, uses the drug in some sort of wepon (cause I think it was a kind of hallucinogen?). Before opening fire on your pc's with weapon states "There is always room for Jello."
Ashok_Lal 01-12-06, 11:59 PM	I once used this. The ranger had just become a Foe Hunter (dragon) having once helped kill a young green Dragon felt he could call himself a DRAGON SLAYER! so I waited till he was in an inn and brag "Im <insert name> DRADON SLAYER" When all the patrons suddenlr break into cheers calling his name and thanking him & his friends for coming to rid the land of the anchant red Dragon.