Segev
2019-10-10, 10:01 AM
Spoiler-free version: My monk player is retiring his character as he's achieved the goals that had him adventuring, and wishes to bring in a warlock with a hag for a patron. (He's using the hexblade stats, which doesn't bother me; refluffing is fine. And it's better than the fluff of the hexblade itself anyway. :smallmad:) He has an annis hag in mind, but doesn't seem wedded to that; I'm trying to think of two things:
1) the best way to introduce the warlock to the party, and
2) which hag to use.
Skipping some space because this gets spoilery and hover-over might reveal it accidentally......
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Okay, that should be far enough.
The PC's backstory is that she was one of an Annis Hag's "bad seeds" and was tricked into burning down a huge portion of her village, including her own home when her younger sisters were inside. The hag took her in for a time after she ran away/was disowned, but eventually set her loose, abandoning her to her own devices except that she owes the hag three favors, to be collected later. I don't really know what I'm going to do with those favors.
But for now, she's a wood elf who's been on her own for 11ish years, so she's got somewhat of an established life. She's been trying, unsuccessfully, to save up money to pay to have her sisters resurrected. If she were closer, the death curse might be motive to adventure since it would prevent her sisters' return to life, but it probably is lower priority than the money at the moment. So wealth is a motivating factor.
We have in the party a half orc gladiatrix (Barbarian Zealot of Kubazan who desperately wants to learn more about her 'god,' which is hard because the Trickster Gods are basically forgotten by most of the world) who is lovers with a wood elf apothacary (Diviner Wizard), and a gloomstalker ranger dwarf archeologist who's gotten the most animated I've seen his player at the prospect of investigating a dwarven mine (Wyrmheart mine). They've contracted Hew Hackenstone to take them there, which means he probably doesn't even have to lead them astray! Except they also want to visit Orolunga and possibly Mbala on the way, and may or may not take a sea route which will put them within possible encounter distance of the Jahaka Bay pirates. An NPC, Erky Timbers, has a personal vendetta against them, and Zindar has expressed interest in the pirates being dealt with.
The wood elf bladepact hexblade will be replacing the high-mobility monk.
The wood elf Diviner is a member of the Silver Enclave, so I might do something with that with the new girl.
I could use one of the hag's favors to put her on the team, but despite having had Nanny Groat steal some hair and blood from the half-orc for purposes later in the module, I don't think the Sewn Sisters (let alone any other hags) have that big an interest in the party. The party's already fought and killed a sea hag as a semi-random encounter. Maybe if the sea hag had sisters who want revenge, or owed somebody a favor they want to collect on? But I think that'd be a bit forced, and I don't have a solid idea of what that second favor might be.
Options I'm considering for the identity of the hag acting as patron include Nanny Pu'pu, an unnamed annis hag that is in Nanny Pu'pu's coven, or one of the Sewn Sisters (leaning towards Baggy Nanna).
Things the warlock's player have given me include that her patron has a quickling minion she uses as a messenger. I'm pondering having Baggy Nanna be an annis that turned into a Night Hag, and her quickling being one of the cockrel or serpent that dwell in her hood, which she sends out to spy. If I make the Night Hag the warlock's patron, I'm also going to make Strawbundle one of her sisters. Taken by the hag as she burned to death, rather than letting her pass on.
I specifically won't tell the warlock this until much later, when they meet Strawbundle and the other two dolls.
I'm open to suggestions for other hags that could be the patron, and what they'd be up to. And for what kinds of favors might be asked. (If there's a favor left at the end of the campaign, "let me go" might well be one of them.)
If I go with Nanny Pu'pu or make her a coven-mate of the annis, I need to figure out what to do with that. Having one PC owe Nanny a favor would be a thing that could keep the party from just killing her...except that the half-orc is a murderhobo who has to keep being reminded "a little less chaotic, a little more good" and if they suspect her, as I know they will, the newbie saying "no, no, we can totally trust her" isn't going to work very well.
And, again, I'm still waffling on how to introduce her. I could have her be out in the wilderness and meet up with/be rescued by the party. I'm having trouble thinking of why she'd seek out the party to join up, or I'd let her approach them in town. The major destinations they're heading for are long enough off that I'd be making the player go without his PC for a session or two if I have her be a prisoner of the pirates, or lurking at Mbala, or trying to get into Orolunga. (Or worse, all the way down at the Wyrmheart mine.) If I go with that, I do have Erky as an NPC with the party that I could let him play until his real PC showed up.
