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My adventure is beginning to look like an episode of "Touched by Angels". What can I do to make it more exciting?
Long lost twins?
God killing weapons?
What do you think?
It would be more helpful if you gave some examples of how it is looking like "Touched by an Angel". Is it too goody-goody, is it boring, has it lost its edge, is it turning into a care-bears theme park? Give some details to let us home in on the problem. This board is full of excellent advice on how to reinvigorate your game, but we can't help without a general knowledge of your issues. We can help you, but the first step is up to you to take. Trust us, we can make your world an interesting and edgy place!
FH
BTW- you can only change your user name BEFORE you have 10 posts to your credit. I suggest finding a better name before you regret being Rich Burlow's namesake for the next 10 years.
Well, if you want a good all-purpose plot hook, I recommend a "Cursed Thingy." Depending on the level, it could be anything from a Spell Component Pouch of Nystul's Magic Aura (which would cause the wizard to misidentify items unless he made a Will Save) to Fullplate of Chill Metal, which would target itself with its namesake spell when the bearer failed a reflex save against a spell with the Cold Descriptor; if it's a high level game, you could even throw in something more life threatening, like a Lute that targets its player with Otto's Irresistable Dance (and, in the vein of the -2 Longsword prevents the player from using any other musical instrument.) Of course, there are always the old classics for cursed items, as well, such as the Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity.
Typically, cursed items can be removed with a simple Remove Curse spell, but you can always base them off of Bestow Greater Curse which requires a high caster level, with an allowance for a predetermined condition that would also remove it. Perhaps the aforementioned lute could only be abandoned if it was used to play The Hedgehog Song in accompaniment to an Eladrin Vocalist? Or the Armor could be "thawed" by exposure to the Breath of an adult or older Gold Dragon?
Or you could have your PCs conscripted into the army. That'll kill the "Touched by an Angel" feeling in a hurry. So will assassination attempts. One issue of Dragon (the number escapes me) included options for poisons that makes it harder to shake off their effects (including giving the poison Spell Resistance, I believe), and making them rather longlasting.
If you really want to kill that feeling, you could always pick up/borrow Heroes of Horror. :D
If you want your adventure to go in an edgy direction, buy the Book of Vile Darkness. As soon as your PCs meet their first Cancer Mage or Trall of Demogorgon, no doubt about it, they will loose that happy feeling real fast!! Not to mention having either one of the party or someone a party member cares about come under the effects of one of the truely nasty fantasy drugs in that book. I have read through it several times now and I keep finding new and interesting things to inflict upon my players! Gotta love defeating truely evil Evil!!
I also recommend a "Possessed Thingy" - check out any of the Exorcist flicks for examples. Doesn't have to be a person, though. What if it's the king's favorite necklace?
Hmm...if you don't want to go the "Evil" route, you could go the "Gray" route, meaning a moral vague area.
BUT! More info please! How precisely is your game like "Touched by an Angel?" Don't forget character info - character background is ripe for the picking of plot hooks.
Thanks guys!
More info? umm, the party consists of a goody two-shoes female paladin with a 10-foot pole in a place it really shouldn't be, a psycho halfling rouge with a thing for skinning womens faces and using them as masks, a depressed down-on-his-luck wizard, a drug obssesed druid, and a charismatic my-god-he-cheated-on-those-stats halfling cleric.
I can't tell you the plot yet ('cos some of my players watch this site), but they're basicaly in a run down town, trying to slay these weird ogre-insect hybrids for nooo reward, and recovering a troubled young man they captured.
See my problem?
Have the party meet a paladin who isn't an a@$%%$@, who promptly beats the crap out of the halfling rogue, hangs him upside down by his britches, and uses him as part of a "hit the murderer with a tomato" fundraiser to cast raise dead on all the innocent people he's killed. That should solve two of your problems. Then give the wizard a mobile suitcase made out of sentient pearwood. Finally, inform the druid that the cleric IS a drug. One that needs to be smoked.
Have the party meet a paladin who isn't an a&~&&!~, who promptly beats the crap out of the halfling rogue, hangs him upside down by his britches, and uses him as part of a "hit the murderer with a tomato" fundraiser to cast raise dead on all the innocent people he's killed. That should solve two of your problems. Then give the wizard a mobile suitcase made out of sentient pearwood. Finally, inform the druid that the cleric IS a drug. One that needs to be smoked.
Frankly, I'd recommend just pointing out a couple of things to the player of the Paladin: Prissiness is not next to Godliness, and she's treading on dangerous ground anyway in adventuring with evil characters. Unless the rogue has had a Ring of Mindshielding since some time before he started the facelifting, she should be well aware of his evil nature, if not the specifics.
And if the cleric's ability scores are out of line with the rest of the party, and it's causing a problem, drop a curse or two on him to drop his ability scores. Or, if that wouldn't fix the problem, a Baleen Whale. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot that small creatures take that -4 penalty on grapple checks. My bad."
Thanks guys!
