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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Evilhalfling" data-source="post: 1517587" data-attributes="member: 16991">My players stay out! Some clarifications, the characters didn't die, they cleverly avoided a TPK by negotiating their way out of a possibly deadly situation.  But they clearly lost.They didn't get the stolen sword back, they didn't save the woman, and they went home vaguely dissatisfied, they even lost the impromptu city footrace.The adventure was a complicated maze of plots and the PC's slipped -Do other DM's re-feed overlooked clues, use railroading to drive PC's too a conclusion or do you just let the villains win occasionally? - By tactics not combat. Details: The woman was one players father's beloved, Dame Meeks - vanished in the company of a halfling and an old woman - the fathers magic sword a +2 air bane, vanished at the same time (during a trade festival) the loss of the sword was discovered two days later. What the players found out- the father had gotten mad at her and started a fight he exposed her dark secret- she performed abortions (in modern terms this is a gray issue, and one which I support, but to a medieval mind is evil) she was so upset she left, and abandoned the society of men, knowing that she may become an outcast again. She pledged herself to darkness led by her two friends (both hags) and became a hag herself.The players tracked the hags down, and spoke with her, finding her in the midst of a transformation.  She denied taking the sword and they double checked with a locate object.  The hags didn't really want to kill them, as the pc's made no secret of there coming in the nearby town, where the hags were known as witches.  Dame Meeks (the father's beloved) also argued against killing them out of hand. The players also found an oracle of the goddess of winds - which had recently become active (two months previously). They learned several people had disappeared near the oracle but made no connection. Two barbarian tribes held the oracle.  A critical failure on a diplomacy roll resulted in banishment from one tribe and the other demanded a steep fee to speak with the oracle - the PC's declined, they had just found out where the hags lived through diplomacy.  What they missed - The halfling hag was a psionist - which is a well-established trend in my world.  Hafling society is led by female seers-She used a suggestion to force dad to accuse his beloved of abortions in a public place - then used a suggestion to get Dame Meeks to flee town with them. Dame Meeks is a low-level adept and was sought out by hags to complete their coven.  They convinced her to become a hag on the long trip.One player also realized that Dame Meeks had an aura of enchantment, but didn't pass that along or realize possibilities.The sword was stolen by the ministry of winds - a group of possed creatures running the oracle. (Modified ministry of winds from WotC web site)The sword is a Bane of Air Outsiders and was crafted to oppose the ministry 100 years earlier - the revived group stole the sword in their plot TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD! - Ala pinky and the brain. They are a clueless group of villains.  Occasional good ideas but widely delusional. Wrap up  The party was down two PC's for this adventure and attacking the hags would most likely have been a TPK. (3 5th lvl vs. CR 3,6,7)So in essence they didn't follow enough of the plot threads to discover the misdeeds of the villains, and lacked strong reasons to pursue the kill.  They plan on returning to the oracle, so still have hopes of recovering sword, but the woman is clearly lost. Do other DM's re-feed overlooked clues, use railroading to drive PC's to a conclusion or do you just let the villains win occasionally? - By tactics not combat. The players had a lot of fun tracking down leads, but I think were unsatisfied by the lack of strong ending.</blockquote>

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