Have severly screwed up campagin, need help

lazerus · Post by **lazerus** » 2004-05-01 10:43pm

Just now I have returned from my weekly gaming session. (6th level right now)I had spent two hours writting up the plot hook (an anchient poem they find while temple raiding), and the campagin that follows it.

Then I forgot my campaign notes. >_<

Then I decided "I remember most of it, I"ll just run it from memory."

WORST. IDEA. EVER. Now I have a poem that's a bit different from the one I intended and, more to the point, has sent the PC in the totally wrong direction.
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The basic idea behind this adventure is that the 4 PC's (all CN or TN mercinarys) and their two hirelings (a pally and monk) come across the following poem while temple raiding........

When beauty rains over the land
and the grasp of evil is not yet at hand
6 shall come
from lands untold
furthest from the pain of cold
Souls of greed
shall brings fires rise
and a Sword will bring evil's demise

It's farly obvious that the poem is refering to them, 6 people, their in uncharted land, in an area where it's very very hot (furthest from the pain of cold), their charachters have been RP'ed as in it for the money. They interpret this the way I expected them too.........

Second Verse.
When darkness rains across the land
and distruction is close at hand
4 knights shall come
from lands of old
3 mountains of fire, where all water flows
4 souls pure, shall brings lights rise
But gold may bring good demise
the word must go, where shadow rains
or death will consume all wood and planes.

At this point, this isn't supposed to mean anything to them.
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On their way out, their attacked by another group of treasure hunters (they kick butt), and when they read the lead treausre hunturs journel, they find that he was looking for Tremble, the greatest sword even forged. That was supposed to be the end of the adventure for now, they journel contains no hints as to where any of this stuff is.

Then one of the PC's remembers a seer that they talked too for another quest a bit back and go to consult him about it. Ignoring all other plothooks and subquests, they go ask him for some help.

At this point I should have said "The seer can't help you" but I was stupid and tried to make somthing up that sounded all mystic and stuff on the spot. So the seer said "What you seek lies to the north, and only a force of 8 and 2/3 warriors shall win the day."

Colassel screw up on two fronts.
1) The PC's then pooled all their money (plus pawning some magic items) and hired a small army of scouts to head north and find any information about 3 volcanos and/or the sword.

2) I have no idea how you can have 8 and 2/3's warrior.

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Please help, how do you think I can knock the PC's back off track.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2004-05-01 10:45pm

Easy. One of the warriors will be dead. Body and Mind, but no Soul. There, run with it.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2004-05-01 10:48pm

SirNitram wrote:Easy. One of the warriors will be dead. Body and Mind, but no Soul. There, run with it.

Or, without killing anyone, make a triple-classed character....Rogue/Mage/Fighter, or some derivative thereof, with perfectly matched levels of each class, 2/2/2 or 3/3/3 if he's to be a major NPC.

Or, to continue with the theme Nitram started, make one of the fighters etheral. No body

lazerus · Post by **lazerus** » 2004-05-01 11:01pm

Ok........that handles the "2/3's" problem.

But the PC's were supposed to look as this and go "Huh, interesting. This will probably be important later." But have now launched on a CRUSADE to do this, sparing no expense.

In addittion to the scouts, they are thinking of hiring as many bards and scholars as they can (on the basis that one of them will pass their bardic knowledge skill check), and are even considering hiring a few cartographers to make maps as they go, which they can then sell for more money.

I can of course stall them (there arn't many bards nearby, your scouts come up empty, some of them are attacked) etc etc. But sooner or later they would have to find SOMTHING. And while they are looking it's just me rolling dice and saying "You don't find anything because......."

Any advice?

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2004-05-01 11:09pm

Okay, so they want the Hackmaster +12, right? No problem. The seer was cryptic. Make it so that what he said will lead them BACK on to the adventure you had planned (teleport door or some such) which will eventually lead to Tremble...which in the hands of the big bad boss man.

They want uber-powerful artifacts? They gotta earn 'em, and it's not like it's supposed to be easy, and, hey, some of 'em have owners.

In fact, make it a part of your current campaign. Make it so that some guardian of the sword asks them to bring it back for safekeeping. If they don't, bad juju and all that.

lazerus · Post by **lazerus** » 2004-05-01 11:25pm

Hotfoot wrote:Okay, so they want the Hackmaster +12, right? No problem. The seer was cryptic. Make it so that what he said will lead them BACK on to the adventure you had planned (teleport door or some such) which will eventually lead to Tremble...which in the hands of the big bad boss man.

They want uber-powerful artifacts? They gotta earn 'em, and it's not like it's supposed to be easy, and, hey, some of 'em have owners.

In fact, make it a part of your current campaign. Make it so that some guardian of the sword asks them to bring it back for safekeeping. If they don't, bad juju and all that.

This is D&D, I just borrowed the name Tremble because it sounded cool.

The guardian thing would work, but considering how the end of the quest is them FINDING the sword it's kina self defeating.

