Silly plot ideas (3.5).

[Tempest Fennac]

I'm DMing a solo game for a friend who's playing as a Lupin ranged-combat focused level 4 Ranger (they have a wolf companion who's a level 4 Fighter; I initially gave him a Druid companion, but I let the player change the wolf to a Fighter due to the player's awful luck with rolls combined with their lack of melee skill). The problem is that I'm really running low on ideas for the game. I asked the player what they wanted plot-wise and they mentioned a preference for silly plots. Does anyone have any ideas for non-serious plots? (Preferably ones which don't involve the player being captured; that's already happened 3 times so far and I really hate taking characters prisoner due to suffering from a psychosomatic version of http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-...ts.pl?Wild,all in real life which extends to D&D characters.)

[Quietus]

Wolfy wants a mate. He has to find a suitable she-wolf, convince her he's not a freak (a wolf with PC classes!?!), and then convince her to accept him as a mate.

Side thing if the wolf is successful in his task : It turns out the she-wolf was raised by a beautiful <insert race here> woman. Who is very impressed with the young man caring for her friend's new mate.

Follow that with something else silly related to this woman.

[MCerberus]

Sadly I have a "Crank plot" page for my post-apocalyptic campaign.


Townspeople need help harvesting the honey from giant bees. It turns out they're all werebears.

Something is creating a spillover from <Generic Valhalla>. Two armies fight to the death over a piece of cloth on a stick. This repeats every hour or so. Yes I did rip this from Red vs Blue.

A reformed cannibal is rambling about there being something familiar about the taste of trail rations. He's right.

"Prophecy Inducing" roots actually transport the taker to a demiplane. Be sure to stat out walking hammers with lips.

[Tempest Fennac]

Quietus: To be honest, I'd sooner avoid having anything relationship-based in the game (I'm not comfortable with RPing romance at all, and it would just come across as awkward and unconvincing). Thanks for the idea anyway, though.

MCerberus: Those could work thanks. I don't get the hammer reference, though.


EDIT: Another thing about my games; I have 10 as the base Int and Cha for animals due to hating the specisist rules WotC have for them, so the wolf having PC levels wouldn't be that much of a problem anyway.

[Quietus]

Quietus: To be honest, I'd sooner avoid having anything relationship-based in the game (I'm not comfortable with RPing romance at all, and it would just come across as awkward and unconvincing). Thanks for the idea anyway, though.

MCerberus: Those could work thanks. I don't get the hammer reference, though.


EDIT: Another thing about my games; I have 10 as the base Int and Cha for animals due to hating the specisist rules WotC have for them, so the wolf having PC levels wouldn't be that much of a problem anyway.

So your typical wolf, snake, and horse are all on the same intellectual level as your average human? Damn, them's some smart animals.

Understandable on the relationship dealy though. In that case, I second the honey-sucking werebears.

[Tempest Fennac]

(I tend to see animals as intelligent as humans in different ways in real life. And I'm a misanthropic furry anyway. )

I'm definitly considering the honey plot. (I remembered something else that another DM mentioned about having to avoid bears of coated in honey.)

[pingcode20]

The players walk into a city to find two gnome tinkers arguing in front of a pair of taverns across the street from each other.

The argument becomes increasingly heated, until finally they storm off into their respective taverns shaking their fists at each other. A few seconds later, the occupants of the taverns stream out hurriedly, and pedestrians quickly vacate the street.

Five minutes later, the taverns stand on mechanical legs and TAVERN BRAWL ENSUES!

Where the players come into the picture: The City Guard is sick of this, and hires the PCs to put a stop to the madness.

[Quietus]

(I tend to see animals as intelligent as humans in different ways in real life. And I'm a misanthropic furry anyway. )

Well, I kinda figured the furry aspect. Misanthrope, I hadn't guessed. I suspect a discussion of how and why you think animals are as intelligent as humans, even in some ways, would be interesting - but decidedly beyond the bounds of this thread.

[Irreverent Fool]

The honey sucking werebears could lead to a plot with undead bees.

Yes, zomb-bees.

obnoxious
sig

[Fitz10019]

I'm definitly considering the honey plot. (I remembered something else that another DM mentioned about having to avoid bears of coated in honey.)

Use the diverse personalities from Milne for the villager DMCs. Don't forget the occasional, "oh, bother." Instead of all being werebears, they could be were-[animals] of the types from Milne.

[Shademan]

have a entire city infested with dire rabbits. this million-beasts string swarm eat everyone in their path! and they increase in numbers by the minute!

