LumenPlacidum
2020-04-08, 12:35 AM
So, I am going to be running an upcoming game and I was thinking about trying a different paradigm for creating player motivation and a narrative arc. Normally, I create a main story arc about what's happening that's big and dramatic RIGHT NOW and that's why the campaign is happening. Or, sometimes I let players make characters with goals and I just respond to those goals. The former has the big problem that the story arc is usually too long-term to ramp up characters in terms of experience to where I want them to be. The latter is problematic because it can be SUPER difficult to get the players to feel as a cohesive whole when they are just in it for their own goals.
Instead, I'm thinking about writing this campaign from the perspective of creating big elaborate rewards, essentially just dropping one of them in their laps at the start of the game, and then having a world filled with subquests. The rewards and moving forward with them create continuity and provide me with a great thing to threaten in the future, and the subquests can let people get more of the interesting rewards that I planned at the beginning.
For example, if you've read Dakota Krout's Divine Dungeon books, I'm thinking that having the party discover a "living dungeon" that grows and changes, becoming more threatening and offering better rewards, would be interesting. It's essentially like discovering a deposit of some rare resource to mine. It's the sort of thing that the players could try to capitalize on in the broader social environment.
I'm thinking of giving players an item that will grant them access to a powerful mage's home. The powerful mage is sick and in his dotage, providing nominal resistance. In addition to the tomes of lore, spellbooks, and formulas for magical items, all written in codes of course, the mage is a key military adviser for a rival nation. He has become a recluse, communicating only through written letters, which the players could continue should they wish to participate in such things.
Of course, giving players the rudiments of a base of operations is a great way to get people to buy in to a location. Like, having a well-stocked and fairly-secure (or secret) location with ready access to some important resource (perhaps that dungeon that I was describing before?) is just begging PCs to move in and restore the place.
One idea that I had last summer was to give players a big old artifact that has a tech tree of magical powers to unlock, but which is essentially built into a location. Every time you "direct a ley-line" or something to the artifact, you get to unlock a new power for it. I imagine that the best options here would be powers related to being able to be safe in that base of operations.
Everything like this creates adventure paths rather than just being a bump in player power.
I'll include my planned notes on a tech-tree location of power:
This artifact location is a mirror which takes up one massive wall of a cave. The mirror is flawless, but in the mirror, every reflection for which the image would appear more than about twenty feet "beyond" the mirror is shrouded in darkness. When someone performs a ritual to bind them to the mirror (as the DM wishes, I had a Dragon Dance ala Avatar: The Last Airbender be required), then the image of a silent servant walks forward out of the darkness. This is the Servitor of the mirror, which might be just an interface so that the players can use the mirror, or might be some sort of spirit. Upt to the DM. The Servitor cannot make noise, but has the ability to hear what is said and the ability to write in glowing letters on the surface of the mirror itself. The Servitor only responds to (and is only visible to) commands from the bound PC, but that PC can order the Servitor to be visible to and to respond to other players' commands.
The Mirror has a maximum capacity of 10 charges at a time, and it gains 10 charges per day. The Mirror has a Domain of one mile.
Basic Powers
Nothing is needed to unlock the following powers.
When commanded to do so, the Servitor can translate any text as often as desired. This takes as much time as it takes for the Servitor to write the translation on the Mirror.
One of the Mirror's charges can be expended to identify a magical item that is visible in the Mirror.
Two of the Mirror's charges can be expended to create a duplicate of a creature that is visible in the Mirror. The duplicate is similar to an Unseen Servant except that the duplicate is visible, has the original creature's Strength score, and the duplicate lasts for 24 hours. Duplicates created using this ability are good at menial labor but cannot attack.
Upgrades
Upgrade Domain I - improve the Domain of the Mirror to 5 miles.
Upgrade Domain II - requires Upgrade Domain I - improve the Domain of the Mirror to 20 miles.
Upgrade Domain III - requires Upgrade Domain II - improve the Domain of the Mirror to 50 miles.
Upgrade Domain IV - requires Upgrade Domain III - improves the Domain of the Mirror to 100 miles.
Upgrade Maximum Charges I - improve the maximum capacity of the Mirror to 12 charges at a time.
Upgrade Maximum Charges II - requires Upgrade Maximum Charges I - improve the maximum capacity of the Mirror to 15 charges at a time.
Upgrade Maximum Charges III - requires Upgrade Maximum Charges II - improve the maximum capacity of the Mirror to 20 charges at a time.
Upgrade Charges Per Day I - requires Upgrade Maximum Charges I - improve the number of charges per day that the mirror gains to 12.
