Improve My Plot: Assassin Strike

[MilwaukeeJoe]

Improve My Plot: Assassin Strike

I need your DMing help to turn this adventure idea into a great game. What would you emphasize, or cut? How would you make this better? Do you think this would work better as D&D 4E or Pathfinder RPG?

The requirements:
1. D&D 4E (possibly Pathfinder... not sure)
2. It's a convention-style game, and must be playable in under 4 hours.
3. Characters are pre-generated by the DM before play. All the players need do is show up, pick a PC and start playing.

Scene 1: The players get the following details right at the start.

• War is going badly for the big bad evil guy (BBEG), a goblin king who has been waging war against your people.
• This BBEG has great enmity for the PCs personally; the PCs have thwarted the BBEG many times.
• The PCs are an elite taskforce for their King, sent to assassinate the BBEG.
• Your King has also sent in a large contingent of warriors/wizards/clerics to purge BBEG's hideout of minions, and act as diversion while the PCs do the assassination. This contingent is "steps behind you", storming the entrance while the PCs start up with the next scene at the "throne room". This contingent will also attempt to kill the BBEG if they find him.

Scene 2: I'm going to have the PCs start with the very battle against the BBEG.

• The map of BBEG's hideout will be predrawn, the PCs have knowledge of the layout of the place.
• Prior to rolling initiative, I will ask the PCs how they got there. Did they storm the front door? Use the sneaky route? etc. Let the players do a little narrative if possible.
• Battle proceeds on, eventually BBEG is assassinated.

The Twist: Right at the BBEG dies, a planned spell goes off. All PCs are polymorphed into goblins! And to top it off, one of the PCs now looks exactly like the BBEG. This was deliberate by the BBEG. He really wanted revenge on the PCs, and hopes the PCs own people will kill them.

Scene 3:
At this point, I'm hoping for a horrific realization to set in - which is that the heroes now look, smell, and sound like the very creatures that the "contingent of warriors/wizards/clerics" (who are now two steps behind them!) is there to exterminate. Their goal now is to get out of the complex alive and/or stay alive long enough for the polymorph spell to wear off (which would happen at exactly 4 hours after the game starts, of course).

What do you think?

Thanks,
MilwaukeeJoe

[archangel.arcanis]

Works best as a Pathfinder game as I don't think there are any Polymorph effects in 4e. Also take into account you are screwing any warriors while leaving casters alone by changing their size like that. There becomes a moral issue if the party is good since they would knowingly be slaughtering the guys who are just doing their jobs and actually trying to help party.

[veekie]

The Twist works fairly well in Pathfinder I think, especially with pregen PCs. What level are you working with here?

[MilwaukeeJoe]

Works best as a Pathfinder game as I don't think there are any Polymorph effects in 4e.

No worries about that. I make up a new 4E polymorph ritual, in my head! Heck, maybe I won't even use the word, "polymorph". I'll just describe a wave of energy hit you and when you "come to", you're a goblin.

Also take into account you are screwing any warriors while leaving casters alone by changing their size like that.

"Goblins" can easily be switched with something else. I wasn't planning on changing anyone's size. Are goblins size small? I'll have to look that up.

There becomes a moral issue if the party is good since they would knowingly be slaughtering the guys who are just doing their jobs and actually trying to help party.

Yes, do you think that would make for a fun moral dilemma?

[MilwaukeeJoe]

The Twist works fairly well in Pathfinder I think, especially with pregen PCs. What level are you working with here?

I'll answer by asking a question - what do you think would be a great level for PCs to run through this adventure?

MilwaukeeJoe

[veekie]

Hmm, goblins, few ways to penetrate an illusion/transformation, easy to pick up characters...I'd peg it at 6th level(with 4th level troops), using a much higher level magic item(minor artifact?) to perform the transformation. You can use Veil to perform the 'goblinification' without actually altering the PCs stats, just how they look.

[MilwaukeeJoe]

These are great ideas, keep 'em coming!

The big blind spot in the adventure that I need ideas for is that big area of the dungeon that lies between the throne room (starting place) and the entrance (goal).

