Plot hooks

[rschweik]

A local Bann Lord has employed you to deal with a group of Bandits. He has offered to pay your group to eliminate the bandits as they have been raiding some of the farms in the area.

The truth is, the Lord is twisted and disturbed man - if the group attempts to find information out about him, the towns people wont talk to them as the Lord has them remaining silent under threat of torture and death.

The bandits are actually some of the freemen who are sick of the Lord and are trying to rouse the locals up against the Lord and to see him removed, preferably dead.

The players can either work for the Lord and kill the Bandits or discover the truth and then deal with the Lord.

Truly, this plot sounds extremely close to A Bann Too Many, minus an extra Bann.

[Jekias]

A local Bann Lord has employed you to deal with a group of Bandits. He has offered to pay your group to eliminate the bandits as they have been raiding some of the farms in the area.

The truth is, the Lord is twisted and disturbed man - if the group attempts to find information out about him, the towns people wont talk to them as the Lord has them remaining silent under threat of torture and death.

The bandits are actually some of the freemen who are sick of the Lord and are trying to rouse the locals up against the Lord and to see him removed, preferably dead.

The players can either work for the Lord and kill the Bandits or discover the truth and then deal with the Lord.

Truly, this plot sounds extremely close to A Bann Too Many, minus an extra Bann.

Similar, but not the same - and I did make this suggestion before the official adventure "A Bann Too Many" was released. Not that it matters - this was only ever just a suggestion for other GMs for an adventure idea.

[rschweik]

and I did make this suggestion before the official adventure "A Bann Too Many"

Obvious by looking at the post-date. I just found it somehwat close to the plot of A Bann 2 Many, is all.

[SotF]

A Thaig In The Middle
When the Deep Roads and the dwarven kingdom fell, several of those abandoned by Orzamar were forced to retreat to the surface rather than face annihilation at the hands of the darkspawn. In many cases these were small handfulls of the weak and infirm who had no other recourse but to join with the other surface dwarves and give up all hope of regaining what should have been theirs.

However, that is not always the case.

Three of the larger Thaigs held out for a decade, but then the darkspawn managed to raze their food supplies, and, when faced with starvation they banded together and dug their way to the surface. After being declared surface cast by Orzamar, they cut off ties with the remnants of their former nation and built a city in the mountains surrounding the canyon where they surfaced, always keeping an eye on the deep roads in the hopes of finding a way to retake their former homes.

The recent lul in the darkspawn, allowed them to begin retaking their former homes.

Hearing rumors of the survival of their kin from Kal-Sharok, they have sent emissaries, hoping for a better reception than in Orzamar.

If it were just that, then it would have been of no real consequence, but a couple of the casteless treasure hunters from Orzamar spotted where these emissaries came from and passed word to their patrons of the Thaigs under the control of surfacers.

An expedition from Orzamar was sent by a coalition of several noble houses to "drive off the squatters" and take the Thaig, but was repulsed by this new dwarven nation, but some made it back to their home city.

Orzamar is gathering an army to smash the surfacers who would dare take what belonged to the dwarven empire and slaughter the forces of Orzamar while this surface kingdom prepares to defend their retaken home.

Enter the adventurers...

[ColdSteel1]

It has been much too long for this thread but i'll give it a go.

1. The PCs are wandering about the marketplace of a small town when they hear rumors of bandits matching their descriptions are committing crimes. Soon people begin to avoid them like darkspawn and both bounty hunters and Templars come looking for the PCs, alive or dead. Its up to the heroes to clear their names and deal with the look-a- likes.

2. A Gray Warden long succumbed to the taint of Darkspawn blood becomes a ghoul but instead of going into the deep roads, has retained much of its intelligence and gathered a group of like minded ghouls to form...THE BLACK WARDENS!!!

[5trangeCase]

The Bann of West Hill inexplicably raises a militia to assault his Arl; the Arl's forces are distracted elsewhere dealing with the sudden and unexplained appearance of an abomination in the local chantry. Meanwhile, those scouts that remain notice terrifying activity among the Avvar clanholds: they appear to be congregating peacefully. The answer? Following a routine ritual to celebrate the Day of the Trickster, an Avvar shaman becomes possessed and claims he has become the embodiment of Imhar the Clever.

[ColdSteel1]

For those PCs who become Gray Wardens-

The First Commander summons them to Weishaupt fortess in the Anderfels for an important task: to locate the last three Griffin eggs (kept long dormant by mystical means) and recover them before they hatched and are twisted by darkspawn magic.

[tarnishedarmour]

A not too well known path through the Brecillian Forest has recently become the focus of several rumors involving strange disappearances of members of caravans in the middle of the night. No evidence of their disappearance is found in the mornings and all of their camp gear and loose weapons are left behind. Nothing else is ever discovered missing from these caravans. This is troubling as several local merchants avoid the more well traveled routes to avoid higher likelihood of bandits on those paths.

Spoiler: In my version the culprit is actually a confused and aged Spirit named Oom who has become trapped in a Tree becoming a Sylvan. Having spent hundred of years already in our world and unable to return to the Fade he has become lonely and rather simple minded.

