A good atonement adventure? (or mini-dungeon with a detroyed temple theme?)

[Graf]

The situation: Due to extenuating circumstances a paladin in service to the NG goddess of mercy wound up attacking and almost killing one of his companions (who was trying to help him).

He fell from grace. However since his action was involuntary (charmed and badly hallucinating/drugged) the atonement spell can redeem him. His godess is ameniable to his redemption but has assigned him a quest.

Unfortunately I had no idea he was going to fall from grace so I'm caught a bit short. I'll be running an off the barrel session when everyone gets back from vacation to give him his shot to get back on the side of good.

I've got a few weeks but not much of that can be used for prep time. So I'm looking for some kind of mini-adventure/dungeon to give me a skeleton I can use. Preferably with a moral choice or dilemma component, but if such a thing doesn't exist and it's just an interesting side-trek I'll make do.

Any suggestions?

[edited for spelling]

 

[HellHound]

What level?

 

[Graf]

10th. It can be weaker of course....

[edit: by which I mean that I can adjust to a higher or lower level to provide an appropriate challenge....]


Thanks in advance! (he says hopefully)

 

[Drawmack]

One of the AEG mini-adventures takes place in an ancient, underground temple that has been taken over by necromancers. I forget the name but it sounds perfect for this and should only take one session to complete.

 

[Hand of Evil]

This is also a good time to work on background information or to set up plot ideas for a future game.

One I used was court investigator, the character has to help out people in trouble with the law that have asked for 'mercy'.

 

[Nightfall]

Since I have an idea of what goddess you're dealing with Graf, here's my idea.

Said paladin must journey to Durrover to the refugee camps near holdings of the Gold Knights. There he must proform an act of kindness and rid the people of any diseases and heal the sick as best he can for one full day (using no other power than his natural healing abilities/skills). Then he must mediate and pray. After that, he must protect a band of pilgrims on their way to the Silver Isle, using only his weapon, armor and sheild. He may not use any magic, but can use his own body and general knowledge of healing skills (if any) to aid them. Finally he must pray in the shrine of the Redeemer on Silver Isle and fast for three days. Harsh I know but this way, you get him good. Then he restored to grace.

 

[Utrecht]

In the most recent isue of Dungeon, there was an adventure with a bad guy being trapped in a good temple, but is thiiiiiiiiis close to escaping.

Basically, the town that the adventures come o has a cleric of Blablabla god that recognizes that they are not strong enough to put the genie (figuratively) back into the bottle, so asks for the PC's help.

 

[William Ronald]

Possibly the paladin could try to protect a band of travellers going through a dangerous area, try to encourage a truce in a conflict or try to settle a conflict, and spend a week to a month in the service of his goddess.

I tend to think a fall from grace should be resolved for voluntary actions. However, a paladin should feel some remorse over involuntary transgressions as well.

 

[Sanackranib]

fallen paladin

Hi Graf, I have only ever had one of my PC's play a paladin who fell from grace. I sent him on a quest when he was 2nd level (back in 2e) to solo kill a wyvern who was harrassing the local populice. he was without the aid of any of his powers, was forbidden to use any magic (including weapons, armor or healing)
gained no XP until the quest was completed and gained no treasure or xp for defeating the wyvern (the treasure he had to donate to the victoms families) honestly I expected him to die or renounce his order and become a fighter, but he undertook the quest and . . . well he rolled really well and eventually defeated it. he then used his resored healing powers to heal up he was at 3 hp or somthing.
becoming a paladin is difficult,
maintaining your status is chalanging.
but restoring yourself in the eyes of you diety is legondary!
my advice is make it so.

 

[Graf]

In the most recent isue of Dungeon, there was an adventure with a bad guy being trapped in a good temple, but is thiiiiiiiiis close to escaping.

It's funny the way things work. My FLGS just got that issue, a cool 1200 yen later and I had what I need (sorta). The adventure is pretty high level, but since it features lots of advanced creatures I can just use the regulars and work back.

Cheers for the suggestion.
(PS I love dungeon)

Said paladin must journey to Durrover to the refugee camps near holdings of the Gold Knights.

Traveling across the contenient into a perpetual war zone really isn't what I had in mind for a one-night atonement quest.
But I appreciate the suggestion.

I tend to think a fall from grace should be resolved for voluntary actions.

Yeah. My players thought the same thing. The atonement spell (PHB 176)makes it pretty clear that paladins who fall from grace through magical compulsion and/or ignorance are the only cantidates for redemption.

I was 100% clear before I began the game that (in my D&D worlds) there is no intention based morality. If your actions produce an evil effect then you are evil, regardless of what your character thinks.
I feel this allows for a wider range of evil individuals than there would be other wise because you can add in a whole new swath of the population.
Being evil is kind of like smoking.... most everybody who is evil ignores the existence of their bad habit. When pressed they either insist that it's just happenstance, or that they started when they were younger and anyway they could stop whenever they want.

From a game perspective it also makes it trickier to figure out who's right and wrong. You can't sort out the situtation by casting detect evil and then gutting everything that glows.
[/tangent]

but restoring yourself in the eyes of you diety is legondary!
my advice is make it so.

Yeah. You're right. I really do want to make it a brilliant, neat little side quest. But I also have to cram it into an 8 hours session. And run a full game the following day. Not that I'm complaining really, I just need to accept that this will have to be more limited in scope than I would like.

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions!
Graf