PDA

View Full Version : City Campaign Plot Suggestions?



loopy
2008-05-20, 08:02 PM
I'm currently running my first D&D campaign, based in a homebrew city of thieves called Picaron. The party, currently level 3, includes:

- A CN human Fighter/Rogue (Dex based, he both buckles and swashes).
- A CG human Ranger - ranged spec, new to D&D.
- A TN human wizard specialising in Necromancy. (Most experienced player in the party, his character goal is to become a lich eventually).
- A TN elf Rogue, also new to D&D.

So far the party have entered the city to deliver a package to a man called the Scrivener, who they were told could be found in the Merchant Quarter. Unfortunately, with the recent upswing in gang violence, the city guard have restricted travel through the city to anyone not possessing transit papers.

Brief summary of the campaign so far:
- Party discovered that there was a forger around who could get them Transit papers. (Elric)
- Elric asks the party to do a favor for him before giving them the papers, to get a crate from a gang controlled warehouse.
- The gang ends up being made up of were-rats, and the party retreats after slaying about 20, after two of them contract lycanthropy (the fighter and the rogue).
- After resting they are sent back to the warehouse, only to find it deserted-- except of course for the were-rat ogre (those things get tanky with the +6 Dex +2 con Were-rat template).
- They slay the were-rat ogre, load the crate onto a cart, and leave the warehouse, only to run into 40 or so of the gang they thought had run off.
- A frantic escape ensues, culminating in a fight atop one of the city walls. Fortunately the city guard come along before the party is slaughtered.
- They return to Elric and he rewards them for retrieving the crate, and inducts them into the Order of the Cross-Trade, a organisation that keeps the city stable by using the same tactics as the thieves.

Thats where I've left off. I don't have a BBEG, or any real fixed plot after this point. These things I know:

- The Were-rats were affiliated with one of the biggest criminal syndicates in the city, the Shield, who are now after the party.
- The Scrivener, a powerful wizard, works for a third, as-yet-unnamed criminal syndicate. I don't know what the party carries in the package for him, but I do know it will have to be some sort of McGuffin.
-The city of Picaron is a port city, in a northern area of the world, as it has been snowing.

Anyway, if you could help me out that would be fantastic. Go wild with ideas, it is a homebrew world so I can pretty much do anything you suggest. Oh, and if you need any more info, ask :smallsmile:

Glawackus
2008-05-20, 08:06 PM
Perhaps the as-yet unnamed crime syndicate is another lycanthropic organization, or one with a particular axe to grind with lycanthropes that brings them into conflict with the wererats?

loopy
2008-05-20, 08:10 PM
Hmm... I like the idea of another criminal syndicate with a religious or arcane bent.

The Order of the Cross-trade, the one the PC's have allied with, were created by the King of Picaron to keep the city stable. The royal family is long gone, but the Order remains, more or less following their original mandate.

Any ideas as far as that goes?

FlyMolo
2008-05-20, 08:11 PM
The sewers. The were-rat gang are all disciples of a big were-rat or something in the sewers.

So we have a rat gang, a wizard gang, and a merchant gang. You need a pirate gang, as it's a port city. Think submarines that pop up and raid ships, then vanish beneath the ice. The wizard gang has lots of spellthieves, and they go around stealing magical things from rival gangs, and being stolen from in return. They have all the wands, so that's good for them.

The rats have no warehouses, the merchants have trade goods in theirs, the wizard ones are full of reagents and wands and the like. The pirate ones are full of rum and weapons.

Artificers sign on with the pirates or the wizards, for submarines or doohickeys, respectively. I mean, that's the attraction.

Perhaps there's a young up-and-coming paladin in the guard who wants to clean up the town, and asks the PCs to play the groups off one another. This just might mean being hired by the different groups as mercenaries, in order to find out stuff and get inside. Also, you'd make a Bundle'O'Dough TM. Eventually, the PCs realize all the gangs are pawns of one big mob boss in a basement somewhere, manipulating them for his own ends.

Besides, then the PCs get to be sneaky. "Oh nuts the guard's coming" is a great thing to say. Then they get imprisoned wrongfully, and get to break out, all while being the good guys. Could work.

I had a thread for this sort of thing, but it got buried. :smallfrown:

Emperor Tippy
2008-05-20, 08:27 PM
What are you doing with the players who are now wererats?

SilverClawShift
2008-05-20, 08:30 PM
Anytime I think of a city with lycanthropes, I can't help but think of some insane guild-mage or mad scientist trying to figure out what seperates humans from animals, and what blurs the lines.
And then I imagine, what if this mad-wizard found a way to distill an 'animal essence' into a potion, that gave the imbiber a full night in the hybrid form of a were creature?

And what if those potions, or worse, the techniques for making them, started leaking out?

So much could be done there. A person with enough of those potions could have an alternate persona that couldn't be tried for their crimes, if they were careful and could find ways to escape at the end of the night. Or heck, for that matter, they could be out trying to commit good deeds with their increased power.
"...It's the Bat-Man..."

And then you can let the PCs get ahole of a few...

Meat Shield
2008-05-20, 08:40 PM
Hmm... I like the idea of another criminal syndicate with a religious or arcane bent.

The Order of the Cross-trade, the one the PC's have allied with, were created by the King of Picaron to keep the city stable. The royal family is long gone, but the Order remains, more or less following their original mandate.

Any ideas as far as that goes?

Any prophecies about heroes coming to aid the order in their time of need? (cliche)

No lawful types so I doubt getting them to see the benefits of assisting the Order will work. How about appealling to their baser instincts and show them how much money they can make by working with them.

Are they the types to want to start their own guild? Any entrepreneurial spirits there? Look at the necro for this, they always have ego to burn.

King_of_Oz
2008-05-20, 09:07 PM
I have always been enamored of the concept of a thieving party, but thing big heists. Ocean's 11 style. Perhaps these one of these gangs hires someone to steal from another gang, but not in the same hack and slash manner, but rather without getting seen?

loopy
2008-05-20, 09:54 PM
What are you doing with the players who are now wererats?

They haven't actually turned yet. An NPC has told them to seek out some belladonna, but the vivid dreams will start the next time the party goes to sleep.


