Help with city-based campaign

Long story short, I've been put into a position to run a brand new (1st level) campaign set in a city. I had to completely improve a session (just 1 hour long or so), after the players made new characters. In that session, the player's heard cries of "stop thief" and chased after two masked individuals running down the street with a coin purse belonging to the butcher. PCs chase, and kill one thief in an alley, a couple of other thieves (also in masks) ambush them with bow and arrow. Battle ensues. At some point, someone plays the pipes of the sewer and a swarm of rats shows up, but the PCs escape with some unconscious thieves who are turned over to the authorities. Unmasking the dead thief reveals that it "looks like a 12 year old girl".

I'm looking for ideas on how to flesh this out into something long-term. Any suggestions of applicable modules or supplements is welcome.


What I've come up with (don't read if you don't want to be influenced by my own ideas!):
The thieves weren't stealing the coin for the coin - they were creating a diversion to remove the butcher from his premises. While he's away, more sneak in and disease all of his meats. I intend to make the characters choose between "fish or beef" at the next game, and the ones that choose beef will get the disease. This will have happened at many food sources throughout town, and so half the population will become diseased. Why this is, I haven't gotten that far yet. Perhaps Talona is involved somehow - and Mask (since the rogues wear masks).

My wife also gave me the brilliant idea of having the kids age while in the jail cell. When the PCs interrogate them, they'll be adults, and during the remainder of the day, they literally become old people and die. I like that - it's super creepy, and hella weird (just my cup of tea), but I need a reason why that would be the case.

Your turn. Do your worst.

Going with a "yes, and..." how about after the kids have aged and died, a few days later, the PCs see the kids again, alive and youthful, engaging in some other shenanigans.

Maybe they stole from a temple of Mask or Talona, and have been cursed, trapped in a loop of having to experience old age and death, over and over again.

der_kluge said:

My wife also gave me the brilliant idea of having the kids age while in the jail cell. When the PCs interrogate them, they'll be adults, and during the remainder of the day, they literally become old people and die. I like that - it's super creepy, and hella weird (just my cup of tea), but I need a reason why that would be the case.

Your turn. Do your worst.

Click to expand...

It might be easiest to think of a plot on the highest tier and work your way down to its lowest levels. I'm imagining this being a plot by someone very powerful and influential, which the players cannot touch at their current level, but as they gain more power they'll eventually be able to take him down.

Question: Who is trying to create a disease outbreak and why.

Answer: The King's Vizier, a wizard and personal adviser to he king, is attempting to create a disease outbreak in the poor part of town. The Vizier is a good man who has warned the king multiple times that in the case of a siege, the town would almost immediately succumb to an outbreak of diseases, and that the king should prepare for it now. He has been ignored, and is now going to manufacture this disease outbreak.

The Vizier, unlike the king, is an elf. He has lived through a disease filled siege before hundreds of years ago and knows the woes it brings, yet the king refuses to act. The Lower District in which the butcher shop lives is cloistered, with its own walls and gates that can allow the guards to cut it off from the rest of the city, while allowing the king to see the effects of a diseased city.

Why the Children aging? The Vizier has a Human Wizard Apprentice who has knowledge of Chronomancy; time manipulation magic. The children were in the dungeons because they were thieves. He struck a deal with them that, if they performed this task, he would free them by giving them a disguise, in that he will age them to maturity and would therefore be unrecognizable. However, after they finish the task, they must return to him when they have matured so he can end the aging spell. They are instead captured, and are unable to return to the Vizier's Apprentice.

Spiraling out of Control:
The Vizier tasked his Human Apprentice to disease the meats, who gave the job to young thieves. The young thieves accidentally diseased the wrong shop, which imported the large number of its wares directly to the castle larder, diseasing the royal family. The butcher is executed for his "negligence," which has endangered the royal family.

One of the young thieves that the Human Apprentice had made older has begun blackmailing the Human apprentice, saying that he will tell the diseased king of this whole plan. The Human Apprentice sends men to kill them (But fails due to the players) and then is forced to give the now-grown child thief what he wants: Magical Weapons and Equipment. Thus he forms a gang of enchanted thieves which run a muck in the city.

With the Royal Family out of commission, the Vizier is now the head of the city. This has caused his worst nightmare to come true, as the neighboring nation has sensed the city's weakness and sent an army to siege them. The army is a long ways away, but the looming threat is represented in peoples constant hoarding, price gouging, and an increased interest in buying arms and armor. Emissaries come constantly to threaten the Vizier and demand a surrender. Although the Vizier now has control of the city and could prepare his Anti-Disease measures, he has no time or money, as he must instead prepare for the siege by building an army and supplies.

