Again, this is for GMs.
The instructions for the PCs, left by Petros, are to stay in town for 30 days to make sure Kendra "lands on her feet". My PCs signed onto that.
However, I have a PC now who is asking Kendra each day what he can do for her and I'm having a hard time, as the GM, coming up with something to say. He feels its his duty to help her land on her feet, not to fight the problems of Harrowstone. In fact, he's gone as far as to tell me that he sees no reason he would head into that prison.
So clearly I have two issues here:
1: I need to connect Kendra to Harrowstone so that the PC feels sufficiently motivated that if he doesn't "fix" Harrowstone, then he will not fullfil his duty to Petros to care for Kendra.
2: #1 aside, what are some things I can suggest for the PC to help Kendra do - specifically. This is sort of a mundane question, but does anyone have any suggestions? Have him help her fix crap around the house? I don't get the feeling the house is in disrepair.
I probably need to augment the story so as the haunts are directly impacting Kendra in some way where in the story that is not the case. Ideas?
Thanks!
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disclaimer - I haven't read the majority of Harrowstone yet:
She could be haunted, say bad dreams at night, that are directly related to the prison.
Perhaps every night she dreams of burning in the fire at the prison - or connect her to a particular haunt there.
At night, they will hear her scream, which is cut off short (the type of scream people do from a nightmare). The PCs will run to her aid, and she will be embarrassed for waking them.
This will connect them further to the prison.
disclaimer - I haven't read the majority of Harrowstone yet:
She could be haunted, say bad dreams at night, that are directly related to the prison.
Perhaps every night she dreams of burning in the fire at the prison - or connect her to a particular haunt there.
At night, they will hear her scream, which is cut off short (the type of scream people do from a nightmare). The PCs will run to her aid, and she will be embarrassed for waking them.
This will connect them further to the prison.
Clever. Maybe she could then also ask the PCs to help her sleep which MIGHT lead them to the alchemist. That might be an interesting hook in there . . .
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Someone has also suggested on the boards that Kendra could decide to sellup the house; but with a steady increase of disturbing activity in town; the chances are getting slimmer and slimmer with potential buyer's quickly losing interest or seriously downgrading their offers. She perhaps details one of Diedre Teriel's suggested nightmares to the PC which leads them towards Harrowstone prison. Perhaps they all share a nightmare vision as I detailed here for my group.
A nightmare of the Professor rising from his grave may also be called for: to be repeated for real the following night perhaps?
I think there's lots of things you can do to guide the player towards Harrowstone; it's just a case of working in with the player.
Best Regards
Herremann the Wise
Use the creepy event where Lorimor rises as a zombie and knocks on the door. This could even take place right after Kendra wakes screaming from said nightmare.
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
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I probably need to augment the story so as the haunts are directly impacting Kendra in some way where in the story that is not the case. Ideas?
Thanks!
The PCs don't know who is spelling out a name in blood but as it goes on so too do the undead and hauntings increase. It shouldn't take PCs long to figure out that if they don't stop it, all the ghosts in Harrowstone will destroy Ravengro in a few weeks time. One or two knowledge checks could provide them some warning. The Splatter Man could even come after Kendra if he gets free.
That is a poweful motivation for PCs to find out what is going on if they want to protect Kendra. Learning that the only way to stop the Splatter Man is to go into Harrowstone drives the adventure. Seems like a PC would want to protect her which would require protecting Ravengro so he'd try to stop the haunts.
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Well, unless the hauntings are dealt with then Kendra is screwed, to put it mildly. At the end of the adventure if the five haunts are not dealt with, they unleash an undead horror upon the town killing everyone in it, including Kendra.
To force the PCs to see the connection you can use a variety of haunts from the appendix. Rapping Spirits haunts can be annoying and set Kendra's nerves on edge. The Cold Spot Haunt should get someone to notice the problem, especially if Kendra wakes up one night being choked.
Have your PCs follow her into town (if they don't go on a regular basis). There the PCs can witness Orbs and the Mad Monk haunts. And don't forget Slamming Portals can lock PCs in their rooms while Kendra is being attacked by other haunts.
