When the story doesn't come...

[Piratecat]

If you really, really love part of your campaign world (or if part of your world is boring), destroy it and make the heroes deal with the event or the aftermath. You won't run out of plot hooks for years.

Incidentally, this theory first came up in my last campaign when (a) my campaign map had a huge area of grassy horselands marked on it that was turning out to be really really boring, and (b) I had just read a book about Genghis Khan. Hmm, mongols like grassy plains, right? Enter the Mang, horse-riding orcish archers who invaded from off the known map in numbers coming close to 400,000; the PCs were amongst the first to discover their scouting parties. The heroes never learned why the Mang had left their homeland, but they could have dealt with it if they'd wanted to; instead, they got the heck outta Dodge before the main army arrived.

And when I got bored with having a big chunk of continent taken up by orcish archers, because the PCs had out-leveled the threat? An archmage engineered a magical plague that wiped out every single orc it got near. That way I had several hundred thousand rotting dead orcs and a huge power vacuum... which was quickly filled by necromancers who rushed in to animate the corpses, creating a new kingdom of undead.

One important rule in DM rat-bastardy is to make sure your players have a hand in world-shaking events, even peripherally. In this case, the PCs had previously saved the life of the mage who engineered the anti-orc disease. Every time they ran across those undead they got to think "Hey, we're indirectly responsible!" That was fun.

 

[Kunimatyu]

May you forever burble in the salty darkness, PC - nice job!

I like how the PCs can get involved at nearly any stage of the process - that means the villain can start to do their thing in the background, and the PCs have multiple points to naturally intersect with the villain.

 

[WetWombat]

Gears within wheels within spheres within...wossnames! You, Piratecat, are a complex, complicated man.

Merric, I feel your pain. I've been struggling with that same pain for quite some time in both my PbP games. Of course, meatspace time isn't quite as immediate in such a venue, but it's still an urgent issue. In my 3rd edition homebrew game, I'm about to whisk my PC's (and a couple NPC's) off to Golarion for a little Legacy of Fire love. Then they can find their way back, save the cheerleader, and live happily ever after. As even bigger fish.

My Eberron campaign has suffered major player attrition, to the point that my only participant is my wife. In which case, 'Whatever Lola Wants....'

But then, ignore the noob, I vote for working with Master Piratecat's suggestions.

THE Wombat! (Wet)

 

[LostSoul]

If the PCs are the protagonists of the story, and

The PCs have no goals, then

You are not going to have an interesting story. Just a bunch of stuff that happens.

Once you know what the PCs want, you can make NPCs who oppose them (directly or indirectly). When the PCs meet these NPCs, conflict will arise, dice will be rolled, and when it's all done you'll have a story.

 

[AFGNCAAP]

Well, since you've had a PC go Evil & become an NPC, one potential idea is to make things personal.

This villain could have some motivation to act directly against the PCs. Perhaps he (I'm guessing he, based on the name Archibald) blames the PCs for his fall; perhaps he thinks they lack the conviction to see things through; perhaps he sees them as a potential obstacle to proactively eliminate; perhaps he has to as part of the deal for achieving his goals/gaining power; etc.

The action could be direct or indirect: sending assassins to kill the PCs, tipping off other enemies to the PCs location/plan of action, defaming the PCs, going after allies/loved ones of the PCs, etc.

I think knowing who the PCs are will help define the villains (and their goals). Perhaps using a uniting theme (and maybe even having a BBEG responsible for that "theme") will help provide a sense of continuity between adventures.

For example (just throwing it out there, based on the Evil PC idea), how about having a theme of Corruption &/or Betrayal? Allies or generally benevolent NPCs are seduced to Evil for some reason (lure of power, necessity, a perceived "lack of choice," etc.). Perhaps an Archdevil or Evil deity is using agents to spread corruption. Perhaps exposure to an ancient (demonic) evil & its legacy is "infecting" certain people, causing their fall. Perhaps a Vampire Lord is creating new followers. Perhaps a servant (mortal or not) of an Evil being is converting people to his sinister faith. Perhaps a conqueror is preparing invasion, and is using espionage to undermine/weaken the nation severely before actively sending out armies to conquer his targets.

One potential effect is PC concern over corruption/betrayal. Characters may be concerned that another character in the group may fall to Evil. New allies could be viewed with suspicion; trust in old allies may be constantly reevaluated after certain events. Or, characters may take on a zealous attitude to routing out corruption, potentially alienating allies or inadvertently causing more harm than good. The fear & paranoia over such things could lead to the PCs destroying themselves, which could be one of the key obstacles that they need to overcome.

In fact, the "who are the villains?" question could remain (somewhat) unanswered, leaving PCs to guess who's a threat and who's a red herring.

Hope this helps.

 

[MichaelK]

This trick works quite well under some circumstances, generally when you have a ton of random things going on in the campaign that you just threw in because it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Tell your players that there's been some kind of conspiracy going on in the background that has driven a lot of the game and ask them what they believe it is.

Whatever they say is true. Just act surprised at how clever they are for guessing exactly what's going on.

This little DM dodge has saved me more often than just about any other trick. In my opinion it's not a retcon if none of the players remember it.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Any of the characters have family?

Any of the characters have henchemen?

Any of the characters wizards/priests? MIght to time to send them hunting for some items or follow some dreams.

Any of the characters fighters? In the bar, they hear tales of weaposn of legend that have been hidden from man for decades and wait a proper weaer.

If the characters are more prone to reaction, have they brought forth any magical items from any dungeons? NPC thieves want those to fullfill one of their own plans.

Any of the characters have a high charisma? Perhaps they become the object of some bored nobel and have to worry about the potential situations that causes.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Check out the GM stuff in the FFZ link in my sig. It's kind of built around the narrative process, so it has some pretty good advice.

I'll also be yanking some of PC's advice.

Things like...

• The character wants something. Dangle it in front of them.
• The character fears something. Make them run from it.
• The character has a weakness. Exploit it.
• The villain is built from the character's flaws and fears -- afraid of spiders? Your enemy is a giant intelligent evil spider.
• The villain is never boring. It plays a key role in the campaign, and should receive maybe more attention than any other thing you as the DM design.
• How to do wheels within wheels and plots within plots.

It sounds a bit like you're at the very beginning of a new story -- you've got characters. The easiest thing to do is to turn one of those monsters-of-the-week into a hint at something bigger going on, and maybe to provide a link tethering them together. Think: "Who benefits if all these things happen?" and you might be close to puzzling out a villain.

 

[Mark]

Curse you, Mark!

What the? Why are my feet webbed?

 

[MerricB]

Thanks for all the advice so far.

Just to throw in a few existing plot threads that I haven't developed properly yet...

The Minions of Iuz (and Archibald)
Iuz, evil demigod and ruler to the north-east, has sent a priest along with a few orcs to set up a base in the City of Greyhawk. The group first encountered them when the minions were setting up a smuggler's base in a cave by the river. It was at this point that Archibald (tiefling warlock) betrayed the party and joined with the minions.

The next encounter with the minions was in the city itself, when the party stopped Archibald and the orcs setting up a hidden base within the Old Quarter.

The latest encounter has been Archibald destroying a magic portal that had brought them to the demiplane of Farika (a jungle land where they intended to hunt beasts). At present, they're looking for a way back. Exactly why Archibald has trapped them there is not quite clear to me (it's a fun thing to do, that's one reason), but I expect that he (a) wants them out of the way and (b) the minions are doing something in the city presently.

This needs more development.

The Mask of Riflis
The PCs investigated an old cairn which contained the potent druidical artefact, the Mask of Riflis. They failed(!) to stop a priest of Nerull gaining the artefact. Obviously, this will have repercussions. As the party have been trapped in Farika for a month or more, I'm thinking that the City of Greyhawk should now be under siege by undead animals or something similar. It's protected by its mages, but they aren't free to stop the power of the mask (as all their power is used countering it). Or something like that.

So, another plot thread that I need to develop.

The See of Medegia
A spur-of-the-moment introduction into the game. The See of Medegia (a Lawful Evil/Hextorian realm) has sent agents to Greyhawk to conclude a purchase of demon-bane weapons from the Arch-clericy of Veluna (a Lawful Good/Raoan realm). The PCs spoke to the agents (who had imbibed too much wine and fell to the charm of the PCs) and learnt of the transaction. Why are the Hextorians wanting the weapons? I'm not quite sure - I think they want to deal with a demonic incursion in their land - but this may have additional ramifications that, yes, I need to develop further!

Teresa Corthan and her Grandfather
Teresa Corthan is a apprentice mage and friend of one of the PCs (William). They may be romantically involved. Her grandfather is a noble of Greyhawk with strong trading backgrounds. He has hired the group on a couple of occasions (one occasion saw them clearing out a troll nest that led to the Mask of Riflis incident).

Both of these characters can obviously affect existing adventures or spur new ones.

Cheers!