LufiaLillystorm
First Post
Hello everyone 
I am new to the boards
I had a plot idea that I have used a few times and thought to share, to maybe help.
I used the element of time to force characters to act quickly, and get them more energized about what they were doing. Restricting time players have to decide actions and making them rely on instict rather then well thought out plans The only problem is, I failed several times trying to develop the time idea because I was too strict or too leanient on how much time was passing. Here is the adventure that I used it in
The adventure was called 'forget us not' and was a roleplay adventure. There were very little rolls made during the game, because the characters being played were WAY to high level for me to deal with. I was subbing as DM and I had no idea what to do. Last minuet I thought of this idea. It made their characters kinda..useless as they were all combat oriented, as the last DM had geared that toward that.
Basically a long time ago a pacifistic order was attacked by orcs. Their only weapon (other then the temple gaurds which were pacafists....perty much they were only there as a delay) was a very powerful artifact granted to the order by their goddess (remained unnamed). The artifact was a large iron ball that was used to 'stop' intruders. It would surround the sancutary with a shield pushing out any 'non-faithful' intruders. Little was known about it to the PC's so I got away with just saying 'Hey it worked' In order to activate the artifact 13 key stones had to be placed into the ball (there were notches). PHEW confused yet? I am...
Well the orcs attacked, teh gaurds went out, teh keys were gathered, and the Iron ball was activated. However, a greedy Time Mage (Chronomancer I believe is the PC term) needed one of the key stones for a spell. Hearing about the battle in the future he warped back into the past at the time the keys were being gathered so he would be able to get his hands on one, not caring for the religion or if it got destroyed. Foolishly he took the stone out of the orb After it had been activated, causing bad happenings.
The players come across the ruins of this place and find themselves sucked into this time vortex. History keeps repeating, but it is slow to start. The longer the PCs are in the ruins the more into the vortex they get sucked, and they arne't even aware. Time time time. I then introduced an NPC, MY FAVORITE EVER, Tinisha Goleth, a Lore Master/sorcerer. Given up most of her magic she is just a big hp book worm. She is found in the library of the building and she is the one that tells the PC's what is going on. that they are getting sucked in, and need to find out why, and what went wrong, because she doesn't know. She assumes the god punished her people for not useing the iron ball properly and saving the place, they are forced to live their demise over and over again.
Leading up to this poing every room has had kind of a movie too it, showing kinda what happened, ie faint sounds, or flashes of ghosts. Now things are getting more real, poeple are apperaing and dissapering, talking, and entire portions of sceanse are playing out. The PCS dont' have much time to figure this out, or they are going to be trapped as well.
So they wonder around, figure out the basic outlay of the place, and she gives them a map and tears it into 3rds (this is important) saying "The time jump is going to happen soon, we are going to have a practice run, but we only have 5 minuets to gather all the 13 keys, which are scattered around this building, I have marked them on the map, but if we go together then we wont have enough time to get them all. Each take a 3rd and we will be alright," She goes alone, the rest of the party is split into 2 groups, as she insists that 'I know this place, you would only slow me down'.
The first time jump occured, they can see everything that is going on, but they are out of phase with it, so poeple can't see them, but they see the battle going on. They can't walk through people though, so they still have to get past certain obsticalls (like children and stuff like that as this was kinda city for the people that lived there..more a town)...so they run around and gather the stones...and I timed them, this is how.
I basically said 5 mins, I will deal with you on a one on one basis for the two groups. Group A goes first, so they go off using their map to find things, and I have a watch, and I time them at 2 mins real time, and I use my finger on the map to show their progress and the speed at which they are traveling. Moving my finger slowly in crowded areas saying 'you are having trouble pushing through' and stuff. They freak at those times. Then I moved onto group two, did the same thing. Basically they got to know where the stones where and practice running (they could touch the stones, they were supposed to collect them as part of the practice)
So they both get back (with some time to spare) but where is Tinisha?? She arrives with only a few seconds left. She has the stones in her hands she is running toward the group happy as can be...and she dies. She gets a twisted look on her face as she falls to the ground dead, behind her is a very insane chronomancer with a bloody knife...the Pcs don't have time to react, they are warped back through time and everythign is real...now they have to collect their stones and her stones with out her bit of the map...
It worked out wonderfully (and successfully) and the PCs saved teh religion from destruction at the hands of the orcs/ chronomancer, whom they easily killed.
The time element is what made the game though, it was teh climax and very very useful. I would verbaly tell them in game time how much time they had, "3 minuets better hurry, not going to make it" and things like that for flare (and to make they work a bit harder)
I am eager to hear what you think of my idea, and answer any questions also any suggestion to make it more successful
Thankies and I look foward to getting to know you all much better hehe
I am new to the boards I had a plot idea that I have used a few times and thought to share, to maybe help.
