D&D Distilled

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

I am running a 3.5e campaign, with 5 players. Our
youngest member is 28, and the oldest served in Vietnam.

The characters had just fought their way into the basement
of a black obsidian tower in the middle of a desert. They
came to a room that contained two statues. Between the
statues was a doorway covered only by a curtain.

When one of the characters attempted to open the curtain, he
was attacked by the statues (the players totally saw it coming,
but went ahead anyway) and nailed for 52 hp damage. The PCs fled
the room, just barely outrunning the statues (stone golems).
We ended the session with the group deciding to leave the
tower and return when they are stronger.

The player of the character who was damaged usually rides home
with me. As I was dropping him off, he told me, "I swear, no
matter what it takes, I will get back to that tower, defeat
those statues, and see what is behind that curtain."

Sometimes, simple curiosity is the best plot hook.

 

[willie]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

"decalod85" <decalod85@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:1110086764.397801.323780@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
>
> I am running a 3.5e campaign, with 5 players. Our
> youngest member is 28, and the oldest served in Vietnam.
>
> The characters had just fought their way into the basement
> of a black obsidian tower in the middle of a desert. They
> came to a room that contained two statues. Between the
> statues was a doorway covered only by a curtain.
>
> When one of the characters attempted to open the curtain, he
> was attacked by the statues (the players totally saw it coming,
> but went ahead anyway) and nailed for 52 hp damage. The PCs fled
> the room, just barely outrunning the statues (stone golems).
> We ended the session with the group deciding to leave the
> tower and return when they are stronger.
>
> The player of the character who was damaged usually rides home
> with me. As I was dropping him off, he told me, "I swear, no
> matter what it takes, I will get back to that tower, defeat
> those statues, and see what is behind that curtain."
>
> Sometimes, simple curiosity is the best plot hook.

Curiosity is the ONLY plot hook. If we can't keep
them curious about what happens next, it's like reading
a comic book but starting with the last page!

 

[Matthias]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

On 5 Mar 2005 21:26:04 -0800, "decalod85" <decalod85@comcast.net> wrote:

>
>I am running a 3.5e campaign, with 5 players. Our
>youngest member is 28, and the oldest served in Vietnam.
>
>The characters had just fought their way into the basement
>of a black obsidian tower in the middle of a desert. They
>came to a room that contained two statues. Between the
>statues was a doorway covered only by a curtain.
>
>When one of the characters attempted to open the curtain, he
>was attacked by the statues (the players totally saw it coming,
>but went ahead anyway) and nailed for 52 hp damage. The PCs fled
>the room, just barely outrunning the statues (stone golems).
>We ended the session with the group deciding to leave the
>tower and return when they are stronger.
>
>The player of the character who was damaged usually rides home
>with me. As I was dropping him off, he told me, "I swear, no
>matter what it takes, I will get back to that tower, defeat
>those statues, and see what is behind that curtain."
>
>Sometimes, simple curiosity is the best plot hook.

Unsolved mysteries are the bane of many adventurers methinks.

--

Matthias (matthias_mls@yahoo.com)

"Scientists tend to do philosophy about as well as you'd expect philosophers to
do science, the difference being that at least the philosophers usually *know*
when they're out of their depth."
-Jeff Heikkinen

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

Jeff Goslin wrote:
>
> Agreed. There's another way to ensure PC involvement: have an NPC
piss em
> off. Right now, my guys have two lists going, one titled "People Who
> Deserve to be BEATEN", and "People who deserve to DIE". If an NPC's
name
> gets on either list, I know that all I have to do is mention his name
and
> VOILA! Instant adventure.

Mine have a similar list, but have narrowed it way down.

Drow who tried to kill them - dead
Merchant who burned their warehouse - dead
Scarlet Brotherhood sorceror who killed one characters brother - dead
Dude who tortured one of their crew - dead
Ogre mage who hired the drow - at large
Rival ship captain - at large

Of course, what goes around, comes around. The PCs have pissed off
more than their share of folks. There are several groups looking for
the PCs, including the Scarlet Brotherhood. The PCs don't wish to
confront these groups head on, so they have to skedaddle whenever they
catch wind of them.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

"Matthias" <matthias_mls@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news3gl21piggrn7toosu33bgq60vs8tuumb7@4ax.com...
> >Sometimes, simple curiosity is the best plot hook.
>
> Unsolved mysteries are the bane of many adventurers methinks.