Upgrade Charges Per Day II - requires Upgrade Maximum Charges II and Upgrade Charges Per Day I - improve the number of charges per day that the mirror gains to 15.
Upgrade Charges Per Day III - requires Upgrade Maximum Charges III and Upgrade Charges Per Day II - improve the number of charges per day that the mirror gains to 20.
Channel Servitor - when commanded to do so, the Servitor can appear in any mirrored surface in the Mirror's Domain. Any power that involves interaction with the Servitor can be accessed when not at the main mirror through this power. Any item visible in such a connected mirror is considered visible in the main mirror.
Reveal That Which is Hidden - requires Channel Servitor - when commanded to, the Servitor calls attention to any traps or invisible creatures or objects that would be reflected in the mirror if they were visible.
Reveal the Truth - requires Reveal That Which is Hidden - One of the Mirror's charges can be expended to be able to look through any mirror in the Mirror's Domain and see everything in it as though with Truesight.
Return to the Seat of Power - requires Reveal That Which is Hidden - Two of the Mirror's charges can be expended to allow the bound character to cast Word of Recall to return to the main mirror. This requires a mirrored surface large enough to step through.
Reflect Pathways - Three of the Mirror's charges can be expended to twist other creatures' vision while they are in the Domain of the Mirror. Any such creature must make an DC 12 Intelligence saving throw every minute or move in a random direction. They believe that they are moving as they intend. Any creature with an Intelligence of 3 or less may make a Wisdom saving throw instead. Creatures that the bound character specifies may be rendered immune to this effect. This effect lasts 24 hours.
Disguise Self - any character permitted to do so by the bound character may sculpt their features in a mirror within the Mirror's Domain. Then, they can cause these new features to be their appearance. This lasts until the bound character dismisses the effect or until the affected character makes a DC 12 Charisma check to shake off the magic. This requires an action.
Hallucinatory Terrain - requires Reflect Pathways and Disguise Self - Three of the Mirror's charges can be expended to allow the bound character to cast a specialized version of Hallucinatory Terrain. The area of the spell is the entire Domain of the Mirror.
Mirage Arcana - requires Hallucinatory Terrain - Four of the Mirror's charges can be expended to allow the bound character to cast a specialized version of Mirage Arcana. The area of the spell is the entire Domain of the Mirror and the effect lasts 24 hours.
Phantom Guards - requires Hallucinatory Terrain - Two of the Mirror's charges can be expended to create silent phantasmal sentries to patrol walls, man sentry towers, stand guard outside gates, and the like. This effect persists at locations that the bound character wishes and lasts 24 hours. The phantasmal guards created by this spell disappear when viewed from within 15 feet.
Seeming - requires Disguise Self - Three of the Mirror's charges can be expended to allow the bound character to cast Seeming on any creatures reflected in the Mirror.
Mirror Image - One of the Mirror's charges can be expended by the bound character to cast Mirror Image from anywhere in the Domain.
Mirror Window - requires Mirror Image and Reveal Hidden - when commanded to do so, the Servitor can alter the view of the current mirror in which the bound character is looking, to allow them to look out of any mirror within the Domain.
Master Mirror Window - requires Mirror Window - allows Mirror Window to look through any reflected surface anywhere on your plane of existence.
Faster Mirror Image - requires Mirror Image - allows the Mirror Image spell to be cast with a reaction.
Duplicate Item - One charge can be expended to duplicate an item that is reflected in the Mirror. The Servitor picks up the image of the item and passes it through the Mirror's surface. If a connected mirror is too small to permit this, then it is impossible. Once this has been done to an item, until the duplicate fades, that item has no reflection, and neither does the item created by this. As such, there are no duplicates of duplicates or duplicates of the same item multiple times. The duplicate lasts for ten minutes, although two additional charges can be spent to extend this to 24 hours.
Clone - requires Duplicate Item and Mirror Image - Four of the Mirror's charges can be expended to save a reflection of a willing character in the Mirror. This behaves as the Clone spell, where when the saved character is slain, they step out of the Mirror. Until this happens, the saved character has no reflection (it is being kept elsewhere). The bound character may choose to spend the material component as normal for the Clone spell or to sacrifice one of the Mirror's charges per day until the Clone effect is discharged.
Simulacrum - requires Clone - Charges can be expended to create a duplicate of a willing creature that is reflected in the main mirror. This acts as a Simulacrum spell. The simulacrum cannot leave the Domain of the Mirror and thinks for itself. While such a simulacrum persists, neither it nor the original has a reflection, so any given creature can only be duplicated once with this power and no duplicates of duplicates is possible. The charge cost is 2n for leveled characters where n is their level, or 3n for others, where n is their Challenge value.
Draw Shard - requires Duplicate Item - any permitted character may expend hit points to draw a shard of the Mirror as a magical weapon out of the main mirror. The weapon must be a bladed weapon in some way. For a +1 weapon, the character loses 20 maximum hit points. For a +2 weapon, the character loses 30 maximum hit points. For a +3 weapon, the character loses 40 maximum hit points. The weapon counts as being made from silver. The weapon and the reduction to maximum hit points lasts for 24 hours, after which the hit points must be healed normally.
Dispel Magic - Charges can be expended to allow the Servitor to cast Dispel Magic. A third level spell version costs one charge, and for every spell level higher an additional charge must be spent to a maximum of a ninth level spell which costs seven charges.
Remove Curse - requires Dispel Magic - Two charges can be expended to cast Remove Curse on any reflected character.
Shatter Mirror - At will, the bound character may cast Shatter on a solid object that is a reflective surface. This shatters the object and deals damage according to the spell. This may be cast outside the Domain.
Blade Barrier - requires Shatter Mirror - Two charges can be expended when the bound character is using Shatter Mirror within the Domain to create a storm of shards of the broken mirror to manifest and persist after the mirror is shattered. This is effectively the Blade Barrier spell, with an area of a 20-ft-diameter sphere. The sphere may move 60 feet per round if the bound character concentrates on it.
Transfix - The Mirror charms anyone who looks in the main mirror. Any such creatures must make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC of 14. Success means that that creature is immune for one minute. Failure means that the creature stands still, transfixed by the image that they see in the Mirror for one day, at which point they must make the save again. The bound character may specify certain creatures as being immune to this effect.
Imprisonment - requires Transfix - The Mirror absorbs trespassers and keeps them as prisoners. Anyone who is charmed by the Transfix power must make a second DC 14 Wisdom saving throw immediately after the one that they just failed or be imprisoned by the mirror. They walk forward into the Mirror and disappear. The Servitor can bring any such prisoners forward to the Mirror's edge to be questioned, taunted, or released.
Trapped Guardians - requires Imprisonment and Simulacrum - If anyone passes the saving throw of the Transfix ability, and if there are creatures imprisoned in the Mirror, then the Mirror automatically creates a Simulacrum of an imprisoned creature each round to slay the trespasser who made their saving throw. Duplicates created in this way do not cost any charges, but last only one minute. Only one duplicate of any given creature is possible.
My main reason for posting this is so that you could see my work on the above artifact location and ask: Do you have any ideas for grand rewards like this that drive forward the game and give people common purpose?
Instead, I'm thinking about writing this campaign from the perspective of creating big elaborate rewards, essentially just dropping one of them in their laps at the start of the game, and then having a world filled with subquests. The rewards and moving forward with them create continuity and provide me with a great thing to threaten in the future, and the subquests can let people get more of the interesting rewards that I planned at the beginning.
For example, if you've read Dakota Krout's Divine Dungeon books, I'm thinking that having the party discover a "living dungeon" that grows and changes, becoming more threatening and offering better rewards, would be interesting. It's essentially like discovering a deposit of some rare resource to mine. It's the sort of thing that the players could try to capitalize on in the broader social environment.
I'm thinking of giving players an item that will grant them access to a powerful mage's home. The powerful mage is sick and in his dotage, providing nominal resistance. In addition to the tomes of lore, spellbooks, and formulas for magical items, all written in codes of course, the mage is a key military adviser for a rival nation. He has become a recluse, communicating only through written letters, which the players could continue should they wish to participate in such things.
Of course, giving players the rudiments of a base of operations is a great way to get people to buy in to a location. Like, having a well-stocked and fairly-secure (or secret) location with ready access to some important resource (perhaps that dungeon that I was describing before?) is just begging PCs to move in and restore the place.
One idea that I had last summer was to give players a big old artifact that has a tech tree of magical powers to unlock, but which is essentially built into a location. Every time you "direct a ley-line" or something to the artifact, you get to unlock a new power for it. I imagine that the best options here would be powers related to being able to be safe in that base of operations.
Everything like this creates adventure paths rather than just being a bump in player power.
I'll include my planned notes on a tech-tree location of power:
This artifact location is a mirror which takes up one massive wall of a cave. The mirror is flawless, but in the mirror, every reflection for which the image would appear more than about twenty feet "beyond" the mirror is shrouded in darkness. When someone performs a ritual to bind them to the mirror (as the DM wishes, I had a Dragon Dance ala Avatar: The Last Airbender be required), then the image of a silent servant walks forward out of the darkness. This is the Servitor of the mirror, which might be just an interface so that the players can use the mirror, or might be some sort of spirit. Upt to the DM. The Servitor cannot make noise, but has the ability to hear what is said and the ability to write in glowing letters on the surface of the mirror itself. The Servitor only responds to (and is only visible to) commands from the bound PC, but that PC can order the Servitor to be visible to and to respond to other players' commands.
