A conan convention game

[bolen]

I thought I would put my plot for a game I will run at Midsouth
con on line so you helpful folks can put some input

So dont read this if your thing of going to MidSouth con and want
to play my game

There will be six pregen characters: 5 gladiator slaves (a mix of
classes) 1 apprentice sorcerer

part 1: The five gladiators prepare for a pit fight where they
fight two lions and a horse drawn chariot.

after they win this match they are approached by the apprentice
character who informs them that her master has bought their
freedom and asks to see them

The PC go before the master mage and he tells them he has bought
their freedom and now needs them to help destroy an evil artifact
(a demon statue) He shows them a large sum of gold and jewels and
tells them this will be theirs if they help.

It turns out that the only way to destroy the statue is to go and
place it in a fire located inside the temple of set. Obviously the
temple does not want them to do this so the characters need a way
in. Also he gives them a scroll to read (for his apprentice to
read) in order to destroy the item.

Part II Travelling to the temple

Help here would be appreciated. I envision the temple to be in a
mountain about 3 days from the town where the PC's are


Got any ideas for what should happen here?

Part III The temple

The outside is well guarded but there is a sewer that leads past
the main gaurd.

After the PC's fight their way inside, they find the sacred flame.
Once the scroll is read. The mage who sent them is teleported to
them. He thanks them for their hard work and explains that the
artifact is not to be destroyed in the flame but it releases a
demon. Only in this temple could this be done. The demon is an
enemy of Set and only in Set's temple could he regain his freedom.
He needs the PC's lifeforce to help open the portal contained
within the box to free his master, the demon.

The climax is then a fight between the PC's and the mage who tries
to gain enough mana by killing them to allow the demon to pass
into our world.

Any helpful comments ? Where would you put this?

 

[Elfman]

Now that is really bad planning on the part of the Sorceror.

He's hiring these guys because they're tough gladiators, and he expects to beat them *in combat* alone? He'd get the same PPs if he just brings along a couple slaves and tortures them as he sacrifices them. And in the Temple of Set, the sounds of torture probably wouldn't even bring any special notice either.

I'd play the climax as the PCs trying to prevent the sorcerer from murdering a few semi-conscious slaves (possibly a relative in there?) and stopping him from summoning the Demon.

Or heck, he's the master, he can just drain the PP from the apprentice and start the summonning right there, and now he doesn't have to deal with that apprentice possibly joining the gladiators against him.

I think stopping a demon from being summonned would make a good climax, and the players can try to fight him anyway. But to plan on butchering the PCs in a straight-up fight is just not a smart move.

 

[bolen]

of course your right. How could I work around this perhaps have the sorceror kidnap one of the pc's girlfriends and try to sacrifice her.

OK let's try this the sorceror needs the PC's to get inside the temple because he is magically forbidden from entering. Once the PC's reach the sacred flame and read the book. He drains the life of his apprentance, puts up a force wall and begins to bleed the PC's girlfriend to gain power points. The question is now how the PC's could break the force field.

I also thought instead of making the Sorceror an NPC allow him to be a PC. (remember this is a one shot campain game) So it would have any long term reprocussions to have the one PC betray everyone else at the end.

 

[Elfman]

Once the PC's reach the sacred flame and read the book. He drains the life of his apprentance.....

This is bad form for a con game, unless the player in question agrees to it from the beginning. You'd basically be cutting him out of play at the climax. I suggest you drain all his PPs instead; that way he can still talk, come up with plans (maybe he knows how the force field works, and can give a plan to get around it?) and feel helpful instead of feeling railroaded into an early grave.

I also thought instead of making the Sorceror an NPC allow him to be a PC. (remember this is a one shot campain game) So it would have any long term reprocussions to have the one PC betray everyone else at the end.

This might work, especially if the player get to play both the Sorceror and the apprentice. After the game is set up of course. However, I would caution against this. If you get an inexperienced player as the sorceror, this could ruin the whole game!

I suggest you drain the PP form the apprentice instead of killing him, and leave the Master as an NPC. And the girlfriend bit is a nice touch.