One of my first and still favorite D&D 3e adventures was The Wizard’s Amulet by Necromancer Games. It wasn’t especially groundbreaking story-wise, but it still has a high spot in my eyes for the way it introduced the adventure. It wasn’t a bunch of adventurers sitting around a tavern waiting for someone to tell them what to do, it was one of the PCs themselves with a quest that needed doing. The PC sorcerer knew of some swag and assembled a group of adventurers to go get it.
The Whispering Cairn was similar in how it was based off the PCs themselves deciding to go do something. They were suddenly masters of their own fate and very empowered.
It’s such a cool shift in the way D&D adventures are presented, that I wonder it took me so long to realize a way to use that same approach in Savage Tide.
What if the role of Lavinia were taken by a PC? Not a player playing Lavinia herself, per se, but a character who had just returned to Sasserine because his or her parents had died. He would need to go through all the hoops of There is no Honor to earn his inheritance. That player would be the instigator in getting his companions together, facing off against his mad brother, and leading the group to Farshore once the logs are discovered.
Any thoughts on what pitfalls I’m opening myself up to by removing Lavinia as an NPC motivator? Any specific changes you think should be made to the adventures to compensate?
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One of my first and still favorite D&D 3e adventures was The Wizard’s Amulet by Necromancer Games. It wasn’t especially groundbreaking story-wise, but it still has a high spot in my eyes for the way it introduced the adventure. It wasn’t a bunch of adventurers sitting around a tavern waiting for someone to tell them what to do, it was one of the PCs themselves with a quest that needed doing. The PC sorcerer knew of some swag and assembled a group of adventurers to go get it.
The Whispering Cairn was similar in how it was based off the PCs themselves deciding to go do something. They were suddenly masters of their own fate and very empowered.
It’s such a cool shift in the way D&D adventures are presented, that I wonder it took me so long to realize a way to use that same approach in Savage Tide.
What if the role of Lavinia were taken by a PC? Not a player playing Lavinia herself, per se, but a character who had just returned to Sasserine because his or her parents had died. He would need to go through all the hoops of There is no Honor to earn his inheritance. That player would be the instigator in getting his companions together, facing off against his mad brother, and leading the group to Farshore once the logs are discovered.
Any thoughts on what pitfalls I’m opening myself up to by removing Lavinia as an NPC motivator? Any specific changes you think should be made to the adventures to compensate?
I... am not sure if it would work...
Mainly, the problem would be that all of the attention, from level one to level twenty, the attention would be focused on the player of Lavinia, which is unfair to the other characters.
Plus, there's the fact that if the player of Lavinia screws up and dies, pretty much all the motivation to continue is gone.
I... am not sure if it would work...
Mainly, the problem would be that all of the attention, from level one to level twenty, the attention would be focused on the player of Lavinia, which is unfair to the other characters.
Plus, there's the fact that if the player of Lavinia screws up and dies, pretty much all the motivation to continue is gone.
Two good points. To your second point I'll voice a similar concern, but the APs are so dependent on PC survival that I think this is a universal problem to the format. Honestly all I can say to this is to hope for the best and trust that the other players (and the new character to replace the dead one) will feal properly motivated to continue on.
Your first point, though, is a serious concern to me and something I was going to bring up in a follow-up post. I'm very open to ideas of what I can add to the campaign to give something to for the other players.
If I'm lucky, maybe one of them will be interested in being a sea captain and can take pride in the Sea Wyvern and its growth throughout the campaign.
Maybe I could put more separation between Vanthus and the black pearls. While Vanthus remains a foil for his sibling (even beyond death), it could be another player's focus to thwart Demogorgon's plot. Vanthus could be drawn into the conflict not by his own choosing but because his brother/sister is friends to someone opposing Demogorgon. I can already see a lot of plot holes in that so I'll have to keep working that idea.
Initial story changes that pop into my head:
The only drawback I can think of here is the loss of a second boat to make the supply runs between Farshore and Sasserine while the PCs are out screwing around on the Sea Wyvern. I doubt the colony would have a sea-worthy vessel or else they would’ve been going back and forth already. Come to think of it, though, it’d be easy to gain a new ship from the pirate raiders, so this may not be an issue.
Any other plot twists you think need to be played to adapt to a PC Lavinia?
Second big problem
Given that much of the impetus for "Serpents of Scuttlecove" and "Into the Maw" does come from Lavinia's abduction by her brother, you would need some pretty heavy rewriting there. After all, it is essential for the characters to visit the pirate's den and from there into the Abyss to get the entire part of the STAP beyond the Isle of Dread floating and underway.
And as you admitted yourself, can anyone imagine a player agreeing for his character to get abducted and "unusable" for two entire installments ?
Besides, IMO putting a player into a "firrst among equals" position in a group, like having a "Lavinia" character, who has all the finannces, connections and the bright future ahead, is a surefire way to kick off internal rivalry in any gaming group.
YMMV
What you might actually do is introducing a third Vanderbooren child - say a younger brother/sister. That sibling (a PC) would have all the motivation in the world to deal/act alongside her older sister and might even be a driving force, contrasting off the older, calmer and probably more relcutant sibling, but not actually being in charge due to Sasserine heritage laws. Just tread careful - the STAP is not really a feasible campaign for the upright and good (e.g. those of lawful goodish persuasion), as shown by the option that the PCs actually switch allegiance to Rowyn, and hence the younger (PC) sibling might opt to follow Vanthus' shining example and try to take all the riches for himself ?
But then again, that is nothing that you couldn't achieve by strongly playing up the romantic angle off the STAP, which is already built in, perhaps outlining it more strongly with an actual fiancee or whatever. But that would still lay much of the group-motivation into the hands of a single player (character)
New to message boards so bear with me here ...
The Jade Ravens are fun to have around why not have them work for the Merivanchies(SP?). Same with the Blue Nixie, say it was leased from the Merivanchies. Need a kidnap victim The lovely Lady Drucila Merivanchi the smart and beautiful daughter of Lord whatshisname Merivanchi who has to take over after his death in the pirate attack. (course you will have to kill off mustach merivanchi some time before he dies too so she is having to take on an impotant roll, of Mayor say)
Now you have a Mayor who is easy to make into a plot hook and can get involved with a seperate member of the party (so now you have 3 hooked, psudo lavinia, the one stopping Demogorgon and the one involved with the lovely mayor. Course you might have to add someone for the slavery/olman angle but that's pretty easy.
Hope this sparks some Ideas.
The Zooman
I seem to remember another Vanderboren from some silly old thing called SCAP. If I remember correctly... He was a b@$t@rd. That branch of the family might be brought in... with a couple of his buddies...I'm just sayin theres always more where nobles came from. If any one couldn't keep it in their pants it was the nobility.
While I think over your ideas (and I am), I'd like to mention that I just discovered I double-posted this thread and didn't even notice it. Rather than post there and keep it from dropping off the boards entirely, I figured I'd post here and see if there was a kind board moderator who could delete that 2nd, needless thread.
Danke.