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Morghen
2013-02-18, 10:30 AM
They may ignore the information or just turn it over to some kind of authority, but I want them to at least have a shot at figuring out what I'm offering.

Background: The PCs are 1st level. I'm trying to offer them the opportunity to get involved with some larger forces in the region. They're in the south of Country 1. Country 1 has been on the decline for a couple of hundred years. The country to the north, Country 2, has taken a number of chunks during that time.

Closer to the beginning of the campaign, an NPC they'd come to trust was assassinated but left behind a note for his superiors. In the note, he mentioned that he believed agents of Country 2 were operating in the south of C1. (The thing I'm offering the PCs is that C2 is sending agents to the south of C1 to stir up trouble in the form of "The south is getting more dangerous and we need to send some of the troops from the border with C2 to deal with it." Once enough troops have been moved from the border, invasion will follow.)

The PCs have gotten themselves in good with the Duke of the area, and they're about to be asked by the sheriff of the Duke's city to look into a situation. Sheriff found out about a house with two bodies in it and after a hasty investigation found some notes talking about a private warehouse where "the attack will start an hour before dawn on [tomorrow]." (C2 sent three necromancers and some muscle to do some grave-robbing and zombie-making.) If the PCs look into the house, anybody with enough military lore, heraldry, or fashion-related knowledge will have a chance to pick up that the bodies are military types from C2. If the PCs investigate the warehouse before night, they find eight zombies (basic-type, not apocalypse-type) and a collection of notes detailing: a plan for grave-robbery in such a way as to not call attention to it; notification that "We're going to have to resort to corpse-collecting the hard way. The cemeteries are starting to attract attention"; and a reminder to keep an eye on the other sites.

So here's my request:

Give me more stuff to help let the PCs know that Country 2 is involved.

(Some of this is probably not clear, but I've got to go run errands. Back later.)

Gavinfoxx
2013-02-18, 11:10 AM
Are the players obviously interested in this plot line?

Also, they're level 1. Why are you assuming they will be looking into doing ANYTHING other than, 'lets kill some kobolds and such until we level up so we don't die to a random crit!'?

NikitaDarkstar
2013-02-18, 11:17 AM
Gavin has a point, they're lvl 1, they're squishier than jell-o right now, and EIGHT zombies are overkill, way, way overkill. (They might be able to handle one or two).

As for the rest, assuming the players are interested in the plotline they can't really miss it right now. Especially if you do the smart thing and let the knowledge roll succeed no matter what (you don't fail rolls that are needed to move the plot forward), but really, you don't need to hit them across the head with the darned thing.

Gavinfoxx
2013-02-18, 12:20 PM
Also, get the trained knowledge scores for take 10 for everyone who has, um, any knowledge skill trained.

Assume that the Take 10 score is what they passively know about any intellectual topic they have trained!

Morghen
2013-02-18, 12:44 PM
Are the players obviously interested in this plot line?Don't know yet. But if not, I've got random "abandoned stronghold" stuff.


Also, they're level 1. Why are you assuming they will be looking into doing ANYTHING other than, 'lets kill some kobolds and such until we level up so we don't die to a random crit!'?I offered something substantial earlier and they bit. Also, between six players and GM we've got over 100 years of tabletop experience. "A kobold jumps at you. What do you do?" isn't going to cut it.


Gavin has a point, they're lvl 1, they're squishier than jell-o right now, and EIGHT zombies are overkill, way, way overkill. (They might be able to handle one or two).I keep upping the ante and they keep murdering the bejesus out of what I throw at them. Also, they've got two clerics.


As for the rest, assuming the players are interested in the plotline they can't really miss it right now. Especially if you do the smart thing and let the knowledge roll succeed no matter what (you don't fail rolls that are needed to move the plot forward), but really, you don't need to hit them across the head with the darned thing.That's exactly what I'm afraid of. I want them to find the clue... but that's the problem I'm seeing. I've only got the one. What if they don't look at the house? Another casualty of in-fighting at the warehouse?


