Need plot twist

[aura59]

So im a very novice DM, and as of late im always pressed for time due to work - given a basic concept I can come up with relatively well planned "chapters" to continue off of.
so far my three regulars drafted all resources and have established a town with, given the effort they put forth, a pretty tough outer wall. They are fending off a teifling Assassin (retired character from a much older setting) that's proven to be very very Flexible in terms of resourcefulness.

I want them to fear for their town and their characters - help me get the juices flowing?

[IIzak]

Are you looking for like an enemy scare? Or more of a psychological one? Like having something threatening looming over the city? Or what if like a mysterious disease started affecting the people inside?

[CRtwenty]

The Assassin is friendly with a group of Dopplegangers, who begin killing off key NPCs in the town and taking their place, giving the Assassin nearly unrestricted access to the towns defenses and allowing him to attack the PCs freely.

[aura59]

great input so far

BOTH. I want them to feel the doom, yet I don't want to per say raze the city.

The assasins way too high a level. when we finally retired him he was a level 14 assassin complete with trimmings, ontop of a lycanthropy of the jelly cube kind. they would all die horrible, horrible deaths.

what makes him such a formitable opponent is that hes knows people, have oaths sworn to him - his charisma is like a natural thirty - hes a true teifling

[aura59]

Are you looking for like an enemy scare? Or more of a psychological one? Like having something threatening looming over the city? Or what if like a mysterious disease started affecting the people inside?

both. they've grown cocky and push boundries :smallconfused:

[aura59]

The Assassin is friendly with a group of Dopplegangers, who begin killing off key NPCs in the town and taking their place, giving the Assassin nearly unrestricted access to the towns defenses and allowing him to attack the PCs freely.

the assassins too OP for them right now - hes end game. but hes got lots of nasty allies

[IIzak]

Do they know about the tiefling in game? If not, building on CRtwenty's idea a bit, what if he physically disguises himself as one of the NPC's in the city and sabatoges from the inside. Like have him make suggestions that look good on the surface, but will come back to haunt the PC's later. He seems much more likely to want to mess with the PC's and play with his food rather than just overpower and kill them. Maybe even subtle changes in weather? Like all the sudden on a warm sunny day it starts to storm, and then it just keeps on storming and storming and storming for an unaturally long time. I'm sure he's got a buddy somewhere who can mess with the weather. Or like crops die, or game becomes scarce, or an important river dries up suddenly.

[aura59]

Do they know about the tiefling in game? If not, building on CRtwenty's idea a bit, what if he physically disguises himself as one of the NPC's in the city and sabatoges from the inside. Like have him make suggestions that look good on the surface, but will come back to haunt the PC's later. He seems much more likely to want to mess with the PC's and play with his food rather than just overpower and kill them. Maybe even subtle changes in weather? Like all the sudden on a warm sunny day it starts to storm, and then it just keeps on storming and storming and storming for an unaturally long time. I'm sure he's got a buddy somewhere who can mess with the weather. Or like crops die, or game becomes scarce, or an important river dries up suddenly.

agreed, at some point soon I will build on that - what about a small siege, just enough to put a few good holes in the prized wall somehow. or should I go for brutality and wreck the said built upon town?

[aura59]

as a high level assassin he can already alter his facial appearance - and hes made his presence known; it was in his personality to toy with people

[CRtwenty]

Why exactly is this Assassin targeting them in the first place? They don't seem like much of a threat to him at the moment, and it seems with his power if he wanted them dead they would be.

Maybe have a corrupt Noble who's trying to usurp the PCs control of the town? The Assassin could be working with him for some reason. Have the Assassin convince some local groups of Orcs, or Bandits, or something similar to raid the town while at the same time sabotaging the towns defenses. When the invasion happens the Noble intends to send in his own troops to "clear out" the invaders and make the PCs look like incompetent idiots.

[aura59]

Why exactly is this Assassin targeting them in the first place? They don't seem like much of a threat to him at the moment, and it seems with his power if he wanted them dead they would be.

Maybe have a corrupt Noble who's trying to usurp the PCs control of the town? The Assassin could be working with him for some reason. Have the Assassin convince some local groups of Orcs, or Bandits, or something similar to raid the town while at the same time sabotaging the towns defenses. When the invasion happens the Noble intends to send in his own troops to "clear out" the invaders and make the PCs look like incompetent idiots.

well, this tiefling according to a player compromise after the original game from a year ago finally came to a close, went on to take over the old world.
as time went by he grew bored of his land and decided manifest destiny. hes classes as an assassin but at this point is more an overlord of sorts

[IIzak]

So basically what you're going for is to poke a few holes in the PC's confidence w/out destroying their town completely. Do the PC's have like a specific place that's kind of like, their base within the town?

also @CRtwenty I like the corrupt noble idea, and maybe a reason the assassin works for him is because he's got some artifacty thing that the tiefling wants.

