Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="ThirdWizard" data-source="post: 2171323" data-attributes="member: 12037">The adventure hook relies on the PCs doing what you want. That is never the case.It also isn't tailored to the players. Usually when introducing a patron or other such NPC that wants the PCs to do something for them, it is important to establish a clear motive for that individual seeking out the PCs and to give the PCs some vested interest in helping the patron besides the obvious reward, unless the PCs are known to be mercenaries. Old friends coming back asking for help, people they've saved in the past coming for help because they trust the PCs, or even old enemies seeking their only help available are good plot hooks. Someone the PCs have no previous knowlege of, and someone who is supposedly powerful enough to smite them for not doing what he wants, is not a good motivator.What you want to ask yourself is, &quot;Does it look like the NPC was created just to tell the PCs to do something?&quot; or &quot;Does it look like the situation is wholley improbable and the NPC exists only to solve a plot problem by railroading them into a solution?&quot; If either of these answers could possibly by a &quot;maybe,&quot; then in my oppinion you've gone too far and its time to rework the game in a better, less cliched, more believable way.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="ThirdWizard, post: 2171323, member: 12037"] The adventure hook relies on the PCs doing what you want. That is never the case. It also isn't tailored to the players. Usually when introducing a patron or other such NPC that wants the PCs to do something for them, it is important to establish a clear motive for that individual seeking out the PCs and to give the PCs some vested interest in helping the patron besides the obvious reward, unless the PCs are known to be mercenaries. Old friends coming back asking for help, people they've saved in the past coming for help because they trust the PCs, or even old enemies seeking their only help available are good plot hooks. Someone the PCs have no previous knowlege of, and someone who is supposedly powerful enough to smite them for not doing what he wants, is not a good motivator. What you want to ask yourself is, "Does it look like the NPC was created just to tell the PCs to do something?" or "Does it look like the situation is wholley improbable and the NPC exists only to solve a plot problem by railroading them into a solution?" If either of these answers could possibly by a "maybe," then in my oppinion you've gone too far and its time to rework the game in a better, less cliched, more believable way. [/QUOTE]

Verification