Party Conflicts and Different Moral Agendas
- Thread starter SHARK
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Dragonblade
Adventurer
Sounds like a fun game, my friend! I wish I could have joined you! 
LuYangShih
First Post
If you are going to leave the truth, in your game world, of moral situations such as this, undefined, why bother with alignments in the first place? Everyone has justifications, rationale and reasons for the actions they take, and I would say it's a rare individual indeed who would call themselves evil and believe it. People think they are good, no matter what they do. The D&D alignment system is supposed to define what is good and what is evil, so you don't have complicated moral situations such as this one.
Spells like detect evil, protection from evil, etc. will not work in a world where every action can be construed as "good" because of the intentions or reasons behind the act, unless you plan to completely revamp the system and/or spells. Slaughtering the Gnolls was either good, neutral, or evil. You can throw in Lawful or Chaotic as well, if you want. If Gnolls are born wicked, than it was a Good act. If they are redeemable, it was a neutral or evil act. A pragmatic, effecient and convient way of dealing with the helpless Gnoll children.
If you do not wish to define such actions, like I said in the beginning of the thread, why bother with alignment at all? It doesn't mean or indicate anything, since actions are not defined as good or evil in your gameworld.
As for player conflicts, they can add spice and drama to a game, as long you have mature players who do not let it affect the fun they are having. It can wreck a less cohesive and/or mature group, and has the possibility of lessening fun in any group. It all depends on how the players involved handle it, and as always that's a case by case scenario.
Spells like detect evil, protection from evil, etc. will not work in a world where every action can be construed as "good" because of the intentions or reasons behind the act, unless you plan to completely revamp the system and/or spells. Slaughtering the Gnolls was either good, neutral, or evil. You can throw in Lawful or Chaotic as well, if you want. If Gnolls are born wicked, than it was a Good act. If they are redeemable, it was a neutral or evil act. A pragmatic, effecient and convient way of dealing with the helpless Gnoll children.
If you do not wish to define such actions, like I said in the beginning of the thread, why bother with alignment at all? It doesn't mean or indicate anything, since actions are not defined as good or evil in your gameworld.
As for player conflicts, they can add spice and drama to a game, as long you have mature players who do not let it affect the fun they are having. It can wreck a less cohesive and/or mature group, and has the possibility of lessening fun in any group. It all depends on how the players involved handle it, and as always that's a case by case scenario.
SHARK said:Greetings!
Hey there S'mon! How are you? It's good to see you my friend!
Well, I think it is kinda important to keep the "truth" as far as Gnolls' alignment a mystery. I mean to say is, I don't think that I want to explicitly decide the issue for players, because then the answer is out in the open, and it's a done deal so to speak. What more is there to discuss then? Do you see what I'm saying?
I also think it is within the purview of Paladins codes' and the Lawful Good Alignment to have paladins that believe in swift and ruthless judgment. It seems to depend on the particular deity that the paladin follows. Despite what many may choose to believe, embracing a code of swift and ruthless judgment and wrath is a very valid part of any good alignment, and in many ways can be seen to very necessary for the forces of good to even survive. Such a view may make some people uncomfortable, but that doesn't mean that such a philosophy is incompatible with Good. Those who are against such, I think, just have a narrow view of what "Good" alignments, especially Lawful Good, means, or can embrace.
I think your playing a "Valloreanesque" paladin is great! It adds drama, depth, and greater dimension to the character as an individual. Embracing such is also good, because it allows for a greater variety of paladin and cleric types, for otherwise, they can often seem to be blurred into cookie cutters, so to speak. This greater variety then allows for different kinds of fun, dramatic stories to be told about your heroic, ruthless, and grim paladin, fighting in a dark world!
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
Heya Shark _ i'm not too bad, some back pain due to wonky leg (been troubling me a few years now)
I think your approach of keeping the abolute truth mysterious is perfectly valid, although I agree with the previous poster that default D&D seeks to do away with moral quandaries by defining everything in black & white terms, so arguably one should 'know' what is eg LG behaviour, there's certainly no reason why LG and CG shouldn't disagree about the 'best' course of action - maybe killing the gnoll young is a Lawful & Good act, letting them go (a la Buffy) is Chaotic & Good, raising them as your own children is Neutral Good (overlooking their faults when they eat their first postman might not be so NG, though...)
I'd never heard of Vallorea when I played that Paladin back in late 2000, but for some reason your world came to mind when I thought of him. Right now I'm only DMing, but I'd like to play a similar character again soon.
Personally I think a lot of DMs confuse LG with NG and try to impose NG or even CG behaviour on a Paladin PC, which can seem a mite unfair. While Superman or TV-show Hercules may be viable Paladin archetypes, it's a lot easier to spare the lives of your enemies if you're superhuman and they're no real threat, and you live in a 4-colour world where 'evil' isn't really very evil after all...
