Lost in a painting of Bosch; need some ideas

[Xar]

Ever seen Hieronymus Bosch' paintings? His mad visions of Hell, the enigmatic Garden of Delights, the schizophrenic scenes and landscapes? No? Here's some of them:

Last Judgement Serie:
Last Judgement
Hell
Paradise

Haywain Serie:
Haywain
Paradise
Hell

Garden of Earthly Delights Serie:
Garden of Eartly Delights
Paradise
Hell

Great art, as long as it remains art. But now the PC's have to enter this bizare world, on a mission to rescue the souls of people who somehow got 'captured' in ther paintings. By stepping through the painting that forms the boundary of the two worlds, the PC's must face the challenges of these nightmarish realms... or be gone, forever...

These are the outlines of an adventure I am currently working on. The basic idea is great, but I have run out of ideas how to go next... While the PC's are wandering around the place they should have some interesting encounters with the inhabitants. I can easily make some combat encounters with the locals, but the campaign is set in the Planescape setting, so roleplaying should give more rewards than simply killing things. I have some basic encounter ideas, but they are still quite vague and in need of some fleshing-out. Perhaps the PC's have to collect items, or better yet, ideas (in the form of wisdom), so they are forced to interact with the world. Perhaps to free a prisoner trapped in Hell they have to roleplay the encounter out, to gain a piece of 'wisdom' (things like :"In unity lies strenght"; when they all have to wok together to 'win' an encounter). I have been tinkering with the idea that the entire place is a big 'test' that is made by Bosch to let people grow 'better' (he is perhaps member of the Godsmen faction in Sigil, these are people who think they can achieve divinity by living the right way). He is present in the world (perhaps as God in the Paradise painting), so when the PC's have completed the tests he can let them out or give them a reward or something.

But back to my main problem: I have no idea what kind of encounters or tests I could put in. They could be simple things like fetching items or making some good arguments in a discussion, but it's difficult to incorporate elements from the paintings. And even worse, I have no idea how to incorporate the 'wisdom' the players could acquire (except from that unity thing). So, does anybody has some usefull advice or ideas?

 

[kenjib]

What seems most appropriate to me, given the subject matter you are working with, is to give them seven tests, each one tempting them with one of the seven deadly sins: Lust, Gluttony, Avarice, Pride, Anger, Envy, Sloth.

The trick would be to make each one enough of an externally ambiguous moral dilemma that the sin looks very appealing. Combat really doesn't enter into this picture at all. It's about roleplaying, interaction, and making choices.

I must say that this is a really fantastic adventure idea you've come up with!

 

[kengar]

What seems most appropriate to me, given the subject matter you are working with, is to give them seven tests, each one tempting them with one of the seven deadly sins: Lust, Gluttony, Avarice, Pride, Anger, Envy, Sloth.

The trick would be to make each one enough of an externally ambiguous moral dilemma that the sin looks very appealing. Combat really doesn't enter into this picture at all. It's about roleplaying, interaction, and making choices.

I must say that this is a really fantastic adventure idea you've come up with!

Ooooo! I like it! I like it! Good one, kenjib!

 

[Joker]

I must say that this is a really fantastic adventure idea you've come up with!

Bah, what HE came up with? That plagiarizing bastard.

I was the one who told him about the nightmare I once had where I was walking in a Van Gogh like world.

If he ever makes money of this, I better get 90% of what he makes.

 

[Xar]

Aah, the 7 sins... thats a classic one. It fits quite well with the medieval world of Bosch. But weren't there also 7 Great Virtues? I dont know what they are called, but I think that it would fit better when the PC's would have to learn the importance of the Virtues, not the Sins... While walking around in Hell it is easier to place the PC's in situations where goodness is requered (and in Paradise perhaps they can solve problems arising from the Sins...)

Anyway does anybody know the names of the Virtues? And in what kind of situations can one implement the Sins? I guess I could watch 7, but thats a bit cliched i think...

By the way Joker, these are Bosch' paintings. A Tour in a Van Gogh will be another adventure...

 

[reapersaurus]

And even worse, I have no idea how to incorporate the 'wisdom' the players could acquire (except from that unity thing).

