Funny (or not?) Shadowchasers Adventure Idea - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

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#1 Master_Vega Jan 21, 2009 0:52:08	Okay, so after writing this it seems this story is actually very dark, unless you read only the first few paragraphs, and then skip the conclusions and then read the note at the end beginning with "On the light and fluffy side..." We all remember how parents freaked out over things like Harry Potter and Pokemon, claiming that the first would teach their kids to be wiccans or whatnot, and the second was... well, I really don't know what freaked them out so much, but I randomly thought up a related and interesting curveball to throw at my players in my postponed Shadowchasers campaign. I thought I'd share it with you guys. :P The Plothook An article in the paper, or on the net, mentions that a young boy was attacked one night by a would-be kidnapper (or perhaps just a burglar who made too much noise), and was defended by the family dog. Somehow, in his bewilderment, the criminal managed to jam his knife into an electrical socket and suffer the effects of an electrically induced heart attack. Now what's truly weird about this case is that the kid claims that the dog was not present, but still stuck in the back yard. Stranger still, he claims -insert pokemon- saved him, and electrocuted/bit/whatevered the criminal to death. Authorities guess that the child's brain made something else up to replace the traumatic memory of watching the man die, or that he simply interpreted the event differently than it actually happened. The Interview Depending on the realism in your campaign, the child may or may not be accessible for interview for several weeks... and even then, a bunch of guys asking the kid questions about supernatural entities isn't going to go over well with the parents or police. If your PCs are somehow able to question the boy themselves, he will willingly give them his side of the story (which will be exciting for him, because the rest of the grownups haven't actually been curious about it). He claims that the old poke ball he got from his brother (who got it in a Burger King kid's meal when he was into the franchise) actually works, and that there's an -insert pokemon- inside it. If anyone in your party has the ability to sense shadow, he or she senses a faint, almost undetectable aura from the ball. If the PCs confiscate the ball, aside from dealing with a teared-up kid (unless the party comes up with a good enough explanation), they'll find that the aura of shadow is gone by the next day. The Second Event Whether or not they have been able to talk to the child, a week later they learn by some method or another that the boy put another boy (a bully) in the hospital and is now suspended (at least) from school. He once again claims that a pokemon helped him (same one, or perhaps a different one depending on which explanation you decide to give later). Once again, your PCs will have to do some investigating to see what's going on. If they chat with the kid again, they'll get a similar story to last time. The other boy was bullying him, and then -insert pokemon- taught him a lesson. He didn't mean to hurt him that badly, though, and adds a sincere apology to the end of his story. If one of the players can sense shadow auras, then they still pick nothing up from him, though the scene of the event shows a fairly fresh mark of a shadow. If the Shadows only come at night, and your PCs are aware of it, this should drop their stomachs. I think I can stop writing this scenario now, since you guys no-doubt have creative enough minds to think of ways to advance the plot. Besides, there isn't much of a point in me writing further because, unless your players are cool with railroading, they probably aren't even going to reach the second plot point in the way I predicted. However, I will post my explanations for the event. Option 1: The Guardian Show If the creature that protected him from the burglar and the one that defended him from the bully are the same, then the boy has a shadow guardian. For whatever reason, this guardian protects him, and the bond with which the creature is attached to the kid is so strong that the guardian can enter this world in the middle of the day if need be. The creature is not a pokemon, but a much grizzlier beast. The child is only partially aware of the shadow, enough to see differently from the others, but not enough to stop his mind from explaining away the creature as something other than itself. This option is dangerous because the creature obviously cannot or at least does not differentiate between levels of hostility... though it didn't kill the bully, which may raise other questions. To confront the creature, the PCs will need to be nearby when the child is threatened (with an obviously real threat), or otherwise put into serious danger. The PCs can then either talk to the beast (if it is that intelligent), or fight and capture/kill it.
#2 j0lt Jan 22, 2009 3:07:17	Dude, that's a great campaign opener! You should flesh it out and make it into a PDF!
#3 Master_Vega Jan 22, 2009 10:16:13	Flesh it out like adding critical NPCs (like the kid, the lead investigator, the parents, a teacher or two to interview, and the guardian beast[s]), or by solidifying the plot more? I might just do the former, as I'm not sure how much use the latter option will be. Since when have PCs happily followed a railroad? :P Do you have any advice? Thank you for the compliment, though. I was beginning to think this was a little too weird for everyone.
#4 bone_yard Jan 22, 2009 16:47:28	I really like the whole idea of the shadow gaurdian thing. I'd like to see this get more fleshed out adding the necessary NPC's would be good.
#5 Master_Vega Jan 22, 2009 23:59:29	Okay, I guess I'll get to statting those guys up, then. Aside from an impromptu social schedule, I have the rest of the week to work on this stuff (and of course the stuff for my AdC project... and my new "Hand 2 Hand" [working title] melee engine.) /shameless plug. ;)
#6 j0lt Jan 23, 2009 23:53:45	Flesh it out like adding critical NPCs (like the kid, the lead investigator, the parents, a teacher or two to interview, and the guardian beast[s]), or by solidifying the plot more? Do you have any advice? Thank you for the compliment, though. I was beginning to think this was a little too weird for everyone. Yeah, statting the NPCs is a good start, another important thing is to prepare the results of various skill checks (investigate, knowledge, gather info, etc...), write up the various plot-related locations, and all that busy work.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

Master_Vega

Jan 21, 2009 0:52:08

Okay, so after writing this it seems this story is actually very dark, unless you read only the first few paragraphs, and then skip the conclusions and then read the note at the end beginning with "On the light and fluffy side..."