Agreed. There's another way to ensure PC involvement: have an NPC piss em
off. Right now, my guys have two lists going, one titled "People Who
Deserve to be BEATEN", and "People who deserve to DIE". If an NPC's name
gets on either list, I know that all I have to do is mention his name and
VOILA! Instant adventure.

--
Jeff Goslin - MCSD - www.goslin.info
It's not a god complex when you're always right

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

"decalod85" <decalod85@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:1110142539.429632.309400@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> Mine have a similar list, but have narrowed it way down.

Our campaign world is so huge, and the characters travel it so widely that
they haven't had much opportunity to return to anyone they deemed worthy of
death to finish the job yet.

> Of course, what goes around, comes around. The PCs have pissed off
> more than their share of folks. There are several groups looking for
> the PCs, including the Scarlet Brotherhood. The PCs don't wish to
> confront these groups head on, so they have to skedaddle whenever they
> catch wind of them.

Actually, that just happened to the players in our campaign. A while ago,
they managed to kill a noble in the family controlling an evil land that
they just happened to be be-bopping thru on the way to another
place(basically by pure happenstance). They stole his armor and sword(with
family crest), and they've been using it ever since. Suffice it to say,
he's back, and he's PISSED. We haven't killed him (again) yet, but we're
going to!

--
Jeff Goslin - MCSD - www.goslin.info
It's not a god complex when you're always right

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

decalod85 wrote:
> Mine have a similar list, but have narrowed it way down.
>
> Drow who tried to kill them - dead
> Merchant who burned their warehouse - dead
> Scarlet Brotherhood sorceror who killed one characters brother - dead
> Dude who tortured one of their crew - dead
> Ogre mage who hired the drow - at large
> Rival ship captain - at large

It gets even more fun when they go from "dead" to "at large again."
--
Bradd W. Szonye
http://www.szonye.com/bradd

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

"Bradd W. Szonye" <bradd+news@szonye.com> wrote in
news:slrnd3mkmp.49i.bradd+news@szonye.com:

> decalod85 wrote:
>> Mine have a similar list, but have narrowed it way down.
>>
>> Drow who tried to kill them - dead
>> Merchant who burned their warehouse - dead
>> Scarlet Brotherhood sorceror who killed one characters brother - dead
>> Dude who tortured one of their crew - dead
>> Ogre mage who hired the drow - at large
>> Rival ship captain - at large
>
> It gets even more fun when they go from "dead" to "at large again."

"And if you have a body, that only *proves* they're still alive."

--
Terry Austin
www.hyperbooks.com
Campaign Cartographer now available

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

On Fri, 18 Mar 2005 22:21:30 -0000, No 33 Secretary
<taustin+usenet@hyperbooks.com> carved upon a tablet of ether:

> > It gets even more fun when they go from "dead" to "at large again."
>
> "And if you have a body, that only *proves* they're still alive."

Someone in one of our games recently was complaining because all her
attempts to force the bad guys into killing her fiance so we could
True Ressurect him failed. The funny part was that one of the other
players couldn't get why she'd _want_ them to kill him.


--
Rupert Boleyn <rboleyn@paradise.net.nz>
"Just because the truth will set you free doesn't mean the truth itself
should be free."

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

Rupert Boleyn <rboleyn@paradise.net.nz> wrote in
news:220o31ted3kamqti4lu99894ia4aqcv7hg@4ax.com:

> On Fri, 18 Mar 2005 22:21:30 -0000, No 33 Secretary
> <taustin+usenet@hyperbooks.com> carved upon a tablet of ether:
>
>> > It gets even more fun when they go from "dead" to "at large again."
>>
>> "And if you have a body, that only *proves* they're still alive."
>
> Someone in one of our games recently was complaining because all her
> attempts to force the bad guys into killing her fiance so we could
> True Ressurect him failed. The funny part was that one of the other
> players couldn't get why she'd _want_ them to kill him.
>
The above quote comes from a Champions game a few years back, wherein one
particular character died several times, usually for out-of-game reasons
(like the player getting bored with the character as it was written up, and
wanting a good in-game reason for a complete rewrite). She kept coming
back, and one time there was, indeed, a body.

--
Terry Austin
http://www.hyperbooks.com/
Campaign Cartographer Now Available