So we have a rat gang, a wizard gang, and a merchant gang. You need a pirate gang, as it's a port city. Think submarines that pop up and raid ships, then vanish beneath the ice.

Funny you mention it, I've been setting up Dwarves as land-based Vikings, using underground tunneling vessels to pop up unexpectedly to raid and/or pillage.


And then I imagine, what if this mad-wizard found a way to distill an 'animal essence' into a potion, that gave the imbiber a full night in the hybrid form of a were creature?

Firstly... "SilverClawShift answered my thread! *faint*." :smallbiggrin:

*Ahem* I like the idea of this, especially that the mad scientist (but ultimately well-intentioned) might produce different strains of the potion to keep the gangs in line. "I've been hearing reports of rat-creatures raping and murdering down at the docks. Don't make me remind you who is in control of your supply..."

Great ideas guys, keep 'em coming! Oh, and SilverClawShift, hurry up and get the Dustlands finished. That or start publishing more campaign sessions. Or both :smallwink:

loopy
2008-05-20, 09:58 PM
Damn double-posties. :smallmad:

Kol Korran
2008-05-21, 04:37 AM
ok, some of the following draws from other ideas on this thread (SilverClawShift & Fly Molo for example) and probably other threads (can't remember. sorry). how about the following:

the organization that the scrivener belongs to is akin to a cult in some ways. it's an elitist and racist organization, dedicated to producing a "better human race"- a human of supreme character, purged from the imperfections of other races, and common life. what they actually try to create is a sort of transendence human, one who might harbor magical/ devine attributes, a sot of Native Outsider (though they will proabably have a grander term for that). think in temrs of half-fiend/ celestial, only without the obvious outsider influences, and the alignement commitments.

the organization is very small, composed of only "the elite" (not necesserily social elite, but "essence elite"- people with high stats, PC classes and so on). they are very low on quantity, but very high on quality. (they dislike dealing with "imperfect/ soiled ones") the Scrivener is part of their secret counsel (composed of those showing mgical bent- wizards, clerics, perhaps a druid with a warped belief system, and so on). he might be even responsible ot one of their pet projects...

for you see, in order to achieve perfection, one must meddle and examine imperfection, in all it's forms (this part is from Silver Claw Shift's post). one or more of this conclave of perfection meddled and created the were rats (and perhsp other lycanthropes). however, do to sabotage by another organization, and perhaps some bad luck as well, many of the test subjects escaped (forming the various rat gangs). the Long Tails (feel free to change the name) escaped with one of the minor researchers (perhaps captured and hled prisoner, perhaps willingly) who may now supply them with the materials and concoctions to keep them from breaking down alltogether (the were-state is not stable. this could be a hook for your transforming players- either find the concotions to continue living, complete the transformation, or reverese it. just don't make it easy). to get the costly materials, the Long Tails now robs and burglarize, as a matter of survival, as well as greed.

the conclave of perfection is still split on what to do about the "infection" some want to destroy it (but might be reluctentto do so personally, being afraid of being "contaminated"), while others seek to examine "the experiment" in their "natural habitat".

i agree with Fly Molo- you should have pirates, that turns to highway banditry when the weather is tough. (source for "out of the city adventures") you could have a sizeable portions of them to be Shifters (deep dive shifters for piracy for example). the conclave could have captured some of them, and used them to create the lycanthropy. brokering some deal with these pirates might prove part of the solution towards curing the were-state. (however, shifters after lycanthropes could iether be confusing and interesting, or confusing and redundent, so beware.) the raiders shouls have a healthy dose of other races though, perhaps those viking dwarves you mentioned.

the cross trade could either be a sort of a "homebase" organization, or you could lively it up as well: it could have inflitrators from any of the above. the merchants could try and veer it to different directions. there could be in feuding amongst them. some merchants may even use the organization (i.e. the PCs) to settle scores.

i would suggest at least one more power group, though i'm a bit stumped for ideas now (other than the next one)

the last idea i have is to add The Faces: an organization comprised out of Changlings (or dopplegangers, though they appeal to me far less), who slowly infiltrate each organiztion (criminal or not), slowly taking control of the city through manipulation, subvesrion and so on (perhaps they were the ones who liberated the were rats in the first place? probably under the guise of another organization?). their ultimate goal i leave to you, but have it be sinister (perhaps they are working for an outside force? an invading army still months away?) think of them as the behind-the-scenes-puppet-masters sort of guys. the party may meet one or more of them during their adventures (thought they may not always recognise something is wrong. some times yes, but not always). as some plots mostly finish, the characters uncover The Faces' existence, and may make a move against them.

hope this helped,
Kol.

loopy
2008-05-21, 07:16 AM
hope this helped,
Kol.

Wouldn't it be absolutely crushing if I said "no, it didn't really."

Lucky I'm not a mean guy then. That was pure brilliance mate, I'll be incorporating near all of that into my campaign. :smallbiggrin:

One further question. What role do you think religion should play in this most corrupt of cities?

Jimp
2008-05-21, 07:39 AM
All the crime syndicates are the same family of changelings. They never REALLY hurt eachother, they are all just incredible actors and the entire city is their play.

Someday I WILL pull that plot off.

loopy
2008-05-21, 07:46 AM
All the crime syndicates are the same family of changelings. They never REALLY hurt eachother, they are all just incredible actors and the entire city is their play.

Someday I WILL pull that plot off.

You realise the day you manage to convincingly pull that plot off you could probably make a fair attempt at doing it in real life. :smallwink:

Positively Machiavellian of you mate.

Jarlax
2008-05-21, 09:05 AM
drawing from WoD here, but if the third organization was vampires with an arcane leaning to them then that may work.

they make a classic polar opposite to lycan, relying on social grace and espionage rather than brute force, arcane mastery rather than strength of numbers and above all subtlety, a situation where their true nature was revealed would never happen so carelessly as it has with the lycan, and in fact is the common reason vampires have such hostility toward lycan, if the general populace get some foolish "hidden foe" idea in their heads thanks to the were-rats operations being uncovered it places their operation and activities at risk as the general populations suspicions rise.

the introduction of a organization of intelligent undead also opens plot opportunities for your necromancer wizard to gain his lichdom as a sort of treasure reward that is not actually treasure through tomes retrieved after defeating the vampires.

anyway back to plot here, the package may contain some form of relic or device that will tip the balance of power in the favor of the mages. the sheild intercept the party while they are attempting to deliver the package mistaking it for the contents of the retrieved crate, unaware of what it actually contains.

once the party notifies Scrivener of the theft a three-way standoff quickly ensues, once the shield realize what they have stolen and who they have accidentally provoked they are up against the party trying to reclaim their package and the mages trying to retrieve their relic.

however the party and the mages are not aware of each others involvement or affiliation with the same wizard so they are also fighting each other to be the first to retrieve the relic. Scrivener becomes your BBEG as the mages get the relic back, but not before both the relic and the third organization's true nature are revealed. leaving Elric and the Cross-Trade to task the PCs with retrieving and destroying the relic for good.

SoD
2008-05-21, 09:19 AM
Anytime I think of a city with lycanthropes, I can't help but think of some insane guild-mage or mad scientist trying to figure out what seperates humans from animals, and what blurs the lines.
And then I imagine, what if this mad-wizard found a way to distill an 'animal essence' into a potion, that gave the imbiber a full night in the hybrid form of a were creature?

And what if those potions, or worse, the techniques for making them, started leaking out?

So much could be done there. A person with enough of those potions could have an alternate persona that couldn't be tried for their crimes, if they were careful and could find ways to escape at the end of the night. Or heck, for that matter, they could be out trying to commit good deeds with their increased power.
"...It's the Bat-Man..."

And then you can let the PCs get ahole of a few...

I once had a similar thing, I decided that the reason that lycanthropy is contracted via a bite, is that it's the stuff in the saliva when it enters the bloodstream. There was a guy selling 'special salve' which would releive the pain of small cuts. Hilarity ensued at the next full moon. One of the party was due for a moonlit dinner.

Kol Korran
2008-05-21, 10:00 AM
as with all religions- it doesn't realy matter what god a person belive in. what matters is WHY s/he believe in it, what s/he expects as a reward, how s/he intereperts the scritputres/ sermons, and how they interpert the world in light of their interpertation of their god...

complicated? yeah, that's religion for you! but seriously, i mean tat the same situation can create so many different responses, including in matters of faith. for example:

the common person might live there, and become cynical and disregarding of gods. or it might see the gods as it's only refuge. or maybe it finds inspiration in the gods to fight for a better reality, one that he believes the god promises (enters the paladin). or maybe they believe the gods tend only to spiritual matters such as the after life, and thus seperate their faith from the daily life. or, most likely, all of the above. and more...

one of the reasons i like Eberrons Pantheons of the Soverign Host and Dark Six (which some consider as belonging to one larger pantheon) is because they allready incorprate that into their very being. i'd suggest to check them out for examples. my own name skae (Kol Korran) might be immensly fitting to this city (or at least the Cross Trade)

however ,that doesn't help much with play, other then to keep in mind there might be many responses. here are some suggestions that may be more concrete:

the conclave of Perfectness may act under the twisted interpertation of scriptures by some god. they may even have paladins working for them, believing they are working for the greater good, that only by clearing themselves and their fellow people of the taints will the world become a good place. (alternetavely, this could be but a sect, in the conclave, lending it's fantacis to a cause). this could be quite shocking if the religion who's scriptures were misinterperted are actually commonly percieved as good (Pelor, St. Cuthbert sort of types). think Nazis believing in the purity of race, but being far more discreet.

as to the Long Tails, they will most liekly believe in the normal myriad of beliefs the common people do. most might start believe in the darker gods, due to their predicaments, and perhaps create small shrines, or sacrifices for them in the city.

the Cross Trade may also believe in various beliefs, but strike me more as practical people, who keep their beliefs modest, if at all (atheist are welcome). the patrons of trade, money, and profit should be common amongst it's leaders (Kol Korran again), as might also be those of justice, social equality, and order. (St. Cuthbert type, with less emphasis on retribution).

as to the Raiders. gods of profit, theft, and strength of arms might be common, but also those who contorl natural orders. the shifters especially may even sport druids (who are otherwise fairlyrare in City based Campaigns). religion here takes a second place to survival and practicality however. while most people are probably devout (life in the wilderness, with that daily chances of death can do wonders to faith), they deal with things matter of factly most often then by "moral compassses".

The Faces? their faith might depedn on their overarching goal, but gods that promote subteerfuge, subtelty, and deception are likely candidats for the common changling. this organization however is probably the wild card concerning faith, as nothing in its premise points to any spiritual path so far.

a few gods that might be strong with the population at large: gods of sea, of community, of trade, the general moral gods (justice/ corruption/ supremecy/ equality/ good/ evil/ who cares). the various gods of the races (including a god for Humans. i never understood why there wasn't one)

you could have fun with some local gods- heros of history who gaiend godhood, and are now the main patrons for whomever display their personality charactaristics. (think Uthgar from FR). it will give the campaign and the city a more unique, ethnic feel. these gods could (like Uthgar) resemble vikings and such, to firmly place the setting in your players mind.

note: coming to think of it, you can easely adapt many of Eberron's gods this way, each becoming a hero/nordic god, when the dark six are aspects of Ragnarok (i hope i spelled it right, sorry if i haven't people).

not sure this answered your question, but hopefully (gulp) it helped.
Kol.

Storm Bringer
2008-05-21, 10:12 AM
hmmm, here's an adventure hook:

the Order contacts them about an mission. the players are told that a two merchant ships are due to enter port in the next few days, and that they will be carrying a cargo holds full of spices form the southern lands. Whichever of these ships can make port and sell it's wares first is going to be able to make something on the order of a million gold pieces selling his spices at whatever price he wants, while the loser of this race will barely re-coup the cost of getting them, due to the first ship having slated the demand of all the locals.

The Order is banking on one of these ships to stabilise the finances of a failing merchant guild, but doesn't know if that guild's ship will be first to market. If the rival guilds ship makes it to port first, the players are to prevent it form selling it's wares before the other ship.

possible ways of achiving this:

Destruction of the warehouse the spices are being held in

Sinking the ship, preferbly in a 'beliveable' way.

