New DM in town, need mission ideas & tips!

[Gritius]

Hi im new in town and actually, i've been playin d&d for a while (also pathfinder) and i think im ready for some DM action, i've been writing a story this couple of days but the thing is: I DONT KNOW HOW TO START!! I need my "future party" to get to the final boss, but dont know how to get them there, i would appreciate some ideas, such as items, or quest ideas

[9mm]

Hi im new in town and actually, i've been playin d&d for a while (also pathfinder) and i think im ready for some DM action, i've been writing a story this couple of days but the thing is: I DONT KNOW HOW TO START!! I need my "future party" to get to the final boss, but dont know how to get them there, i would appreciate some ideas, such as items, or quest ideas

not knowing the setting...

Train Robbery has always been a favorite starting point for me.

[Thrudd]

What is your setting like? The more detail and life you can give to the setting, the more ideas will flow.

Getting the players to want to participate in your story and end up opposing the villain you have planned will depend on their characters' motives. Ask them to create characters with motives compatible with the game you want to run, and with eachother (so that they will be able to function as a party throughout the game without requiring you to railroad them).

[Maglubiyet]

You've been writing it for a couple days -- what do you have so far?

[Studoku]

Who's the "final boss"? What's his plan? What has he done so far? What problems has he already created that the players can try to solve?

[Gritius]

You've been writing it for a couple days -- what do you have so far?

I have written a detailed view of the city they'll be staying, i've presented, let's say, the "Final Boss" as a siloutte that they have to find out about it

That's the problem i need a fresh idea to get to that boss, i've been thinking about setting a puzzle that they've got to collect some parts of a key (each part will be guarded by a mini boss) and then get through the Final Boss battle, but the problem is that a puzzle is kind of boring, i've been playing with DM that makes this kind of puzzles a docen times. I want sth fresh.

[Gritius]

not knowing the setting...

Train Robbery has always been a favorite starting point for me.

I'm sorry but, what's Train Robbery? Is it like: Being a Train burglar? like steal evrythn from it?

[Gritmonger]

I have written a detailed view of the city they'll be staying, i've presented, let's say, the "Final Boss" as a siloutte that they have to find out about it

That's the problem i need a fresh idea to get to that boss, i've been thinking about setting a puzzle that they've got to collect some parts of a key (each part will be guarded by a mini boss) and then get through the Final Boss battle, but the problem is that a puzzle is kind of boring, i've been playing with DM that makes this kind of puzzles a docen times. I want sth fresh.

Well, if you don't think of it like mini-bosses to start with, and instead go the route some here have suggested - what is the "Final Boss?" Why would the players be interested in stopping or defeating or deflecting or neutering or somehow foiling it/her/him/them?

A lot of "BBEG" don't always start out with the B or the E, or the other B - just the G. Did this person intend to make the world a better place, amass power to protect themselves from ever being a victim again, decide that decisions were better made by them so they needed to take political or behind-the-throne political power?

If the BBEG is running a bunch of different things behind the scenes or overtly, you don't have to have a mini-boss or even think of them like that - think like the person - what would you logically do if you had a lot of power and meant to protect it? Would you try and make sure the populace was happy with you? This is a twist - if the players are trying to "take down" somebody who is beloved by the populace, they are no longer in a connect-the-dots scenario - instead they are in a hostile-territory covert operation scenario: if anybody knew what they intended, even the local shoeshine boy might try to stop it.

What would the "bad guy" - the "Final Boss" - do to protect themselves?

[Gritius]

Well, if you don't think of it like mini-bosses to start with, and instead go the route some here have suggested - what is the "Final Boss?" Why would the players be interested in stopping or defeating or deflecting or neutering or somehow foiling it/her/him/them?

A lot of "BBEG" don't always start out with the B or the E, or the other B - just the G. Did this person intend to make the world a better place, amass power to protect themselves from ever being a victim again, decide that decisions were better made by them so they needed to take political or behind-the-throne political power?

If the BBEG is running a bunch of different things behind the scenes or overtly, you don't have to have a mini-boss or even think of them like that - think like the person - what would you logically do if you had a lot of power and meant to protect it? Would you try and make sure the populace was happy with you? This is a twist - if the players are trying to "take down" somebody who is beloved by the populace, they are no longer in a connect-the-dots scenario - instead they are in a hostile-territory covert operation scenario: if anybody knew what they intended, even the local shoeshine boy might try to stop it.

