Adventure hooks for an aristocratic setting - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 vman3force May 06, 2009 14:21:12	hey guys. right now im trying to put together some starting adventures for a campaign im working on right now. The deal is that the player characters are minor nobles living in a relatively low magic setting. There are monsters, but the reigon is very civilized, with only humans and domesticated animals. What im looking for is a good blend of indipendant adventures that can fit into an overarching campaign that is very open ended, almost sandbox. I want a good deal of role play, but some fighting, mostly in the form of duels (since all the players are nobles they wouldnt be conventional fighters). Espionage is also good, because there are a lot of rogues in the setting. Also, there are urban and rural settings, but most of the time they will be in a very large city. im interested in seeing what ideas other people have for adventures in this setting.
#2 leowulf May 06, 2009 23:59:56	Noblesse Oblige. The term refers to the obligation that the Nobility have toward the common folk. It is one of the motivations for what could be called "a noble act". An example of this is the origin story of what I think was a vampire. I'm not sure because I read it long ago. This person's career as an immortal began with a very ordinary barony or county in Eastern Europe somewhere. There was "something" tearing apart livestock at night and the peasants were terrified. Because he was the noble, he had to go confront whatever it was and put it down. Lucky him. He went out into the woods with his horse and several flintlock firearms, met the beast, was wounded by it and became either a lycanthrope or a vampire. So going out and slaying the dragon or rescuing the princess or whatever else the peasants are too afraid or unable to do is a good basis for an adventure.
#3 descrii May 07, 2009 1:13:33	I ran a nice campaign like this once where I had the players finishing their university education at the beginning of the game. They were inducted into the Skull and Bones Society, modeled on the one at Yale but made spookier, if that's possible. They went through hazing by more senior members and had to travel to the secret society's secret clubhouse, the "crypt," located in a ruined temple in a jungle valley. I read a book on jungle survival and really played up the suffering of a bunch of city-bred aristocrats in the jungle. Finally they returned to the city and were required by the society to go into the catacombs beneath the city and find a skull to represent themselves - the 1099 class of Bonesmen. That skull was interred in the society's crypt. That really helped to make them a unit, make them depend on each other and go to each other for aid. Otherwise a group of aristocrats in a political intrigue game will tend to go off on their own a lot and not really act like a group. Then I did some intrigue plots. The players hooked up with some pirates to control a valuable shipping lane and strangle a rival merchant family, explored the shadow plane and tried to keep a more senior bonesman from claiming responsibility for their shadow plane research in academic publications, and ultimately fomented rebellion against the eunuch priest ecclesiarchy of the comatose god-emperor that was steadily sapping power from the nobility by supposedly divine decrees. I still have most of my notes if you're interested in any of it.
#4 crossblade May 07, 2009 4:21:05	Participate in a fair. I did that earlier last week. [INDENT]>Archery contest based on AC[INDENT]20+ = bulls eye, 4pt 15-19 = inner circle around bulls eye, 3pt 10-14 = middle circle, 2pt 5-9 = outer ring, 1 pt Otherwise a miss. Add +5-+10 as needed for level adjustment[/INDENT]>Obstacle coarse. Basic skill challenge. For added complication, use rule of 1/4th movement per turn while climbing/etc. If desired be, do not allow progression in coarse if standard skill check does not succeed. (ex/miss a jump, fall into a small pit you have to climb out of next round) >My gf is new to DnD, I let an NPC have her demonstrate a Rod of Wonder since she didn't know what it was. She was surprised when on the first roll, a Chain Lightning came out as she was waving it at the NPC. She rolled the d100.[/INDENT] Have them find a lost child. *Have them bump into an orphan street rat child being chased by the guards. The child only stole the food so it could eat. What will the PCs do? Check out the old Steal This Hook archives. There's tons of ideas there.