The teleport door thing is my last resort, because I try not to use Acts of God whenever I can avoid it.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2004-05-01 11:28pm

lazerus wrote:This is D&D, I just borrowed the name Tremble because it sounded cool.

I figured, I was just making a joke.

The guardian thing would work, but considering how the end of the quest is them FINDING the sword it's kina self defeating.

End of the quest doesn't mean end of the game

The teleport door thing is my last resort, because I try not to use Acts of God whenever I can avoid it.

Not really an act of god, just acts of a long-dead (or long-hidden) archmage

lazerus · Post by **lazerus** » 2004-05-01 11:31pm

End of the quest doesn't mean end of the game

The sword is a +10 Longsword that does an extra 4d6 of damage to evil creatures. What they need it for is that it's the only weapon capable of harming the Big Boss.

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2004-05-01 11:32pm

Perhaps a powerful prince hears of their activities, dispatches his army to seize the sword and deprive them of their glory? Then perhaps the army general takes the sword for himself, revolts, and the PCs have to battle him across the continent? Or enlist the aid of another Kingdom to make war upon the first prince, thus opening up an entire new front of adventure?

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2004-05-01 11:38pm

lazerus wrote:
End of the quest doesn't mean end of the game
The sword is a +10 Longsword that does an extra 4d6 of damage to evil creatures. What they need it for is that it's the only weapon capable of harming the Big Boss.

+10? Jeeze....that's almost a god weapon...and this game is currently 6th level you say?

Also, having only one way to defeat the big bad guy is a recipe for disaster, especially if it's just one weapon. That means only one player can use it, and if he messes up, it's game over.

lazerus · Post by **lazerus** » 2004-05-01 11:41pm

HemlockGrey wrote:Perhaps a powerful prince hears of their activities, dispatches his army to seize the sword and deprive them of their glory? Then perhaps the army general takes the sword for himself, revolts, and the PCs have to battle him across the continent? Or enlist the aid of another Kingdom to make war upon the first prince, thus opening up an entire new front of adventure?

Hmmmmmm.

Somthing like that, maybe not to that scale.........but yeah.

Someone hears about them, wants the power/fame/glory for themselves and so tries to stop them.

Most of the scouts are slain, and those who arn't flee for thier lives. The PC's are now broke, and short on magic items........and they can't exactly go straight to the north with foes cutting them off at every turn......

Coolness. Thanks.

lazerus · Post by **lazerus** » 2004-05-01 11:42pm

Hotfoot wrote:
lazerus wrote:
End of the quest doesn't mean end of the game
The sword is a +10 Longsword that does an extra 4d6 of damage to evil creatures. What they need it for is that it's the only weapon capable of harming the Big Boss.
+10? Jeeze....that's almost a god weapon...and this game is currently 6th level you say?

Also, having only one way to defeat the big bad guy is a recipe for disaster, especially if it's just one weapon. That means only one player can use it, and if he messes up, it's game over.

It's a CAMPAGIN, their going to be 14th to 16th level by the time they get the sword. And by "the only weapon that can harm him" I mean you poke him with it and he dies.

lazerus · Post by **lazerus** » 2004-05-01 11:43pm

Think my campagin premise is any good?

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2004-05-01 11:44pm

lazerus wrote:It's a CAMPAGIN, their going to be 14th to 16th level by the time they get the sword. And by "the only weapon that can harm him" I mean you poke him with it and he dies.

So let the thing to the north that they seek be a dungeon where further clues leading to the sword's location can be found. Let it be a test of worth, which only good characters may pass. Some sort of divine standardized test.

lazerus · Post by **lazerus** » 2004-05-02 12:17am

Hotfoot wrote:
lazerus wrote:It's a CAMPAGIN, their going to be 14th to 16th level by the time they get the sword. And by "the only weapon that can harm him" I mean you poke him with it and he dies.
So let the thing to the north that they seek be a dungeon where further clues leading to the sword's location can be found. Let it be a test of worth, which only good characters may pass. Some sort of divine standardized test.

Thanks for the tip.

Him.......and entire party of CN and TN (leaning towards evil) charachters........this could be a problem.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2004-05-02 12:45am

lazerus wrote:Thanks for the tip.

Him.......and entire party of CN and TN (leaning towards evil) charachters........this could be a problem.

Okay, or neutrality, maintaining the balance. In that case, the sword should do damage against good and evil, and be a weapon of some sort of god of balance or somesuch. +10 weapons that to extra damage against evil most often tend to be good-aligned, and will often reject a user not of their alignment,

lazerus · Post by **lazerus** » 2004-05-02 11:34am

Hotfoot wrote:
lazerus wrote:Thanks for the tip.

Him.......and entire party of CN and TN (leaning towards evil) charachters........this could be a problem.
Okay, or neutrality, maintaining the balance. In that case, the sword should do damage against good and evil, and be a weapon of some sort of god of balance or somesuch. +10 weapons that to extra damage against evil most often tend to be good-aligned, and will often reject a user not of their alignment,

Yeah, that might work.

Thanks again.