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Kerrigan
Acolyte
Germany
31 Posts |
 Posted - 24 Feb 2011 : 13:56:14
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Hello fellow scribes,
I will be the DM for my D&D-Group, and at the moment I'm thinking about what adventure to run. As i disliked most premade adventures (you always have to adapt to what others perceive as a fitting adventure) I'm about to write my own. I have some general ideas, but I still need some substance to create a good adventure. :)
The hookline is to be that the uncle of one of the characters, a powerful mage from Cormyr ("Abelard Kirkan"), died. During the time of his life, he prefessed in the creation of magical items, and his masterpiece is the so-called "Spellbane", a rod that's able to severe the connection between a (hostile) mage and the weave. Abelard deemed his creation as too powerful and feared that it might fall in the wrong hands; so he split it into three pieces and hid each in a different place in the forest kingdom.
His apprentice, however, made the mistake to boast about his masters' creation too loudly, and two dangerous factions - the nightmask assasin guild from Westgate and the red mages - learned about the potence of the "spellbane". They intend to find it (not yet knowing that it was split) and use it to their evil aims.
At the beginning of the adventure, the party will make their way into cormyr (the nephew of Abelard will want to gain possession over his heirloom, a country estate somewher in the vicnity of Suzail). Slowly, they will be confronted by the two competing factions..
A.) Do you see any grave weaknesses in this plot?
B.) I'm still thinking about how to introduce the plot, and how to keep up the suspense. Perhaps the party may find hints about the location of a powerful artifact (a part of the spellbane) somewhere in the inherited estate. Maybe the nightmasks try to kill them, as they see meddling adventurers as a possible threat to their plans..
There's also the general problem that Cormyr is all in all a well-governed state, where evildoers stand little chance of conducting their business. On the other hand, the wizards of war and the purple dragons were greatly weakened in the war against the Ghaznets, Orcs and the dragon..
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Rhewtani
Senior Scribe
USA
508 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2011 : 19:04:19
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A) They only need to find one piece to stop evil from controlling the device. There are three ways around this snag and I would recommend you engage all of them.
1) The rod's individual pieces have some sort of residual power. Much akin to item collections from 3E or the road of 7 parts of 1-2e, there is something that each piece does and there is something that a combination of linkable pieces does. I would also throw in the idea that there's something that pieces 1 and 3 do if linked together, but it's wonky. Maybe you should go with the idea that one piece of the rod in someone's hands is not a huge issues, but 2 pieces connected would be much more of a problem, scarey enough to keep them involved to get at least two pieces; i.e. the completed rod cuts an entire person off from the weave permanentely, pieces 1-2 linked together can cut a person off completely, but only termporarily, and pieces 2-3 linked together can several reduce a person's weave connection for a longer period of time.
2) It's not entirely unfeasible that someone could figure out how to re-create the rest rod from 1-2 pieces. Enough understanding, through the right divination and the right amount of research mixed with trial and error could conceiveably allow someone to create missing/destroyed piece OR allow them to create entire rods. This keeps the group in for all three pieces.
3) His notes are out there somewhere. This combined with having 1-2 pieces would make synthesizing a full rod much easier.
4) (Bonus) Like-kind magic attracts like-kind magic. The rod wants to be reassembled, badly. When you find the second or third piece the desire to assemble them is very, very strong, almost unbeatable. When you're missing a piece you have a strong desire to find it. You can hold out for awhile with some determination, but eventually you're going to succumb to assembling it. |
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Mr_Miscellany
Senior Scribe
545 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2011 : 23:23:57
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My question would be: what's in it for the characters?
From your description, it seems like the PCs will get the estate (and possibly lots of mundane gear) for free right from the start.
I'd make it so the PCs can't claim the estate until after they've found all three parts of the rod and presented it to the War Wizards for safe keeping. |
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Halidan
Senior Scribe
USA
470 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2011 : 00:42:39
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Given that the uncle was a powerful mage from Cormyr, then he was either a member of the War Wizards, or sanctioned and monitored closely by them. Probably so was his apprentice who did the bragging. I don't see any way to run the adventure without having the War Wizards as one of the factions going after the artifact.
I doubt the War Wizards would trust a group of unproven novice adventurers with the tracking down and recoveruing of such a powerful artifact. Even if the WW say they'll let the adventurers recover the three pieces of the artifact, you can darn well bet that they'll be heavily monitored and restricted in what they can do to get the rod back.
Additionaly, I can't see the WW ever allowing the adventurers to keep this very powerfull artifact if they do amnage to find it. At best, they'll get a state dinner in their honor, an honorary knighthood, and prehaps a few spare lower-powered (i.e. normal) magical object out of the WW's dusty closet. The WW's would be terriffied of letting an artifact that could cut each of them off from the weave to remain in private hands. |
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Mr_Miscellany
Senior Scribe
545 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2011 : 16:30:54
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@Halidan: a lot of that depends on how much the War Wizards actually know about the uncle Abelard and his finest creation.