I think the Buffy TV show shows the problems of trying to apply such a code of behaviour in a world where evil beings really are evil. I always liked the way Giles would clear up Buffy's mess by quietly eliminating the bad guy Buffy was too kind-hearted to slay - I'd say Giles was LG to Buffy's NG.
Kichwas
Half-breed
On captured prisoners, in past my character has taken the approach that the blood is not on her hands for killing the prisoner, but on the hands of her companions who insisted on tracking down people they had no inherant conflict with, raiding their homes, and killing them for loot or information.
"It is not my hand that plunged the knife into their hearts, but yours. We had no reason to raid their homes, no reason to assault them. I am just finishing your work, to provide for our future safety against their just vengence."
We've only been ambushed once, and at the end of that fight my PC was pointing out to the group that yes, if she had not known them already, she would have been on the side of the ambushers... who had the inherant moral superiority as half our group are Drow...
I love it when the players of "Good Drow" try to justify attacking Orcs and Kobolds 'cause they're evil'....
You can so easily trip up their logic.
The other players still refer to those elves who ambushed us as 'evil elves', causing me to regularly correct them.
I've switched my PC over to Citizen Game's Witch class though, so she's now under a vow to never directly harm anything... Which gives me a whole new moral ball to play around with.
Axel could have gained a lot of ground in his argument by asking one simple question: "If these Gnolls can be raised in the light, where in your cities are all the good Gnolls? Surely we can't be the first band to have ever encountered them?"
I often use this one in reverse in Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms games, where the cities are full of full blooded Orcs according to the books. In fact in FR, Orcs usually live in human communties rather than in the wild -according to the campaign book at least-.
"It is not my hand that plunged the knife into their hearts, but yours. We had no reason to raid their homes, no reason to assault them. I am just finishing your work, to provide for our future safety against their just vengence."
We've only been ambushed once, and at the end of that fight my PC was pointing out to the group that yes, if she had not known them already, she would have been on the side of the ambushers... who had the inherant moral superiority as half our group are Drow...
I love it when the players of "Good Drow" try to justify attacking Orcs and Kobolds 'cause they're evil'....
You can so easily trip up their logic.
The other players still refer to those elves who ambushed us as 'evil elves', causing me to regularly correct them.
I've switched my PC over to Citizen Game's Witch class though, so she's now under a vow to never directly harm anything... Which gives me a whole new moral ball to play around with.
Axel could have gained a lot of ground in his argument by asking one simple question: "If these Gnolls can be raised in the light, where in your cities are all the good Gnolls? Surely we can't be the first band to have ever encountered them?"
I often use this one in reverse in Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms games, where the cities are full of full blooded Orcs according to the books. In fact in FR, Orcs usually live in human communties rather than in the wild -according to the campaign book at least-.
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Hey SHARK!
Sounded like a great session. I'll just echo others above, as long as your players can have such an argument strictly "in-character" without any bleed-over into player against player, then all is well and good.
In fact, that what true "role-playing" is all about (Man, I hate to make that statement, in reading it please don't take it as a bash against how anyone plays - even my group can't do what SHARK's players did without having some trouble arise between players).
- all I have to say is, I've never seen a first level Vallorean before now, I didn't think they existed!
How was it running for a group of low level PC's? Your games are usually pretty epic in scope (high level stuff), was it a refreshing change for you to DM them at that level as well?
Sounded like a great session. I'll just echo others above, as long as your players can have such an argument strictly "in-character" without any bleed-over into player against player, then all is well and good.
In fact, that what true "role-playing" is all about (Man, I hate to make that statement, in reading it please don't take it as a bash against how anyone plays - even my group can't do what SHARK's players did without having some trouble arise between players).
- all I have to say is, I've never seen a first level Vallorean before now, I didn't think they existed!How was it running for a group of low level PC's? Your games are usually pretty epic in scope (high level stuff), was it a refreshing change for you to DM them at that level as well?
Volaran
First Post
Such an argument for Axel did spring to mind when I read the post, but it leaves itself open to counter arguments like:
"It is well known that men, elves, dwarves and others of the 'good' races can be tempted to wickedness or cruelty. If you ascribe evil the power to corrupt the pure, as well as birth races of darkness, yet cannot accept that the ways of goodness and light could find their way into the hearts of these dark races, are your god and doctrine not as much as saying that evil is more powerful than good?"
I love the clash of ideals between party members. I'm not fond of outright and constant party conflict, particularly when it comes to physical blows, but I think differences in personal philosophy and viewpoints can make for a much richer campaign.
"It is well known that men, elves, dwarves and others of the 'good' races can be tempted to wickedness or cruelty. If you ascribe evil the power to corrupt the pure, as well as birth races of darkness, yet cannot accept that the ways of goodness and light could find their way into the hearts of these dark races, are your god and doctrine not as much as saying that evil is more powerful than good?"
I love the clash of ideals between party members. I'm not fond of outright and constant party conflict, particularly when it comes to physical blows, but I think differences in personal philosophy and viewpoints can make for a much richer campaign.
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SHARK
First Post
Greetings!
Dragonblade! Zenon! Volaran! There you are my friends!
Yes, it was a great session. My players are all mature enough to engage in dramatic roleplaying without "bleeding" over feelings into a real-life personal conflict, which I'm glad for. I stress often that they should remember they are playing a different person, a different character, and for them to embrace playing their character as faithfully as possible. I encourage them to play them realistically, with faults and good points all taken into accounts. If a character is a strong, courageous, and loyal person, then good. But I would also hope that the player can at the same time, for example, play the character as deeply religious, opinionated, and even abrasively arrogant. Such I think, tends to help the character become more three dimensional. The next step, so to speak, is for the character or the player rather, to come to grips with this character coming to grips with these personality traits, as well as dealing with the consequences of such traits. It is then that real depth is achieved, as the player gets to experience a different reality from their *character's* point of view as they interrelate to people in the world around them.
The players realise that such characters are being just that--those particular characters, and the way the characters act, what they say, and so on, has absolutely nothing to do with them personally in real life. I encourage this kind of genuine, deep roleplaying, as it helps the players get into the characters and not only explore different personalities, but different world views and life circumstances.
Zenon, indeed, the Vallorean is young, heh? I have two separate low-level campaigns (both are 1st-3rd level) going on now, one mid-level campaign (15th-20th), and one high-level campaign (35th level and up). It is refreshing in many ways, because the players don't have the toys, the financial resources, the troops, retainers and followers, nor do they have any political connections or influence. Essentially they are helpless nobodies in a vast, dangerous world! It is different from the higher level stuff for sure! I like all stages of play, though, for different reasons. It's just great watching players fight together like this with their different philsophies and approaches to life.
As for "detect evil" spells, I use them to "detect immediate evil intent" which means that it often only works on demons for example, as they think of evil on a constant basis. Evil humans, for example, unless actively intending evil in some immediate sense, do not detect as evil, just as in the Gnolls, having an evil alignment, would also not detect as evil, unless the individual itself is planning evil. This magical detection of course, is not really a judgment on the alignments at all, but merely a limitation on the actual magical spell's detection/informational ability. This way, races can, and are, born evil, as an alignment, but it doesn't mean that a spell is necessarily going to detect them as such. This also doesn't mean that a sword that is enchanted to deal extra damage to evil creatures won't work, for in fact, it does, but the character doesn't necessarily know that. The player knows that the sword is doing extra damage, but the character, does not. It is in this manner that I preserve some element of mystery for people and plots, and avoid much of the problems that the detecting spells cause and project. This of course doesn't mean that the world isn't or doesn't have many situations of black and white morality, for it does indeed have such, but it provides a richer tapestry from which the characters can intereleate and wrestle with moral and philosphical problems and differences. In that sense, I want a player to form their own views based on their character's religion, upbringing, and experiences, and I would like for them to be able to have a well-reasoned system or framework for believing in the world view that their character believes in--but I want them to do so, regardless of specifically what it happens to be--because it is being faithful to the character, and faithful to the character's background and experiences, not because they have used a spell and the spell said so, and thus makes all the choices for them, or because I, as the Game Master, said "thus and so" so now their character no longer has to think or have passion or faith in what they believe or why, they can just shrug and say, "the spell says their evil!" or "well, the Monster Manual says they are always evil, so let's kill them!" or, in a similar fashion, "Well, the Monster Manaul says that race is "Usually" evil, so we should let them live!" In that sense, I want their attitudes to be framed along the character's beliefs and background, not based on what I say, or what a spell says, or what the book says. The character doesn't have the Monster Manual to read after all.
I hope I didn't ramble along too much there!
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
Dragonblade! Zenon! Volaran!
There you are my friends!Yes, it was a great session. My players are all mature enough to engage in dramatic roleplaying without "bleeding" over feelings into a real-life personal conflict, which I'm glad for. I stress often that they should remember they are playing a different person, a different character, and for them to embrace playing their character as faithfully as possible. I encourage them to play them realistically, with faults and good points all taken into accounts. If a character is a strong, courageous, and loyal person, then good. But I would also hope that the player can at the same time, for example, play the character as deeply religious, opinionated, and even abrasively arrogant. Such I think, tends to help the character become more three dimensional. The next step, so to speak, is for the character or the player rather, to come to grips with this character coming to grips with these personality traits, as well as dealing with the consequences of such traits. It is then that real depth is achieved, as the player gets to experience a different reality from their *character's* point of view as they interrelate to people in the world around them.
The players realise that such characters are being just that--those particular characters, and the way the characters act, what they say, and so on, has absolutely nothing to do with them personally in real life. I encourage this kind of genuine, deep roleplaying, as it helps the players get into the characters and not only explore different personalities, but different world views and life circumstances.
