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McGuffin!

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
baileyborough
Nov 24, 2011 4:21:37 I'm getting into my heroic tier campaign now, the party is at level 4, and are really coming together with their own personal quests and backstories coming into effect.

I have an idea for a (somewhat) over-arcing quest, in which they are tasked by a dubious tiefling to find a stone shard - this is just the initial encounter with said guy, who let's call Shivers for now. He says it's a piece of Bael Turath or some such and wants to collect any artifacts from his history, etc.

The shard is part of a greater stone - the killing stone.
I'm basically pulling this as a form of the Cain and Abel story - two brothers eons ago, one killed the other. This one (first?) act of violence was stored in the stone, and has fermented over the eons to turn the stone into something evil (?).

I need some help polishing this off. I don't want it to be (too) hammy and contrived. I thought the initial thought of the first murder-weapon was a good place to start. The image I have in my head is of a rock, slightly bigger than the size of a fist, with a black hand-print that almost looks charred on.
What I'd like is if anyone has any suggestions or ideas of where to take this. Should I go the route of the chars going to try and find pieces all over the world before big bad does? What does big bad want with it? Why's the stone so important? What could it do?
Any ideas or inspiration would be great.

- UPDATE:

I've been doing some more brainstorming myself and here's what I've come up with so far.
#2
TregMallin
Nov 25, 2011 8:10:55 A couple of possibilities: the stone was a vessel of evil from the start and goaded "Cain" into killing "Abel".

Even if not, if it is from the primordial times of the world, it fairly cries out for relic/artifact statting out.

If it comes in shards, then a model to follow would be other, earlier, multi-part artifacts such as the Rod of Seven Parts or the Teeth of Dahlver-Nar.

Individually the pieces might not have that much power, but as they are drawn together new effects might become apparent.

For instance, one shard might make one more accurate with any weapon. Another might heighten awareness of any slight. (Not sure how mechanically that would work, but the idea is that the piece would want to goad the holder into a fight.)

And so on.
#3
Detteret
Nov 25, 2011 8:48:58 It sounds like you are spending alot of time on what the stone does, but you don't have to decide that now. If it is a long story arc you have plenty of time to decide.

I like the idea that that there are several shards of the stone with a unique power on it's own.   When combined they then become the stone with it's awesome and terrible power.

There could be five shards, there could be fifteen.   Each one is an adventure to recover.   They have been scattered around the world. Some lost, some guarded, and some hidden in plain sight.   Maybe the stone even had an element of good in it and that shard is part of a 'good' magic item..   Have fun with it.   I would make each item of substantial value and power though.   For example;

Murder Stone Shards

1) Anger   - The holder gets +1 to all attrubutes as long as they possess it.
2) Vengance - The holder gets +4 attack and triple damage against a creature who damaged the character. This power is used only on one attack, but each time the character is damaged they get to use it.
3) Malice - The holder gets +2 to all attacks
4) Jealousy - The shard can replicate any special item the holder as seen, at 80% of that items power.
5) Rage - The holder can enter barbarian rage once per day.
6) Fear - the holder gets -4 on armor class, +4 on saving throws, and -1 to hit.
7) Remorse - the holder can heal once per day, and can ressurrect - though that will reduce the holder to one hp AND reduce one attrubute by one (random)

Each shard however will influence the personality of that character and every day make them more unpredictable, unstable and dangerous. The shards influence together are cumulative. Should a mortal try to possess all of the shards their personality surely would be lost and the stone would take them over completely. (Yes, this will make combining the shards a challenge, won't it? Muahahahaha!)

I also would suggest some plot twists.   That keeps players interest.    Maybe Shiver really isn't whom he seems. Perhapse after the murder of his brother he was cursed with immortality. Shiver actually IS the murdering brother! He now wants the stone in order to finally find death himself.
Maybe the stone was the murder weapon? Perhapse the murder was not Shiver's fault, but he was influenced by a demon? His brother may have realized it and sacraficed his own life to trap the demon in the stone? Maybe the brother is trapped in the stone WITH the demon!

Oooooh, this will be fun!

#4
TregMallin
Nov 26, 2011 8:07:03
Another might heighten awareness of any slight. (Not sure how mechanically that would work, but the idea is that the piece would want to goad the holder into a fight.)

Ah, I've thought of it: the artifact concordance table. The artifact could become less "content" with a holder that tends to let slights go.

I also like the effects proposed by Detteret above.