For all their ability to spy and eavesdrop, War Wizards aren't 100% on top of every mage in Cormyr. Mages like Cormyr because it affords them anonymity in exchange for registering and more or less maintaining the appearance of behaving.
I can see the War Wizards taking interest in ensuring no calamity befalls after Abelard's death, but so far as I know there's no law saying once a notable wizard dies that all his possessions and property must be sorted and checked by War Wizards before his designated heirs can claim it. To me this means they’ll watch, but stay out of the way unless a real reason crops up for them to interfere.
Note also that War Wizards aren't above manipulating adventurers and letting them "do the dirty work" before they move to try and seize the artifact pieces from the PCs (again, assuming the War Wizards even know what the artifact is capable of—just because some apprentice claims the rod is super-powerful doesn’t mean it actually is).
Not saying you’re wrong, Halidan—you make excellent points—just trying to offer a different POV based on the idea that War Wizards act decisively only when they know for certain of the danger they face.
Lastly, as DM Kerrigan can just handwave the War Wizards out of the picture. Like any other aspect of the Realms, if something interferes with a DMs campaign, that part of the Realms can be ignored/not used.
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Rhewtani
Senior Scribe
USA
508 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2011 : 22:39:47
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| Abelard was clever when he first arrived in Cormyr. Realizing that he would be required to register with the War Wizards, he cast a powerful enchantment upon the quill he took with him to sign. Anyone who reads his signed registration is misdirected from investigating deeply into his affairs. Since any war wizard who begins investigating Abelard typically reviews the document, the few investigations that have begun ends very quickly. |
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Rhewtani
Senior Scribe
USA
508 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2011 : 22:40:24
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| Just figured that might be good for some irony ... though, it wreaks greatly of Doctor Who. |
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Halidan
Senior Scribe
USA
470 Posts |
Posted - 27 Feb 2011 : 22:02:31
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr_Miscellany
Lastly, as DM Kerrigan can just handwave the War Wizards out of the picture. Like any other aspect of the Realms, if something interferes with a DMs campaign, that part of the Realms can be ignored/not used.
Of course he can rule zero anything he wants, that's always a given.
But Kerrigan was looking for any grave weaknesses in this plot? and that's what I gave him in my feedback. It doesn't mean his idea for the campaign is imposible. Just the opposite in fact. It just means that there is probably going to be another faction involved - one that might aid and hinder the PC's at the same time.
Frankly I think Kerrigan has an excellent starter plot for a long-term campaign filled with intrigue. I hope his players enjoy it. I know I would. |
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Calmar
Acolyte
49 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2011 : 10:09:28
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| If the war wizards cause a weakness of the plot, why is it necessary that the adventure takes place in Cormyr, instead of the Dalelands, Sembia, or the Western Heartlands? |
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Rhewtani
Senior Scribe
USA
508 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2011 : 14:37:36
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| Probably the overall coolness of Cormyr. |
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Tyranthraxus
Senior Scribe
Netherlands
423 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2011 : 15:04:03
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The Black Network would also be interested in such an artefact. With such a powerful weapon they could easily take control of the Dalelands.
Although the Zhentarim is an over used organization IMHO, I think they would fit this scenario better than the Red Wizards. On the other hand, every organization (good or evil) would go after such an item if they learned of its existence. |
Edited by - Tyranthraxus on 01 Mar 2011 15:05:09 |
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Rhewtani
Senior Scribe
USA
508 Posts |
Posted - 03 Mar 2011 : 02:32:01
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Love it ... the site ate my post today. Or ... proof of the conspiracy I mentioned in it.
Basically, you shouldn't trust Tyranthraxus on this, "blaming the zhents" is a common misdirection he's used, at least twice. You should assume that Tyranthraxus is also in pursuit of the rod and has hatched some impossibly and unnecesarily complicated plot to get it. |
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Kerrigan
Acolyte
Germany
31 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2011 : 16:22:11
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Thank you all for your valuable advice and please excuse my absence, I didnt manage to go online lately. Good that you pointed out the weaknesses of my plot.. I will ponder about it.
I found Mr-Miscellany's opinion about the real power of the war wizards quite helpful:
"For all their ability to spy and eavesdrop, War Wizards aren't 100% on top of every mage in Cormyr. Mages like Cormyr because it affords them anonymity in exchange for registering and more or less maintaining the appearance of behaving."
So, it depends on how sneaky the involved parties are actually conducting their business. Of course, the mere existence of the war wizards poses a danger to the plot, as the characters could be convinced that mentioning all they know about the artifact to the War Wizards would be the easisest way to deal with their enemies..
Rhewtani was right about why I chose Cormyr (hey, the forest kingdom, once home to the legendary Azoun IV and Vangerdahast..!).
"You should assume that Tyranthraxus is also in pursuit of the rod and has hatched some impossibly and unnecesarily complicated plot to get it."
:P |
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Quest Ideas - Hunt for a magical item in Cormyr