#5 vman3force May 07, 2009 8:39:04	I ran a nice campaign like this once where I had the players finishing their university education at the beginning of the game. They were inducted into the Skull and Bones Society, modeled on the one at Yale but made spookier, if that's possible. They went through hazing by more senior members and had to travel to the secret society's secret clubhouse, the "crypt," located in a ruined temple in a jungle valley. I read a book on jungle survival and really played up the suffering of a bunch of city-bred aristocrats in the jungle. Finally they returned to the city and were required by the society to go into the catacombs beneath the city and find a skull to represent themselves - the 1099 class of Bonesmen. That skull was interred in the society's crypt. That really helped to make them a unit, make them depend on each other and go to each other for aid. Otherwise a group of aristocrats in a political intrigue game will tend to go off on their own a lot and not really act like a group. Then I did some intrigue plots. The players hooked up with some pirates to control a valuable shipping lane and strangle a rival merchant family, explored the shadow plane and tried to keep a more senior bonesman from claiming responsibility for their shadow plane research in academic publications, and ultimately fomented rebellion against the eunuch priest ecclesiarchy of the comatose god-emperor that was steadily sapping power from the nobility by supposedly divine decrees. I still have most of my notes if you're interested in any of it. actually that would be awesome if you could send me a copy of your notes. one of the major countries in the campaign is well known for its universities, and i havent really outlined it yet, so it might fit perfectly.
#6 goricexii May 07, 2009 9:51:39	You might try Lythia.com for adventures and hooks--it's based on Harnmaster and it is a great low magic setting with a medieval feel to it. There is a clear social class system which would help. Here are a few of my own anyway--partly based on my own setting. 1. A more important noble or politician (a mentor or relative ideally) tells them that the harvests are badly down in a particular region and that as a result of this a large group of bandits have been formed. They are required to go and deal with the problems. According to their specialties they are given responsibilities. 2. An important noble is getting married, and the pcs are sent as emissaries to meet her and her entourage. However when they arrive they discover she has been abducted. Who did it, and why? Was it... - her former suitor, a valiant young petty noble who is bitter over his lack of wealth removing him from consideration - a cruel rival of her father or the prospective groom - a third party altogether, a band of rebels - her secret lover--the abduction being a ruse 3. the pcs are insulted and accosted in the street by bravos or other minor nobles. This turns out to be a distraction for a misdeed taking place.
#7 leowulf May 07, 2009 22:19:46	Read Dickens and Dumas - both authors wrote fascinating works that deal with the aristocracy and Dumas especially liked to write about adventures.
#8 descrii May 08, 2009 2:42:46	actually that would be awesome if you could send me a copy of your notes. one of the major countries in the campaign is well known for its universities, and i havent really outlined it yet, so it might fit perfectly. Sure thing. Here are my notes on the initiation into the Bonesmen (The Skull and Bones Society, a secret society based around graduates of the University at Antonina). Bonesmen Initiation Notes The Skull and Bones Society Initiation The player characters are tapped by various influential bonesmen, drawn aside and invited to become bonesmen themselves. The bonesmen will be friendly and vague about the benefits of the society, but it is widely believed that the bonesmen are the most powerful social network in the city. In the week of initiation, all the bonesmen will gather with the aspirants and engage in humiliating games and challenges designed to make them surrender their dignity before their fellows. Aspirants who balk at the challenges will be cajoled and threatened and given fresh chances, but if they flatly refuse more than one challenge and cannot be persuaded otherwise, they’ll be ejected from the bonesmen. Aspirants who complete the week of initiation must travel during winter recess to the Cloudy Canyon and pass through it. The Society will take no steps to aid the aspirants, but they must all pass through together and reach the Tomb: a secret bonesman stronghold. The Society will send observers – a pair of senior bonesmen. Once they reach the Tomb, aspirants participate in a ritual of bonding, which is interrupted when they cannot provide a skull and set of bones for their class. The new bonesmen are then challenged to produce a skull and bones of exceeding age and infamy. When the aspirants provide the skull and bones they wish to represent their class, they begin the bonding ritual again. As part of the ritual, a spirit is bound to them, represented as the spirit belonging to the skull they brought, but it’s actually a minor companion spirit that dwells on the border between the ethereal and material planes. The minor spirit has the transference and shroud properties (DMG II, page 196). It advances one step ahead of the normal schedule – so it becomes tier 2 at 4th level, tier 3 at 7th, etc. In addition, the spirit slows the aging of the bonesmen about 10%. During the ritual, emphasis is placed on how the spirit gains power in tandem with the slowest of the bonesmen, so it behooves the bonesmen to aid each other.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

