ry's Threats, Rewards, Assets, and Problems (TRAPs)

[Ry]

I was wondering...don't the problems need a hook of some sort for the PC's? Especially the encounters where Javeed is concerned. I guess I'm asking why wouldn't they just walk away from the problem? Especially the assasination and master fight.

That depends on your PCs, really. When I think of the Javeed encounter (please intervene) I think of it as a request from an NPC that the PCs already like. If you're stuck for such a character / the PCs are brand new, one great way to do that is to let the PCs, before the start of the game, make up one contact each in Iova's Tryst. Then pick the most appropriate of those characters.

As for the assassination - the PCs see what's going to happen, and if they don't act, they have to live with the fact that they let someone die based on mere dislike. That wouldn't sit well with my players, but your mileage may vary. Standing back while something evil happens to someone you don't like is a bad thing, and a magistrate summoning them or giving them a curfew order because of their suspected involvement would definitely dampen the PCs' spirits. So yes, it's a moral dilemma, and that doesn't work for every group.

I'm a little fuzzy on resources...are these for the players to use to solve problems or threats? That's the gist I'm getting...is that correct? Shouldn't there be two rewards, one for solving the problem and one for overcoming the threat?

Resources and rewards, like problems and threats, are all generally items in a Tars-method DM's bag of tricks. Say your players are floundering for an information source - you might have a resource that you could introduce for them when the story starts to drag. Alternatively, you might throw in a resource to emphasize a certain element - for example, PCs get very attached to NPCs that give them good deals.

Rewards don't need to be related 1:1 to problems or threats, although they can be. Sometimes the only reward for defeating a threat is ridding the world of a dangerous monster - heck, sometimes defeating a threat can get you into even more trouble. A DM throws in a reward when he thinks the players have done well and deserve to be rewarded - and it makes sense at the time, of course. By having several rewards scattered about a situation, the DM has a lot to work with and can customize on the fly based on what happens in the situation itself.

 

[Ry]

Reward: Yagka carries a fine silver sword, obviously stolen, with the mark of a southern noble family on the hilt. A Knowledge (nobility) check of 15 or higher can identify it as the noble house of Unsbrad, who are an old but politically weak house in the south.

Problem: As they attempt to enter the city of Casta, the PCs are reminded that carried weapons are not allowed inside the city without an expensive permit that requires a noble house's sponsorship. Guards offer to place the PCs' weapons in a lockup. If the silver sword is placed in lockup it is promptly stolen, but the guards are blameless - a sewer-dwelling wererat has secretly found a way into the lockup, and carefully replaces and mends the mortar between the stones he must remove to enter the lockup at night. He has been stealing items very slowly so as to make trouble for the city guards, who have chased him on several occasions.

Threat: Yagka's brother, Yupz, is a necromancer gnoll who killed Rorgen Unsbrad, owner of the sword. Yupz used the sword to keep track of where his brother was, and retrieves his brother's bones as soon as possible. Yupz, after reanimating his brother's corpse as a gnollish ghoul (advance a ghoul slightly) he swears a blood oath of vengeance against the PCs. Yupz is accompanied at all times by two undead dire wolves, a few ghouls of various original races, and Yagka revived as a ghoul (up a ghoul's armor and raise all stats by 4). When he ambushes the PCs he uses scrolls and especially darkness effects liberally; these scrolls take the form of chiseled wood panels embedded in his undead brother's flesh.

Resource: If the players manage to return the sword to a member of the Unsbrad family, they are unable to provide any monetary reward but the family is happy to furnish the players with letters of introduction. Although they are not powerful, the Unsbrad family is well respected and prolific - they have many cousins and friends throughout several lands who could be basic friendly contacts for the PCs as they travel. If the players demand monetary reward the family can scrape together 200 gold but will not provide the letters of introduction. The Unsbrad's network of contacts eventually hears of the PCs, and considers them scavengers not to be trusted.

Reward: In a tavern sometime later, a large, burly man with an unsavory look and a scarred face bellows "I KNOW THAT SWORD!" He proceeds to menace the PCs, and asks "Hey, where'd you get that sword?" If the PCs answer truthfully (that they killed a gnoll), the man's eyes water up, his mouth quivers for a moment, then he bursts into tears and hugs the nearest PC. He then buys the entire party several rounds. The man is Wappander, a former companion of Sir Rorgan Unsbrad, killed in a gnoll raid. Wappander despaired that the sword would ever be found, and had searched far and wide for it before giving up the chase. Wappander is a 5th-level fighter with an 18 Strength, and he can introduce the PCs to Inargrid Unsbrad, Rorgan's widow, who is coming to Casta to retrieve her husband's remains.

