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View Full Version : DM Help [Eberron]Creating a mystery/horror-lite adventure's plot



Xerlith
2015-02-06, 04:26 PM
Okay, so inspired by this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?323220-Creepiness-in-the-Daelkyr-Half-Blood-race), I tried to put together an adventure for my players to go through as a one-shot. I've got a few good ideas, but when put together they lack substance. I thought I'll make a thread to get some input on what I've got.

Here's what that is:

Set in Sharn, of course.

A married couple of human nobles finds themselves unable to conceive a child. The healing methods are tried- to no avail – until one day, through some shady contacts near the Jorasco Healing House, the couple is approached by a man claiming to have a solution to the problem – for a price of a hundred gold pieces he sells the man a leech-like creature that – when attached to the woman's body – should guarantee conception. [Yeah, a breed leech, plot-modded] Desperate, the couple decides to try it – and the wife, indeed, becomes pregnant. Two months into the pregnancy, the wife begins to complain about headaches and whispers only she can hear... And then, a few weeks later, she disappears. The noble, after the city guard turns helpless, seeks a different approach to finding her – and by chance or gossip, finds the Player Characters.

Now, the PCs' part: The players' goal - seek the kidnapped woman. The man doesn't really want to admit that they resorted to the Breed Leech, at best mumbling something about "a cure".
Deeper into the search (Jorasco healing house? Questioning the neighbours? Rummaging through the noble's house in search of clues?), the woman reappears. She's... different, though - not pregnant (should be only four months into the pregnancy) and seems to behave oddly - erratic movements, random strange behaviors. Same with the noble, who actually contacts the PCs and asks them to call off the search since the wife's been, well, found. He sees nothing wrong with her state.
Cue a few hours later the noble's dead body is found - jaw smashed, body bloated from floating around in the sewers for [shorter_than_they_know_him_but_more_than_that_few_ hours].

The man they saw before is actually a pseudonatural template'd changeling. The wife as well. If the players confront them alone, they retreat, then simply attack them. Should have symbiotes. If the players somehow subdue them instead of killing, they just change forms and writhe tentacles at them. Will be described in a gory/morbidly grotesque way, of course.

Aaand that's where I hit a wall. I intended to build up to a confrontation with a cult that breeds (of course) daelkyr half-bloods, while using the best examples of the linked thread - so yeah, say, dogs are a viable source. And other... Stuff.
Why? Well, for the glory of the Dragon Below of course. The cultists believe the half-bloods are the perfected race/manifestation of Daelkyr's will/some other deranged stuff.

My problem is - I have no idea HOW to actually provide the buildup. So the thread is to bounce ideas and help build an actual skeleton for the adventure. Feel free to take apart what I put together up till now, since I'm more than aware I'm not a great writer.

Also, the premise's not so scary. How does Lovecraft DO it?

Beta Centauri
2015-02-06, 04:42 PM
Lovecraft's monsters tend not to be things anyone can really fight.

I recommend letting the players in on this entirely. Drastic, maybe, but it will guarantee a) that you're running a scenario they enjoy (because they can tell you if they won't enjoy it) and b) that it will proceed in the manner you're hoping. It also brings in several more friendly, creative minds who know what they like and know their characters to help you get past that wall you're concerned about. People here are creative, but they don't know anything about your group and the kinds of things they enjoy.

Xerlith
2015-02-07, 07:13 AM
I told the players we're going to try something "different" and they agreed. So that's that.

Kol Korran
2015-02-08, 05:08 AM
Ok, an interesting idea. Some thoughts:
1) I have never read the Lovecraft books, but I think I got the general just of their horror components from discussions and impressions on the forums. I think what makes are a few elements:
- An abnormality in a mostly normal world: The horrors and such are horrifying partly because you don't expect them. They are something that comes from your blind corner, something that you didn't thought was possible, and as such breaks your perspective of "the normal world".

- Alien minds/ incomprehensibility: You can't really grasp these horrors, understand them, analyze them. You may see some patterns, some things that an be tackled with your logic, but some of it is so bizarre, so out there, so alien in scope, that it begets a whole new level of horror- how can you fight when you can't realy understand it? (And trying to understand it causes madness)

- Powerlessness: Though the heroes can accomplish some goals (Save a loved one), or postpone/ stave the evil, they cannot fully defeat it, and the general feel is that they haven't won. At most- they survived, scarred and changed, at some great loss. The rel bad cannot really be defeated, and that realization causes great terror all in itself.

- Gradual exploration: You learn and piece the truth by small bits, coming to some conclusion, only to have another clue show you deeper, and deeper terror, till you face the true horror. This gradual transition into horror is essential to this theme, as far as I understand.

