Foreshadowing Without Plans
- Thread starter Rechan
- Start date
weem
First Post
I have done some of this... one small example I recall was providing a strange device - no plans for it, or any idea what it could be used for, but for use as a potential plot tool later... or a door stop for the PC's if not.
Something I did in one campaign was have the PC's spot someone watching them a few times during the campaign (three times I think)... they would look for the figure, but find nothing... I had no plans for who that was, or why he was watching the players at the time, but I thought that I might have some cool idea later that could tie back to this mysterious figure. I did end up using him as a spy for an NPC they later met - not particularly dangerous or anything, just someone gathering info on them.
Short answer, yes absolutely!
---edit---
Oh, duh! The best one I used was having a figure escape out of the back of a cavern the players came into at level 3 or so. Between them and this figure were a number of kobolds who immediately attacked. the PC's had no idea who the figure was, or why he/she would be in a room with kobolds...
...so at the end of the campaign (where some time travel was involved) they were told they needed to place this artifact that had been carrying around into a pile of treasure so as to make sure everything was set back to normal. They knew they should not be seen and entered into a series of caves... when they came to the location, one of the players disguised himself and snuck up to the treasure pile... nearby were kobolds and on the other side, he saw himself with the group from many many levels back, at which point they realized they had come back to return the item so they could find it again.
I had no plans in particular for that figure until I thought of how to use him there near the end of the campaign.
Anyway, fun stuff
Something I did in one campaign was have the PC's spot someone watching them a few times during the campaign (three times I think)... they would look for the figure, but find nothing... I had no plans for who that was, or why he was watching the players at the time, but I thought that I might have some cool idea later that could tie back to this mysterious figure. I did end up using him as a spy for an NPC they later met - not particularly dangerous or anything, just someone gathering info on them.
Short answer, yes absolutely!
---edit---
Oh, duh! The best one I used was having a figure escape out of the back of a cavern the players came into at level 3 or so. Between them and this figure were a number of kobolds who immediately attacked. the PC's had no idea who the figure was, or why he/she would be in a room with kobolds...
...so at the end of the campaign (where some time travel was involved) they were told they needed to place this artifact that had been carrying around into a pile of treasure so as to make sure everything was set back to normal. They knew they should not be seen and entered into a series of caves... when they came to the location, one of the players disguised himself and snuck up to the treasure pile... nearby were kobolds and on the other side, he saw himself with the group from many many levels back, at which point they realized they had come back to return the item so they could find it again.
I had no plans in particular for that figure until I thought of how to use him there near the end of the campaign.
Anyway, fun stuff
Last edited:
coyote6
Adventurer
Too many times to count. 
I've used mysterious strangers who know more than they ought to, and then later decided who they were, how they knew, and how they connected to things. Once or twice, they've turned out to be the lynchpins of entire campaigns.
In a D&D campaign, I put in a bronze head that babbled nonsense and dubbed it the head of Zagyg; I had no intention of it being meaningful originally, but at least one player was convinced it meant something, and wanted to figure out what it was. So, it eventually turned into an oracular artifact that had a strong affinity for chaos, such that its babblings only made sense in Limbo. Unfortunately, the player carrying it moved and the campaign went on indefinite hiatus before it really became useful; but it would have turned out to have been a very useful resource in their battle against the Galchutt.
I've used mysterious strangers who know more than they ought to, and then later decided who they were, how they knew, and how they connected to things. Once or twice, they've turned out to be the lynchpins of entire campaigns.
In a D&D campaign, I put in a bronze head that babbled nonsense and dubbed it the head of Zagyg; I had no intention of it being meaningful originally, but at least one player was convinced it meant something, and wanted to figure out what it was. So, it eventually turned into an oracular artifact that had a strong affinity for chaos, such that its babblings only made sense in Limbo. Unfortunately, the player carrying it moved and the campaign went on indefinite hiatus before it really became useful; but it would have turned out to have been a very useful resource in their battle against the Galchutt.
Last edited:
Desdichado
Hero
I don't know if I can think of a specific example... that's just my entire style of running a campaign. It's still kinda amazing to me that it all comes together so well near the end, because I never ever have any plans beyond the next session. It's frequent, even, that I don't have enough plans to get me through the session I'm in the middle of running. And yet, in retrospect, my campaigns tend to looks like complicated Robert Ludlum esque conspiracies with clues, foreshadowing, hints, and whatnot throughout the entire run.
