Eldan
2017-09-07, 06:49 AM
I need some inspiration here. Or maybe some help to work out ideas.
The world tree is dying. Or at least entering a kind of autumn phase prematurely, thanks to a dark, primordial spirit who managed to break into reality from beyond and is infecting the roots in the shape of a giant worm/fungus monster.
Pretty standard stuff.
The party, after long travels, have managed to find the goddess of nature and make her aware of the problem. She gave them a healing liquid, which should help with the problem when applied to the world tree's deepest root.
All good so far. Now, however, the party is sailing back to the world tree. But I can't just have them walk down some caves, apply the potion and solve the probem that easily. I need some obstacles.
I already know that once there, they will find a world conference of druids from all orders, all worried about the tree. Knowing my party, they will immediately put themselves into the spotlight. "I'm the incarnation of Winter, this is my friend, a priest of the storm god who is also possessed by a powerful, if hostile, elemental spirit of light and fire, this is my other friend, a princess and ambassador of the dragon empire. Oh, and our captain, he sometimes turns into a bear the size of a war elephant." Things like that.
So. The druids need to detain them for a while, so we have something to do for at least one evening. Not in a hostile way, probably, though there might be a few sects who think that the world tree dying is good and natural. I was thinking of doing some kind of whodunnit mystery, given that we have dozens of colourful ambassadors from all known cultures. Maybe one was replaced by a shapeshifting spy or something. I need ideas here. (If anyone else can think of creative variations on the theme of "druid", I'm all ears too.)
Next, is a more general question, I suppose. How do you make climbing down caves interesting? I'm fresh out of ideas. Most common obstacles, like darkness, underground rivers, cliffs etc. won't apply to this group, now that they are midlevel and half of them can fly and the other half can spiderclimb. Combat might fill an hour or so, but not much more, we dislike frequent or lengthy battles.
What else is there to do?
The world tree is dying. Or at least entering a kind of autumn phase prematurely, thanks to a dark, primordial spirit who managed to break into reality from beyond and is infecting the roots in the shape of a giant worm/fungus monster.
Pretty standard stuff.
The party, after long travels, have managed to find the goddess of nature and make her aware of the problem. She gave them a healing liquid, which should help with the problem when applied to the world tree's deepest root.
All good so far. Now, however, the party is sailing back to the world tree. But I can't just have them walk down some caves, apply the potion and solve the probem that easily. I need some obstacles.
I already know that once there, they will find a world conference of druids from all orders, all worried about the tree. Knowing my party, they will immediately put themselves into the spotlight. "I'm the incarnation of Winter, this is my friend, a priest of the storm god who is also possessed by a powerful, if hostile, elemental spirit of light and fire, this is my other friend, a princess and ambassador of the dragon empire. Oh, and our captain, he sometimes turns into a bear the size of a war elephant." Things like that.
So. The druids need to detain them for a while, so we have something to do for at least one evening. Not in a hostile way, probably, though there might be a few sects who think that the world tree dying is good and natural. I was thinking of doing some kind of whodunnit mystery, given that we have dozens of colourful ambassadors from all known cultures. Maybe one was replaced by a shapeshifting spy or something. I need ideas here. (If anyone else can think of creative variations on the theme of "druid", I'm all ears too.)
Next, is a more general question, I suppose. How do you make climbing down caves interesting? I'm fresh out of ideas. Most common obstacles, like darkness, underground rivers, cliffs etc. won't apply to this group, now that they are midlevel and half of them can fly and the other half can spiderclimb. Combat might fill an hour or so, but not much more, we dislike frequent or lengthy battles.
What else is there to do?