Zenon, indeed, the Vallorean is young, heh?
I have two separate low-level campaigns (both are 1st-3rd level) going on now, one mid-level campaign (15th-20th), and one high-level campaign (35th level and up). It is refreshing in many ways, because the players don't have the toys, the financial resources, the troops, retainers and followers, nor do they have any political connections or influence. Essentially they are helpless nobodies in a vast, dangerous world! It is different from the higher level stuff for sure! I like all stages of play, though, for different reasons. It's just great watching players fight together like this with their different philsophies and approaches to life.As for "detect evil" spells, I use them to "detect immediate evil intent" which means that it often only works on demons for example, as they think of evil on a constant basis. Evil humans, for example, unless actively intending evil in some immediate sense, do not detect as evil, just as in the Gnolls, having an evil alignment, would also not detect as evil, unless the individual itself is planning evil. This magical detection of course, is not really a judgment on the alignments at all, but merely a limitation on the actual magical spell's detection/informational ability. This way, races can, and are, born evil, as an alignment, but it doesn't mean that a spell is necessarily going to detect them as such. This also doesn't mean that a sword that is enchanted to deal extra damage to evil creatures won't work, for in fact, it does, but the character doesn't necessarily know that. The player knows that the sword is doing extra damage, but the character, does not. It is in this manner that I preserve some element of mystery for people and plots, and avoid much of the problems that the detecting spells cause and project. This of course doesn't mean that the world isn't or doesn't have many situations of black and white morality, for it does indeed have such, but it provides a richer tapestry from which the characters can intereleate and wrestle with moral and philosphical problems and differences. In that sense, I want a player to form their own views based on their character's religion, upbringing, and experiences, and I would like for them to be able to have a well-reasoned system or framework for believing in the world view that their character believes in--but I want them to do so, regardless of specifically what it happens to be--because it is being faithful to the character, and faithful to the character's background and experiences, not because they have used a spell and the spell said so, and thus makes all the choices for them, or because I, as the Game Master, said "thus and so" so now their character no longer has to think or have passion or faith in what they believe or why, they can just shrug and say, "the spell says their evil!" or "well, the Monster Manual says they are always evil, so let's kill them!" or, in a similar fashion, "Well, the Monster Manaul says that race is "Usually" evil, so we should let them live!" In that sense, I want their attitudes to be framed along the character's beliefs and background, not based on what I say, or what a spell says, or what the book says. The character doesn't have the Monster Manual to read after all.
I hope I didn't ramble along too much there!
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
I had a similar thing happen in the Star Wars game (using the Feng Shui system) that I ran yesterday. It was probably the best session I've run yet. The conflict all stemmed from the PCs not knowing who the enemy was . . .
There were four characters, three Jedi and a bounty hunter:
Kord Stormdancer, a shady bounty hunter with a dark past. Played by Curran (Ivanhoe on ENworld)
Cabek Starcutter, a young Corellion Jedi with great skills in piloting and a pure heart. Played by Peter (Corlon on ENworld)
Anor Aero, an introspective young man who is reluctant to use his Force powers. Played by Andrew
Ralph Moonstalker, a master of the lightsaber, always fiery and ready for action. Played by Michael
The opening scene: It is the first cloudrace of the season in Caladia, Coluria's floating capitol city, and everybody who's anybody attends. Cabek touches up his craft, getting ready for the race. Anor and Kord stand beside Dool Mu, the Twi'Lek advisor to Coluria's young ruler, Prince Ca'Hain. The Twi'Lek argues with a Rodian named Lokik, the ambassador to Coluria from the Trade Federation. Across the course, on another floating platform, Muri Im Mori, the ambassador from Duroon and Cabek's sponsor, observes the festivities, while Ralph looks on from a spectator stand.
Tension is high. The population wonders why the Trade Federation is the only organization exempt from the Prince's heavy taxes, and all eye Muri with suspicion. This is only natural, as Coluria and Duroon have been at war for years. Despite the fact that Muri's mission is one of peace, an assassination attempt on Dool Mu is expected (hence the body gaurds). Add to this the fact that Prince Ca'Hain was expelled from the Jedi Academy at age four for an 'unfit personality and questionable morality', and a storm can almost be seen brewing on the horizon.
However, the storm strikes in an unexpected place. The five repair droids that had been touching up Cabek's racer wander over to Muri, as if about to say the job is finished, and open fire with concealed weapons. Muri is shot of the edge of the platform, and Kord leaps off the prince's barge, using his jetpack to catch up with the falling ambassador. Cabek leaps into his racer and dives, hoping to get under the plumetting Kord and Muri.