[Poil]

An evil sorceress is trying to abolish literacy in a kingdom through liberal use of explosive runes which she casts randomly on all things containing words. The people are too afraid to read anything and soon their society will collapse from it. As the party progresses in tracking down the sorceress to her lair, which is an old abandoned school, they learn she used to be a teacher but years of hard work for no reward with angry parents, oppressive headmasters and bratty children who refuse to learn made her snap one day and turn to evil. "If they won't learn to read I'll help them with it. Yes! No one should read anything anymore! Just wait until those curling parents reads THIS note their demonspawns will bring home! MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"

Feel sorry for any wizards in your party. She has a great move silently skill.

[Tempest Fennac]

What is Milne? I've never heard of it. The Undead Bee idea is excellent because the player took Favoured Enemy (Undead) at level 1. The Dire Rabbit plot would be good for later on (level 4 seems a bit low to be tacking hoards of bunnies). I'll consider the tavern one as well.

(Most other people are surprised about me being misanthropic as well. I think it's because I like helping people for some reason.)


Poil, I said it's a solo game with a Lupin Ranger and a Wolf Fighter. That idea could still work if the character ended up in another dimention (my current game world is a high magic world so that plot wouldn't work as well in it).

[#Raptor]

The players walk into a city to find two gnome tinkers arguing in front of a pair of taverns across the street from each other.

The argument becomes increasingly heated, until finally they storm off into their respective taverns shaking their fists at each other. A few seconds later, the occupants of the taverns stream out hurriedly, and pedestrians quickly vacate the street.

Five minutes later, the taverns stand on mechanical legs and TAVERN BRAWL ENSUES!

Where the players come into the picture: The City Guard is sick of this, and hires the PCs to put a stop to the madness.

I love it.
Mecha = Gnome!

Slightly inspired by Girl Genius, I'd guess... ^^

[mistformsquirrl]

Glam Rock Goblin bard troupe >.>b

Namely, a group of extradimensional goblin bards have become stranded on the prime material, and worse - they lost their luggage gating in! >.>

You must complete 3 great tasks to help them!

First you must recover... The Pants of Power! Presently held by an ogre chieftain who uses them as a scarf, since they're far far too tight for him anyway. Actually they're too tight for almost anyone. That, and the Pants of Power have a charisma requirement to wear them. Yes, they're sentient pants.

Second... The Wig of Glamor - Long (and unimaginably BIG) platinum blonde hair, belonging to the band's drummer. You must negotiate with, swindle, or outright smash the natives to retrieve the Wig, before they use it for a truly unspeakable ritual >.>

What's the ritual? IT'S UNSPEAKABLE, Yeesh, didn't ya hear me the first time!?

Thirdly... ...

Fourth... Profit! - Do security at the concert. Keep ten-thousand screaming goblins from overrunning the stage <@_@> and you!




(For the record, this is actually a spinoff of something I did in one of my campaigns years ago. No it was not a particularly serious campaign, although the goblins at the time were mercenary bards who sang AC/DC songs - particularly "Dirty Deeds". ... I said it wasn't serious... >.<)

[Roc Ness]

Make the guy climb to the top of a mountain to see a wise prophet who knows all. At the top theres a note tacked to a (locked and bolted) door of a wooden cottage: Entrance at back. The back is unreachable without climbing back down and starting again on the other side. When he finally makes it up the other side, he finds another note on another door. Guess what this one reads.

Seriously, guess.


Decided yet?


The note says: Gone Fishin'

[Tempest Fennac]

That would be amusing, but I don't want things to be deliberately anti-climatic (my lack of DMing skill should be enough to make sure things don't turn out as brilliantly as I want them to without plots being geared towards let-downs).

[TSED]

Sir, the Greatest Random Encounter Chart Ever has just what you need! [see attached signature]


Seriously. Roll a few things up, and then find a way to connect them together.


Silly plot?

Done.

[Xenre]

The Ferret People of the Kingdom of Glargetmald seek to expand their empire by stealing the surround Kingdoms' supplies of cheese.

They then demand that all of said Kingdoms bow to their Ferrety will or they will be forever cheeseless.

Ferrety Wrath!!




Hey. You said silly.

[Fitz10019]

What is Milne?

A.A. Milne, author of Whinne the ...

Wait for it...

Pooh.

You wanted silly, yet playable, and those characters have very distinct personalities. Even the plots could be distorted into D&D themes.

