This weekend though, we are going to take a hiatus from that campaign and I am going to be running a one-shot, Paragon Tier, Evil campaign.
Can anyone give me a good plot hook for evil characters of the Paragon level (probably 11 or 12th)?
I'm looking for a good "Eberron" theme, dealing with some very notable NPC of high level (the players are working for the BBEG), that takes place in an infamous Eberron locale (not the Mournland please), and with a short plot (something could be finished in a one-shot adventure).
I got till Sunday.
I can flesh out all the details.
Just need that perfect hook to get started.
Thanks!
:26. They find themselves on stage, with people all around them applauding. They are in positions suggesting that they've been imitating certain monsters. There's a dead elf next to them... a Phiarlan hypnotist, who's just died of a heart attack in the middle of a performance. None of them have any memory of the last 48 hours. Evidence (and testimony from the audience) suggests that they were all sitting together at one table, though none of them remember one another from more than 48 hours ago. There is a small box at the table, sealed with an arcane lock.
The goal of the adventure is to deliver a mind seed (and actuall psionic item about the size of a human's thumb) to a notable figure, dodging past or otherwise overcoming guards (skill challenges, combat, what have you). When they met the notable figure, they must knock him unconcious and "plant" the mind seed in his head. The figure might be a powerful soldier from the last war, so he could be the boss fight himself. Or he could be royalty and be guarded by the Blademarks Guild.
You could have Sentinel Marshals lead by House Medani inquisitives on the trail of the PCs, having gotten wind of something going on. As a complication, Thuranni or Phiarlin assassins might be attempting to assassinate the figure you want mind seeded. Maybe it's just another strand of the web of political intruige, or maybe they know the target is going to be "compromised" and were hired to kill them off before damage could be done.
Make it tied into your current groups game. Have them make a bunch of NPCs that need to break somone out of a prison, possibly Dreadhold. The person they are trying to free will be a BBEG that will be heading to the Mournlands very very soon.;)
I actually thought about this, and weighed against it, but I like the Dreadhold angle. That's totally Paragon Tier.
The PCs can make any characters they want. Race, class, whathave you. When you start the game, you inform them that they were all previously mindseeded by the Dreaming Dark.
The goal of the adventure is to deliver a mind seed (and actuall psionic item about the size of a human's thumb) to a notable figure, dodging past or otherwise overcoming guards (skill challenges, combat, what have you). When they met the notable figure, they must knock him unconcious and "plant" the mind seed in his head. The figure might be a powerful soldier from the last war, so he could be the boss fight himself. Or he could be royalty and be guarded by the Blademarks Guild.
You could have Sentinel Marshals lead by House Medani inquisitives on the trail of the PCs, having gotten wind of something going on. As a complication, Thuranni or Phiarlin assassins might be attempting to assassinate the figure you want mind seeded. Maybe it's just another strand of the web of political intruige, or maybe they know the target is going to be "compromised" and were hired to kill them off before damage could be done.
This is an amazing idea. Seems more like a badass campaign though. I might be able to condense it to a one-shot though.
"You are here to mind seed someone. Go."
And then 3 to 4 encounters, tightly packed together, and meant to be taken on without an extended rest. It's very Mission Impossible, but in an evil Dreaming Dark way.
You could have the encounters be something like:
1. Skill Challenge to sneak into compound. Failure alerts the city watch, but not obviously. See below.
2. Take out a patrol of guards that stumble on the PC.
Optional: Encounter with Sentinel Marshals and Deneith Inquisitives (Soldiers and Skirmishers) as they rush to stop the PCs after being informed of the break in.
3. Boss fight: A) Attack the target himself, B) Kill the target's tough bodyguard(s), or C) Complete the mission and then have to deal with Thuranni/Phiarlin Assassins.
You can also tailor the encounters to be specific to the target. Like, if they're attacking a Baron of House Cannith, there'd be several warforged in the encounters and possibly a Warforged Titan fight in a court-yard as the baron flees from them.
Again that is just my opinion.
There is some Dreadhold info in Dragon Mag in PDF form.
