[3.5] Giving Them A Reason

[Drakevarg]

Whilst trying to come up with how to open my campaign (the first plot hook is always the hardest, since there's nothing to kick off of), I abandoned my original idea of simply having the party be In Medias Res'd into an arbitrary mission, and decided to give the opening so more personal omph.

Naturally, I went for the old standby of the Doomed Hometown. I even went so far as to name the place Unmei.

Problem being, if I just fill it with nondescript NPCs, why should the players give a damn? So, I decided to open the game with a heavy roleplaying session as the PCs enjoy their going-away party, as they leave town to become mercenaries. During this party, they'll interact with alot of highly likeable townsfolk, just to milk enough sympathy points that it'll feel like I kneed the players in the gut when they all get horribly slaughtered and zombified.

Here are the NPCs I've thought up so far:

Kindly Old Man- That wise old man that everyone loves and hands out treats to the local kids.
Nice Old Lady- The old lady that would cover the kids' tracks when they were in trouble, and would always lend a sympathetic ear to their troubles.
Cute Little Boy- Like, Tastes Like Diabetes-cute. Wants to grow up to be big and strong just like the party fighter.
Boy's Mother- Nostalgic type. Lots of references of how X reminds her of her late husband.
Fighter's Father- Crumudgeonly old war veteran. Very proud of his son.
Fighter's Mother- Obsessively nuturing type. Secretly gets a kick out of embarassing her son.
Ranger's Father- Boisterous, friendly type. The kind of guy you'd still go drinking with even though he's a full generation older than you.
Ranger's Mother- Over-the-top virtuous and saintlike.
Mentor- Trained the PCs. Gives off an aura of the unstoppable badass, ala Col. Kilgore. Should add extra oh-**** factor when he's found even deader than the rest of 'em.
Comedy Relief Guy- Close friend of the PCs. Non Action Guy, so he's staying behind when they go adventuring. Cracks jokes incesantly.
Rival- Trained by his father out of hypercompetitiveness against the Mentor and the Fighter. Bitterly acknowledges his inferiority in secret, but in public is an arrogant braggart.
Rival's Father- Football coach type. Angry, abusive, hypercompetitive. Former friend of the Mentor, lots of bad blood between the two now.

Given that this is a small village of only about twenty people (not including the PCs), what other excessively sympathetic characters could I add to traumatize the PCs as much as humanly possible?

[alisbin]

The Favored Animal: your pick of friendly farm/woodland animal that the hamlet as a whole has taken under their care or otherwise loves. example: a wolf pup that was found and raised as a dog and looks as itself as a person, protecting the kids and helping the hunters. or for simplicity just a nice dog. for extra sympathy factor have it die horribly, protecting someone that the PCs particularly liked in your prologue adventure. it shouldn't be a powerful animal, you just want it to add "kick the dog" to the villain's repertoire of evil.

also, depending on the RP aspects of your players.
The (Former?) Sweetheart: what better then a mild romantic interest to spur a need for revenge!
Childhood Best Friend: even if your PCs are great friends they probably had at least one other good friend growing up, one who wasn't as adventurous and preferred to stick with farming or whatever. bonus points if they are completely harmless and get killed in bed or the like.

[Cicciograna]

The Promised Love - handsome/sweet example of adeguate gender: when you'll come home we'll marry!
The Rival - he's the one that always tried to match [insert PC] skills, bitterly and silently recognizing his own inferiority. Could have an hand in the Dooming of the Hometown; or maybe not.
The Saint - blesses the party with the power of his/her deity; generally loved and respected in the community (also by PCs).
The Brother-in-Arms: similar to the Cute Little Boy in that he desires to become like the PC, but same age as him. He openly admires and praises the PC, and probabily trained with the same Mentor (or in the same academy/college/school).
The Comic-relief: he used to be funny, tell jokes, he's friend with everybody and generally is quite a nice person. PCs find him almost dead and he tells a last joke before dying.

[hewhosaysfish]

Coupla thoughts...

The Promised Love - handsome/sweet example of adeguate gender: when you'll come home we'll marry!

Don't go overboard! Your players have (presumably) seen movies. The "Promised Love" and the "Cute Little Boy" are each suspect enough on their own but put them together and you might as well write "THESE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE AND MAKE YOU SAD!!!" on your GM screen in fluorescent paint.
This will make it hard for your players to get attached to them.

The Rival - he's the one that always tried to match [insert PC] skills, bitterly and silently recognizing his own inferiority. Could have an hand in the Dooming of the Hometown; or maybe not.

This makes me think: Someone who acts like a berk towards the PCs would counteract the "these people exist specifically for you to get attached to them" vibe. And if he is set up specifically as a rival to the PCs, similar goals, similar skills, chip on his shoulder, then it would be easy enough to make him out to be a recurring character... but he dies before he gets the chance to reccur!

[Drakevarg]

And if he is set up specifically as a rival to the PCs, similar goals, similar skills, chip on his shoulder, then it would be easy enough to make him out to be a recurring character... but he dies before he gets the chance to reccur!

Or maybe he's a sleeper agent for the Big Bad.

The Comic-relief: he used to be funny, tell jokes, he's friend with everybody and generally is quite a nice person. PCs find him almost dead and he tells a last joke before dying.