 

[Ry]

Bertram Kang(NPC/monster): The leader of a druidic council who has, unknown to his followers or himself, been infected with lycanthropy(wererat).

I haven't figured out a whole plot for Bertram but here's the promised Tars:

Problem: The farmers of the nearby villages have reported several animal attacks recently; in one case an old farmer was killed at night by what must have been wolves (actually dire rats). The druids are trying to prevent conflict between themselves and the farmers (who are only vaguely aware of the circle's presence in the area), but if the farmers organize a posse it quickly will become a mob and will likely target the druids as enemies.

Threat: If the players track down Bertram as a wererat, they are set upon by three wererats who deliberately infected him to try to turn him towards their sinister nature god. These three wererats are their own druidic circle that has many savage animals at their disposal.

Resource: Bertram Kang (Druid 6) is willing to offer healing and his skills as a herbalist to the PCs if they aid his circle, although they notice his unkempt appearance right away. Although friendly and helpful, he has large bags under his wizened eyes, and he's more than a little dirty. A younger druid explains that he has been under a great deal of strain lately.

Reward: Bertram, if cured, lets the PCs in on his secret recipe: A potion of gainful rest. This potion, if poured onto grass under moonlight, creates a soft bed of grass that allows one humanoid to gain the benefits of three nights of sleep in a single night. He furnishes the PCs with his last 3 bottles, but does not have the requisite components to brew more at this time (an element called golden dew is required, which only forms on sources of sap turning to amber in special circumstances).

 

[Ry]

Threat: Yagka's brother, Yupz, is a necromancer gnoll who killed Rorgen Unsbrad, owner of the sword. Yupz used the sword to keep track of where his brother was, and retrieves his brother's bones as soon as possible. Yupz, after reanimating his brother's corpse as a gnollish ghoul (advance a ghoul slightly) he swears a blood oath of vengeance against the PCs. Yupz is accompanied at all times by two undead dire wolves, a few ghouls of various original races, and Yagka revived as a ghoul (up a ghoul's armor and raise all stats by 4). When he ambushes the PCs he uses scrolls and especially darkness effects liberally; these scrolls take the form of chiseled wood panels embedded in his undead brother's flesh.

Here I'm going to try PTRRs that expand on that combat, to give it more detail:

Problem: As the PCs make camp the evening before Yupz attacks, note that it is starting to rain. The PCs will then make their arrangements for watch and so forth. Yupz waits until the rain is heavy before he attacks - at this point both he and his minions are very hard to detect through the rain as they get into position around the PCs' tents (or miserable, soaked sleeping bags). Soaked PCs should be treated as fatigued.

Threat: Yupz is smart - he knows he is going in for a tough fight, and prepares an escape plan. Besides taking advantage of the heavy brush, Yupz has armed Yagka with a halberd, and carries a potion of invisibility. Yupz focuses on buffing his minions, then drinks the potion the round after the PCs engage with his ghoulish dire wolves. Yupz stays near Yagka casting buff effects on him until the players approach Yagka. Then Yupz slowly withdraws as quietly as possible, hoping to pick off any surviving PCs that Yagka can't handle.

Resource: There are many patches of wet, heavy brush in the area when Yupz attacks; it provides partial cover, and total cover to prone opponents. It also slows movement to 1/4 speed when characters try to move through it unless they jump over it. Yupz makes sure to keep some of that between him and the party, but has to put his undead dire wolves to clearer paths.

Reward: There is a 500 gp bounty on Yupz' head, posted by the Mandras merchant company. Player-characters can make a DC 15 Intelligence check to recognize it.

 

[Ry]

Javeed the aristocrat and Zaivan Mandras the merchant's younger brother.

Problem: Zaivan Mandras typically eats at O Lucky Man, the nobles restaurant in Bidmarket. This is also where Javeed and his new girl, Olarah, dine as well. Zaivan will try to intervene if an assassin goes after Javeed.