vman3force

May 06, 2009 14:21:12

hey guys. right now im trying to put together some starting adventures for a campaign im working on right now. The deal is that the player characters are minor nobles living in a relatively low magic setting. There are monsters, but the reigon is very civilized, with only humans and domesticated animals.

What im looking for is a good blend of indipendant adventures that can fit into an overarching campaign that is very open ended, almost sandbox. I want a good deal of role play, but some fighting, mostly in the form of duels (since all the players are nobles they wouldnt be conventional fighters). Espionage is also good, because there are a lot of rogues in the setting.

Also, there are urban and rural settings, but most of the time they will be in a very large city.

im interested in seeing what ideas other people have for adventures in this setting.

leowulf

May 06, 2009 23:59:56

Noblesse Oblige.

The term refers to the obligation that the Nobility have toward the common folk. It is one of the motivations for what could be called "a noble act".

An example of this is the origin story of what I think was a vampire. I'm not sure because I read it long ago. This person's career as an immortal began with a very ordinary barony or county in Eastern Europe somewhere. There was "something" tearing apart livestock at night and the peasants were terrified. Because he was the noble, he had to go confront whatever it was and put it down. Lucky him. He went out into the woods with his horse and several flintlock firearms, met the beast, was wounded by it and became either a lycanthrope or a vampire.

So going out and slaying the dragon or rescuing the princess or whatever else the peasants are too afraid or unable to do is a good basis for an adventure.

descrii

May 07, 2009 1:13:33

I ran a nice campaign like this once where I had the players finishing their university education at the beginning of the game. They were inducted into the Skull and Bones Society, modeled on the one at Yale but made spookier, if that's possible.

They went through hazing by more senior members and had to travel to the secret society's secret clubhouse, the "crypt," located in a ruined temple in a jungle valley. I read a book on jungle survival and really played up the suffering of a bunch of city-bred aristocrats in the jungle. Finally they returned to the city and were required by the society to go into the catacombs beneath the city and find a skull to represent themselves - the 1099 class of Bonesmen. That skull was interred in the society's crypt.

That really helped to make them a unit, make them depend on each other and go to each other for aid. Otherwise a group of aristocrats in a political intrigue game will tend to go off on their own a lot and not really act like a group.

Then I did some intrigue plots. The players hooked up with some pirates to control a valuable shipping lane and strangle a rival merchant family, explored the shadow plane and tried to keep a more senior bonesman from claiming responsibility for their shadow plane research in academic publications, and ultimately fomented rebellion against the eunuch priest ecclesiarchy of the comatose god-emperor that was steadily sapping power from the nobility by supposedly divine decrees.

I still have most of my notes if you're interested in any of it.

crossblade

May 07, 2009 4:21:05

*Participate in a fair. I did that earlier last week.
[INDENT]>Archery contest based on AC[INDENT]20+ = bulls eye, 4pt
15-19 = inner circle around bulls eye, 3pt
10-14 = middle circle, 2pt
5-9 = outer ring, 1 pt
Otherwise a miss. Add +5-+10 as needed for level adjustment[/INDENT]>Obstacle coarse. Basic skill challenge. For added complication, use rule of 1/4th movement per turn while climbing/etc. If desired be, do not allow progression in coarse if standard skill check does not succeed. (ex/miss a jump, fall into a small pit you have to climb out of next round)
>My gf is new to DnD, I let an NPC have her demonstrate a Rod of Wonder since she didn't know what it was. She was surprised when on the first roll, a Chain Lightning came out as she was waving it at the NPC. She rolled the d100.[/INDENT]
*Have them find a lost child.
*Have them bump into an orphan street rat child being chased by the guards. The child only stole the food so it could eat. What will the PCs do?

Check out the old Steal This Hook archives. There's tons of ideas there.

vman3force

May 07, 2009 8:39:04

I ran a nice campaign like this once where I had the players finishing their university education at the beginning of the game. They were inducted into the Skull and Bones Society, modeled on the one at Yale but made spookier, if that's possible.

They went through hazing by more senior members and had to travel to the secret society's secret clubhouse, the "crypt," located in a ruined temple in a jungle valley. I read a book on jungle survival and really played up the suffering of a bunch of city-bred aristocrats in the jungle. Finally they returned to the city and were required by the society to go into the catacombs beneath the city and find a skull to represent themselves - the 1099 class of Bonesmen. That skull was interred in the society's crypt.

