[MH] Adventure help

martin_rook · 04-03-2012, 11:29 AM

I have an adventure I'm working on for a few weeks from now and have a particular sticking point I'm not satisfied with and figured the group mind could offer a good outside perspective.

First, though, a little background to let you know how and why my brain is stuck. I am adapting this adventure from an earlier plot I had thought up and outlined for a pre-Monster Hunters game I never ran. It was way back when 4th ed first came out and I had just seen the trailer for Night Watch. Inspired by the ideas in it, and with a helping of In Nomine and the film version of Constantine, I thought up a campaign similar to Monster Hunters except the PCs would be part of an organization of Watchmen (no, not those Watchmen): mortals who had to enforce the truce between the forces of Good and Evil, because if the cold war between the two ever developed into open conflict (again) it would spell the end of human civilization. One of the themes of the campaign was to be that the PCs had to police both Good and Evil forces -- and there were those on both sides who wanted to start the fight up again. The opening adventure was that the PCs all get assigned to a particular city at the same time to replace the previous group of Watchmen there who all got killed. Their first mission would be to find out what happened to their predecessors. The answer was that the previous Watchmen had foiled a plot to use a powerful artifact to initiate a massive first strike and restart the War. They had captured the artifact when it got smuggled into the city, then fell into fighting amongst themselves. Some actually wanted to use it against the forces of Evil, letting the War start but giving the good guys an advantage, but others in the group held true to their oaths to keep the peace and wanted to turn it over to the organization's version of Warehouse 23. They killed each other, except one guy who got away and would be in hiding with the artifact.

Whew! Well, that's what I'm adapting for my more run-of-the-mill MH game. The PCs are going to be contacted by an NPC Sage who is trying to track down and stop a doomsday cult. He is crippled and wants to be a Patron for the PCs, giving them missions and support (sort of a Prof. X/Oracle figure). Their first mission will be to find out what happend to the previous team he had hired...

The big difference here is that the artifact is now meant to summon one of the Elder Things -- it could not conceivably be used for good purposes. I figure there's two options for what happened to the previous team. 1) The cultists who were trying to get it in the first place (through a dealer of occult items) found the team shortly after they captured the artifact and killed all but one, who has gotten away and is hiding it. 2) The team turned on each other as in the original idea -- but why? Some fell under the influence of the artifact, perhaps? My problem with this is the timeline for that would be very short, and such a potent source of mind-warping would then be treated differently by the PCs than something they needed to recapture and study. Plus I don't want it affecting the PCs or their NPC allies/patrons. My problem with option 1 is that right now the cultists are acting through intermediaries (in this case, a street gang with just a little bit of Occult mojo), and I don't want them to be so bad-ass that they could just wipe out a group that was equivalent to a gang of PC Monster Hunters. Maybe they did but are now seriously reduced in numbers... Still, I'm not satisfied with either option and can't think of any alternatives.

Ideas?

johndallman · 04-03-2012, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by martin_rook

The big difference here is that the artifact is now meant to summon one of the Elder Things -- it could not conceivably be used for good purposes.

That doesn't mean that people can't think that it can be used for good purposes. There are several ways that could happen, here's a couple of obvious ones:

There's misinformation about the artifact in circulation. That requires that it not have lots of history of being found and (mis-)used, but that should be manageable.

The elder thing it summons is not an obvious tentacled horror, but something subtler, capable of seeming rational, and even providing useful help, as bait to get people to trust it.

mlangsdorf · 04-03-2012, 11:55 AM

Monster Hunters is a good genre for "oops, we didn't expect *that*" turning into Total Party Kills. Running into a Skinwalker, Mummy-Witch, or an Elder Vampire when the team isn't prepared is a really good way to die. You could use that to explain what happened to the previous team.

Take this:
1. Patron recruits Team A.
2. Team A starts investigating the artifact and encounters the street gang intermediaries.
3. Team A pushes past the gangers but finds information pointing to another threat.
4. Team pursues the other threat, thinking it's related to the artifact.
5. Other threat turns out to be completely unrelated Mummy/Elder Vampire/something else (MEVSE). Team A surprises him and gets wiped out.
6. MEVSE begins investigating Team A, trying to figure out what led them to him, and begins to research the artifact.

Now when Team B arrives on the scene, they've got several problems. They need to find the artifact. They need to distract MEVSE so they're not in competition with him for finding the artifact. Ideally, they'd like to destroy MEVSE, but without compromising their own ability to recover the artifact.

Maz · 04-03-2012, 01:27 PM

I'll answer with the classic-for-a-reason question: what do you want it to be?

I mean, you already said you don't want it to be mindcontrolling, so that's already sorted away. But what then do you want? Is it just supposed to be the mcguffin? Or would you like it to play a more active role? For instance do you want the PCs to be tempted to use it?
I usually find, that hand I know what I actually want as the GM, then its easier to determine what has happened to fit into what I want.

martin_rook · 04-03-2012, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maz

I'll answer with the classic-for-a-reason question: what do you want it to be?