AWESOME idea, BTW.

Definately give them benefits to Madness-type magic or attacks.

 

[Shiv]

Anyway does anybody know the names of the Virtues? And in what kind of situations can one implement the Sins? I guess I could watch 7, but thats a bit cliched i think...

The virtues have been looked at in a number of ways (by the church and by various people). Here's a handy little site. Personally I prefer the contrary virtues, since they specifically protect against the seven deadly sins.

http://www.deadlysins.com/virtues.html

 

[kenjib]

The contrary virtues seem to make it very easy for you to have the seven trials all rotate around both the sins and virtues, as opposed to having to choose one or the other. The players are placed into a dilemma where they are tempted to chose the sin over the virtue. If they chose successfully, they pass the test. I think the trick to making this work well is to disguise and misdirect in such a way that the players can't quickly see what the right decision is and know what they need to do.

I would set up the adventures as a set of encounters that occur along a road -- this road being the path they are told in the beginning is the only way to escape (through another encounter that establishes an over-arching narrative).

After entering the portrait the party is in a field on the side of a dirt road. In the distance they see a figure approaching at a leisurely pace. As he gets nearer they see a man of rather handsome features, however he happens to have the legs of a goat and a pair of curled horns rising from the top of his head. When he gets to the players he welcomes them to his domain, says that he knows why they are here, and offers to make them a deal. He points down the road. They must travel down this road, where they will face seven trials. If they pass, the souls they seek will all be freed along with the players. Should they fail, their immortal souls will suffer unimaginable torment with the rest of the damned for all eternity.

One idea off the top of my head:
*** liberality versus covetousness ***
The path leads to a small cave on the side of the road. Inside they encounter a fierce monster guarding a treasure. As they continue down the road they find an impoverished town. They discover that the livelihood of the townsfolk has been destroyed by the ravages of the monster. They are happy to hear that the monster has been killed, but winter is coming, the fields are all fallow, the livestock all slain, and the villagers have no money with which to buy food from nearby villages. The solution to this test is that the players must sacrifice the treasure they won for the good of the villagers, and to finish righting the wrongs that the monster caused. If they do the right thing, they will have to spend every last copper piece of the treasure they won just to insure that the villagers survive the winter.

I dunno. Maybe that one's too easy, but how hard should it be? I'm not sure what to do if the players fail one of these tests. Do you want to tell them that they are damned eternally for their covetousness and rip up their character sheets, or is there a second chance -- the long road to redemption? Can they escape from hell?

I'm an atheist and this sounds really cool to me but I'm not sure how the religious overtones would go over with other people. It could be a touchy area as this story idea could be seen as kind of preachy. I just think it's cool though, as I can appreciate all kinds of different religions.

It would be really fun to see an adventure, or even a whole campaign, built on a more symbollic/allegorical level rather than the standard, more realistic, model that is de facto. Probably hard to do well but a very interesting idea.

 

[bondetamp]

To make it harder, you might want to make it unclear exactly what virtue/ sin that is being tested.

The characters encounter an orc village. Are they being tested for Tolerance or Courage?

 

[Moulin Rogue]

Tabletop of the Seven Deadly Sins and Four Last Things, probably designed by Bosch but mostly painted by his workshop:
http://www.abcgallery.com/B/bosch/bosch16.html

Detail of the central piece:
http://btr0xw.rz.uni-bayreuth.de/cjackson/bosch/p-bosch16.htm

Paraphrased from a book, here are the scenes in the wheel, counter-clockwise from top:

- two men eating and drinking everything the woman brings to them (Gluttony)
- A judge sitting on an outdoor bench accepting bribes (Avarice)
- a rejected suitor jealously watches his successful rival (Envy)
- Two men fighting in front of a tavern (Anger)
- A woman admires her face and fine hat in a mirror held up by a little demon (Pride)
- several lovers in a tent (Lust)
- man dozing in front of the fireplace (Sloth)

The central image forms the Eye of God - the inscription around the pupil says "Beware, Beware, God Sees".

The four corner circles, clockwise from top left: Death, Last Judgement, Heaven, Hell.