Anyone got any ideas?

[Wicht]

If you are playing in my campaign, (you know who you are) then don't read this thread

For the rest of you, I'm trying to work on my game for this coming thursday and am stuck at one point. I pretty much got the plot for the next four or five sessions figured out, all except for one thing. I have a small village which is actually the home base of a bunch of pirates led by a notorious captain. This captain is trying to appear more legit and has actually, in between raids at sea taken up pig farming. He is working at looking respectable though in fact he is evil to the core. He is served, not only by his pirates, but also by a Lawful evil cleric of corruption. This pirate has some information that my PCs will need but I don't want him to hand it to them on a platter, I want them to have to earn the information. But I can't figure out what I want him to have them do. (the party should be 2nd level when they encounter this guy and his cut throat crew)

Some of my brainstorming has been as follows
- perhaps the task might involve fighting goblins
- perhaps the cleric has some plan which might seem innocent but with evil intent
- perhaps something needs retrieved
- past this point my mind goes blank.

So does anyone have any brainstorms on a small quest an evil pirate might want a lawful good party to do for him in exchange for information.

I don't promise to use your ideas but I thought if I saw someone else's ideas I might get my own brain working on the problem a bit better.

 

[Viking Bastard]

Kill the competition.

There are other notarious pirate leaders who are starting to make a bigger name for themselves than the pig farmer.

This he does not like.

 

[Mark]

Maybe the goblins are stealing his pigs and he can't spare the men to stop their incursions. Hiring a low level group in exchange for information would be the way to go for him...

 

[BiggusGeekus]

The evil pirate (let's call him "Roberts") could set the PCs against another pirate. Lets say Roberts knows of another pirate that is moving in because the other pirate has heard Roberts has taken up pig farming. Roberts can't attack the other pirate directly -- because that would blow his cover -- so he gets some morons ... er ... heros to do the work for him.

If you like, it can be a goblin pirate captian and crew. That would tie in nicely with your first idea. And nothing says "Arrr Matey!" like a goblin with an eyepatch.

Edit:True to his name, Mastermind beat me to the idea. Drat.

 

[Wicht]

Maybe the goblins are stealing his pigs and he can't spare the men to stop their incursions. Hiring a low level group in exchange for information would be the way to go for him...

You know I had actually considered that one and I may end up falling back on it now that you mention it again.

I had also considered the "attack the other pirate angle" but decided that most pirates lived further north. I had not however considered goblin pirates but that might be a humorous idea to ruminate on.

Thanks guys, my brain is slowly churning again - funny how that works. (though by all means throw out other ideas people)

 

[Mark]

Save that Goblin Pirate idea for a bit later. I remember an old issue of Dungeon having a goblin pirate ship with a hill giant to throw goblins into the enemy rigging. Quite fun and funny...

 

[Wicht]

You wouldn't know what edition of Dungeon that was, would you Mark?

 

[Mark]

Not sure...

Check here and I'll check around some other places-

http://members.tripod.com/s0l0m0n/

 

[Mark]

Found it. Issue #63 January/February 1997

Huzza's Goblin O'War (Look who's dropping in)
by Paul Culotta
Artwork by Steven Schwartz

2E adventure and they also have some Margoyles flying goblins over as well as the hill giant tossing them. Four page mini adventure, I guess.

 

[Jack Haggerty]

How about this...

They meet the pirate captain out at sea or in a port away from his pig farm. He has just recieved word that his prized breeding boar (CR 2, up it a hit dice or two to make it a more challenging CR 3) has escaped and run off. In exchange for the information, he asks the characters to go hunt down the boar, bring back to the farm alive and then bring the inattentive farmhand who was supposed to taking care of the pigs to him for punishment.

While the party is hunting down the boar, have a rival party of goblins hunting it down at the same time... For food, or to tame into a warmount for their chieftain.