Looking for an Idea?

[UnDfind]

Here's one...I decided to play a bit after a long stretch as DM, so now I have nowhere to place my new plot Ideas...so I'll just post 'em here. This one's for a party of 4-6, average level of 8. It can be applied to any level as long as you adjust the stats accordingly.

This is a "Whodunnit and why" plot.

The Situation: The party is journeying towards the small town of Heraldsford, most likely expecting to stop for a night and resupply, then head on past towards some other destination.

On the nearly empty road heading into the town, the party is suddenly confronted with an injured man who bursts from the wood off the side of the road about 100 feet ahead. The man, who promptly falls face-first onto the dirt road has a crossbow bolt sticking out of his side and appears close to death. Three men with the look of bandits show up, apparently giving chase to the man. They surround the injured man and and quickly kill him. One of the three newcomers turns and spots the party on the road. He turns and informs his companions and they rush to attack the party.

What if: The party may very well start hurrying forward as soon as they spy the injured man. If they do, then they are still 30 feet away when the man dies. Any party members with spells or ranged weapons automatically catch the bandits by surprise, as long as they attack before spotted. If the party makes a successful attack before the death of the injured man, the men drop him and rush to attack the party. No matter what, the man dies, as the bolt had been dipped in greenblood oil.

What's Happening: The injured man was a member of the Smuggler’s Alliance. He turned coat after a deal went sour and went to the local magistrate. The magistrate is already dead, and smuggler's leader has ordered the traitor tracked down and dealt with. (But of course the party doesn't know that yet).

During the battle: The bandits (smugglers actually) are armed with rapiers (which is the trademark weapon of the Smuggler's Alliance). If any of the smugglers happen to be captured, they may be convinced (Intimidate check, DC 15) to reveal that he is a member of a group called the Smuggler's Alliance, and was sent to kill the injured man. They don't reveal anything else of use. The pary may also notice that none of the smugglers were armed with a crossbow (the weapon that injured the man). At the mention of this, any captured smugglers reveal only that the wound was inflicted by "the boss." Anyone inspecting the body of the injured man may make the appropriate checks to determine that the he had been poisoned, and that the crossbow bolt had been dipped in greenblood oil.

Typical Member of the Smuggler's Alliance: Male Human, Rog 4: CR 4; Medium Humanoid (5’ 8”); HD 4d6 (+4 Con); hp 16; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC 14 (touch 12, flat-footed 14); Atk +6 melee (1d6/crit 18-20, rapier), +4 melee (1d4/19-20, dagger); SA: Sneak Attack +2d6; SQ: Evasion, Uncanny Dodge (dex bonus to AC); AL LE; SV Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +2; Str 10, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8.
Skills: Balance +7, Escape Artist +6, Gather Information +3, Hide +7, Intuit Direction +2, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Pick Pocket +3, Search +3, Sense Motive +3, Spot +8, Tumble +6. Feats: Dodge, Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Finesse (Rapier) Possessions: Rapier, 2 Daggers, Leather Armor, pouch containing 6 gp, 5 sp, and 7 cp.

Tactics: The smugglers have trained together, and usually try to flank one opponent, taking advantage of their sneak attacks. The third smuggler will probably try to hold the other party members off while the other two dispatch them one at a time.

(((More on it's way)))

 

[UnDfind]

Part 2

Okay, now we get into some of the stats.

The Town:

Heraldsford: Population: 290, AL: CG

Heraldsford is a town like many others. It is the central gathering place for the outlying farms and village communities, who come to sell their goods and enjoy the company of others. The town itself is relatively small, numbering just under 300 people. Not many pass through Heraldsford, as it's one of those places that's bypassed by most of the major trading routes. Only one road of any importance goes through the town, and the folk of Heraldsford only know it as "the Main road."

Heraldsford has two badges of authority presiding over the daily life of the town. The Mayor, Ruben Cullins (Male Human, Aristocrat 6) is a tall, no nonsense fellow who presides over the civil affairs of Heraldsford. The town magistrate takes care of the criminal courts and runs the town militia, guard, and the small jail connected to his office.


Arrival: Shortly after arriving in the town, the party finds that the town is abuzz with talk that the magistrate (a man named Dylan Gebb) has been found murdered in his bed. A Gather Information check (DC 15) will reveal that the local healer had declared the cause of the Magistrate's death was Greenblood oil.

The party may alert the acting magistrate (Kepper Indell, Male Human, Ftr 4) of the encounter on the way to town. If they do so, Kepper dispatches men to see what they can see. They return with the body of the injured man, but the three smugglers' body's have dissappeared. It is quickly discovered that the injured man had been affected by the same poison as the magistrate. Any captured smugglers brought back are taken into custody, and a reward of 10 gold is given for their capture (after the claims are logged). The acting magistrate informs the party of a reward (a good amount of money...every DM allows their party different amounts, so you decide) for any information regarding these two deaths.