Bribing the citys dock officials to tie the ship's cargo up in red tape until the Orders ship can arrive.

forge documents that imply part of the rival guild was planning to spilt off form the rest of it, using the money form the spice as starting cash. the resulting infighting in the guild stops the sale of the goods until the Orders ship arrives.

Armoury99
2008-05-21, 04:59 PM
I did a whole string of ideas for a project that has a largely 'tamed' wilderness and some massive cities (so plenty of urban hooks). If you're interested, they're here: 101 Orthorian Adventures (http://www.planewalker.com/forums/viewThread.php?intPostID=32152)

loopy
2008-05-22, 11:08 PM
not sure this answered your question, but hopefully (gulp) it helped.
Kol.

Hey Kol, can I steal you? You've provided an entire campaigns worth of ideas. A god will be named in your honour! Any preference on which type of god you'd like? :smallsmile:

Oh, and Storm Bringer? That sounds right up my groups alley. Hell, I could just mention the rumours of the Spice shipment arriving and my group would raid it themselves.

Also, interesting Campaign setting you have there, Armoury99. I'll be looking through it to see what I can filch.

Next questions! Can you think of any interesting locations and/or landmarks for Picaron? I mean, at the moment it has the Docks, the slums, and the Merchants quarter, but that is pretty "generic fantasy city". Any ideas, forumites?

SilverClawShift
2008-05-23, 09:01 AM
Great ideas guys, keep 'em coming! Oh, and SilverClawShift, hurry up and get the Dustlands finished. That or start publishing more campaign sessions. Or both :smallwink:

See, the problem is that my group's taken a little sidetrack into Shadowrun lately. It's fun times, but definately not something we'd want to play every time.

I guess I could write about the shadowrun campaign we're in though.


Next questions! Can you think of any interesting locations and/or landmarks for Picaron? I mean, at the moment it has the Docks, the slums, and the Merchants quarter, but that is pretty "generic fantasy city". Any ideas, forumites?

Well, when you say "City of Thieves", what do you envision exactly? An otherwise normal city with so much corruption running through it that it could never be fully cured short of burning the city to the ground and starting over? Or a city where the criminal element has so much power they aren't afraid of operating in the open? Or just something like a wild and rowdy anarchaic city, where the good people of neighboring towns refuse to visit?

Just a random idea.

Highlow (Hi, Low) Road: During the building out of the city as the population expanded, certain structural instabilities in the terrain began to manifest as problems for the street-cobblers and house-builders and anyone else involved with the expansion. Certain areas began turning into sinkholes (occasionally even leveling sections of houses). As time went on, the sinkholes revealed themselves to be a gradually collapsing tunnel system under the city that would become Picaron.
By the time of the campaign, Picaron has become mostly stable, no further collapsing has happened in decades. But The history of the city shows in its streets, via Highlow road. Snaking throughout most of the city, is a massive rocky trench. Rather than trying to compensate for the un-navigable terrain through digging, the city founders went with a more eccentric (but cheaper) solution.
They bridged the trench.
Now Highlow road is a massive wooden 'bridge' which connects to virtually every road in Picaron. On either side of the bridge is normal city features, and the wooden planks of Highlow are sturdy and stable enough for heavy carts, horses, and crowds of people. It is essentially a road like any other, and to the average commoner, city officials, and anyone who keeps their nose clean, it's officially called "High Road"

Except that there's still the trench underneath.

Through the right connections (or suitable Gather Information or Knowledge: (local) skill checks), you can find one of the semi-secret paths to Low Road, the near-pitch black path of difficult terrain. Low-Road is a bit risky to take during daylight hours (when the sun seaps through the cracks in High Road providing dim illumination). It's much riskier (but not necessarily suicide) at night, when Low-Road attains perfect darkness in most areas (excluding underneath the local tavern, where the torches and pub lights continue to seep through and provide dim illumination).
Low-Road is where you go if you need to hide out for a while, if you need to move something (including yourself) from one part of the city to another without being seen, or if you're looking for someone who doesn't want to be found. Low-Road is also where you keep your hand on your daggers grip.
Anyone found accessing or exiting Low-Road is going to be assumed to be engaging in criminal activites. The city law enforcement don't go down there, but they're going to want to know why YOU'RE trying to go down there. Anyone giving away access points to the city watch is going to have some ticked off thieves guilds looking to cause some hassle as payback.

Most encounters in Low-Road are just going to be two paranoid parties pretending they don't see each other. But be ready for trouble all the same.

Or better yet, just take the High-Road.

************************************

And if you want to veer into more fantastic-fantasy, there's no reason Low-Road couldn't have tight little tunnels leading deeper into the earth...

DeathQuaker
2008-05-23, 09:41 AM
So we have a rat gang, a wizard gang, and a merchant gang. You need a pirate gang, as it's a port city.

Or, alternatively, have one or more of the factions have pirates as one of their functions. That way you don't have to create a fourth new organization with its own motives, but just indicate that the battle within the city also extends out into the sea. Any successful criminal organization in a port city would want to control the port themselves.

The Shield (my understanding it wasn't purely were-rats) could control a powerful group of pirates (which perhaps includes weresharks?). The Order hires privateers to protect their shipments from the pirates.

Group 3, if it is arcane influenced throughout, may contribute to the sea trade issues in a more unusual way--perhaps summoned elementals and fiendish porpoises and the like.

As for the McGuffin, the likely story is that it's probably an artifact that could give any one of the organizations more power than the other. I'd say one of two things-

- A powerful divinatory artifact. This would be why it's going to the wizard--he knows what it is already and how best to use it.

- A powerful water control artifact. This ties in with the concept of the port control above--an organization that could take out enemy ships while bringing their own shipments safe to harbor would become the city's new lords easily.

Just couple thoughts; may realize they might not work entirely well but anything that jogs ideas.

Kami2awa
2008-05-23, 09:46 AM
The sewers. The were-rat gang are all disciples of a big were-rat or something in the sewers.

A rat king... see Terry Pratchett's The Amazing Maurice...

loopy
2008-05-23, 10:54 AM
See, the problem is that my group's taken a little sidetrack into Shadowrun lately. It's fun times, but definately not something we'd want to play every time.

I guess I could write about the shadowrun campaign we're in though.

