I just read another thread regarding the unentertaining side quests in LMoP and thought I'd share the improvisations I did, mainly because I really want to share them but obviously can't talk to my players about it.
So they cleared the redbrand ruffian Hideout but Glasstaff escaped before they could reach him but I made sure to mention the rat that he uses to see through its eyes, I also mentioned that it had a red shimmer to its eyes, they wanted to kill it, thinking it was him, but our Druid convinced them not to.
They were looking for somewhere to get sick weapons but I was apprehensive of this due to them being such low level characters. They're inspired by critical role so wanted some ridiculously awesome weapons like they have. So they went to a place on the Phandalin map marked 'Smithy' which was not mentioned in the book so I winged it by role playing a slightly retarded blacksmith his first day on the job so was unable to make anything short of a club with a nail in it. They found his simpleton demeanour amusing so visited him again a few days later. By which time I had created some enchanted items which they would later discover were cursed. The items were as follows.
For the overpowered rogue, a coin of detriment that granted -5 to an ability chosen at random (just so happened to be dex). After 24 hours he had a 24 hour window to sneak it into another persons posession by rolling a stealth check contested by the targets passive perception.
For the Druid, a +1 helm that gave opposite rolls (1=20, 2=19 etc), she still hasn't figured that out.
For the warlock, a circlet of squeakiness that grants +1 to AC but gives the bearer a high pitched squeeky voice.
For the monk, a statuette of his deity that telepathically transmits misleading information (he still hasn't figured that out), this caused some entertainment when confronting Grol as the statue told him the things are not what they seem and he had a feeling that the dwarf on the floor was not the prisoner but the enemy.
For the ranger, a bow of recoil granting +3 to attack rolls but sending him backwards in feet equal to the attack roll, he used it once and hit a wall at point blank range, receiving 20 damage.
And my favourite I have saved for last; for my cleric, a staff of magic missile that shoots four magic missiles instead of 3, but the fourth always misses the target and shoots off far into the distance. He thought he was being cocky when he said "ha, doesn't bother me, I still get to use magic missile without casting a spell." He would learn...
They tried breaking the items or throwing them away but they were sealed with strong arcana and kept returning to their posession.
At Cragmaw Castle, they used the maroon cloaks obtained at the ruffian Hideout to trick the goblins into thinking them allies. With some excellent deception rolls they convinced Grol that there was an army of paladins en route to the castle. He ordered his goblin army and his female drow accomplice to leave the castle and fight these paladins. Then the party killed Grol with ease. On their way back to Phandalin, during their long rest, they were approached by Sildar advising them that Phandalin had been burned to the ground by a drow and an army of goblins and that they must flee at once. Without any questions, they believed him and followed, right into an enormous clearing in the forest where they lost him. They were then surrounded by 12 goblins as Sildar returned from the trees transforming back into the drow.
After defeating them, they continued onward to Phandalin. During the journey, Gundren spoke of Iarno and how he had never trusted him as he had an evil aura. On top of that, he also had a red shimmer to his eyes that Gundren did not like. After returning from Cragmaw Castle, they were eager to meet with Smithy but just as they arrived at Phandalin, they were greeted by a hysterical Sister Garaelle who took them to her home in tears, distracting them from Smithy. When they arrived at her home, she took them inside where they were greeted by a swarm of young children, she had turned her home into an orphanage for the victims of the ruffians. But over the past few days, something strange had been happening. Several bolts of pure arcane energy would shoot from the sky, at random intervals, each of them killing a child. She showed the corpses to the party and asked the cleric why their god was punishing them. Putting two and two together, the cleric realised these bolts had been sent from his staff of magic missile. The rogue filled with rage and immediately stormed out of the house and charged towards Smithys shack. But Smithy was nowhere to be seen. Upon entering his shack, it was bare, but they did see a rat with red eyes scamper away through a hole.
After enquiringly with Sildar, they learned that such curses could be broken by a strong Mage. I was originally going to work this into the homebrew campaign that I'm working on, but they thought there would be such a Mage at the wave echo cave where they are now headed so I may just work it into that.
