Adventure Idea: Good for a one shot? Title, "When good gnomes go bad!"

[namfoodle]

So i'm trying to start a new group. I have one new player, one old player, a player who really doesn't know about D+D3e and me, who hasn't run a game in a long long time without it going horribly wrong. Anyway, this is the plot as I have conspicuously created it.

Camping one night the players awaken in the realtively safe confines of the danglespine mountains. Just outside of horseswallow on the horizon is what could be considered a large dragon.

The town of Horsewallow is under siege from a large mechanical dragon. A group of gnomes, denied permission to start a school of illusion due to lack of proper funding created a mechanicall dragon to bleed the local gold mine dry. So far it's working. The Gnomes toil endlessly to make the dragon appear real and have even gone so far as to create a process in which the ore gains a life of its own.

They live up in the mountains surrounded by living metal creatures and illusion magic. no one knows they are there. The gnomes are close to making their dream a reality though.

Ok. Poke holes. What is this arc missing?

Nick LaLone

 

[Gilladian]

The gnomes have been denied the right to start their school because they're underfunded? But they have access to a gold mine and can create complex enchanted mechanical creatures? Somehow these two things seem to be in direct competition with each other.

Also, what goal drives the gnomes? Are they seeking to get rich? Destroy the town for insulting them? Force the town to let them build their school? Or just generally wreak havoc until everyone is pissed off and finds a way to kill them?

So far, you seem to be going for the last, which isn't very logical on their part. My suggestion would be that you think through the strategy of the gnomes a bit more, then give them a charismatic leader or two.

Then figure out the hook for the PCs. Do they want to create a settlement between the two groups? Drive off or kill the gnomes? Do they even know about the gnomes to begin with?

More questions than answers, here, sorry.

Gilladian

 

[Chimera]

Guess I have to agree with the last poster. Not very logically consistent.

I don't quite buy that no one knows the Gnomes are there, or the whole "lack of funding" thing (while they're building mechanized dragons).

Perhaps you need a different reason for the Gnomes to be on the rampage.

Then, as above, you need to seriously think about the reasons for the Gnomes doing all of this.

 

[LostSoul]

Evil.

Greedy gnomes aren't really Evil with a capital Eve.