MortalPlague
Adventurer
I do this all the time!
In my current campaign, I had to introduce a few new characters following a near TPK (the only continuing adventurer was the rogue, Jaskiran).
The noble ranger was accosted by his sister, a powerful wizard who holds him in little regard; he was teleported to the woods and told to wait for Jaskiran, and then to protect her. He was given no reason.
The tiefling avenger had just finished slaying a powerful undead menace when an Exarch of his church told him to go to the town of Veil and seek out Jaskiran and the ranger, and to keep an eye on both of them. The only explanation offered was that something big was going to happen.
So far, I haven't a clue what the big thing will be. But that's the fun of it, right?
In my current campaign, I had to introduce a few new characters following a near TPK (the only continuing adventurer was the rogue, Jaskiran).
The noble ranger was accosted by his sister, a powerful wizard who holds him in little regard; he was teleported to the woods and told to wait for Jaskiran, and then to protect her. He was given no reason.
The tiefling avenger had just finished slaying a powerful undead menace when an Exarch of his church told him to go to the town of Veil and seek out Jaskiran and the ranger, and to keep an eye on both of them. The only explanation offered was that something big was going to happen.
So far, I haven't a clue what the big thing will be. But that's the fun of it, right?
Oryan77
Adventurer
I just started a thread today asking advice on this very thing. I have a magic sword in the game that a PC shattered. Now he wants it back after he abandoned it. So I've begun providing scenarios where he finds a piece of it and he wants to rebuild it. It's an evil sword (the Orcusword actually) that I'm tweaking just so I can make an interesting storyline with it. This was all an unexpected event and I really have no idea where I'm going with it, but I'll come up with a plan eventually 
I did this same thing with a Book of Vile Darkness a player found in a side adventure I ran. He was interested in what the book was so I came up with a storyline that involved finding out that it's the major artifact version of the BoVD and evil people were looking for it. Too many players rotating in & out of the group & PC deaths made me decide to just abandon that scenario and stick to running the Dead Gods adventure as is.
I did this same thing with a Book of Vile Darkness a player found in a side adventure I ran. He was interested in what the book was so I came up with a storyline that involved finding out that it's the major artifact version of the BoVD and evil people were looking for it. Too many players rotating in & out of the group & PC deaths made me decide to just abandon that scenario and stick to running the Dead Gods adventure as is.
CorditeJimmy
First Post
That's a large part of my current Changeling campaign. There is a core plot, which I throw stuff in for, but most of the side stories and single session things are just a case of throwing stuff out there and deciding on the full details afterwards.
Recently one of the players bought a box at a Goblin market with an assortment of things from his childhood, and found it also contained an unfamiliar casette tape with his name on. I've no idea where it came from, what's on it, or why. I'll make that up if/when he listens to it.
Recently one of the players bought a box at a Goblin market with an assortment of things from his childhood, and found it also contained an unfamiliar casette tape with his name on. I've no idea where it came from, what's on it, or why. I'll make that up if/when he listens to it.
My favorite is when the players pick up on "foreshadowing" that I had not intended. In my current campaign I included an obelisk primarily as a landmark (To get to the spider people, go north and turn left at the obelisk).
The players decided to investigate it, and one took rubbing of carvings on the side, so now the obelisk(s) will play a major story role.
The players decided to investigate it, and one took rubbing of carvings on the side, so now the obelisk(s) will play a major story role.
Haltherrion
First Post
Sure, but I think of it more as fishing than foreshadowing- drop in some bait and see what the players bite on. If they like it, then I'll develop it.
A few weeks ago, it was faerie dragons. I was just going to have an encounter with them but the players refused to fight them and eventually convinced them to talk. After the players later proved they were on the same side with certain actions, the faerie dragons helped them out in another fight. Something always fun for the ref because you can throw enough at them to make them think they are going to die then have their new friends show up to help- in this case, they were invisible and just watching what the PCs were up to.
That was for a oneshot game, I usually do that for my campaigns all though more often, I'll preplan the seeds ahead of time and see what sprouts. Uusally they aren't very fleshed out seeds at all though. Just a hint of a situation or a memorable NPC or the like.
