Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 pboyer Feb 18, 2009 7:20:29	My girlfriend showed interest in Dungeons and Dragons. I was elated. I decided to prepare a rudimentary mission: "Deliver this letter." The letter is filled with poison and there is a bit of intrigue around it. But I need your help; my girlfriend comes from an upbringing where Harry Potter is bad. Magic and the occult are blasphemous. (No, she's not Christian. ;)) I discussed with her that the magic in this game is fictional, and she is comfortable with that. She even created a wizard and has the 'Ritual Casting' feat. However, she has reservations about choosing a deity for her character. That's fine; I respect her decisions and I can roll with it. The deities still exist in this world, but her character doesn't worship any of them. What I need from you people is some more adventure hooks with a "PG-flavour" in case she enjoyed the first mission and wishes to keep playing. Her character concept, she came up with this herself, is a well-educated lady with a mysterious pendant that can transport through time; wherever a good deed needs to be done, she is transported there. (You get bonus marks if Chrono Trigger comes to mind.) I'll keep you posted with updates about our first session, and thank you in advance for the ideas.
#2 Thought Feb 18, 2009 9:36:21	Well you know, you don't have to have the polytheistic elements at all. I've always found religion adds a lovely element to the game full of potential plot hooks, but if the flavor of the religion makes one uncomfortable, change the flavor. A simple way to do this is to say that the "gods" of the PHB and the DMG are not gods per say but powerful servants of the prime creator (and that the evil ones are fallen powers, akin to lucifer). Or you might replace them with "Saints;" very holy former mortals who, due to their holiness, can interceed on behalf of living mortals with the One True God. The evil dieties would become individuals so foul that hell spat them back out, as it were. Anywho, all that is fluff for you to consider. And actually, Chrono Cross came to mind (Schala's Pendant actually can produce time traveling effects in that one; in Chrono Trigger is just allows access to gates). :P As a wizard, I'd recommend throwing in a lot of Minions closely grouped (so few skirmishers, but more brutes and soldiers), which then would lead me to also include a fewer number of regular baddies that serve as the "boss" of the minions. She gets to lay down huge groupings of distruction and the bosses provide memorable baddies "that just wont die." Which means, dastardly plots are called for (rather than random dungeon delving). This ties in nicely with her pendant. A crime syndicate is always useful for this (and it is pretty cut and dry bad, so she should get into it nicely). After all, who sent that poison-letter but ne'er-do-wells? The letter thus might lead into a larger campaign of stopping the crime syndicate from expanding and accomplishing a specific task. If she likes things, then after a few adventures you might reveal that their specific task is magical in nature (thus, requiring a wizard of some renown to address it). A name I've had on file for a while is "Titan's Glacier." I like the name because while (to me, at least) it sounds like a legitimate name, the "why" is intriguing. Perhaps there is a "titan" actually sealed within the glacier (and by titan I merely mean some big baddy). The crime syndicate might be working to clear the way to access that Glacier and free the being trapped within (the prisoner would be greatful to be released and it would thus become allied with the crime syndicate, giving it a significant boost in political and military power). Anywho, just some thoughts. Good luck
#3 pboyer Feb 18, 2009 10:13:59	First of all, I really really like the idea of reflavouring the deities as Saints. I think I can incorporate it by making references to "Saint Pelor." There is a large temple of Pelor on the way to delivering the letter. The poisoned letter is from one court noble to another; an assassination attempt. This works very well into the concept of an underground crime organization. The "sender" might be the organization's eyes, ears and voice in the political world. To gamers, you're right- it's an overdone plot. But for someone new to fantasy, it's exciting... hopefully! The "crime syndicate" arc might last the heroic tier, but then I intend on incorporating the pendant's time travelling ability to a new setting, possibly with original characters.
#4 Thought Feb 18, 2009 14:02:44	Also, you might want to check out this thread: http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=553739 It is all about running "solo" campaigns. Though 4e doesn't have much discussion, the ideas are still solid and you might find inspiration.
#5 mandragore Feb 25, 2009 11:46:29	You may also be interested at this one : http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=471897 A great thread to read... My 2c