Plot brainstorming thread

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Shieldhaven

Explorer

• Jun 2, 2005

• #1

ShaggySpellsword and ValenarJaeldira, turn back now or face my wrath.

Spoiler Space.











Spoiler Space.

So, I'm planning to use one of the older (and weirder) tricks in the book. Have the party find a blank journal, in which writing appears unbidden. Since I can't do the cool write-and-erase thing the way Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets did, the words will stay on the page for future reference. I'm hoping that this will be an interesting source of both mystery and information for the characters. I'd like some ideas on who the "correspondent" that writes in the journal might be and what secrets he, she, it, or they might have - possibly even unusual things about the writing style. Naturally I can come up with some cool things on my own, but brainstorming en masse can't hurt.

Haven

 

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VirgilCaine

First Post

• Jun 2, 2005

• #2

Shieldhaven said:

So, I'm planning to use one of the older (and weirder) tricks in the book. Have the party find a blank journal, in which writing appears unbidden. Since I can't do the cool write-and-erase thing the way Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets did, the words will stay on the page for future reference. I'm hoping that this will be an interesting source of both mystery and information for the characters. I'd like some ideas on who the "correspondent" that writes in the journal might be and what secrets he, she, it, or they might have - possibly even unusual things about the writing style. Naturally I can come up with some cool things on my own, but brainstorming en masse can't hurt.

Haven

Click to expand...

A person who uses the PCs to do things the person otherwise couldn't--a lich or a dragon or a lord/noble who wishes to remain blameless for the plot the PCs are advancing.

A ghost (obviously) who also uses the PCs in much the same way.

A rival adventuring party who manipulates the PCs to do their work for them.

Or it could be an extraplanar faction using the journal to manipulates the PCs into revealing the defenses of a target area. The faction could be evil genies and elementals (dao, efreeti, salamanders, jann, evil xorn and belkers), just fire elementals, Xill and Slaadi, demons/devils, fiendish humanoids from one of the Lower Planes (i.e. just humanoids with the fiendish template), or something else.

 

Last edited: Jun 2, 2005

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Inconsequenti-AL

Breaks Games

• Jun 2, 2005

• #3

In an old campaign we found one of these.

It was part of a trio of books... The other two were being used by an ambitious member of a merchant family and a deeply unpleasant wizard. The two of them were plotting and we got to evesdrop on their plans. Guess that'll teach them to use items they hadn't fully researched!

IIRC, the mechant wanted his two older brothers and father killed off. The wizard was trying to conduct a ritual. In this case, the 'ritual circle' was several hundred miles across and required all manner of strange materials to be left in precise places.

Was an interesting plot thread. They used a lot of shorthand and somewhat cryptic references when referring to stuff.

 

diaglo

Adventurer

• Jun 2, 2005

• #4

a cult ... the writing only appears at certain times in certain places. each message leaves a clue to the next place and time. of course, cult members are seeking to get the book back.

this is the "holy of holy" tomes.

 

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Shieldhaven

Explorer

• Jun 2, 2005

• #5

Cool ideas - keep 'em coming!

Haven

 

diaglo

Adventurer

• Jun 2, 2005

• #6

brainstorm the problem of books... and ask Cthulu's Librarian for help on this.

they are esp in a world full of magic... highly likely to be damaged.

so perhaps some of the pages are damaged already. either missing, smeared, stained, or otherwise unreadable... possible hooks to find lost pages or misread lines leading to red herrings.

also maybe the book looks too common. so it might get lost in a book shuffle. or theft by a pickpocket.

or maybe the book is exotic.. in which case the chance of others wanting it.. might increase.

build ideas around the book. protections. value. care. rarity. and so on.

 

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Phaedrus

First Post

• Jun 2, 2005

• #7

Have you ever read the 3 Myst novels?

Writing in the books allows creation of worlds. The PC's have a link book that enables them to travel to other "written" worlds.

Or perhaps they've found an old copy of the book used to create the current world they're on. And the BBEG is desperately seeking the book so he can re-make it to better suit his plans.

 

diaglo

Adventurer

• Jun 2, 2005

• #8

universal translator.

as a prop i find using wing dings or other fonts on the computer can help too.

you can print out a copy and then the players can solve the puzzle of the language used and possibly research it and translate it.

it makes skills useful too.

 

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Warehouse23

First Post

• Jun 2, 2005

• #9

Don't forget the value of very simple codes, cyphers, and tricks like acrostics. Someone with access to a magical book might not want just anyone (read: lo-int orcs) reading it.

You could use an arcane calendar system to date the "entries." Only significant research in the best magical libraries of the realm would reveal that time is running "backwards" for the book's author, prompting the players to have the ability to intersect the author's timeline at some point and ensure/stop an event to "change the future."

 

Rel

Liquid Awesome

• Jun 2, 2005

• #10

I like the idea of the book being some kind of a temporal link to a hero from another time (or possibly plane).

The hero has kept a joural of his quest as he uncovered clues and followed them. But in the end he realizes that he has been betrayed and used and is about to be destroyed. The hero is powerless to stop the bad guys but has just enough time to scribble a short phrase on the cover of the linked journal and send it to wherever the PC's find it.

So the cover says something like, "Green is the color of lies!" And then entries begin to appear that have nothing to do with this. The entries lead the party to a series of clues (not necessarily the same ones the hero followed) but along the way they have the chance to discover what the cryptic phrase on the cover means and right the wrong suffered by the hero.

I know that is vague but I think the idea could be developed in an interesting way.