Threat: Zaivan is dating Olarah's "sister" - but neither Olarah nor her sister Jeniba are what they appear. Both are cannibal dopplegangers seeking information for their aboleth masters. Zaivan and Javeed are in no immediate danger, since Olarah and Jeniba are trying to establish strong cover identities, but their associates and friends are. PCs are in special danger from Olarah, who will frequently look bored or desperate to leave whenever Javeed is not looking, and will jump at the chance to be "swept off" with a male PC - with the PC thinking it was all their idea (note to DMs: This kind of thing actually works). If Olarah is discovered, as soon as Jeniba learns of it she immediately tries to get Zaivan to a secluded spot to eat him (process takes one hour), then flees in his new identity.

Resource: Zaivan is always happy to set up free travel for his friends; after all, one or another of his brother's many ships is usually in the harbour. Of course, if the PCs take him up on that, on this occasion he might have already set up travel for his friend Javeed (and forgot to mention this to the PCs), which could make the trip rather unpleasant.

Reward: If the PCs save Zaivan from death (which can come from various sources), Guthran Mandras sends them a merchant's writ for 2000 gold, and offers them work. In the letter, Guthran asks that they be discreet about their affiliation with him, and that they continue to appear as more of Zaivan's ne'er-do-well friends. Guthran is deeply concerned about infiltrators into his organization, and although he is a cutthroat merchant baron, he is also a very intelligent man and a relentless foe of dopplegangers of any stripe.

(Cannibal Dopplegangers originally appeared in the free web preview of Hungry Little Monsters).

 

[Ry]

Just chiming in to say that I really like your system. I'm notoriously bad at structuring non-dungeon adventures, so this should be a great help for me when not running dungeons or adventure modules.

Try it out on adventure modules - take a situation like a dungeon room that's a fight, and look for a PTRR. For example, the slope of the room could be the resource, the enemy's loot is the reward, the monster's the threat, the proximity to the killer ant hive is the problem. When you see a gap, consider filling it.

Edit: I had a fight at the docks in my campaign; it was going to be a gang attacking the tariff office just before an enemy ship was going to dock and unload the vanguard of a city coup. I cracked open Tars theory and added

problems:
- Fire at the tarriff office could spread to other buildings
- a local magistrate trying to tell everybody things were normal and to go back into their homes

threats:
- the magistrate brought his own guards, swords in hand, to deal with dockworkers or residents who resisted the coup

resources:
- dock workers,
- lots of crates and rope on the docks,
- a crane,
- a friendly merchant ship with a big cannon

rewards:
- the Prince of the city will award them medals if they succeed, and it greatly raises their prestige around the docks. Every dockworker will know their names.

 

[Ry]

Tar Ipna, the Farrier's daughter... that sounds rather horrible...

We'll Trap her instead. Isn't that nicer?

Threat: When the village is attacked by gnolls, one particularly canny gnoll (Warrior4) will try to take cover in Topp's house. He will try to knock Ipna out and try to escape with her as a hostage. He can also trade her release for his escape if he is cornered and needs to bargain.

Reward: Inside the cellar one large slab of rock is actually a secret door; it is heavy enough that the rats have not penetrated it at all. Hidden inside is an ornate clock - the clock is made with many precious metals. This clock's value should be sufficient to pay off the family debt unless it is in Javeed's hands.

Asset: Ipna keeps a number of carrier pigeons, and is operating as part of a messenger system sponsored by several merchant houses. This is bringing in some extra funds, but all are going towards the family debt.

Problem: The barn across the field has long stood unused, but there is a cellar beneath it that is filled with junk. Ipna resolved to clean it out, but upon getting down there found it swarming with rats. Some rats are actually dire rats - in fact, the cellar has become a pen for a goblin tribe that lives in caves that stretch under most of the town.

 

[Ry]

The goblins under Iova's Tryst:

Threat: The most dangerous thing about the goblisn below Iova's Tryst is their mixed unit tactics. The goblins break down into 4 castes; paradoxically, each caste squabbles incessantly within itself but members of different castes work together unusually well. The four castes of goblins are Rock (fighters, stone throwing, clubs, heavy armor, shields), Bow (bows, light armor, also trapmakers), Knife (rogues, focusing on mobility to flank foes) and Fire (sorcerers). The "leader" of the goblins is an animated Rakshasa's head that retains just enough of the powers it had in life to rule the goblins.

Reward: The Rakshasa head, despite cowing the goblins, is immobile, and can do very little to the PCs besides bargain. In life, the Rakshasa was called Mojara, and he has many memories of ages gone by.

