Help Me Out (Please?)

[GravyFingerz]

I'm kind of on a creative slump lately, and my well of ideas is kinda running dry. Maybe you all can help me, since a lot of the minds here at EN World are very creative. Anyway, it's a 1st level D&D game, and it involves some small towns in a reclusive valley, a monastery of 1st level Gnoll Monks, and their halfling necromancer leader. If you guys can hammer the ideas for a plot with this little info, that would be great.

Thanks again

 

[Wycen]

How about a gnoll child is missing and they send an emmisary to the village looking for it?

 

[nHammer]

I don't know how powerful the Necromancer is but how about this....The town's cemetary has been violated (graverobbers). Clues lead to the monastery. The players find out the the Necromancer is creating some undead (skeletons and zombies) for his Monks to train against.

Now the group won't be powerful enough to completely defeat the monestary, but maybe they can do some negotiation.

 

[Buttercup]

Talath, who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? Because most people would assume it was the gnolls who were bad. But what if it was the towns instead? What if they were trying to exterminate the peaceful gnoll monks, who just wanted to be left alone? And maybe the halfling necromancer is a tragic figure, who lost his whole family to a nasty plague, and went mad. Since that time he's been trying to raise them, but the plague did something to their bodies to make that impossible. The gnolls took pity on him, and make sure he can't hurt himself or anyone else.

Of course, if the townsfolk wipe out the gnolls, then the necromancer will run amok....

 

[GravyFingerz]

How about a gnoll child is missing and they send an emmisary to the village looking for it?

That sounds good, but I may have to twist it around a bit, but it got me thinking nonetheless. Thank you

I don't know how powerful the Necromancer is but how about this....The town's cemetary has been violated (graverobbers). Clues lead to the monastery. The players find out the the Necromancer is creating some undead (skeletons and zombies) for his Monks to train against.

Now the group won't be powerful enough to completely defeat the monestary, but maybe they can do some negotiation.

I like it - consider it stolen! Thank you

Talath, who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? Because most people would assume it was the gnolls who were bad. But what if it was the towns instead? What if they were trying to exterminate the peaceful gnoll monks, who just wanted to be left alone? And maybe the halfling necromancer is a tragic figure, who lost his whole family to a nasty plague, and went mad. Since that time he's been trying to raise them, but the plague did something to their bodies to make that impossible. The gnolls took pity on him, and make sure he can't hurt himself or anyone else.

Of course, if the townsfolk wipe out the gnolls, then the necromancer will run amok....

The townspeople are the good guys, and the gnolls and halfling are the bad guys. I don't want to do the reverse villain thing because 1) I want a home base the player's will like and 2) To me, the reverse villain thing has been done to death. The necromancer for the most part has become corrupted by his forbidden arcane studies, so he's evil.

 

[Piratecat]

So if the gnoll monks are evil, why are they so organized and focused? Maybe they're training for a particular holy mission, and won't permit the PCs to distract them from their cause. . .

This seems like an excellent way to foreshadow future plot hooks and badness. When the bad guys are too focused on their evil training to even give a darn about the PCs, you know they're up to no good.

 

[nHammer]

So if the gnoll monks are evil, why are they so organized and focused? Maybe they're training for a particular holy mission, and won't permit the PCs to distract them from their cause. . .

This seems like an excellent way to foreshadow future plot hooks and badness. When the bad guys are too focused on their evil training to even give a darn about the PCs, you know they're up to no good.

That's kinda what I was thinking with my suggestion. The PCs won't be able to defeat the monestary, and the Necromancer can't afford to loose his Monks in a long battle with the PCs (it would hurt his long term plans). All this could set up future adventures.