Please help me with the framework of a plot for my game.


Advice


After some discussion about how they used to play D&D as teens, I decided to run a Pathfinder game for two of my uncles (and one cousin who has agreed to try it.) My uncles haven't played since the late 70s or early 80s (81 at the latest) and my cousin has never played. But they want to create their own characters on game day.

I am very familiar with the rules, and have run games before. But I'd like some help coming up with a plot and general theme that evokes some of that early classic era (probably involving a dungeon crawl), might allow - but not require - us to expand from a one-shot game to a campaign, and can be run for three players, which will have unknown characters. (For example, I don't want to run something too trap heavy in case nobody plays a character that can deal with them, or have too many magic scrolls as treasure if nobody can use them, or use swarms if nobody can deal area affect damage.) They'll probably be level 2, so they have the option of multiclassing (one uncle remembered a half elf fighter/mage so he might want to remake it) but aren't required to learn a lot of advanced rules; this would mean encounters should be between CR 1 (or less) and CR 4.

It should definitely not be horror-themed - my cousin doesn't like scary stuff. (She won't even watch the Walking Dead.) No, she's not a kid, she's almost 25 now. She liked LotR, so I want to make it more adventure than horror or gore.

I'd really like it to feel somewhat familiar to my uncles, but also highlight how far RPGs have come since their day.


I am not familiar with the classic DnD tropes myself, but I do know as lvl 2 characters they will be far less powerful than they remember from their DnD equivalents. But I always keep a few encounter and spinoff ideas in my pocket just in case.

Your adventurers start in a tavern (classic), they are all solo adventurers looking for a job (let them arrive with inventory full and little gold remaining in their pockets). They should have some flasks of alchemists fire (always useful), a few potions of CLW (or a wand if you let them), and a couple days of food at least (don't want them to starve to death during the adventure).
Let them bump into each other at the bar (let them know they have some time before events unfold).
The party (united or separate) find rooms with the last few coins in their pockets (the amount to told them to save from their pre- shopping), and let them settle in for the night.

A few checks later the wooden walls of the town are smashed through and someone of import in the town is taken, many guards are killed or injured and the mayor (prince, priest, hobo king, merchant father) sends out a call for volunteers to help.
An NPC and the party are the only ones to step forwards (if they don't step up immediately, offer gold). The NPC will be the party balance until they can level and equip up as well as your guide if they get lost (Fighter 2, or rogue 2, or cleric 2, or sorcerer 2 (no spell book to steal), or trapper (ranger 2) etc).

After some checks (maybe questioning witnesses who only recall darkness and fear) the party sets out. The hasted foes have a big lead now (Orc raiders with a http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/dragons/dragon/dungeon-dr agon-tohc/dungeon-dragon-young-tohc "God").
The party will have to follow the Orc trail (the Orcs have attempted to hide their tracks and made a few decoy trails). The party tracks (following for 2 full days with wolves attacking to keep things going).
They come to the cave, dispatch the Orc guards then move to the entrance (with tripwire and bells trap). They can be sneaky and eliminate Orcs, or bash through the doors and make a mess. Either way they can come to the back where the Victim is held in a cage (iron, good lock), the Orc priest (higher CR caster/buffer) and his minions (Orc fodder) are lowering the Victim into the swarm pit (adjust this to their level). They kill the Orcs, the caster hurts them from across a narrow bridge, his dying act is to knock down a plank releasing the swarm to the party (now on a narrow ledge).
Once this is dealt with. The party can work on the cage and the victim. Before they finish working the mechanism (but after they have a moment to heal and loot), the dragon swoops up from beneath the bridge where he has been watching the sacrifice (for his amusement) and steals away the cage.
Players chase him back to his lair and fight. Release the victim and return to town as heroes.

For an extension to the game, let them find a cryptic (or coded) note that tells how the Orcs were in cahoots with a rival of the Victim and aided the Orcs (to eliminate competition and gain some favour from a terrified populace). When discovered he will try to diplomacy (bluff, intimidate battle in the public square) then use a scroll to teleport away furious at the PC's for ruining his plans.

Simple and easy to adjust as you go.


Thank you! Good idea!

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