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I am currently setting up intro scenarios for each of the PCs in my game which starts in three weeks.
the cast:
Female wood elf cleric of a woodland/ranger god CG
Male Human Wizard Evoker CN
Male Human Swashbuckler CG
Male Human Cleric of St. Cuthbert LG
Male Hobbit rogue CG
Male Human Fighter NG
Male Elf Wizard (generalist) N
The cleric of St Cuthbert is easy: he's replacing Ruphus' role.
The wood elf cleric is an outsider just getting to Cauldron. She's going to be attacked by kobolds outside the town; recently displaced kobolds due to the Stormblades in the lava tubes. The wood elfs travelling companion (another elf from her home) will be killed. When she gets to the town, Skylar will explain that she should take the corpse to St Cuthbert to have her wounds addressed and to have proper arrangements for the body; she'll be there when "ruphus replacement" returns to the temple beaten up. She'll get inolved in helping as that is her nature.
The Elf wizard is a graduate of the blue crater; Thearynn Louvel was his mentor, who asks the wizard to look into the missing Jasper Drundlesput as he was a friend of the academy; the truth is Thearynn simply wanted the PC wizard to leave for a while so that he could finish some blueprint info on the soulcages.
The Hobbit rogue is easy; he's the one with the haunted dreams; his dreams will lead him to follow the PC cleric of St Cuthbert and see him get attacked in the alley to come to his aid.
For the fighter who grew up in the lantern street (who has been out on his own for a month), I'm going to have someone offer to pay him to "accidentally bump into a particularly attractive young lady; then the guy will come in to the lady's honor and pretend to pick a fight with PC with a staged fight. The purpose is that the NPC is highly attracted to Annah Taskerhill and wants to gather her attention.
If the PC takes the guy up on it, Annah will most likley respond by calling him immature as all orphans are - and say, "no wonder so many children have gone missing from the orphanage - they're not kidnapped, they probably ran away to get away from the insanity!"
This will be the first that the PC will have heard of this issue and should prompt him to start looking into it since he still has friend there.
The Swashbuckler is adopted by Vanderborens (Todd's younger step-brother)
The Human Fighter grew up in the Lantern Street Orphanage. The Vanderboren's own warehouses and are having a rat infestation problem down at the docks in one of their warehouses.
The plot: the Vanderboren's had been paying someone who sold his talents as a Vermin Control; in order keep the rats away; what they didnt know was that it was more of an extortion than anything. The money was actually going to someone with a Pipe of the Sewers - who was keeping the rats away. However, the Vanderboren's recently decided to stop paying the guy and suddenly the rats returned.
The Vanderborens are going to send their step-son the swashbuckler NPC down to the docks to check this out.
First: comments are welcome; what did you think? how would you suggest expanding on this? Finally, is there a popular NPC in the game who would be perfect for the role of the piper?
Im thinking the PC will be down at the docks, and will hear the music afar at another location. IF/when the PC goes to check it out, the guy will disapear and hide.
How do I link this to the current problem of the missing people and children I wonder....?
Finally I am still trying to figure something out for the human wizard evoker.
Comments are welcome,
Robert
It seems like you have your bases covered. The one thing I would sugest is to include a link to the last laugh with one or more of the PC's. your hobbit rogue is a natural choice. However, the fighter looks like a promissing candidate as well. A few run-ins with Jil or Arthus Shemswick (the informer from flood season) is probably all you need.
Another thought is to link to the striders through your wood-elf pc. Maybe the wood-elf's traveling companion could be a member or contact of the striders. Naturally, the striders would send one of their own to investigate that death, and talk to the PC's. This could be Fario or Felan, or it could be meerthan himself (in disguise of course)
Generally, I think it is best to have two links / hooks for each PC. That way, if they do something unexpected, you have a backup plan.
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It seems like you have your bases covered. The one thing I would sugest is to include a link to the last laugh with one or more of the PC's. your hobbit rogue is a natural choice. However, the fighter looks like a promissing candidate as well. A few run-ins with Jil or Arthus Shemswick (the informer from flood season) is probably all you need.
Another thought is to link to the striders through your wood-elf pc. Maybe the wood-elf's traveling companion could be a member or contact of the striders. Naturally, the striders would send one of their own to investigate that death, and talk to the PC's. This could be Fario or Felan, or it could be meerthan himself (in disguise of course)Generally, I think it is best to have two links / hooks for each PC. That way, if they do something unexpected, you have a backup plan.
