Looking for some Plot Ideas

[RealMarkP]

I have writers block. I've had it for a month now.... I have many plot lines criss-crossing all over the place, only one of which actually has an ending. That particular plot arc melded into the 'City of the Spider Queen' adventure, which has an epic ending. However, I'm in need of ideas of the following plot lines:

1. Our resident barbarian, whom worships Gruumsh piously, found a series of tablets that depict the ascension of an Orc into Gruumsh's favor. This Orc, created a gauntlet (a series of impossibly hard tests) within a mountain to test other believers. His test promised fame and fortune when completed. This is as far as I got. I was thinking of creating a dungeon crawl for this adventure through a winding maze of tests. However, the gauntlet has not been used for centuries and fell victim to erosion and the forces of time. Not only that, a few centuries back a Dragon and her half-dragon minions settled in the mountain. Her domain stretched through the bowels of the mountain and eventually broke into a tunnel that was used for the gauntlet. The half-dragon minions looted and pillaged what was left of the gauntlet and desecrated the holy site. I'm hoping to enrage Mr. Barbarian (he role plays rage quite well and is interested in Gruumsh) when I tell him that the holy site was defaced. Anyway, thoughts???

2. Our resident cleric recently found out her bloodline extends back to the time of Myth Drannor. Her ancestry ties in with a noble house. A massive library situated in the lands surrounding Myth Drannor once housed the collective knowledge of the elves. During the attack on Myth Drannor, the library was assumed to be destroyed. Recent finding have noted that the library was transported by it's curators to a secret location, located on the n'th level of the Abyss. The cleric has started this quest already and I'm grasping at straws to keep it interesting. Ideas??

If there are any published adventures that I can cannibalize for this, that would be great (the level of which does not matter, I can always rework the BBEGs to be stronger). I was thinking of incorporating the Sons of Gruumsh adventure into plot #1.

Thanks in advance.

[Sohala]

I sadly have no ideas for #2, #1 on the other hand...

Have lets say, the first quarter of the gauntlet unchanged, maybe old, but mostly in working order. Make some key task open a door hidden to the other side to have it make sense. Have it just be barren after that, no trace of the minions, but a lack of tasks, as some point have a sprung trap with a corpse in it, then maybe some smashed traps/doors etc. Have the place where they broke in somewhere in the third quarter. Maybe a small outpost there, so they can keep tabs on the area, the tunnel connecting to it will be rough in contrast to the worked stone. If he continues on in the gauntlet, he finds nothing worth mentioning until he gets to a final room with much writing and lore about Gruumsh and the ascended orc. Have some riddle give the key to how to open the final chamber (which is undisturbed because the evil person is clueless). Have the key be items that would have been gathered from the gauntlet (fragments of an item would be my choice), of course the evil person has the items, so that leads to hunting her down.

I am out of ideas after that.

[RealMarkP]

That's not a bad idea. I'm going to incorporate it into the story. I've also been looking at the 'Red Hand of Doom' adventure. I'ts published for 6th-12th levels, but I can modify the encounters to be a bit more suiting for the party (they are at 9th level at the moment). Since the adventure consists of stopping an army of hobgoblins, I can modify it slightly to suit my needs. The original setting for #1 was in the Desert Mouth mountains, east of Daggerdale. There are many small towns around those mountains to make this adventure feasible.

[archangel.arcanis]

have the key be a blood pressure cuff and you have to rage to open the door. 

for #2 I'm not sure how to keep it interesting that would depend on your players and their character builds. I could see making it more stealth oriented to get to the library, too many high CR demons for them to try and fight there way in. Perhaps let them get an item to allow them to summon a Solar or other powerful good creature to the library so that the creature can return the treasures to the mortal plane. Place a powerful artifact of good in the library that will be taken as a charge for the aid of an outsider, or an evil artifact that they will take for safe keeping.

[Sjappo]

Just some quick ideas that crossed my mind while reading your post

#1: The original orc build the gauntlet. The dragon destroyed it. Expelling the dragon and rebuilding the gauntlet would be a suitable test for your barbarian I think.

#2: The library was transported to the abyss using some sort of epic planeshift spell. The PC's could be send on a quest to locate a scroll containing a copy of this spell o they can transport the library back to the prime or maybe to one of the upper planes.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

A "protect the convoy" mission trying to extract the ancient books from the doomed library could be cool.  Maybe on this layer exposed items take 1 fire damage/round?  Just make the books too bulky to teleport them all, set a portal to a more scenic area, say, 130 miles away, and let the players try to figure out how to get from point A to point B. 

[RealMarkP]

A "protect the convoy" mission trying to extract the ancient books from the doomed library could be cool.  Maybe on this layer exposed items take 1 fire damage/round?  Just make the books too bulky to teleport them all, set a portal to a more scenic area, say, 130 miles away, and let the players try to figure out how to get from point A to point B. 

Good idea. This layer of the Abyss is of my own making, so it can have any attributes I give it. I can make it geographically unstable (prone to earthquakes, flying ice shards, etc). Over the years the library has taken structural damage and is in danger of falling apart. The question now becomes, who should they deliver the books to? I've mentioned that Elminster and the Harpers are interested in brining it back to the Dalelands. Also Mystra has contacted them briefly about it. The lord of Highmoon (Deepingdale) has contacted them about it as well.

[PhaedrusXY]

#2: The library was transported to the abyss using some sort of epic planeshift spell. The PC's could be send on a quest to locate a scroll containing a copy of this spell o they can transport the library back to the prime or maybe to one of the upper planes.

Actually the 10th level of the 3.0 class Planeshifter from MotP could do this, IIRC. So there is at least a rules-legal way to transport something like a building to another plane permanently. Getting it back might be another thing, though. I think Wish should be able to undo it, at least.

A "protect the convoy" mission trying to extract the ancient books from the doomed library could be cool.  Maybe on this layer exposed items take 1 fire damage/round?  Just make the books too bulky to teleport them all, set a portal to a more scenic area, say, 130 miles away, and let the players try to figure out how to get from point A to point B. 

Bag of Holding, or Horde Gullet if you're cheap. Or an Enveloping Pit if you want to take the whole damned library. They better be pretty damned bulky. Also... even if they are, what's to keep them from making more than one Teleport trip?

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Assuming mid-levels, you'll have to burn 2 fifth level cleric slots and 2 fifth level sorc/wiz slots per trip.  Even without making planar travel more difficult, you still have issues with limited slots and appearing underwater or what have you.

And everyone already includes extraspacial compression on their magical books.  They don't play well with other storage modes.

[RealMarkP]

And everyone already includes extraspacial compression on their magical books.  They don't play well with other storage modes.

Indeed, though, with one mistake, they would obliterate half of this layer of the Abyss. Currently the only possession they have is a bag of holding (the smallest one at that). Assuming that by then they may have one portable hole, that is nowhere near enough space to transport it all by hand. Also, if they want to keep a low profile, they will be wise to use very little magic. This may prove to be a very good idea. I love logistics puzzles.

With regards to the barbarian/gruumsh oriented dungeon crawl. Are there any good sources for traps and puzzles I can use to construct this dungeon? Preferably tests that require up to 4 people to operate (only 3 are in the group). I vaguely recall seeing a book about traps from a 3rd party vendor.

EDIT: the blood pressure cuff idea is still on the table. Genius!

[Amechra]

Well, for #2, you could always give them the option of finding some way to stabilize the area around the library, repair the books, and link the library back to some designated spot. I mean, it is kinda safe from someone breaking in and stealing the books...

Alternatively, have them find the library, and have it be empty... because the locals stole every. Single. Text. In. The. Library.

I've got nothing for #1 though.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

For other tests... how about giving them an annoying navi-like guide for the dungeon.  You gain benefits depending on how short a time it takes for them to bring you into a murderous rage.,