So lets see about your idea:
1) First of all, if the players (NOT the characters! When you're playing horror you aim to affect the mind of the players more than chracters) know of the Daelkyr, half bloods, symbionts of breed leeches, than this idea is doomed, if presented as it is. For this idea is to work the players must face the unknown. Otherwise they will go "Oh, it's X or Y". If this is the case, some of the basic idea (Hidden cult worshiping otherworldly cretures using living beings for some incomprehensible purpose) might be still suitable, though you may need to use other flavor (Creatures living on the shadow plne, plane of mirror, hags and their schemes and so on).

2) D&D is problematic here, since the definition of "normality" can include a lot of strange stuff. Hey, the game has a beholder! So it's a challenge to mess with this expectation in players. There are two ways to do so I think:
- Be really good in descriptions, and make them feel that something here is... "Wrong". If you describe a Dolgrim, make them feel these are two creatures jabbed together, mad, suffering and so on. Not just "A gobling with 4 arms and 2 faces". If they face a Dolgaunt, portray that his tentacles are moving in a strange otherworldly geometry, the seething of his pores, and so on. I've made a good rendition of the gibbering mouther, that can help. Check under my sig, in "the compendium for maligned monsters". It's the last of them.
- Mess with game expectations. Things don't work normally. either In world (spells backfiring, dungeon features proving strange and so on) Or OOC: something affects the way dice rolls works, their own powers dont act as they should, and more. Shake the basic foundations of their expectations.

3) Basically I think you will need 4 basic "types of opponents/ exploration" (In terms of psyche) for this to work, which represent the gradual transitions into madness:
- "The normals": At first things need to look fairly normal, with only a few clues giving a hint that something in wrong. The explorers here expect a normal solution to the problem they face.
- "The half normal/ half mad": I also like to call this "the conduit". Basically, there is someone who seems utterly normal, but already worships the strange bad. When the party realizes this they get their first glimpse into something really wrong, and maybe some hints, but they don't really understand what this is about. This part is also important as a way to see how "normals" could be drawn to this. It enbles us to consider that we might as well slip there. Emapthy.
- "The mad": When the party gets to the main place of the cult or such, and see that the horror is real, and discover many of the terrors. Here you put all the weird stuff, but weird stuff that the players might be able to handle. The players should achieve two main goals here: The first is their own goal (Finding the main solution to their problem) and the second is realizing there is something much bigger here.
- "The incomprehensible": The party should face a truly alien and incomprehensible terror here (A Daelkyr or something of the sort in your description). The encounter is unwinnable in D&D terms of "Killing the monster", but there should be a way to postpone it/ prevent it/ hold it/ flee from it, whatever.... The idea is that the party faces something far worse, faces true terror, and escapes in the skin of their teeth. It's quite ok if some die here. Fatalities are common in horror themes, but you need to decide upon it. Remember the two themes: Powerlessness and Incomprehensibility. These are the two impressions the party should leave with here.

Ok, assuming we CAN run with the Daelkyr theme, here are my thoughts:
1) "The normal": The Party gets hired by the noble, who's sister (Not wife) disappeared. At first the party doesn't know it's because she and her husband tried to conceive. (The sister was not on good relation with her brother, though he worries about her) This first scene is about exploration. The party will have 3 main locations to explore:
- The sister's husband and his house. I suggest that the sister moved with a "lesser man" (from the noble's point of view) and lives in a poorer place. I envision the husband as a bit of a drunkard, mostly amiable fellow, but recently irritated and grouchy since his wife disappearance. He thinks she may have left him, or went for nobles or such. (The idea is to create a picture that these people could easily disappear and no one will suspect). He will say that detective Sharp (A place holder name) is searching for her. If he learns the party comes from the noble, he turns angry ("NOW he's snooping around? What? I'm not even good enough to find my own wife?) and so on.

There could be several clues here- The matter of trying to get pregnant could come from the husband ("She probably left cause she think I'm no man!" sob sob), maybe a neighbor, or so on. Or maybe even a small hidden diary the party might come upon. So far the clues should include some "Great opportunity", "A most wise and kind Jorsaco healer", and maybe some mentions of Detective Sharp. (just to keep him around)

The idea is to give some initial clues, but nothing blatantly wrong.

- The second place should be a small Jorasco enclave. Not one of the richer ones, but definitely respectable. Here there should be a small staff, but main figure is Dr. Amiable, a sort of woman's doctor and midwife in one. Play him as kind, amiable, warm, caring. Something like a Santa Clause/ Gandalf character. He even helps the poor on his free time, making a sort of a "cheap free clinic" in the slums! (Almost in violation of the Jorasco code) This is so when it turns out that he is one of the two "Half mad", it will become more shocking. You may give him an oddity/ eccentricity or too. Make it subtle, bot noticeable.

