Airship Antics (plot help requested)

[shilsen]

MY PLAYERS STAY OUT!

*

*

*

*

*

*

*
Since many posters were incredibly helpful on the The Fleshweaver & my PCs thread I started for ideas for my campaign, I thought I'd get a little more help from the marvellously inventive/fiendish brains here.

After having returned from their encounter with the Fleshweaver, the five PCs in my Eberron campaign have now accepted a job to accompany and guard Princess Haydith ir'Wynarn, sister to King Kaius III of Karrnath, as she returns for a visit to her country. She will be travelling from Wroat in Breland, where she normally stays now, and will be traveling via airship. The PCs were hired for this job by Hass ir'Tain, working on behalf of the Brelish Parliament and the royalty, since there are some fears that the Order of the Emerald Claw might make an attempt on her life on the way back. The princess will be accompanied by her personal bodyguards and other security, but the PCs, who are the most powerful adventurers in Sharn (being very strong 13th lvl PCs), are the ace in the hole in case there's trouble. They are expected to travel to Karrnath with Haydith and return with her after a stay of 2-3 weeks there.

For people unfamiliar with the setting, here's the non-Eberron version: The PCs are guarding a princess as she returns to her country of origin from the one she's been staying in (as a kind of diplomatic exchange after a century long war between those two and other countries). They are traveling by airship and there are expectations that a group of necromantic terrorists will attack them on the way, trying to kill the princess.

What I'm looking for are suggestions about anything and everything to do with the above. For example:

1) What will be the method(s) for the attack on the airship? NPCs, tactics, etc. This being Eberron, I don't want to go above CR 10 at most for the highest level enemy.

2) What sort of NPCs should be on the airship with the PCs? And yes, before anyone brings it up, I'm extremely tempted to have it be captained by Mal d'Lyrandar

3) What reason(s) do the Emerald Claw (assuming it's the Emerald Claw) have for going after Haydith?

4) Any ideas you may have for making the entire thing more complicated. Why were the PCs chosen for this job? Are all the NPCs on the airship on their side? Is there anything interesting that might happen with them in Karrnath? And so on.

And anything and everything else you think of mentioning.

Thanks, in advance.

EDIT: I just added another request below - Does anyone know where I can find some floorplans for an airship? Especially ones I could print out and use. The one in the Explorer's Handbook isn't really usable with miniatures, and having one(s) that I could would be really handy.

 

[Anti-Sean]

1) What will be the method(s) for the attack on the airship? NPCs, tactics, etc. This being Eberron, I don't want to go above CR 10 at most for the highest level enemy.

Another airship? There's a mole on board with an object for the EC to scry on/track them with. Assuming that the airship the PCs are on is traveling at top speed, the attacking airship will have to come in from another vector along their flight path. The EC can either target the support structures holding the elemental ring in place, or fly above the ship and drop off attacking troops (each using the one-shot feather fall tokens from Sharn: CoT). Explorer's Handbook says that disabled/destroyed airships glide gently to the ground, a la a dispelled 3.x version of the fly spell, but where's the fun in that? If you go by the book, you'll miss out on the chance to have a frantic adventure aboard an airship plummeting towards the ground! Rules be damned in this instance, I say.

2) What sort of NPCs should be on the airship with the PCs? And yes, before anyone brings it up, I'm extremely tempted to have it be captained by Mal ir'Lyrandar

If you want to be subtle, Reynald d'Lyrandar might be another option (or perhaps Malthus). Haydith's retinue should be present, and a few other minor Brelish and Kaarn dignitaries. Perhaps a few cadets traveling to their induction into the Rekkenmark Academy? There should be at least one spy from one of the nations (Brelish Dark Lanterns, Royal Eyes of Aundair, agent of the Trust, etc.)

3) What reason(s) do the Emerald Claw (assuming it's the Emerald Claw) have for going after Haydith?

Either to use her as ransom/a bargaining chip with Kaius, or as bloody vengance for their dismissal from Karrnath.

4) Any ideas you may have for making the entire thing more complicated. Why were the PCs chosen for this job? Are all the NPCs on the airship on their side? Is there anything interesting that might happen with them in Karrnath? And so on.

Well, there's the aforementioned EC mole with the homing device. Perhaps Haydith is smitten with one of the Brelish dignitaries, or vice versa? She could be planning to run off with him on arrival in Karrnath, or he could be planning on abducting her (she may not know about/reciprocate his advances).