The party will probably be looking for an inn, as night is closing fast. Any inquiries as to a good inn leads the party to the Inn of the Dancing Donkey, the only real inn in the town.

(((More later)))

 

[UnDfind]

Part 3

The Inn of the Dancing Donkey:

The only true inn in Heraldsford is a clean and lively place. Visitors from the nearby villages and farms, as well as travellers passing through ensure that the place is never short on patrons.

The Inn of the Dancing Donkey is a large, two-story building identified by a wooden sign bearing the likeness of a donkey standing on his hind legs and appearing to be doing some variation of a hula dance. Inside, the inn has a large comfy common room where good food, ale and wine can be found for a reasonable price. Two large fireplaces are located at each end of the common room, ensuring bright light and warmth against the cold of the night. There are plenty of rooms open, and a common sleeping area located on the ground floor is available for a minute sum, but many others share that area as well. Individual rooms and two private dining areas are located on the second floor and are available for a modest fee.

The owner of the dancing donkey may, often as not, be found tending to the affairs of the inn, even though he has more than enough hired help to take care of things.

The Proprietor of the Dancing Donkey:

Greuber Baleson, Male Human, Rog 5: CR 5; Medium Humanoid (5’ 8”); HD 5d6 (+5 Con); hp 22; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 11 (touch 11, flat-footed 11); Atk +4 melee (1d6 + poison/18-20, poisoned rapier), +6 ranged (1d10 + poison/crit 19-20, heavy crossbow); SA: Sneak Attack +3d6; SQ: Evasion, Uncanny Dodge (dex bonus to AC); AL LE; SV Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +2; Str 10, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 12.
Skills: Balance +5, Bluff +9, Diplomacy +8, Escape Artist +4, Forgery +7, Gather Information +7, Innuendo +4, Intimidate +6, Hide +5, Listen +5, Move Silently +5, Open Lock +3, Pick Pocket +2, Search +4, Sense Motive +8, Spot +4, Tumble +4, Use Magic Device +4. Feats: Lightning Reflexes, Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus (heavy crossbow).
Possessions (when conducting Smuggler's business): Poisoned rapier, heavy crossbow, 19 poisoned bolts, 2 three oz vials of greenblood oil, pouch containing 4 gp, 6 sp, and 9 cp.

Physical Description: Greuber Baleson is a squat rotund man with reddish cheeks and a prominent nose. Not a handsome man by any standards, Greuber still has an approachable and honest look to him that many find reassuring. Despite all appearances, Greuber is surprisingly dexterous.

Personality: Greuber is the proprietor and primary barkeep of the Dancing Donkey. He appears jovial and kind upon first meeting, and is well known for the compassion he shows for travelers and beggars who can’t afford the price of a meal. He has won over the people of Heraldsford by his compassion, outgoing demeanor, and kind ways. But behind that façade is a ruthless and greedy merchant. As the mastermind behind the ring of bandits known as the Smuggler's Alliance, Grueber has a knack for plotting and organization. His ability to correctly ascertain the repercussions of his actions has kept him out of prison and beyond any suspicion for years.

Background: Greuber was born to a mercenary who had once been a cleric. Though his father never spoke of those times, Greuber learned enough by snooping around to find out that he had been thrown out of the order for a blasphemy of some sort. His father raised Greuber as a thief and confidence man, sending him to steal from the caravans he guarded after he had assessed the defenses up close. As he grew up, Greuber tired of the missions his father planned out for him and left, seeking his own ill-gotten fortune. After acquiring the Dancing Donkey in a game of cards (he cheated, of course), Greuber decided to set up his front and began forming his Smuggler’s Alliance.

Tactics: Greuber prefers the indirect route, sending henchmen and lackeys to do his bidding. When his temper gets a hold of him, however, Greuber will settle matters personally. When in combat, Greuber will almost always look for cover where he can fire his crossbow until the fighting reaches him and he’s forced to draw his rapier. If possible, Greuber always looks for the sneak attack options first. If none can be found, he goes for magic users or whoever is closer to him. Greuber dips all his weapons and ammunition in greenblood oil.


The Lowdown: So now we know who the big baddie is. Remember not to give too much away, as Greuber is a master of keeping his two lives seperate. Greuber does nothing to indicate his connection with the Smuggler's alliance, even when confronted with the information of the dead magistrate and the man on the road.

(((More later)))

 

[Darklone]

Nice.

