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I am in need of intrigue plots for my upcoming sandbox campaign. well, I always start off as sandbox and let the players choices lead into a story giving them more control of the story. I have a binder of over 100 characters i've made for fun and now I need some ideas/inspirations of some really good intrigue plots :)! thanks in advance!
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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Can you give a little glimpse of the sandbox to get a context? Typical fantasy world? Do they start in a town, village, or city? Are there plenty of gods, organised religion, organisations of wizards etc? Any major threats on the horizon? Evil organisations, hordes, mountains full of dragons? Any major historical events we should know of?
Helps to get the juices flowing ;-)
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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hook 1
1. Investigate thefts on the waterfront from ships
a. Leads to the sewer workers who use the sewer drains by the docks for movement of goods
and/or
b. Mysterious goods coming in/out of city via smugglers
hook 2
2. Investigate sickness running rampant in the poor part of town
a. Stems from a food kitchen set up by (insert evil church/merchant guild)
Hook 1 and 2 lead to each other.
Hook 1 leads to the poison used to kill the poor. The stolen items were taken when poison hidden on ships was being retrieved. Sewer workers are told to leave the vials in a certain location. Smugglers drop their cargo in a nearby spot as well. The locations should be near a church/guild house.
The church/guild is trying to kill off population to clear the way to advance their plans. Church wants property for followers to live, since they have been banished from their original home. The Guild has heard plans the city means to bring in new industry and the Guild wants to exploit the land in the city for profit, either larger buildings for workers or the new area for industry to be housed.
Behind the groups is a younger member of aristocracy or council. He is trying to build his power base by having the support of a church willing to support his plans by any means and the financial support of the guild.
- I am bored at work...
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I am creating my own campaign. Standard fantasy. They are in a major city that is on the coast of continent that has yet to be explored. The city is a pilgrim safe spot, or atleast that what people are told. The city is a hot bed for intrigue. Powerful forces between Nobles, guilds and gangs. A king has been self-declared. There is no military since there has been no need for one. There is a huge guard though due to all the crime. Travel from this continent to the mainland is long and dangerous, so there is no outside influence. I am also having this continent being dominated by Orcs, which are not on the mainland.
I have a handful of plots but I want more. I want a binder where I can just randomly grab a plot and make it work. I've already started hashing out many of the main players. I just want some creative ideas.
Given your setup:
...Corruption in guard ranks, extortion and bullying used
...A member of a discriminated race in the area seeks council with the opposed leadership to offer an allegiance against an unknown threat.
...Remnants of an ancient and powerful civilization are found in ruins to the (N/E/S/W); scholars and mages seek more information, and wish to hire protection
...A well-respected mystic/spiritual leader has a vision and proclaims someone ELSE as the ruler necessary to save everyone from certain peril
Just a few quick thoughts:
1. Invent some global factions and have them fight proxy wars in the streets
2. Diplomatic intrigue, reps of different countries trying to steal each other's secrets and undermine each others plans.
3. Smuggling of illegal and/or dangerous items - struggle to stop or control this business
4. Attempted takeover of thieve's guiild by monstrous faction (drow, beholders, duergar, lycanthropes, vampires, whatever)
5. Rivalry between commercial houses ranging from subtle sabotage to out and out raiding and brawling in the streets
6. Extraplanar forces seeking to infiltrate the world (Cthulhu
cultists sort of thing)
7. Dark/dead/banished god seeking to return
8. Ancient artifact(s) buried in ruins under city
9. Kidnapping rings targeting specific types of people for nefarious reasons
10. Gang warfare between factions of the criminal underworld
11. Racial/ethnic tensions inflamed by ambitious warlord
12. Pretenders to the throne
13. Wave of fanaticism/intolerance in one of the predominant religions
14. Faustian bargain with the lower planes by prominent leader
15. Dissension/mutiny in the guard or military
16. Jailbreak by powerful criminals
17. Evil seductress becomes power behind throne
18. Sentient sea creatures (sahuagin or some such) blockade port or attack shipping
19. Wild magic eruption caused by incompetent meddling wizards
20. Biological warfare - disease introduced by rival government/faction
21. Freedom fighter from neighboring powerful state seeks refuge in city/seeks to establish base of support
22. Vigilantes take over administration of "justice" in some poor areas of the city.
23. Bodies disappearing from graveyard as necromancers seek to build undead army
24. Workers go on strike for higher wages/better treatment - conflict with scabs brought in to replace them
Hope you find some of these interesting and/or helpful
Best of luck to you!
No specific ideas for plots, but I do have some advice. Don't Prep Plots, but instead prep situations. When doing so, use The Three Clue Rule and Node-Based Scenario Design. I've found these work well for sandboxy games.
I'd suggest writing up the main organizations the characters seem to latch upon after one session, keeping track of their motives, habits and goals, as well as a few short notes about NPCs for each. What does this group look like, what ties them together, etc. Take those organizations and have them engage in a conflict. If the PCs don't want to ally with one, have the organizations seek them out and interact with them. Maybe a mercenary's guild wants to hire them, and when the thieves' guild hears about them being hired they try to steal the money back, because it was really their money. Who's telling the truth, who's trustworthy, and what's going to happen? That's up to the PCs. Maybe they eventually disband one or both of them, maybe they try to ally the two guilds against a noble house that's trying to pit them against each other through manipulation, maybe they blow it all up.
That's basic intrigue for you. Also: don't ever tell the PCs everything. If they can think about something and speculate about it, don't stop them.
The god of knowledge has been given an artifact from before the gods' elevation unknowingly by the players, that bring certain truths to light that even he was unaware of, and drives him mad.
The players some time later run a cross a crater swirling with shadow that disipates with the unconcious, naked female half-elf lying in it. They care for her to learn she has amnesia but otherwise she is haunted by a seriously f'd up experience. She travels with the party for a few levels as she mysteriously regains fragments of lost abilities and they discover she was the goddess of thieves and shadows, cast down by the mad knowledge god and this artifact when she confronted him on his plan to UNDO EVERYTHING...
Things escalate to the point where all of creation is threatened...how will the party solve this? How CAN the party solve this?