Need a personal quest for a changeling druid

[lytokk]

So, most of the players in my game have their own personal sideplots that they are managing along the main plot of the game, with the exception of the changeling druid. The only goal in her backstory is to bring balance back to nature. Little backstory, 80% of the land is demonically corrupted. As I said, everyone else has their little sideplots, but I can't figure out one for the druid. She's got this quasi-elemental template, basically being part elemental of all 4 of the elements, so my thinking is to build on that, and the backstory of bringing balance back to nature. Part of the story behind the template is that all four elements would normally be unable to exist on a natural creature, but the unstable nature of a changeling being a natural shapechanger allow the 4 to find a balance point.

So my current thought process is to have 4 elemental pillars of the world, and have these 4 pillars each represented by a powerful creature. Example being say a Roc or even a chaos roc for wind, and maybe some sort of treant for earth. Currently, I can't think of a single creature to represent fire, and really can't decide on anything to represent water (though I may go with something ice based). The only one that comes to mind for fire would be a phoenix, but I don't really want to use a flying creature for fire. I want to shy away from using straight up elementals for this.

Really I'm looking for using the creatures as thematic representations rather than the creatures themselves. Will they fight, more than likely. I think the earth pillar would be first, giving her an ability to bring heal the land in a 1 mile area around herself affecting the land and all the creatures within it once per week, at a cost of some # of hitpoints or maybe a temporary ability drain. I like having an actual cost to this, as opposed to just having the ability.

Any thoughts to what I've outlined here? The purification aspect helps fill a logic problem with someone else's quest, so its likely to stay in some form or another.

Alternatively, the quest could have more two do with the 6 animalistic buff powers, like bulls strength, but that seems like less fun in my mind.

[Segev]

There are rules for using magical locations as a sort of magic item; they have an equivalent value and I think consume a feat ("Touchstone," which is in both one of the Planes books and in Sandstorm). Make the guardians of these locations be Elemental Weirds (from MM...2, I think), which are prophetic creatures that are linked to a location. Give them distinct personalities and motivations and make the quests surround not just finding them, but earning their trust and learning enough about them that she's more than merely a quest-solving tool to the Weirds.

[lytokk]

Alright, I like the wierds better than my idea. Thanks for that. I just need to find a way of showing corruption for these guys, but that should be easy enough.

Now I'm reminded of some sort of elemental storm. Was all four elements, I think it might have been called an omnielemental? Does anyone remember this? I think I might be able to use this to show off the corruption, but I'm worried its far too high of a CR, but I could just reduce it down to work. Instead of existing in balance the wierds went to battle with each other. Now to just find a way to break up the storm...

[Segev]

I think it was the Tempest, though I'll be darned if I can remember what 3e book it was in. I know it was in the 2e Monstrous Manual, but that doesn't do you a whole lot of good here. Sorry I can't be more help.

[lytokk]

I think it was the Tempest, though I'll be darned if I can remember what 3e book it was in. I know it was in the 2e Monstrous Manual, but that doesn't do you a whole lot of good here. Sorry I can't be more help.

You were a pretty big help, telling me about the wierds. Gives me a standard creature type and something much more concrete to work on. Omnielemental is in MM3, just found it. I'll look for tempest as well. Maybe it'd work better, but all the googling I'm doing is coming up with the class.

Oddly I gave the party 4 potions of remove disease before they set off on their quest, which is how they've been curing corrupted creatures up to this point. Just pulled the number out of my hat. Now it looks like I planned this.

[Segev]

It's always cool when your plans are retroactively more clever than you knew.

The Tempest is basically a sentient thunderstorm. It was said to have all four elements in it, with a real stretch of "veins" of "silver" conducting the "fire" of "lightning" throughout. (Air and Water are obviously present.) For a true 4-element-focused theme, the omnielemental is probably the better choice.

[lytokk]

I think I've seen the tempest before, and I just checked the monster manuals I have, and no mention of it. Also, can't seem to find it on google either. So Omnielemental for now. I just need some method of breaking up the fight. And then a way of cluing the party into the fact that this isn't just a storm, beyond the fire, ice, wind and rocks being thrown about inside of it. I suppose a spot check to see that there are 4 being fighting inside of this fury, but how to break it up.

[lytokk]

found it, MM2. I think omnielemental fits a little better, at least for the storm associated with 4 elemental wierds fighting. Just to represent the hazards of being around the area. Could be that the party witnesses the fight, and also sees the fight break up, and to pile coincidence on coincidence, one of the wierds lands relatively close-by.

[Segev]

By default, elemental weirds don't leave their elemental pools, BUT are capable of taking over normal elementals of their type. So you could have their puppet elementals doing the battle-by-proxy and forming your omni-elemental, and it even keeps the weirds safe from random acts of PC in those first encounters.

[lytokk]

Hmm... So elemental wierds doing battle by proxy via elder elementals they summon. Sounds good. I'm not intending for the players to encounter all of the wierds in succession, just coming across them in their travels. It stands to my reason if these wierds are the 4 pillars of the elements on the material plane they'll be somewhat spread out. So the first time they encounter the battle, they're close by to the earth wierd. I just need some way to get from the battleground back to the wierd...

[Segev]

Maybe the Elder Elemental's earthquake ability opens a chasm beneath them, and they must navigate a (possibly short or straight-forward) subterranean dungeon that ends in the Earth Weird's chamber?

[lytokk]

hmm... Scripting the sequence in my head.

