How to Twist Plots

mmadsen · Nov 5, 2002

An archived issue of the roleplayingtip.com newsletter has an interesting article on twisting plots (by someone named Max B.). In it, he lists six ways to twist simple plots to get something a bit more convoluted:

"As is"
It's just a basic plot with cosmetic changes (e.g. names of the wizard and princess, method of kidnapping, place where the captive is held). Okay, it isn't a tweaking per se, but creative changing of details can make interesting adventures. Must be done with caution though -- it can become boring after several repetitions.
"Upside down"
One of the major plot elements is changed to its direct opposite. Maybe the evil princess somehow locked the wizard in his tower (and must be in the same tower to keep him locked); maybe the wizard didn't kidnap the princess, but instead rescued her from a terrible death, and so on.
"HOW MANY of them are here, you said?"
Too many, actually. For example, ten or so evil wizards compete with each other in an attempt to capture one princess; the evil wizard captured not one, but many princesses; last month there were multiple captures of princesses by evil wizards, but only one is Really Significant (tm).
"Bait & switch"
Imagine the wonder of the PCs when they discover that something is absent in the story: the wizard didn't kidnap the princess, he's just deluded that he did. Or the kidnapped girl isn't a princess, but her female bodyguard is (16th level fighter capable to escape on her own, by the way, and very bored and angry because she has orders not to); or (for a really complicated twist) both wizard and princess are impostors --she is a cleaning maid and he's a wizard's would-be pupil (and where on earth are REAL princess and wizard?).
"Amateurs, damn amateurs!"
Something's gone terribly wrong. The wizard's servants were so lame that they lost the princess soon after kidnapping. Now she's somewhere in the wilderness/city slums/Astral Plane, and nobody knows that!
"For King, Country and sheer fun of it"
Humourous story twists are good, if done properly. Probably this tweaking method isn't so great when used alone, but it is when used in conjunction with other ways... For example: what if the wizard kidnapped many girls and ancient custom dictates that the savior must marry one of those he saved, and only one PC is noble enough to be considered eligible for royal marriage?

Has anyone twisted any plain vanilla plots for their own campaign? Got any examples you'd like to share?

Angelsboi · Nov 5, 2002

the best was a story i did called Harvesters' Homecoming. It was ran on Mothers Day (since all of our mothers werent home that Sunday, we all celebrated the day prior).

One of the characters had received a letter from her mother about some gnoll infestations. The group went to her town and made a deadly discovery.

After investigating everything they found several gnolls slashed and bitten. They thought inner conflict. People in town started dying (slashed and bitten). They killed 4 innocent people and the killings kept happening.

At the end of it all, they discovered a local farmer was a werewolf. Then it all made sense to them. They killed the farmer and discovered the killings still continued. They went back to the PCs mother (because she was an herbalist) and discovered a large imposing figure over the body of a woman.

The creature escaped and they discovered the body was a woman but not the PCs mother. They ran after the creature, afraid, it may have killed the PCs mom. After a viscious battle, and the creature died, it reverted into the PCs mother.

The werewolf attacks had been her mother the entire time. i SWEAR there was no dry eyes in the house that day.

Marius Delphus · Nov 5, 2002

The Telltale/Red Herring that Isn't

A variation on the "Bait and Switch," this twist involves clues the PCs uncover on their way to figuring out what's going on.

For example (taking the werewolf cue), the happily married mayor of a particular town suffering frequent wolf attacks lately takes his meat very rare, claims he's allergic to herbs, and is never around when the werewolf attacks, only reappearing sometime later. Turns out he actually has peculiar allergies and a secret: an illicit mistress... if played right, the PCs might end up confronting him anyway, and incidentally exposing the town to scandal on top of tragedy.

On the other side of the coin, there's been a rash of illness in town that apparently has nothing to do with the wolf attacks. The victims appear uninjured but are inexplicably weak and bedridden for a day or two. The local healers assume it's a communicable disease, but really it's the work of a vampire, who's been feeding here for a few days but is using called wolves to maul a few meaningless peasants and thereby cover up his activity.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Tonguez · Nov 5, 2002

Hey didn't that werewolf thing come from Soloman Kane? (I'm sure I read something similar somewhere before)

A serial killer plot in which a week after the PCs start investigating zombies attack the local mortuary - thus making them think necromancy is involved (it isn't this is a red herring)

also at the early murders a figure in black has been seen but runs for anyone else approaches - PCs wonder if this is the killer (he isn't he is a ghost who is also trying to stop the killer)

Marius Delphus · Nov 5, 2002

It'd be news to me (I've never read anything with that title), but I'm unsurprised to hear a similar thing has already appeared somewhere.

Angelsboi · Nov 5, 2002

nope. Never heard of Solomon Kane.

mmadsen · Nov 5, 2002

Solomon Kane

Never heard of Solomon Kane.

Ouch! It hurts to hear a D&D player say that.

Solomon Kane is one of the other characters created by Conan-creator Robert E. Howard. Kane is, of all things, an adventuring Puritan swordsman, stern and resolute, fighting dark sorcery.

mmadsen · Nov 6, 2002

Most of us use "As is" regularly, and one of the first tricks you learn is "Upside down", but "How many?" took me off guard. That's a funny twist.

Helping a villain for some greater good is always a nice twist. Or harming a good person to prevent a great evil...

I'm sure certain plot twists get old a lot faster than others. How many of you have had a party immediately assume the kindly wizard hiring them is up to no good? Or that the person they're rescuing doesn't want to be rescued?

Jolly Giant · Nov 6, 2002

Ehh... Wow. BUMP!

Jürgen Hubert · Nov 6, 2002

The PCs in my GURPS Warhammer campaign learned that a strange cult was abroad in a city - the cultists kidnapped other people and drilled holes into their heads. Some of the victims died, while others joined the cult.

The PCs ambushed a cult cell, and killed two cult members in the process. A job well done, they thought of the time.

Later, they learned that the "cultists" actually had a damn good reason for drilling holes into the heads of some people - they tried to free them from the demonic brain parasites infesting them...