Character Spotlights? (spoilers)

[Peet]

My campaign is in the Skinsaw Murders right now - we're near the end.

I like how the adventure puts one of the characters in the spotlight.

Spotlight:

By this I mean the character who is the focus of Aldern's obsession.

But I would like to see if I can work things so that other characters get a chance to have the spotlight, in a similar way.

The characters I have are:

* A human Oracle of Life with the clouded vision curse (this was the character mentioned above)
* A human Rogue Scout with a shady past
* A human Sorcerer (air elemental bloodline) blaster who is actually from Sandpoint
* A half-elf Paladin of Iomedae focused on high CHA, self-healing and staying power
* A Skinwalker (tiger-kin) Barbarian from the Realm of the Mammoth Lords who is all about speed and natural attacks

I know there's a bit of room for spotlights in Sins of the Saviors

spoiler:

The Runeforge since the different enclaves can work with different characters, especially if their sin points fall in different categories.

But I'd like to see if I can add some kind of special connection to an adventure for the other characters, in some kind of rotation.

I'm thinking the skinwalker has the big game hunter feat so I might be able to work something for him in the Fortress of the Stone Giants.

Sadly it's a little late to let the Rogue do much in Magnimar (though he's done some cool stuff). Is there a one-off module set in Riddleport that they could do on the way to the Runeforge?

Any other ideas/suggestions?

[Karolina Dean]

Ideas all spoilered. Spoilers come from all 6 books so beware!

Spoiler:

The rogue scout: This is WAY in the future, but skip ahead to the final dungeon in the sixth book and read up on the miniboss Viorian Dekanti. Basically, she was formerly a crime boss kind of deal, but then she found a magical evil sword which possessed her into becoming a tool of Karzoug. Her mind is completely gone (unless the PCs save her!). You could swap this character out with someone relevant to the rogue, so that she could be someone from the rogue's past. If you collaborate with the player, perhaps she could be a family member or ex-lover? Imagine how surprised the players would be to bump into a former associate of the rogue DEEP in an ancient lost city. Alternatively, if you want something more immediate, try to tie the rogue's backstory to the Sczarni, which could then be used to make a simple side-adventure concerning them for the group.

Sorcerer actually from Sandpoint: When running the Attack on Sandpoint stuff in the fourth book, have someone the Sorcerer cares about be in peril. You could even set up a "moral dilemma" situation where the sorcerer may have to choose between saving their loved one and some other person imperiled by giants. If the sorcerer fails (or maybe because you just feel extra evil) the loved one can get carried away all the way to Jorgenfist for the sorcerer to save.

Paladin of Iomedae: Without knowing more about the PC's backstory this is harder to work with, but a classic "holy avenger" type paladin could potentially be unnerved by past sins in the Runeforge. If the paladin has ever done something they are ashamed of, link their sin to a deadly sin and have them relive it (and possibly seek true redemption or forgiveness) in the appropriate wing of the Runeforge. Alternatively, you could have Iomedae herself come to the paladin in a dream and send her on a personal crusade to defeat the Scribbler in book 5, who is a servant of Lamashtu. The Scribbler hopes to do Lamashtu's evil will in Sandpoint, so when the sinkhole event happens, it would make sense for Iomedae to send one of her trusted servants to deal with it.

Tiger-kin Skinwalker: No idea here. Maybe something with Black Magga, to make her into more of an ongoing villain than a one-and-done?

[Peet]

Some good stuff, Karolina!

Skinwalker:

The Tiger-kin's backstory involves him fighting giants in the Realm of the Mammoth Lords before coming to Varisia. So perhaps I can flesh out a frost giant clan and shoehorn them in; the leader could be the skinwalker's old enemy.

Paladin:

The Runeforge is self-contained so it's hard to do anything there. However we ran the Chopper's Island mini-adventure and she deliberately defaced the statue of Pazuzu, so I may work some things in where Pazuzu periodically sends demons after her. For example, I may have the Glabrezus know her name. Stuff like that.

I really like your idea for the rogue.

Rogue:

And I have just the NPC friend that could "become" Viorian Dekanti. That's totally awesome. But right now she's a perfectly normal crime boss. So it would be really cool if we could have her find the sword in game somehow... I am thinking that the players could be sent on a side quest to find it for her.

Can anybody think of a published adventure that could be easily re-themed as a quest to find Chellan, the Sword of Greed? Preferably for levels at least 7 and no higher than 13? If I do that I'll want to complete the adventure before they do the runeforge.

Sorcerer:

I had considered the issue of rescuing family members as a part of the raid on Sandpoint. But that's just a momentary thing, and the Rogue has family there too; he's just not from there.

I'd like to do something a little more involved for the sorcerer.

The sorcerer's father is a local merchant in Sandpoint... maybe there is something his father can try to get him to "acquire" in Turtleback Ferry when he finds out he is going there. Thoughts? Aside from supporting the Black Arrows stronghold and having lots of fishermen, what kind of economic activity goes on in Turtleback Ferry?

I could always add something:
* A weird opiate that only grows in the Shimmerglens...
* A dwarven mine nearby - maybe the dwarves helped build the Black Arrows stronghold
* A darkwood grove
* The nearby gnomes might sell some weird things in town
* A dye that is excreted by a certain shellfish in the lake... or maybe the Storval deep

That alone though doesn't create drama on its own, though.

Any other ideas? Anyone else?

Peet

[Ian Bell]

A few more ideas:

Rogue:

Spoiler:

The shady past thing to me makes it seem like you could tie Kaven and the gambling stuff from HMM in with him somehow, or possibly add some connection to him with the Black Arrows - former gang member buddies sentenced to military service, whatever. This could be combined with the above idea about Viorian, too.

Sorcerer:

Spoiler:

Air elemental bloodline + Varisia being full of giants in the hinterlands to me sounds like you could do a tie-in with the cloud giants that show up later. Maybe a rival cloud giant bearing a bloodline with the same source who thinks he can gain more power Highlander-style if he hunts down everyone with the same ancestor, and then have that guy in turn tied to either the giant army at Jorgenfist or the giants in Xin-Shalast itself.

Paladin of Iomedae:

Spoiler:

Tira in Magnimar would be a good source of some personal quests or tasks for this character. Chasing down rumors of demon-worshipping ogres in the Turtleback Ferry region, or something along those lines. The ogres already worship Lamashtu so that fits already. Maybe change one of them to an antipaladin to give a nicely resonant opponent?

Tiger Skinwalker:

Spoiler:

This one's a little harder. Maybe do something involving the frost giants and mammoths in Fortress of the Stone Giants? Ancestor spirits demand that the animals be freed from his traditional enemies, or whatever. That ties in more with the Mammoth Lords thing than the tiger thing.