More info? umm, the party consists of a goody two-shoes female paladin with a 10-foot pole in a place it really shouldn't be, a psycho halfling rouge with a thing for skinning womens faces and using them as masks, a depressed down-on-his-luck wizard, a drug obssesed druid, and a charismatic my-god-he-cheated-on-those-stats halfling cleric.
I can't tell you the plot yet ('cos some of my players watch this site), but they're basicaly in a run down town, trying to slay these weird ogre-insect hybrids for nooo reward, and recovering a troubled young man they captured.
See my problem?
No. No, I can honestly say I have no idea how this relates to Touched by an Angel. Sorry. And I'm really not sure what direction you're looking to go with this, or if you're simply looking for a direction at all. If it's the latter, have all their stuff stolen. THAT will get them motivate like you wouldn't believe. Attempts at their life are optional and not a bad idea, but the main point is the stealing of the stuff.
Well, Elan the Bard, I see several ***BIG*** issues that could come into play here. The first is that there is a Paladin and a cleric who are letting an evil person commit, quite literally, murder. At the very least, their Gods would SEVERLY punish them. Loss of powers, a Geas or two, cursed for alowing that to continue, ect., ect., ect. Honestly, if I were the Paladin, either the thief or I would be DEAD. Another thing, is the local thieves guild feeling the heat for all the murders? This is bad for buisness and they would fix this, problem. Make the local guild hunt the killer down. Remember, the Paladin is suppost to be the epitome of Goodness and should be played that way. Associateing with evil, for any reason, should have a HIGH price!
As for the Druid, well drugs cause many a problem in our society. Also, look at the Book of Vile Darkness for more info on drugs. Make the druid pay for using them. For example, the druid slowly begins to loose his connection to nature, theus loosing spell & special abilities. As the drug use progresses, the loos becomes more severe. Also, how is the druid paying for his habit? Is the local thieves guild being stiffed in the money department by the druid? Make them come after the druid and the party to get the money owed.
As for the wizard, I would need a bit more info on him. Perhaps the depression affects his concentration, thus causing a 5% to 10% spell failure chance? How is he down on his luck? Is his past going to come back & haunt him?
Good luck on this delema.
Thanks guys!
More info? umm, the party consists of a goody two-shoes female paladin with a 10-foot pole in a place it really shouldn't be, a psycho halfling rouge with a thing for skinning womens faces and using them as masks, a depressed down-on-his-luck wizard, a drug obssesed druid, and a charismatic my-god-he-cheated-on-those-stats halfling cleric.
I can't tell you the plot yet ('cos some of my players watch this site), but they're basicaly in a run down town, trying to slay these weird ogre-insect hybrids for nooo reward, and recovering a troubled young man they captured.
See my problem?
Umm, Not really - your party sounds a lot like...well lots of other party's really.
Have a blackguard who once belonged to the same order as the paladin enter and proclaim the justice of -insert orders title here- is flawed and only his/her blade can tear down the false justice and its gods.
Have a twisted past thing going as well, like that he was the only survivor of a failed offensive against -insert generic bad guy here- and the willingness with which he/her and his/her men were sacrificed as lead him/her to his/her new belief
This will normally spice things up, and if you play your cards right you could have him as the one pulling the string behind the ogre-insect hybrids attacks
The amount of emotional reactions and shifts in beliefs you can get out this is limitless
How about not posting your adventure on a site where your players (WHOEVER THEY MAY BE) can read it?
Let’s just say (JUST HYPOTHETICALLY, of course) that I’m one of your players who reads this site. The first thing I’m going to do is to go and change my Ranger’s favoured enemy to ogre-insect-hybrids. Thus you see the problem.
Not that I am indeed, a ranger.
Or even in your game. *cough* *cough*.
The first thing I’m going to do is to go and change my Ranger’s favoured enemy to ogre-insect-hybrids. Thus you see the problem.
They have Ogre-Insect-Hybrid on the Ranger Favoured Enemy List? I can't believe I missed it.
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How about not posting your adventure on a site where your players (WHOEVER THEY MAY BE) can read it?
Let’s just say (JUST HYPOTHETICALLY, of course) that I’m one of your players who reads this site. The first thing I’m going to do is to go and change my Ranger’s favoured enemy to ogre-insect-hybrids. Thus you see the problem.
Not that I am indeed, a ranger.
Or even in your game. *cough* *cough*.
The simple solution is to for the gamemaster to tell his players about the thread, and ask them please not to read it. There really is no utility in seeking 'spoiler' information; it just ruins Your fun. Also, everyone in the room will know you are cheating, unless you have a penchant for subtlety and a helluva poker face, and you will ultimately end up with a face caked with mud.
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Enter the "chosen one". A third level commoner with max ranks in things like CRAFT basketweaving. Doesn't belive in vain tasks, such as bathing. Insists on getting the best treasure because the insect hybrid ogre swarm cant be killed with out him, even though the entire fight he hid in the corner demanding to be healed after the fight.
XP vaccuums are great role-play challenges, but rarely unbalance the game.
Sounds like a few coworkers I've had. Wow, D&D really is good training for the real world.