multi quest night ideas needed...

[MarkVIIIMarc]

One of the groups I DM has two PC's which were turned to stone. Not the biggest deal for the one player but the other would really like to free his PC if possible by having his back up character complete a quest.

The party is going to be a tanky level 5/6 mix of 2 Paladins, a Fighter and a Cleric.

For a couple sessions I have had a tribe of 50ish Native American like NPC's in my notes that the party hasn't encountered. I'm thinking they might bump into the tribe, discover most of the adult men to be dead and be offered a two part quest by an elderly magic having grandmotherly type character.

The first part will be to do something for the tribe....that is my main problem. What could this elderly cleric and maybe the chief of a village where most of the men have been killed need the party to do....take out another tribe isn't totally out of the question.....can you think of any appropriate animals which could have killed soo many of the men yet the party can defeat? Or even half that number? The party hasn't met the tribe yet so I can modify them but I think the idea will go over well.

The second will be to bring back body parts from a Medusa. One CR6 Medusa isn't a very difficult encounter but if magic grandma places a time limit on things it helps. I can also give medusa a henchman or two if the party shows up unmolested. What henchmen would a medusa have?

[Lunali]

My first inclination is 2-3 succubi or similar charm + life drain enemies. They wouldn't be a huge problem for a party with that makeup but could really do a number over time on people with low wis saves.

[RavensLuck]

Are you willing to go for religious or spiritual quests? (Or your group, for that matter)

I don't know how your group roleplays their characters, but given that there are two paladins and a cleric (all of whom I believe use divine magic),
it wouldn't be a stretch to ask for appeasement to the gods/spirits/the dice.

What type of characters do they play? Is there a specific experience each player/character wants to reach? If it's meeting spiritual stuff, this could be it.
Are there flaws? Do these characters have a very narrow view? Perhaps this could be an interesting conflict to roleplay.

If anyone is scientifically minded, you could give an acceptable ending, such as a plant that has mutated to become poisonous to adult humans or animals/monsters that have become attracted to human flesh. Otherwise, bringing in another tribe could be an interesting aspect, but first, let them meet a child, or something of that sort to see their side of the story as well. With a more comprehensive understanding of the conflict, the group can decide on what to do.

Another thing to consider is geology: why are they fighting? Perhaps there's food scarcity as the soil has become less fertile, and rocks and gravel is starting to appear when they try to farm.

Tie this into the Medusa: perhaps she/he/they are the main menace, they are the people creating all the problems, with the tribal pursuit. (Also maybe imprint some idea that killing the Medusa or some variant will also undo the spell on the two PCs?)

So the plotline: there's food scarcity due to infertile soil, causing tribes to fight over one another for resources. However, we learn that Medusa is the main instigator of the crimes; perhaps she's doing this to protect her land, etc.


Henchmen:
-stone golems?
-Flying snakes (CR 1/4)
-Boar (CR 1/4)
-Satyr (CR 1/4)
-Giant Constrictor Snake (CR 2)
-Pegasus (CR 2)
-Swarm of Poisonous Snakes (CR 2)
-Earth Elemental (CR 5?)

A lot of these are based off of aspects of the gorgon (such as snakes or boars) or plain mythology/nature (satyrs, earth/stone creatures). I put pegasus as a possible example, since in Greek mythology, Pegasus is Medusa's child.

Hope you have a good campaign. You sound like a cool DM.

[ImproperJustice]

Well, with most of the men dead and assuming they are following traditional gender roles, the tribe is extremely vulnerable to predators and assault from neighboring tribes. Most likely they might ask the party members to relay messages to nearby allied tribes for assistance or possibly to take their entire tribe in for protection.

The party may need to escort the tribe to safety.

Why is the tribe being targeted so heavily?
Is it really the work of a predator or predators?
Was there some spiritual transgression on the tribe’s part? Did a jealous tribe member make a bargain with dark powers to gain a bride or power within the tribe?