Adding plot twists to familiar modules.

[the_david]

This is just a crazy idea I had, and I'd like to hear some opinions on it. Let's presume you're playing in a classic D&D adventure such as Ravenloft. (The original adventure, not the campaign setting.) Now say the DM decided to play with your expectations and changed a couple of things in this module, most notably the villain. In this version of Ravenloft, Strahd von Zarovich is not a vampire, but a mindflayer. (Which is basically a psychic alien vampire that eats brains instead of sucking blood, but don't tell anyone that.)

Would this be an awesome plot twist, or would it ruin the experience?

Somehow, this sounds awesome in my mind. I'm just not sure. One of the reasons I'm asking is because one of my players wants me to run the Illithid Trilogy, and I feel that the expectation of taking on mindflayers would have a negative effect on the experience. I'm not talking about metagaming, it's mainly about the experience.

Do I make any sense here?

Would you prefer to know what's going to happen in a classic adventure, or would a plot twist that defies your expectations be better?

[Thurbane]

Depends on what the plot twist is, and how attached I am to the original adventure.

In theory, this could be a great idea.

But if any DM I play with messes with ToEE, I'm out! :smalltongue::smallbiggrin:

[the_david]

But if any DM I play with messes with ToEE, I'm out! :smalltongue::smallbiggrin:Too late, Frank Mentzer already did!

Maybe I'm having issues with this because I know that the players will have certain expectations. I wouldn't think twice if it was a less known adventure.

[rel]

Let the players know that you aren't running the module exactly by the book and that things might be different.

That hardly spoils your big reveal and prevents the negativeness of a bait and switch.

[Boozy]

I don't run modules very often, though I do lift maps and graphics a fair bit (they are so time intensive to make). While I choose not to use them primarily for story and setting issues, another challenge exists in that most material is easily available to my players, whom aren't above opposition research.

I do however flip the script sometimes, almost literally. When I need a DM break, I pull out a dungeon style module, give it to the PC's, and tell them they get to run the monster defenses. I in turn take the PC party, and continue to DM, only running the heroes like NPCs. They frequently need a bit of scaling up, since the players usually conspire to alert all the horrors within and swarm the players if possible, dramatically raising the EL. It's fun, and a break from the routine.

[the_david]

Let the players know that you aren't running the module exactly by the book and that things might be different.

That hardly spoils your big reveal and prevents the negativeness of a bait and switch.That's not a bad idea, but as we tend to play Pathfinder and not AD&D, the players will be aware that I'm going to have to make some changes anyway.

Here are my thoughts, instead of converting a 3.5 Mindflayer to Pathfinder I'll make up my own with a little help from Occult Adventures. I'll give him spells like an 11th level Psychic, trying my best to mix a Mindflayer with a Vampire and the spells that Strahd had prepared in the original Ravenloft.

0:
1st: Detect Thoughts, Feather Fall, Hold Portal.
2nd: Invisibility, Levitate, Locate Object, Mirror Image, Spider Climb, Suggestion.
3rd: Gaseous Form.
4th: Summon Monster IV.
5th: Dominate Person, Lesser Astral Projection.

He still needs a Mind Blast, but I'm not sure which spell would fit. In AD&D mindflayers had some kind of mental defense but I'm not sure what it should do. He has one second level spell more than he should have, I'm thinking of dropping Spider Climb as he already has enough ways to move around.

[John Longarrow]

A nice take (stealing from Frank Baum) would be to have not a vampire at the end, but a really good Bard who's "Faking it". Let the party face off against someone who presents (initially) as "The fearsome VAMPIRE". Let them find out that most of the anti-vampire stuff doesn't work, but the "Vampire" just doesn't seem to be doing a lot of normal undead stuff.

May take a bit but let them notice he's bleeding from wounds... :D

Then either let them parley with him or, if they have the upper handy, he want's to parley...

[rel]

how about telekenisis instead of mind blast? It isn't the same effect but it is very much the traditional ability associated with psi power.