Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 locathus Jan 09, 2011 20:47:38	OK all - I'm getting sleepy and I need to get something figured out by tomorrow.  I'm planning an adventure for a custom campaign.  The next adventure requires the PC's to gain access to an island of magical research where they will find information to continue their quest.  The PC's will arrive in a coastal city and speak to the mage there about gaining transport to the island.  Through that NPC and other interactions I would like to give the PCs the choice of what type of adventure they would like to embark upon. So far, I have: Dungeon Crawl - there is an entrance to the Underdark nearby, and the mages will allow the PCs access to their research if they can obtain a vial of aboleth slime. Skill Challenges - the Duke of the city is authorized to grant passes to the island.  The PCs would have to work their way up through the chain of command using diplomacy, trickery, and various favors to gain access to the Duke and convince him to grant them a pass. I would really like to have a third (or fourth) option that gives them a different flavor.  The goal here is to make the players feel like they have some say over where the campaign is headed and what type of adventure they would like to go on.  Any ideas? I should also mention that the city is a main base for mercenary activities (and one of the PCs is a former member of one of the groups) and there is a local crime boss who is an old enemy of the same PC.  I was planning to use these as sources for information and a minor foil if the PCs choose the skill challenge route, but if someone can come up with a full blown story arc that would be great.  One of my thoughts was that the PCs could help work with a rival crime boss, but I'm not sure what they could really do for him that wouldn't violate their alignments. Thanks in advance.
#2 crowscape Jan 10, 2011 20:58:58	Probably too late, but what about having them be smuggled in? They need to find a ship that's leaving for the island and sneak on board. While on the ship, they learn of some dastardly plot that endangers the ship, so they need to stop it if they want to reach their destination unscathed. That way, you have a hybrid of the dungeon crawl and the skill challenge: Need skills to stay hidden on the ship, yet still maneuver around and take out the immediate villains.
#3 locathus Jan 31, 2011 20:30:45	Thanks for the reply.  It didn't help with that particular plan, but it might be something I can use going forward.  In the end, my players have decided to work their way up through the chain of command to attempt to get an audience with the Duke.  So far, they have helped the Assistant to the Mercenary Liaison Officer solve a murder to get access to his boss, who hopes to become the Second Assistant Treasurer with their help.  Should be interesting.