DM's Aid: Share Your Campaign, Plothook, and Encounter Ideas

[Braininthejar2]

A crisis of succession has brought an island kingdom to the brink of a civil war. The party arrive as agents of one of the kings from the mainland, their task to support one of the parties in the conflict - a resourceful, but not very powerful young woman who has a pretty strong claim to the throne, but not much actual strength: the party has to keep her alive against attacks and schemes, until they can facilitate a political marriage that will consolidate her position. (ideally while making it look like it was not their idea - she's not so keen on the idea of marriage right now, and the quest giver king wants her in his debt, not the other way round.)

[Grytorm]

At the edges of 'civilized' lands their is a vast swamp inhabited by tribes of 'monsters' including Elves, Orcs, Goblin and Giants. The players get involved by investigating a series of raids against a new dwarven mining settlement which was established to harvest cinnabar and process it into mercury. This process most definitely is not creating environmental damage which annoys nearby tribes. Nope they are just vicious.

As the PCs get involved the PCs oppose a bunch of factions. Including the corrupt inheritors of a fallen civilization, an encroaching Orcish kingdom and a circle of druids who revivfy the dead. Should also showcase different cultures. Including goblins and kobolds who ride over sized water striders. Boat riding

[Braininthejar2]

At the edges of 'civilized' lands their is a vast swamp inhabited by tribes of 'monsters' including Elves, Orcs, Goblin and Giants. The players get involved by investigating a series of raids against a new dwarven mining settlement which was established to harvest cinnabar and process it into mercury. This process most definitely is not creating environmental damage which annoys nearby tribes. Nope they are just vicious.

As the PCs get involved the PCs oppose a bunch of factions. Including the corrupt inheritors of a fallen civilization, an encroaching Orcish kingdom and a circle of druids who revivfy the dead. Should also showcase different cultures. Including goblins and kobolds who ride over sized water striders. Boat riding

Have you watched Princess Mononoke?

[redzimmer]

Have you watched Princess Mononoke?

Required viewing for any DM who wants to do Fantasy Wild v. Civilized campaigns.

Don't remember and too lazy to search, but I think I suggested a campaign based on "the Ghost and the Darkness," where a near-mythical beast preys on the work camps of an Empire's Great Work.

[redzimmer]

Hook: Schism

A cabal of wizards hires the PCs to track down and assassinate rogue spell-casters.

But it is soon revealed to be a plot by Vecnan clergy to eradicate sorcerers, seen as magical abominations.

Formal wizardry associations split into factions that either support this sorcerous genocide or oppose it.

Meanwhile sorcerers are not sitting idly by while they're kind or killed.

An apocalyptic war is soon to erupt if the conspirators are not revealed.

[Bohandas]

Villain Concept:

An extremely lawful evil doomsday cultist (possibly a Tharidun worshipper if in the Greyhawk setting) (also possibly a LE fiend, as a creature without the [Lawful] subtype would probably simply abandon their promise and walk away before going to these lengths) seeking to bring about the end of the world so that he can be released from an oath he took to someone which included a clause saying that it would remain binding until the end of the world.

Basically an overly literal version of the second to last movement of Paradise by the Dashboard Light

Spoiler

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"I couldn't take it any longer
Lord I was crazed
And when the feeling came upon me like a tidal wave
I started swearing to my god and on my mother's grave
That I would love you to the end of time
I swore, that I would love you to the end of time
So now I'm praying for the end of time
To hurry up and arrive
'Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you
I don't think that I can really survive
I'll never break my promise or forget my vow
But God only knows what I can do right now
I'm praying for the end of time
It's all that I can do
Praying for the end of time, so I can end my time with you"

[druid zook]

Here is a funny encounter idea:

Fool the party and cleric into believing they are under attack by skeletons, which are really animated stone carvings with magically glowing eyes. Maybe a Rast is controlling them?

Incidentally, the animated chain in Shackled City's Malachite Fortress was vicious!

[Grytorm]

Have you watched Princess Mononoke?

Yes I have, although it would probably be a bit more peaceful preexisting conditions rather than straight up hostility between the sides. Also I would have developed the faction ideas more, but I saw someone I knew and rushed.