Definitely liking this idea. Maybe have him torn it two, intestines hanging out... "Hey, *cough* [Fighter], look! I'm a pinata! *bloodcough*"/dead

The Favored Animal: your pick of friendly farm/woodland animal that the hamlet as a whole has taken under their care or otherwise loves. example: a wolf pup that was found and raised as a dog and looks as itself as a person, protecting the kids and helping the hunters. or for simplicity just a nice dog. for extra sympathy factor have it die horribly, protecting someone that the PCs particularly liked in your prologue adventure. it shouldn't be a powerful animal, you just want it to add "kick the dog" to the villain's repertoire of evil.

What would be more traumatic, finding the dog and cute little boy dead, the dog having died trying to protect the kid in vain, or both the dog and the kid zombified?

Childhood Best Friend: even if your PCs are great friends they probably had at least one other good friend growing up, one who wasn't as adventurous and preferred to stick with farming or whatever. bonus points if they are completely harmless and get killed in bed or the like.

Or, despite their lack of training, died trying to protect their home.

[Marriclay]

ooh, the promised love, there's so many things you can do with that!

1. they find her dead. Heart-tug!

2. She was the one who did it! She led the BBEG here!

3. She's the one who found you and told you about what happened to the town!

4. They find her in a burned building, alive but wounded.
4a. She hates them for not being there when it all went down
4b. She's just thankful that they're there now

5. somehow the BBEG found out you have a relationship! Hostage!

[Greenish]

What would be more traumatic, finding the dog and cute little boy dead, the dog having died trying to protect the kid in vain, or both the dog and the kid zombified?

Finding the kid killed by the zombified dog.

[Marriclay]

Finding the kid killed by the zombified dog.

Well done Greenish, you have risen to a new level of horrible

[Johel]

Don't go overboard! Your players have (presumably) seen movies. The "Promised Love" and the "Cute Little Boy" are each suspect enough on their own but put them together and you might as well write "THESE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE AND MAKE YOU SAD!!!" on your GM screen in fluorescent paint.
This will make it hard for your players to get attached to them.

Or, in a nice twist, the Promised Love discovers that Cute Little Boy is not so little but is still cute.

After the rescue, the lady is kinda distant while the boy looks suspiciously guilty. The truth isn't revealed until the first firecamp, where you can be sure our heroic adventurer will want to "release tension" with his beautiful girlfriend...who'll not even sit at his side. Instead, she offers to cook. Similary, the boy isn't that enthusiastic about being surrounded by his models. The pair have a few gestures or words, maybe a faint smile or a few nervous laughs. They end up sitting next to each other near the firecamp. Arrange for the heroic (ex)boyfriend to be the lookout with another adventurer, preferably LG. They will ear a few noises and whispers coming from the tent of the former damsel in distress.

As they were locked up in a cell for two weeks, facing death and torture each day before the heroes finally show up, Cute Boy and Promised Love kinda "bonded". Finally relieved by the Promised Love's (former) future mate, they decided that the life in the countryside is really too dangerous. They will move together to the next town and marry there, since Promised Love isn't exactly pure anymore. But don't worry : the hero still get his kiss from the girl (on the cheek, mind you) and a proud smile from the boy.

[Drakevarg]

Or, in a nice twist, the Promised Love discovers that Cute Little Boy is not so little but is still cute.

Pedophilia yay! But seriously, that's just creepy.

Arrange for the heroic (ex)boyfriend to be the lookout with another adventurer, preferably LG.

Ahahaha... Lawful. Yeah, right. I think in my entire DMing career, I've had ONE Lawful PC.

Anywho, as delightfully sick as that is, I don't think I'll be doing that. Total genocide is a must in this scenario.

[Cavelcade]

Finding the kid killed by the zombified dog.

Finding the dog killed by the zombified boy, the corpse of his mother ripped open beside him. Who they then have to kill as he attacks them.

[Drakevarg]

Finding the dog killed by the zombified boy, the corpse of his mother ripped open beside him. Who they then have to kill as he attacks them.

We have a winner.

[goken04]

This makes me think: Someone who acts like a berk towards the PCs would counteract the "these people exist specifically for you to get attached to them" vibe. And if he is set up specifically as a rival to the PCs, similar goals, similar skills, chip on his shoulder, then it would be easy enough to make him out to be a recurring character... but he dies before he gets the chance to reccur!

This! I agree that the PCs could use an NPC or two to throw them off the trail and make the world seem more alive. The deeper the world, the more involved the PCs will be, the more they will care when everyone gets turned into zombies.

[Drakevarg]

Updated list. Got 12 out of an intended 20-ish. Then again, it IS a small town... would this be sufficient then? (Still need to come up with Comedy Guy's parents, though.)

[PId6]

Kindly Blacksmith who appears gruff but gives Fighter a weapon as a birthday/parting gift.
Village Mayor who is really good friends with PCs' parents and tells them they're welcome back any time.
Talkative Neighbor who gossips a lot and loves to bake the PCs desserts.

[hamishspence]

Finding the dog killed by the zombified boy, the corpse of his mother ripped open beside him. Who they then have to kill as he attacks them.

We have a winner.

Finding the live unzombiefied boy- who, under the influence of mind control, has nearly killed himself, in a fashion a bit like Village of the Damned.

Only much much worse.

Something like:

"He's skeletal from the knees down- holding a knife and fork, and there is blood all over his mouth"