[Tempest Fennac]

Thanks for clarifying, Fitz. I'll definitly consider that one. Xenre, do you have any stats for anthro-ferrets? I've never considered using those (which is ironic considering the number of half-animal races I use). I'll check that chart as well, TSED. (Thanks for all the suggestions so far. )

[Xenre]

The Ferret-People of Glargetmald:

Quick-up (feel free to expand on this if you like)

Hit Dice: 3d8+6 (18 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 40 ft
Armor Class: 16 (Studded Leather +3, Dex +2, Natural Armor +1)
Base Attack: +2
Attack: Shortspear Melee +3 (1d6+2 /x2)
Full Attack: As above.
Space/Reach: 5ft
Special Attacks: Ravage (The Ferret People can leap upon an opponent, forsaking Dexterity bonus to armor class, but gaining a +2 to attack rolls and attack viciously. They go for the throat of the victim and on a roll of a natural 20, the character must make a Fort Save at +2 or be rendered unconscious. For every round the character is unconscious an additional Fort save must be made, each at a cumulative -2 to regain consciousness, it the Fort save fails the character loses 3 hp. Once the character reaches -10 hp, they are dead).
Special Qualities: Never provokes an Attack of Opportunity.
Saves: Fort: +3, Ref: +5, Will: +2
Abilities: Str: 14, Dex: 15, Con: 14, Int: 9, Wis: 12, Cha:10
Feats: Weapon Focus, Improved Initiative
Environment: Any.
Organization: Solitary or gang (2-8)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: Standard (1/2 coin, no goods, standard items (beneficial items will be in use)
Alignment: Always chaotic.
Advancement: none
Level Adjustment -

Anyone feel free to use this creature if you like. They appear as a standard sable ferret, the albino ferrets are rulers and high ranking officials in their culture (to see a picture of a ferret-like humanoid, simply Google Images "Selonian".)

[Eurantien]

Gelatinous cube eats village! I did this for lvl2 in a campaign and it went down a treat. (If you've seen Wayne's World you might even get the reference)

[Tempest Fennac]

Thanks, Xenre (I meant straight racial stats, though; I prefer to nerf races down to LA 0 before giving them proper class levels rather then HDs). I never saw that movie, Eurantien. That idea could work for making the player think a bit.

[oxinabox]

hmm. i never have this problem

Spoiler

Show

I leave two of my players alone (as in without guiding plot) i na tavern for 10 minutes and next thing i know they've cracked open a portal to sigal (without even knowing what sigal is), swapped through a dozen different Identities. sold one of them to efreeti, who turns out was after BDSM whipped him and cast eyebyte to put him in throws of pleasure, escaped at a profit. bought a house and convinced a high leval wizard that they've poison him and he has to make them a portal.

Anyway. how about a prattchet plot.
May i suggest the last hero?
Basically:
The first hero stole fire from the gods.
Now a Hero planes to return it, with intrest.
Ie Blow up celestia.
You have to stop him

[wizuriel]

you work for a crazy archdruid, your goal is to find monsters, subdue them and place random treasure on them.

[Tempest Fennac]

That one's interresting but it wouldn't make any sense due to what's happened so far, wizuriel.

[Deth Muncher]

When you say Lupin, do you mean the infamous thief Lupin the 3rd? Or did you mean lupine, meaning wolfish? (I only ask because he's got the wolf companion.)

If it's the former, I'd say do some heists. Like, say the PC has to steal something for someone. Like, say there's some huge jewel that was stolen from this mighty wizard. The place it's being held has anti-teleport traps, so he can't just get in there, and he's much to squishy to take on the guards.

This is where the PC comes in. He's got to get in, get the jewel and get out, with as little notice as possible. Also, you should give him another male Ranger, a female Rogue with max ranks in Bluff and Diplomacy, and a male Samurai (Oriental Adventures, not CWar) as companions. :D

This is of course assuming you're going off of Lupin the 3rd. But it could work, regardless of person style.

[HamsterOfTheGod]

Parodies are a good source of silly plots. How about this, since you already have talking animals.

Your ranger and wolf companion is attacked by a flying wizard who exclaims "I'll get you and your little dog too." The ranger is joing by dwarf cleric in plate mail, a sorcerer and a cat, lion or tabaxi with rogue levels as they after the wizard in his tower. The wizard harasses them along the way with flying monkeys, plant creatures, etc.

[Xenre]

Thanks, Xenre (I meant straight racial stats, though; I prefer to nerf races down to LA 0 before giving them proper class levels rather then HDs). I never saw that movie, Eurantien. That idea could work for making the player think a bit.

As a matter of fact I do!

Most Ferret-People leaders are Rangers or Rogues. Ferret-People clerics will usually worship trickery or nature dieties.
Ferret-People characters have the following racial traits:
+2 Dex, +2 Con, -2 Int, -2 Wis
Medium size.
Ferret Peoples' land speed is 40 feet (they can run on all fours)
Darkvision out to 60 feet
+2 on Hide and Move Silently Checks.
+1 Natural Armor
Automatic Languages: Common, Ferret
Favored Class: Ranger, Druid, Rogue
Level Adjustment: 0 to +1 (This is depending upon the nature of the campaign.)