RPT GM Dale S requested me for assist along with his journey’s dangerous man and plot:
Hello Johnn,
Would you thoughts wading in with any ideas on my villain’s goal?
The native gnoll clan and their uncommon allies are attacking a small walled human frontier settlement.
This can be a nighttime ‘storming the barricades’ type of assault and the opening scene of my new VTT run D&D story.
A hill big is hurling rocks, the gnoll shaman is bringing spell help, and an ogre is main the principle gate assault. (The gnolls are divided in loyalty because the shaman is corrupting the clan from inside to the unwitting service of Baphomet).
A scrawny thief has stolen one thing from the gnoll shaman and the assault is to get his loyal trackers contained in the palisade to recuperate it.
What did the thief steal that was so essential to the gnoll shaman to guide his clan in opposition to the people in a full on assault?
I’m leaning towards an merchandise that will clearly establish the shaman as serving Baphomet, quite than Yeenoghu, however it might should be one thing extra concerned and evocative than merely an unholy amulet.
The shaman is opposed for dominion within the clan and nearly all of the gnolls are true to their demonic father. Being outed as a heretic would destroy his day.
I’d like to learn what you assume.
Dale
The Secret is to Leverage the Secret
Hello Dale!
Nice query. Listed below are some rambles, take ’em or depart ’em.
The shaman has a secret.
Right here’s a cool factor about secrets and techniques: nobody can find out about them.
Stunning! Heh.
However the extra folks within the circle of These Who Know, the better the danger to the secret-holder.
In order that turns into a Faction in your sport, even when it begins with only one member.
Get Readability on the Scenario
You’ve arrange an superior Scenario right here.
We get interested by it and pull out attention-grabbing bits for our plotline and potential GM Strikes.
The sport afoot now for our shaman conspiracy turns into gameplay moments that allow you to widen the circle.
We’re not the shaman’s buddy right here. We wish his life to grow to be terribly attention-grabbing now that he’s been cursed with the GM’s highlight.
So we’ve an impulse or GM Transfer for the Faction: unfold the key.
You develop this Faction like a valuable seed. You give it soil and water it till gameplay destroys it, offers it an arc of energy, or shoves it into the nook to photosynthesize.
The Faction could have self-interests.
For instance, any potential defections from the circle of These Who Know must be handled.
And current members could have totally different ranges of belief for one another. They most likely plot in opposition to one another to make sure their very own security and targets.
The Faction turns into a Plot Manufacturing facility for you, which is what we would like from a Scenario.
We are able to now perceive the shaman’s predicament.
He can not inform his entire tribe the key. It places him at nice threat – from his tribe and his fellow conspirators.
Subsequently, he should give his tribe an alternate motive for the assault, apart from the thief stealing one thing, to guard The Secret.
You now have the proper Plot Seed: Gnoll Shaman (Villain) + Assault on Enemy (Battle) + A Secret (Reward).
The Cowl Story
Let’s take into consideration an alternate motive for the assault.
Maybe the shaman bribes his tribe. He says there shall be nice reward if the assault is profitable. One thing apart from meals.
You talked about the key represents a spiritual battle. Baphomet versus Yeenoghu.
Villains mission their evil onto others. So lets say the shaman calls a campaign in opposition to the Baphomet heathens over yonder hill.
The shaman could be feeling insecure with out his amulet. A campaign will get him brownie factors with Yeenoghu. And he can dedicate it to Baphomet in secret.
You talked about the amulet won’t be enough in your wants, however I feel the MacGuffin might grow to be central to your plotline.
Our Logic Bomb right here is tying the amulet to the shaman. The plotline wants proof of the shaman’s divine betrayal.
So we are saying the Amulet of Baphomet should include proof it belongs to the shaman. That’s a part of our Story Crucible.
What might that proof be?
Now we’ve readability.
If we are able to tie the amulet to the shaman, as you recommended, our plot crystalizes.
We perceive the social gathering’s Mission now.
And it’s a secret, so our Room V: Reward & Twist has simply been solved.
Maybe it’s odor. Gnolls might have a bonus to odor the amulet, that’s usually worn below layers of shaman garb, and unmistakably know who usually wears it.
Nice. Now we’ve the seed for our clue path we drop into our story.
Potential Discoveries are:
- The thief
- The amulet itself
- The gnolls have eager sense of odor
- The gnolls establish one another by odor
- The shaman is so smelly some PCs may even have the ability to establish him by odor alone
(Discoveries are a part of the 5 Room Dungeon Canvas I unveil within the Journey Constructing Grasp Recreation Plan.)
From our brainstorm listing above, we’ve some incredible steerage on encounter seeds and roleplay.
Our Journey Plotline
I prefer to fill my journey plotline out like a 5 Room Dungeon.
5RDs have mythic story construction baked into them.
Run your sport like 5RDs, and also you immediately inject story construction.
For our gnoll shaman of Baphomet determined to recuperate his stolen amulet and chew the thief who is aware of his secret, we might have:
Room I: [Entrance, Guardian] => Predominant gate assault
Room II: [Roleplay, Puzzle] =>Breakthrough, the place is the amulet?
Room III: [Trick, Setback] => Quest for the amulet
Room IV: [Big Conflict or Story Climax] => Shaman & Thief
Room V: Treasure & Twist => Amulet is Shaman’s
We’ve received plotline now.
It’s Your Flip
Primarily based on the define you gave me, Dale, that is the design strategy I’d take.
Flip your plot right into a 5 Room Dungeon to make it simpler and offer you readability.
We’ve received a reverse heist occurring now, which must be enjoyable to GM and play.
Your amulet now capabilities properly because the MacGuffin as a result of it’s a GM weapon — it’s a supply of energy for the villain but in addition their weak point.
We see there’s potential nice Faction gameplay.
And there’s a conspiracy for the bigger image.
Say the shaman efficiently will get the amulet and retains it away from his tribe, however the gamers save the city from the assault.
Out of your gamers’ perspective, they gained the Mission. Excessive fives!
However there’s a bigger plot afoot with the Baphomet crowd.
What is going to Baphomet do to those that slay or seize his promising new chief?
What is going to the shaman do if profitable and he can return to his diabolical ambitions?
What is going to the gamers do in the event that they whack the shaman and study there’s a bigger tribe or clan on the market positive to need revenge?
I hope these ideas assist, Dale!
Add comment