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As with many scenarios I tend to come up with, I'm having a bit of trouble filling out the transitory sections, and would appreciate a bit of assistance in getting from point A to point B.
The Escaped Golem
What I have
So the basic premise of the first scenario is that a very valuable golem/automaton has run away/escaped/gotten loose and the PCs are charged with tracking it down and either A) bring it back to the owners, B) bringing it's head/heart/vital component to an anti-golem group, or secretly C) aid the automaton in it's escape from the city.
So I've got the first part (A posting of a bounty on the golem and an increase of anti-golem violence as people try to cash in on the deal any way they can) and the end (Owners give PC's a permanent discount on tech in the city, the PCs get a hefty cash reward, or the automaton becomes a potential ally in the overall plot later on).
The issue
I can't really think of a way for the PCs to even stumble upon the automaton without just rolling for a random encounter. As far as I know they don't have any contacts or associates in the city to tap for information, and anyone with an idea of where the golem would be would likely cash in on it themselves. The other issue is that I don't want to have an encounter with the golem (likely being accosted by thugs or the like) to smell of a plot hook, because these players seem like the type that would go "Plot hook? Let's go the other way then".
"The City of Songs" or "The Pain Organ"
What I have
Based rather heavily on the video "The Cat Piano", the PCs would eventually find themselves in a port city simply called "The City of Songs" (unsure if it'll be a typical "european" type port town of if I'll go with an arabic theme) that is essentially a bardic city state that I would describe as an "anarcho-syndicalist commune" or whatever it's called where there's a different "leader" every month or so as voted on by the bards of the city.
Anyway, first visit, the PCs will be passing through on to some other location. While in the city, the PCs will meet a bard that for now I'll just call "The Singer". She takes a liking to the PCs, admiring their adventurous lifestyle and general devil-may-care attitude, possibly striking up a romance (basically trying to forge some sort of connection for part 2). They leave the city though with the promise A) to stop by should they be in the city again, or B) to assist the Singer should she need it.
Second visit will be preceded by them receiving a letter. The Singer, at the time of the letter, is the monthly head of the city and is requesting help for a rash of kidnappings and strange murders. The Singer fears she will be next as soon as she steps down from her position, which is only in a week or two after the PCs get the letter. The PCs rush back to the city only to find it on the brink of anarchy and the Singer missing. [Issues arise here]
The scenario culminates with the PCs launching an assault on the kidnapper's hideout (at the moment an old lighthouse, though I'm flexible about the location). They get to the "music room" and find the Singer hooked up to an infernal contraption that is equal parts torture device and pipe organ with wires, pipes and tubes snaking this way and that, some digging into the Singer's flesh. Her screams of pain become amplified by the machine into a sort of horrific music with each key pressed. The whole thing would be some long forgotten instrument of attempted world destruction, trying to summon/awaken dead or sleeping entities (which wouldn't work for fluff reasons). PCs kill the BBEG (I'm thinking something in the vein of Bard/Cleric or the like) and try to safely extract the Singer form the machine. Failure means she dies in the PCs arms, insisting that she does not blame them and thanking them for saving her from an apparent lifetime of torture. Success means the Singer lives and becomes an ally later on in the plot.
The issue
Well several really.
1) The scenario relies pretty heavily on PC cooperation. Befriending/falling for The Singer, accepting to return to the city to help her and bothering to follow through on the investigation instead of trying to wrest control of the city from the people. How might I go about this without A) making the only incentive loot, and B) being overly heavy handed and railroading the PCs to the plot?
2) I can't quite think of a way to get the PCs from wherever it is they look for the Singer when they return to the BBEG base. The only idea is that the BBEG messes up somewhere and leaves behind some token (a necklace or ring or something) that is like "Oh, that belongs to X. He used to live over in Y, but we've not seen him in a while", followed by an investigation of the BBEG's house which leads to location C then to the BBEG base. It seems like it could work, but I feel that it's too linear and procedural. I wanna find a way to spice it up without said spice taking too long, as the PCs are on a bit of a deadline.
Try to improvise the in-betweens... your players are undoubtedly going to do things that you didn't intend them to, since your plots rely so heavily on player co-operation. Instead, let your players' actions decide the consequences of your NPC's. If you don't want the players blindly catching the automaton thinking it is a berserk unit, make sure that your narrative implies that things aren't what they seem. Maybe some NPC's are helping the golem, because the golem is in hiding or damaged. Try to make sure that even your uncaring players, the ones that just want to battle the golem, are also somehow rewarded if they follow your lead.
