Adventure Design for Legend

[Tias]

RangerDan>> Are you kidding, that's great! I didn't really see an opportunity to include anarchists here :3

pachristian>> That's a bit too big of a runaround, I'm afraid, though you bring up some good ideas.

 

[pachristian]

Yeah, my proposal is a long build-up for the scenario you are talking about. You could drop some of the steps (for example; the treasure map and unleashing the curse). The whole point of my proposal is to try to have the players to have an emotional investment in the town and its people. Also, to provide a timeline and background so the players 'feel' what is going on, instead of just being told 'this is the situation". But I agree that it would only work for a fairly long-running campaign.

"unfair"? The players being the ones who unleash the curse is not a punishment for them - it's plot advancement.

Of course, this thread was about mechanical aspects of adventure design, and my post was entirely about story aspects. Oops!

 

[Tias]

Well, not to worry, for I did ask for both story and mechanical tips I suppose!

I understand what you're trying to say, it's just that my group can be a bit easily bored with atmospheric elements and so I tend to avoid long build-ups, but I'm considering your words seriously. The idea I had was that our unsuspecting Lord pulled a Jim Carrey, found an ancient mask supposed to help him socially (in allaying the fears of local farmer militias so they could better work together against the threat in East) - but the dang thing was home to a servant of Kharé!

Perhaps they could be sent to find the mask or something like that, only to be outrunned by a team in the lords employ. When they grill him about the mask (if they choose to do so), he offers them the perfectly reasonable explanation, only to later flip out and become a tyrant.

 

[RangerDan]

"unfair"? The players being the ones who unleash the curse is not a punishment for them - it's plot advancement.

I think what Ynas means is that if the mask/curse is going to be triggered regardless of player actions, it makes the player actions less meaningful (ie they cannot affect the story/plot). The players might also come up with something out of left field (they irrevocably seal the temple with sorcery, leaving the mask inaccessible to your 'backup' adventuring party) in which case you'd have to dream up something very convoluted to get your story back on track!

@Tias: Following up on the 'Jim Carrey' idea, perhaps the following:
* The local lord has informed the benevolent king that he has found a powerful magical artifact that will aid the war effort. The PCs are sent to pick it up.
* The artifact is of course the Mask of Badness. By the time the PCs get to the city the lord is possessed. He's now worried about the PCs and plots to be rid of them, ideally in a way that deflects blame from him.
* So he gives them a fake artifact (does nothing) and has "enemy agents" ambush them just outside the city. The story could unfold further from there (maybe the PCs capture an ambusher, and he turns out to be a loyal militiaman who thought the PCs were "enemy agents." Or the PCs figure out the fake artifact does nothing. Or both).

 

[Tias]

A Dire Plot forms! Roll initiative...

I think I like the idea that the PCs are referred to the lord of Hearthtree, as they are only Lvl 1 members of the Realms faction so far - being trusted servants but not exactly the empires troubleshooter team alpha, they are sent to help the lord. Feeling welcome in Hearthtree and enjoying a bit of R&R, they are then sent to fetch the mask that was lost on it's way (captured from it's convoy by followers of Kharé, or perhaps kobold raiders). Recovering the mask, they deliver it to the lord of Hearthtree, and are then asked to join the town hunters on a sweep to remove remaining kobolds/brigands from the nearby forest.

Returning triumphant, they notice everything is all fucked up and depressing, and the planned infiltration of Hearthtree can resume.

E: Though I like the fake mask/ambush combo meal, too. I'll let you know what happens!

 

[superc0ntra]

Here's a thought - would people be interested in a book of patrons and encounters similar to those produced for Traveller? The adventure hooks could be broken up into different categories such as Sword & Sorcery, High Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Gothic Horror, etc. And each hook would come with a list of possible outcomes, some suggestions regarding the skills that would be useful, and maybe a new piece of game mechanics (a new magic item, an NPC statblock, a new monster, a new spell, etc).

There is this http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/93319/Masks-1000-Memorable-NPCs-for-Any-Roleplaying-Game which is systemless but I use it quite often.
It's both sci fi and fantasy