Good work. More comments later. (btw: Improved Critical for Rapier... the rogues don't have the prerequisite BAB)(The Uncanny dodge ability of the rogues is wrong ... they can still be flanked!).

 

[UnDfind]

Whoops!

Edited for stats...thanks for pointing that out Darklone.

If there's anything that doesn't add up, feel free to tell me...I'm in Kuwait and didn't bring my books with me, so I'm doing all this from memory. (Maybe if I'm sneaky I can download the SRDs...that would help). Okay, well the next section should be up sometime today, so keep an eye out for it!

 

[UnDfind]

Part 4

Okay, we now have a good situation set up (assuming the players are hooked). For a while, the adventure is probably going to take on a life of it's own as the party does some detective work.

The Hunters: By afternoon of the first day of tracking down the leader of the Smuggler's Alliance, word will have spread that the newcomers have been hired to locate the murderer of the magistrate. This means that Geuber will have heard, and will act to resolve the situation quietly by sending scouts (typical Smuggler's Alliance members...see above) to watch and report on who the party talks to and what they've found out.

Throughout the day (preferrably when they near a critical clue), the party may make a spot check (DC = the scout's Hide check result) to catch sight of their trackers. If any of the party leaves the town of Heraldsford, throw a couple of typical smugglers at them to keep them on their toes. Any captured smugglers may be interrogated, and an Intimidate check (DC 15) will force them to reveal that their boss (they will not say his name) has sent them to watch over the party's progress. Further interrogation will cause captured scouts to reveal how much their boss knows the party knows.

The Clues: As mentioned before, this part of the adventure will most likely be a little chaotic, as the group will be running around trying to figure the problem out. Here are some important clues the party may pick up to piece the puzzle together:

--> A Gather Information check (DC 15) made at the Dancing Donkey will cause a party member to meet an old farmer visiting from his home half a day's ride to the northeast. He claims that he saw a well-guarded wagon caravan cross the trail he used to get here. "I still can't figure out how they managed to get the wagons through that thick of a wood. Wonder why they didn't just use the main road?"

--> If looking for the source of the greenblood oil, the party may come across Hilga, who is the town's local dealer in herbal remedies and alchemical products. Conversation with Hilga in regards to greenblood reveals that she has treated two such wounds in the past year. The two inflicted with the poison had been hunting in the woods to the east, and claimed that shadowy figures had thrown darts at them for no apparent reason. Both men had died from the poison. The matter had been turned over to the magistrate, who had claimed he would send men to search the woods for those that were responsible for the attacks, but no word was ever heard regarding the success or failure of these attempts.

--> No member of the town guard or militia remembers ever being ordered by the magistrate to search the woods for any reason. But they do know the Magistrate sent a couple of local hicks who claim to be rangers out every once in a while to scout around. They always came back empty-handed. They aren't very good rangers. (For the sake of ease, they only remeber the name of one of the "rangers," a man named Dale).

--> Inquiries into the habits of the Magistrate lead to the knowledge that he was a hard working man who kept to himself, but he frequented the Dancing Donkey's common room on the evenings.

--> Questions about the magistrate at the Dancing Donkey result in the staff claiming he kept to himself. In fact, the only person at the inn he really talked to (apart from ordering meals or wine) was Greuber Baleson when he was tending bar. All Greuber Baleson will say about the magistrate is "He was a good customer who always paid his tab on time." (The tabs at the Dancing Donkey are only for locals, by the way )

--> Talking to one of the local guardsmen about the main road (the guardsman may start the conversation by saying something like "Only got a few hours before I go patrol the road") reveals that the main road is well patrolled, and the rumored smuggling ring that has sprung up in the area couldn't be using it for their runs.

--> Any inquiry into alternative means of transport through the woods requires a knowledge (Heraldsford...yeah right), Gather Information, or a Diplomacy (with one of the older citizens of Heraldsford) check (DC 18) to reveal the existance of an older road used before the main road was constructed. This road was called the Heralds Highway, and it required the crossing of the nearby Neerin River to reach the town (thus the name Heraldsford).

--> Most any resident of Heraldsford can tell the party the location of the Neerin River. The river lies to the east of the town (whoda thunk it?)

--> One of the local rangers (Dale Winneford) approaches the party at an opportune time (either to set them on the right track, or just to provide more info). He iforms the group that he was instructed by the acting Magistrate to offer his services to the party, as he had been investigating the claims of smugglers in the area for the dead Magistrate.

Dale's not a very good ranger, and doesn't seem to know much about his craft.

If the party has not had much success in their search thus far, Dale explains that the smugglers must be using an alternate route, probably somewhere in the woods, to smuggle their goods as the main road is well patrolled.

