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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 2622069" data-attributes="member: 3146">What to do beyond combat?The old skool answer would be build a keep and eventually build a kingdom. Once you pacify one hex of the map, you garrison it and move on to eliminate dangers from the next hex so that your farmers can expand and you can tax them and build an army to defend it and eventually become a power in the world.But really, if you've just done fighting until now, the fighting is a good place to start. What are you fighting for? If the answer is that you're fighting for truth, justice, and the Cormyrian (or Furyondian) way, then, starting with that motivation, you just need to ask, "what challenges truth, justice, and/or the Furyondian way that can't be solved with the point of a sword?" What if, for instance, some of the nobles who are not on the front lines of the Great Crusade against Iuz are growing rich by taking their tolls and taxes on trade to support King Belvor's war effort. In their wealth, they grow complacent and don't want to make the sacrifices necessary to win the war. After all, Iuz will be satisfied with Crockport for the moment--he's had enough of war for at least one lifetime and after that, they'll be dead so why do they care? How do the players deal with that? Or, maybe the king is growing old and is without an heir--several men are more or less equally qualified by right of blood but some are morally or mentally unfit for the job. That said, they have the money and connections that are necessary to secure it. What do the PCs do? Or maybe if your players aren't the kind who can think of schemes on their own, you can have the NPCs do some of the scheming for them. Powerful PCs would be valuable allies in the struggle for the throne so, perhaps the villains set about securing the PCs' aid through a strategic political marriage. On his way back from the dungeon, Fred fighter and Peter Paladin are met with an emissary from Duke Villainous offering the hand of his daughters in marriage with their considerable doweries and lands. The PCs have to meet the girls then and if the girls' natural charms aren't up to the task, charm and suggestion spells are always handy. If the PCs are oblivious to the political implications, you let them get up to the point where backing out will have painful consequences and then another NPC warns them of some of what is going on. Etc. etc.In my recent campaign, I had one character who had assumed the name of a fallen knight and another PC who was the heir to a consequential earldom that had been usurped by his uncle (in secret alliance with the kingdom's enemies). In the last two sessions, the PCs were to be honored by the king for their role in rediscovering the mythical jade chapel. All well and good, but the false nobleman had to decide whether to come clean or try to keep up the charade in the presence of people who actually knew the dead knight whose identity he had assumed. The heir had to decide whether to continue incognito and accept the honors under his assumed identity or to declare himself publicly. If he declared himself publicly, of course, his uncle might try to have him assassinated or he might pretend to be glad that his nephew had returned and return to his lands to "prepare them for the new earl" but, when he got there, rebel and swear fealty to the kingdom's enemy. That would, of course lead to civil war and possibly a new war with the kingdom's enemy. Alternatively, he could accuse his uncle of crimes that the uncle would have to answer for before he left. The likely result of that would be a judicial duel. (And, unfortunately for him, his uncle was a better fighter than he was--and he knew it).So, two characters out of six and it's already a massively complex scenario. Now, add the god (or God) in and it gets even more complex. Previously the heir character had accepted the offer of an unknown woman to remove a disease inflicted upon him by an evil priest so that he could get revenge on his uncle. So, she appeared to him again in a dream, offering her aid. He refused. Then the god that he claimed to worship sent him a dream where he could symbolically cast off her protection. If he did so, the disease would return. Secretly, however, he would also earn the favor of his god and would be under the effect of a clvl 9 Divine Favor spell in the duel. (In my campaign, the God or gods--or at least some of them--really do favor the just in judicial duels).Making it a bit more complex, a mysterious stranger who was really an agent of the villainous kingdom offered another PC an undetectable poison which he was to place on the heir's sword before the duel--thereby helping his friend to win. Secretly, of course, he was planning on having the poison detected right before the duel and thereby causing the heir to be executed for treachery.So, there's lots of conflict in that example but very little combat--only the judicial duel which was called off in the middle because the agents of the villainous kingdom took advantage of the duel to kidnap the queen and flee the citadel--but not before stabbing the uncle in the back to make it look like they were in league with the rightful heir.</blockquote>

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