Meanwhile, Ralph leaps down onto the Duroonian ambassadors platform, hewing the assasin repdroids to pieces with his jet black lightsaber. Anor leaps in front of Dool Mu as blaster bolts rain down onto the platform, but they're not aimed at the Twi'Lek: they're headed for the prince! Luckily, N-00, the Ca'Hains bodygaurd mech, is able to intercept the bolts in time. A figure clothed in all black can be seen quickly climbing away, up the side of one of the floatingcrystal buildings of Caladia.
Kord knows he can't catch up with Muri, so he fires his whipcord, entangling the diplomat and drawing him in. He reverse-thrusts his jetpack with perfect timing, landing gracefuly on the nose of Cabek's speeder. Turning to the next threat, Cabek races towards the black-clad figure scampering away.
Ainur spies the fleeing assassin, and reaches out towards him with the Force. He establishes a firm hold, then pulls! The dark figure is jerked away from he building, but not detatched, the fingertips of his gloves apparently glomming on to the things sides. Hanging by one hand, the assassin aims his blaster, and fires a bolt off at Cabek, hoping to render the racer pilotless and send it's occupants away from the fight. Cabek takes the bolt in the chest, and is almost knocked out of the pod, clutching the cockpit with a few fingers.
Kord decideds it's time for some desperate action. He kick's the speeder's controls, and it banks sharply, now heading strate for the building to which the assasin clings! The man in black struggles to get moving again, and drops his blaster in the attempt. Kord tosses a thermal detonator in the racer, grabs Cabek, and leaps off, landing safely on the prince's platform.
BOOM!
What do you expect to happen when a racer smacks into a machine factory at 300 mph? Add a thermal detonator into the mix, and you get the picture. The race is, of course, postponed. Being as fricking rich as he is, Kord offers to sponsor Cabek in the re-race, and buy him a new pod, as his former sponsor isn't happy about the incinerated racer.
As Anur heals up Mur, the characters wonder: Who tried to kill Muri? Who tried to kil lthe prince? Where was Dool Mu's supposed assassin?
Early that evening, the characters begin a bit of detective work. Thinking that the prince might have had something to do with the assasination attempts, Anur and Ralph go to poke around Ca'Hain's quarters (after all, he was kicked out of the Jedi Academy), while Cabek and Kord go to check up on Muri.
Cabek stays in the skycar while Kord enters the Duroonian embassy. He finds an awful lot of locked doors, and begins to get suspicious. He takes out his blaster rifle.
Bad move.
STAY WHERE YOU ARE. DISARM. HANDS IN THE AIR. DO NOT MOVE. The voice of N-00 booms out. In the car, Cabek sits up at the words coming over his comlink. Sighing, Kord drops his rifle, as the droid excises his armor's integral flamethrower with a vibrating blade. [/i]Damn, that's half my arsenal[/i], he thinks. All I have left are a few thermal detonators and the whipcord. He smiles.
Cabek relays the info to Anur and leaps out of the car, and charges through the embassy. The six Neimoidian protector droids in his way pose no challenge, as the force slams them against the panelling and the Jedi charges past. N-00 whirls and fires a barage of bolts at Cabek, who defends himself with his lightsaber. Kord takes the moment two whirl around and catch N-00 with his whipcord, tugging viciously and pulling the droid to the ground. As a pair of Droideke roll down the corridor, Kord lunges for his dropped rifle, shooting at the droids as he slides away down the hallway. Ignoring the pesky blaster fire, the droids let their shields take care of it while they let it all out on Cabek. Cabek isn't so lucky this time, getting caught in the shoulder. The force of the blast spins him around and throws him to the floor.
Leaping to his feet, Kord runs for the door at the end of the hall, opening it with a few blasts to the control pannel. He trips on a loose tile, falls, and looks up--strait into the muzzle of Muri's blaster pistol. While Muri's buisy being smug and self confident, Cabek quickly downloads the files from N-00 and the Duroonian Embassy.
While Muri is giving the traditional villian lecture, Anur and Ralph reach the embassy, and charge into the building. Confronted with two Jedi in full health, Muri is forced to let the characters go.
Back in their quarters, the characters review the data from N-00 and the embassy. They find out a few interesting details. For one, the Prince ordered the assassination on Muri, and Dool ordered the attempt on the Prince. After all, Dool will take over the govornment if the Prince dies. Both Dool and the Prince want to continue the war on Duroon, for purely economic reasons: the War Machine is a marvelous creature, indeed. Dool's assassin was to be N-00, who was lent to Muri as a token gift, for 'extra protection against another such attempt'. Muri reprogrammed him to kill the prince's advisor on sight, and then the Prince himself.
The players argued for at least half an hour about what to do. Curran wanted to 'deal with' all the Colurian higher-ups, and Muri as well, until the men left in charge wanted peace. Andrew and Peter wanted to solve it through diplomacy, and Michael took a nuetral stance. In the end, they decided to sleep on it.
