Adventures for Archaeologists?

[Tonguez]

Br. Lukatus The Eurdite scholar and Director of the Museum of Antiquities was a much used NPC in an earlier campaign of mine.

He was moreorless a Loremaster who would organise annual expeditions to explore various ruins and ancient sites and recover holy items.

At one point an earthquake had exposed a bell from a lost pirate ship so he went to invesigate witht he PCs in tow. The Bell summoned a Ghost Ship whose captain was a Fiendish Lich who began terrorising the coastal settlements searching for other members of his crew.

The PCs then began a race to recover various other items before the Dread Pirate Vulgus got them and use them to plunge the world into eternal darkness!

There of course there are ethical tests you could throw in - like a lost civilisation who derive their power from a Unique artifact which the PCs have been sent to recover. - Do they take the artifact and destroy a civilisation or do they leave it and return empty handed...

 

[Dave G]

These are exactly the kinds of ideas I need, please keep 'em coming.

 

[CCamfield]

Well, I'm not familiar with Bluffside, so I don't know how "professional" these archaeologists are by our standards. However, if they do actually take notes on how things are found in situ etc, then they'd be against grave robbers who just steal everything valuable, possibly smashing pottery which could be very informative, and destroying anything that could be learned from the position of the original artifacts in the process. (I say "artifact" in the mundane sense, not the magical.)

So you could have the players discover that some ancient artifacts are getting on to the black market, and they may want to (a) stop anyone from acquiring them, (b) find out who's getting them, and (c) stop the robbers as well.

 

[Esiminar]

There are a whole handful of the Free Online Adventures on the wizards site that could be turned to the purpose you want with only minor modification.

 

[CCamfield]

Oh, and an obvious plot hook from recent events: a museum (perhaps one which is in a country just conquered) is pillaged, and the players are assigned the task of finding out who did the deed, and what happened to the items.

 

[Mean DM]

I'll put in a vote for Auran's Dark Awakening's: Guardian. Basically the party is sent to a remote island to find out what is going on at a dig of an old elven settlement. It is pricey, but the 3D scenes are awesome.

Regards.

Mean DM

 

[Steverooo]

Yeah... Tia Carerre and Lara Croft going after the same ancient artifact as the PCs, when they find out they have to join forces in order to stop the obligatory Doomsday Cult, save the world, and get the artifact (not necessarily in that order). Who'll end up with it, once they're all done, I wonder? Lara Croft and Sydney Fox could be tough opponents.

Dr. Jones probably will... He has that fancy flying machine! Then again, Laura might bring it down with her oddly-shaped Wand of Magic Missiles....

 

[howandwhy99]

I'd like to recommend Gygax's Necropolis. It translates easily into a long-term archaeology hunt.

You may want to check out the any Indian Jones game adventures, too