Yes. Yes you can. :smallbiggrin:



Well, when you say "City of Thieves", what do you envision exactly? An otherwise normal city with so much corruption running through it that it could never be fully cured short of burning the city to the ground and starting over? Or a city where the criminal element has so much power they aren't afraid of operating in the open? Or just something like a wild and rowdy anarchaic city, where the good people of neighboring towns refuse to visit?

I've been envisioning a mix of the first two options. Various parties own sections of the Guard, magistrates etc.

The Guard prosecute violent crimes, haul the occasional unlucky pickpocket off to the dungeons, and generally make examples of selected scapegoats by the various Guilds.

However, Picaron is a port city, and a trade hub, so many merchants and travellers are willing to risk the larceny and visit the City of Thieves.[/QUOTE]


Highlow (Hi, Low) Road

...

Or better yet, just take the High-Road.

Love it! Provides a ludicrous amount of areas for crime to spread. Congratulations, you've just won a godhood in my homebrew world. :smallsmile: What are your preferences as far as portfolio/alignment?

Any other ideas, forumites? There is still many more chances for divine ascension for insightful forumites!

Kol Korran
2008-05-23, 02:48 PM
Hey Kol, can I steal you?
damn, that reminded me of the cutest magic item in second edition (i think, my mind a bit fuzzy on details). it was a sack. nothing special. no huge interdimensional space in it. it just had one feature- if you lossened the strings without the command word, it would start screaming "help! i'm being stolen from! help! thief!" and so on... i realy loved that sack.

(notices the various blank stares about, and the man calling for the "special team" from the hospital down the street. straighten tie, or whatever, and resume the conversation in a more serious tone...)

ok, where were we? oh yes, locations and such... my ideas are fiarly cliche, but the ycould still be fun:
1) the graveyard: not for undead and such (you PCs will see it from a mile, but instead as a hiding place for one of the groups. i'm thinking the Long Tails- rats are expected. the conclave of perfection isn't likely to look for them here. no one is realy... plus, it's the one place in town where there are shrines to ALL the gods, even the less popular ones, which the were rats might start to worship.
2) inner city ruins: the city was built on the wreckage of a conquered /city state. this could be a long time ago (and maybe the Faces are here because of them? maybe the conclave of perfection found some old religious tome, dating far back to explain their twisted interpertation of faith?), or it could be somethign more recent (perhaps the city is a frontier city, and the land was conquered from a small dwarf nation. many of the dwarves since integrated to the society, as second class citizens, but some have not, and continue raiding, like the raiders who joined the shifters. (rememebr- humans have a short life span, while dwarfs have long ones. "that old war? yeah, my great grandpa was in it, i think" coming from a human might be answered by "yes. it happened when i was but a youngling. i still remember the dying screams of my father" from a dwarf)

anyway, most of the ruins have been torn down, or built around. the city has all kind of relics (not in the dnd "uber powerfull magic" sense of the word) around the place. one major place lies in the bad quarters of the city. it's a part of the old city that is connected to rumors and legends of disasters, accidents, and horrors. (this fit more with the ancient city theme, butit could fit with the recent city one by using the old favorite: in the hieght of the siege the city's clerics/ mages tried some high magic and unleahed too much raw energy... that works everytime)

a part of the ruined city remains, and every once in awhile some.. .thing gets out of it. the place have been quarantined, and the guards keep watch on the perimiter. if you know of Eberron, think in temrs of the Mournland, just far smaller, without the fog and weird effects (or perhaps you want a weird effect?)

the place could have several functions:
- a place for undead, oiozes, outsiders, simple abberations, living spells and anything else you don't normaly find in a city.
- the place isn't inherently hostile, and is dangerous only rarely. relying on this precarious safety many of the city's more secretive factions can operate or hold meetings here.
- a major place for a black market, where anything could be bought, for a price, if you dare.
-the place could work liek a short cut (similar to the Low- High road idea mentioned above by SilverClawShift) the party may need to take a direct route through the ruins (and find a way into and out of them in the first place) if they wish to reach some where on time/ avoid detection.
- if someone hunts down the party, this could be arealy good place to hide. albeit a dangerous one.
- simple missions of "a monster has appeared! slay it and i reward you!"
- when your party needs a change from the intrigues and watns a different pace- you have your in-city dungeon right there! (to retrieve various relics and such)

2) the sewers: if you don't believe in elaborate sewers in a fantasy setting, just have them be part of the ruins. the city was built upon the older city. (Ankh Morpork anyone?) again. works preety much like the Low-High Road, only mroe diverse. i would suggest to make it as part of a very large natural cave system, or ruins. Players realy hate sewers from my limited experience.

3) the dock ruins (yes, i'm still with them). near the docks, perhaps even as part of them, lie the last stretch of the ruins- a land shelf that sank. at places one can stil lsee the outline of streets, major buildings. hey, some of the tallest ones even breach the water! the place is used by the fishers mostly, as big ships wish to avoid "the reef" undewater.

the place could provide you wish a location to underwater adventures (or half underwater), and perhaps you could even populate it with a small tribe of Locathah, gentle Kuo-Toa or just lizardman. this group could play variosu roles in the power struggles in the city (perhaps even give a winning edge to one or more sailing companies). an underwatr ruin, that resembles slightly former ruins could be a fun place to visit.

4) islands: how about 2-4 small islands of shore, but close? the islands could be home to either rich/ noble families, or perhaps a temple for the sun or sea, the holds of one of the merchant families, or even a small garrison? i imagine there to be a wizards tower or small academy on one of the islands (seeking seclusion). perhaps it's the meeting location for the conclave of perfection? or maybe it's the temple?

i have a scene in my mind, that when the party knows of the conclave real agenda, and their meeting place, they try to strom the island, with a ship and perhaps the help of the marine tribe, while the conclave performs some sort of abominable ritual, and their militery arm baricade the island from any intruders.

that all i got for now. just tell us how things turned out, when they actually do (yes i know it's a long time from now, but i promise i'll be interested.)

Occasional Sage
2008-05-23, 03:08 PM
Or, alternatively, have one or more of the factions have pirates as one of their functions. That way you don't have to create a fourth new organization with its own motives, but just indicate that the battle within the city also extends out into the sea. Any successful criminal organization in a port city would want to control the port themselves.