A beholder from the depths of an abandoned Mror Hold mine.
An albino Karnathi bullete "White Wake", with a reputation for attacking moving lightning trains, by "swimming" through the earth fast enough to keep pace with the engine.
Finnaly a rogue fire elemental that crashed an airship into a fozen mountain peak. The fire elemental calls to the bound elemental of the ship that they must take to reach the crash site. Can they keep thier elemental in check long enough? And to capture the fire elemental, they must bloody it and then quickly preform and hasty ritual in combat to bind it into a prepared khyber shard.
Who would want these creatures alive? The mercenaries might never find out, but the campaigns normal heroes will wonder what the hell just happened after they fight a monstrosity that apears to be a white bullet with a large crystal eye that shoots wide beams of fire, set above 10 small abberant eyes shooting random pain and suffering.
The thing is some folk may see a Oneshot as a waste of time. If they find out at some point that it actually had to do with their regular campaign and that they played an instrumental part in screwing over their own pcs (not really scrwing but ya know what I mean) then they might get a kick out of it.
Again that is just my opinion.
There is some Dreadhold info in Dragon Mag in PDF form.
Indeed. Good advice. Which Dragon is that?
I think it works pretty well as a delve. There's a short set up:
"You are here to mind seed someone. Go."
And then 3 to 4 encounters, tightly packed together, and meant to be taken on without an extended rest. It's very Mission Impossible, but in an evil Dreaming Dark way.
You could have the encounters be something like:
1. Skill Challenge to sneak into compound. Failure alerts the city watch, but not obviously. See below.
2. Take out a patrol of guards that stumble on the PC.
Optional: Encounter with Sentinel Marshals and Deneith Inquisitives (Soldiers and Skirmishers) as they rush to stop the PCs after being informed of the break in.
3. Boss fight: A) Attack the target himself, B) Kill the target's tough bodyguard(s), or C) Complete the mission and then have to deal with Thuranni/Phiarlin Assassins.
You can also tailor the encounters to be specific to the target. Like, if they're attacking a Baron of House Cannith, there'd be several warforged in the encounters and possibly a Warforged Titan fight in a court-yard as the baron flees from them.
Good ideas for a delve style one-shot with some good intrigue thrown in there.
Thanks for all the advice so far guys this is getting my brain boiling with ideas.
The group is comprised of mercenaries, hired by a known big bad, to capture several powerful monsters, alive.
Wow good stuff man. These are definitely some great "easter egg hunt" type quests.
The PCs are super criminals from all corners of Khorvaire, strangers to each other, summoned to Sharn by the Boromar clan mafia boss to robe a secret Aurum tower vault. Right at the outset, they are given false names (Mr. White, Mr. Orange,...) with an intention that they won't get too close and concentrate on the job instead. They are completely sure that the robbery is going to be a success...
The mercenary group idea can be done like in the movie Reservoir Dogs:
The PCs are super criminals from all corners of Khorvaire, strangers to each other, summoned to Sharn by the Boromar clan mafia boss to robe a secret Aurum tower vault. Right at the outset, they are given false names (Mr. White, Mr. Orange,...) with an intention that they won't get too close and concentrate on the job instead. They are completely sure that the robbery is going to be a success...
That's actually a great idea.
I think I am actually going to use ALL these ideas.
The PCs are villains (during my current campaign that help release the BBEG) that have been contracted by the bad guys in order to break into Dreadhold and break out a prisoner, but not only that, mind-seed that prisoner. They are all big time villains in their own right and have been given "code names" to keep their identities a secret.
Thanks for all the input folks, this has been tremendous help!
ofc there are the classics: the true king of Karrnath in the iron mask, the false(?) keeper of the flame and an half-elf from house Lyrandar with some insight into the Draconic Prophecy.
The fastest way for the PCs to get into DreadHold is to turn themselves in.
The fastest way for the PCs to get into DreadHold is to turn themselves in.
Ah! Indeed. Perhaps the person hiring them will suggest this, with an "inside man" who gives them their gear once they think they've located the person they are after and then it's prison break style!