Ahem, that is to say that:
Tier 1 villain: The Magically enchanted Thieves.
Tier 2 Villain: The Vizier's Apprentice and his time-manipulated prisoners.
Tier 3 Villain: The Vizier and the royal guards.
Tier 4 Villain: The General of the Conquering army.

Lots of clues to who is responsible. The magic weapons and assassination attempts are a good giveaway. The Child Thieves themselves would most likely say that a magic user put them up to it before they die. The disease, although annoying, is not actually deadly and is more of a nuisance; which means whoever manufactured this disease was not intending on mass murder. In the City's Library, the book on Famous Diseases has been checked out by the Vizier for well over a year now. The Vizier's Apprentice participates in shows and exhibitions, displaying his time manipulating powers, including causing a Seed to grow, bloom, and wilt in a mere day.

Hope this helps.

der_kluge said:

I like that - it's super creepy, and hella weird (just my cup of tea), but I need a reason why that would be the case.

Your turn. Do your worst.

Click to expand...

.

John Out West said:

It might be easiest to think of a plot on the highest tier and work your way down to its lowest levels. I'm imagining this being a plot by someone very powerful and influential, which the players cannot touch at their current level, but as they gain more power they'll eventually be able to take him down.

Question: Who is trying to create a disease outbreak and why.

Answer: The King's Vizier, a wizard and personal adviser to he king, is attempting to create a disease outbreak in the poor part of town. The Vizier is a good man who has warned the king multiple times that in the case of a siege, the town would almost immediately succumb to an outbreak of diseases, and that the king should prepare for it now. He has been ignored, and is now going to manufacture this disease outbreak.

The Vizier, unlike the king, is an elf. He has lived through a disease filled siege before hundreds of years ago and knows the woes it brings, yet the king refuses to act. The Lower District in which the butcher shop lives is cloistered, with its own walls and gates that can allow the guards to cut it off from the rest of the city, while allowing the king to see the effects of a diseased city.

Why the Children aging? The Vizier has a Human Wizard Apprentice who has knowledge of Chronomancy; time manipulation magic. The children were in the dungeons because they were thieves. He struck a deal with them that, if they performed this task, he would free them by giving them a disguise, in that he will age them to maturity and would therefore be unrecognizable. However, after they finish the task, they must return to him when they have matured so he can end the aging spell. They are instead captured, and are unable to return to the Vizier's Apprentice.

Spiraling out of Control:
The Vizier tasked his Human Apprentice to disease the meats, who gave the job to young thieves. The young thieves accidentally diseased the wrong shop, which imported the large number of its wares directly to the castle larder, diseasing the royal family. The butcher is executed for his "negligence," which has endangered the royal family.

One of the young thieves that the Human Apprentice had made older has begun blackmailing the Human apprentice, saying that he will tell the diseased king of this whole plan. The Human Apprentice sends men to kill them (But fails due to the players) and then is forced to give the now-grown child thief what he wants: Magical Weapons and Equipment. Thus he forms a gang of enchanted thieves which run a muck in the city.

With the Royal Family out of commission, the Vizier is now the head of the city. This has caused his worst nightmare to come true, as the neighboring nation has sensed the city's weakness and sent an army to siege them. The army is a long ways away, but the looming threat is represented in peoples constant hoarding, price gouging, and an increased interest in buying arms and armor. Emissaries come constantly to threaten the Vizier and demand a surrender. Although the Vizier now has control of the city and could prepare his Anti-Disease measures, he has no time or money, as he must instead prepare for the siege by building an army and supplies.

Ahem, that is to say that:
Tier 1 villain: The Magically enchanted Thieves.
Tier 2 Villain: The Vizier's Apprentice and his time-manipulated prisoners.
Tier 3 Villain: The Vizier and the royal guards.
Tier 4 Villain: The General of the Conquering army.

Lots of clues to who is responsible. The magic weapons and assassination attempts are a good giveaway. The Child Thieves themselves would most likely say that a magic user put them up to it before they die. The disease, although annoying, is not actually deadly and is more of a nuisance; which means whoever manufactured this disease was not intending on mass murder. In the City's Library, the book on Famous Diseases has been checked out by the Vizier for well over a year now. The Vizier's Apprentice participates in shows and exhibitions, displaying his time manipulating powers, including causing a Seed to grow, bloom, and wilt in a mere day.