To bring some motivation to the PCs to deal with things, introduce your PCs to the Avanakis, the couple that runs the Ravengro General Store along with their five daughters. Have the youngest girl go missing and the townsfolk (and Kendra if the PCs are that hard headed) beg to the PCs to find the girl. They eventually find her body, bled out. I had her body washed against the pier of the southern bridge.
Also have the PC that finds the rhyme being sung by the little girls skipping rope watch as one of them is killed by a Chill Spot.
Okay haunts are all good and stuff but they don't tie directly to the Prison. Okay, up the ante by throwing in some undead. Zombies make a midnight run through the village. The PCs have to fight off a horde of zombies at Kendra's door. The next morning several townsfolk are found mutilated by the undead.
Kendra's father, Professor Lorrimor himself makes his return. He grabs Kendra in his undead arms and carries her off (after the other PCs have gone to bed). The PCs deal with their former mentor. But Kendra is unconscious from the shock. No magic curing will wake her for 1d4 days.
If the PCs are still too pigheaded to go to the prison then finish spelling the name, have the Splatterman win, and kill everyone in town and let the PCs escape as the only survivors. Move on to Book two, or have a long talk with the players about being idiots.
Well, unless the hauntings are dealt with then Kendra is screwed, to put it mildly. At the end of the adventure if the five haunts are not dealt with, they unleash an undead horror upon the town killing everyone in it, including Kendra.
To force the PCs to see the connection you can use a variety of haunts from the appendix. Rapping Spirits haunts can be annoying and set Kendra's nerves on edge. The Cold Spot Haunt should get someone to notice the problem, especially if Kendra wakes up one night being choked.
Have your PCs follow her into town (if they don't go on a regular basis). There the PCs can witness Orbs and the Mad Monk haunts. And don't forget Slamming Portals can lock PCs in their rooms while Kendra is being attacked by other haunts.
To bring some motivation to the PCs to deal with things, introduce your PCs to the Avanakis, the couple that runs the Ravengro General Store along with their five daughters. Have the youngest girl go missing and the townsfolk (and Kendra if the PCs are that hard headed) beg to the PCs to find the girl. They eventually find her body, bled out. I had her body washed against the pier of the southern bridge.
Also have the PC that finds the rhyme being sung by the little girls skipping rope watch as one of them is killed by a Chill Spot.
Okay haunts are all good and stuff but they don't tie directly to the Prison. Okay, up the ante by throwing in some undead. Zombies make a midnight run through the village. The PCs have to fight off a horde of zombies at Kendra's door. The next morning several townsfolk are found mutilated by the undead.
Kendra's father, Professor Lorrimor himself makes his return. He grabs Kendra in his undead arms and carries her off (after the other PCs have gone to bed). The PCs deal with their former mentor. But Kendra is unconscious from the shock. No magic curing will wake her for 1d4 days.
If the PCs are still too pigheaded to go to the prison then finish spelling the name, have the Splatterman win, and kill everyone...
+1
Some very good ideas that I will borrow. Two others that came to mind are:
(1) The locals that blamed her father now persecute her, everything form women ignoring her in town to a small crowd of drunks throwing rotten vegatables at the house during the night.
(2) In a bit of a plot twist have her be the one who defaces the monument instead of Hap. Or, as a red herring, have her disappear on the nights of the defacings only to reappear the next morning looking very tired. The players will suspect her and follow her only to find out she has a secret paramour, heh heh.
The way I've been playing it is that Kendra is suspicious about her father's death and wants to know if it really was an accident. My players read the Professor's journal early on and began investigating the Whispering Way in short order, when led naturally to heading up and poking around the prison. If your PCs seem disinclined to look into matters, have Kendra start doing it and if they have any sense they'll follow along and eventually find out there's more going on than just a grieving daughter chasing shadows.
Oh I had them repare the front of the house. they fumbled it majorly...the Paladin repaired it with a 4 and the Monk had a look @ it and found it good work (3).
In the end it was rather cool as the front more or came apart while the Professor and his new friends paid the House a visit, creating difficult terrain in the fight.