#5
Kalex_the_Omen
Dec 01, 2011 11:12:47 With all the shards together representing one complete artifact you could use concordance to add powers as the shards are brought together by making concordance almost exclusively tied to the number of shards the character has. Also, since you brough up Orcus wanting it to slay the Raven Queen, maybe it is a chunk of the shard of evil that created the Abyss. This would tie nicely into the events of the original 4e Advenure Path modules Keep on the Shadowfell through Prince of Undeath.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 baileyborough Nov 24, 2011 4:21:37	I'm getting into my heroic tier campaign now, the party is at level 4, and are really coming together with their own personal quests and backstories coming into effect. I have an idea for a (somewhat) over-arcing quest, in which they are tasked by a dubious tiefling to find a stone shard - this is just the initial encounter with said guy, who let's call Shivers for now. He says it's a piece of Bael Turath or some such and wants to collect any artifacts from his history, etc. The shard is part of a greater stone - the killing stone. I'm basically pulling this as a form of the Cain and Abel story - two brothers eons ago, one killed the other. This one (first?) act of violence was stored in the stone, and has fermented over the eons to turn the stone into something evil (?). I need some help polishing this off. I don't want it to be (too) hammy and contrived. I thought the initial thought of the first murder-weapon was a good place to start. The image I have in my head is of a rock, slightly bigger than the size of a fist, with a black hand-print that almost looks charred on. What I'd like is if anyone has any suggestions or ideas of where to take this. Should I go the route of the chars going to try and find pieces all over the world before big bad does? What does big bad want with it? Why's the stone so important? What could it do? Any ideas or inspiration would be great. - UPDATE: I've been doing some more brainstorming myself and here's what I've come up with so far.
#2 TregMallin Nov 25, 2011 8:10:55	A couple of possibilities: the stone was a vessel of evil from the start and goaded "Cain" into killing "Abel". Even if not, if it is from the primordial times of the world, it fairly cries out for relic/artifact statting out. If it comes in shards, then a model to follow would be other, earlier, multi-part artifacts such as the Rod of Seven Parts or the Teeth of Dahlver-Nar. Individually the pieces might not have that much power, but as they are drawn together new effects might become apparent. For instance, one shard might make one more accurate with any weapon. Another might heighten awareness of any slight. (Not sure how mechanically that would work, but the idea is that the piece would want to goad the holder into a fight.) And so on.
#3 Detteret Nov 25, 2011 8:48:58	It sounds like you are spending alot of time on what the stone does, but you don't have to decide that now. If it is a long story arc you have plenty of time to decide. I like the idea that that there are several shards of the stone with a unique power on it's own. When combined they then become the stone with it's awesome and terrible power. There could be five shards, there could be fifteen. Each one is an adventure to recover. They have been scattered around the world. Some lost, some guarded, and some hidden in plain sight. Maybe the stone even had an element of good in it and that shard is part of a 'good' magic item.. Have fun with it. I would make each item of substantial value and power though. For example; Murder Stone Shards 1) Anger - The holder gets +1 to all attrubutes as long as they possess it. 2) Vengance - The holder gets +4 attack and triple damage against a creature who damaged the character. This power is used only on one attack, but each time the character is damaged they get to use it. 3) Malice - The holder gets +2 to all attacks 4) Jealousy - The shard can replicate any special item the holder as seen, at 80% of that items power. 5) Rage - The holder can enter barbarian rage once per day. 6) Fear - the holder gets -4 on armor class, +4 on saving throws, and -1 to hit. 7) Remorse - the holder can heal once per day, and can ressurrect - though that will reduce the holder to one hp AND reduce one attrubute by one (random) Each shard however will influence the personality of that character and every day make them more unpredictable, unstable and dangerous. The shards influence together are cumulative. Should a mortal try to possess all of the shards their personality surely would be lost and the stone would take them over completely. (Yes, this will make combining the shards a challenge, won't it? Muahahahaha!) I also would suggest some plot twists. That keeps players interest. Maybe Shiver really isn't whom he seems. Perhapse after the murder of his brother he was cursed with immortality. Shiver actually IS the murdering brother! He now wants the stone in order to finally find death himself. Maybe the stone was the murder weapon? Perhapse the murder was not Shiver's fault, but he was influenced by a demon? His brother may have realized it and sacraficed his own life to trap the demon in the stone? Maybe the brother is trapped in the stone WITH the demon! Oooooh, this will be fun!
#4 TregMallin Nov 26, 2011 8:07:03	Another might heighten awareness of any slight. (Not sure how mechanically that would work, but the idea is that the piece would want to goad the holder into a fight.) Ah, I've thought of it: the artifact concordance table. The artifact could become less "content" with a holder that tends to let slights go. I also like the effects proposed by Detteret above.
#5 Kalex_the_Omen Dec 01, 2011 11:12:47	With all the shards together representing one complete artifact you could use concordance to add powers as the shards are brought together by making concordance almost exclusively tied to the number of shards the character has. Also, since you brough up Orcus wanting it to slay the Raven Queen, maybe it is a chunk of the shard of evil that created the Abyss. This would tie nicely into the events of the original 4e Advenure Path modules Keep on the Shadowfell through Prince of Undeath.