Who You Gonna Call? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Who You Gonna Call?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
naturax
Apr 21, 2011 22:00:32 I really want to run a game in Eberron with an episodic nature that lets players triumph over the Monster of the Week. I'm looking for help brainstorming a premise that I can use to make this idea actually happen. The PCs will need a regular mode of transportation, a base of operations, and probably some other things.

1. All the PCs are templars of the Church of the Silver Flame and they get called all over Khorvaire to perform exorcisms and the like.

2. All of the PCs are aligned with the Gatekeepers and they get called all over Khorvaire to root out various Cults of the Dragon Below, symbiont infestations, or what-have-you.

... ???
#2
Dargurd
Apr 21, 2011 23:44:36 Well i would start them out in Sharn and play there for several levels. Let the establish a reputation, perhaps working independantly, perhaps financed by a Dragonmarked House or other organisation. Only when they have an established reputation have someone from outside the region look them up - perhaps after reading of their exploits in the Korranberg Chronicle or the Sharn Inquisitive.

From then on in have intermixed home based and away from home adventures.
#3
apparit
Apr 22, 2011 5:50:28 Your easiest option would be to dump them in the Flame or the Gatekeepers and start ghostbustering, but that dump a big limit on the players characters, something that you should avoid at all costs. It won't be as simple and streamlined, but having the players enter separate adventures in which they do end up fighting some kind of big nasty every week is a plan. Sharn is a good base. Head down into the depths and fight some Dolgaunts one day, try to catch a microdragon another week, then Morgrave can start calling and send you into the middle of nowhere. If you want them to really be a "Ghostbusters!" like monster-hunting team, then you will need to build up the rep first. But make extremely sure not to make the scenarios as repetitive as American TV shows :p
#4
naturax
Apr 22, 2011 8:18:11 Thanks for the suggestions so far! I hear that it's important for the sessions to not become repetetive. I was actually thinking of a premise for a one-shot, so I'm comfortable with the PCs (pre-generated sheets) already having a sufficient level and reputation to go on an adventure of this nature.

I've been running Eberron games for years, and the vast majority of them occur in Sharn, so I'm looking for a way to start them elsewhere.

Given those parameters, do you have any specific suggestions?
#5
jhanzur
Apr 22, 2011 8:43:21 The could be freelancers, working as monster hunters.

Rumors of a monster on he loose in a city, the PCs have a contact, who sends them a message by via a sending stone that Random City is looking for some help. They go, ask around, figure where the monster is, deal with it, then maybe deal with some of the cleanup.
#6
Madfox11
Apr 22, 2011 8:52:13 The could be part of an elite strike team for the Citadel, at least at first. Of course, they could also be something like team Buffy, vollunteers with no financial interest in saving the world. In that case, a nice competition/adverserary would be a team of mercs in the employ of the Twelve hunting monsters for money.
#7
Sarlax
May 19, 2011 18:56:10 Taking a cue from Angel, I'd make the PCs agents of the dragons, sent out to deal with threats to the world, only learning of them (usually) through the Prophecy itself, and occasionally through members of the Chamber,
#8
salla
May 19, 2011 19:35:35 I swiped the White Lotus Academy from Dragon Magazine and plopped it on the border of the Mournland. The PCs are students there and occassionally get contracts from people that get them out of the academy for some more hands-on job experience.
#9
naturax
May 29, 2011 8:43:30

But the key to me is that it's not a "witchhunt" when the supernatural evil is REAL... and many people don't think about just how real that threat is. Of course, extraplanar incursions and monsters from Khyber DON'T appear every day, or humanity would be hard pressed to survive. But they could happen anywhere and any time. And extraplanar incursions don't have to be Daelkyr armies; they could simply be a single fiend slipping through to cause chaos. So the mission of the CotSF IS a vital one. And once you have that in mind, it's easier to see that it's not just a crusader/inquisition parallel, but really does have a certain level of Men in Black/Jedi Knight action - that they ARE standing between the public and danger. They're still human with all the faults of humans, and can still fall pray to zealotry and greed.

