Need and errand idea for my party!

Denalz · Sep 10, 2018

So my party need the help of a master scryer in order to advance the main plot. The guy I have in mind is willing to help, but for a price. I need several ideas on what he might demand of the party as they will likely need his help more than once. Ideally, I'd like whatever he asks them to do to potentially lead to some combat or role-play encounters. Feel free to make his requests absurd, his help doesn't come cheap!

Background

The scryer will be a wildly talented old man, a bit of a pervert (he got kicked off the council of his Arcane Order for scrying into the bath stall of a fellow council member). He runs a small practice out of the ghetto of a very posh metropolis. In this city there is about to be a massive winter festival called "The Flurry of Heaven" which is essentially a meteor shower. I would love it if whatever this guy wants the party to do could somehow involve this festival.

Thanks for the help!

Odysseus · Sep 10, 2018

I'd go with something along the lines of. Scryer has seen the object he wants in the hands of someone attending the festival. Then let the party figure out some caper to go get it.

Dualazi · Sep 10, 2018

I'd agree with Odysseus that his tasks should primarily reinforce his reputation as a scryer and not simply be humdrum tasks of a more menial sort. Likewise I would have most of his requests play into his baser desires, since that seems to be his primary motivation from what you've told us. Maybe he wants the PCs to pull off an art heist of tasteful ahem, "self-portraits" that some of the nobility have commissioned. This would be even better if you mentioned later about how some of the affected nobles were fearing an incoming blackmail attempt, unaware that they were taken for personal use and nothing more.

If you're more into the RP side of things, a more pure option would be to send the players on a series of short gopher missions to simply prep for the night in question. You'd have to be sneaky about it, throwing out some red herrings to make the items seem more important than they actually are. For example, having the players swipe a picnic basket because there's "something terribly important hidden within" and that something important just happens to be good food the dude wanted. Once all the items are assembled maybe the wizard invites the players to join at his favorite viewing spot, giving a chance for more backstory and whatnot. Hope this helps.

Baldurs_Underdark · Sep 10, 2018

Maybe the Perverted Scryer really wants to check out a person (e.g. a pretty lady) who performs at the festival, and the party is sent to steal some garment of this lady from her wagon. (Owning a garment of somebody gives a -4 on the Wis save for the person, so it helps the Scryer to successfully peek around). If they manage to cut off some of her hair, the Scryer will be even more grateful (-10 bonus).

Maybe the person will tie into the main storyline later?

Denalz · Sep 11, 2018

This is the idea I'm going with for tonight's game, thanks a lot!

Denalz · Sep 11, 2018

Dualazi said:
Maybe he wants the PCs to pull off an art heist of tasteful ahem, "self-portraits" that some of the nobility have commissioned. This would be even better if you mentioned later about how some of the affected nobles were fearing an incoming blackmail attempt, unaware that they were taken for personal use and nothing more.

This will be the next errand he sends them on. Awesome chance to run a heist session. Thank you!

aco175 · Sep 11, 2018

I once had the PCs deliver a sealed box from one Spinx to another. They did not open it but guessed what was within when I had the other Spinx uncover a large chessboard before opening the box. The scroll inside simply said "Queen takes rook, Mate." It was an elaborate courtship between the 2 and finally won her heart. The best part was later on in their quests they ran into another adventuring group that delivered a similar message last year and found out one of the NPCs was eaten.

Satyrn · Sep 11, 2018

aco175 said:
I once had the PCs deliver a sealed box from one Spinx to another. They did not open it but guessed what was within when I had the other Spinx uncover a large chessboard before opening the box. The scroll inside simply said "Queen takes rook, Mate." It was an elaborate courtship between the 2 and finally won her heart. The best part was later on in their quests they ran into another adventuring group that delivered a similar message last year and found out one of the NPCs was eaten.

I gotta work this into my megadungeon!

Oh! I can have one warlock patron engaged in this play-by-messenger chess match with another patron, and the main reason they've given their warlocks any power is to survive the dangers of delivering a move.

Satyrn · Sep 11, 2018

On second thought, one of the chess players will be a God opposed to the warlock patron, and the chess match is Important in some unfathomably cosmic way.

Bradley Hindman · Sep 11, 2018

Well . . . if this festival celebrates a meteor shower, perhaps the players need to fetch a piece of meteoric glass that will fall from the sky. The diviner hopes to fashion a scrying mirror from the glass. The fall has been prognosticated by a variety of diviners and others are also seeking the crash site.