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rel1c
2015-06-25, 08:39 PM
I posted this on reddit last night and got a few replies. I'd love to hear anyone's opinion from this forum.

Here goes. It's 1AM so bear with me...

My low level group found a female thief being held prisoner in an old tomb infested with goblins. She had been captured by the goblins while she was on an adventure seeking an ancient magic helm within the dungeon. The PCs had already found the helm, and upon noticing it the thief bargained with the group. She agreed to lead them to great treasure (with the exception of a ring she wants) via an old treasure map if they agreed to free her. The PCs freed the thief but did not trust her fully.

Flash forward a bit and the thief guides the PCs to a cave in the mountains. In the cave she performs a ritual (as per directions on the old map) that consumes the helmet and opens a portal to an ancient labyrinth. She has knowledge of some of the labyrinth.. She tells the PCs it is the resting place of The Mad One and his remains hold the ring that she is dire to get.

Here is where I'm stuck plot-wise. After some encounters she goes missing.. Mainly because my group noticed she was gone and paranoia amongst the group suggested she had fled to somewhere within the dungeon. So I ran with it... But now I don't know what to do. Does she betray the group? What about a doppelgänger?

I initially planned for The Mad One to be more of a legend, and his remains are just that- harmless remains. The dungeon is more puzzle based than combat based. I'm really trying to come up with a plot hook to lead to other things outside of this dungeon, but so far I can't come up with anything.

tl;dr My party rescued a thief and in return she promised them great treasure in an ancient tomb and then she somehow disappeared and I'm plum out of plot ideas.

Anyone have any ideas?

---edit---

Thank you everyone for all the good ideas! This stuff is great and really inspiring!

I’ve brainstormed some plot ideas after reading through your guys’ ideas. I took bits from everyone and came up with this:

The thief is completely selfish. Even after losing her partner in the goblin dungeon and being tortured, she still was interested in treasure once the PCs rescued her. So her intent is what the PCs mostly believe. The twist is that the dungeon is not what the PCs or the thief think it is. In their minds, they followed an old treasure map and used a mysterious helmet to open a dungeon in pursuit of what they believe is The Mad One’s powerful ring. In truth, the ring is merely one of many treasures he possessed. The Mad One himself is not in the dungeon either, for he has yet to be awaken. The ritual that consumed the helm did not destroy it, but transported it to the slumbering Mad One himself.

The PCs have already came across a matching breastplate within the dungeon, the same way they came across the helm; on a cursed ghoul in a stone sarcophagus. So there’s already a line drawn between those two items.. The breastplate is the real item here! This breastplate will be used to open yet another dungeon and in return, transport it to The Mad One.

The thief interaction is a sub-plot within what is really going on, and both parties are unaware as of yet. The trouble now is how I introduce the plot.. I like the book idea, and I also have a magic mouth in the dungeon that could offer some clues. The legend of The Mad One and his treasure is not in the least accurate, save for the facts that his tombs hold great treasure and he was once a powerful being. Why now are the artifacts scattered amongst different dungeons? Why would he voluntarily be put to rest? Does this have to do with his madness? Maybe a more powerful being influenced him…

I also enjoy the idea of the map being bait to a trap. A manservant of The Mad One didn’t lose the map or sell it to anyone, it was planted as to attract adventurers. But then why wouldn’t a follower of the Mad One awake him themselves with the use of the helmet, breastplate, etc? Maybe the map was lost and the followers of The Mad One don’t even know who they worship anymore, for it was long, long ago that he was laid to rest…

Here (http://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/3b1ux2/help_me_out_of_my_****ty_plot_dm_woes_inside/) is the reddit thread for anyone interested!

Geddy2112
2015-06-26, 09:32 AM
I don't think this is a plot woe. The players don't know anything happening behind the screen, even if there is nothing there, the players don't know that. The thief could be a red herring, or turn out to be trying to summon the mad one or some other equally bad horrormonster using the ring, or maybe the thief and the ring have nothing to do with anything, just coincidence. Maybe the mad one is not here, but the breastplate is the key and will lead to other places, eventually unraveling the great plot for the mad ones return, or something.

There is really no wrong answer. If everybody is having fun and enjoying the story, then roll with it. All of your ideas are fine, and you can mix and match!

AceOfFools
2015-06-26, 09:38 AM
I would strongly recommend against having the PCs be right in the the thief being treacherous. To do so would teach/reinforce the idea that NPCs should never be trusted.

Keltest
2015-06-26, 09:59 AM
I would strongly recommend against having the PCs be right in the the thief being treacherous. To do so would teach/reinforce the idea that NPCs should never be trusted.

Indeed. Never have the NPC theyre suspicious of betray them.

Heres a fun idea. Perhaps she sprang a trap that partially displaced her from the plane or something. She is there the whole time grumbling at the party, waiting for the spell to wear off, but meanwhile she cant be seen, heard, or felt without true sight or some other magical perceptive effect.

rel1c
2015-06-26, 01:03 PM
I would strongly recommend against having the PCs be right in the the thief being treacherous. To do so would teach/reinforce the idea that NPCs should never be trusted.


Indeed. Never have the NPC theyre suspicious of betray them.

Heres a fun idea. Perhaps she sprang a trap that partially displaced her from the plane or something. She is there the whole time grumbling at the party, waiting for the spell to wear off, but meanwhile she cant be seen, heard, or felt without true sight or some other magical perceptive effect.

Those are good points! Thanks for the foresight.

I like the displacement idea.. Maybe I'll have her slowly shift back to the material plane, all the while flailing her arms and gesturing for the PCs until she can finally be touched and heard. That way her return can be witnessed, as opposed to her returning and having to convince the party of what really happened.

And then I can throw a displacement trap in the dungeon!

Honest Tiefling
2015-06-26, 01:27 PM
Maybe it's because I saw the Wrath of Khan recently, but I would have suggested brain worms. They're a good fall back whenever you need to explain erratic behavior.

The displacement idea is probably better, if the party likes having her around. She seems to bring a certain amount of conflict and an easy way to have social rolls for the party face within a dungeon. So to be completely unoriginal I would like to second the displacement trap...But there's something already there, in that plane with her. She's desperate to get out, and any player who gets hit with that trap will probably see why she was flailing around so frantically.

Maybe these things want to hitch a ride with her or the players who spring the trap, or find another way to get to the material plane...

Keltest
2015-06-26, 01:29 PM
Maybe it's because I saw the Wrath of Khan recently, but I would have suggested brain worms. They're a good fall back whenever you need to explain erratic behavior.

The displacement idea is probably better, if the party likes having her around. She seems to bring a certain amount of conflict and an easy way to have social rolls for the party face within a dungeon. So to be completely unoriginal I would like to second the displacement trap...But there's something already there, in that plane with her. She's desperate to get out, and any player who gets hit with that trap will probably see why she was flailing around so frantically.

Maybe these things want to hitch a ride with her or the players who spring the trap, or find another way to get to the material plane...

Maybe they can be cross-dimensional brain worms!

JAL_1138
2015-06-26, 04:58 PM
Maybe rather than displacement, they double back at some point and find her paralyzed or petrified (if they have the proper curative magic). She didn't see what got her. Use something from the manual or homebrew up a silent, stealthy monster that can inflict the aporopriate status, and drop hints that the PCs see something out of the corner of their eye / hear something very faint but can't pinpoint from where...