Curran had other plans. Whiel the jedi slept, Kord crept out of the building, snuck into Cabek's new pod, and went to the main govornment complex. His position as Dool Mu's bodygaurd let him get past all the required security, into the Twi'Lek's chambers. There his stash of thermal detonators decreased by one. Timer set for ten minutes.
As he strode quickly back to the pod, a voice called out from behind. "Kord! I would like to congratulate you on the excellent work you did earlier today! My advisor could hardly wish for a more competant protector." The young prince strode up, surrounded by a cloud of nobles and officers.
"Not now" Kord said. A muscle in the prince's cheek twitched, and the nobles bristled. Ca'Hain waved them to calm down, though, and dismissed them with a flick of his wrist. He walked alone with Kord.
Quietly, he spoke again. "Tell me, what is it you have found? What has that dirty Duroonian bastard done with my droid?"
"I said, NOT NOW!" Kord was running now, but the prince kept up, his face now a mask of iron.
"Very well. Perhaps you shall be more amiable later. But until then, a parting gift." As Kord leapt out of the building and into Cabek's pod, the prince tossed a small object into the cockpit. Kord decided to find out what it was later.
BOOM!
Those thermal detonators, always getting where you least expect them. Well, one less Twi'Lek walks one Coluria . . .
Kord smiled grimly as the racer sped through the skylanes. He made a turn to go to a hide-out of his, as he doubted his Jedi friends would be pleased.
Nevermind. He didn't turn. The controlls were jammed.
So was the radio.
And the emergency jettison.
"Sh*t. Here goes . . ." Kord leapt out of the pod, and activated his jetpa--"Sh*t!" H'ed forgotten to refuel! Thinking quickly, he snagged the tail end of the racer with his whipcord just before it got out of range. For a few seconds he flew along behind it like a kite, then dropped down onto a vacant floating platform. Half a second later . . .
BOOM!
Two racer, two thermal detonatoers. He was getting good at this pyrotechnics thing.
Cut to the next morning. Anur, Cabek, and Ralph awaken to find Kord gone without a trace. With a bit of detective work, they find that he's been drinking in a bar in the slums all night.
Cabek strode into the little room. "Kord. I'm here to talk to you. About what you did . . ." Cabek looked around the bar, searching for the bounty hunter's distinctive armor. There, in ther corner. "Kord . . ."
The man stood up, turned around. It was Kord all right. His hand was clutching something under his cloak. "I see you, Cabek."
"Kord, the Jedi Counsel wants you apprehended, as do the Caladian Capital Police. For assassination, obstruction of peace, political disturbance . . ."
"They won't get me."
"You can't run from the Jedi Order." Cabek activated his saber.
"I can run from you." Kord took his hand out from under his cloak. It clutched a thermal detonator. With the deadman's switch pressed. "Goodbye, Cabek."
Cabek lunged at Kord. Ralph leapt away. Anur dove for cover.
Kord released the switch.
- -- --- ---- ----- ------ ------- -------- --------- ----------
Kord's eyes fluttered open. The entire top half of the building had blown away, but luckily, it remained suspended. The three jedi, as well as everyone left in the bar, lay dead or unconcious. Struggling to his feet, he stumbled to the racer, and sped off to the space port.
- -- --- ---- ----- ------ ------- -------- --------- ----------
My players definitely took their dispute a lot farther than SHARK's did. But it was the same general player-vs.-player conflict, and, like SHARK's players, they're begging for more. I really had fun with that session, as did all the players. I had barely planned this session; all I knew were the opening scene, a list of NPCs, and the general plot . . . and the players drove it from there. Power to the Players!
-Jeph
There were four characters, three Jedi and a bounty hunter:
Kord Stormdancer, a shady bounty hunter with a dark past. Played by Curran (Ivanhoe on ENworld)
Cabek Starcutter, a young Corellion Jedi with great skills in piloting and a pure heart. Played by Peter (Corlon on ENworld)
Anor Aero, an introspective young man who is reluctant to use his Force powers. Played by Andrew
Ralph Moonstalker, a master of the lightsaber, always fiery and ready for action. Played by Michael
The opening scene: It is the first cloudrace of the season in Caladia, Coluria's floating capitol city, and everybody who's anybody attends. Cabek touches up his craft, getting ready for the race. Anor and Kord stand beside Dool Mu, the Twi'Lek advisor to Coluria's young ruler, Prince Ca'Hain. The Twi'Lek argues with a Rodian named Lokik, the ambassador to Coluria from the Trade Federation. Across the course, on another floating platform, Muri Im Mori, the ambassador from Duroon and Cabek's sponsor, observes the festivities, while Ralph looks on from a spectator stand.
Tension is high. The population wonders why the Trade Federation is the only organization exempt from the Prince's heavy taxes, and all eye Muri with suspicion. This is only natural, as Coluria and Duroon have been at war for years. Despite the fact that Muri's mission is one of peace, an assassination attempt on Dool Mu is expected (hence the body gaurds). Add to this the fact that Prince Ca'Hain was expelled from the Jedi Academy at age four for an 'unfit personality and questionable morality', and a storm can almost be seen brewing on the horizon.
