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Your ready-to-steal plotlines!

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
need_a_life
Jun 21, 2008 12:58:58 So, I was thinking about starting an Eberron campaign during the summer here, but as I am a bit lazy in the writing department I was thinking about playing the leech on this board and hear:

Which plotlines have you used succesfully (as in: everyone involved had fun)?
- What possible pitfalls would you warn people about when running it?
#2
dsivis
Jun 21, 2008 13:25:54 A criminal organization is pushing a new drug on the streets that makes people hypersensitive to magical suggestion and is using innocents and/or famous people to commit crimes.
The challenge inevitably lies portraying addicts realistically.
#3
CraggleRock
Jun 21, 2008 16:48:07 One I've just run this weekend for a mystery: the players are all members of a new theatre on opening night. They put on a variety/caberet show (actually turned into a full-blown musical play by my players, complete with one of them jotting out a few verses of lyrics to the showtunes!). The final act of the evening is a stage magician who invites any mages to watch his act as he uses "absolutely no magic" for his effects. However, for his vanishing/reappearing rabbit trick, things go a little awry when, instead of the rabbit reappearing, there is in fact a woman's severed head...
#4
naturax
Jun 21, 2008 18:41:43 Shanghaied by Sky Pirates: The PCs, who last remember going to a big party in Stormreach, find themselves waking up on an airship plummeting towards the coastline. They have been captured by a group of sky pirates who are hiding below decks and are actually interested in using the PCs as a distraction to steal the new Lyrandar airship that is hot in pursuit of the ship the PCs are on.

The Chosen: The PCs are subjects of a secret project undergone by Arcanix to create a new generation of living weapons that are magically bound to one of the planes (eg. Fernia's Chosen is a lot like Ignus from Planescape: Torment, etc.). The project was canceled just before the PCs were deployed and the people in charge of the project were told to kill the subjects, so the PCs have to escape and hide from Arcanix and the Aundarian government.

Of Flesh and Forge: The PCs are warforged who have discovered that an agent of the Lord of Blades is traveling into the heart of Xen'drik to find the original Creation Forge from which House Cannith stole the designs they used to build the warforged. The PCs have an unlikely ally, however: Merrix d'Cannith, who has had his secret forge discovered and agrees to help the PCs in exchange from protection from being excoriated from his former house. The PCs have to compete against agents from House Cannith, Sentinel Marshals, the giants of Xen'drik and others.
#5
rauric
Jun 21, 2008 23:35:40 PCs on a Train Players need to take a ride on an Airship so they could stop an assassination attemp on several VIPs on the a Lightning Rail. This was inspired by a player saying "Wow, EB has trains? That's just like Deadlands. So the final battle has to take place on the top of the Rail of course.
#6
elrodian
Jun 22, 2008 11:51:09 The Wylkes line: One of PC, that is a dragonmarked hair of house Lyrandar, finds out that Jonas Wylkes likes her but she has very little care for him. The higher ups of Lyrandar in Stromreach do not like this because they have plans from him and with out letting the larger house know they attack her and the group.
#7
elrodian
Jun 22, 2008 12:17:13 srry for two post
#8
snarky_monkey
Jun 22, 2008 22:58:24 The Bent Rail: House Orien has put out a call to any who can help them with a very peculiar problem. Apparently one of their lightning rail routes has been rendered useless by the presence of a competing rail coach. This new line is in fact a ghastly phantom train that moves from stop to stop, scaring off riders and greatly interfering with the house’s profits. There is only one way to investigate this affair, and that is to take part in a desperate ritual that separates the heroes from their bodies, allowing them to float free as spirits. In this form, they can then board the train, the spectral locomotive being as real to them as a normal rail was before. By this means they can attempt to discover the reasons behind the vessel’s ghostly travels. Time is of the essence however, for if they do not return to their bodies in five days, they will be trapped riding the rails for eternity.
#9
need_a_life
Jul 07, 2008 19:45:14
#10
need_a_life
Jul 12, 2008 17:06:11 Captain of the Knights Arcane - Lord Darro ir'Lain - wants to reclaim the Eldeen Reaches from the "traitors in the west" and sends the PCs to help capture a strategic point - actually, an old Gatekeeper shrine - and protect the workers he sends after them as they build fortifications to prevent it from being easily retaken.

Of course, as the Gatekeepers are kept from the Seal, the binding magic slowly deteriorates and the Gatekeepers assure the PCs that it's only a matter of time before the monsters sealed below are released.