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I just watched 'The Cat Piano'. VERY cool.
My first thoughts - make it something they can't ignore. It's a mind-affecting effect, with a huge area and range...causing the 'shaken' condition...to start. The DC should be nasty.
Of course, start by introducing her...make her appealing...if they're only greed-motivated...think dowry. Think maybe political power.
"The City of Songs" or "The Pain Organ"
don't go cliche letter of damsel in distress, just have random groups attacking the PC's at random intervals, if they can interrogate they find out its because the perceived "friendship" with the current ruler.
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"The City of Songs" or "The Pain Organ"
don't go cliche letter of damsel in distress, just have random groups attacking the PC's at random intervals, if they can interrogate they find out its because the perceived "friendship" with the current ruler.
Well the idea is to first get the PCs to try and save the SInger in a very "damsel in distress" way, but when the realize that the Organ is a tool to awaken an apocalyptic Rovagug/Cthulhu type living god (there is no living god to awaken), then it's more of a race to save the world instead of save the girl.
I just watched 'The Cat Piano'. VERY cool.
My first thoughts - make it something they can't ignore. It's a mind-affecting effect, with a huge area and range...causing the 'shaken' condition...to start. The DC should be nasty.
Of course, start by introducing her...make her appealing...if they're only greed-motivated...think dowry. Think maybe political power.
Wait, the mind-affecting effect being whatever the organ is doing?
And the idea to introduce her would be something like this:
The party is relaxing at one of the higher class bar/clubs, drinking the night away, as their guide/ship/carriage leaves the next day and they have time to kill. A man gets on stage, saying "Alright people, it's that time of the night again" and the crowd starts getting excited, whooping and banging their tankards on the tables. "Put your hands together for the heavenly voice of [Singer's name here]!" The crowd, instead of cheering, quiets down respectfully as the lights dim.
And then I'll put on this song while describing the Singer.
Try to improvise the in-betweens... your players are undoubtedly going to do things that you didn't intend them to, since your plots rely so heavily on player co-operation. Instead, let your players' actions decide the consequences of your NPC's. If you don't want the players blindly catching the automaton thinking it is a berserk unit, make sure that your narrative implies that things aren't what they seem. Maybe some NPC's are helping the golem, because the golem is in hiding or damaged. Try to make sure that even your uncaring players, the ones that just want to battle the golem, are also somehow rewarded if they follow your lead.
One idea I have is that if the players opt to hunt down the automaton, they ought to meet with both "factions" to get the details on what it is they are hunting. The anti-golem people will give them the basic slightly bigoted rundown, whereas the golem makers (engineering guild really) give them a bit more information. I'm not 100% sure how to do it without forcing it, but I want to mention when they're meeting with the automaton's creator (Dr. Edward Light (I confess I've been listening to The Protomen)) that they see a picture on his desk of a young girl that looks strangely similar to the missing automaton.
And then when they do find the automaton, it will, naturally, beg not to go back. Should they take her/it back to the guild, Light will act like she/it is his daughter, to which the automaton will deny the accusation, insisting that she/it is her/its own person.
Though dismantling it for the anti-golem people won't earn them any insight or dialogue.
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Ok, so I ran the golem bit and the players opted to assume, regardless of the pleading and such from said golem, to return said golem to the engineering guild.
Would it be too dickish to have the PCs try to extract the golem from the facility and find it torn in two, oil oozing from its eyes and moth, whimpering things like "...pleas stop, I promise I'll be good...I promise I'll behave..." In a defeated, broken tone? I kinda want to hammer home that their greed and actions can have unforseen consiquences without really taking it out on the players themselves.
So they re encounter the golem in the cat piano room. He's been torn in half. His upper half is used to produce the lower notes from the 'bass pedal' section of the organ, and his legs are now being used to drum on a keg for the rythm...
And this is the end he was trying to avoid by escaping from the insane creator of this organ who happens to be his owner as well. The party returned him to his doom. He may not be pleased to see them a second time, and find it somewhat hypocritical that the party would readily investigate and rescue their human friend, when earlier they were given the choice to allow him his liberty from the same fate and chose not to instead.
Selfish fleshlings.