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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nebulous" data-source="post: 6657650" data-attributes="member: 31465">When I ran Red Larch the PCs were coming from Phandalin and just had a simple mission to deliver some ore to the locales.  In retrospect I should have used more of the included plot hooks in the book, but the PCs had already come up with some of their own elaborate back stories and I just rolled with that instead of adding more hooks (which again, I should have).One of the early things that the PCs heard about was questions about the strange weather on their journey or any word about the missing delegation.  The PCs have no idea, so they start questioning more about and more rumors start floating around about strange folks hanging around in town.Again, at this point the players had little to go and no obvious mission in Red Larch other than to "be investigative" which I could have done better.  They felt like they should be helpful to these people, and they have some Faction contacts which makes it easier, as these contacts said "Hey, I could use some help with this," or "Be on the lookout for such and such."  Things soon heated up though when they learn about some missing little girls and feel like they can help the town's obvious dismay over the loss.  Eventually they follow clues that led to the Tomb of the Delvers and their first brush with the Black Earth, and this kicked off the campaign proper as they learned that violent cultists had already infiltrated Red Larch and were controlling some of the locales.  Furthermore, one of the PCs was killed by the Black Earth and later raised, so now they had a personal motivation for revenge, as well as several faction incentives to find the delegation and find out what is causing the imbalance in nature across the Sumber Hills.  Subtle clues, but enough to draw in the players and characters personally and motivated.As far as skill checks...if I know it is a plot point the PCs NEED to find out, I have reached the point where I will not allow a random skill check to possibly fail and not reveal information I need to move the story forward. In fact, i'm moving away from d20 skill checks altogether and just having PCs ask me what they're looking for, and I'll tell them if they see it or not or understand it or not.  If there is some important consequence from failure, then I'll use a d20 check.  As we keep going through PoA the clues are building and they are starting to more and more realize that there's some big conspiracy going on, far bigger than even just the Feathergale Knights or Black Earth cult.  I've already seeded the Elemental Evil Eye twice so far, so it will be a more important emblem by the end of the campaign, which is a LONG way away.</blockquote>

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