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View Full Version : Need ideas for turning a random encounter into a plot hook!



KillianHawkeye
2010-12-16, 09:29 AM
The game is D&D 4th Edition (Dark Sun), if it matters.

Okay, here's the situation: While traveling to the City of Tyr, the party got employment guarding a merchant caravan. One of the elements I wanted to introduce early on was the rampant banditry present in the setting (and plus I wanted them to have to actually defend the caravan against something), so I had them ambushed by a pack of gnoll raiders. Note that the enemies are all a couple of levels higher than the PCs.

So, to make it a challenging battle (especially since none of the PCs made their Perception checks) I had the gnolls use a strong ambush strategy. They stayed back at their maximum range (40 squares) and shot at the group with their longbows. They also sent some hyenas to charge in and keep the defenders busy. The battle was pretty tough (most of my players are still learning and/or adjusting to 4E), and after 5 rounds the hyenas were all dead, two of the PCs had been KO'd, the lone Leader had run out of easy healing, and most of the party had taken cover behind the wagons. Almost nobody had even tried firing back at the gnolls, despite two characters owning a longbow.

At this point, the PCs decided to get back on the wagons and flee. The battle had been going on long enough (over an hour for only 5 rounds, but I had like 9 players that day), so I said the gnolls decided not to chase them. Unfortunately, I accidentally let slip that the gnolls (with a speed of 7) could easy keep pace with the slower-moving wagons, and some of my players expressed dissatisfaction with the way the encounter ended. They said they were expecting the gnolls to move in for the kill (why should they, they have longbows and the party was pinned down) and thought it didn't make sense for them not to chase the fleeing party (well, they're right about that part).

Anyway, while I did have several possible plot hooks awaiting the players in Tyr depending on which areas of the city they visited, one of the players immediately started inquiring about an official bounty on gnoll bandits. I said there probably was and just kind of went with it. Now the party has decided to immediately take on another caravan guarding job so they can have their travel expenses covered while they try to get revenge on the gnolls.



Okay, still with me? Here's where I need some help. I've only run three sessions of this campaign so far and I'm willing to take the story any way the players want to go with it. However, as usual my players have decided to go in a direction I wasn't expecting. This is where you come in, faithful playgrounders.

I'd like some ideas on making the gnoll raiders part of a larger plot. Part of my goal is to give them a reason why they didn't chase the PCs' wagons, but the only thing I can come up with so far is that for some reason the gnolls want people to think that they're only average bandits. But what could they really be after? Are they working for someone? Why the need for deception? I have no clue. Or is there some other reason that explains their behavior? Give me your plot hooks!



Thanks in advance! :smallbiggrin:

Sipex
2010-12-16, 11:31 AM
The Gnolls are warding the PCs away from some sacred place and posing as bandits while they do so. Maybe they're being hired to do this?

They couldn't chase the PCs away because the gnolls would then be leaving their posts.

Also, nice tactics.

Godskook
2010-12-16, 11:51 AM
Hehe, you seem to be in my boat. I had a throw-away crook(bard designed after the Old Spice commercial) who was trying to rob the party. Instead of killing him for the bad bounty or capturing him for the good bounty, they let him go. So now he's a reoccurring villain who's recruiting minions to his cause against this pack of PCs who robbed him(technically true from his perspective, not that he could convince a paladin of that).

Cuaqchi
2010-12-16, 12:08 PM
If the party ran away from Tyr when they fled something like this might also work. The caravan the party was defending had 'The McGuffin' that Tyr required to finally defeat the gnolls and their evil plot. By merely forcing the caravan to turn around they have extended their plans already and don't need to chase the heroes.

Burnheart
2010-12-16, 07:16 PM
Maybe the gnolls were hired by someone to make themself known about so that Tyr would send soliders into an ambush or leave somewhere else vunerable?

Zeofar
2010-12-16, 08:23 PM
If the party ran away from Tyr when they fled something like this might also work. The caravan the party was defending had 'The McGuffin' that Tyr required to finally defeat the gnolls and their evil plot. By merely forcing the caravan to turn around they have extended their plans already and don't need to chase the heroes.

I'm pretty sure the party went forward to Tyr.

KillianHawkeye
2010-12-16, 09:31 PM
I'm pretty sure the party went forward to Tyr.

Yes, they fled to Tyr, got paid for guarding the caravan, inquired about gnoll bounties, and spent the night at an inn (completely ignoring the rest of the city). Now they plan on immediately leaving again. :smallsigh:

holywhippet
2010-12-16, 10:45 PM
Have the gnolls based at some old ruins with something interesting happening there. Maybe they just dug up some dangerous artifact and sold it to someone. Or maybe they are basically supply gatherers for an army being formed.

My DM told me about a plot right turn one of his campaigns ran into. The party assisted a paladin with dealing with a ghost sorceress. She didn't take it kindly and tracked down the paladin's wife and forced him into a fight such that he had no choice but to kill her. She left the body just before he administered the fatal stroke so his wife would see who killed her. Hence, she wouldn't be willing to be raised from the dead.

This was supposed to be the end of things as far as the party was concerned but they decided she had to be eliminated and set out trying to find a means to do so. Problem is, she became aware of their attempts and arranged for them to have a magic ring which could cast augury on demand. Problem is, she'd also enchanted the ring to allow her scrying on them to be unblockable by any means. Since this was D&D 3.0, the identify spell only told them about the augury spell (ie. the lowest level enchantment). As such, she was always one step ahead of their attempts.

The DM would also pass out a note when someone was possessed by her (or just blank notes to keep everyone paranoid). The party ended up trying to seal her away by allowing her to possess one of them and sealing themselves away using a magical item. It didn't work, it came down to two players and each was convinced the other was possessed. So one killed the other, then the ghost claimed the survivor.