Adventures I need a "Xavier" for my group

[Maggan]

Hey all!

On tuesday I'm gonna move out of my comfort zone of running WFRP and Call of Cthulhu, and for the first time DM D&D4e, by popular demand from my group.

I have some hopes of pulling off a good game, and to make it easy for me to prepare and keep things moving, I've chosen to run Dungeon Delve.

To this, I am attaching a common plot whereby the PCs are recruited by a mysterious entity, sort of like Xavier of X-men fame, and welded into a potent force for good or evil (I haven't decided yet).

So, does anyone have any good Xavier suggestions? A mad archmage? A cardinal of Pelor? A vampire lord?

Thanks for all help!

/Magnus

[Charwoman Gene]

How about a bearded old man? Slightly mysterious about his power level, but slightly kooky. Just to be wacky, try having them meet him someplace offbeat like a tavern.

In seriousness, be careful with this. Make sure there is a reason your mentor dude can't solve the problems himself. Like a ritualist who can't perform imn combat or something. Otherwise you have the Elminster problem.

[Byronic]

You can a hybrid Starlock/Illusionist for partially fate (from the starlock, good for finding out what will happen) and Illusionalist to simulate mindbending powers.

Whatever way you do it making him a hyped up Elite or perhaps even a Solo might be nice You can design his powers to fit whatever you want for him. think especially on things that you plan on him using. For example does he need a way to predict whats going to happen (to end them away on things)? Do you want some way for him to communicate?

Anyway, some thought or magic user is best since it's easy to explain things. To steal a plot, he could be kin to an oracle type character (perhaps the enemy of the plot) and while he can't tell the future he can eavesdrop on the oracle. If you're going to make him evil then maybe the Oracle is good and he's bad. Either way the oracle can't stop him from intruding into his visions. Perhaps your character can walk in dreams

[Protagonist]

I definetly suggest making him more of a political figure, spiritual leader or lorekeeper than a fighter, wizard or similiar being of (combat) power - that's what the PC are for. Unless you plan on him begin killed off soon or even turn evil later on for the PCs to fight, then starting with a mage/dragon/genie etc might work better.

[Frostmarrow]

I like Jaela Daran Keeper of the Sacred Flame in Eberron. She's just a little girl but somehow the nexus of an entire religion. She's probably inspired by Alia of the Knife in the Dune-books. I like that.

[Maggan]

Originally Posted by Charwoman Gene

In seriousness, be careful with this. Make sure there is a reason your mentor dude can't solve the problems himself. Like a ritualist who can't perform imn combat or something. Otherwise you have the Elminster problem.

Good advice, I haven't really thought about that aspect yet.

Originally Posted by Byronic

For example does he need a way to predict whats going to happen (to end them away on things)? Do you want some way for him to communicate?

I want him or her to be able to pop up between adventures, and then send the PCs to far flung corners of the world. Some sort of teleport plot device, is what I'm thinking.

Originally Posted by Byronic

Perhaps your character can walk in dreams

Uh, yeah, that's not a bad idea! Putting the different delves in a dreamscape, having them being different dreams dreamt by ancient monster or something like that. I'll have to think a bit more about this one!

Great idea!

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Unless you plan on him begin killed off soon or even turn evil later on for the PCs to fight, then starting with a mage/dragon/genie etc might work better.

A dragon or a genie would be cool. A genie trapped in a bottle who needs the PCs to perform a series of tasks to be released maybe? Or a dragon who needs help defeting his ancient enemy, who happens to be the end boss of the Dungeon Delve book?

Food for thought, for sure.

/M

[malraux]

One of the PCs finds a compass. Instead of it pointing north, it pointed to the next member of the party,then the next, etc. till the party was established. Then it pointed to the location of the first delve, second etc. At each location, they find a different item. Who knows what the items will assemble themselves into? This buys you a bit of time to decide if the thing in question is good or evil, while also not raising the question of why this plot hook generator isn't dealing with these problems himself. Unless you specifically want to raise those questions.

[Asmor]

The tavern wench.

Unexpected and original. Well-connected, able to hide in plain sight, able to meet with the PCs without it seeming suspicious.

The PCs get a note saying, "Go to the Braying Donkey. Ask for, 'A flagon of ale, and make it snappy!'"

When they do, the ale has a small tube in it with a note rolled up inside with the adventure hook. The PCs probably won't even realize at this point that the wench is their benefactor, though they may suspect she's complicit.

[Bumbles]

Originally Posted by Maggan

So, does anyone have any good Xavier suggestions? A mad archmage? A cardinal of Pelor? A vampire lord?

Well, the best way to do one is to have the characters your players have chosen in mind. Here's my advice though, don't introduce the NPC at the beginning. Have them meet the NPC somehow. Put a prisoner in one of the early dungeons. Some notes, or a fancy item that's valuable, not powerful. Heck, have them rescue a lost puppy if you want. Let the players decide how they got together, then find some way to drop a hint in their path, or better yet, drop a bunch of hints, if they follow one, then put your NPC in place.

