I am starting a new campaign in a generic setting and looking to the online community to be my muse. I will be the DM, the three players are my kids ages 14 through 20; the youngest is the only girl. She will be a ranger; her brothers will both be monks.
Background
Campaign starts in a remote isolated monastery. An ancient relic, guarded by the monks, is stolen. Two young monks are charged with pursuing the thief and retrieving the relic. Being unfamiliar with life outside the monastery, they are joined by a local guide in the nearby village. Together, the three set out.
Influences: Kung Fu Panda; Circle of Iron; Kung Fu; anything Jackie Chan
My questions
How can the party track the thief?
The monk players are really in to roleplaying the naivete of their characters: what are some social encounters that could prove enjoyable?
What is motivating the thief?
Where are they going?
What does everyone think of this idea? There is no relic: this is how the elder monks give the younger monks experience and knowledge of the outside world. Would this be too disappointing once learned? Does the ranger know the truth and "find" the trail of the "thief"? (One player knowing a secret the others do not will not cause group dynamic problems in this case.)
Thanks,
FB
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Tracking the Thief
The ranger would probably be the best bet here, since her tracking abilities would obviously help follow the thief's trail. You could also do up social encounters of questioning locals, trying to find out if they've seen anybody new or suspicious, that sort of thing. Maybe the thief is part of a guild and they can investigate the entire group's doings to find out where their specific target is.
Naivete
This can be a lot of fun. Basically anything that they wouldn't have encountered in the monastery is going to be a springboard for RP, but specifics can depend on maturity of players and the game. A run-in with scam men (Hey, wanna buy a sundial?) could be interesting, and another idea is when the group (inevitably) hits a tavern, they get challenged to a drinking contest. Combining naivete with high Fortitude saves could be interesting...
Thief's Motivation and Destination
One of the easiest options here is that the thief is part of a guild. They've stolen a priceless artifact and are heading back to headquarters to present it to the guild head(s) and subsequently fence it. Alternatively, maybe it's a fiendish thief, a tiefling or something of that ilk, and it stole a holy relic to prove its worth to its demonic (or devilish) patron.
Idea
Maybe. It might be more interesting to link this into a larger conspiracy of some sort, so that it's more than just "Hey, there is no thing that you were going to find." I feel like that'd be a bit of a letdown.
Lots of interesting ideas already, and lots of places to go with them.
Maybe have the thief be the right-hand man/woman of the BBEG. They have to be a pretty good thief to steal from some monks who's sole purpose is to protect and guard this artifact. Maybe have this artifact be a component to some device that the BBEG needs for world domination or something. I know, its a common trope, but it works.
Even better, taking some inspiration from Jade Empire, have the BBEG be the ruler of the empire/kingdom/whatever. Just don't let on that he/she/it IS the BBEG. That, or have the thief be the true BBEG and their 'master' is just a pawn.
Additionally, you could go the rumspringer (sp?) route. Sed them out to see the world and experience it for themselvea before deciding if they will return to the monastery.
Look up the plot to legend of dragoon you can borrow heavy from the story while the action is your own. The even have a monk town... But it's called rogue.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I would stick with there being a relic to find. I think personally I would make it something like the The Iron Fist of Pa Sho. The Thief(Ninja) could take it to help he/she/it preform more crimes and thievery. You could have them feel responsible for the problems the Thief creates and try to undo the damage that has happened.
Perhaps the relic acts as a key of sorts to other treasures but in opening them up the thief releases "guardians" that also try and recovery the treasurer that threaten the common people
You could do a stint where even the thief looses the Relic to pirates, everyone gets captured and taken to the "West." They could call a truce with the Thief to work together to recover the relic and get home. Allowing you to explain the thief's motivations and build the character up as more than a ghost they are chasing.
Thief could have stole the relic for good reasons. -"My lord is cursed and the only way to undo it, is to break the Seven Seals of the Dragon. I know it will release the darkness back into the world, but..."
Set up the environments for combat so that by moving they can gain bonus. Staggered rocky terrain, Forest full of Bamboo, fighting in knee deep river water, on a bridge, Top of a waterfall, Ancient ruins, Temples, Temple Steps, etc.
Give them opportunities to catch up with the thief, fight for a bit, and then have them Vanish and Dimension door away. But always leave a clue to the thief's next destination. Map, medallion, sack full of supplies with notes, etc.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
How heavy will the Kung Fu Panda influence be? Is the world full of humans, dwarves, elves, goblins, and orcs? Or something different?
The players should track the thief by visiting towns (with a drawing of his face), asking questions and hearing rumors. Sometimes they get a lead, other times they are drawn into a situation to help people (if they're into that).
The RP situations should be diverse, like any campaign. Try not to repeat much.
The thief is motivated by greed / power / demonic posession. Take your pick. He is headed to the place where he can sell the item / sieze his power / appease his demonic master.
As far as the plotline of "find the scroll, and find wisdom, but find it in seeking the scroll, not in reading it", well... they're your kids. You alone can say how they will respond to it. I would do it simply because its a more interesting plot.
Do you think your kids will open the scroll?
Oh my goodness. These are awesome! I apologize that I'm not proficient with these boards to quickly quote the stuff that especially resonates.
Here is some of the ideas that are congealing based on the suggestions so far:
Definitely want the thief and theft to be real.
Moving from town to town with opportunities to help people is exactly what my players would get into.
The kung fu panda influence is more thematic than anything else. We are going full fantasy in other respects.
I have to go for now but wanted to express my appreciation for the help so far. More ideas than what I referenced are inspiring.
