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View Full Version : Need help encouraging RP/Barrik's keep (quest for the silver sword)



chevalier
2008-07-23, 12:13 PM
So I found a 3.5 conversion for an old module I enjoy, Quest for the Silver Sword.

In this adventure, the party is exploring (warning: trope ahead!) a mad wizard's abandoned keep, trying to find the cause of the mysterious ever-winter that has fallen on a local town

(for anyone who might randomly use this module: spoilers)

In a room in the keep, there is a skull. In the skull there is a candle. It is the skull of the mad wizard Barrik (LG WIZ 15+). If someone lights the candle, all light sources in the room, including magical, are extinguished; an image of Barrik appears, moaning about a great evil; he then points at one of the arcane magic users in the party, implying that he is evil, knocks him out with a magic ray o' fun. When the magic user comes to, he finds that his INT is increased by 1 point and he gets an XP bonus, as he as acquired

The members of the party lit the candle. Barrik appeared, and worked his mojo on an elven wizard. He woke up complaining that there was wierd voices and new knowledge in his head...and then no one said anything about it ever again.

I was surprised; this is a suspicious, paranoid party. They once spent half an hour (real time) ripping apart an empty bedroom that was filler looking for traps. And now their main caster is attacked and called evil and they do nothing? Not even from the magophobe barbarian?

I'd like to make this an opportunity for some roleplaying, but the party isn't taking the bait...even though I keep referencing the event. So maybe I need negative ramifications, to both the elven caster and the rest of the party. I'm thinking:

+ Barrik's infusion of knowledge causes the wizard caster to no longer understand some of his previously-learned spells.
+ The town people hear about the incident, and decide that the elf wizard is evil, and imprison him, while simultaneously feteing the others.
+ Mysterious strangers start mistaking the elf wizard for someone else.

Any other suggestions on how I can use this as a hook for some non-hack-and-slash fluffy RP?

Thanks,

C

archmage45
2008-07-23, 12:32 PM
Oh man, I love that adventure!! I can't believe your group didn't run with that...

I would suggest giving the wizard some knowledge that only Barrik and someone of sinister purpose knows. Give the wizard this info as if it's just a random piece of info, watch the wizard use it around Mr. Sinister. Or it could just be embarrassing, rather then sinister!

Or there's the fun multiple personality thing you could run with.

You should talk to the victim about it and see if he has any ideas.

Now I need to dig that out and convert it to 4e.