THIS is what I'm talking about. Can anyone help me flesh this out into a series of encounters for a one-shot?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 naturax Apr 21, 2011 22:00:32	I really want to run a game in Eberron with an episodic nature that lets players triumph over the Monster of the Week. I'm looking for help brainstorming a premise that I can use to make this idea actually happen. The PCs will need a regular mode of transportation, a base of operations, and probably some other things. 1. All the PCs are templars of the Church of the Silver Flame and they get called all over Khorvaire to perform exorcisms and the like. 2. All of the PCs are aligned with the Gatekeepers and they get called all over Khorvaire to root out various Cults of the Dragon Below, symbiont infestations, or what-have-you. ... ???
#2 Dargurd Apr 21, 2011 23:44:36	Well i would start them out in Sharn and play there for several levels. Let the establish a reputation, perhaps working independantly, perhaps financed by a Dragonmarked House or other organisation. Only when they have an established reputation have someone from outside the region look them up - perhaps after reading of their exploits in the Korranberg Chronicle or the Sharn Inquisitive. From then on in have intermixed home based and away from home adventures.
#3 apparit Apr 22, 2011 5:50:28	Your easiest option would be to dump them in the Flame or the Gatekeepers and start ghostbustering, but that dump a big limit on the players characters, something that you should avoid at all costs. It won't be as simple and streamlined, but having the players enter separate adventures in which they do end up fighting some kind of big nasty every week is a plan. Sharn is a good base. Head down into the depths and fight some Dolgaunts one day, try to catch a microdragon another week, then Morgrave can start calling and send you into the middle of nowhere. If you want them to really be a "Ghostbusters!" like monster-hunting team, then you will need to build up the rep first. But make extremely sure not to make the scenarios as repetitive as American TV shows :p
#4 naturax Apr 22, 2011 8:18:11	Thanks for the suggestions so far! I hear that it's important for the sessions to not become repetetive. I was actually thinking of a premise for a one-shot, so I'm comfortable with the PCs (pre-generated sheets) already having a sufficient level and reputation to go on an adventure of this nature. I've been running Eberron games for years, and the vast majority of them occur in Sharn, so I'm looking for a way to start them elsewhere. Given those parameters, do you have any specific suggestions?
#5 jhanzur Apr 22, 2011 8:43:21	The could be freelancers, working as monster hunters. Rumors of a monster on he loose in a city, the PCs have a contact, who sends them a message by via a sending stone that Random City is looking for some help. They go, ask around, figure where the monster is, deal with it, then maybe deal with some of the cleanup.
#6 Madfox11 Apr 22, 2011 8:52:13	The could be part of an elite strike team for the Citadel, at least at first. Of course, they could also be something like team Buffy, vollunteers with no financial interest in saving the world. In that case, a nice competition/adverserary would be a team of mercs in the employ of the Twelve hunting monsters for money.
#7 Sarlax May 19, 2011 18:56:10	Taking a cue from Angel, I'd make the PCs agents of the dragons, sent out to deal with threats to the world, only learning of them (usually) through the Prophecy itself, and occasionally through members of the Chamber,
#8 salla May 19, 2011 19:35:35	I swiped the White Lotus Academy from Dragon Magazine and plopped it on the border of the Mournland. The PCs are students there and occassionally get contracts from people that get them out of the academy for some more hands-on job experience.
#9 naturax May 29, 2011 8:43:30	But the key to me is that it's not a "witchhunt" when the supernatural evil is REAL... and many people don't think about just how real that threat is. Of course, extraplanar incursions and monsters from Khyber DON'T appear every day, or humanity would be hard pressed to survive. But they could happen anywhere and any time. And extraplanar incursions don't have to be Daelkyr armies; they could simply be a single fiend slipping through to cause chaos. So the mission of the CotSF IS a vital one. And once you have that in mind, it's easier to see that it's not just a crusader/inquisition parallel, but really does have a certain level of Men in Black/Jedi Knight action - that they ARE standing between the public and danger. They're still human with all the faults of humans, and can still fall pray to zealotry and greed. THIS is what I'm talking about. Can anyone help me flesh this out into a series of encounters for a one-shot?