What cool things would you put in this in-between area? What would make this fun for players?

[archangel.arcanis]

Obviously real goblins that think they are the king and entourage. I would also put interesting little oddities like a goblin kitchen, nursery, Worg kennels, Thud the blacksmith, etc... Just things to make them realize goblins are people(ish) too.

[veekie]

I'd take up the highlights of a village and scatter them about liberally in the tunnels, a guardhouse near the entrance with a barracks and armory nearby(smithy attached), a small underground river winding through the caves, bootlegger tunnels that goblins use to do their smuggling and hiding personal stuff, personal burrows, mushroom farms, breweries, a small bazaar, quarry works to cut new dwelling spaces, bricked off areas to the deeps(with monsters behind), caved in complex sectors where the roof/supports gave way. A temple sector dedicated to worship and more isolated tunnels where their shamans work. One way doors to bar entry. Colorful glowing fungi to add atmosphere, odd incense.
Cesspits to throw all their filth, possibly populated with scavengers.
Assuming they worked with existing tunnels you could even throw in a few giant geodes as giant crystal galleries, shimmering pools of magical looking liquid(actually the waste from the goblin alchemists)

Secondary barracks(like watchhouses) littered through the complex, showing their expansion, and also doubles as a way for all of them to up arms when the adventurers break in.

[MilwaukeeJoe]

I think part of the fun will be the role-reversal exploration between the goodly humans/elves/dwarves/etc and the goblins. When the PCs are forced to wear the goblins image, they might see things more from the goblins point of view. Nothing overt; but just having that in the background would be cool.

And having the complex be like a little village, as you guys are pointing out, could accomplish just that. In this silly idea of the "final BBEG curse", if I take the time to think about how a complex would evolve, it would lend some reality to the game-aspect that I like.

I'll keep taking notes, keep the ideas coming if you have them!

Thanks,
MilwaukeeJoe

[archangel.arcanis]

I think the key to get the party thinking about the goblins as anything more than XP is to give them each a unique personality. They should have trends that mimic their culture, such as being cowardly when not having larger numbers, but each goblin should have something to distinguish him from the other 200 in the cave.

[MilwaukeeJoe]

I think the key to get the party thinking about the goblins as anything more than XP is to give them each a unique personality. They should have trends that mimic their culture, such as being cowardly when not having larger numbers, but each goblin should have something to distinguish him from the other 200 in the cave.

Not a worry. In a one-shot, XP doesn't really factor. I'll give some personality as you suggest... and others will be the cliche.

[archangel.arcanis]

I think the key to get the party thinking about the goblins as anything more than XP is to give them each a unique personality. They should have trends that mimic their culture, such as being cowardly when not having larger numbers, but each goblin should have something to distinguish him from the other 200 in the cave.

Not a worry. In a one-shot, XP doesn't really factor. I'll give some personality as you suggest... and others will be the cliche.

It isn't the XP as the problem but the Players seeing them as magical treasure and XP piñatas instead of sentient beings.

[MilwaukeeJoe]

Now if I can only get over my DM viewpoint of goblins as XP pinatas!

[dna1]

sounds like a good e6 game.

[MilwaukeeJoe]

sounds like a good e6 game.

"e6"? I'm not familiar.
MilwaukeeJoe

[Bozwevial]

sounds like a good e6 game.

"e6"? I'm not familiar.
MilwaukeeJoe

In short, players level as normal until they reach 6th level, then stop. From that point on, every Y experience gives them a feat. It stops just short of 4th level spells, so non-casters are still viable, and keeps certain monsters as real threats. (I think it sprang from a discussion that everything Gandalf did could be done by a wizard of 6th level.)

[dna1]

dont know if it will work with 4e because i havent played it yet.



BUT here is the link.

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=352719



just figured with goblins and stuff it sounded alittle lower level, so i thought it would make a good e6 game

[dna1]

check it out and let us know what u think joe

[emissary666]

Some goblins might rush up to their "leader" to report the massive casualties, names of the fallen, maybe mention some now fatherless children. It will add personality to the goblins and put them in the awkward position of not revealing their identities.