Personal enlightenment in a fantasy setting

[Jd Smith1]

OK, so I'm planning for a traditional fantasy campaign in a low-magic setting with a brutal game system.

The campaign will be akin to the Staff of Seven parts. The PCs will locate a gizmo that shows the location of specific items, but before the gizmo can be used (each time), a PC must complete a task of selfless enlightenment.

I'm thinking one will be to proving the innocence of a man wrongfully imprisoned for murder.

In other words, forcing the PCs to perform non-dungeon-crawl, zero profit side quests that have at least a vague association to 'enlightenment' or 'wisdom'.

Any ideas for more? I need a half-dozen in total.

 

[Staffan]

I can't really think of any concrete tasks, but if you're going for enlightenment through virtue a good starting point would be the virtues of Ultima (starting with Ultima IV). You have three core principles: Truth, Love, and Courage, which correspond to the virtues of Honesty, Compassion, and Valor. Where two of these intersect you get Justice from Truth and Love, Sacrifice from Love and Courage, and Honor from Courage and Truth. Where all three intersect you get Spirituality. And as a foundation to the whole system, you have Humility.

 

[Piperken]

I can't really think of any concrete tasks, but if you're going for enlightenment through virtue a good starting point would be the virtues of Ultima (starting with Ultima IV). You have three core principles: Truth, Love, and Courage, which correspond to the virtues of Honesty, Compassion, and Valor. Where two of these intersect you get Justice from Truth and Love, Sacrifice from Love and Courage, and Honor from Courage and Truth. Where all three intersect you get Spirituality. And as a foundation to the whole system, you have Humility.

Second this suggestion, I'd even recommend considering some of the tasks that were expected of the Avatar in Ultima 4 to demonstrate these virtues as inspo.

 

[Jd Smith1]

I'll check those out. The issue is how to translate them into side quests, but this is certainly a start.

 

[Umbran]

The campaign will be akin to the Staff of Seven parts. The PCs will locate a gizmo that shows the location of specific items, but before the gizmo can be used (each time), a PC must complete a task of selfless enlightenment.

But, if you are doing it so you can use the item it isn't really a selfless act - the PCs now have an ulterior motive for those acts. "If you do this nice thing, I will give you $100K," isn't all that selfless.

It is still a great way to get them to do things that aren't traditional adventuring bits. And it may well be enlightening - especially if in each case the situation is more than it appears on the surface.

 

[Jd Smith1]

But, if you are doing it so you can use the item it isn't really a selfless act - the PCs now have an ulterior motive for those acts. "If you do this nice thing, I will give you $100K," isn't all that selfless.

It is still a great way to get them to do things that aren't traditional adventuring bits. And it may well be enlightening - especially if in each case the situation is more than it appears on the surface.

Yeah, its iffy from a philosophy viewpoint, but I'm counting on the prolonged whining about not being able to earn money on those side quests to drown that out. My players extract gold dental work in every campaign that has gold dental work.

So far, I've got feed the hungry, clothe the needy, cure the sick, and rescue the innocent. Since there's a civil war going on, those won't be hard to place. I need two more though.

 

[Umbran]

Yeah, its iffy from a philosophy viewpoint, but I'm counting on the prolonged whining about not being able to earn money on those side quests to drown that out. My players extract gold dental work in every campaign that has gold dental work.

Fair enough. It working for your players is what really matters.

So far, I've got feed the hungry, clothe the needy, cure the sick, and rescue the innocent. Since there's a civil war going on, those won't be hard to place. I need two more though.

Oh, put that way, there are at least two other themes: free the oppressed, and protect the weak. Something on the order of releasing slaves or forced workers, and getting in the way of a battle that's apt to destroy poor civilian villages, or the like. Both also pretty easy in the context of a civil war.

 

[GreyLord]

Pride/Lust - Rich man has stolen a bunch of property and land from villagers, resulting in homeless roving band of gypsy that are stereotyped to be entertainers, theives, and cut throats (all false stereotypes of what they really are). They need to find proof of this and restore the land to the gypsy's so they can once more be the villagers.

Sloth/Gluttony - Overweight dragon cannot fly. Sits on gold all day. They need to get the dragon back in shape. Downside, the Dragon is a foul tempered Ancient Red Wyrm.

Envy/Greed - Fairy Wytch goes around turning individuals into pigs. They do this because they think everyone has more power and wealth than they do, when in reality, the Fairy Wytch is the one who has more wealth and power. Only way to reverse this is to help the Fairy Wytch realize this.

 

[Jd Smith1]

I decided I was over-thinking it. Instead, to use the gizmo you must perform a service for a descendant of the item's creator.

Thus opening up the party for the performance of pointless and annoying deeds for unlikeable people.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Late to the party…again.

Regardless of the nature of the deeds the party must perform, or the beneficiaries thereof, there’s LOTS of TV shows (old & new) from which you could mine episodes for ideas. Some that spring to mind:

The Incredible Hulk
Kung Fu
The Equalizer (both)
Stingray (1985)