The place should provide several clues: If asked, Dr. Amiable does say she came to him for help, and maybe even explain that she is beyond it, or that she couldn't afford the prices or whatever. He says he turned her down. From conversing with him or maybe talking with staff members, the party learns that he may be lying, or that there is more. They learn that sometime he accepts patients late at night, in his private clinic, or that he sometimes go to some slums area (I don't remember my Sharn districts well) Or that there have been other inquiries about similar missing persons, and that detective Sharp has come a few times to collect testimony. The party could get the profile of more women, who all seem to be people who could easily disappear, and had no children.

Make it ample clear that threatening or harming Dr. Amiable, a good Dr. of the Jorasco house is NOT a wise idea.

- Detective Sharp: Is located in a guard house not that far away. The party either come to them first, or through the other clues. Sharp is a grumpy dismissive man, who highly dislikes the PCs coming on his turf. He is the other side of Dr. Amiable, as he is quite unpleasant. (General "sarge" character). If the party manages to trick/ force/ manipulate him to divulge some info on his investigations, he will try to cover up his actions (He gets paid by the good doctor) for covering up these disappearances. Investigating about Sharp might find out discreet visits to the clinic, or to the slums the doctor also visits.

Sharp is sort of the antagonist of this particular stage. Feel free to let him harass the party on their investigations. Either the husband sends them after "the hounds of the nosy noble!", or Dr/ Amiable who feel they may be trouble, or even Sharp himself, keeping an eye on his money making machine.

This part follows the Alexandrian's 3 clues rule. (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/1118/roleplaying-games/three-clue-rule) Though once the party realizes they need to explore Dr/ Amiable's cheap clinic in the slums, feel free to explore forward.

2) "The half normal/ half mad": Dr. Amiable is of course, not what he seems. He is a cultist of the Daelkyr, seeing them as the perfection of shape givers, makers, shapers, healers and more. He sees his own knowledge as healer, the entire Jorasco house, as feeble, incompetent, pathetic against the great majesty of the shape makers. He marvels worships and adores the great complex beauties that the shape makers make. As such he is part of this project in perfecting their own kind, of enabling his glorious masters to better their own species.

The challenge for the party is to explore a place owned by the Jorasco. This can be in direct confrontation, stealth and burglary, trickery or something else. The place has a front. (Dr. Amiable DOES do a lot of good work for the community. He doesn't see himself as evil, he truly thinks he is bettering the humanoid species, and as such still helps them), but there is also a private/ locked/ hidden part.

The place's security can include several "defenses":
- Locks, maybe some traps (Maybe some wards from the Warding guild)
- Some regular guards (Hired help, Jorasco gurards, or maybe hired guards, such as ex soldiers. Maybe warforged or such). Don't got over board- 2-3 will suffice.
- Inside the private area, I suggest putting some Strange encounter. Perhaps some sort of a corrupted living spell/ invocation? Or maybe some sort of an Aberration? In any case it shouldn't be too obvious as to tangle the good doctor if found out. (Or maybe it can? See later) It could even be more guards, just with symbionts on them.
- There is some sort of an alarm system (A spell, a trap, or just someone paid to watch the place) that will alert Sharp and the doctor that someone is breaking in. It will take them some time to get here, probably just enough after the party finishes with the place. :smallwink:

The private section should include the "Half mad" part of this section. Notes by the doctor, diagrams, maybe remains of experiments, tallied numbers of "Subjects" and so on. You can put 1-2 "build up clues" such as a breed leech, or a dead symbiont, or other stuff. I leave the details to you. The impression you're seeking is, s mentioned above: The feeling that something here is deeply wrong, horrific, but without understanding what exactly. According to the 3 clues rule, include at least 3 types of mentions of the next location. With it include a few clues showing that the desired woman went there as well.

As an end to this part, when the party comes out they will face Dr. Amiable, Sharp, and maybe 2-4 more people who LOOK normal, but are actually some sort of aberration (Those pseudonatural changlings, or maybe half Daelkyr who can conceal their symbionts, or maybe dolgaunts under heavy robes?)

The Dr. Should employ mostly normal tactics, but he should have 1-2 utterly bizarre capabilities. Like his dragonmark warping an enabling him to inflict great pain on the characters, or if they re high enough in level, maybe some polymorph power? You need to give him something that feels creepy, and unnatural.

