They've decided that they want to play in the vicinity of the Sword Coast (thankfully, I can draw on PC games to get an idea for the atmosphere of this area), mainly in Amn right now. I have a couple basic starters planned for them but if anyone with a deeper knowledge of the realms would like to share some insight into this region with me and discuss adventure potential I would appreciate it.
I suppose I should note it's the 4E setting as not to confuse anyone.
Smuggling remains technically illegal, but according to the watchman one group is not only particularly nasty but they aren't paying the fees that would make it acceptable. He wants you to go into their warehouse and disrupt their operation.
The true stories.
1. Just what the watchman says. This group engage in slave trading, deal in drugs, sell babies to fiends from the abyss, whatever you like. Dealing with them will get the attention of a senior watch officer, who will be mildly impressed with the PCs and will want to use them again in his slightly quixotic crusade to crack down on the worst criminal activity.
2. The watch officer took the bribe money from the warehouse gang and pocketed it himself. Now his superior wants to know what happened, and he's decided to dispose of any evidence that it was paid. After the PCs deal with the gang, they'll be ambushed by the watchman and a group of his cronies.
3. The gang has paid of the watchman. Although he's been ordered by his superiors to crack down on them, he's doing with with outside help and he has also warned the gang to expect trouble.
4. The gang is paying off a different watch-house, but there's a turf war between the two watch groups and they're busily trying to get the upper hand by destroying each others operations.
5. The gang is a group of good alignment who are bringing in medicines and food for distribution through the church of Ilmater. Nothing they're bringing in is technically illegal, but the watch is demanding money anyway. When the paladin leade refuses to indulge these demands, the watch turns to expendable outsiders to make their point.
Ways this might continue.
The players are employed by a watch officer to deal with the worst criminals in a way that doesn't involve the watch.
The players are on the run - whether from the watch, a criminal gang, or both.
The players start trying to deal with the corruption of the local branch of the watch.
-What levels is 'Heroic Tier'?
1-10. PAragon is 11-20, 21-30 is Epic.
- The PCs are members of the Shadow Thieves, and are told by their superiors to do something.
- The PCs are trying to join the Shadow Thieves, and need to do something to get their attention.
- The PCs are slaves in Muradinn, and escape to Amn, trying to make a new life, and carve a niche out for themselves.
-Well, actually, what are the players? Knowing that makes things a lot easier. A group of Paladins isn't going to attempt to join the Shadow Thieves.
Ok, ok, ok, but no, seriously...
A member of the Cowled Wizards offer the PCs a party-wide magic license, as well as an Amnian adventuring charter (the combined cost of which would value more than an amount of gold known commonly as stupid) if they perform a string of sub rosa, no questions-asked "favors" for him in/around Athkatla.
These favors include, but are not limited to (and not in any particular order):
- "Liberating" a "crooked merchant's" shipment from the docks, and ensuring that the merchant has an unfortunate accident; this "merchant" is a Shadow Thief mover, shaker, fence, and collector.
- Infiltrating the Manor in the southwest end of the docks, relieving the building of any and all documentation found within the basement. Unbeknownst to the PCs, that building is the Harper HQ in/around Amn.
- Intercept and eliminate another party of adventurers known to be rooting around (and possibly looting) the Wizard's secret compound on the coast south of Athkatla, recover whatever they've stolen, and return it to the Wizard's assistant.
- Breaking into a rival Cowled Wizard's home, stealing his research notes, his experiment, and trashing his lab.
- Smuggling a 2x2 box out of Athkatla, and seeing it safely to Trademeet, exchanging it for a small leather pouch with the proprietor of the "insert tavern name here", and returning the pouch to the Wizard's assistant; opening, losing, or damaging either package is punishable on pain of death; the box is full of pressed, dried Black Lotus petals; the small pouch contains twelve Blue Dragon scales.
- Investigating for signs of unliscensed magical activity in the Graveyard disctirct, where, after some investigation a Necromancer's enclave (complete with students, zombies, ghosts, and a few hired sword-hands) can be found.
- Ensure that a certain traveling knight does not return from his patrol of the northern borders of Amn. The knight is actually a Dragonborn Paladin of Torm, and a member of the Order of the Radiant Heart.
- Sabotage the rebuilding effort at the Ancient Temple of Aumanator in the forests north of the town of Umar Hills.
- Hunt down and kill the Wizard's assistant, who has stolen both the previously stolen magic items from the Wizard's compound, and all of the Blue Dragon scales, recover the items if possible.
If you have some unaligned or evil PCs, you're basically set, if you have good Pcs, you'll need to be capable of being a completely manipulative bastich (which goes hand in hand with Cowled Wizards) and suckering them into the work, outright lies, disinformation, that sort of thing work best.
Of course, the Wizard can, after all the work is said and done, renege on his end of the bargain, attempt to blackmail them, or just outright try to murder them.
On a side note, its very clear to see - I've played too much BGII: Shadows of Amn.
that was an enjoyable post.
* As you know, Cowled Wizards hunt down deviants; who use magical power with ill intentions. Now there's spellplague and spellscarred around and that means a lot of aberrant deviants. With no spellhold to keep and study them, Cowled Wizards kill these deviants on sight. They can hire adventurers (PCs) to do the job or hunt them if they are deviants.
* There's a small earthmote filled with blue fire that leaks out of holes beneath it. If someone closes some of the holes, blue fire burst out of others stronger and that makes the earthmote fly without an epic level ritual. But that is risky, for getting close to blue fire is risking a spellscar, and drawing unwanted attention and wrath of Cowled Wizards (number 1 plot). Some people want it regardless, and ready to compete or do battle for it. Because it has high mercantile value.
* There are rumors of some good and forgotten techniques about metal forging beneath tethyr. A declined kingdom of dwarves called Iltkazar are said to have the secrets. A lot of merchant houses are interested in that and send expeditions into underdark to locate that kingdom and establish a trade route, or steal the knowledge. (This may range from mid-heroic to mid-paragon tiers)
* Some pirate hunting and tradeship escorting around nelanther isles.
* A post from council of five says that who finds out the source of raiders on a particular area will be rewarded generously. Now, raider activity on that area are increased, because of some merchant houses trying to blame each other (with dressing their mercenaries like their competitors and faking raids). Actually, its a band of Cyric followers who unleash monsters for the right pay, which is led by a Zhent deserter.
* East amn is filled with monsters that are inspired by the success of muranndin history. They are not much of a threat by now, but some of their rulers must be eradicated regularly to ensure that. These monsters are encouraged by someone (whomever you want, either some enemy of Amn or someone benefiting from monsters).
* A new drug is around; a new one that has no laws to restrict its trade (for council is in a break of some months). It radiates no magic, but seems to be magical in nature, for it is far stronger than any mundane drug and capable of making someone slave in a matter of a few sniffs. It's actually some fairy powder from feywild that is used to tame wild fey beasts. It works stronger on humanoids. PCs can either try to stop the source or try to take over the trade ;)
More can come
I hope you like them.Cya around. Have fun.
A mage has the PCs locked up below Waukeen's Promenade, sparks a war with the shadow thieves, makes a pact with vampires, and in a promenade-shattering battle is apprehended by the Cowled Wizards, but not before kidnapping one of the PC's relations/lovers.
Gee this plot doesn't sound terribly familiar. :P
A member of the Cowled Wizards offer the PCs a party-wide magic license, as well as an Amnian adventuring charter (the combined cost of which would value more than an amount of gold known commonly as stupid) if they perform a string of sub rosa, no questions-asked "favors" for him in/around Athkatla.
This is what I've gone with basically. They decided to go on the "let's work for the Cowled Wizards" path. The hefty bribe swayed them pretty well.
If you have some unaligned or evil PCs, you're basically set, if you have good Pcs, you'll need to be capable of being a completely manipulative bastich (which goes hand in hand with Cowled Wizards) and suckering them into the work, outright lies, disinformation, that sort of thing work best.
This particular Cowled Wizard is one of these :D He definitely plans to dispose of the PCs after they've done his dirty work.
Of course, the Wizard can, after all the work is said and done, renege on his end of the bargain, attempt to blackmail them, or just outright try to murder them.
Will probably happen in a more epic manner.
On a side note, its very clear to see - I've played too much BGII: Shadows of Amn.
Can't say I blame you. In light of this campaign I'm playing it again for the umpteenth time since it came out.
Oh, and sorry for the late post. A lot of these are really great ideas. My particular party is good aligned with a single unaligned dark pact warlock, but don't hesitate to post ideas for evil parties as well. Let's let this thread turn into a resource for all DMs to come to for reference if we can :D
Some of my own ideas include pirates. It seems like Amn is the kind of place pirates aren't particularly afraid to dock for things like information and supplies. With that in mind I could see less than good PCs working for pirates while good PCs may somehow become entangled in a fight against said pirates.
Some potential plot hooks could contain kidnapped relatives/loved ones, stolen money/property, revenge in some cases.
The Gravy Train Didn't Stop Here
Esmeltaran has been seeing less and less food traffic from the farms along the south end of Lake Esmel. While the High Houses of the city find this a small nuisance, it is starting to become a larger problem with the populace, and there has been one downright slave revolt that was put down due to the lack of food. Quietly, some interested parties (In this case, the Emerald Cabal) are willing to hire some hands to go out and investigate the issue.
The issue seems to be complex. A young red has fought it's way to dominance among it's hatchlings, and has cowed the local orcs into submission. Acting as the head chief, the young dragon has been biding it's time, sending parties out to raid farms, and to attack food caravans. The Orcs are upset, and they want more loot, but they aren't brave enough to challenge the dragon.
What is worse is a group of Dragonborn Scouts from Abier had arrived and discovered about the dragon, and have offered their assistance on behalf of their Lord. The Young Dragon isn't old enough to have experienced treachery yet, even though it understands how to use it, so it has accepted their assistance. They're the ones behind trying to starve the town out.
Returning the Broken
The players, along one of the many rivertowns that serve Amn, run across some escaped slaves, who are obviously hiding from some Church Enforcers wearing Cyric's Livery. If the players decide to help them, the slaves ask that take a heavy bundle that they have bound under cloth to a temple deep in the Small Teeth Mountains. They are promised that there will be reward for them for doing so, and that they must scatter to make sure the package is safe.
The Package itself holds a relic, a length of Chain and one manacle. A good Religion check will mark it as an Artifact used by the Avatar of Illmater. If the party insists on using it, treat it as a Flail, and make up stats you feel are good for it using the guidelines on page 56 of the FRCG. It was stolen by the slaves from the Vaults of the Church of Cyric, and it is desperately wanted back.
The real complication occurs during the trip there. A SnowStorm/Thunderstrom starts up as the party hits the mountains up to the hidden Monistary. Not only does this provide a natural hazard that the players must survive, it also makes the local Gibberings come out of their flooding caves. The way up is treacherous, and following ever behind is the Church's inquistioner.