However, the storm strikes in an unexpected place. The five repair droids that had been touching up Cabek's racer wander over to Muri, as if about to say the job is finished, and open fire with concealed weapons. Muri is shot of the edge of the platform, and Kord leaps off the prince's barge, using his jetpack to catch up with the falling ambassador. Cabek leaps into his racer and dives, hoping to get under the plumetting Kord and Muri.
Meanwhile, Ralph leaps down onto the Duroonian ambassadors platform, hewing the assasin repdroids to pieces with his jet black lightsaber. Anor leaps in front of Dool Mu as blaster bolts rain down onto the platform, but they're not aimed at the Twi'Lek: they're headed for the prince! Luckily, N-00, the Ca'Hains bodygaurd mech, is able to intercept the bolts in time. A figure clothed in all black can be seen quickly climbing away, up the side of one of the floatingcrystal buildings of Caladia.
Kord knows he can't catch up with Muri, so he fires his whipcord, entangling the diplomat and drawing him in. He reverse-thrusts his jetpack with perfect timing, landing gracefuly on the nose of Cabek's speeder. Turning to the next threat, Cabek races towards the black-clad figure scampering away.
Ainur spies the fleeing assassin, and reaches out towards him with the Force. He establishes a firm hold, then pulls! The dark figure is jerked away from he building, but not detatched, the fingertips of his gloves apparently glomming on to the things sides. Hanging by one hand, the assassin aims his blaster, and fires a bolt off at Cabek, hoping to render the racer pilotless and send it's occupants away from the fight. Cabek takes the bolt in the chest, and is almost knocked out of the pod, clutching the cockpit with a few fingers.
Kord decideds it's time for some desperate action. He kick's the speeder's controls, and it banks sharply, now heading strate for the building to which the assasin clings! The man in black struggles to get moving again, and drops his blaster in the attempt. Kord tosses a thermal detonator in the racer, grabs Cabek, and leaps off, landing safely on the prince's platform.
BOOM!
What do you expect to happen when a racer smacks into a machine factory at 300 mph? Add a thermal detonator into the mix, and you get the picture. The race is, of course, postponed. Being as fricking rich as he is, Kord offers to sponsor Cabek in the re-race, and buy him a new pod, as his former sponsor isn't happy about the incinerated racer.
As Anur heals up Mur, the characters wonder: Who tried to kill Muri? Who tried to kil lthe prince? Where was Dool Mu's supposed assassin?
Early that evening, the characters begin a bit of detective work. Thinking that the prince might have had something to do with the assasination attempts, Anur and Ralph go to poke around Ca'Hain's quarters (after all, he was kicked out of the Jedi Academy), while Cabek and Kord go to check up on Muri.
Cabek stays in the skycar while Kord enters the Duroonian embassy. He finds an awful lot of locked doors, and begins to get suspicious. He takes out his blaster rifle.
Bad move.
STAY WHERE YOU ARE. DISARM. HANDS IN THE AIR. DO NOT MOVE. The voice of N-00 booms out. In the car, Cabek sits up at the words coming over his comlink. Sighing, Kord drops his rifle, as the droid excises his armor's integral flamethrower with a vibrating blade. [/i]Damn, that's half my arsenal[/i], he thinks. All I have left are a few thermal detonators and the whipcord. He smiles.
Cabek relays the info to Anur and leaps out of the car, and charges through the embassy. The six Neimoidian protector droids in his way pose no challenge, as the force slams them against the panelling and the Jedi charges past. N-00 whirls and fires a barage of bolts at Cabek, who defends himself with his lightsaber. Kord takes the moment two whirl around and catch N-00 with his whipcord, tugging viciously and pulling the droid to the ground. As a pair of Droideke roll down the corridor, Kord lunges for his dropped rifle, shooting at the droids as he slides away down the hallway. Ignoring the pesky blaster fire, the droids let their shields take care of it while they let it all out on Cabek. Cabek isn't so lucky this time, getting caught in the shoulder. The force of the blast spins him around and throws him to the floor.
Leaping to his feet, Kord runs for the door at the end of the hall, opening it with a few blasts to the control pannel. He trips on a loose tile, falls, and looks up--strait into the muzzle of Muri's blaster pistol. While Muri's buisy being smug and self confident, Cabek quickly downloads the files from N-00 and the Duroonian Embassy.
While Muri is giving the traditional villian lecture, Anur and Ralph reach the embassy, and charge into the building. Confronted with two Jedi in full health, Muri is forced to let the characters go.
