Airship Antics (plot help requested)

[Slife]

They're on a giant wooden boat, right?

Termites. Half-iron-golem termite swarms, to be precise. Yes, I know you technically can't apply the template, but it's too good an idea to pass up.

And since fire heals them...

 

[Merkuri]

Have the sabature on board start activating multiple immovable rods to slow the airship down enough to be boarded.

Heh, I like that idea. Place a movable rod on the floor inside the hull and activate it, and watch it immediately move (or appear to) towards the back of the ship, smashing through wooden doors and walls.

 

[The_Warlock]

Never actually seen the movie, though I've heard of it. And let me just say that nobody, absolutely NOBODY, in their right mind would steal the one female PC in the group. Unless they were jonesing to get burned and electrocuted and mauled and very badly mutilated.

Well, you aren't really missing anything, but it's a great basic plot that can be turned in a lot of different ways. Succubi Biker Gang Abducts All Teenagers!

And I'll also point out, reagrding Luna's energetic response to captivity, some villains are just masochists (often while using the wonderful Masochism spell from BoVD).

As an aside, you also could have another pair of factions on board the ship who just don't like each other, and start it all off as a murder mystery. Which has nothing whatsoever to do with the princess, and is a completely unrelated "adventure", but use it to lay another plot hook they may be interested in following. Rather like the old star trek episode with all the ambassadors on the ship, and one dies, murdered in the fashion used traditionally by Vulcans before they became pacifists, with all signs pointing to Spock's father as the potential culprit. In this case make the suspect a good friend or ally of the PCs who just happens to be aboard.

 

[shilsen]

I thought myself to be improving my RBDM skills, but I was wrong. I thought of enemies, and you came up with allies. I bow to your superiority of RBDMness. The Dreaming Dark as allies.

Thanks. I knew you'd like it. My definition of being a RBDM - Giving PCs exactly what they and their players want and making them suffer for it. They always want people who are on their side. So, I provide them, and we discover that it is better to give than to receive

I wonder what their definition of 'smoothing the road ahead' is.

So many options. At least one of which should involve eliminating enemies of the Angels. Even before the Angels know they are enemies. And maybe before the enemies know they'e enemies. Which, of course, will then really make them enemies. See - more giving!

And hey, the only people the Angels can really trust are the evil ones, isn't that right?

Yup. Especially the ones who tell Gareth, "I'm evil. Could you just detect evil to get it over with and then we can continue with our discussion?"

Have the sabature on board start activating multiple immovable rods to slow the airship down enough to be boarded.

Heh, I like that idea. Place a movable rod on the floor inside the hull and activate it, and watch it immediately move (or appear to) towards the back of the ship, smashing through wooden doors and walls.

Nice ideas. Considering the size of the airship, I wouldn't count on even multiple immovable rods slowing it down, but chopping through wooden parts? Why not?

They're on a giant wooden boat, right?

Termites. Half-iron-golem termite swarms, to be precise. Yes, I know you technically can't apply the template, but it's too good an idea to pass up.

And since fire heals them...

That's beautiful

Well, you aren't really missing anything, but it's a great basic plot that can be turned in a lot of different ways. Succubi Biker Gang Abducts All Teenagers!

Damn! That really is a great premise!

And I'll also point out, reagrding Luna's energetic response to captivity, some villains are just masochists (often while using the wonderful Masochism spell from BoVD).

Good point. Of course, with Luna you can count on an energetic response to asking her to not walk on the grass, so it's really easy.

As an aside, you also could have another pair of factions on board the ship who just don't like each other, and start it all off as a murder mystery. Which has nothing whatsoever to do with the princess, and is a completely unrelated "adventure", but use it to lay another plot hook they may be interested in following. Rather like the old star trek episode with all the ambassadors on the ship, and one dies, murdered in the fashion used traditionally by Vulcans before they became pacifists, with all signs pointing to Spock's father as the potential culprit. In this case make the suspect a good friend or ally of the PCs who just happens to be aboard.

I was just making short notes today about the NPCs that I'll have on board, and as part of Haydith's entourage I was planning to have two Karrnathi diplomats. So there could easily be a significant rivalry between them and/or one might be trying to eliminate the other, who's planning to give some information to King Kaius about the first. Getting involved in and solving (presumably) that could give the PCs some info about various political issues going on and maybe get them in good with Kaius, which could have some interesting ramifications. Of course, he'll be happy enough about his sister being saved. Assuming she is.

 

[shilsen]

Here's a question - does anybody know the official info on what height airships normally cruise at? I can't recall seeing that anywhere, but I may have missed it.

 

[KB9JMQ]

I don't know about the official height but at least high enough to take enough time for your encounter before the crash

Isn't one of the docks in Sharn at the top of one the tallest buildings?

In my own games we have three heights: Tree skimming, under cloud and over cloud.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Here's a question - does anybody know the official info on what height airships normally cruise at? I can't recall seeing that anywhere, but I may have missed it.

In Bastion's Airships book, they give the normal operating height as 500 feet, though you can make ships that will go higher. I don't know about Eberron.