I mean, you already said you don't want it to be mindcontrolling, so that's already sorted away. But what then do you want? Is it just supposed to be the mcguffin? Or would you like it to play a more active role? For instance do you want the PCs to be tempted to use it?
I usually find, that hand I know what I actually want as the GM, then its easier to determine what has happened to fit into what I want.

A good question. The artifact is just the Mcguffin for the plot. My particular sticking point is that the first group has to all be killed (but one survivor who is able to get away with the Mcguffin) -- but how that happened and by whom will be (I imagine) important points for the PCs who will be looking to 1) solve that little mystery while 2) avoiding the same fate. The Mcguffin just happens to be what the killers are after. In my mind, the first group didn't even know exactly what it was or did. In particular, this artifact will have to be used in conjunction with two or three other items to actually enact the ritual/summoning (which will be future plot items). Not that it can't have other uses, but it's real purpose is just to be a thing that the bad guys (and some Other Guys) are after.

sir_pudding · 04-04-2012, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by martin_rook

2) The team turned on each other as in the original idea -- but why?

One of them was a mole and attempted to steal the artifact.

tg_ambro · 04-04-2012, 04:47 AM

I would make the guy in hiding a turn-coat who discovered the true purpose of the artifact. Instead of turning evil, however, he stuck to his oaths to "keep the peace" by destroying both good and evil.

In regards to the party this makes him an interesting third enemy to deal with, as well as an interesting wildcard.

Danukian · 04-04-2012, 05:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by martin_rook

2) The team turned on each other as in the original idea -- but why? Some fell under the influence of the artifact, perhaps? My problem with this is the timeline for that would be very short, and such a potent source of mind-warping would then be treated differently by the PCs than something they needed to recapture and study. Plus I don't want it affecting the PCs or their NPC allies/patrons.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

One of them was a mole and attempted to steal the artifact.

Rather than trying to steal the artifact, the mole on Team A worked for a separate cult dedicated to ensuring man never discovers the true power of the artifact - depending on how much you like twists, cult #2 could be lead by A) a Mummy wishing to atone for the evils he'd unleashed previously with the artifact; B) an Angel sent by the Big Guy to protect the artifact; C) a Skin-Walker posing as the Crusader who's family has been leading the cult in secret for generations....

Jovus · 04-04-2012, 08:40 AM

For a more straightforward alternative, Team A got ambushed by Entities B who wished to steal the artifact so they could use it. One got away and is hiding in fear for his life.

To the agency, though, he looks like a spy who refuses to come in from the cold, because he's scared a) for his life, and b) the things who attacked him (who could even be another Team) will work through the agency to find where he/the MacGuffin are.

martin_rook · 04-04-2012, 08:57 AM

The skin-changer infiltrator is an idea... I was planning to have one in the city pitting different factions against each other. So, if it had replaced a member of Team A, it may have decided to go for the artifact, not know exactly what it was. Or maybe just acted out of character enough about it to tip off one of the other team members. So either the Skin-changer survived, probably with too much damage to that skin to continue using it, or it went down in the fight, in which case it's remains would be at the scene. I can't seem to tell from MH3 if their true form becomes more obvious in death or not. It doesn't seem to indicate one way or the other. I think it would be best to have the skin changer get killed so the PCs have fewer factions to worry about. There will already be a second group after the artifact as well, anyway, and I don't want to muddy the waters too much.