Party can hear the sounds of a storm up ahead. As they crest a ridge, they can see the full fury of a storm, miles off in the distance. Giant balls of fire shoot out of the storm to the ground, arcs of lightning striking trees causing rourous thunder (maybe a fort save against deafness for 1d4+1 rounds), walls of water falling from the storm and wind picking up trees out of the softened earth. Though the storm is far away, it seems to be moving up on the players with an incredible speed (a few rounds to find cover from the lightning and flaming rocks in a nearby rocky overhang). As the storm is almost upon them (dc 25 spot to see the figures in the storm), it seems to grow even more unstable and with a final flash of lightning and thunderclap, explodes throwing the elder elementals to the ground. The earth elemental hits closest to them, stands up, and with a deep roar stomps his leg, causing the ground to split all around him. The crack in the earth moves toward the party eventually causing the ground to collapse beneath them.

I can make that work. Now only what to do about the wagon. I intend on destroying it at some point, just not this early. Though, this really is the best time to pull it off.

[Lightlawbliss]

...Now only what to do about the wagon. I intend on destroying it at some point, just not this early. Though, this really is the best time to pull it off.

Let it depend on where they place it, makes it feel like choice is involved. If the wagon is located somewhere where it would fall, it falls and takes damage accordingly. If the horses can bolt, may be they bolt (the sudden jerk might break the ropes or part of the wagon). May be they get it some place safe but can't save themselves, separating them from the wagon (not destroyed, just not with them).

Be ready for them to choose to run the other way, especially if they see ELDER ELEMENTALS. People that still care about a wagon probably aren't going to want to stick around (granted, that is asking for an unlucky "random" hit to something they care about).

[lytokk]

The wagon is somewhat of a special thing. With the ground reeking of demonic corruption, the wagon was part of the caravan of wagons like it they split off of. Specifically designed wagon uncorrupts the land. Also, they don't technically have horses to pull it. What they do have is a 1/day whip to summon 2 oxen to pull the wagon, and they last for 9 hours. They've also only got about 3 hp each.

In terms of it getting hit, I'll lay out a grid, mark spots where things are going to hit, and let the players place it.

[lytokk]

Also, they've ran into an elder earth elemental once before. And the druid had run ins with all of them. Was part of her "awakening" as the quasielemental, pretty much got drug through every elemental plane by an elder.

[lytokk]

Alright, I've been thinking more about this, and I know I'm doing the wierds. I'm currently deciding on the order of wierds as they should come across, basically trying to figure out where in the story to put them in. I know that earth is first.

Part of my campaign plan was to have them come across a tower on the edge of a swamp. The swamps northern border should be on the southern border of a giant inland lake. So it makes sense to throw the water wierd in there. After that, its a trek through an unseelie fey forest, and up a mountain. At the top of the mountain, I could either throw in either the fire (volcano) or wind wierd. On the other side of the mountain range is a desert, so once again, either fire or wind works. Though wind prb works better on mountain and fire in the desert.

Part of this is I'd like for the druid to pick up a somewhat useful power from each wierd. From the earth wierd, the ability to purge the corruption from the land and any creature within a certain radius. Right now just thinking within a mile. Drawback, 2d4 con damage, useable once per week. If thats too much, maybe just 1d6. But as a druid, this should be reasonably easy to mitigate.

I can't come up with anything for water or air unfortunately. Right now, with fire, I'm thinking of altering her ability which functions like the burn ability of a fire elemental. Let it burn with sacred fire, which ends up holy double damage against evil outsiders and undead.

Any thoughts?

[Lightlawbliss]

...

I can't come up with anything for water or air unfortunately. Right now, with fire, I'm thinking of altering her ability which functions like the burn ability of a fire elemental. Let it burn with sacred fire, which ends up holy double damage against evil outsiders and undead.

Any thoughts?

Water: possibly breathe water or some ability to allow water based summons out of water or land based in water.
Air: possibly flight or some sort of rapid travel.

[lytokk]

the druid also has the ability to breath underwater, but flight would work for air. Thanks.

[Segev]

Mechanical optimization thought to consider: what happens if he uses this ability while Wild Shaped into something? Does his Con get expended from the borrowed form, rather than his own, or not?

How long do you want it to take him to recover from this cost, or is the cost's mechanical impact less important than the thematic "this weakens you" effect? If the latter, would "wow, that weakened me a lot, but I feel better now" be unacceptable? (e.g. Restoration can bring back Con damage pretty fast; the return-to-my-own-form trick above would also be fast.)

If you just want it thematically, tell him it weakens him for a period of time. Spell out how he feels and why. Maybe the Fatigued or Exhausted conditions, unable to be lifted, for however long you feel is thematic.

[lytokk]

I was thinking more of a thematic weakening. So maybe exhausted to fatigued to normal would work better. I just want the ability to leave the druid drained of energy, so that it wouldn't be a straight combat option.

[Segev]

The best way, in my experience, to make something not a combat option is to give it a long casting/activation time. Make the ritual take 10 minutes to an hour.

Not saying not to also make it weaken him, but the time to activate it would be your best prevention of him using it in combat.

[lytokk]

Well, my hope is to keep it from being the primary go-to option in combat. Maybe a casting time of a minute would work better. Something where the party has to hold the line protecting her, but for a reasonable amount of time. Sometimes its not worth it, but if there's an enemy that's possible to hold back, it might be worth it.

[Segev]

In that case...

How long do combats usually last for your group? How many rounds?

[lytokk]

4-5 I would say is a good average. That is unless I decide to drag it out a little bit longer because I don't think a boss character should go down that quickly.

I'm in the process of redoing the way I make encounters. I realized that I was designing ncountes in a way to negate the PCs options instead of allowing the options they've chosen to shine. That and one of the players flipped through the monster manual and asked why I never set them against things like black puddings and rust monsters. I think I'll show them why.

[Segev]

I'd aim for no more than a 3-4 round "casting time" on the cleansing ritual, then. You don't want it to exceed the time your combats usually take. Just to extend them by a round or so if it gets interrupted (possibly due to the druid not being in the usual slot in the party to help bring it to a swifter end).