Although the assassin just kinda sounds like a sadistic sociopath who likes to watch people squirm. If thats the case, then I'd go disease, weather change, and perhaps even a well placed earthquake on their home base (structure collapse) You could even have the Assassin frame someone within the city who is an ally of the PC's of a crime and get them to make an enemy out of someone who they previously regarded as an ally (I'm assuming the PC's are in control of this town?)

[aura59]

So basically what you're going for is to poke a few holes in the PC's confidence w/out destroying their town completely. Do the PC's have like a specific place that's kind of like, their base within the town?

also @CRtwenty I like the corrupt noble idea, and maybe a reason the assassin works for him is because he's got some artifacty thing that the tiefling wants.

Although the assassin just kinda sounds like a sadistic sociopath who likes to watch people squirm. If thats the case, then I'd go disease, weather change, and perhaps even a well placed earthquake on their home base (structure collapse) You could even have the Assassin frame someone within the city who is an ally of the PC's of a crime and get them to make an enemy out of someone who they previously regarded as an ally (I'm assuming the PC's are in control of this town?)

ironic. the tiefling collects things of great magic - his prized possession is an artifact that causes souls to return back to their bodies after being slain ONCE. if they die twice they dead.

and yes, the guard capt. and the mayor... and the jailor are all PC's

[IIzak]

I also like the idea of like the Noble hiring this Assassin to help him, and then he has no idea what he's brought into the world, Like he accidentally released something he can't handle and it screws him over too.

[aura59]

I also like the idea of like the Noble hiring this Assassin to help him, and then he has no idea what he's brought into the world, Like he accidentally released something he can't handle and it screws him over too.

would we dare have someone make a pact with orcus

[CRtwenty]

I also like the idea of like the Noble hiring this Assassin to help him, and then he has no idea what he's brought into the world, Like he accidentally released something he can't handle and it screws him over too.

Of course. And he'll serve as a great villian for the party until they level up enough to challenge the Assassin directly. :smalltongue:


would we dare have someone make a pact with orcus

Pick a less well known demon lord, Orcus is was too overused. :smallwink:

[aura59]

Of course. And he'll serve as a great villian for the party until they level up enough to challenge the Assassin directly. :smalltongue:



Pick a less well known demon lord, Orcus is was too overused. :smallwink:

which would you use? im not well versed in things abyssal

[IIzak]

Make one up? lol it's your world, who says there can't be some other demon lord/wannabe demon lord

[Medic!]

Sounds like a good setting to use the Mob template...religious fervor, political backlash, protests....turn the town against them!

And just when everything is at its worst...suddenly a wild bard appears, to soothe the masses (OR IS IT?) :smallamused:


"Hi new best NPC friend!"
"Why hello PC, say, my bardic knowledge just turned up an ancient legend you should investigate..."

Then he manipulates the PCs into doing things that seem like a good idea, wiping out tribes of hostiles/searching dungeons for artifacts...but every time they go on one of his adventures it ends up having awful consequences for their fair city.

[aura59]

Sounds like a good setting to use the Mob template...religious fervor, political backlash, protests....turn the town against them!

And just when everything is at its worst...suddenly a wild bard appears, to soothe the masses (OR IS IT?) :smallamused:


"Hi new best NPC friend!"
"Why hello PC, say, my bardic knowledge just turned up an ancient legend you should investigate..."

Then he manipulates the PCs into doing things that seem like a good idea, wiping out tribes of hostiles/searching dungeons for artifacts...but every time they go on one of his adventures it ends up having awful consequences for their fair city.

love where that was going, but they have a bard with mild cannibalistic tendencies - brilliant bard though. - not to be too old fashioned but maybe an elderly scholar?

[aura59]

Make one up? lol it's your world, who says there can't be some other demon lord/wannabe demon lord

the main idea is to have the tiefling achieve such status. he slurped up jellycube remains and infused with it (natural 40 fort. roll)

hes got a future and its dark

[CRtwenty]

which would you use? im not well versed in things abyssal

Well I'm a fan of Jubilex, but he doesn't fit this situation at all. :smallwink:
I'd say make your own, though Grazz't could be a good choice if you want to make things political. He loves stirring up unrest and watching orderly places fall to Chaos from behind the scenes.

[IIzak]

Errtu ain't bad (he's a demon lord right? I'll admit, i'm not up to snuff) and in a canon story he worked for Lloth for a bit so u know he's got chaos down. And did u say the Bard has "Mild cannabalistic tendencies"?! Holy moley, do I hear a huge political scandal/Town outcry in the works??

[aura59]

Errtu ain't bad (he's a demon lord right? I'll admit, i'm not up to snuff) and in a canon story he worked for Lloth for a bit so u know he's got chaos down. And did u say the Bard has "Mild cannabalistic tendencies"?! Holy moley, do I hear a huge political scandal/Town outcry in the works??

yeah he doesn't cover his tracks well. I didn't think thing to use that in any sort of way but just to keep em nervous