Asset: One exit from the goblin cave follows a long, straight underground tunnel for about a mile out of town. The tunnel is shaped like a big pipe and was crafted from polished white stones. There are occasional caves that branch off of the pipe - many have collapsed. Water, about a foot deep, flows at the bottom of the tunnel, which reflects light back and forth off the polished white stones of the tunnel. A mile out of town, a cave leads upward to the surface. Local druids know of the location of the exit, although they don't know it leads under the town.

Problem: The goblins are an effective bulwark against the even more dangerous monsters of the underdark, and if they are noticeably weakened, a cult of driders may swarm up into Iova's Tryst.

PS: My player calls them PRATs now. :rollseyes:

 

[Ry]

Here's 4 more for the lair itself

Threat: The goblins have a main "battle chamber" that they try to funnel attackers into. The PCs would enter into the narrow end of that chamber, where broken stones are piled high (leaving only a few feet between the rocks and the cave ceiling at the entrance) and require balance checks to cross. Thus, once a creature enters into the chamber they need to slowly move down to the floor of th battle chamber in order to be able to stand up and not balance. The other end of the cavern has some very large stone slabs that the goblins use for cover (Rock caste goblins hide behind these until the PCs approach unless ordered forward, which is unlikely as the Bow and Fire clan retreats). Knife clan tries to circle around through other tunnels to come up behind any intruder.

Reward: Upon seeing the heroes, the goblin in charge of the rat pen will immediately surrender, and say he can make it worth their while - he can; he's stashed six small rubies that he stole in the city and he's been saving them to bribe Mojara to let him be the next Castelord of the Bow caste.

Asset: A large pit in the main battle chamber has a floor that slopes towards it - at the bottom of the pit is an angry Ogre who has been trapped here for some time. The ogre could be bargained with, and will kill any goblins tossed into the pit.

Problem: There are many small, difficult to notice passages that connect different tunnels in the area. These require Escape Artist checks to pass through (DC 20), but the Knife caste is trained in doing these exact ones, giving them a +2 circumstance bonus in addition to their check.

 

[Ry]

I like Mojara as a rakshasa that is vulnerable enough and smart enough not to screw with the PCs.

Threat: Kuen, the sorcerer who was trying to get the Master to join him, seeks Mojara's head for the lore it holds. But if the players have come into possession of the head he will treat them very seriously. Kuen will attack with the support of whatever allies he can find; this might include the remnants of Mupp's gnoll pack, the goblins, a female manticore named Hratchlip, and a few of his lower-level wizards. Mojara has feat that allows his crow familiar to travel at long range, and reduces his dependance on it. The crow will keep tabs on the PCs, allowing Mojara to choose the best possible time to strike. Mojara focuses on enhcantments, so he does not have a big fireball-style effect to open combat; that's what Hratchlip is for.

Reward: Mojara will be deferential and polite to the PCs, and not do anything stupid like try to turn them into his pawns, at least for the first few years. Mojara knows he's vulnerable and that the PCs will be paranoid enough about a talking head. He also knows he needs to act fast - he will offer to lead the PCs to a stash of healing items (wands, scrolls, and potions), saying "I am bound to this form, but please, do not end me. There is so much more to learn."

Problem: One of Mojara's ancient brothers survives to this day, hidden among humans in the far-off city of Umatta. Once Mojara is above the surface, Majago (the brother) will learn of it via a strange shadow divination that links rakshasa of the same litter. Majago will eventually make his way to the lands near Casta and Iova's Tryst, insinuating himself into the social world of the nobility. The players will hear of a few murders of the lower-class citizens, mostly beggars and madmen, but these also reinvigorate Mojara. Mojara recommends returning his head to his brother so his brother leaves the area.

Asset: Mojara has been stuck in the underdark for some time, and if brought above ground he is greatly disoriented. He knows of a Rakshasa tomb that would be full of treasure, and it should be up in the mountains, but starts to lose energy after a short amount of looking around. Sacrificing living creatures to him can enhance his clarity of mind and reenergize him, which makes him able to show the way more quickly. If the PCs ask something like "How can we keep you going?" He will say "You will despise the truth." and act reluctant to tell the PCs. Thus, the PCs will have to choose whether to sacrifice animals (pouring the blood into Mojara's mouth) in exchange for treasure.