3) "Mad": I don't have that great ideas for the next location. It needs to be quite atmospheric and thematic with horror, but may also prevent the party to just "call the guards" to deal with it. I am currently thinking a massive Slaughter house (Those are always good for horror, and the screams and noises mask other screams). Not quite sure why it won't be handled with the guards. (One solution is that you hint quite heavily that there may be more officers on this than just Sharp)

Don't dally too much with the front of the Slaughter house. I suggest having the party explore for a secret entrance, but not make it too difficult. Use this to increase the horror- speak of the smell, describe vividly the flesh, and hint at some unnatural flesh maybe, maybe humanoid flesh as well (The place discards of "failed experiments" as well. Tasty hamburger! :smallbiggrin:)

Get into the complex of the experiments fairly quickly, but there take time to explore. There should be several thematic things here:
- It takes a toll on your sanity: As the party progress here, inflict every some time some effect, like mental ability damage, having to reroll rolls (Due to "sudden uncertainty/ improbability") and so on. But the key here is not just the affect, but describing it appropriately.

- Meeting what is left of the women: Some may be dead, some may be dying (You could rule that a half Daelkyr's birth causes too much physical trauma for the mother, perhaps warping her physicality as well). Some maybe transformed into monsters, some may be mad.

- "Children": Have there be quite a few unnatural offsprings. They could be of different moralities- some are not really sentient, some are just vicious and attack. Some re quite bizarre, some are caring, maybe even for the mothers (Have one abomination cradle the tentacle of another, and whisper in a strange voice. "mooooommmmyyy")

- Things that show parts of the process. Enable the players to piece enough of the concept (3 clues rule), but have some of it be utterly incomprehensible.

- Guards and researchers: They need not be a whole lot. Very few normies (with maybe 1-2 creepy powers), but mostly aberrations. The aberrations should feel ALIEN. And they should feel a credible effect. If possible, make them impose on the characters some sort of an infliction that the party cannot deal with (This depends on level, but this could be level drain, ability drain, a minor insanity and so on). The idea is to make the party fear them, and know they can't face a whole lot more.

- Build up towards the last part: The party should feel that this is all but a small part of something MUCH, MUCH bigger. Some clues could be the mentions of, safe houses, people of note, monsters and such in many places, other countries, other species, other continents, other planes! There might be also some scary number and such ("One the west,124,563 new ones, and counting! Sooon... Sooon". But mostly things that hint at some greater, far more powerful presence that all of this just pales compared to. (The Daelkyr, but describe them differently- "The perfect ones"/ "The flawless ones"/ "The utter beauty" and so on)

- Finding the Sister/ wife: How they find her depends on you. As this is horror I suggest you have them meet her just after giving birth. Should they try and save her? Should they try and save the baby?

4) The incomprehensible: At some point, the party should come into some sort of a chamber, which is a communication chamber for the researchers with a trapped Daelkyr. Though it will not be able to put his entire powers to bear (That will most likely cause a TPK for most parties), It will be able to bring some great and nearly entirely overwhelming affect here. You can mimic it through the powers listed in it's entry, or just choose ool powers (Like corrupting the very bodies of the party, causing instant mutations on them). The party can't win against this lord shaper, not by killing it, but there should be some fairly obvious ways of "postponing the end": Destroying s communication device, destroying some minor artifact that enables these experiments (Like a minor husk of worlds from Magic of Eberron), or even just being able to run out of the complex (+/- wife and child) and destroy it in the process (Maybe the transformation requires some chaotic magic, and the party can damage/ overload/ sabotage this generator)

A TPK should be a real possibility here (A lot of horror stories end like this), as it is a key component of the horror. Again- powerlessness and incomprehensibility. Play it as bizarre, alien, unfathomable. Feel free to add all kind of weird effects the Daelkyr creates, that bring the entire "WTF?" level up several notches.

A cool thing may be if the party try to converse with it, could prove most interesting, if terrifying conversation. I suggest to have it speak in flesh- changing creatures or such to create psionic images, or even just impressions in... did you guess it? Incompressible ways.

I hope this helps, this is my idea at least. Now I want to run this! If you happen to play this, or an altered version, please tell us how it went!

Xerlith
2015-02-08, 05:47 AM
I... I think I love you. This is great advice (well, more like a ready-to-go adventure :smallamused:) and I'll definitely use a lot of your ideas. I'll run it somewhere this month (I hope) and when I do I'll surely post about how it went.

Kol Korran
2015-02-08, 09:05 AM
Cool, glad to help! Just be sure to give this little adventure ample time. The initial investigations may take more time than most people expect (At least in my experience, the players can take awhile to work it out). My rough estimation is that this can take about 6-8 hours, perhaps a bit shorter if your players are quick and fast moving.

Good luck! :smallwink: