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View Full Version : DM Help Trying To Think Of Ways To Make My Campaign Idea Work



rondragon123
2019-08-26, 07:59 PM
I thought of an amazing idea for a campaign where the BBEG is collecting idols of animals, which when touched, will fuse into his body as tattoos and give him magical powers.
The more the BBEG collects, the stronger he becomes. The party has to stop the BBEG from getting the idols. The thing is though, when I thought about it and how it'll go in practice, they can just chase him forever instead of chasing the locations of the idols, which ruins the point of the campaign being a treasure hunt, and makes it into a man-hunt.

what are some ways that I can make my idea work without the players being cheesy about it?

TheYell
2019-08-26, 08:05 PM
I think you'd have to make that explicitly clear, that the target was the idols first.

KineticDiplomat
2019-08-27, 12:21 AM
Both ways are a win. If it turns into a man-hunt, he is always ahead until they get near idols. If he beats them to one or two, ad uses his new idol powers to trounce them and escape/bury them under rocks/whatever , maybe they go for idols next. If they keep manhunting, since it’s clear he’s going for idols, the way to hunt him is figure out which idol he’ll go for next.

Galithar
2019-08-27, 01:22 AM
I would say don't let them know who they are hunting. If they know someone or something is collecting these idols to do *bad thing that they would care about and want to stop* but they don't know who or what is trying to do this, then they don't have a man to hunt. But they DO know that these idols shouldn't fall into things things hands.

Maybe give them a reason to want to collect the idols as well. Either they can use them to power up, or maybe a benefactor offering rewards for their safe transport to a reliquary. Then even when they find out about the BBEG they still have a reason to want to find the idols.

Pauly
2019-08-27, 01:26 AM
The BBEG is from another dimension, and he only fully manifests himself in the campaign world for set amount of time before and after infusing an idol onto his body. I would suggest no less than 2 hours, no more than 24 hours - maybe have the duration of his vulnerability linked to the power he is attempting to absorb.

At other times he is ephemeral and cannot be physically harmed.

The BBEG can fully enter the world if he wants to, but because of paranoia he will not unless he absolutely has to. His plan is to absorb all the idols which will make him invulnerable and then fully enter the world. He isn’t going to risk his shot at immortality any more than the minimum required.

So the only guaranteed way the party have of getting a chance at a kill shot is to attack him when he is absorbing an idol’s power.

Evil DM Mark3
2019-08-27, 02:27 AM
How about this? The BBEG isn't hunting the idols, his minions are. This allows you to fight at the idol if the party mess up too badly and put in a variety of foes. Once a minion has an idol and has handed it off chasing them is of limitied use, as the BBEG might not use them again, particularly if he is hiring mercenaries or adventurers. If you want encounters with the BBEG have him attack the party between idol hunts. Hells bells maybe have him be powerful enough that he can dismantle the PCs with the idols he has, thus making getting the rest not just about stopping him but also about levelling the playing field.

Excession
2019-08-27, 03:25 AM
How about this? The BBEG isn't hunting the idols, his minions are.

You know who makes good treasure hunting minions? Adventuring parties. They're skilled, but replaceable, and you don't need to pay them if they fail. The PCs could be hired to find one of these idols, and at some point discover what the big bad is really up to.

Evil DM Mark3
2019-08-27, 04:21 AM
You know who makes good treasure hunting minions? Adventuring parties. They're skilled, but replaceable, and you don't need to pay them if they fail. The PCs could be hired to find one of these idols, and at some point discover what the big bad is really up to.Nothing like making the party feel like dupes to get them invested! Forget saving the world from a thousand years of tyrrany, getting back at the dude who made them feel dumb is a real reason to tear up the world's archaeology. For bonus points, stiff them on the payment.

Brookshw
2019-08-27, 07:20 AM
Have you consider two or more BBEGs to be racing after the idols? Removing the value of tackling 1 BBEG might help focus them on the contested items.

Kaptin Keen
2019-08-27, 09:48 AM
Um .... just make him really hard to catch? I mean, isn't that the simplest way? If he's super elusive, but you know he's going to be looking for the idols, then find the idols and wait for him to turn up.

Particle_Man
2019-08-27, 10:31 AM
Nothing like making the party feel like dupes to get them invested! Forget saving the world from a thousand years of tyrrany, getting back at the dude who made them feel dumb is a real reason to tear up the world's archaeology. For bonus points, stiff them on the payment.

To up this ante make the idols living. Make one of them a dog that the characters like and bond with. Have the BBEG absorb the dog, having it whimper and die in the process. Watch the party turn into John Wick.

Evil DM Mark3
2019-08-27, 10:43 AM
To up this ante make the idols living. Make one of them a dog that the characters like and bond with. Have the BBEG absorb the dog, having it whimper and die in the process. Watch the party turn into John Wick.I don't know, I think by this point the party (or at least my usual players, the OP would know his players better) might start to get irritated at how hard their chain is being yanked :smallbiggrin:.

TheYell
2019-08-27, 02:17 PM
The party needs to collect the idols themselves to save a village from blight. That way they're always partially focused on hunting the idols instead of chasing the BBEG all the time.

Particle_Man
2019-08-27, 02:46 PM
I don't know, I think by this point the party (or at least my usual players, the OP would know his players better) might start to get irritated at how hard their chain is being yanked :smallbiggrin:.

Hey it worked for Solomon Kane.:smallsmile: