Rixx
2010-02-08, 07:15 PM
I'm going to be running a Pathfinder game soon, and I have a bit of a plot-related concern. My three players have all (more or less) gotten their character concepts decided. The trouble is, I'm having a lot of trouble seeing how their characters are going to be ending up working together, as well as how they're going to be tied in to the first plot.
Basically, I made a premise for the first "arc" of the campaign, and from there I plan to build new arcs based around their characters and their actions. The characters all have a reason to go to the city that will be the first arc's setting, but they currently have little reason to work together or even meet.
The setting: The adventure begins in the small but prosperous nation of Gallece, in the capital city of Brightwall (so named for its tall city walls built out of metal-rich stone, which reflects the sunlight). Famous for its extensive library and arcane school, as well as its relatively lax immigration policy, many who seek knowledge and adventure journey there.
The conflict: The current noble in charge (who is an honestly fair and just ruler) is having trouble with mischievous bandits camping just outside his city. What he doesn't know is that these bandits are followers of the true successor to the throne, a hot-headed but kindhearted individual of truly royal blood; the head noble's family gained their power in a coup two generations ago, and the current noble just barely wrenched the power away from his ambitious and cruel kin. The PCs will have to find a way to resolve this villain-less conflict.
The characters: The following are the PCs' characters:
Ramalas Leafwing: Elven Ranger. A member of the highly reclusive and rarely seen elven race, Ramalas has been tasked by his king to gather information and seek the cooperation of the nearby humans, for the mystic statue that grants the elves their power has gone missing somehow. Only with the help of the nearby human city can they hope to retrieve it.
Celia "The Face-breaker": Human Barbarian. As is customary for her tribe, she left her home in the frigid southlands in order to slay a mighty beast and bring back its head as a rite of passage. Never one to be upstaged, she won't rest until she has slain the mightiest beast she could find - in the meantime, to feed herself, she has taken up work as a town guard. (The player has said that she'll do whatever she's ordered to.)
As-of-yet unnamed: Half-elf Monk/Oracle. Raised in a monastery on a secluded mountain where those of mixed human and elven blood live, she was blessed (or rather, cursed) with strange divine powers she doesn't understand. Despite her gentle nature, she now wields a strange and terrible control over the forces of life and death. Encouraged by her mentor to seek the aid of those who understand magic, she has traveled to the city of Brightwall to seek aid.
They all have great backstories and good reasons to go to the city, but I can't think of any (non-contrived) reason to keep them together. Granted, they're all very cooperative in terms of keeping the story moving, but I don't want to have to force them together via external influences. Any ideas?
Basically, I made a premise for the first "arc" of the campaign, and from there I plan to build new arcs based around their characters and their actions. The characters all have a reason to go to the city that will be the first arc's setting, but they currently have little reason to work together or even meet.
The setting: The adventure begins in the small but prosperous nation of Gallece, in the capital city of Brightwall (so named for its tall city walls built out of metal-rich stone, which reflects the sunlight). Famous for its extensive library and arcane school, as well as its relatively lax immigration policy, many who seek knowledge and adventure journey there.
The conflict: The current noble in charge (who is an honestly fair and just ruler) is having trouble with mischievous bandits camping just outside his city. What he doesn't know is that these bandits are followers of the true successor to the throne, a hot-headed but kindhearted individual of truly royal blood; the head noble's family gained their power in a coup two generations ago, and the current noble just barely wrenched the power away from his ambitious and cruel kin. The PCs will have to find a way to resolve this villain-less conflict.
The characters: The following are the PCs' characters:
Ramalas Leafwing: Elven Ranger. A member of the highly reclusive and rarely seen elven race, Ramalas has been tasked by his king to gather information and seek the cooperation of the nearby humans, for the mystic statue that grants the elves their power has gone missing somehow. Only with the help of the nearby human city can they hope to retrieve it.
Celia "The Face-breaker": Human Barbarian. As is customary for her tribe, she left her home in the frigid southlands in order to slay a mighty beast and bring back its head as a rite of passage. Never one to be upstaged, she won't rest until she has slain the mightiest beast she could find - in the meantime, to feed herself, she has taken up work as a town guard. (The player has said that she'll do whatever she's ordered to.)
As-of-yet unnamed: Half-elf Monk/Oracle. Raised in a monastery on a secluded mountain where those of mixed human and elven blood live, she was blessed (or rather, cursed) with strange divine powers she doesn't understand. Despite her gentle nature, she now wields a strange and terrible control over the forces of life and death. Encouraged by her mentor to seek the aid of those who understand magic, she has traveled to the city of Brightwall to seek aid.
They all have great backstories and good reasons to go to the city, but I can't think of any (non-contrived) reason to keep them together. Granted, they're all very cooperative in terms of keeping the story moving, but I don't want to have to force them together via external influences. Any ideas?