Monster Town

[Myrmidon369]

So I'm working on a campaign where you play as cr1 monsters (hobgoblins, orcs, etc) who have escaped from a human prison. They escape into the nearby forest and after resting and evading a few patrols, find a small camp around a ruined manor. This is where I'm having a little bit of trouble. I can't decide what kind of monster "village" this should be, though I'm leaning towards hobgoblin or orc since they're the most likely to deal with outsiders.

I want the party to spend a short amount of time here while the town shaman or healer helps them with a problem they have. In the mean time, I want them to play a few easy adventures/quests for the town. This is my where my problem is: How do I naturally have the party do these? I don't want them to feel like they're being told to do it or no cure. But I don't want them to be bored and just wander the area looking for these missions to do.

So, long story short, I'm stuck at two questions:

1) What kind of settlement should it be? Orc and Hobgoblin are the current front runners. If it helps, the location is similar to the Pacific Northwest, so I guess temperate forest with nearby plains and mounts.
2) How would you bring up these short missions in a way that feels organic?

[zlefin]

why is the town shaman/healer helping them for free? if they're outsiders normally there'd be a charge involved. which means they have to take some work/missions in order to get the money to pay. then it's just a matter of presenting them a list of mission options and they can choose the ones they want to do. for presenting the list; i'm sure the shaman or some other town leader would have a general idea of who needs what done to give them the missions IC.

[Inevitability]

why is the town shaman/healer helping them for free? if they're outsiders normally there'd be a charge involved. which means they have to take some work/missions in order to get the money to pay. then it's just a matter of presenting them a list of mission options and they can choose the ones they want to do. for presenting the list; i'm sure the shaman or some other town leader would have a general idea of who needs what done to give them the missions IC.

I'm guessing information on the human defenses and capabilities is pretty valuable? Maybe have the shaman heal them if they cooperate.

[Pugwampy]

So I'm working on a campaign where you play as cr1 monsters (hobgoblins, orcs, etc) who have escaped from a human prison. They escape into the nearby forest and after resting and evading a few patrols, find a small camp around a ruined manor.

Thats a very cool idea bro . Many times have i suffered players who want to play the bad guy .



1) What kind of settlement should it be? Orc and Hobgoblin are the current front runners.

Hobgoblins are more a more civilized evil culture so should be more receptive to monster outsiders . Orcs are your basic barbarian savages and thats coin toss .



2) How would you bring up these short missions in a way that feels organic?

Well you are monsters . technically you hide in dungeons make traps and lock and ambush adventurers .

Think backwards, dont rescue a princess , kidnap one .

Whom ever evil monsters hubtown you choose , read up on them see what they value / hate . Make missions based on that .

[Myrmidon369]

Thanks for the ideas. I was originally thinking of things that most settlements would need help with and then tweeking it to work for monsters. I never of reversing some ideas, such as kidnapping someone. So, after saying talking to the chieftain, he tells them that he'll have his shaman heal them if they can prove their usefulness, since they won't have the coin. Say he sends them one of three individuals who all have a different mission. They complete it, encounter a second situation on the way back, and are then sent out on another mission to retrieve a rare ingredient to cure them of their disease.

Thanks again guys, not sure why I couldn't wrap my head around this. But I've got my ideas flowing now.