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virgileso
2012-09-05, 11:13 PM
I've got a shielded vault being opened by the party next session, holding a magic item Mcguffin (not their intended goal for the vault) that can be used to release a demon from its prison (currently on another plane). Upon opening the vault, the wards are broken, the McGuffin is absconded, and the party finds out within the vault that if they don't go to where the demon is imprisoned, it will be released.

I want to avoid DM fiat, and have the events transpire in a manner that follows the rules. I'm lost as to how to have this happen. Having a minion loyal to this demon take it is too likely to cause the party to stop it at the vault itself, aborting the adventure outright; or at the least bring to question the plot hole that if they can't stop it at the start, how do they find out where the prison is and get there in time to dramatically stop the McGuffin from being used without it being obvious DM fiat there. Might I have an easier time having something else there related to the McGuffin? How do I impress upon the party that they can actually stop the release from happening?

ADDENDUM: Part of how I'm having the prison be within the rules is by having the demon subject to an imprisonment spell, and the magic item McGuffin can cast freedom. Both are 9th level spells that can't be countered shy of divine intervention, and my setting has a derth of active entities that have that level of magic without being near-gods on their own; and certainly none are involved in the events that are transpiring in this adventure.

Machinekng
2012-09-05, 11:48 PM
I've got a shielded vault being opened by the party next session, holding a magic item Mcguffin (not their intended goal for the vault) that can be used to release a demon from its prison (currently on another plane). Upon opening the vault, the wards are broken, the McGuffin is absconded, and the party finds out within the vault that if they don't go to where the demon is imprisoned, it will be released.

I want to avoid DM fiat, and have the events transpire in a manner that follows the rules. I'm lost as to how to have this happen. Having a minion loyal to this demon take it is too likely to cause the party to stop it at the vault itself, aborting the adventure outright; or at the least bring to question the plot hole that if they can't stop it at the start, how do they find out where the prison is and get there in time to dramatically stop the McGuffin from being used without it being obvious DM fiat there. Might I have an easier time having something else there related to the McGuffin? How do I impress upon the party that they can actually stop the release from happening?

ADDENDUM: Part of how I'm having the prison be within the rules is by having the demon subject to an imprisonment spell, and the magic item McGuffin can cast freedom. Both are 9th level spells that can't be countered shy of divine intervention, and my setting has a derth of active entities that have that level of magic without being near-gods on their own; and certainly none are involved in the events that are transpiring in this adventure.

Are the demon's minions already antagonistic to the PCs, or are you introducing them? If the PCs have already encountered them, they might be following the PCs, waiting to pounce after they open the vault.

So, it would be like:

Ambush-----Battle-----Head Honcho Plane Shifts with Macguffin-----Interrogate Captured Cultist

If the minions are a new threat, than some more explaining needs to be involved. The vault could be its own demiplane for example. The minions may have figured out how to attune to it, but with the wards up, there's no getting in. Once the wards drop, however, the minions simply plane shift it.

So:

Plane Shift into Vault-----Battle-----Head Honcho Plane Shifts with Macguffin-----Interrogate Captured Cultist

Make sure that you players get to fight these guys. Vengence is one of the strongest player motivators.

Make sure that a group shows up. That may, the players can interrogate somebody, and if they beat a few of the minions, they should be confident that they can defeat the organization.

If the party fails to capture a prisioner, consider having pictograms telling the story of the demon and the threat of its release in the vault. Possibly, they also find Planar coordinates for the demon's prison?

Kadzar
2012-09-06, 01:16 AM
To avoid a situation of weird timing, the bad guys only drop in when the vault is opened. The reason they didn't open it before now, you can figure out the exact specifics of, but I'd say it should have something to do with the wards on the vault preventing the bad guys from opening it, whereas the PCs, for whatever reason, can. So the bad guys have been watching this vault for a while, or maybe they followed the PCs to the after hearing them talk about or something. Doesn't matter. Either way, once the vault is open, the bad guys come out of hiding and attack, trying to take MacGuffin. Depending on how the battle goes, things should end up one of two ways:

If the bad guys can successfully steal the MacGuffin and make their escape, you should have a bunch of clues left behind that will eventually lead them right to the demons doorstep.

Or, if the PCs manage to defeat their attackers, they take possession of the MacGuffin. They'll find that it is indestructible by all means immediately available to them, and, while they are trying to find something that can actually destroy it, some more members of the bad guy organization will come after them (because the MacGuffin is something they can pretty easily scry). If they can't hurt your PCs, they'll go after their loved ones and/or anyone the PCs might associate or do business with. In short, they'll do their best to make your PCs life a living hell. And, if they get particularly desperate, they might try to strike a bargain (this is especially nice if you can confront one of the PCs by themselves, so that you can offer them an opportunity to betray the others). Then the whole thing ends when they either find a way to destroy the thing (the bad guy organization should be there to stop them), the bad guys get the Macguffin (and things end up like the first scenario), or they find the bad guys' hideout without bringing the MacGuffin (possibly because they destroyed it, as the first ending may not be a true ending) and defeat the bad guys for good.

TheOOB
2012-09-06, 01:26 AM
Here's some ideas. First the door is warded in such a way so that the BBEG's minions could never open it(warded vs alignment usually works, else warded vs outsiders or something), but once it's open the ward is gone, and the minions can enter at their leisure. Instead of an object, there may be information in the vault, etched onto the wall or something. Perhaps the minions can cast freedom allready, but it only works on a specific time and date, which gives the PC's a chance to stop it.

Another slightly cruel way is have a seemingly innocent item the PC's are sure to take(gemstones work), make sure it doesn't radiate magic. Removing it breaks the seal, allowing the demon to be released. The ritual can be stopped, but only by sealing the demon back into the gemstone.

jackattack
2012-09-07, 03:23 PM
You can also play around with the timing by making the demon's release take a long time.

The demon is encased in a block of ice/amber/iron/raw magic. The macguffin begins the release process, which slowly melts/dissolves/rusts/disrupts the prison over days or weeks or even months. The players have some leeway, as the demon will still be trapped as long as its feet are still stuck; but a partially imprisoned demon isn't as good as a completely imprisoned demon, so a long delay could come back later in the campaign to bite them on the butt.

Or, to borrow from the BBC, the demon is inside a closed box with incredibly complicated locks and spells and divine seals. The macguffin starts the box opening. While some party members try to get the macguffin, others might use lockpicking or trap skills to keep it shut, or replenish spells or wards that are coming down.