The Mirror has a maximum capacity of 10 charges at a time, and it gains 10 charges per day. The Mirror has a Domain of one mile.
Basic Powers
Nothing is needed to unlock the following powers.
When commanded to do so, the Servitor can translate any text as often as desired. This takes as much time as it takes for the Servitor to write the translation on the Mirror.
One of the Mirror's charges can be expended to identify a magical item that is visible in the Mirror.
Two of the Mirror's charges can be expended to create a duplicate of a creature that is visible in the Mirror. The duplicate is similar to an Unseen Servant except that the duplicate is visible, has the original creature's Strength score, and the duplicate lasts for 24 hours. Duplicates created using this ability are good at menial labor but cannot attack.
Upgrades
Upgrade Domain I - improve the Domain of the Mirror to 5 miles.
Upgrade Domain II - requires Upgrade Domain I - improve the Domain of the Mirror to 20 miles.
Upgrade Domain III - requires Upgrade Domain II - improve the Domain of the Mirror to 50 miles.
Upgrade Domain IV - requires Upgrade Domain III - improves the Domain of the Mirror to 100 miles.
Upgrade Maximum Charges I - improve the maximum capacity of the Mirror to 12 charges at a time.
Upgrade Maximum Charges II - requires Upgrade Maximum Charges I - improve the maximum capacity of the Mirror to 15 charges at a time.
Upgrade Maximum Charges III - requires Upgrade Maximum Charges II - improve the maximum capacity of the Mirror to 20 charges at a time.
Upgrade Charges Per Day I - requires Upgrade Maximum Charges I - improve the number of charges per day that the mirror gains to 12.
Upgrade Charges Per Day II - requires Upgrade Maximum Charges II and Upgrade Charges Per Day I - improve the number of charges per day that the mirror gains to 15.
Upgrade Charges Per Day III - requires Upgrade Maximum Charges III and Upgrade Charges Per Day II - improve the number of charges per day that the mirror gains to 20.
Channel Servitor - when commanded to do so, the Servitor can appear in any mirrored surface in the Mirror's Domain. Any power that involves interaction with the Servitor can be accessed when not at the main mirror through this power. Any item visible in such a connected mirror is considered visible in the main mirror.
Reveal That Which is Hidden - requires Channel Servitor - when commanded to, the Servitor calls attention to any traps or invisible creatures or objects that would be reflected in the mirror if they were visible.
Reveal the Truth - requires Reveal That Which is Hidden - One of the Mirror's charges can be expended to be able to look through any mirror in the Mirror's Domain and see everything in it as though with Truesight.
Return to the Seat of Power - requires Reveal That Which is Hidden - Two of the Mirror's charges can be expended to allow the bound character to cast Word of Recall to return to the main mirror. This requires a mirrored surface large enough to step through.
Reflect Pathways - Three of the Mirror's charges can be expended to twist other creatures' vision while they are in the Domain of the Mirror. Any such creature must make an DC 12 Intelligence saving throw every minute or move in a random direction. They believe that they are moving as they intend. Any creature with an Intelligence of 3 or less may make a Wisdom saving throw instead. Creatures that the bound character specifies may be rendered immune to this effect. This effect lasts 24 hours.
Disguise Self - any character permitted to do so by the bound character may sculpt their features in a mirror within the Mirror's Domain. Then, they can cause these new features to be their appearance. This lasts until the bound character dismisses the effect or until the affected character makes a DC 12 Charisma check to shake off the magic. This requires an action.
Hallucinatory Terrain - requires Reflect Pathways and Disguise Self - Three of the Mirror's charges can be expended to allow the bound character to cast a specialized version of Hallucinatory Terrain. The area of the spell is the entire Domain of the Mirror.
Mirage Arcana - requires Hallucinatory Terrain - Four of the Mirror's charges can be expended to allow the bound character to cast a specialized version of Mirage Arcana. The area of the spell is the entire Domain of the Mirror and the effect lasts 24 hours.
Phantom Guards - requires Hallucinatory Terrain - Two of the Mirror's charges can be expended to create silent phantasmal sentries to patrol walls, man sentry towers, stand guard outside gates, and the like. This effect persists at locations that the bound character wishes and lasts 24 hours. The phantasmal guards created by this spell disappear when viewed from within 15 feet.