If the party is taking to detective work rather well, Dale opens up for questions. Any inquiries about the Heraldsford Highway reveals that the road wound through a very out-of-the-way and indirect route from town. It eventually runs parallel the main road, but it does so far from the town. Dale had not looked for the smugglers on the old highway because it had been disused for so long that it bacame little more than goat trail. Dale admits he hasn't been near the highway in quite some time, though.


What Really Happened: The Magistrate was actually in cahoots with Greuber and his Smuggler's Alliance (A fact known only to Greuber and the Magistrate). The Magistrate would keep up the appearance of patrolling the woods by sending out two very inexperienced and not amazingly bright rangers, and in return for the privacy, Greuber would give the Magistrate a cut of the loot. The Magistrate began asking for more and more money from Greuber in exchange for his protection.

When a member of the Smuggler's Alliance turned coat and confessed to the Magistrate, he found himself in an awkward position. If he jailed the man, the traitor might tell someone else and then his profit from Greuber would stop, because he would be forced to turn against his partner in crime to keep up appearances. The Magistrate also could not risk killing the man himself without a trial, where the same information would be revealed.

The Magistrate wove a convincing story of how the jail was not safe and that the town guard may have been infiltrated, and told the traitor to stay quiet for a while. The Magistrate secreted him in a cave he knew of to the southeast. He said that he would come to claim him in a few days when it was safe. The Magistrate then went to Greuber and demanded an insane amount of money for the location of the traitor. Greuber was angry, but he paid the Magistrate so he could take care of a potential leak. Greuber then had the magistrate poisoned, as he was tiring of his constant demands for more money. Greuber sent some of his men to take care of the traitor. That, of course, is when the party entered the scene.


Imporvisation: Use the infromation above to lay down clues, but don't be frustrated if the party doesn't find them immediately. Not everyone thinks alike, and a good idea should be rewarded. If a party member decides to look in a place not mentioned, but clever, then reward them with a bit of information that helps them to locate the smuggler's operations in the forest to the east.

Next: I'll outline the smuggler's operations in the forest, and provide some groovy ways to locate them. Maybe I'll even throw an encounter or two in.

(((More later)))

 

[LostSoul]

Couple questions:

1. Do the thugs know anything? If so, they may be forced to spill the beans with a simple Charm Person or Hypnotism spell.

2. Why are the PCs interested in this adventure?

 

[UnDfind]

The Quest Is The Quest

Woohoo! Interest is shown!

1. The thugs do know things, but for the sake of the game, it would be best if they didn't reveal too much to the party. It's pretty easy to make any captured smugglers simply be newer to the Alliance, allowing them to know less.

As far as charm person goes, the caster may now be a friend, but he is still not a member of the Alliance. The smugglers know what happens to those who talk too much and won't reveal too much to anyone outside the Alliance. But as I said, any information you feel like disclosing, go ahead and let it slip from somebody's mouth. This is only an outline and I won't be covering every option available.

Hypnotism only makes the affected creature go 2 steps in a friendly direction, and answers as he would to that person. As the smugglers are openly hostile (and don't like the party much), Hypnotism would in no way make any in the party a trusted ally or confidant.

2. As far as getting the party hooked: It's always up to the DM to do so, but there are several options in this case. First is justice, as two murders have yet to be solved (and one is a town official). Second is money, which tends to be the motivation for many who don't care one way or the other about justice or seeing baddies stopped. Feel free to change anything you need to to make the party's interest in the adventure grow, as every group has it's own motivations and goals. If the party's currently looking for something, then have one of the smugglers describe the thing during interrogation. There's lots of ways to get a party hooked, just learn what your players like, and tailor the quest to their tastes. Makes the game much more enjoyable for all

 

[LostSoul]

Re: The Quest Is The Quest

1. The thugs do know things, but for the sake of the game, it would be best if they didn't reveal too much to the party. It's pretty easy to make any captured smugglers simply be newer to the Alliance, allowing them to know less.

I think the Alliance should be set up so that nobody really knows what's going on - except for the big man himself. He can communicate with them through courier, maybe a bird of some kind. With spells like Charm Person and Detect Thoughts you risk having your mystery solved before it is begun.

Here's something they might do with Hypnotism - hypnotize the guy, telling him to speak with one of his superiors, saying the words "Nice day today, but I'd rather be at home in my nice cozy bed."

Even if the guy doesn't tell you who he's working for with the Charm Person spell, Charm Person and Hypnotism together will foil that.

 

[UnDfind]

Sneaky sneaky

you came up with both the problem and the solution at the same time. Thanks!

That is a very possible way for the Alliance to work. As a wise man once said, "Every battle plan falls apart the moment the enemy is engaged" (or something like that). Improvisation is a wonderful DM tool.