Detailed Adventure Ideas

Body Snatchers
Well, the local the PCs are in town when a pair of travelers pass through with a shrouded body. They refer to themselves as members of the Knights Quiescent, a knightly order in the service to Pharasma who return the bodies of dead warriors to their homelands. Also they get drunk a lot and get involved in stupid wars. Really its not that religious most of the time. They travel with the body of the young prince who had joined them on their adventuring and died in an unfortunate battle accident. That night the Knights get drunk and are assaulted by Goblins who run off with the corpse.

With the Knights incapacitated it is up to the PCs to recover the body and find out why the goblins are causing trouble. In time they discover that the goblins have been stealing lots of bodies, and giving them proper burials. It turns out that they have been taken over by a Nosoi, a low level Psycopomp, who was temporarily banished to the material plane for running a smuggling ring. He is making the Goblins snatch bodies to give them 'proper' burials on the order of a priest. The prince has been sent to the priest's temple for internment, which is a completely different temple than where it was supposed to go.


Well of Judgement
Bandits take the children of a small village hostage after discovering them in the woods playing near the old well. The PCs are asked to rescue them while the bandits are being entertained, most of the children are safely recovered but a few hid down the well. The villagers reveal that the well has a series of chambers beneath but they don't want to reveal what is down their.

When explored the well holds a series of dangerous monsters, who actually end up acting somewhat friendly. They consist of several Qlippoth and a bunch of zombies who were bound to the well centuries ago. They are used by the village as a justice system, they throw people into the well for trial by really scary monsters. The Qlippoth seeking to end the flow of mortal souls trap those who are CE, NE, or CN and bind their immortal souls. But they don't bother the other six alignments, not seeing anyone else as potential Demons. The children are unharmed, wouldn't want to cause any trouble now, the Qlippoth know they can't really get out and if they draw to much attention they could get killed. So they remain in place.


Skin Deep
With the death of the prince in the first adventure, or for any old reason, the characters are asked to visit a secluded valley inhabited by a mixture of Orcs (sensibly ones, not +4 Str -2 mental) and Humans. The 'king's daughter is betrothed to a young heir to the region and he wants to pry into the area a little without seeming to pry into the area a little. The PCs arrive and find the child in perfectly good health, shiny, flawless skin and other unnerving features. The boy's mother, a marquess, hides herself in a scarlet veil, and is followed everywhere by a sinister priest.

After a fine meal and a history lesson about an old ogre kingdom, the PCs depart. A group of villagers tell the players that the marquess has sworn herself to an evil cult and that their clerics, mostly priestesses, have been kidnapped and are being for execution. The cult is revealed to be a sect of Zon Kuthon worshipers who exult in the perfection of the physical form. Both the boy and his mother have received modifications of some sort. The clerics are rescued and everything is good.

The villagers are extremely grateful offering luxurious rewards and lascivious attentions. And they prove a tad annoyed when the PCs are upset by their plans to sacrifice the marquess. They don't normally offer people to Lamashtu, but the marquess was an apostate and they need to reconsecrate the temple. The boy? Oh, he is a sweet kid, we'll be careful in choosing his guardian so he won't suffer an accident. Probably an elderly spinster to teach him traditional values. Well, have a pleasant voyage to report to the 'King'.

(Note: I imagine people not knowing to much about the valley, and those that do know don't care much. Also many of the inhabitants are Ogrekin and were born with grotesque mutations including the ruling house).

[Bohandas]

Campaign Concept

"Mission Accomplished"
The first phase of the campaign is a standard overthrow-the-tyrannical-and-oppressive-dark-lord/king/tyrant/whatever
in the second stage, once the tyrannical king has been deposed it becomes clear that his iron fisted rule was the only thing keeping the spread of a twisted violent cult bent on world domination and subjugation in check. This cult must now be dealt with.

[logic_error]

Campaign Concept

"Mission Accomplished"
The first phase of the campaign is a standard overthrow-the-tyrannical-and-oppressive-dark-lord/king/tyrant/whatever
in the second stage, once the tyrannical king has been deposed it becomes clear that his iron fisted rule was the only thing keeping the spread of a twisted violent cult bent on world domination and subjugation in check. This cult must now be dealt with.

Equals real life Middle east to draw inspiration from. Gaaddafi, Hussain and Asad as the Tyrant and ISIS as the cult.

[TorsteinTheRed]

Encounter

The PCs are captured by a group of wood elves, and taken to be sacrificed to their god: an ancient golem of some sort, chained up near a makeshift sacrificial altar. The Golem sucks up the energy of any spell cast within 30ft, and when it has eaten 6 levels worth of spells, it hits whatever is on the altar with Disintegrate.

The shamans of the tribe generally do a long prayer, casting first level spells throughout.

The Golem does not want to be there. It has been chained up for centuries, gained self-awareness long ago, and is near insanity. If the PCs speak the right language, and are willing to help, the Golem will attempt to stop eating spells long enough to allow the PCs to cast repairing spells on it. It will then go berserk, attacking the tribe that enslaved it, and any PCs that get in its way. If it survives 15 rounds, it will cease its attack, thank the players, and walk to the bottom of the nearest ocean in order to be alone for once.

[Bohandas]

Yes I have, although it would probably be a bit more peaceful preexisting conditions rather than straight up hostility between the sides. Also I would have developed the faction ideas more, but I saw someone I knew and rushed.

Detailed Adventure Ideas

Body Snatchers
Well, the local the PCs are in town when a pair of travelers pass through with a shrouded body. They refer to themselves as members of the Knights Quiescent, a knightly order in the service to Pharasma who return the bodies of dead warriors to their homelands. Also they get drunk a lot and get involved in stupid wars. Really its not that religious most of the time. They travel with the body of the young prince who had joined them on their adventuring and died in an unfortunate battle accident. That night the Knights get drunk and are assaulted by Goblins who run off with the corpse.

With the Knights incapacitated it is up to the PCs to recover the body and find out why the goblins are causing trouble. In time they discover that the goblins have been stealing lots of bodies, and giving them proper burials. It turns out that they have been taken over by a Nosoi, a low level Psycopomp, who was temporarily banished to the material plane for running a smuggling ring. He is making the Goblins snatch bodies to give them 'proper' burials on the order of a priest. The prince has been sent to the priest's temple for internment, which is a completely different temple than where it was supposed to go.

Are the burials a means of smuggling things into the afterlife?

[Mendicant]

Overarching campaign idea:

The setting begins level-capped at 6, with very, very few monsters above CR 8, and not a lot of monsters period, honestly. The world is much more ASoIaF than Forgotten Realms. The first levels of adventuring introduce the players to it, some of the major cities and power groups, and a bizarre cult called the Coil, whose allegiances seem alien to the normal axis of cosmic conflict between fiends and celestials. The cult's leadership seems to primarily be a mixture of druids, bards, some fey, and a handful of weaker genies.

As the game progresses, it becomes clear that this cult wants to liberate an entity they refer to as the World Serpent by breaking 7 divine seals scattered througout the world. The serpent was bound by the ruling good guy deity/deities of the setting for unclear but probably good reasons.

The twist: the "World Serpent" isn't an entity but the bound primordial power of the planet that allows creatures and individuals to surpass natural limitations. When you break a seal, you lift the global level cap by two and unleash a swarm of level-appropriate monsters. Even one broken seal causes horrible cataclysms: a world where the best you can be is level 6 is not equipped for a sudden influx of CR 8 dragons and giants. Any equilibrium a classic setting might normally have doesn't exist. The crisis will spiral even faster if the cult can break seals rapidly--the world's NPCs won't level fast enough to keep up, and a quick glance at your MM/Bestiary will tell you that most of what's suddenly coming up out of the ground and through rent planar barriers is not nice.

Millions die, even as a few Johnny Cool Guys--the PCs included--suddenly get to enjoy incredible power. A new crop of amped-up NPCs scramble to protect their loved ones from monsters, scrabble to realign the world as they see fit, or just indulge their power fantasies. A few of them figure out what's happening, and now there's a super-powered world war between high-level people who want even more and those who want to fight any further increase in available power levels. Governments and religious organizations fall apart or change rapidly. The coil becomes a worldwide religious awakening, teaching that gods and fiends are cosmic interlopers, that the only true god is the World Serpent, and the only sacrament is the Will to Power.

At each level cap increase, more angels and devils (who are for now allied) come through, fighting to restore the seals and reassert their idea of order. Towards level 12 or 14ish, the PC's get a clear idea of how to reset things, and they have a choice--side with the Astral side, and steadily decrement their own power, banishing most monsters in the process, or take the primordial side and eventually make themselves gods.

[redzimmer]

Kudos to all of you who have contributed to this thing of stuff.

I hope DMs out there have made a use of this.

[redzimmer]

For Fathers Day

My daughter "DM'd" this freestyle adventure:

You, along with a magic talking cat, a giant slug, a myconid named Toadette and a blacksmith named Jack must help a gnome village find out who's been killing their giant chickens.

(It was a warlock who made a deal with the devil to make chickens disappear. Like an episode from the Real Ghostbusters.)

She's five.

[danielxcutter]

For Fathers Day

My daughter "DM'd" this freestyle adventure:

You, along with a magic talking cat, a giant slug, a myconid named Toadette and a blacksmith named Jack must help a gnome village find out who's been killing their giant chickens.

(It was a warlock who made a deal with the devil to make chickens disappear. Like and episode from the Real Ghostbusters.)

She's five.

I personally envy her creativity. How was it?

[redzimmer]

I personally envy her creativity. How was it?

We found the chickens and killed the warlock and fed him to the chickens.

Then the gnomes taught us how to make acid bombs using Giant Slug's slime. At good time had by all.

[Boozy]

Is this an appropriate thread to add DM storytelling techniques, that can be applied anywhere?

[redzimmer]

Is this an appropriate thread to add DM storytelling techniques, that can be applied anywhere?

Anything that can HDMO.

[Boozy]

Anything that can HDMO.

Okay then.

I've used a variety of techniques to mix up the game night routine. I enjoy storytelling (also in the WoD sense) and I appreciate the power of atmosphere to create tension.

First, here's some simple tech that makes any campaign more engaging: Set up a metronome for initiative. I start with a base ten count per player, and add 3 counts per point of initiative modifier. Conditional modifiers like Mindlink allow the party to discuss options during that time. When the time expires, the character either declares their action or goes full defensive.

In a similar vein, here's a session technique to ratchet up tension: Set a firm timer before something bad happens. Old school (1990 version Prince of Persia). Say, 250 rounds or so. Counts precisely each one, and make the players know they are on the clock. You can use much lower ECL creatures and challenges when the players are forced to rush without rest, and the way they bicker and fret when they get down below 50 rounds is awesome. You will see genuine pride and relief if they make it, and a nice shiny helps motivate them.

[Bohandas]

Comical Sidequest:
since they are people who seem to have a heroic destiny the PCs are recruited by the local authorities to take part in in a sting operation to collect taxes from those shops full of magic relics that sometimes mysteriously appear where there was nothing before and then suddenly disappear (or occasionally retroactively become long abandoned) just as mysteriously (like the ones you see in a lot of fantasy and/or horror films)

[Goaty14]

Small Plot Hook
-A not-so frequented town by the PCs suddenly loses all of its children! The town officials ask to PCs to find the root of it, additionally (if such town has a large population) all newborns disappear the night after they are born...

Spoiler: Behind The Plot.

Show

The reason is because <somehow, maybe tied to the main plot> a large group of grey renders have started to "adopt" the children. The nice thing about this one is that it's not necessarily evil; Grey Renders are CR 13, and could therefore take care of the children better than some commoners. <Chaotic Good Path> BUT they are being taken away from civilization <Lawful Good Path>, if they players don't care, then they will try to make the grey renders a part of the current society <Neutral Good Path>.

[Bohandas]

Campaign concept for Toon: The Cartoon Roleplaying Game:

Factbusters
The PCs are employees of a Mythbusters-esque television show wherein the "myths" being tested tend to be either stupid bar bets ("you can't drink more than me without passing out"), health advice ("if you keep eating so much fast food you're going to have a heart attack" and then eventually the character dies of liver failure and diabetes. "myth busted!"), and places where people have used the word "can" to mean "may" ("you can't bring those TV cameras into Area 51!" and then they tunnel under the fence or somethig "So as you viewers can see, we can get TV cameras into Area 51 after all"...)

[Bohandas]

I wanted to post come links to a couple of other relevant threads:

101 Campaign Hooks
101 Unusual Plot Hooks
101 Plots for Superhero RPGs

[redzimmer]

I wanted to post come links to a couple of other relevant threads:

101 Campaign Hooks
101 Unusual Plot Hooks
101 Plots for Superhero RPGs

Much obliged. Will add to first post with your credit due.

