| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Jan van Leyden |
Posted - 15 Dec 2013 : 10:42:52
While I have a rather good collection of Realms stuff, I'm everything but an expert in Realmslore . As this forum has collected an enormous amount of information, my search may have been misguided. Please forgive me if you roll yopur eyes because this topic has been discussed to deat.
I'm about to start a campaign for my son and some of his friends. As a starter I want to present them with the Haunted Halls of Eveningstar.
But how can a group of group of fledgling adventurers affor the sum of 1,000 Gold Lions for the needed charter?
How do other DMs handle this situation? Can you heroes have their first adventures without their charter? How difficult is is to dodge control?
With the oplayers being rather young (12 years old) I'm not yet sure how their characters will behave.
Well, somehow I have to make up my mind, and I'm hoping for some hints, tips, and discussion to help me with that.
Huldvoll winkend
---Jan van Leyden |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Brimstone |
Posted - 19 Dec 2013 : 01:51:21
You could have the group "rescue" a young Alusiar from Zhent or Fire Knives assassins. Depending on what year you are playing in. She could be older. In gratitude she becomes the party's patron. |
| Jan van Leyden |
Posted - 16 Dec 2013 : 23:06:53
Great tips coming in, here!
I don't want to prompt the young ones to ride the outlaw trail and turn into a band of murdering hobos, so forging, stealing, or taking it from some unfortunate adventurers is out.
Hmmh, how about a special charter by the crown, handed out for just this task? But what when the PCs find the messenger who broguht it to them hanging from the gallows after a successfull trip to the Haunted Halls? Do they try to solve the mystery using roleplaying (fine) or do they flee the scene before someone might check on their charter (fine, too)?
Yeah, I guess that's my way, with the real background and story being developped according to the players' actions. They can try to solve the situation, enter a intrigue/conspiracy story or flee to the north for some monster XP in the Stonelands.
Thanks again for your tips!
Huldvoll winkend
---Jan van Leyden |
| The Arcanamach |
Posted - 16 Dec 2013 : 05:12:24
You can also have them loot a charter from a dead band and allow them to pass themselves off as the other group. Of course, the deception could (and should) catch up to them. At which time they can be jailed/fined...but then released to 'work off' their debt to the Crown after which they can either be allowed to purchase a formal charter (I would be hesitant to give them one for free in this instance) or asked to leave Cormyr...quickly.
Of course, in order for the deception to initially work they would have to ensure that they aren't from the area from which the charter originated. So, in this case, the Lord of Eveningstar can't be the one who issued the charter as he/she would likely remember who the real recipients were. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 16 Dec 2013 : 04:47:37
One of my many on-again, off-again projects has been an all-female adventuring group. I've still got a couple kinks to work out with them -- I've got one person that I've not yet figured out how to connect to the others, and I've got a mentor for them with a rather tricky personal backstory that I'm still trying to figure out.
I solved the issue of getting them a charter when they were still fledglings by having one of them be cousins with a minor noble. In return for some favors, the noble footed the bill for them to get a charter. |
| crazedventurers |
Posted - 15 Dec 2013 : 21:54:50
quote:
Originally posted by Eilserus
The crown will sometimes give a charter to a company that does such a task. "You and your group go here and check the halls out because we've had reports of all sorts of nasty things in that area recently. We'll provide you a royal charter right now, but you must go there immediately.
That's exactly what I did way back when I ran this for the kids. Except I gave them one month to get in and find the 'known' Zhentarim agents who where stirring up all the trouble and either bring them back to Tesseril for justice or deal them their own justice in the Halls. If they failed to do the task in 30 days then the charter gets revoked, if they complete the task they get to keep it!. of course they may find enough coin and loot in the Halls to but themselves a charter witout nailing all the Zhents if they think about it a bit....
In the end, take it easy on them, give them a Charter for a month or so to deal with "a specific issue" at which time perhaps they have enough cash to buy a proper one, or perhaps the Local Lord says good job and here is another to properly earn your charter.
Cheers
Damian |
| Eilserus |
Posted - 15 Dec 2013 : 15:08:12
The crown will sometimes give a charter to a company that does such a task. "You and your group go here and check the halls out because we've had reports of all sorts of nasty things in that area recently. We'll provide you a royal charter right now, but you must go there immediately. Grand Adventure awaits! (and the unspoken thoughts of that should keep the troublesome adventurers busy or dead and effectively out of our hair!) <Insert long winded speech about not stooping to brigand activities> Go with the gods!"
hehehe |
| Demzer |
Posted - 15 Dec 2013 : 13:36:01
Another possibility is if they are sponsored by a noble family, a church or an organization.
It can be open and public ("such and such are the hands and ears of Lord I-Have-1000-Gold-Lions-To-Spend!") or covert and secret (a Shady Individual approaches the youths with the money and the charter form and propose a "no strings attached" deal that obviously will be anything but).
Either way this solution can help you have some more options for player backgrounds and some starting connections through which you can make things happen (maybe Lord 1000 Lions will leave them be for a while and then will start calling on them every day to handle particular tasks, maybe Shady Individual will get hanged in the public square as soon as the players come back from the Haunted Halls and they end up in the middle of a secret struggle between criminal cartels and other illegal interests, who knows?). |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 15 Dec 2013 : 11:43:16
The simple and more interesting option is that they dont find the money.
The could forge their own or buy a cheap forgery from the black market. Then they can go into the haunted halls and once they come out you can confiscate all their loot and arrest them.
This can tie into the local authorities offering them freedon if they perform another dangerous mission. |