Also, make sure that the elemental ring on this ship is a fire ring, not an air ring, and that at least one mook or noncombatant is tossed into it to a firey death when combat ensues.

 

[Andor]

Hmm.. Lots of fun things to do there.

Possible attack modes include:

Sneaking bad guys aboard the shift by stealth/posing as crew. Expect the Emerald Claw to do this.

Hire flying monsters from Droaam such as Harpys/Perytons/Gargoyles.

Mid-to-high level NPC getting aboard with flight items/spells.

Attack by another Airship.

If it wasn't Eberron dragon attack would be another obvious route.

As for your plot and why they are doing it, it's Eberron so think wheels within wheels. So perhaps there is an attack by the Emerald Claw, but the fact that the leader turns out to be a changeling raises the possibility that they are dupes. During the flying monster attack a Warforged with those artifact-wings watches from a distance but does nothing.

Possible Bad Guys include the Lords of Dust, the Aurum, the Lord of Blades, or even Prince Orgev ir'Wynarn seeking to destabilize Breland a bit so New Cyre can make a claim for some more land or a newly discovered resource.

 

[Anti-Sean]

I forgot to mention hobgoblins! Every airship (heck, every scene in every Eberron adventure) should contain an ambassador from Darguun and his/her retinue. Then again, I'm a bit obsessed with hobgoblins in this setting.

The 'Haydith' they're escorting could be a changeling. A bit cliche after Phantom Menace, to be sure, but there it is regardless. She could have been abducted or could have taken off (or still be on the ship but planning to run off) with a love interest as stated earlier. After the dust settles after the ambush and the party is taking stock of the situation would be the perfect time for them to realize that their princess isn't there/isn't who they thought she was after all.

 

[Solarious]

Perhaps Haydith is smitten with one of the Brelish dignitaries, or vice versa? She could be planning to run off with him on arrival in Karrnath, or he could be planning on abducting her (she may not know about/reciprocate his advances).

For the most interesting of reversals, she might be smitten with one of the Brelish dignitaries, and plan on abducting him upon arrival for some 'private time'. And as we all know, missing princesses are a big no-no, no matter if she's the one who is doing the kidnapping or not. Oh come on, she's a big Karnnathian girl, she can carry off a frightened noble on her own.

But if you're interested in making your whipping boys (and girl) -suffer-, I suggest checking out my new monster thread (with it's first evil minion up, The Hunting Bats of Ashtakala), The Bestiary of Ashtakala. I'll put up a nice famine spirit who will be right at home in the Emerald Claw sometime tomorrow.

Trust me, they'll thank me. I mean, you.

 

[blargney the second]

The Emerald Claw stages an attack by another nation, hoping to start another war. While the Karrnathi army invaded the supposed assassin nation, the Claw would pull off a coup d'etat back in Korth.

 

[QuaziquestGM]

Suggestions:

1, Forget the Emerald Claw.

Go with Eco Terrorists trying to free the bound elemental powering the plane.

or

The airship is pulled into the elemetal plane of air somehow, and the pcs have to fight their way back to the PMP.

2, Snakes on a plane.

The air crew is inflitrated by yuan-ti assassins.

or

Some on sneeks a "box of snakes" (barrel of monkeys) into the cargo bay. It opens in flight. small snakes make their way up into the passanger area. The pcs have to go into the hold to face the "big ones". After they finish they get to the flight deck to find no flight crew, and a sleeping python with several gnome size buldges. They now have to figure out how to land the plane.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

1) What will be the method(s) for the attack on the airship? NPCs, tactics, etc. This being Eberron, I don't want to go above CR 10 at most for the highest level enemy.

In similar plotlines, I've had the FRPG equivalent of attacks by warriors & rogues riding some kind of gliders/parasail/flying beastriders/1-man airships. In a Space:1889 setting, I used maneuverable liftwood-equipped solo airships (analogous to the sailboards used in windsurfing) to take down the air battleships of the various empires attacking the BBEG's base (a scene borrowed from Michael Moorcock).

Once the airship was brought down, the real battle was joined...

Similar effects could be achieved with a suicide agent with a DBF or some such...getting you Hindenburg-esque type imagery to play with to stimulate your players.

4) Any ideas you may have for making the entire thing more complicated. Why were the PCs chosen for this job? Are all the NPCs on the airship on their side? Is there anything interesting that might happen with them in Karrnath? And so on.