Now, the PCs are left with a dilemma; to trust an obviously powerhungry man driven by patriotism by protecting the fort or to trust the millenia-loyal Gatekeepers and let the fort fall into the hands of 'Reachers.
#11
Nived
Jul 12, 2008 18:02:02 3:10 to Dreadhold. A dangerous wanted war criminal has popped up on the local radar. The local law enforcement has either been bought off or scared off. The Sentinal Marshals are being discouraged by the house from following up on it... none the less your heroes are made aware of his presense. Part one of the advendture is capturing him, part two is much harder... transporting him to the nearest Air Ship station for transport to dreadhold when his allies come to break him out.
#12
shady314
Jul 13, 2008 5:58:25 Hideous Phidias had one of the best plotline ideas I ever saw on this board.
I could describe it but linking is much simpler. http://forums.gleemax.com/archive/index.php/t-993669.html
#13
missekat
Jul 14, 2008 15:49:21 The Orien Express:

House Orien is looking to re-open the rails in The Mournland, and the PC are either of the house or hired by them.
Problems abound:
1: House Lyrandar has no interest in loosing the upper hand it gained, when House Oriens Lightning rails was crippled, by loosing the hub of their rail-network. They will try to sabotage the project.
2: The lost tracks are off course in The Mournland, and that in itself is quite an issue, with all the monsters, the healing not working, food and water fouling fast, and sleep having next to no rejuvenating effect.
But further more a lot of the conductor stones has been stolen, misplaced or simply lost. The "repair train" will off course carry extra stones, but will there be enough, or will the gruop have to leave the train to hunt down some of the stones?
3: The warforged Lord of Blades and his merry troup, (or should I say army), of constructs, would rather not have the rails up and running again. Too many prying eyes would be zipping around his adopted domain.
4: And last, but not least, a ghost lightning rail has "taken over" the tracks. It runs the length of the tracks from metrol to, (where ever the pc's start from), and back again with regular intervals, and when ever it passes through the real train, nasty things happend. Ghostly and spectral apparitions are left in the real train from the crossover and attack anyone in sight, etc.

So.. the group will have to work their way slowly through the Mournlands, fending off enemies on 4 fronts, while trying to repair the rails, and not running the train off the tracks.

Watch them whimper :D
#14
need_a_life
Jul 22, 2008 16:19:38

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 need_a_life Jun 21, 2008 12:58:58	So, I was thinking about starting an Eberron campaign during the summer here, but as I am a bit lazy in the writing department I was thinking about playing the leech on this board and hear: Which plotlines have you used succesfully (as in: everyone involved had fun)? - What possible pitfalls would you warn people about when running it?
#2 dsivis Jun 21, 2008 13:25:54	A criminal organization is pushing a new drug on the streets that makes people hypersensitive to magical suggestion and is using innocents and/or famous people to commit crimes. The challenge inevitably lies portraying addicts realistically.
#3 CraggleRock Jun 21, 2008 16:48:07	One I've just run this weekend for a mystery: the players are all members of a new theatre on opening night. They put on a variety/caberet show (actually turned into a full-blown musical play by my players, complete with one of them jotting out a few verses of lyrics to the showtunes!). The final act of the evening is a stage magician who invites any mages to watch his act as he uses "absolutely no magic" for his effects. However, for his vanishing/reappearing rabbit trick, things go a little awry when, instead of the rabbit reappearing, there is in fact a woman's severed head...
#4 naturax Jun 21, 2008 18:41:43	Shanghaied by Sky Pirates: The PCs, who last remember going to a big party in Stormreach, find themselves waking up on an airship plummeting towards the coastline. They have been captured by a group of sky pirates who are hiding below decks and are actually interested in using the PCs as a distraction to steal the new Lyrandar airship that is hot in pursuit of the ship the PCs are on. The Chosen: The PCs are subjects of a secret project undergone by Arcanix to create a new generation of living weapons that are magically bound to one of the planes (eg. Fernia's Chosen is a lot like Ignus from Planescape: Torment, etc.). The project was canceled just before the PCs were deployed and the people in charge of the project were told to kill the subjects, so the PCs have to escape and hide from Arcanix and the Aundarian government. Of Flesh and Forge: The PCs are warforged who have discovered that an agent of the Lord of Blades is traveling into the heart of Xen'drik to find the original Creation Forge from which House Cannith stole the designs they used to build the warforged. The PCs have an unlikely ally, however: Merrix d'Cannith, who has had his secret forge discovered and agrees to help the PCs in exchange from protection from being excoriated from his former house. The PCs have to compete against agents from House Cannith, Sentinel Marshals, the giants of Xen'drik and others.
#5 rauric Jun 21, 2008 23:35:40	PCs on a Train Players need to take a ride on an Airship so they could stop an assassination attemp on several VIPs on the a Lightning Rail. This was inspired by a player saying "Wow, EB has trains? That's just like Deadlands. So the final battle has to take place on the top of the Rail of course.
#6 elrodian Jun 22, 2008 11:51:09	The Wylkes line: One of PC, that is a dragonmarked hair of house Lyrandar, finds out that Jonas Wylkes likes her but she has very little care for him. The higher ups of Lyrandar in Stromreach do not like this because they have plans from him and with out letting the larger house know they attack her and the group.
#7 elrodian Jun 22, 2008 12:17:13	srry for two post
#8 snarky_monkey Jun 22, 2008 22:58:24	The Bent Rail: House Orien has put out a call to any who can help them with a very peculiar problem. Apparently one of their lightning rail routes has been rendered useless by the presence of a competing rail coach. This new line is in fact a ghastly phantom train that moves from stop to stop, scaring off riders and greatly interfering with the house’s profits. There is only one way to investigate this affair, and that is to take part in a desperate ritual that separates the heroes from their bodies, allowing them to float free as spirits. In this form, they can then board the train, the spectral locomotive being as real to them as a normal rail was before. By this means they can attempt to discover the reasons behind the vessel’s ghostly travels. Time is of the essence however, for if they do not return to their bodies in five days, they will be trapped riding the rails for eternity.
#9 need_a_life Jul 07, 2008 19:45:14
#10 need_a_life Jul 12, 2008 17:06:11	Captain of the Knights Arcane - Lord Darro ir'Lain - wants to reclaim the Eldeen Reaches from the "traitors in the west" and sends the PCs to help capture a strategic point - actually, an old Gatekeeper shrine - and protect the workers he sends after them as they build fortifications to prevent it from being easily retaken. Of course, as the Gatekeepers are kept from the Seal, the binding magic slowly deteriorates and the Gatekeepers assure the PCs that it's only a matter of time before the monsters sealed below are released. Now, the PCs are left with a dilemma; to trust an obviously powerhungry man driven by patriotism by protecting the fort or to trust the millenia-loyal Gatekeepers and let the fort fall into the hands of 'Reachers.
#11 Nived Jul 12, 2008 18:02:02	3:10 to Dreadhold. A dangerous wanted war criminal has popped up on the local radar. The local law enforcement has either been bought off or scared off. The Sentinal Marshals are being discouraged by the house from following up on it... none the less your heroes are made aware of his presense. Part one of the advendture is capturing him, part two is much harder... transporting him to the nearest Air Ship station for transport to dreadhold when his allies come to break him out.
#12 shady314 Jul 13, 2008 5:58:25	Hideous Phidias had one of the best plotline ideas I ever saw on this board. I could describe it but linking is much simpler. http://forums.gleemax.com/archive/index.php/t-993669.html
#13 missekat Jul 14, 2008 15:49:21	The Orien Express: House Orien is looking to re-open the rails in The Mournland, and the PC are either of the house or hired by them. Problems abound: 1: House Lyrandar has no interest in loosing the upper hand it gained, when House Oriens Lightning rails was crippled, by loosing the hub of their rail-network. They will try to sabotage the project. 2: The lost tracks are off course in The Mournland, and that in itself is quite an issue, with all the monsters, the healing not working, food and water fouling fast, and sleep having next to no rejuvenating effect. But further more a lot of the conductor stones has been stolen, misplaced or simply lost. The "repair train" will off course carry extra stones, but will there be enough, or will the gruop have to leave the train to hunt down some of the stones? 3: The warforged Lord of Blades and his merry troup, (or should I say army), of constructs, would rather not have the rails up and running again. Too many prying eyes would be zipping around his adopted domain. 4: And last, but not least, a ghost lightning rail has "taken over" the tracks. It runs the length of the tracks from metrol to, (where ever the pc's start from), and back again with regular intervals, and when ever it passes through the real train, nasty things happend. Ghostly and spectral apparitions are left in the real train from the crossover and attack anyone in sight, etc. So.. the group will have to work their way slowly through the Mournlands, fending off enemies on 4 fronts, while trying to repair the rails, and not running the train off the tracks. Watch them whimper :D
#14 need_a_life Jul 22, 2008 16:19:38