Also, get the trained knowledge scores for take 10 for everyone who has, um, any knowledge skill trained.

Assume that the Take 10 score is what they passively know about any intellectual topic they have trained!We're playing HackMaster. No such thing.

W3bDragon
2013-02-18, 01:47 PM
Well, obviously you need multiple clues. If they figure out from just one clue, then that's not much fun. They need to find many clues and put it all together (hopefully.)

Clues:

* Organization: Give them the feel that whoever is behind this is very organized. The zombies are split up into squads. They are directed to use simple military tactics. This is done even if someone needs to be hidden nearby to control the zombies.

* Target Priority: The targets of the attacks or disruption don't make sense unless you are trying to stir up trouble for Country 1. For example, they could attack the Duke's house. They could attack the town's supply of horses. They could attack the town's water supply. Things like that will become a clue if you mention that nothing was stolen and nothing of real value to thieves or even necromancer scholars is present at the attack locations.

* Botched zombie raising: They could find a place where zombies where being raised, but it went wrong and killed one of the C2 operatives. They find that the person must've died while attempting to make more zombies (confirming more that one person behind it). Also, his shoes were military style boots shined to a sheen (Tying in a military role without specifically pointing out C2). If your setting allows, they find his ethnicity to be from the north of C1 (who share ethnicity with the south of C2).

You can throw in more as needed until the PCs figure it out. If they don't, just hammer them with it by having the Duke or the Sheriff keep bringing up the point of "But why are they doing what they're doing?"

Eventually, if they don't figure it out, the Duke or Sheriff does, if it is essential for your story that they find out soon. If not, they'll just have to find out the hard way.

scurv
2013-02-18, 07:56 PM
Written note cards!
Put it in their hands!
Use your leet pc skills to print something nice up!

Seriously though. I use written materials when i need to leash players along on a plot. You might need to tweek a plot a bit to generate the written materials, But It tends to be one of the better hooks I have seen, Although do not over use it.

Arbane
2013-02-18, 08:42 PM
* Organization: Give them the feel that whoever is behind this is very organized. The zombies are split up into squads. They are directed to use simple military tactics. This is done even if someone needs to be hidden nearby to control the zombies.


I think for zombies, any military tactic more complex than "lurch forward and attack" is too complex to be workable.

W3bDragon
2013-02-19, 02:22 AM
I think for zombies, any military tactic more complex than "lurch forward and attack" is too complex to be workable.

True, but in the interest of dropping clues, it wouldn't be far fetched to posit that the necromancer that raised the zombies has some simple control over them. Even if all the commands he can issue are "You, stand here and wait. You two, attack there" that would be enough to execute something like a pincer maneuver or a blitz. Perhaps they don't execute them well, thus the PCs survive, but still enough to be worth investigation.

The New Bruceski
2013-02-19, 03:13 AM
I agree with W3bDragon's point on the style of the attack. If this were a power grab they'd attack the leaders. Some necromantic cult would go for the population. If you target infrastructure, causing disorder amd hardship rather than fatalities or a power vacuum, then that in itself is a good clue if the players spot it (and get to feel clever), but something that the NPCs can figure out if they don't without feeling like "I went back to that warehouse after you and rolled a better spot check."

NikitaDarkstar
2013-02-19, 11:46 AM
True, but in the interest of dropping clues, it wouldn't be far fetched to posit that the necromancer that raised the zombies has some simple control over them. Even if all the commands he can issue are "You, stand here and wait. You two, attack there" that would be enough to execute something like a pincer maneuver or a blitz. Perhaps they don't execute them well, thus the PCs survive, but still enough to be worth investigation.

Not to mention they'd probably have decent equipment. Mind you, perhaps not stat wise, but it would look new, well cared for and suspiciously uniform. Why? Because the necromancers were raiding random graveyards, but an unequipped zombie isn't very useful so they brought basic equipment with them to go with the zombies. Equipment that looks oddly similar to what they use in country 2.