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Necron
2009-11-19, 01:47 PM
Hello! I'm currently building a 4E campaign set in Forgotten Realms.

I've come to the playground looking for advice/supporting logic for possible motives for the BBEG.

The campaign begins in Waterdeep. Each player character has been unlawfully imprisoned by the BBEG (who's actually a lesser lord). The BBEG has been performing experiments on each of them... gruesome torture... etc. The first session will involve a series of events that will provide them the opportunity to escape his clutches and begin to find their own way.

Something the BBEG did caused each of his prisoners to suffer from amnesia (they will only remember their names/abilities, no backstory). Likely this will be a result of invasive psionic rituals/powers (though I'm not opposed to making him an arcane mentalist). This mainly serves to allow my players the time to actually play their toons for a few sessions before needing to cough up backstory for me. And it serves to provide initial momentum to the players for the campaign (i.e. figure out what the hell happened).

I have the aftermath of the initial session(s) planned... BBEG pulls the cliche teleport away in view of the party as several Waterdeep mages come to the rescue. The mages' intent wasn't to rescue anyone, but to off the BBEG. Provided that introductions stay somewhat amiable, the party will end up together in a recently abandoned plot in the Field Ward.

I'm here specifically looking for the answers to the WHY'S more then anything. Why was the BBEG experimenting on them? What's he after? Why don't they remember anything? And how do they go about remembering?

I've been toying around with the BBEG possessing some sort of degenerative spellscar... but I'm just not sure what to do yet.

Thanks for any input you have to offer.

Shadow_Elf
2009-11-19, 04:48 PM
My off-the-top-of-my-head musings:
In order to know why the BBEG captured them, you must first know their backstories! :smalltongue:

Unless it could have been anyone, but the BBEG happened to pick all of them for no specific reason - but if it could've been anyone, then why not some farmers or peasants or someone easy to kidnap? Trained adventurers/scholars/mercenaries/soldiers/whatevers are not the type you voluntarily chose to kidnap over common folk.

Unless he needed their abilities (class abilities, racial abilities) without needed them specifically... This could be something to consider.

Shardan
2009-11-19, 05:29 PM
heh. One word. Clones!

They have no back story, they were created as is in his lab but they THINK they have had their memories wiped by his experiments. They were freed before their final 'programming' could take place.

KillianHawkeye
2009-11-19, 06:11 PM
Maybe he is trying to create a ritual that will let him steal their feats and powers? His plan is to get every power in the PHB. :smallamused:

Necron
2009-11-20, 08:11 AM
Shadow_Elf
They were definately not farmers/peasants. As far as I've detailed the plot each one was purchased from a slave auction in Downshadow. I think he didn't pick them for a reason beyond their innane resilience being adventurers (over commoners). The stuff that was done to them... a common person probably wouldn't have survived.

Shardan
Hrmmm... Clones? Probably not going to work for my campaign, but it's not a bad idea in general.

KillianHawkeye
This is closer to what I'm looking for. I think you helped me diverge my own idea off this...

My Thoughts
I think I'm going to stick with the mad scientist theme... The BBEG is trying to develop a method of creating Spellscars... Per the usual situation the BBEG at one point (years earlier) thought his research was complete and performed the "ritual" on himself... giving himself an unstable spellcar. Now he's searching for a way to "stabilize" himself and at the same time finish his research (so he can put spellscars on all of his followers).

Hrmmm... I like it. Any other ideas?

dsmiles
2009-11-20, 11:12 AM
If your BBEG is truly a "mad" scientist, he could be researching a way to "create" life (a la Frankenstein), or a way to "mind switch" with another body, or a way to bring back the dead without using magic (a la "Reanimator"), or a way to "spellwarp" (a la 3.5e MM3, I think), maybe even a way to make a better taco. Who knows, he's mad isn't he? Does he really need another motive?

Necron
2009-11-20, 11:37 AM
If your BBEG is truly a "mad" scientist, he could be researching a way to "create" life (a la Frankenstein), or a way to "mind switch" with another body, or a way to bring back the dead without using magic (a la "Reanimator"), or a way to "spellwarp" (a la 3.5e MM3, I think), maybe even a way to make a better taco. Who knows, he's mad isn't he? Does he really need another motive?I think it's more of a general pursuit of power then trying to create life. Being able to perform a ritual (in promixity to a spellplague area) will allow him to "force" a spellscar to manifest on his intended target.

I'm really trying to use the spellscar/spellplague plot material from the new FR setting books.

Thanks for all the input.