*snip*
- A powerful water control artifact. This ties in with the concept of the port control above--an organization that could take out enemy ships while bringing their own shipments safe to harbor would become the city's new lords easily.

Just couple thoughts; may realize they might not work entirely well but anything that jogs ideas.

OK, so to combine these with a twist:

Why, in a fantasy setting, use pirate ships? A few members of of the gang who belong to some aquatic race and/or have water breathing/moving magic items (see Kol's sunken-docks-and-buildings, perhaps) can pirate much more successfully; catch a ship a couple of miles out, and use something like a adamantine battle axe or two to open up the hull from underneath. There's no way to save bulky cargo from a sinking ship, so the escaping crew has to leave it behind (and if they escape, their stories may provide the clues needed to figure out what's going on outside the harbor). That "water control device" in the crate could be some specialized magic items that create a waterproof sheathe around items (you don't want waterlogged spices, for instance); since you already have holes in the hull, the pirates don't need to board the ship and fight down to the hold, just slip up from underneath. A picked team locks the hold shut from the inside and is ready to facilitate the looting of the ship once it sinks.

Heck, if other factions are running a traditional pirate fleet, they can be allowed to pirate merhant ships and take the blame, then get pirated themselves just out of sight.

Trog
2008-05-23, 03:15 PM
Read OP then kinda skipped the rest. Anyway, here's a plot I ran in a city once.

PCs somehow manage to save the life of the mayor or head of the city (insert title here). As a result they are invited to a dinner in the castle with the man they saved. He has a comical voice and you begin to realize why he never makes speeches. During the diner the waiter kills the mayor and leaps out the window (actually being a disguised kenku assassin) into the night air. (At this point I had a player jump out after him and have a fight holding on to him whist sailing over the city. Fun!). The next day it is announced that there was another attempt on the life of the mayor and he is being resurrected (per an agreement with a powerful local church, whom he is a follower of). The next day after that word gets round to all that the mayor is alive again and will now make a speech - his first. When he begins to speak it is with a clear, bold voice and he announces that the PCs are wanted criminals who had assassinated him.

From this point on the PCs are looking for the Kenku assassin, avoiding the authorities, and trying to clear their own name. Not to mention trying to figure out what the hell just went on.

The answer is...
The new mayor is actually a shadow dragon who, along with his Cult of the Dragon worshippers, are taking over the city. The assassin was actually working for a totally separate group and made the opening for some cultists with the castle walls to make their big move. So now the PCs are wanted for questioning by this other group as well. On top of the fact that the local thieve's guild is not involved at all... but the new mayor is cracking down hard on the thieves guild. Dragons don't much care for thieves.

Anyways, after a long slog through the morass of the cities dark dealings the PCs finally find a secret way into the castle known only to the other evil group and they face off with the mayor and his guards... only to find that the mayor is not all he seems...


Damn fun. I also gave each character their own nemesis or individual quest to keep them busy. It was weird. the group almost never were together and lots of individual sessions flashing back and forth had to be done including having one character, who was trying to get in good with the theives guild, have, for his final test to become a member of the guild be... to kill one of the other PCs! I had the group in one room and the other character in another and kept running back in forth round to round. The group had no idea the assassin in the shadows who kept firing at them from atop the building was a member of their own party!

Renegade Paladin
2008-05-23, 04:27 PM
Oddly enough, I've run and been in campaigns with a similar premise.

Firstly, it's always fun to have some sort of supernatural force behind the thieves' guild(s). I tend to use vampires, but anything with appropriate abilities (charm/dominate or abilities of disguise and concealment to hide it's nature, preferably both) and power level will work. Your average lycanthrope doesn't cut it; maybe some greater doppelgangers would make a good Evil Mastermind council. For extra evil, the street-level thieves have no idea who or what the real boss is. :smallamused: Said boss should be using the thieves' guild to some sinister end, all the while manipulating the thieves into thinking they're doing nothing more than enriching themselves and the guild.

Potential SPOILERS for Forgotten Realms players in the Dragon Coast region.
(I play in the Forgotten Realms, and this model is used for the Night Masks of Westgate. The vampiric Night King intends to use the guild to destabilize the power bases of surrounding nations and eventually take over and establish a kingdom ruled by vampires, with the human population as cattle.)

Secondly, consider the counter-thieves' guild. The one I devised is no secret; it's leaders are my characters in the Town. For myself, I have a primarily lawful good order, led by multiclassed paladins, but there are many other models to choose from. No matter what model you use, though, membership should be invitation only; you don't go to them and ask to join. They come to you, and only after careful covert observation. In a city with extensive thieves' guild presence, which presumably isn't friendly to organizations attempting to stop the thieves' activities, there is no other way to keep the organization intact.

Potential SPOILERS for Forgotten Realms players in Waterdeep.
Waterdeep, the largest city in Faerun, is home to a primarily chaotic good vigilante group called the Red Sashes. They work either on behalf of or against the City Watch depending upon whether they think justice is being served by the Watch in a particular case or not; when the Watchmen don't seem inclined to catch a criminal, they'll do it themselves and deposit him, tied up, on the steps of the Palace. :smallamused: By the same token, when the authorities pursue an innocent man, they will help him escape.

Interaction between the thieves' guild, the counter-guild organization, and the authorities should be as complex as you think you can handle; after all, this is a civilized city and there's civilized law involved; many things are better handled politically than through direct force in that environment. Things to incorporate:

Corrupt officials
An honest cop who secretly supports the counter-guild.
An honest cop who thinks the counter-guild is up to no good and acts against both it and the thieves. (For a good example, see Guardsman Mulharney in this story arc (http://www.rhjunior.com/totq/00260.html) of the Tales of the Questor webcomic.)
A dirty cop who doesn't care where the bribes come from; the counter-guild can buy information out of him just like the thieves can.
Street urchins and winos/the homeless. They see everything that goes on, and people ignore them as part of the background scenery. If you can get them to talk, they know stuff. Make sure the players think of that themselves, though; describe drifters as being present, but don't hint at their utility. Makes a nice bonus for using their heads.
A thieves' guild member who wants out, but is afraid to openly leave because the enforcers will get him. Can be turned by the players.
A spy in the counter-guild. Can work for either the government or the thieves; ideally, the city government shouldn't be much happier with vigilantes than thieves. Otherwise there's less fun. :smalltongue:
Free agent thieves. This works particularly well if the thieves' guild is territorial and kills competition.

That should do to be getting on with. Let me know if you want more detailed ideas; I'd love to share, but I prefer to let DMs come up with their own stuff based around the idea seeds if they want.

loopy
2008-05-24, 08:29 AM
An honest cop who secretly supports the counter-guild.
An honest cop who thinks the counter-guild is up to no good and acts against both it and the thieves. (For a good example, see Guardsman Mulharney in this story arc (http://www.rhjunior.com/totq/00260.html) of the Tales of the Questor webcomic.)

I'd really like a way to have some honest Guardsmen visible in my campaign, however I haven't been able to figure out a way for a 'good' Guard to last long without getting killed or corrupted by the cities shadier denizens...

Eskil
2008-05-24, 11:28 AM
Let one be a troll. To honest to bribe, not smart enought to be a big threat and to tough to "remove".

Also trolls have the Scent(ex) ability and you don't want to be the "remover" of an honest guard who gets tracked down by the angry guardstroll. So he acts as a deterant from wanton killing of troublesome lawmen.

mabriss lethe
2008-05-24, 02:49 PM
Something I've used in gritty urban environs.

After your players get settled into things, a new faction begins to rear its ugly little head. They're far more violent than any of the other gangs (including the were-rats) They strike indescriminantly, often killing or kidnapping important members of other syndicates when they can. They don't recognize any of the truces between organizations and run roughshod over everyone. In short, even in a lawless sort of place, they don't play by the established rules. It has everyone scared.

Here's the catch. This new faction is made up entirely of undead, most likely wights. They've begun to spread like a plague, with the sole purpose of conquering the entire city from the sewers up. When they kill or capture an VIP, he becomes one of them, lending his resources to the gang. If you trace it back far enough, there's a single wight pulling all the strings. probably with levels of some necromantically inclined caster class. He's patient zero. he could even be related to your mcguffin in some way. He doesn't appear until after the artifact gets used. maybe the artifact is corrupted or cursed in some unknown way. The scrivener knew enough about it, that maybe this head wight is him, but more likely one of his lackeys. he probably wasn't dumb enough to be the first to give the mcguffin a test run.

So the artifact transforms the lackey into a powerful undead monstrosity. The Scrivener and his organization manage to contain him for a while, but ultimately he escapes. (they don't know the scope of his newfound power)

Maybe the Mcguffin is divinatory in nature, but exacts a nasty price on those who use it for too long. (neg levels slowly build over weeks, but when it kills him, he not only rises as a wight, but his remaining levels get converted over into either a death domain cleric as he becomes the pawn of a dark god...or Dread Necro just to express how filled to the brim he is with dark arcane power. Warlock would also be pretty good.

Whether or not he escapes with the artifact is up to you. Maybe it ceases working once a person is completely drained of life, or alternately it becomes completely attuned to that individual once it absorbs all of his life force, only usable by him. He might have learned all he needed to know, and simply abandoned the artifact. He might have taken it with him and it's the key to his swift rise. With it he knows where and when the other syndicates will make their moves and can determine where it's safe to strike unseen. He wants no one to discover the gang's true nature...yet.

loopy
2008-05-25, 07:38 AM
So the artifact transforms the lackey into a powerful undead monstrosity. The Scrivener and his organization manage to contain him for a while, but ultimately he escapes. (they don't know the scope of his newfound power)

This made me think of a giant undead Godzilla for some reason.

Which, without any explanation needed, would be AWESOME. :smallbiggrin:

brant167
2008-05-25, 09:42 AM
For fear of bringing back the dead all of the most dangerous criminals have been put into stasis (using the a modified imprison spell- phb 244) . These stasis fields are in the most secure building underneath the city. However in these stasis fields holds a very powerful wizard who almost became a demi-god through use of a little known temporal rift. Before his capture he sent 12 of his strongest henchmen into the temporal field throwing them randomly into the future. That was 1627 years ago. To bring their master back they need to infiltrate the most secure building they do this by illegally acquiring a wand of freedom and letting lose 43 other criminals before finding their master. What havoc could 43 of the most dangerous criminals and a almost demigod reek? What happens when three mob Don’s are back on the street “in charge” of the same family? Could the police for handle such a onslaught of criminals? What consequences would happen because of the wizard meddling in the affairs of the gods?

loopy
2008-05-26, 02:34 AM
Now combining all of these excellent plot-threads into one coherent plot without confusing the hell out of my players is going to be interesting, haha.

One more question. How do you guys handle new spells for your Wizards. Do you just send them to the local magic shop, subject to availability, or what?

Renegade Paladin
2008-05-26, 03:40 AM
I'd really like a way to have some honest Guardsmen visible in my campaign, however I haven't been able to figure out a way for a 'good' Guard to last long without getting killed or corrupted by the cities shadier denizens...
Skill and/or power on his part. It takes an awful lot for a city to be 100% pure, unadulterated evil. Remember what I told you about Westgate? Despite all that, the mayor and the captain of the guard are both Tyrran priests, clergy of the god of justice. :smalltongue: It can work.

Breltar
2008-05-26, 10:48 AM
Sorry but its a lot to read and still keep my own ideas intact to post here at the end, so sorry if this copies someone else's or sends you on a different path.

Scrivener is after a potion of the lycan, that your party just stole/delivered to him. The reason he wants this potion is because the one brewing them for the Lycans is his brother, who has be estranged from his mostly wizarding family for a long time because of differences in thought on how power should be used for good/evil/morality/whatever. The scrivener wants to find a way to subdue the potions power, thus making the 'were rats' just normal street thugs and thwarting his brothers efforts.

The scrivener does not want to harm his brother, only capture him in order to try and 'save' him from his actions. The problem the PCs face is that in order to even get to the scriveners brother in his sewer lair, they have to fight/sneak/maneuver the brother's minions, which include a few actual were rats and a few other nasties.

The scrivener can now manufacture an item that will nullify the potions effect, but of course if used on a real were rat it will shock the PCs. They also have to try to capture a wizard that has no qualms about killing them.