Seeming - requires Disguise Self - Three of the Mirror's charges can be expended to allow the bound character to cast Seeming on any creatures reflected in the Mirror.
Mirror Image - One of the Mirror's charges can be expended by the bound character to cast Mirror Image from anywhere in the Domain.
Mirror Window - requires Mirror Image and Reveal Hidden - when commanded to do so, the Servitor can alter the view of the current mirror in which the bound character is looking, to allow them to look out of any mirror within the Domain.
Master Mirror Window - requires Mirror Window - allows Mirror Window to look through any reflected surface anywhere on your plane of existence.
Faster Mirror Image - requires Mirror Image - allows the Mirror Image spell to be cast with a reaction.
Duplicate Item - One charge can be expended to duplicate an item that is reflected in the Mirror. The Servitor picks up the image of the item and passes it through the Mirror's surface. If a connected mirror is too small to permit this, then it is impossible. Once this has been done to an item, until the duplicate fades, that item has no reflection, and neither does the item created by this. As such, there are no duplicates of duplicates or duplicates of the same item multiple times. The duplicate lasts for ten minutes, although two additional charges can be spent to extend this to 24 hours.
Clone - requires Duplicate Item and Mirror Image - Four of the Mirror's charges can be expended to save a reflection of a willing character in the Mirror. This behaves as the Clone spell, where when the saved character is slain, they step out of the Mirror. Until this happens, the saved character has no reflection (it is being kept elsewhere). The bound character may choose to spend the material component as normal for the Clone spell or to sacrifice one of the Mirror's charges per day until the Clone effect is discharged.
Simulacrum - requires Clone - Charges can be expended to create a duplicate of a willing creature that is reflected in the main mirror. This acts as a Simulacrum spell. The simulacrum cannot leave the Domain of the Mirror and thinks for itself. While such a simulacrum persists, neither it nor the original has a reflection, so any given creature can only be duplicated once with this power and no duplicates of duplicates is possible. The charge cost is 2n for leveled characters where n is their level, or 3n for others, where n is their Challenge value.
Draw Shard - requires Duplicate Item - any permitted character may expend hit points to draw a shard of the Mirror as a magical weapon out of the main mirror. The weapon must be a bladed weapon in some way. For a +1 weapon, the character loses 20 maximum hit points. For a +2 weapon, the character loses 30 maximum hit points. For a +3 weapon, the character loses 40 maximum hit points. The weapon counts as being made from silver. The weapon and the reduction to maximum hit points lasts for 24 hours, after which the hit points must be healed normally.
Dispel Magic - Charges can be expended to allow the Servitor to cast Dispel Magic. A third level spell version costs one charge, and for every spell level higher an additional charge must be spent to a maximum of a ninth level spell which costs seven charges.
Remove Curse - requires Dispel Magic - Two charges can be expended to cast Remove Curse on any reflected character.
Shatter Mirror - At will, the bound character may cast Shatter on a solid object that is a reflective surface. This shatters the object and deals damage according to the spell. This may be cast outside the Domain.
Blade Barrier - requires Shatter Mirror - Two charges can be expended when the bound character is using Shatter Mirror within the Domain to create a storm of shards of the broken mirror to manifest and persist after the mirror is shattered. This is effectively the Blade Barrier spell, with an area of a 20-ft-diameter sphere. The sphere may move 60 feet per round if the bound character concentrates on it.
Transfix - The Mirror charms anyone who looks in the main mirror. Any such creatures must make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC of 14. Success means that that creature is immune for one minute. Failure means that the creature stands still, transfixed by the image that they see in the Mirror for one day, at which point they must make the save again. The bound character may specify certain creatures as being immune to this effect.
Imprisonment - requires Transfix - The Mirror absorbs trespassers and keeps them as prisoners. Anyone who is charmed by the Transfix power must make a second DC 14 Wisdom saving throw immediately after the one that they just failed or be imprisoned by the mirror. They walk forward into the Mirror and disappear. The Servitor can bring any such prisoners forward to the Mirror's edge to be questioned, taunted, or released.
Trapped Guardians - requires Imprisonment and Simulacrum - If anyone passes the saving throw of the Transfix ability, and if there are creatures imprisoned in the Mirror, then the Mirror automatically creates a Simulacrum of an imprisoned creature each round to slay the trespasser who made their saving throw. Duplicates created in this way do not cost any charges, but last only one minute. Only one duplicate of any given creature is possible.
My main reason for posting this is so that you could see my work on the above artifact location and ask: Do you have any ideas for grand rewards like this that drive forward the game and give people common purpose?