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<blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 5595533" data-attributes="member: 99">As a fairly strategic player, I always tend to look for this kind of stuff.&nbsp; And it's always disappointing to me if the GM just falls back on, &quot;No they don't have any scrying magic they can use because otherwise there wouldn't be an adventure for you guys.&quot;&nbsp; I carry that attitude with me into the role of GM.Thus I always try and think in terms of what the goals of the NPCs are and what resources they can bring to bear upon them before the PCs get involved.&nbsp; In my mind the scenario above might play out like this:PC:&nbsp; &quot;Have you made any attempt to find out who is behind this kidnapping and theft?&quot;Head Sage In Charge:&nbsp; &quot;Well of course.&nbsp; We have a variety of divination magics available to us and we've gleaned quite a bit of information.&nbsp; We know that it was done by a band of clad in all brown that we believe to be the mercenary group of bandits known as the Brotherhood of the Hills.&nbsp; And we know exactly where they went too.&quot;PC:&nbsp; &quot;And where is that?&quot;HSIC:&nbsp; &quot;Into the Magebane Forest.&quot;PC:&nbsp; &quot;Does the University not have the resources to go into the forest and get them?&quot;HSIC:&nbsp; &quot;I'm guessing that you don't know a lot about the Magebane Forest.&nbsp; The species of trees that grows there draws energy from the ambient magic around them, thereby depleting that magic.&nbsp; This makes it impossible to scry upon anybody inside the forest and makes most of the University Wizards rather nervous about going there.&quot;PC:&nbsp; &quot;Well if the Brotherhood was merely passing through there on the way to their headquarters then maybe you should simply find out where their hideout is and confront them there directly.&quot;HSIC:&nbsp; &quot;We care little for a direct confrontation with the Brotherhood.&nbsp; We simply want back what was stolen.&nbsp; Furthermore, it seems unlikely that the Brotherhood took those things for their own benefit.&nbsp; We think it is very possible that they made an exchange inside the Magebane Forest with whoever hired them.&quot;PC:&nbsp; &quot;So you want us to go into the Magebane Forest and see if we can track them to wherever the rendezvous took place and then follow the correct group to recover your researcher and documents.&nbsp; That sounds like something we could handle...&quot;If the group of PCs includes spellcasters that might be rendered useless by the Magebane Forest then I might also have the University provide them with a &quot;Jar of Magic&quot; that would, on a very limited basis, let them recover their powers while in the Magebane Forest.This concept allows the patron to be seen using their resources to accomplish their goals by helping the PCs rather than simply saying, &quot;We're paying you some money.&nbsp; YOU figure it out.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Rel, post: 5595533, member: 99"] As a fairly strategic player, I always tend to look for this kind of stuff. And it's always disappointing to me if the GM just falls back on, "No they don't have any scrying magic they can use because otherwise there wouldn't be an adventure for you guys." I carry that attitude with me into the role of GM. Thus I always try and think in terms of what the goals of the NPCs are and what resources they can bring to bear upon them [I]before [/I]the PCs get involved. In my mind the scenario above might play out like this: PC: "Have you made any attempt to find out who is behind this kidnapping and theft?" Head Sage In Charge: "Well of course. We have a variety of divination magics available to us and we've gleaned quite a bit of information. We know that it was done by a band of clad in all brown that we believe to be the mercenary group of bandits known as the Brotherhood of the Hills. And we know exactly where they went too." PC: "And where is that?" HSIC: "Into the Magebane Forest." PC: "Does the University not have the resources to go into the forest and get them?" HSIC: "I'm guessing that you don't know a lot about the Magebane Forest. The species of trees that grows there draws energy from the ambient magic around them, thereby depleting that magic. This makes it impossible to scry upon anybody inside the forest and makes most of the University Wizards rather nervous about going there." PC: "Well if the Brotherhood was merely passing through there on the way to their headquarters then maybe you should simply find out where their hideout is and confront them there directly." HSIC: "We care little for a direct confrontation with the Brotherhood. We simply want back what was stolen. Furthermore, it seems unlikely that the Brotherhood took those things for their own benefit. We think it is very possible that they made an exchange inside the Magebane Forest with whoever hired them." PC: "So you want us to go into the Magebane Forest and see if we can track them to wherever the rendezvous took place and then follow the correct group to recover your researcher and documents. That sounds like something we could handle..." If the group of PCs includes spellcasters that might be rendered useless by the Magebane Forest then I might also have the University provide them with a "Jar of Magic" that would, on a very limited basis, let them recover their powers while in the Magebane Forest. This concept allows the patron to be seen using their resources to accomplish their goals by helping the PCs rather than simply saying, "We're paying you some money. YOU figure it out." [/QUOTE]

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