Nupo
2017-05-27, 09:18 AM
The campaign I am DM'ing started at first level with the PC's rescuing their family members from slavers. They discovered they were going to be sold at a slave auction in a few weeks, and needed to raise money so they could buy them. Some of the party (the good aligned ones) wanted to also raise enough money to buy the rest of the members of their village that were also taken. They got a lead on a hobgoblin pirate base. They ended up taking out several hobgoblin bases, and even acquired a small sailing ship. Attended the auction and bought back all their family members, and even a few members of their village.
Also at the auction there was a well dressed "human" buying up a lot of the cheeper, less desirable slaves. I didn't spend much time with him other than that he was bidding against them on some of their family members, and that he looked like Christopher Lee. After the auction they returned those they rescued to their homes, and then took out another hobgoblin pirate base, just for fun. They are now working on a hobgoblin crypt that will take a few sessions.
They mentioned they want to go into the business of capturing exotic animals and selling them at the monthly auctions (the auction sold exotic animals as well as slaves). Several of them even took ranks in handle animal.
The "Christopher Lee" guy is actually a Zern (MMIV) using Shifting Guise to look like a human. He has his own small island where he takes the slaves and animals he acquires at the auctions, and transforms them into twisted deformed beings. Think Island of Doctor Moreau. I plan to have him hire the party to acquire specific exotic animals for him. I have the meet set up. They have a hobgoblin sarcophagus on consignment at a shop, and I was going to have the Zern be a potential buyer. I plan to run a few sessions where they acquire exotic animals for him, but plan to have him ask for increasingly objectionable things. Things that will push their morals. The party is a mix of good and neutral aligned characters. I will start with easy things like cute baby animals, but escalate to sentient beings, like orcs and such. I want to get the players to a point where they refuse. I want them to at first think the Zern is just a non-evil human, but in time get glimpses of how truly evil he is. The Zern takes care to keep his island base secret. He will give them a homing pigeon when he hires them, instructing them to release it when they have something for him. He will meet them three days later at the city where the slave auctions are held. They will make the delivery, and he will give them a fresh pigeon. With some investigation the PC's could find the island, but I doubt they will try because there would be no reason to at this point.
This is where could use some creative input.
• I need things that he could ask them to acquire that push their morals, but not so much that they will refuse.
• I also need ideas for things he could ask for that they will refuse. I had the idea of a pregnant human female, but could use more ideas. Maybe even something more extreme.
• When they eventually refuse to get something (if we get that far and don't get sidetracked on some other adventure) I would like it to lead to something more exciting than the Zern just saying "Fine, I'll just find someone else." Well he could say that, but I want it to lead to something more. The characters probably won't know about his island at this point, but I'd like for them to eventually find it. What could the Zern do that would make the PC's want to find his island?
Most of the PC's are third level, and will probably be fourth level by the time they finish up with the hobgoblin crypt. I could have them acquire exotic animals for a while and level up even further before things come to a head, or not. We do level up slower than the recommended every 13.3 encounters so they aren't going to be 10+ level unless I really string thing out, fifth or sixth would probably me more likely.
I'm open to any creative ideas.
Also at the auction there was a well dressed "human" buying up a lot of the cheeper, less desirable slaves. I didn't spend much time with him other than that he was bidding against them on some of their family members, and that he looked like Christopher Lee. After the auction they returned those they rescued to their homes, and then took out another hobgoblin pirate base, just for fun. They are now working on a hobgoblin crypt that will take a few sessions.
They mentioned they want to go into the business of capturing exotic animals and selling them at the monthly auctions (the auction sold exotic animals as well as slaves). Several of them even took ranks in handle animal.
The "Christopher Lee" guy is actually a Zern (MMIV) using Shifting Guise to look like a human. He has his own small island where he takes the slaves and animals he acquires at the auctions, and transforms them into twisted deformed beings. Think Island of Doctor Moreau. I plan to have him hire the party to acquire specific exotic animals for him. I have the meet set up. They have a hobgoblin sarcophagus on consignment at a shop, and I was going to have the Zern be a potential buyer. I plan to run a few sessions where they acquire exotic animals for him, but plan to have him ask for increasingly objectionable things. Things that will push their morals. The party is a mix of good and neutral aligned characters. I will start with easy things like cute baby animals, but escalate to sentient beings, like orcs and such. I want to get the players to a point where they refuse. I want them to at first think the Zern is just a non-evil human, but in time get glimpses of how truly evil he is. The Zern takes care to keep his island base secret. He will give them a homing pigeon when he hires them, instructing them to release it when they have something for him. He will meet them three days later at the city where the slave auctions are held. They will make the delivery, and he will give them a fresh pigeon. With some investigation the PC's could find the island, but I doubt they will try because there would be no reason to at this point.
This is where could use some creative input.
• I need things that he could ask them to acquire that push their morals, but not so much that they will refuse.
• I also need ideas for things he could ask for that they will refuse. I had the idea of a pregnant human female, but could use more ideas. Maybe even something more extreme.
• When they eventually refuse to get something (if we get that far and don't get sidetracked on some other adventure) I would like it to lead to something more exciting than the Zern just saying "Fine, I'll just find someone else." Well he could say that, but I want it to lead to something more. The characters probably won't know about his island at this point, but I'd like for them to eventually find it. What could the Zern do that would make the PC's want to find his island?
Most of the PC's are third level, and will probably be fourth level by the time they finish up with the hobgoblin crypt. I could have them acquire exotic animals for a while and level up even further before things come to a head, or not. We do level up slower than the recommended every 13.3 encounters so they aren't going to be 10+ level unless I really string thing out, fifth or sixth would probably me more likely.
I'm open to any creative ideas.