Pregnant Kobolds (Pregnant Kobolds Stay Out)

Shemeska · Jun 24, 2003

(and blood tests clear Meepo of any responsibility!)

Perhaps a bit of an odd thread title, but its an odd situation I find one of my players in. Their character is a female kobold, and through various circumstances leading to this the PC and I as DM are in a pickle. But here's the situation.

The PC had already been mentioning how they eventually wanted to carry a clutch of eggs (much to the other PC's chagrin, they didn't think she'd go through with it, especially when in the middle of a number of plot happenings). The player was doing a rather nice job hinting at this, and I played along with it, usually it leads to good things, but sometimes you just supply to rope they hang themselves with. This may be the case this time.

The PC discovers that one of the deities of her old, now dead, prime world is still alive, and suits her more than Kurtulmak. She finds herself wrapped up in her new faith to the point she builds a shrine and eventually takes a level of cleric of this diety, Shuulmat. She's accepted wholeheartedly by her new patron, and some time later, she's visited by a proxy of the deity. By her own choices entirely, the PC's encounter with said proxy goes ways Eric's grandma should'nt think about, and she's a pregnant kobold now.

This wee little fact comes out right after a combat as the kobold and other PC's are travelling across the 5th ring from the spire in the outlands. One of those, 'I'll have eggs in a week or two.' out of the blue things. The other PC's are stunned, and likely to make her stay home and care for the eggs, then little kobolds afterwards.

The player has done a good job with the RP, but also played themselves into a corner perhaps. The other PC's are overly protective, and one is a specialty paladin of a deity whose portfolio includes protection of children. By creed he's unlikely to allow her to willingly place herself and future children in harms way. The PC may be unplayable very soon depending on the other PC's reactions.

And I'm not really willing to pull senseless gm feat in order to prevent this from happening, it was the PC's goal and the player had every chance for some 6 months of real time now to not have this come up without making the preparations for what it would entail. There's things I could do, but I'd MUCH rather the players handle it amongst themselves with their characters.

Any suggestions?

*fiendish tummy rumble* .... mmm.... roast kobold. Almost as good as Bebelith eggs poached in razorvine sap and Carcerian lemon peel.....

Robbert Raets · Jun 24, 2003

Wouldn't the Paladin be very likely to 'stay home' and help as well?

Can you just halt the campaign and pick up the story a few years later?

Tonguez · Jun 24, 2003

Of course while she is still carrying the eggs she has a problem but how long do kobolds actually carry for? A Week, a month?

and more important

Do Kobolds actually care for their eggs/young?
May be she will lay them in some old carcass, cover them over with sand and them leave them until such time as they emerge half-grown and ready to fight for any scraps they can get.

spunky_mutters · Jun 24, 2003

Sometimes there isn't much you can do. If they're involved in time-sensitive plot elements, you can't really just have time pass.

I had a pc in one of my 1e games get impregnated by a doppleganger (she never did find out that's what it was until the birth) through her own misdeeds (and I made the pregnancy chance pretty low, too. Sometimes things just go a certain way). I think it's good to let the players sort out what they can. If you don't like her decision, your responsibility is to make sure that it plays out in a manner consistent with the rest of the campaign. They can't really ask for more than that.

Silver Moon · Jun 24, 2003

Pregnancy should not have to slow her down too much. I have an elvan ranger who is married to our group's party leader, and she has now gone out on adventure a couple of times in the past year while pregnant (much to his displeasure). It shouldn't really become a problem until late in the pregnancy, and which point you might just want to have the player temporarily play another character instead. And it sounds like in the long run the situation will make for some excellent and fun role playing situations.

LGodamus · Jun 24, 2003

well it depends alot on the actual kobold cycle....since they are reptilian they may not even carry the eggs long at all ...and may not even take much care of them afterwards anyway...

of course she could hire a Nanny.....

Clueless · Jun 24, 2003

(italics are IC)

"Speaking as leader of the party in question, my response was utter horror to find out this was going on. We'd just finished a *major* fight in the astral - in which we'd lost one of our fighters to death already, nearly lost the kobold herself even. And she knew but hadn't told us."

"We're in the middle of a political war caught between possibly two or three factions of 'loths, and have an unrelated ultraloth taking out a personal vendetta in the next month. Our names are on assassin's hitlists - and she didn't *tell* us this."

"The eggs, or little ones when they hatch, will be ideal hostages within two weeks. If I could toss her into a secure cell in Mt. Celestia I'd be sorely tempted, despite my own beliefs on personal freedom."

"Worse! Whoever the father was - the scrawy jerk hasn't even dropped by the inn to say hello yet or to check on her! If he isn't involved in raising them I'm going to hunt his tail *down*. Proxy or no proxy, *my* party members do not become single mothers!"

You can see why this wouldn't exactly be a circumstance that would allow for a fast forward by the GM. While Clueless is overprotective, the party as a whole can't really just retire out of hand - we honestly need the paladin and the children would be safe enough at home. The inn we own is set up in places like a fortress. The old metaphor about painting yourself into a corner seems to apply at this point.

starwolf · Jun 24, 2003

So I assume this is a Planescape Campaign? If so, I'm sure there must be access to another "pocket plane" somewhere. Perhaps one where time passes at a different rate. So the character takes a sabbatical to this other plane temporarily to raise the clutch, and comes back. The character may have aged a few years while only a few days or weeks have passed for the other party members.
This could be a good sidetrek quest, finding a nice, safe peaceful place to raise the kiddo's.

Robbert Raets · Jun 24, 2003

D'Oh!! Starwolf's idea is brilliant! And since I watch Angel regularly, I should've been able to come up with that myself!!

Nifft · Jun 24, 2003

Full speed ahead!

I agree with those who say "GO FOR IT!" -- most responders it seems.

It's far more interesting when PCs not only cause plot to happen, but become part of the plot. Think of all the fun you'll have throwing these evil plot arcs at your PCs, due to their posession of demi-god kids (DGKs):

- Evil anti-Kobold cultists want to kill the DGKs.

- Seekers of divine sparks try to steal the DGKs (for arcane experiments, for Epic-level arch-Necromancy, to feed their dying demon-god, because they're a radical agnostic cult of ur-priests dedicated to deicide, etc.).

- Agents of the usual Kobold god come to try and sway the mother before she gives birth; if she gives in, they "consecrate" her (rendering the eggs stillborn).

- One of the deity-eggs is stillborn, and becomes an Atropol.

- She needs to find an appropriate plane to give birth to the eggs, as their place of birth will determine their "nature". Sigil is off-limits -- the Lady seems to dislike godspawn.

- Demons opposed to the PC's patron try to kill her and her godspawn.

- The eggs begin manifesting divine powers even before they're laid.

If the last season of Charmed showed anything, it's that ultra-baby-power is a good plot device. (And like the baby in that show, you could assign the infants "divine shields", since they're effectively demi-gods.)

-- Nifft