[Rel]

And old crone who seems to have seer-like knowledge of the locations and layouts of nearby adventure sites.

It's actually because she is the last surviving member of a band of heroes from a couple generations past. Those heroes struck a bargain with powerful forces to keep some ancient evil at bay so long as at least one of them still lived to make some sort of sacrifice/tribute to these forces.

The (human) crone always figured that it would be the Elf Wizard or Dwarven Rogue's job to deal with with things since they would outlive her by a wide margin. That was until a couple of months ago when somebody murdered the Dwarf and then the Elf.

She is now worried for her own safety but also needs to throw together a new generation of heroes who can stand against the ancient evil their pact has kept at bay all these years.

[fba827]

Yeah, for any patron character, you have to have a reason why they can't do the thing themself.

This becomes harder if the patron is supposedly higher level or more resourceful. It also becomes harder if it's a recurring patron (sure, you can make up a reason why he can't do the one task, but how come he can't do any of the tasks that he keeps asking for) ...

Running with that idea (and the concept of Xavier in my head now that you've used his name), how about ...

(I'll call him "Patron" as a placeholder for his/her name)

As a brash youth, Patron often sought knowledge and the power that comes with it. He prefered to think of himself as an archeologist, but more often than not, it devolved to administrative apprenticeships and light mercenary work.

However, a year ago he was more than excited when he got his hands on a recently uncovered tomb. Figuring no one would notice his absence, he squirreled himself away and began researching. he eventually uncovered a way (as he believed it) to speak to astral beings. So, following the procedure, he called out to the heavens. At first he thought he failed, but then he got a response.. it was a powerful being from above, the likes of which Patron only imagined. Patron asks for secrets of knowledge (and power that goes along with it) and the being agreed, but at a price -- so a deal was struck. In exchange for some of Patron's youth and vitality, he was imparted knowledge to tap in to the stars ...

Due to his payment, Patron has trouble walking on his own, needing a walking stick to even move at all. He was also instantly aged in appearance, so he is barely only 20, he appears to be an older man in his 70s.


Stats of importance:
Warlock - star pact (another pact type for variation)
Can cast rituals
Speed 2 (as if affected by a permanent slowed condition) if at least one hand occupied by staff, quarterstaff, or walking stick. Otherwise, Speed 0
moderate to high int and cha; average to moderate wisdom and con. low dex and str.
Age: 19
Physical appearance: Appears in his 70s. He might even be a little sickly (some extra coughing and weezing here and there while talking), and sometimes when holding heavy books or items his arms shake a little more as if he was holding something much heavier than it really is.
Personality
Motivations: Perhaps the quests he sends the PCs on are for more archeological type items that he wants for himself. perhaps they are somehow related to the powerful being (i.e. that being wants something done, for better or worse) perhaps Patron realized soething bad is happening, but no one is listening to him, figuring him to be a crazy old man. perhaps Patron himself is responsible for something bad that will happen (something else he unleashed during his attempts to contact the being in the first place) and now he is trying to prepare the pcs to fight it/stop it.


or some such.

That's really just off the top of my head. Others have said great ideas in this thread already. I was just trying to push the issue of "why can't he do it" and mix it with "who he was" in the same concept (thus, payment which led to walock - but the same idea could be done with a cleric as well).

[Oni]

Some random thoughts.

You could totally rip off Campion Bond from League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, if you want to push them in the direction of being on the wrong side.

Or if you're worried about the a patron that's too powerful so as to raise questions regarding why they don't just handle it themselves. How about they're dying. They have some goal they want to accomplish but only so much time to do it and they need help. They might even be highly capable most of the time, certainly of defending themselves, but they might also just keel over and start coughing up blood. Travel is right out except in the most desperate situations because of exacerbating the situation.

Patron is a spirit, and bound to a location or unable to take action in the physical world.

Patron is also busy working toward his goals, simply can't do it all at once. PC's won't be able to see all the pieces that way, so when it comes together they might have to stop former patron.

Some sort of creature that needs to have it's body reassembled, sends them after his bits and pieces. The body parts need not be recognizable as such, patron seems to grow healthier each time to they meet him.

[thatdarnedbob]

How about the child reincarnation of a great leader? For example, the Dalai Lama (back when he was a child, of course). You have immediate reasons for the respect given him, along with his lack of power in solving these situations himself.

[carborundum]

Rel - that's a sweet idea man!

[tallyrand]

Remember, Xavier is more than the guy that gives the quests, he's also the guy with the Mansion, Jets, Medlab, and Supercomputers.

If you attach this Mentor/Patron to a home base that can incorporate transport and information gathering and so on it can give you a lot of options. Perhaps the old wizard has bound his power and life into the keep, and cannot leave and needs agents in the outside world, the party does not need to be the only people living/working/adventuring out of there, and it could even allow the players to run a "stable" of characters out of the base, choosing who they want to take on the upcoming adventure.