I may wind up running these options past him and letting him pick, but I thought I'd come looking for more ideas; crowdsourcing brainstorming tends to come up with interesting concepts.
So, any thoughts, advice, or cool ideas are hereby requested! Please share any you may have.
Thanks!
1) the best way to introduce the warlock to the party, and
2) which hag to use.
Skipping some space because this gets spoilery and hover-over might reveal it accidentally......
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Okay, that should be far enough.
The PC's backstory is that she was one of an Annis Hag's "bad seeds" and was tricked into burning down a huge portion of her village, including her own home when her younger sisters were inside. The hag took her in for a time after she ran away/was disowned, but eventually set her loose, abandoning her to her own devices except that she owes the hag three favors, to be collected later. I don't really know what I'm going to do with those favors.
But for now, she's a wood elf who's been on her own for 11ish years, so she's got somewhat of an established life. She's been trying, unsuccessfully, to save up money to pay to have her sisters resurrected. If she were closer, the death curse might be motive to adventure since it would prevent her sisters' return to life, but it probably is lower priority than the money at the moment. So wealth is a motivating factor.
We have in the party a half orc gladiatrix (Barbarian Zealot of Kubazan who desperately wants to learn more about her 'god,' which is hard because the Trickster Gods are basically forgotten by most of the world) who is lovers with a wood elf apothacary (Diviner Wizard), and a gloomstalker ranger dwarf archeologist who's gotten the most animated I've seen his player at the prospect of investigating a dwarven mine (Wyrmheart mine). They've contracted Hew Hackenstone to take them there, which means he probably doesn't even have to lead them astray! Except they also want to visit Orolunga and possibly Mbala on the way, and may or may not take a sea route which will put them within possible encounter distance of the Jahaka Bay pirates. An NPC, Erky Timbers, has a personal vendetta against them, and Zindar has expressed interest in the pirates being dealt with.
The wood elf bladepact hexblade will be replacing the high-mobility monk.
The wood elf Diviner is a member of the Silver Enclave, so I might do something with that with the new girl.
I could use one of the hag's favors to put her on the team, but despite having had Nanny Groat steal some hair and blood from the half-orc for purposes later in the module, I don't think the Sewn Sisters (let alone any other hags) have that big an interest in the party. The party's already fought and killed a sea hag as a semi-random encounter. Maybe if the sea hag had sisters who want revenge, or owed somebody a favor they want to collect on? But I think that'd be a bit forced, and I don't have a solid idea of what that second favor might be.
Options I'm considering for the identity of the hag acting as patron include Nanny Pu'pu, an unnamed annis hag that is in Nanny Pu'pu's coven, or one of the Sewn Sisters (leaning towards Baggy Nanna).
Things the warlock's player have given me include that her patron has a quickling minion she uses as a messenger. I'm pondering having Baggy Nanna be an annis that turned into a Night Hag, and her quickling being one of the cockrel or serpent that dwell in her hood, which she sends out to spy. If I make the Night Hag the warlock's patron, I'm also going to make Strawbundle one of her sisters. Taken by the hag as she burned to death, rather than letting her pass on.
I specifically won't tell the warlock this until much later, when they meet Strawbundle and the other two dolls.
I'm open to suggestions for other hags that could be the patron, and what they'd be up to. And for what kinds of favors might be asked. (If there's a favor left at the end of the campaign, "let me go" might well be one of them.)
If I go with Nanny Pu'pu or make her a coven-mate of the annis, I need to figure out what to do with that. Having one PC owe Nanny a favor would be a thing that could keep the party from just killing her...except that the half-orc is a murderhobo who has to keep being reminded "a little less chaotic, a little more good" and if they suspect her, as I know they will, the newbie saying "no, no, we can totally trust her" isn't going to work very well.
And, again, I'm still waffling on how to introduce her. I could have her be out in the wilderness and meet up with/be rescued by the party. I'm having trouble thinking of why she'd seek out the party to join up, or I'd let her approach them in town. The major destinations they're heading for are long enough off that I'd be making the player go without his PC for a session or two if I have her be a prisoner of the pirates, or lurking at Mbala, or trying to get into Orolunga. (Or worse, all the way down at the Wyrmheart mine.) If I go with that, I do have Erky as an NPC with the party that I could let him play until his real PC showed up.
I may wind up running these options past him and letting him pick, but I thought I'd come looking for more ideas; crowdsourcing brainstorming tends to come up with interesting concepts.
So, any thoughts, advice, or cool ideas are hereby requested! Please share any you may have.
Thanks!