I used the element of time to force characters to act quickly, and get them more energized about what they were doing. Restricting time players have to decide actions and making them rely on instict rather then well thought out plans
The only problem is, I failed several times trying to develop the time idea because I was too strict or too leanient on how much time was passing. Here is the adventure that I used it in The adventure was called 'forget us not' and was a roleplay adventure. There were very little rolls made during the game, because the characters being played were WAY to high level for me to deal with. I was subbing as DM and I had no idea what to do. Last minuet I thought of this idea. It made their characters kinda..useless as they were all combat oriented, as the last DM had geared that toward that.
Basically a long time ago a pacifistic order was attacked by orcs. Their only weapon (other then the temple gaurds which were pacafists....perty much they were only there as a delay) was a very powerful artifact granted to the order by their goddess (remained unnamed). The artifact was a large iron ball that was used to 'stop' intruders. It would surround the sancutary with a shield pushing out any 'non-faithful' intruders. Little was known about it to the PC's so I got away with just saying 'Hey it worked'
In order to activate the artifact 13 key stones had to be placed into the ball (there were notches). PHEW confused yet? I am...Well the orcs attacked, teh gaurds went out, teh keys were gathered, and the Iron ball was activated. However, a greedy Time Mage (Chronomancer I believe is the PC term) needed one of the key stones for a spell. Hearing about the battle in the future he warped back into the past at the time the keys were being gathered so he would be able to get his hands on one, not caring for the religion or if it got destroyed. Foolishly he took the stone out of the orb After it had been activated, causing bad happenings.
The players come across the ruins of this place and find themselves sucked into this time vortex. History keeps repeating, but it is slow to start. The longer the PCs are in the ruins the more into the vortex they get sucked, and they arne't even aware. Time time time. I then introduced an NPC, MY FAVORITE EVER, Tinisha Goleth, a Lore Master/sorcerer. Given up most of her magic she is just a big hp book worm. She is found in the library of the building and she is the one that tells the PC's what is going on. that they are getting sucked in, and need to find out why, and what went wrong, because she doesn't know. She assumes the god punished her people for not useing the iron ball properly and saving the place, they are forced to live their demise over and over again.
Leading up to this poing every room has had kind of a movie too it, showing kinda what happened, ie faint sounds, or flashes of ghosts. Now things are getting more real, poeple are apperaing and dissapering, talking, and entire portions of sceanse are playing out. The PCS dont' have much time to figure this out, or they are going to be trapped as well.
So they wonder around, figure out the basic outlay of the place, and she gives them a map and tears it into 3rds (this is important) saying "The time jump is going to happen soon, we are going to have a practice run, but we only have 5 minuets to gather all the 13 keys, which are scattered around this building, I have marked them on the map, but if we go together then we wont have enough time to get them all. Each take a 3rd and we will be alright," She goes alone, the rest of the party is split into 2 groups, as she insists that 'I know this place, you would only slow me down'.
The first time jump occured, they can see everything that is going on, but they are out of phase with it, so poeple can't see them, but they see the battle going on. They can't walk through people though, so they still have to get past certain obsticalls (like children and stuff like that as this was kinda city for the people that lived there..more a town)...so they run around and gather the stones...and I timed them, this is how.
I basically said 5 mins, I will deal with you on a one on one basis for the two groups. Group A goes first, so they go off using their map to find things, and I have a watch, and I time them at 2 mins real time, and I use my finger on the map to show their progress and the speed at which they are traveling. Moving my finger slowly in crowded areas saying 'you are having trouble pushing through' and stuff. They freak at those times. Then I moved onto group two, did the same thing. Basically they got to know where the stones where and practice running (they could touch the stones, they were supposed to collect them as part of the practice)
So they both get back (with some time to spare) but where is Tinisha?? She arrives with only a few seconds left. She has the stones in her hands she is running toward the group happy as can be...and she dies. She gets a twisted look on her face as she falls to the ground dead, behind her is a very insane chronomancer with a bloody knife...the Pcs don't have time to react, they are warped back through time and everythign is real...now they have to collect their stones and her stones with out her bit of the map...
It worked out wonderfully (and successfully) and the PCs saved teh religion from destruction at the hands of the orcs/ chronomancer, whom they easily killed.
The time element is what made the game though, it was teh climax and very very useful. I would verbaly tell them in game time how much time they had, "3 minuets better hurry, not going to make it" and things like that for flare (and to make they work a bit harder)
I am eager to hear what you think of my idea, and answer any questions
also any suggestion to make it more successful Thankies
and I look foward to getting to know you all much better hehe
)