04-03-2012, 11:29 AM	#1
martin_rook Join Date: Mar 2006	[MH] Adventure help I have an adventure I'm working on for a few weeks from now and have a particular sticking point I'm not satisfied with and figured the group mind could offer a good outside perspective. First, though, a little background to let you know how and why my brain is stuck. I am adapting this adventure from an earlier plot I had thought up and outlined for a pre-Monster Hunters game I never ran. It was way back when 4th ed first came out and I had just seen the trailer for Night Watch. Inspired by the ideas in it, and with a helping of In Nomine and the film version of Constantine, I thought up a campaign similar to Monster Hunters except the PCs would be part of an organization of Watchmen (no, not those Watchmen): mortals who had to enforce the truce between the forces of Good and Evil, because if the cold war between the two ever developed into open conflict (again) it would spell the end of human civilization. One of the themes of the campaign was to be that the PCs had to police both Good and Evil forces -- and there were those on both sides who wanted to start the fight up again. The opening adventure was that the PCs all get assigned to a particular city at the same time to replace the previous group of Watchmen there who all got killed. Their first mission would be to find out what happened to their predecessors. The answer was that the previous Watchmen had foiled a plot to use a powerful artifact to initiate a massive first strike and restart the War. They had captured the artifact when it got smuggled into the city, then fell into fighting amongst themselves. Some actually wanted to use it against the forces of Evil, letting the War start but giving the good guys an advantage, but others in the group held true to their oaths to keep the peace and wanted to turn it over to the organization's version of Warehouse 23. They killed each other, except one guy who got away and would be in hiding with the artifact. Whew! Well, that's what I'm adapting for my more run-of-the-mill MH game. The PCs are going to be contacted by an NPC Sage who is trying to track down and stop a doomsday cult. He is crippled and wants to be a Patron for the PCs, giving them missions and support (sort of a Prof. X/Oracle figure). Their first mission will be to find out what happend to the previous team he had hired... The big difference here is that the artifact is now meant to summon one of the Elder Things -- it could not conceivably be used for good purposes. I figure there's two options for what happened to the previous team. 1) The cultists who were trying to get it in the first place (through a dealer of occult items) found the team shortly after they captured the artifact and killed all but one, who has gotten away and is hiding it. 2) The team turned on each other as in the original idea -- but why? Some fell under the influence of the artifact, perhaps? My problem with this is the timeline for that would be very short, and such a potent source of mind-warping would then be treated differently by the PCs than something they needed to recapture and study. Plus I don't want it affecting the PCs or their NPC allies/patrons. My problem with option 1 is that right now the cultists are acting through intermediaries (in this case, a street gang with just a little bit of Occult mojo), and I don't want them to be so bad-ass that they could just wipe out a group that was equivalent to a gang of PC Monster Hunters. Maybe they did but are now seriously reduced in numbers... Still, I'm not satisfied with either option and can't think of any alternatives. Ideas?

04-03-2012, 11:55 AM	#3
mlangsdorf Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Austin, TX	Re: [MH] Adventure help Monster Hunters is a good genre for "oops, we didn't expect that" turning into Total Party Kills. Running into a Skinwalker, Mummy-Witch, or an Elder Vampire when the team isn't prepared is a really good way to die. You could use that to explain what happened to the previous team. Take this: 1. Patron recruits Team A. 2. Team A starts investigating the artifact and encounters the street gang intermediaries. 3. Team A pushes past the gangers but finds information pointing to another threat. 4. Team pursues the other threat, thinking it's related to the artifact. 5. Other threat turns out to be completely unrelated Mummy/Elder Vampire/something else (MEVSE). Team A surprises him and gets wiped out. 6. MEVSE begins investigating Team A, trying to figure out what led them to him, and begins to research the artifact. Now when Team B arrives on the scene, they've got several problems. They need to find the artifact. They need to distract MEVSE so they're not in competition with him for finding the artifact. Ideally, they'd like to destroy MEVSE, but without compromising their own ability to recover the artifact.

04-03-2012, 01:27 PM	#4
Maz Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Denmark	Re: [MH] Adventure help I'll answer with the classic-for-a-reason question: what do you want it to be? I mean, you already said you don't want it to be mindcontrolling, so that's already sorted away. But what then do you want? Is it just supposed to be the mcguffin? Or would you like it to play a more active role? For instance do you want the PCs to be tempted to use it? I usually find, that hand I know what I actually want as the GM, then its easier to determine what has happened to fit into what I want.

04-04-2012, 04:47 AM	#7
tg_ambro Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Arkham Asylum	Re: [MH] Adventure help I would make the guy in hiding a turn-coat who discovered the true purpose of the artifact. Instead of turning evil, however, he stuck to his oaths to "keep the peace" by destroying both good and evil. In regards to the party this makes him an interesting third enemy to deal with, as well as an interesting wildcard. __________________ Jazama Pajama Pajama Shimera Kazam Imera Imera Kazam Pajama Shimera Kazam Pajama Pajama! Check out my blog, Ambro's Brainwaves Pretend you have telepathy, read my thoughts!

04-04-2012, 08:40 AM	#9
Jovus Join Date: Sep 2008	Re: [MH] Adventure help For a more straightforward alternative, Team A got ambushed by Entities B who wished to steal the artifact so they could use it. One got away and is hiding in fear for his life. To the agency, though, he looks like a spy who refuses to come in from the cold, because he's scared a) for his life, and b) the things who attacked him (who could even be another Team) will work through the agency to find where he/the MacGuffin are.

04-04-2012, 08:57 AM	#10
martin_rook Join Date: Mar 2006	Re: [MH] Adventure help The skin-changer infiltrator is an idea... I was planning to have one in the city pitting different factions against each other. So, if it had replaced a member of Team A, it may have decided to go for the artifact, not know exactly what it was. Or maybe just acted out of character enough about it to tip off one of the other team members. So either the Skin-changer survived, probably with too much damage to that skin to continue using it, or it went down in the fight, in which case it's remains would be at the scene. I can't seem to tell from MH3 if their true form becomes more obvious in death or not. It doesn't seem to indicate one way or the other. I think it would be best to have the skin changer get killed so the PCs have fewer factions to worry about. There will already be a second group after the artifact as well, anyway, and I don't want to muddy the waters too much.