What would the "bad guy" - the "Final Boss" - do to protect themselves?

the final boss isn't done yet, its a high lvl npc they'll try to kill because if they dont, they wont be able to escape to reality, its like a kill or die reality. Thats a great question, i would have all the population happy so they could be my indirect-guardians if needed

[Maglubiyet]

the final boss isn't done yet, its a high lvl npc they'll try to kill because if they dont, they wont be able to escape to reality, its like a kill or die reality.

Sounds intense. What level is this mission?

[Brendanicus]

Google the "five by five" method of adventure writing. That will give you a good framework to write with.

[veti]

Google the "five by five" method of adventure writing. That will give you a good framework to write with.

I just tried Googling that. Got nothing.

To the OP: I suggest planning your plot on the baseline assumption that the PCs will completely ignore it. Write a timeline for your own reference - on day X, this happens, N days later that follows - and PC actions may interfere with that, or not. The PCs should have plenty of opportunities to get involved, but you can't (in general) force them. Confronting the BBEG - or to look at it another way, choosing which of many BBEGs in the world to confront - should be their decision.

[Blackhawk748]

Well what is your BBEG's goal? Why does he have the PCs in this "other" reality?

[JNAProductions]

Gritius, it would be very helpful if you posted more details about you world. We can give a lot of general, anyone can use this advice, but if you'd like specific help, more details are needed.

I'd love to help out, but right now I just don't know enough to offer any decent advice.

[Gritius]

Gritius, it would be very helpful if you posted more details about you world. We can give a lot of general, anyone can use this advice, but if you'd like specific help, more details are needed.

I'd love to help out, but right now I just don't know enough to offer any decent advice.

Ok, im sorry, didnt realise i didnt write so much about the plot.

They start in reality, like people, then ill lead them to a virtual reality where they will play as their own PC of course, after a couple of things, like getting together as a party ill make appear a gargantuan shadow (like an hologram that cant harm nor be harmed) to tell them that they will never leave unless they defeat them. But before this final boss i want to make more plot, coz they'll need more level to kill it. I want it to be like the 12 zodiac houses of "Caballeros del zodiaco" (sorry, dont know how to translate it in english, my first language is spanish).

Thats pretty much everything i got

[JNAProductions]

Okay, problem number 1 I see: You start them in reality and expect them to all join virtual reality. Now, maybe they will. However, speaking as a player and as a DM? Someone won't. I have personally had players refuse to kill plesiosauruses actively attacking them, hide in burning buildings, engage in suicidal odds twice. In the same session. (He made a new character during dinner break, and killed him within the hour.) As a player? I'm the kind of guy who's going to ignore the main plot to create pyramid scheme based on Awaken and apples. (See my sig, both quotes are from that fun thought exercise.) I'd be more likely to try to abuse the VR from the real world than to enter it.

As for once they're in? Put some pressure on them. Because if told "Beat the unkillable monster or be stuck in a fantasy RPG forever", I kinda like fantasy RPGs. I might let the BBEG live forever, because hey, I've got dragonapples to water and trolls to slay. Do something like in Sword Art Online-their bodies are slowly wasting away while they're in VR, so they've got a ticking time limit to work under.

In addition, add a bit of flair. Giant Shadow of Doom is... Well, not the most exciting. It's a BBEG because it's a Big Bad Evil Monster. No real personality, just puppy-eating villainy. There's a reason people love Light Yagami-sure, he's evil and insane, but damn is he one slick operator. GSoD is about as slick, by default, as sledgehammer surgery.

Finally, didn't know English was a second language. You're not native level, but you are 100% understandable, so doing great there. Practice makes perfect.

[Surpriser]

that cant harm nor be harmed

That part about the shadow seems a bit railroady. The words "cannot be harmed" always alarm me for some reason :D

Why not make it immediately clear to the PCs that the reality they are in is not real (what kind of VR is it? Magical, technological? Dreamlike? Deciding this can give you a baseline for the structure behind the VR and its inhabitants), but then have them find out for themselves how to get back?
This is much more involved than having some ominous shadow simply appear and tell them.
In addition, you suddenly have the "filler" plot you were looking for: A series of clues and investigations (or fights) that will piece by piece show them what they have to do to go back.

You can also use this to give them a real in-character reason to confront your BBEG. If he is the mastermind behind the whole VR, then they will WANT to fight him in order to get back.

[9mm]

I'm sorry but, what's Train Robbery? Is it like: Being a Train burglar? like steal evrythn from it?

Be on a train, the train is being robbed...

what do you do?