Troupe of the Painted Soul (Campaign Ideas)

[dave_o]

All right, so I posted here a little while ago about a Greek mythology campaign. Unfortunately, my face to face players weren't really into it, so perhaps I'll save it for an online campaign. In any case, thanks for all the help!

But, since my face to face players are pretty traditional, and I have fond memories of a 2E Forgotten Realms campaign, I'm going to try a hand at a 3E Forgotten Realms campaign. The changes in Faerun since 2E make things quite interesting, especially the cessation of the Elven Retreat.

Anyway.

I'm titling this campaign The Troupe of the Painted Soul. Things will kick off in Shadowdale, since Shadowdale is just good luck for me. I've already dictated that all the PCs need to have some sort of Perform ranks, or other skill that'd be useful in a troupe (even as just a guard). And I'm going to have the PCs all joining this start up performance troupe.

What do I need? IDEAS. What sorts of trouble can they get into? What sorts of NPCs would be rad? (I'm looking for a founder NPC idea, in specific) I'm mostly interested in a single event to start the campaign off, something to unite the PCs in a suitably non-cheesy way.

Thanks in advance! (And hopefully, this one will make it into a story hour!)

 

[Micar Sin]

Well, here is always the traditional way of getting in trouble... while in a city controlled by a corrupt noble, they perform a satire or farce highlighting the failings and excesses of the ruler or rulers. The subject of the play of course takes exception to it and the party has to escape the local law as well as assasins and bounty hunters. The founder could be a bard who has been injured and can not longer talk above a whisper and acts as the troupes director... as far as getting the party involved, perhaps they answer an emergency call from te founder for actors, or they are in an underground theater in a city controlled by one of the aformentioned corrupt rulers and while attending performance of a play satirizing the rulers, the theater is raided by the authorities and the raid quickly turns into a massacre, with the party fleeing with the founder to save their own skin...

 

[Tonguez]

Simultaneous with the arrival of the Troupe in town a series of murders occurs - of course the Troupe are under suspision and must prove their innocence

The Troupe find a stowaway hiding amongst the props - she is more than she seems (IMC she was the chosen vessel for the return of a demon goddess and being chased by cultists)

or a simple - The Giant Carnivorous Hamsters have escaped and are loose in the streets!!!

 

[Argent Silvermage]

Unknown by the players characters there is a shapechanger in the troup. This person is commiting the murders and using the players visages to kill, now they have real problems.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

I had a campaign idea similar to this which I called "the circus of misdirection". The main difference is that yours seems to be a "real" troupe that gets into trouble, while mine was designed specificly as a cover for a mercanery/adventuring group to move around without suspicion.

easy plots would involve the troupe being hired to take along an object or individual which needs to be moved safely but without appearing to have a big escort. Troupe members with background goals (planting seeds of dissent against a current ruling body, identifying young sorcerers in each town and pointing them towards training and safety, finding bits of a magical song which has been scattered and reduced to folklore or doggrel) could take center stage at different times.

Overall, I think its a great "cover adventure" but I'm biased since I was planning it myself.

Kahuna Burger