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Zahhak
2013-05-22, 08:29 PM
There's a reason I'm asking this, and it amounts to saying "I done screwed up". So, moving on from that...

My group right now is basically about to get involved in Drow politics, sort of. Basically a LE Drow came in and took over things hundred years ago and has been slowly reshaping the society along what he wants, which is basically Italian Fascism, minus a few things. Oh, and the former matriarch/high priestess of Lolth was booted, and the church of Lolth is being purged slowly. This of course didn't sit well with the former matriarch, who is conspiring to take out the new head of state, and hired the party to spy on her allies, and kill/blackmail them if they aren't loyal. Yes, the party is disguised as slaves to do this.

Anyways, I'm having a hard time coming up with events for them to run through. This kind of story I think lends itself to a hub-based format, but I cann't think of much to do from the hub. There are a few members of the former matriarch's group to run through, and a few other side events that they can work through (like trying to capture items/monsters before the new head of state can get them), recon on the head of state before the final attack, and the final attack itself, but that's about all I can think of and it seems kind of flat. I was hoping some folks could make some suggestions for other events.

Tl;dr: ideas for a campaign that involves spying on and assassinating drow aristocrats to overthrow a LE drow state.

headwarpage
2013-05-22, 08:52 PM
Make the former matriarch petty, irrational, paranoid, and generally ineffective (but occasionally brilliant, just to keep everybody off guard). Give the PCs missions to settle personal grudges that don't advance the overall goal at all. For instance, "My handmaiden took my diamond earrings after I was deposed. Bring her to me alive so I can torture her - and bring me the earrings too, if you can find them." Or maybe, "My favorite pleasure slave is getting above himself - he opened a tavern after the head of state freed him. Go burn it down for me."

So every stupid mission raises the head of state's suspicion and puts the PCs at risk of being caught. Are they bold enough to try to talk the matriarch into doing something sensible? Are they willing to just stage the coup themselves in their free time, just to get it done? Do they get desperate and start looking for ways to switch sides? Or do they just go along with it and hope the former matriarch eventually points them in the right direction?

Alternately, the incompetence is just a front, and there really is a point to these missions, but the matriarch is trying to appear that she's not a threat because of spies. Maybe the handmaiden is secretly a trusted assassin/bodyguard, and the matriarch needs to come up with a frivolous reason to bring the handmaiden to her.

Zahhak
2013-05-22, 10:12 PM
Make the former matriarch petty, irrational, paranoid, and generally ineffective (but occasionally brilliant, just to keep everybody off guard).

Not bad for outward appearances, but I think that if I do that with the party itself, they'll figure that's my way of saying "I've run through this plotline, go find something else to do". Also, they wouldn't take on the current head of state directly. He's a Paladin turned Black Guard turned Death Knight, and the party is 6 level 6 characters. Between who the "BBEG" is and "Drow politics", it was hard enough to get their characters willing to do this.

But yeah, good idea, thanks.

Kyberwulf
2013-05-22, 10:28 PM
A hundred years, isn't a long time to a society that's members live for Hundreds of years. You should play it like the members don't trust that this new government will last. It will be either brought back to the former regime, or that someone else will take over. Lloth wouldn't allow for her city to be taken over slowly, if at all.

Zahhak
2013-05-22, 10:34 PM
Forgot to mention, I hate the idea that "oh, elves live for a few thousand years" bullcrap, so all humanoids have lifespans similar to humans. This is like, generation 3 of his rule.