Anyway I hope you enjoyed reading my essay, I sure as hell enjoyed playing it out.
So they cleared the redbrand ruffian Hideout but Glasstaff escaped before they could reach him but I made sure to mention the rat that he uses to see through its eyes, I also mentioned that it had a red shimmer to its eyes, they wanted to kill it, thinking it was him, but our Druid convinced them not to.
They were looking for somewhere to get sick weapons but I was apprehensive of this due to them being such low level characters. They're inspired by critical role so wanted some ridiculously awesome weapons like they have. So they went to a place on the Phandalin map marked 'Smithy' which was not mentioned in the book so I winged it by role playing a slightly retarded blacksmith his first day on the job so was unable to make anything short of a club with a nail in it. They found his simpleton demeanour amusing so visited him again a few days later. By which time I had created some enchanted items which they would later discover were cursed. The items were as follows.
For the overpowered rogue, a coin of detriment that granted -5 to an ability chosen at random (just so happened to be dex). After 24 hours he had a 24 hour window to sneak it into another persons posession by rolling a stealth check contested by the targets passive perception.
For the Druid, a +1 helm that gave opposite rolls (1=20, 2=19 etc), she still hasn't figured that out.
For the warlock, a circlet of squeakiness that grants +1 to AC but gives the bearer a high pitched squeeky voice.
For the monk, a statuette of his deity that telepathically transmits misleading information (he still hasn't figured that out), this caused some entertainment when confronting Grol as the statue told him the things are not what they seem and he had a feeling that the dwarf on the floor was not the prisoner but the enemy.
For the ranger, a bow of recoil granting +3 to attack rolls but sending him backwards in feet equal to the attack roll, he used it once and hit a wall at point blank range, receiving 20 damage.
And my favourite I have saved for last; for my cleric, a staff of magic missile that shoots four magic missiles instead of 3, but the fourth always misses the target and shoots off far into the distance. He thought he was being cocky when he said "ha, doesn't bother me, I still get to use magic missile without casting a spell." He would learn...
They tried breaking the items or throwing them away but they were sealed with strong arcana and kept returning to their posession.
At Cragmaw Castle, they used the maroon cloaks obtained at the ruffian Hideout to trick the goblins into thinking them allies. With some excellent deception rolls they convinced Grol that there was an army of paladins en route to the castle. He ordered his goblin army and his female drow accomplice to leave the castle and fight these paladins. Then the party killed Grol with ease. On their way back to Phandalin, during their long rest, they were approached by Sildar advising them that Phandalin had been burned to the ground by a drow and an army of goblins and that they must flee at once. Without any questions, they believed him and followed, right into an enormous clearing in the forest where they lost him. They were then surrounded by 12 goblins as Sildar returned from the trees transforming back into the drow.
After defeating them, they continued onward to Phandalin. During the journey, Gundren spoke of Iarno and how he had never trusted him as he had an evil aura. On top of that, he also had a red shimmer to his eyes that Gundren did not like. After returning from Cragmaw Castle, they were eager to meet with Smithy but just as they arrived at Phandalin, they were greeted by a hysterical Sister Garaelle who took them to her home in tears, distracting them from Smithy. When they arrived at her home, she took them inside where they were greeted by a swarm of young children, she had turned her home into an orphanage for the victims of the ruffians. But over the past few days, something strange had been happening. Several bolts of pure arcane energy would shoot from the sky, at random intervals, each of them killing a child. She showed the corpses to the party and asked the cleric why their god was punishing them. Putting two and two together, the cleric realised these bolts had been sent from his staff of magic missile. The rogue filled with rage and immediately stormed out of the house and charged towards Smithys shack. But Smithy was nowhere to be seen. Upon entering his shack, it was bare, but they did see a rat with red eyes scamper away through a hole.
After enquiringly with Sildar, they learned that such curses could be broken by a strong Mage. I was originally going to work this into the homebrew campaign that I'm working on, but they thought there would be such a Mage at the wave echo cave where they are now headed so I may just work it into that.
Anyway I hope you enjoyed reading my essay, I sure as hell enjoyed playing it out.