Player's traveling this route will in the middle of some night begin smelling a strangely sweet odor and must make a simple self-discipline test to avoid being compelled to follow the scent to it's source. Those who pass this test are able to attempt to identify the smell as either a famous Orlesian perfume (Etiquette test) or a rare, almost extinct flowering fruit (Natural Lore test).

Oom grows these fruits (I named them Civer Fruit) in an attempt to lure travelers who he then compels to "entertain" him. These entranced individuals dance, sing, and play until they drop dead from a combination of exhaustion, hunger, and thirst as Oom does not allow them rest not understanding the needs of the living.

Feel free to fill in the blanks and modify as needed or wanted.

Just remember: Oom is simple minded, not malicious; Civer Fruit are rare, and therefore valuable (Orlesian Perfumes and all); Sylvan wood is highly sought after as a building material.

I used this as a simple between adventure filler for my players.

[Saisei]

A not too well known path through the Brecillian Forest has recently become the focus of several rumors involving strange disappearances of members of caravans in the middle of the night. No evidence of their disappearance is found in the mornings and all of their camp gear and loose weapons are left behind. Nothing else is ever discovered missing from these caravans. This is troubling as several local merchants avoid the more well traveled routes to avoid higher likelihood of bandits on those paths.

Spoiler: In my version the culprit is actually a confused and aged Spirit named Oom who has become trapped in a Tree becoming a Sylvan. Having spent hundred of years already in our world and unable to return to the Fade he has become lonely and rather simple minded.

Player's traveling this route will in the middle of some night begin smelling a strangely sweet odor and must make a simple self-discipline test to avoid being compelled to follow the scent to it's source. Those who pass this test are able to attempt to identify the smell as either a famous Orlesian perfume (Etiquette test) or a rare, almost extinct flowering fruit (Natural Lore test).

Oom grows these fruits (I named them Civer Fruit) in an attempt to lure travelers who he then compels to "entertain" him. These entranced individuals dance, sing, and play until they drop dead from a combination of exhaustion, hunger, and thirst as Oom does not allow them rest not understanding the needs of the living.

Feel free to fill in the blanks and modify as needed or wanted.

Just remember: Oom is simple minded, not malicious; Civer Fruit are rare, and therefore valuable (Orlesian Perfumes and all); Sylvan wood is highly sought after as a building material.

I used this as a simple between adventure filler for my players.

I really like this. I might have to use it (though I'll transplant it to somewhere in the Free Marches cause that's where our game is. Minanter Woods possibly)

[tarnishedarmour]

Oh yeah, and it had a title: "A Simple Tree".

[si1vergecko]

You are asked by a local bann to escort a supply caravan to a fort on the edge of the blight but the bridge is out and the only possible detour is through a blighted forest, where not only darkspawn dwell... DUN DUN DUN!!!!!!!

[ColdSteel1]

The Heroes are at the shore of The Waking Sea when they notice the seawater turn black and the sea life become affected by the Darkspawn taint. Soon they find blight whales, giant krakens, sharks and dolphins causing shipwrecks and ruining villages along the Coastlands.

[Bardwulf]

A not too well known path through the Brecillian Forest has recently become the focus of several rumors involving strange disappearances of members of caravans in the middle of the night. No evidence of their disappearance is found in the mornings and all of their camp gear and loose weapons are left behind. Nothing else is ever discovered missing from these caravans. This is troubling as several local merchants avoid the more well traveled routes to avoid higher likelihood of bandits on those paths.

Spoiler: In my version the culprit is actually a confused and aged Spirit named Oom who has become trapped in a Tree becoming a Sylvan. Having spent hundred of years already in our world and unable to return to the Fade he has become lonely and rather simple minded.

Player's traveling this route will in the middle of some night begin smelling a strangely sweet odor and must make a simple self-discipline test to avoid being compelled to follow the scent to it's source. Those who pass this test are able to attempt to identify the smell as either a famous Orlesian perfume (Etiquette test) or a rare, almost extinct flowering fruit (Natural Lore test).

Oom grows these fruits (I named them Civer Fruit) in an attempt to lure travelers who he then compels to "entertain" him. These entranced individuals dance, sing, and play until they drop dead from a combination of exhaustion, hunger, and thirst as Oom does not allow them rest not understanding the needs of the living.

Feel free to fill in the blanks and modify as needed or wanted.

Just remember: Oom is simple minded, not malicious; Civer Fruit are rare, and therefore valuable (Orlesian Perfumes and all); Sylvan wood is highly sought after as a building material.

I used this as a simple between adventure filler for my players.

You are brilliant. I used this plot hook and adapted into into my own campaign with new ideas. I made a video detailing how your plot hook paid off. I also gave you a shout out in there.

Check it out here to see how things went: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUw86v7O-ng

[tarnishedarmour]

Already posted the comment on YouTube, but thanks again for using my idea in your podcast. I can brag to my player's about going international now. Ultimate compliment. Now I have a couple more I might not mind sharing. At least after I work on them a while more for presentation.