[Bohandas]

I wanted to post come links to a couple of other relevant threads:

101 Campaign Hooks
101 Unusual Plot Hooks
101 Plots for Superhero RPGs

found another one

101 Adventure Hooks

[Barbarian Horde]

New beholder has come to claim back the title Xanathar from the Redsash in waterdeep after the spell plague in Faerun. You his new crew of thiefs will become the new wet-work boys and recruitment center of this new empire. Decisions will need to be made as you establish something beautiful; something to be feared. As the chaos flows you'll need to decide what you can and can't live with, and what will get you disintegrated. Nothing says I'm dead like a pissed off beholder with sorcerer levels and meta magic feats.
----------------
Criminal Organization
A kingpin whom's sanity is questionable at best
Lucrative opportunities
Betrayal
Massive information network
Ocean of blood
Moral choices

How far are you willing to go to reach the top. Doing a city campaign and working for Xanathar actually is a lot of fun. I've basicly treated like the players were forced, volunteered, or no choices were left after hitting rock bottom. This is after reading their BG story to determine how to introduce things. Hell I've got a player who works for the noble who is in charge of the town guard as an informant that's in deep cover.

[Bohandas]

found another one

101 Adventure Hooks

Also
1001 Strange Plot Hooks
1001 Bad Plot Hooks
101 Reasons to Adventure

[redzimmer]

Hook

You stumble across a massive army of undead.

The army is reliving the battle where it was decimated, causing a general blight on the region annually.

If the PCs can reenact the battle wherein the undead army "wins" (i.e. by "surrendering" while disguised as the commander of the original winners), the revenants will disappear for good.

[Bohandas]

Crossposting from another thread this table of gibberish for generating verbal components

This reminds me, I actually made up a table of random mystic gibberish from various sources awhile back for randomly generating verbal components

Spoiler

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01.) Ashonai.
02.) Ebiris.
03.) 0Urshoring.
04.) Kvanti.
05.) Pythan.
06.) N'gurad.
07.) Feringomalee

08.) Azerath
09.) Metrion
10.) Zinthos

11.) Tatra
12.) amistrobin
13.) azarta,
14.) tatis
15.) manor
16.) manziz
17.) hounaz,
18.) ansobar
19.) saman
20.) darobza
21.) dahir
22.) saika
23.) danz
24.) deroza,
25.) kandar

26.) Kunda.
27.) Astratta.
28.) Montosse.
29.) Canda

30.) klaatu
31.) barata
32.) nikto

33.) N'gai
34.) n'gha
35.) 'ghaa,
36.) bugg-shoggog,
37.) y'hah

38.) Abra
39.) kadabra
40.) alakazam
41.) Aajaye
42.) Shemhamforash
43.) hocus
44.) pocus

45.) mecca
46.) lecca
47.) hi,
48.) hiney
49.) ho

50.) sim
51.) sala
52.) bim

52.) Bibbidi
53.) Bobbidi
54.) Boo

55.) Shazam

56.) Cei-u

57.) Yu
58.) Mo
59.) Gui
60.) Guay
61.) Fai
62.) Di
63.) Zao

64.) FUs
65.) Ro
66.) Da

67.) Feim
68.) Zii
69.) Gron

70.) Joor
71.) Zah
72.) Frul

73.) Wuld
74.) Nah
75.) Kest

76.) Nahl
77.) Dal
78.) Vus

79.) Slen
80.) Tiid
81.) Vo

82.) Lok
83.) Vah
84.) Koor

85.) Hun
86.) Kaal
87.) Zor

88.) Od
89.) Ah
90.) Viing

91.) Laas
92.) Yah
93.) Nir

94.) Ph
95.) Nglui
96.) Mglwnafh
97.) Wgah
98.) nagl

99.) Ni
100) Peng
101) Nee-wom

(somatic components could in turn be adapted from this)

Spoiler

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the words are culled from Discworld, Elder Scrolls, Cinderella, DC Comics, , Monty Python And The Holy Grail, the Cthulhu Mythos, the Evil Dead series, The Day the Earth Stood Still, traditional stage magic, Jackie Chan Adventures, and Pee-Wee's Playhouse