Running my first one shot campaign

[Findhorizon0505]

Hello, I am playing my first one shot campaign with my husband and a friend and I am the GM. The campaign I’m creating is a mix of the one shot master of the fallen fortress and my own home brewing. Both players are wizards they decided to play siblings, adopted by a wizard when they were young. They are now apprentices to this wizard who is a master illusionist, and they are going to rescue a friend to there wizard adoptive father. I’m wanting to end with a HUGE twist but am a little stuck on how to do it. A friend of mine who has been playing pathfinder MUCH longer than I have gave me an idea to have the entire fortress be an illusion and the Wizard father is evil somehow but I’m not 100% sure how to do it. I really want something to catch them by surprise, any suggestions?!?

[Misroi]

This isn't the right forum for this, but I'm sure a helpful mod could move this to the right place.

IIRC, that's the adventure where you're climbing the siege tower outside of Absalom. I'd suggest that he's actually set up this entire scenario to see which of them is worthy to learn the secrets of his art, and has constructed the tower and its illusory inhabitants to test them. That includes the friend of the father - that guy has always been an illusion, and their adoptive father has been setting up this test for years.

They go through whatever you want them to go through, fight a "boss" that's guarding the father's friend, and rescue him. At that point, the friend fades from view, and the father reveals himself. He informs the two siblings that this has all been a test to see how much they understood of his magic, and that he has seen almost all that he needs. However, a wizard does not take more than one apprentice, and they have both arrived at the end of his challenge alive.

"One of you must kill the other to take their place at my side."

Since it's a one-shot, they could either fight each other, or team up and take down the adoptive father, or something else.

[Findhorizon0505]

Misroi wrote:

This isn't the right forum for this, but I'm sure a helpful mod could move this to the right place.

IIRC, that's the adventure where you're climbing the siege tower outside of Absalom. I'd suggest that he's actually set up this entire scenario to see which of them is worthy to learn the secrets of his art, and has constructed the tower and its illusory inhabitants to test them. That includes the friend of the father - that guy has always been an illusion, and their adoptive father has been setting up this test for years.

They go through whatever you want them to go through, fight a "boss" that's guarding the father's friend, and rescue him. At that point, the friend fades from view, and the father reveals himself. He informs the two siblings that this has all been a test to see how much they understood of his magic, and that he has seen almost all that he needs. However, a wizard does not take more than one apprentice, and they have both arrived at the end of his challenge alive.

"One of you must kill the other to take their place at my side."

Since it's a one-shot, they could either fight each other, or team up and take down the adoptive father, or something else.

Sorry I’m really new at this lol but that sounds really great!! Thanks so much for your advice!!

[Virginia J.]

Mod here! Moved to Pathfinder First Edition Advice subforum. If your oneshot is Second Edition, let us know and we can move the thread.