Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ADHadh Apr 09, 2010 3:32:58	Finally I have a chance to DM for someone, though unfortunately I'm out of ideas for adventures. Here's the details: I have three players and the only character I know will most likely be played is a human cleric of Moradin (the player had a Reaper mini of "Halbarad" just sitting there for months now). They expressed that they would prefer a low-combat story. They're all starting at level 1. So far I've got only one thing in mind: the final encounter. The bad guy is a gnome arcanist demagogue with an iron defender and a few minions and I plan this encounter to take place in a house, an inn or other similar building (using Harrowing Halls tiles). I don't want this guy to be the ultimate BBEG of the campaign, though considering how many escape option he already has, it's likely he may become a recurring villain (probably with decreasing importance). Long story short: I need the basic premise and some plot points for a low-level, low-combat urban campaign for three, one of them likely a cleric or a paladin of Moradin. Any ideas?
#2 Ogiwan Apr 09, 2010 10:04:44	Well, one PC could be a private eye investigating a murder or some such, and the other two friends, or relatives of the victim, or something. Paladin could be investigating as well. If you want a low-combat meeting, though, it would be best to have a convoluted plot by this gnome villain, requiring a lot of investigations,  skill challenges, talking to people, etc.
#3 ADHadh Apr 09, 2010 11:16:49	If you want a low-combat meeting, though, it would be best to have a convoluted plot by this gnome villain, requiring a lot of investigations,  skill challenges, talking to people, etc. That's pretty much what I was thinking, I just lack coherent plot. One of the things I have difficulty with is deciding who is that gnome working for. Vecnites? Dragons? Or is he just an opportunist while something different is going on? Being a demagogue he's probably going to be giving speeches and such rather than hide in shadows and pull the strings. I suppose he would probably be getting on someone's nerves, I just have no idea whose.
#4 diggles Apr 09, 2010 16:04:36	gnome illusionist = gambler and has been cheating in games.  many people are after him and want him dead
#5 Ogiwan Apr 09, 2010 20:14:10	Bah. That's all you got? Sure, he's a gambler. Sure, he's been cheating and a lot of people want him dead. Hell, the body is a major moneylender. However, gambling is his hobby; he just indulges in it. His real job? He's an agent for the Shadow Network. The Shadow Network is  a network of smugglers and information brokers that spreads across the land. Who heads it doesn't matter.... .....because the real bad guys are using the Shadow Network as tools. The smuggling aspect supports the RBG's logistic network, and the intelligence aspect supplements their intelligence. They use the Shadow Network rather than their own organic assets because the Shadow Network's assets are more disposable and less traceable to the RBGs...... .....except the PCs might have stumbled on a clue tying the Shadow Network to the RBGs for some nefarious purpose...... .........or are the Real Bad Guys just being used as pawns of the Big Bad Evil Guy?
#6 ADHadh Apr 10, 2010 3:39:42	Bah. That's all you got? Sure, he's a gambler. Sure, he's been cheating and a lot of people want him dead. Hell, the body is a major moneylender. However, gambling is his hobby; he just indulges in it. His real job? He's an agent for the Shadow Network. The Shadow Network is  a network of smugglers and information brokers that spreads across the land. Who heads it doesn't matter.... .....because the real bad guys are using the Shadow Network as tools. The smuggling aspect supports the RBG's logistic network, and the intelligence aspect supplements their intelligence. They use the Shadow Network rather than their own organic assets because the Shadow Network's assets are more disposable and less traceable to the RBGs...... .....except the PCs might have stumbled on a clue tying the Shadow Network to the RBGs for some nefarious purpose...... .........or are the Real Bad Guys just being used as pawns of the Big Bad Evil Guy?  Ooh, nice. The player has confirmed that he will play a divine class of Moradin. That makes involvement of the church a much more interesting option. I think I figured out what the gnome's main rhetoric is: blaming it on the church or alternatively dwarves in general. Now, by undermining the temple's prestige and people's trust, he may be making it easier for the "Shadow Network" to reach their goal. Two big questions now are: what is their goal and what exactly does the gnome accuse the church of (i.e. what's going on in town)?
#7 Ogiwan Apr 10, 2010 19:59:41	Hmm. Right. It's like this. The plot is to portray the church as corrupt. Once the local church has been discredited, a new religion will move in. This religion, however, will start out being all sorts of awesome.....but then corrupt the city. End goal is to more-or-less mind control/brainwash/whatever the inhabitants to rise up and go a-conquering. Why? Whatever nation they're in will have to send troops to put down the rebellion. This will draw forces from other areas....allowing a foreign nation to invade. Not a fan? Remove the uprising, brainwashing, and invading army parts. Replace it with a powerful daemon who wants to get people to start worshipping him.  Now, are there any details of the world you'd like to tell us? Also, I think I'm going to summarize the plot of Baldur's Gate 1 for you in an Sblock, to see a plot I believe is damn good: Show The plot in BG1 has bandits attacking caravans carrying iron and saboteurs tainting any iron dug up, along with other provocations, in order to heighten tensions between two countries. Why? So the mastermind of the plot, one of the Spawn of Bhall, the slain God of Murder, can claim his right to be, and thus ascend, to the position of being the God of Murder.
#8 ADHadh Apr 12, 2010 3:59:01	Hmm, I may even steal from Scales of War and add a weapon smuggler to be one of the major forces behind this... OR I could have the temple built on a site that's important to some religion of Evil. Alternatively I could put an artifact in there for the bad guys to strive for... Yes, I've got enough juice to get the plot rolling now, thanks guys! One last thing: any suggestions of what would they accuse Moradin and his church of? "Corruption" is a little too broad.
#9 Ogiwan Apr 12, 2010 16:35:57	Good to see you got it rolling. Remember, though, to stay flexible, and be sure that your players get the plot points that you want them to get. In my case, the evil plan was to turn everybody in a large city (Sharn during the Race of the Eight Winds, if you care/know) into Karrnathi undead. The PCs got involved when an Emerald Claw (the villainous organization) kill team greased a friend of one of the party members; the late friend was smuggling ritual components for the EC's research, and he found out that he was running stuff for necromantic rituals, backed out, and was killed for it. The PCs found the hidden base, found the experimental magic circle that would turn anything above it into undead, cleared the base, and had a pretty pimpin' fight on the Lightning Rail. Then, they went to Karrnath, the country the EC was from, where I expected them to follow up on a lead I had planted. I established that all of the skeletons they had killed came from a particular unit; 4th Brigade of the 17th Risen Patriots division, if I remember correctly. I had anticipated that they would go to the mausoleum where the unit was stored, discover that it was missing the fourth brigade, find out the name of the last person who saw it, figure out that this guy was the bad guy, and also figure out where they had to go to stop the ritual. While in Karrnath, they were also supposed to find a newspaper talking about the Race of the Eight Winds taking place in a few days. However, my players did not follow up on the Mausoleum lead. They picked up on the paper, and while I have to admit being quite happy when the player who figured out the plot after reading the newspaper said "Oh S***!" and explained the plan to everybody else, who also proceeded to freak out, my party did not get the other hook, and as such, they (rightfully) criticized me for having them fly across the continent for a newspaper. Now, the failing is mine as a DM, despite what they may say, and I don't have an idea of how I could make them pick up on it without being overbearing. However, I'd advise you to be aware that your players might miss a clue, and figure out how to deal with it.