I'll be back in a few hours.
Cheers and thanks,
FB
Something that will keep the players on their toes would be to have the artifact grant its wielder the combat skill of a great master...sort of. It would give the wielder the the combat abilities of a monk of equal level. The thief would never actually overpower the monks, but would be surprisingly adept at Kung Fu. He wouldn't have the wisdom of a true monk, but would have the unarmed damage, AC bonus, and flurry ability. Possibly also escalating mastery of a style (Dragon is nice and thematic). Call it the *style* Fist of Shen Wu, or something like that.
First session went incredibly well. Many of the suggestions were used or inspired ideas that were used. Here's a brief recap. Note that the players and I worked together to frame the setting and flavor.
Two monks (human, brothers, raised in a cloistered monastery never having stepped out of the monastery walls) were summoned by the master who charged them to follow a thief who sneaked into the monastery the night before and stole the dragon scroll, a scroll contained mystic secrets whose case could only be opened by one who had achieved complete enlightenment and and had yet to be opened.
Recognizing their ignorance of the outside world, they asked the elder who leads the nearby village to suggest a guide. This guide is a 53 year old female gnome ranger who has traveled a bit and is currently living in the village making a living hunting and trapping for the monastery. This character is the third of three players.
Following clues they obtained by talking to villagers, they get a description of his footwear and the ranger spots matching tracks leading from the village and they follow.
The next encounter is the expected self appointed toll collectors, a group of six ne'er do wells. Two of them are sporting bandages from recently received injuries. Some confusion arises when the monks do not understand why anyone would want bits of metal and why using a road has a price. After a bit of a tussle, preceded by comments between the monks about the toll collectors' poor fighting stances and complete lack of proper balance,the brigands are eventually "convinced" to be and describe a run-in with a lone traveler the night before. In addition to wounds they received from this traveler, the ruffians had obtained another clue, a piece of paper that had been torn from the intended victim. This they provided to the party.
Their next encounter was not until they arrived at the small town they had followed the tracks to. Yes, they ended up at a tavern (nods to GM Armadillephant). Instead of a drinking game, they were introduced to the shell game. Rather than fortitude saves, their advantage came from having high perception modifiers, foiling the swindler's attempted sleight of hand. The amusing twist was they assumed this was part of the game and not cheating, so they complimented him on his adroit maneuvering of the coin into his sleeve when they were asked where the coin was. Nonplussed, the swindler gave them their coin and the matching one they won and scurried out of the tavern. This earned the favor of the tavern owner who suggested who they could approach for help identifying the thief, the leader of the local crime gang (not really a guild).
A lot of role playing went into the encounter with the leader, after besting some thugs unsuccessfully sent to discourage them from bothering him. The politeness and innocence of the monks turned into an asset for them as they talked to him, for he helped them determine that the thief is likely heading to a port about 5 days ride away and set out. (And, yes, thanks to Broken, there will be pirates involved...)
More questions
First off, this turned into a very role playing intensive game which is working well for all of us. We want to keep this flavor.
Wanting to use Ciaran Barnes' suggestion about wanting to help those in need, I am looking for more ideas. They need to be obvious and quickly resolvable so as to not delay them too much. (Oh, CB, my kids would definitely NOT open the scroll, including the gnome.)
Ideas about further trail clues are also welcome.
Thanks to all,
FB
5 days ride south. Perhaps along the way they meet:
1. an old man praying at a shrine; his son died recently but he has not the money for proper services and without them, he fears his boy will languish and not reach the afterlife. The man knows of a griffon on the heights that has had a standing challenge for years - if anyone can climb up the mountain and speak w/him he will reward them with a golden treasure (an egg?)
2. a former monk and current town drunk. The poor old master left the monastery in shame and now drowns his failure in drink. He challenges them to a final showdown to the death, hoping to end his miserable life. Perhaps he knows something about the dragon scroll?
3. a feud between villages that has the road blocked. One village asserts that their trees bear more fruit while the other says their crops grow stronger and taller. It has bubbled over into open combat. The PCs might just fight their way through OR they may offer to help by mediating some compromise.
4. a stranger in the bar who claims to have once known the gnome in her youth. This stranger further says that some old acquaintance is still gunning for her and in the area. This might be a challenge of stealth or guile, or might end in a serious fight.
5. poachers murdering animals for their skins. These people are hunting and skinning the poor creatures but leaving the carcasses behind while they themselves take what they want. The brigands promise though that if the PCs let them alone they will tell the PCs something about the rogue they're following.
6. a criminal hanging in a prisoner's cage, bound in irons. She is a haggard woman who pleads for their help in releasing her. She is in fact a witch, a fact she'll readily cop to but she says she was unfairly discriminated against and she'll die out here w/out her familiar. The familiar, a fox, was imprisoned in the nearby village while the superstitious folk there decide how to destroy it. This event has a time limit and the chance that the witch might be as evil as the villagers claim.
My advice would be to go and find some old Usagi Yojimbo comics or also watch the old Kung Fu show. Think of wanderers in these stories; they have some kind of past, some decent skills, and a preserved innocence but they are never outright fools. They approach each situation with fresh eyes but also the resolve to fight if necessary.
As for clues, perhaps they learn that the rogue has some strange accent or tattoo; he is a she; she has a kindness for animals or perhaps she is cruel towards children. Also there should be clues as to her employer. Perhaps a rival monastery or former monk (a la Kung Fu Panda); maybe a guild or secret society; maybe even some kind of religious group that needs the scroll for a dark rite.