The scrivener has contacts with a few of the gangs that are not in the same syndicate as his brothers and they are willing to help in exchange for various side quests being done. They can provide a distraction and directions to the lair (since the sewers are a complete maze). Perhaps one of the side quests being to do something unlawful or against the local militia/guards.

These are just ideas, been a while since I've dmed so take them for what they are worth.

Kol Korran
2008-05-26, 11:21 AM
hey loopy, glad to see things are coming together. what have you decided about the city lcations in the end?

as to your question

How do you guys handle new spells for your Wizards. Do you just send them to the local magic shop, subject to availability, or what?

here is my system. it's maybe not perfect, but it works for me. (there's an example at the end):

- first of all decide on the general level of magic in your campaign (or in your case, your city). this determins the availability of magic in your campaign, both in terms of how wide spread it is, and ho high it go. for each spell level assign an "availability range" (1-8 on d20, and so on). this represent the player's chance of finding what he's looking for.

- depending on the region (or in your case it could mean district), decide on two numbers that controls the size of the stock. the first is Stock Size, whic determines the maximum amount of possible scrolls/ spells (i consider both magic shops and wizards). the second number is the Out Of Stock range (17-20 on d20. note that this range uses the high numbers). this helps limit the stock choices more (will be explained shortly).
this numbers might be adjusted by a very good Gather Information check, access to special resources (for example a wizard guild's library), or anything else you can think of.

- as the player seeks out spells, you roll a d20 for each spell. ifthe die roll shows it's available- then it's found, and one slot in the Stock Size is filled. if the die roll falls in the Out of Stock range, then the spell hasn't been found, but one of the Stock Size slots is filled as well.
you start with 1st level spells, the second level, and so forth. you roll even for spell levels the players didn't seek! if a spell of a different level is rolled, it still fills a slot. you can consider it Out of Stock, or randomly desice the spell (maybe the player would liek to buy this "find"!)
you continue rolling until the stock is filled, with Available spells, and Out of Stock slots.

- note: all of the above assumes non specific source of scrolls/ spells. it doesn't take into account any specific and particular wizards in your game. those should be dealt with individuallly. oh, and in case that wasn't clear, the player pays to copy them as if s/he is buying scrolls.

- another importent note: i would advise you to adjuciate and roleplay some of the spell finding, especially for strange/ irregular occurances...

example:
- i play in Eberron, a setting where low level is quite common, but high level magic (spell casting wise) is vary rare. characters capable casting 4th and 5th level spells are very uncommon, and usually guard their spells. as such i decide on the following availabilities:
1st level: 1-8 in d20 (40%)
2nd level: 1-5 (25%)
3rd level:1-3 (15%)
4th level: only 1... (5%)
i won't roll or even consider 5th level spells.

- the players start in a small- mid size community. i decide it's Stock Size shall be 15, and it's Out of Stock range 17-20. as the party reaches 3rd level, the wizards tries to expand his/ her repertoire a bit. he gives me a list of 10 1st level spells, and 5 2nd level ones.

i roll d20 for all of the spells, the first roll for a 1st level spell, the second for a 2nd level spell, and even go on to see if any 3rd or 4th spells are available.
at the end of the first round the player finds 3 first level and 2 2nd level spells are found, as well as 4 Out of Stock rolls. with 5 stock slots still available, i resume the procedure, until at the end of it the player finds 6 of his 1st levls spells, 3 of the 2nd level ones, and there are 6 Out of Stock roles (representing 2/5 stock lacking in the game world)

- later on the party reaches a far poorer region, a peripheral community, with little to offer is resources. i decide that for this place the stock size shall be 6, with 11-20 chance of out of Stock. the party reaches 5th level, and now the wizard wishes once more an upgrade to the spells inventory. s/he gives me a list of 8 2nd level spells, and 6 3rd level ones.

i explain the rarity of spells in the are to my player, and s/he carefully decides on the order aof checking. once more i begin at 1st level, and find a spell! the player curses, but ask what it is. i randomly roll and find it's tenser's floating disk. the player waves it. i continue with the rolls, checking for the player's preference when the appropriate level arrives. in the end, there are 3 spells available: a 1st level one, a 3rd level one, and a fourth level one! intrigued, the player asks me to roll, and i roll a dimension door.
noticing the player interest, i play it: a local treasure hunter retrieved the scroll from the body of a wizard in the mournland. i let the players rolepaly it a bit, and alter the price accordingly.

the player copies higher level spells, disappointed at the slim picking, but thrilled at the unexpected find! (let me remind you 4th levels spells are rare).

- the party later on reaches a far more developed and rich city. the wizard takes on a side quest for the small mage guild, and gains access to their works and books for a short time. i increase the Stock Size for the player for this, and even decrease the Out of Stock a bit. the city allready having good stats, this means the player can finally indulge a bit...

- after some research, the player still doesn't find several spells, mainly the higher level ones. knowing the head of the guild, the wizard contact her. this is an NPC i half fleshed out, so i deal with this in roleplay, in game, and use the actual spellbook list instead of rolling dice. two of the spells the wizard doens't agree to even consider trading, while other she does. especially that 4th level spell... ("dimension door you called it? where did you found that one?")

end of example

ok, those are my two chips of bone. as always, i hope it helped. it realy isn't complicated, but give you a nice system to base yourself upon.

quiet1mi
2008-05-26, 01:14 PM
Now combining all of these excellent plot-threads into one coherent plot without confusing the hell out of my players is going to be interesting, haha.

One more question. How do you guys handle new spells for your Wizards. Do you just send them to the local magic shop, subject to availability, or what?

try the following
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0049.html

hehe...feather fall again...

Elixia
2008-05-28, 10:18 AM
best advise i can give ... wing it.
the best laid plans can undone with a couple of scroundrels (i should know ;)
We winged our last dnd session ending up being the best one so far! we had a giant throw our half-orc barbarian on our gnome bard ^^

Renegade Paladin
2008-05-28, 11:59 AM
Winging it doesn't mean you should have no idea about the inhabitants of the city. Not even the worst scoundrel can cause an NPC and his relationships with other NPCs to retroactively cease to exist. :smalltongue: Not managing what the players do doesn't mean you shouldn't have a coherent environment for them to interact with.