Meh. Maybe we won't.

[Mark]

The immensely powerful being tells the PCs, "I need the mcguffin from the dungeon of doom to complete my ultimate plan. You will go get it."

The PCs reply, "What if we don't want to?"

What does the immensely powerful being do?

Quasqueton

I'm a fan of having a "somewhat powerful servant" of an "immensely powerful being" doing the asking. He need not be as powerful as the party, in general, but able to offer the party something they don't have or something they want. The "somewhat powerful servant" is too busy to handle the task personally and can't spare any resources from their own immediate agenda.

An "immensely powerful being" rarely hears about the failed attempts of its many "somewhat powerful servants" and only sometimes rewards the successes.

PCs and NPCS in game almost never have contact with an actual "immensely powerful being" and if they do, it is often a campaign ender (one way or another), so refusing a task can almost assuredly mean death (even as accepting the task can).

An "immensely powerful being" doesn't need a starship to get beyond the barrier. If he is tasking a group of adventurers it isn't because he can't do it himself, it is because he's not sure the group can do it and he thinks it will entertain him to find out.

 

[GSHamster]

Two situations:

If the Quest Giver is an enemy, use threats and intimidation to get the PCs in line. And if they don't, follow through on the threats. It's what the character would do. But don't count on the threats and intimidation working. This style of adventure is more about turning the tables on the Quest Giver than about doing whatever she wanted.

If the Quest Giver is an ally, have a good reason why the Quest Giver can't do it himself. The easiest way is to have him be doing something else. For example, a king can't go adventuring, he has to be king. (Actually you could have a neat adventure where the king skips out on his responsibilities to join the group.) Punishments don't really work, because it changes the situation into the above one, and changes the nature of the adventure.

 

[Templetroll]

"Nothing but this trip into the Measle mountains, on through the Mumps Humps, across Mud-sweat swamp, down into diarrhea dungeon and out the shoot with the Hemorrhoid Hairpiece Holder of Hank the Bloody-Grundied Ranger!"

"Gee, uhm powerful sir, when do we leave? I just can't wait to find out what a hemmorhoid hair holder looks like and to bring it back for you to use as you wish."

"INFIDEL!!! It's not for me! It's for my, uhm..uh...uh..cousin...Yes, that's right. It's for my cousin."

jh
..

We did that adventure way back when! Only our DM had us go in your exit and we had to jump out the mouth of the dungeon demon. It was actually gross and lots of fun. The most time roleplaying was deciding who was going in first. I think we gave the dungeon a tonsillectomy along the way.

I recently started a Greyhawk campaign; one of the characters wanted to be a Knight of the Shield and was a squire to a Knight. He was on a diplomatic mission ot the Duchy of Urnst, and told the squire to help out the locals with a situation he heard about (Burning Plague). This benefited the negotiations just by willingly helping out and would do more if successful. The other player had a character with what she called her sensai, a teacher. This person was from the Duchy, in the meeting with the ambassador. They mentioned to the character, an awakened animal, about the situation so the creature volunteered to help. A third character had a background that she was following the awakened animal, as it's origin was a mystery tied into a fire in the Celadon years before. (I found the info about the fire on one of the Greyhawk websites) The 4th character was from Kanak in the Dry Steppes and was in the mining community seeking silver for her wizard father. She is helping out to further her own mission.

I had this good module to run, I just had to tailor the story to make it appeal to the various characters and, as mentioned, at least one character was built to join in whatever the awakened animal got involved with. Cooperation is essential to making a game work.

 

[Saeviomagy]

The immensely powerful being tells the PCs, "I need the mcguffin from the dungeon of doom to complete my ultimate plan. You will go get it."

The PCs reply, "What if we don't want to?"

What does the immensely powerful being do?

Quasqueton

If you don't KNOW, then why are your PC's in the situation in the first place?

 

[Felon]

So, when all is said and done, the bottom line is that if the party isn't a bunch of do-gooders, the DM should realize they won't work pro bono. The NPC should have the means to offer the PC's a worthwhile reward, being immensely powerful and all. D&D is a game about risking life and limb for rrewards. What's the big problem here?

 

[Belen]

Maybe I'm an odd DM. I don't feel that 5th-level PCs have any business being in the same room as supreme uberbeings. The CR13 Half-Fiendish gnat swarms would have offed them long before they got to the CR25 dragon.

Of course they do. The world should not exist in a void whereby the PCs are the only game around. PCs should meet things that are more powerful than their level.

In your scenario, once the PCs are 20th level, then they should never speak to a 1st level fighter. They are too good for that.

 

[Belen]

And the players have to decide if they want to keep such a DM. He set up a railroad ride, maybe he should just be a pssenger.

And frankly, as described it is also a cliche, there are better ways to acchieve exactly the same end, instead he has used the sledgehammer approach.

The Auld Grump, yes it is a sore point - I have been in games like that and they were not fun.

Huh? Where, in the original post, did the uber-dude use a sledgehammer? He asked them to do something and then the players asked "what if we say no?" Everything else in this thread has been posited based on assumption.

I, too, find it funny that most people reacted to this thread by assuming it was a railroad. There are many other takes on this whole situation.

1.) I need you to do this for me because I am under a geas and cannot actively seach for it.

2.) "She's rich."

3.) My family has been threatened. I must stay and protect them. If you could help, then I will be forever in your debt.

4.) I am being watched. If I go for it, then it will alert the demon prince to my plans and he may up the timetable.

5.) I am not long for this world. I am too old to take up another fool quest.

And many, many more.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Well, based on the first post, it sounds like a railroad job.

If the players are needed to get something, then having it be an all powerful being requesting it is simple in that it simply casts a quest or geas spell on them.

Otherwise the real question is what is this plot line moving towards that requires such a direct intercesion?

 

[Gentlegamer]

Am I the only one who thinks of "railroading" as "tournament style" and has fun with it anyway?

 

[ThirdWizard]

Huh? Where, in the original post, did the uber-dude use a sledgehammer? He asked them to do something and then the players asked "what if we say no?" Everything else in this thread has been posited based on assumption.

A metaphorical sledgehammer. Basically, instead of looking at PC motivations, history, and crafting a plot that would engage the players through their PCs, the DM just made a supreme being come down upon them and demand they do something. At the very best that's a boring and railroady plot.

The initial assumption is that the players will play along with mister uber-dude. The whole session/adventure probably revolves around them doing that. The DM is now in a bind; he has to get the PCs to agree to do this adventure or its time to close up the books and head home. This happened to me once, except under different circumstances. Since, I have cleaned up my act and always plan accordingly, that PCs will do their own thing. I'm a much better improver now, too, as its been years since that incident.

My first campaign when I started college did in fact, have a powerful patron who was telling the PCs what to do, for the most part. I did, however, talk to my players before the game began, and I chose this because we had several players who were new to D&D and might have been put off by the openness of what is allowed in the world. But, still, this example is very heavy handed and obviously didn't take the players into account when it was being devised, as they responded negatively to the quest.

The moral? Don't put yourself in this situation! The scenario never should have happened in the first place, and that's the best way to fix it.