We all remember how parents freaked out over things like Harry Potter and Pokemon, claiming that the first would teach their kids to be wiccans or whatnot, and the second was... well, I really don't know what freaked them out so much, but I randomly thought up a related and interesting curveball to throw at my players in my postponed Shadowchasers campaign.
I thought I'd share it with you guys. :P

The Plothook

An article in the paper, or on the net, mentions that a young boy was attacked one night by a would-be kidnapper (or perhaps just a burglar who made too much noise), and was defended by the family dog. Somehow, in his bewilderment, the criminal managed to jam his knife into an electrical socket and suffer the effects of an electrically induced heart attack.
Now what's truly weird about this case is that the kid claims that the dog was not present, but still stuck in the back yard. Stranger still, he claims -insert pokemon- saved him, and electrocuted/bit/whatevered the criminal to death.
Authorities guess that the child's brain made something else up to replace the traumatic memory of watching the man die, or that he simply interpreted the event differently than it actually happened.

The Interview

Depending on the realism in your campaign, the child may or may not be accessible for interview for several weeks... and even then, a bunch of guys asking the kid questions about supernatural entities isn't going to go over well with the parents or police.
If your PCs are somehow able to question the boy themselves, he will willingly give them his side of the story (which will be exciting for him, because the rest of the grownups haven't actually been curious about it).
He claims that the old poke ball he got from his brother (who got it in a Burger King kid's meal when he was into the franchise) actually works, and that there's an -insert pokemon- inside it.
If anyone in your party has the ability to sense shadow, he or she senses a faint, almost undetectable aura from the ball.
If the PCs confiscate the ball, aside from dealing with a teared-up kid (unless the party comes up with a good enough explanation), they'll find that the aura of shadow is gone by the next day.

The Second Event

Whether or not they have been able to talk to the child, a week later they learn by some method or another that the boy put another boy (a bully) in the hospital and is now suspended (at least) from school. He once again claims that a pokemon helped him (same one, or perhaps a different one depending on which explanation you decide to give later).
Once again, your PCs will have to do some investigating to see what's going on. If they chat with the kid again, they'll get a similar story to last time. The other boy was bullying him, and then -insert pokemon- taught him a lesson. He didn't mean to hurt him that badly, though, and adds a sincere apology to the end of his story.
If one of the players can sense shadow auras, then they still pick nothing up from him, though the scene of the event shows a fairly fresh mark of a shadow.

If the Shadows only come at night, and your PCs are aware of it, this should drop their stomachs.

I think I can stop writing this scenario now, since you guys no-doubt have creative enough minds to think of ways to advance the plot. Besides, there isn't much of a point in me writing further because, unless your players are cool with railroading, they probably aren't even going to reach the second plot point in the way I predicted.

However, I will post my explanations for the event.

Option 1: The Guardian

Show

If the creature that protected him from the burglar and the one that defended him from the bully are the same, then the boy has a shadow guardian. For whatever reason, this guardian protects him, and the bond with which the creature is attached to the kid is so strong that the guardian can enter this world in the middle of the day if need be.
The creature is not a pokemon, but a much grizzlier beast. The child is only partially aware of the shadow, enough to see differently from the others, but not enough to stop his mind from explaining away the creature as something other than itself.
This option is dangerous because the creature obviously cannot or at least does not differentiate between levels of hostility... though it didn't kill the bully, which may raise other questions.
To confront the creature, the PCs will need to be nearby when the child is threatened (with an obviously real threat), or otherwise put into serious danger. The PCs can then either talk to the beast (if it is that intelligent), or fight and capture/kill it.

j0lt

Jan 22, 2009 3:07:17

Dude, that's a great campaign opener! You should flesh it out and make it into a PDF!

Master_Vega

Jan 22, 2009 10:16:13

Flesh it out like adding critical NPCs (like the kid, the lead investigator, the parents, a teacher or two to interview, and the guardian beast[s]), or by solidifying the plot more?

I might just do the former, as I'm not sure how much use the latter option will be. Since when have PCs happily followed a railroad? :P

Do you have any advice?

Thank you for the compliment, though. I was beginning to think this was a little too weird for everyone.

bone_yard

Jan 22, 2009 16:47:28

I really like the whole idea of the shadow gaurdian thing. I'd like to see this get more fleshed out adding the necessary NPC's would be good.

Master_Vega

Jan 22, 2009 23:59:29

Okay, I guess I'll get to statting those guys up, then. Aside from an impromptu social schedule, I have the rest of the week to work on this stuff (and of course the stuff for my AdC project... and my new "Hand 2 Hand" [working title] melee engine.)

/shameless plug. ;)

j0lt

Jan 23, 2009 23:53:45

Flesh it out like adding critical NPCs (like the kid, the lead investigator, the parents, a teacher or two to interview, and the guardian beast[s]), or by solidifying the plot more?

Do you have any advice?

Thank you for the compliment, though. I was beginning to think this was a little too weird for everyone.

Yeah, statting the NPCs is a good start, another important thing is to prepare the results of various skill checks (investigate, knowledge, gather info, etc...), write up the various plot-related locations, and all that busy work.