Thanks again, Chef. Good info. I hadn't thought to include the Striders so I'll do that. I was thinking that the rat piper be a last laugh member.
Im still trying to figure out something for the CN Human Evoker.
Robert
Im still trying to figure out something for the CN Human Evoker.
Ah, I allmost didn't realise you have two wizards in your party. That will be a blast at higher levels!
Have you concidered making the evoker a student at Bluecrater as well? It may seem a bit repetative, but at least you have a decent link. Considering the alignment, you could make him a drop-out. perhaps someone who was pretty solid academicialy (sp?) but just couldn't follow the schools discipline and was consequently kicked out? Perhaps you could use this character as a tie-in with the last laugh... you know, falling in with the wrong croud, using his magic to intimidate and extort money... that sort of thing.
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Have you concidered making the evoker a student at Bluecrater as well? It may seem a bit repetative, but at least you have a decent link. Considering the alignment, you could make him a drop-out. perhaps someone who was pretty solid academicialy (sp?) but just couldn't follow the schools discipline and was consequently kicked out? Perhaps you could use this character as a tie-in with the last laugh... you know, falling in with the wrong croud, using his magic to intimidate and extort money... that sort of thing.
That is too weird! The player had just sent me an email yesterday telling me that he wanted to fill that very same role you just suggested.
I didnt want two players to be academy members alumni. So the CN evoker wrote and said the following:
He is the son of a wealthy spice & Tobacco dealer from Sasserine and his father enrolled him at the academy. The PC was recently expelled however due to his pranks, his often reakless use of magic thats caused more than one mishap, and most recently found in the library with the headmasters daughter.
He's been kicked out. His father is embarrassed, and returned home. The PC (son) stayed in cauldron due to the relationship he has developed with the headmasters daughter.
I am going to have the daughter be one of those kidnapped. The headmaster will accuse the PC and be questioned by the authorities. The PC will need to clear his name by going to look for her himself. I'm going to write that the PCs father is on good trade/working relations with Garthun since he is a prominent merchant of such things. This could prove sticky for the family later on when the son starts to find out Garthun is not a good guy and accusations begin to fly that the PCs father was in cahoots with him. Finally I am going to have the PC have heard the headmasters daughter mention once that the headmaster had suspected Thearyn Louvel of being involved in demonic cults.
This will help put odds between the two wizards, too, since the other wizard was an apprentice of him.
The only thing I need to do now if come up with an Event/scenario that will effectively bring the CN drop-out evoker into contact with other PCs to join the group.
Thats the thing I've been writing is ways to bring each together for a rhyme and reason at a specific time; this wizard has good background info, but the manner in which he is 'recruited' eludes me.
Robert
The only thing I need to do now if come up with an Event/scenario that will effectively bring the CN drop-out evoker into contact with other PCs to join the group.
Thats the thing I've been writing is ways to bring each together for a rhyme and reason at a specific time; this wizard has good background info, but the manner in which he is 'recruited' eludes me.
OK, here's a thought: The evoker starts asking arround about the missing people. After questioning a few people, he hears one of them say something like "that's odd, there were two young fellows here just a few hours ago asking the same question" He then proceds giving a description of Fario and Felan (and perhaps your wood elf or other PCs that hooked up with the striders). A bit of roleplaying should put him on the trail of the striders. After hooking up with them, they find their way to Ghelve's locks and are just a few minutes behind the other PCs in Jazidrune.
what do you think?
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OK, here's a thought: The evoker starts asking arround about the missing people. After questioning a few people, he hears one of them say something like "that's odd, there were two young fellows here just a few hours ago asking the same question" He then proceds giving a description of Fario and Felan (and perhaps your wood elf or other PCs that hooked up with the striders). A bit of roleplaying should put him on the trail of the striders. After hooking up with them, they find their way to Ghelve's locks and are just a few minutes behind the other PCs in Jazidrune.
what do you think?
Good idea, bud. I'll work with that. I'll try to elaborate on that and concoct a good scenario with this in mind. Thanks for the inspiration.
Robert
I would suggest a more peaceful meeting such as having Jenya make a public anouncment that the church is looking into the matter and her acolyte is gathering a team to investigate/hunt down the kidnappers.