Adventure Building

[industrygothica]

I just wanted to tell everyone thanks. I can't believe this idea has taken off so well.


So, there's this caravan....

[ravells]

...in band camp

[industrygothica]

...in band camp

And in a brilliant display of athleticism, Seriousness takes a death-defying leap out the window!


Meanwhile...
Option 1: PCs are escorting the caravan, guarding cargo and/or passengers, and are caught in an ambush.
Option 2: PCs receive word that the caravan never made its destination and are hired to investigate.
Option 3, anyone?

[Sam Conifer]

Option 1: PCs are escorting the caravan, guarding cargo and/or passengers, and are caught in an ambush.
Option 2: PCs receive word that the caravan never made its destination and are hired to investigate.
Option 3, anyone?

It needs a mothership of some kind. Like one with an imprisoned ant queen that can't escape the ship because she already died once and now has no body except for the ship. She could be angry and vengeful or something. Or maybe glib. I like that word She could just be having a grand old time with no concern for the welfare of stand up PC's or their caravans.

[jtougas]

Option 3: One of the PCs receives word that a relative was killed in the caravan. The caravan was carrying(insert valuable items here) and the caravan owner would pay handsomely for their return. (this would be the motivation for the rest of the party) The hook is that the relative was NOT killed (merely captured) and somehow the caravan owner was involved...

[Jaxilon]

Or the PC's could be required to swipe something that was stolen and hidden amount the valuables of the Caravan. The reason it needs to be stolen back is because it would cause panic or an uprising if it were lost. Say the scepter belonging to the King and whoever has it can lead the people or something. Thus, they would be hired and would have to somehow sneak into the most guarded areas of the Caravan in order to get it. Then, perhaps that is when the ambush occurs forcing the PC's to decide if they will help the guards or not. In the end, have the item carried off by the raiders and taken into a large underground location where the raiders live. If they were orcs or something that might be a city of sorts. At any rate, the pc's would then have to make their way into the city and get the scepter back...maybe by then the King of the Orcs would be using the scepter himself and bending the clans to his will. Huh, maybe the Scepter adds a big Charisma bonus or something.

Anyway, you can keep adding on to this if we want to.

[industrygothica]

The scenarios have been truncated a bit, but I think they are still true to the concept. Any more?

• Option 1: PCs are escorting the caravan, guarding cargo and/or passengers, and are caught in an ambush.
• Option 2: PCs receive word that the caravan never made its destination and are hired to investigate.
• Option 3: Reports say that an important item was stolen from the caravan during an ambush in which someone known by one or more of the PCs was killed. A false report may be a cover-up in an attempt to steal the item.
• Option 4: An important (magic) item was stolen and stashed among the goods in the caravan. The PCs are hired to intercept the caravan and discreetly get it back before it falls into the wrong hands.

[JoeyD473]

I can write, help with plot and plot hooks. I can also help with the designing

As for ideas to add to the plot list, how about:
Option 5: Caravan made it to its destination, but when they got there the cargo was gone and the caravan crew had no ideas of what happened to it, like they blacked out (memory wipe, Doppelgangers (not necessarily meaning the actual creatures) etc. etc.) and the party has to find out what happened

[rdanhenry]

The caravan is carrying a coded message of great importance. This is hidden in several maps that are part of a cartographical shipment. PCs can be agents sent to steal the maps (or at least get hold of them long enough to uncover the message), or trying to get them back for the government they're intended for after the caravan is waylaid (the bandits probably have no idea of the significance of the maps), or a third party drawn by the cover story used by the government agents that they're off to recover a magic item (which may or may not exist) carried in the caravan.

[RecklessEnthusiasm]

This is hidden in several maps that are part of a cartographical shipment. PCs can be agents sent to steal the maps (or at least get hold of them long enough to uncover the message), or trying to get them back for the government they're intended for after the caravan is waylaid.

I also like the idea of maps being a important theme: seems they should be if "presented by the Cartographer's Guild." Heck, that could be the name of the secret society.

... several maps printed on thin paper that, when physically overlaid (aligning the mysterious 'Cartographer's Guild' symbol) with light behind them form a message, or a 'true' map to the goal....? That would we a cool thing to physically figure out and do as a player... then again, I love player handouts and manipulatable objects in my RPGing.

They could have to uncover clues to who has gotten a hold of each--collecting each being the step-by-step sub-quests and skill encounters.

I'd love to write and meet a character known as 'The Mad Cartographer."