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What is your overused plot hook ?
- Thread starter questing gm
- Start date
Celebrim
Legend
Someone with alot of money is looking for someone with swords to do something extremely foolhardy. Fortunately, he discovers that there are a group of foolish sellswords near by willing to do just about anything for enough coin.
Seven times in ten he's lying about exactly what he wants done. Five times in ten he can make life very miserable for the PC's if they refuse.
Eventually though, the PC's have done enough foolish things that the adventure gets self-propelling, and the plot hook becomes cleaning up the messes that they've made while evading all the people they've made angry and/or who now want the gold and magical widgets they've acquired.
Seven times in ten he's lying about exactly what he wants done. Five times in ten he can make life very miserable for the PC's if they refuse.
Eventually though, the PC's have done enough foolish things that the adventure gets self-propelling, and the plot hook becomes cleaning up the messes that they've made while evading all the people they've made angry and/or who now want the gold and magical widgets they've acquired.
InVinoVeritas
Adventurer
I've quite specifically made sure not to use the tavern as a starting point for an adventure. I started one at sunrise in a marketplace, or with everyone invited to a formal dinner, or other such reasons to gather people randomly in a spot, but not the tavern.
All my campaigns, though, for some reason or other, become attempts to save the world from pseudonatural/alien invasions. My Paridon one right now is bucking the trend, at least for now.
All my campaigns, though, for some reason or other, become attempts to save the world from pseudonatural/alien invasions. My Paridon one right now is bucking the trend, at least for now.
MoogleEmpMog
First Post
"Your mission, should you choose to accept it..."
I tend to start PCs out in the employ of an organization, be it political (a kingdom, a secret agency) or mercantile (a spelljammer ship, a mercenary company) and then have something awful happen to their organization within the first few sessions, so they have to either rescue it from the ashes or go off on their own.
So far, the players have almost always tried to rescue their organization from the ashes.
Once in a blue moon, they even succeed... 
Once the game gets rolling, though, it usually bounces from one PC-caused disaster to another as the characters flee the consequences of their monumental, catastrophic, uproarious missteps. I've never had a d20 game that didn't involve one or more of: crashing one or more ships (often expensive, high-tech or magical ones; sometimes one of each!), burning a town to the ground (once, a major metropolis!), accidentally destroying the PCs' own organization, getting captured by a series of comically improbable missteps, or becoming involved in a land war in Asia.
I tend to start PCs out in the employ of an organization, be it political (a kingdom, a secret agency) or mercantile (a spelljammer ship, a mercenary company) and then have something awful happen to their organization within the first few sessions, so they have to either rescue it from the ashes or go off on their own.
So far, the players have almost always tried to rescue their organization from the ashes.
Once in a blue moon, they even succeed... Once the game gets rolling, though, it usually bounces from one PC-caused disaster to another as the characters flee the consequences of their monumental, catastrophic, uproarious missteps. I've never had a d20 game that didn't involve one or more of: crashing one or more ships (often expensive, high-tech or magical ones; sometimes one of each!), burning a town to the ground (once, a major metropolis!), accidentally destroying the PCs' own organization, getting captured by a series of comically improbable missteps, or becoming involved in a land war in Asia.
Evilhalfling
Adventurer
you are trying to get from civilized place X to civilized place Y
There is something bad/a mysterious building/a strange gateway between the two.
complications ensue.
And of course: The bad people that escaped you last time, come back for revenge.
I also tend to run in themes - the fetch the item for mentor/organization game.
the chase down and kill bad people before they do bad things game.
The your commander tells you to (patrol/investigate murder/stay home and protect fortress/recruit new men/etc game.
There is something bad/a mysterious building/a strange gateway between the two.
complications ensue.
And of course: The bad people that escaped you last time, come back for revenge.
I also tend to run in themes - the fetch the item for mentor/organization game.
the chase down and kill bad people before they do bad things game.
The your commander tells you to (patrol/investigate murder/stay home and protect fortress/recruit new men/etc game.
