What is your overused plot hook ?

[Mark CMG]

What is your overused plot hook?

The waitress slaps your face, again, and as your head turns from the force of the blow you notice a shrouded figure sitting alone in the corner of the tavern . . .

 

[justinsluder]

Inns. I use them too much as meeting places.

Yes, as do I.

The thing with my game is that my players always have the option to not do what i have set up. I'm currently 2/3 into the Hall of Harsh Reflections from the AoW AP. I remind them all the time, "No. You don't have to go after the mind flayer." But I've also told them the events of the AP will continue regardless of them or not. They currently have 24 days before the city is overrun with undead. Did I mention my game is in the FR? 24 days and Waterdeep is no more. I can't wait.

 

[Ilium]

In my current campaign the 6 PCs have been motivated mostly by:

1) Revenge
2) Revenge
3) Fleeing from a group seeking revenge
4) Profit
5) Profit
6) and Revenge

Works for us.

 

[Nightfall]

See I can see why Profit motivates you, but like Montoya said, "There's not much money in revenge."

 

[BlueBlackRed]

Someone is hunting the party, who then kills some innocent bystanders in a town.
Then the whole town hates the party and wants them to leave.

 

[Silver Moon]

The Queen recruits them to go investigate something bad happening in a remote section of her land.

 

[Wraith Form]

I tend to create scavenger hunt quests too much.

I'm facing a lot of Baldur's Gate- / Icewind Dale- / Neverwinter Nights-style Fed Ex missions in the near future.

And a lot of "Contact X wants the party to find / rescue / break out of jail Contact Y" missions.

 

[Graf]

The vast majority of players I’ve played with over the years are motivated primarily by the acquisition of treasure (and levels, but they know higher levels mean higher CR creatures).

Even if their characters are motivated by other actions about 80% of the players are motivated by the acquisition of treasure.

If you manage to regularly motivate people by any other means then you’re doing well.

I would say my overused plot hook is
“Excessively powerful person or entity turns up. It doesn’t fight you, but does something that demonstrates its absurd power level (obviously CR > Avg.Party.Lvl + 5). It then offers something in trade for party doing something it, despite it’s absurd power level, is inept or incapable of doing. (psychotic druid with short attention span, excessively powerful lich/political figure)”

 

[Nightfall]

Justin,

Well I think lots of people over use inns. But it's a common DM starting point after all. Next to "Hey look, you guys are all here!"

 

[Nifft]

The [village, town, city, country, continent, planet, multiverse] is threatened by [humanoid, dragon, demon, devil, aberration, wizard, cleric, sorcerer of choice] and the [village elders, town council, city rulers, king, emperor, world-ruling cabal, gods] ask the less powerful PCs to resolve the issue because [s/he/it/they have this other thing to do and can't be bothered with it right now].

I did that once (PCs asked to help out, they were one of three mercenary groups under contract to kill goblins).

The other time I sort-of did it, the PCs were specifically told not to help. They were simply not allowed to leave town until the matter was resolved... (so of course they ended up resolving it, because they wanted to leave -- they ended up working for the underground).

Cheers, -- N