That really helped to make them a unit, make them depend on each other and go to each other for aid. Otherwise a group of aristocrats in a political intrigue game will tend to go off on their own a lot and not really act like a group.

Then I did some intrigue plots. The players hooked up with some pirates to control a valuable shipping lane and strangle a rival merchant family, explored the shadow plane and tried to keep a more senior bonesman from claiming responsibility for their shadow plane research in academic publications, and ultimately fomented rebellion against the eunuch priest ecclesiarchy of the comatose god-emperor that was steadily sapping power from the nobility by supposedly divine decrees.

I still have most of my notes if you're interested in any of it.

actually that would be awesome if you could send me a copy of your notes. one of the major countries in the campaign is well known for its universities, and i havent really outlined it yet, so it might fit perfectly.

goricexii

May 07, 2009 9:51:39

You might try Lythia.com for adventures and hooks--it's based on Harnmaster and it is a great low magic setting with a medieval feel to it. There is a clear social class system which would help.

Here are a few of my own anyway--partly based on my own setting.

1. A more important noble or politician (a mentor or relative ideally) tells them that the harvests are badly down in a particular region and that as a result of this a large group of bandits have been formed. They are required to go and deal with the problems. According to their specialties they are given responsibilities.

2. An important noble is getting married, and the pcs are sent as emissaries to meet her and her entourage. However when they arrive they discover she has been abducted. Who did it, and why? Was it...
- her former suitor, a valiant young petty noble who is bitter over his lack of wealth removing him from consideration
- a cruel rival of her father or the prospective groom
- a third party altogether, a band of rebels
- her secret lover--the abduction being a ruse

3. the pcs are insulted and accosted in the street by bravos or other minor nobles. This turns out to be a distraction for a misdeed taking place.

leowulf

May 07, 2009 22:19:46

Read Dickens and Dumas - both authors wrote fascinating works that deal with the aristocracy and Dumas especially liked to write about adventures.

descrii

May 08, 2009 2:42:46

actually that would be awesome if you could send me a copy of your notes. one of the major countries in the campaign is well known for its universities, and i havent really outlined it yet, so it might fit perfectly.

Sure thing. Here are my notes on the initiation into the Bonesmen (The Skull and Bones Society, a secret society based around graduates of the University at Antonina).

Bonesmen Initiation Notes

The Skull and Bones Society Initiation
The player characters are tapped by various influential bonesmen, drawn aside and invited to become bonesmen themselves. The bonesmen will be friendly and vague about the benefits of the society, but it is widely believed that the bonesmen are the most powerful social network in the city.

In the week of initiation, all the bonesmen will gather with the aspirants and engage in humiliating games and challenges designed to make them surrender their dignity before their fellows. Aspirants who balk at the challenges will be cajoled and threatened and given fresh chances, but if they flatly refuse more than one challenge and cannot be persuaded otherwise, they’ll be ejected from the bonesmen.

Aspirants who complete the week of initiation must travel during winter recess to the Cloudy Canyon and pass through it. The Society will take no steps to aid the aspirants, but they must all pass through together and reach the Tomb: a secret bonesman stronghold. The Society will send observers – a pair of senior bonesmen.

Once they reach the Tomb, aspirants participate in a ritual of bonding, which is interrupted when they cannot provide a skull and set of bones for their class. The new bonesmen are then challenged to produce a skull and bones of exceeding age and infamy.

When the aspirants provide the skull and bones they wish to represent their class, they begin the bonding ritual again. As part of the ritual, a spirit is bound to them, represented as the spirit belonging to the skull they brought, but it’s actually a minor companion spirit that dwells on the border between the ethereal and material planes.

The minor spirit has the transference and shroud properties (DMG II, page 196). It advances one step ahead of the normal schedule – so it becomes tier 2 at 4th level, tier 3 at 7th, etc. In addition, the spirit slows the aging of the bonesmen about 10%. During the ritual, emphasis is placed on how the spirit gains power in tandem with the slowest of the bonesmen, so it behooves the bonesmen to aid each other.