Hope this helps.

Click to expand...

Good lord that's a lot to digest. I bow to your creativity, sir! I'll have to digest that. Some really good ideas in there.

John Out West said:

It might be easiest to think of a plot on the highest tier and work your way down to its lowest levels.

Click to expand...

Good advice.

Answer: The King's Vizier, a wizard and personal adviser to he king, is attempting to create a disease outbreak in the poor part of town. The Vizier is a good man who has warned the king multiple times that in the case of a siege, the town would almost immediately succumb to an outbreak of diseases, and that the king should prepare for it now. He has been ignored, and is now going to manufacture this disease outbreak.

Click to expand...

I dispute the claim that this is a good man. He may be a practical man. He may have something that looks like a good intention and he may not be self-interested, but I have a hard time assigning "good" to the behavior of spreading disease to the poor parts of town. The alignment descriptor I'd associate with that behavior is 'lawful evil', an alignment associated with "pruning away the weak to protect the strong". This is someone who wants what is 'best' for 'the people', but what he thinks is best for them is for them to be hardened against attack and invulnerable to their enemies by any means possible. That is 'lawful evil' in a nut shell. So presumably this is the sort of figure who, despite his loyalty, can get in conflict with his sovereign because the sovereign 'foolishly' believes in things like "the sanctity of human life" and the "natural rights of people". His master is just too soft.

With the Royal Family out of commission...The disease, although annoying, is not actually deadly and is more of a nuisance

Click to expand...

That must be a severe nuisance that it is takes the Royal Family out of commission sufficiently that the Vizier is now the defacto head of the city for any extended period. It has to be a bit more crippling than the common cold. What are the symptoms of the disease and how can it have crippling symptoms and not be 'deadly'. For example, if it is simply crippling, it still could kill shut ins and elderly that have no one to care for them, simply by dehydration and the like. The vizier may not have intended to go so far as murder, but its an obvious potential outcome and he's more than willing to keep murdering to cover up his crime. Again, this doesn't sound like "a good man".

Overall, I really like your setup, but the main problem I foresee in this is it is not at all clear what the PC's are supposed to do. Like your tier 4 villain is the 'conquering army'. What is their role in stopping that and why? Are they the sort of characters where someone would be inclined to say, "I'd pit you against an army." Are they likely to have enough leverage to change the outcome of battles? Honestly, since the main plot line just involves deceptions, the PC's could conceivably with some luck wrap up Tier 1 through Tier 3 in a session or two just by talking. Or more immediately, why do they care about the city having a thief problem? How and why is this going to manifest itself to them? Or if the Vizier's apprentice is confronted by the PCs, why would he not simply shrug and say, "So what? I was following orders. You are the ones that decided to be vigilantes and started all these problems. None of those kids needed to die. You are the ones that killed them. How am I the bad guy in this? Stop poking your nose in things that aren't your affair. What right have you to know the affairs of the city anyway?" And if he does that, what's the PC's supposed to do, murder the apprentice? "We'll tell." doesn't have to strike the Apprentice as a real threat. "So what. Go tell. They'll just throw you in the dungeons for meddling in things that aren't your affair. Now go away, I have a siege to prepare for." What happens when the king gets over his cold? Why can't a cleric just come over and heal the king, seeing as this is an emergency. Why should the king be disabled at all - plenty of monarchs have ruled from their bed chamber and held court from there. And if the king isn't disabled, what sort of confrontation are they really going to have with the Vizier? Why would the royal gaurds be more loyal to the Vizier than the King? Why should the King ever trust the players? It's not really clear to me that there is a path between A and B. Maybe you don't need to know exactly how the players are going to get between A and B, but if you set up a story without a clear path forward for characters in the position and with the relationships that the PC's have, what you risk is creating a story where the PC's aren't actually the protagonists in the story and the really interesting interactions and important interactions happen between NPCs. Or why would the party necessarily realize that the tier 4 villain is the teir 4 villain. What happens if they decide to go out to the enemy army as their first action?

For this sort of setup, it's really important to have PC's that have buy in to the plot, but as the plot has already started the PC's have probably been conceived in very generic terms with no useful relationships (unless we are getting really lucky).

Some of your clues are awesome. Some of the clues like, "a book on Famous Diseases has been checked out of the library by the Vizier", require such extraordinary leaps of intuition by the PC's, that without clues leading to those clues I doubt they'd ever be found.

[MENTION=4937]Celebrim[/MENTION]