1) In a version of your plotline, I had a shapechanging assassin in the group, posing as the handmaiden for the princess. Every day or so, she knocked off an NPC in a manner that seemed to be natural...a fall off of a cliff, a sting from a poisonous insect... After her ID was revealed, she seemed to get killed in a big battle, only to pop up one last time right as the PCs thought they were home free.

2) In another version of the plotline, the princess in question was actually a lookalike, a decoy. There was still an assassin involved, but not the "princess'" handmaiden. The PCs were chosen because of their expendibility.

 

[shilsen]

Another airship? There's a mole on board with an object for the EC to scry on/track them with. Assuming that the airship the PCs are on is traveling at top speed, the attacking airship will have to come in from another vector along their flight path. The EC can either target the support structures holding the elemental ring in place, or fly above the ship and drop off attacking troops (each using the one-shot feather fall tokens from Sharn: CoT).

Thanks. I'd completely forgotten about the feather fall tokens. Those will definitely feature in the attack.

Explorer's Handbook says that disabled/destroyed airships glide gently to the ground, a la a dispelled 3.x version of the fly spell, but where's the fun in that? If you go by the book, you'll miss out on the chance to have a frantic adventure aboard an airship plummeting towards the ground! Rules be damned in this instance, I say.

Hell, yeah! No gliding airships in my game! Which, incidentally, doesn't include the gliding thing for dispelled fly spells either.

If you want to be subtle, Reynald d'Lyrandar might be another option (or perhaps Malthus). Haydith's retinue should be present, and a few other minor Brelish and Kaarn dignitaries. Perhaps a few cadets traveling to their induction into the Rekkenmark Academy? There should be at least one spy from one of the nations (Brelish Dark Lanterns, Royal Eyes of Aundair, agent of the Trust, etc.)

This being Eberron, I figure there should probably be multiple spies. Some of which will be double agents, of course.

Also, make sure that the elemental ring on this ship is a fire ring, not an air ring, and that at least one mook or noncombatant is tossed into it to a firey death when combat ensues.

Done

The 'Haydith' they're escorting could be a changeling. A bit cliche after Phantom Menace, to be sure, but there it is regardless. She could have been abducted or could have taken off (or still be on the ship but planning to run off) with a love interest as stated earlier. After the dust settles after the ambush and the party is taking stock of the situation would be the perfect time for them to realize that their princess isn't there/isn't who they thought she was after all.

I'm a little loath to go with her not being Haydith, since I've had similar switcheroos happen before in the campaign. But I'm thinking I might be able to do a little minor stuff with the smitten angle. We will have a paladin PC with 26 Cha on the ship, after all

 

[shilsen]

Hmm.. Lots of fun things to do there.

Possible attack modes include:

Sneaking bad guys aboard the shift by stealth/posing as crew. Expect the Emerald Claw to do this.

Hire flying monsters from Droaam such as Harpys/Perytons/Gargoyles.

Mid-to-high level NPC getting aboard with flight items/spells.

Yeah. I'm thinking of multiple methods being used. Have at least a couple of people on board beforehand, have the largest number part of the overt attack, and have a few sneak aboard during the battle magically.

As for your plot and why they are doing it, it's Eberron so think wheels within wheels. So perhaps there is an attack by the Emerald Claw, but the fact that the leader turns out to be a changeling raises the possibility that they are dupes. During the flying monster attack a Warforged with those artifact-wings watches from a distance but does nothing.

I was considering going with the Emerald Claw being fed the info for the attack by the very people hiring the PCs, or others in the Brelish parliament/royalty who would prefer an excuse to have the war restarted while the monarchy is discredited. The fact that the PCs include 2 ex-Cyrans who just took Brelish citizenship and a Karrn citizen (the paladin) makes the options even juicier and more convoluted.

Possible Bad Guys include the Lords of Dust, the Aurum, the Lord of Blades, or even Prince Orgev ir'Wynarn seeking to destabilize Breland a bit so New Cyre can make a claim for some more land or a newly discovered resource.

Nice ideas. Plus people in both Breland and Karrnath who have problems with the current peace. I can see a Karrn warlord helping the Emerald Claw pull this off.

The Emerald Claw stages an attack by another nation, hoping to start another war. While the Karrnathi army invaded the supposed assassin nation, the Claw would pull off a coup d'etat back in Korth.

*musing aloud* Since the airship's coming in over the Aundairan border, having the attack occur just before they cross opens up possibilities for Karrn problems with Aundair (killed our princess) and Breland (didn't protect our princess). Hmmm...