Back in their quarters, the characters review the data from N-00 and the embassy. They find out a few interesting details. For one, the Prince ordered the assassination on Muri, and Dool ordered the attempt on the Prince. After all, Dool will take over the govornment if the Prince dies. Both Dool and the Prince want to continue the war on Duroon, for purely economic reasons: the War Machine is a marvelous creature, indeed. Dool's assassin was to be N-00, who was lent to Muri as a token gift, for 'extra protection against another such attempt'. Muri reprogrammed him to kill the prince's advisor on sight, and then the Prince himself.
The players argued for at least half an hour about what to do. Curran wanted to 'deal with' all the Colurian higher-ups, and Muri as well, until the men left in charge wanted peace. Andrew and Peter wanted to solve it through diplomacy, and Michael took a nuetral stance. In the end, they decided to sleep on it.
Curran had other plans. Whiel the jedi slept, Kord crept out of the building, snuck into Cabek's new pod, and went to the main govornment complex. His position as Dool Mu's bodygaurd let him get past all the required security, into the Twi'Lek's chambers. There his stash of thermal detonators decreased by one. Timer set for ten minutes.
As he strode quickly back to the pod, a voice called out from behind. "Kord! I would like to congratulate you on the excellent work you did earlier today! My advisor could hardly wish for a more competant protector." The young prince strode up, surrounded by a cloud of nobles and officers.
"Not now" Kord said. A muscle in the prince's cheek twitched, and the nobles bristled. Ca'Hain waved them to calm down, though, and dismissed them with a flick of his wrist. He walked alone with Kord.
Quietly, he spoke again. "Tell me, what is it you have found? What has that dirty Duroonian bastard done with my droid?"
"I said, NOT NOW!" Kord was running now, but the prince kept up, his face now a mask of iron.
"Very well. Perhaps you shall be more amiable later. But until then, a parting gift." As Kord leapt out of the building and into Cabek's pod, the prince tossed a small object into the cockpit. Kord decided to find out what it was later.
BOOM!
Those thermal detonators, always getting where you least expect them. Well, one less Twi'Lek walks one Coluria . . .
Kord smiled grimly as the racer sped through the skylanes. He made a turn to go to a hide-out of his, as he doubted his Jedi friends would be pleased.
Nevermind. He didn't turn. The controlls were jammed.
So was the radio.
And the emergency jettison.
"Sh*t. Here goes . . ." Kord leapt out of the pod, and activated his jetpa--"Sh*t!" H'ed forgotten to refuel! Thinking quickly, he snagged the tail end of the racer with his whipcord just before it got out of range. For a few seconds he flew along behind it like a kite, then dropped down onto a vacant floating platform. Half a second later . . .
BOOM!
Two racer, two thermal detonatoers. He was getting good at this pyrotechnics thing.
Cut to the next morning. Anur, Cabek, and Ralph awaken to find Kord gone without a trace. With a bit of detective work, they find that he's been drinking in a bar in the slums all night.
Cabek strode into the little room. "Kord. I'm here to talk to you. About what you did . . ." Cabek looked around the bar, searching for the bounty hunter's distinctive armor. There, in ther corner. "Kord . . ."
The man stood up, turned around. It was Kord all right. His hand was clutching something under his cloak. "I see you, Cabek."
"Kord, the Jedi Counsel wants you apprehended, as do the Caladian Capital Police. For assassination, obstruction of peace, political disturbance . . ."
"They won't get me."
"You can't run from the Jedi Order." Cabek activated his saber.
"I can run from you." Kord took his hand out from under his cloak. It clutched a thermal detonator. With the deadman's switch pressed. "Goodbye, Cabek."
Cabek lunged at Kord. Ralph leapt away. Anur dove for cover.
Kord released the switch.
- -- --- ---- ----- ------ ------- -------- --------- ----------
Kord's eyes fluttered open. The entire top half of the building had blown away, but luckily, it remained suspended. The three jedi, as well as everyone left in the bar, lay dead or unconcious. Struggling to his feet, he stumbled to the racer, and sped off to the space port.
- -- --- ---- ----- ------ ------- -------- --------- ----------
My players definitely took their dispute a lot farther than SHARK's did. But it was the same general player-vs.-player conflict, and, like SHARK's players, they're begging for more. I really had fun with that session, as did all the players. I had barely planned this session; all I knew were the opening scene, a list of NPCs, and the general plot . . . and the players drove it from there. Power to the Players!
-Jeph
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Hatchling Dragon
First Post
Ok Jeph, where's your Story Hour?!
No fair teasing the Audience.
And SHARK, I still don't see that link to your Story Hour
Hatchling Dragon
[EDIT![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
Ok, no reply yet, so I'll do it myself
The story hour for the above (first post) campain is HERE. Hope others enjoy it as much as I will.
[/EDIT]
No fair teasing the Audience.
And SHARK, I still don't see that link to your Story Hour
Hatchling Dragon
[EDIT
Ok, no reply yet, so I'll do it myself
The story hour for the above (first post) campain is HERE. Hope others enjoy it as much as I will.[/EDIT]
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