[3.5] Help me define my tropes

[Irreverent Fool]

I need some help defining tropes and making sure certain revelations occur in the game I currently DM. Redefining the plot is possible, (I don't like railroading my players too much). Lately, I feel as if the game is proceeding a little aimlessly and I feel that definitions will help me get things back on track.

Warning: My players should probably keep out. Alfonse, Xantia, Mughlok, Daneel, whatever Josh is rolling up...

Background, Reader's Digest version:

Spoiler

Show

The god of evil rules the heavens, Zeus-style. He created humanity, so humans revere him. They generally believe they are doing good (god's work), though long-term outcomes tend toward evil.

A Duergar wizard is impersonating the Dwarven king and has built the Soulforge -- a device for binding souls into a magical container. He plans to use this container trap the god of evil and free the world from its suffering. He takes the souls unwillingly, but they are not destroyed. Once the object is complete, the trapped souls understand the purpose and willingly remain to contain the god of evil.

The soulforge has a side-effect: The soulless bodies reanimate as creatures with all the abilities they had in life. Soulless deal wisdom damage. Those reduced to 0 wisdom become soulless as well. Soulless are nigh-unkillable (regenration) and become stronger each time they heal from 0 hp. The Duergar wizard tends to capture them and contain them.

To complete the object, he will require the PCs' help to gather certain artifacts. This hasn't happened yet, as the last time they encountered him (as the Dwarven king), they refused to act on the plothammer.

Their current plan is to journey to the other side of the world to recruit the armies of the Empire of Krueger (a human nation devoted to their god, templars and such), find the re-constructed soulforge (they disabled it once, but the Dwarven king had it moved), and eliminate the forge and the soulless threat once and for all. They're about halfway there.

There are other sub-plots, of course, but these are the rails.

Revelations to be made:

1. The god of evil, his influence and followers are all bad for the world
2. The King of the dwarves is the Duergar wizard they encountered in the first soulforge (as a simulacrum)
3. The souls are not being harmed or destroyed (Already partially did this by allowing a wish scroll to return the cohort's soul and allow him to be raised. He had some vague memories of being in a purgatory-like place and a feeling that he was waiting to do something important.)

Any suggestions will be rewarded with savage mockery delicious cookies gratuitous thanks.

obnoxious
sig

[Greenish]

I need some help defining tropes and making sure certain revelations occur in the game I currently DM.

Okay, lets look at them then.

Redefining the plot is possible, (I don't like railroading my players too much). Lately, I feel as if the game is proceeding a little aimlessly and I feel that definitions will help me get things back on track.

Warning: My players should probably keep out. Alfonse, Xantia, Mughlok, Daneel, whatever Josh is rolling up...

Background, Reader's Digest version:

Spoiler

Show

The god of evil rules the heavens, Zeus-style. He created humanity, so humans revere him. They generally believe they are doing good (god's work), though long-term outcomes tend toward evil.

A Duergar wizard is impersonating the Dwarven king and has built the Soulforge -- a device for binding souls into a magical container. He plans to use this container trap the god of evil and free the world from its suffering. He takes the souls unwillingly, but they are not destroyed. Once the object is complete, the trapped souls understand the purpose and willingly remain to contain the god of evil.

The soulforge has a side-effect: The soulless bodies reanimate as creatures with all the abilities they had in life. Soulless deal wisdom damage. Those reduced to 0 wisdom become soulless as well. Soulless are nigh-unkillable (regenration) and become stronger each time they heal from 0 hp. The Duergar wizard tends to capture them and contain them.

To complete the object, he will require the PCs' help to gather certain artifacts. This hasn't happened yet, as the last time they encountered him (as the Dwarven king), they refused to act on the plothammer.

Their current plan is to journey to the other side of the world to recruit the armies of the Empire of Krueger (a human nation devoted to their god, templars and such), find the re-constructed soulforge (they disabled it once, but the Dwarven king had it moved), and eliminate the forge and the soulless threat once and for all. They're about halfway there.

There are other sub-plots, of course, but these are the rails.

Revelations to be made:

1. The god of evil, his influence and followers are all bad for the world
2. The King of the dwarves is the Duergar wizard they encountered in the first soulforge (as a simulacrum)
3. The souls are not being harmed or destroyed (Already partially did this by allowing a wish scroll to return the cohort's soul and allow him to be raised. He had some vague memories of being in a purgatory-like place and a feeling that he was waiting to do something important.)

Any suggestions will be rewarded with savage mockery delicious cookies gratuitous thanks.

obnoxious
sig

I could probably do more were I not so tired, but that should be enough tropes to get you started.

[Math_Mage]

Well, the Krueger Empire follows an evil god, no? Even if they believe they're doing good, there's gotta be some consequences the players can pick up on. Leftover relics from one of the lost Good gods could also help clue the players in. Just don't have a lot of clerics commanding undead instead of destroying them--that would be too obvious a giveaway.

[Irreverent Fool]

@Greenish
Ha! I was very much hoping that someone with a more extensive knowledge would get all linky with tv-tropes there. So thank you. I've lost hours of my life to that site, so just hovering over some of those gives me a good laugh at my campaign. It's really very helpful.

As for the names, it's somewhat justified. Alfonze is a halfling bard, raised in a human city. Xantia is a drow, the last member of a fallen House, fled to the surface. Mughlok is a High Orc (reflavored Goliath) from the desolate northlands. Daneel... well, okay. That player just makes up weird names. He's a draconic human. And Josh is the actual name of a player (not the character), who is still deciding on what to play since his last character died.

Well, the Krueger Empire follows an evil god, no? Even if they believe they're doing good, there's gotta be some consequences the players can pick up on. Leftover relics from one of the lost Good gods could also help clue the players in. Just don't have a lot of clerics commanding undead instead of destroying them--that would be too obvious a giveaway.

Actually, the human followers of Alberroth (the god of evil) can be of any alignment and tend toward 'good' (and humans have the [Evil] subtype as a result of being spawned from him, making it impossible to detect their true moral alignment). They don't always contemplate the long-term consequences of their otherwise apparently noble actions, or are sometimes so misguided that they commit atrocities in the name of 'good'. Of course, they're unshakable in their faith that they're doing the right thing. Unfortunately, that's about as far as I've defined it. I need to come up with some of those 'consequences' before they get there.

I like the leftover relics idea, though I'm not sure how to incorporate it. Perhaps something locked away and surrounded by legends of horrible corrupting power that instead turns out to be something that heals people or makes the land lush and fertile. I'll need a reason for the PCs to come across it though.

obnoxious
sig