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1995-10-06
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Path: usenet.ee.pdx.edu!cs.uoregon.edu!reuter.cse.ogi.edu!hp-cv!hp-pcd!sdd.hp.com!swrinde!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!in2.uu.net!not-for-mail
From: dickinst@crl1.crl.aecl.ca (Tim Dickinson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.archives
Subject: RESOURCE: Tim's Stuff: Cult - Plot Idea (2/22)
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Date: 3 Oct 1995 15:57:45 -0400
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DARK MASS OF KOREEM-CIL
_______________________
Sorry about the dorky name.
This is the way I often plan my adventures: it's only a bare
outline, with some general ideas of how I'd like things to
progress, with some plot hooks or interesting bits along the
way. It's undeveloped by any reckoning, but perhaps someone
else will like some of the ideas.
+ The general plot: the characters have to get information about,
then infiltrate a ceremony of an evil religious sect, to save the
intended sacrifice. (Hey, does this sound familiar? Ahhh, so what?)
If the party is lawfully good-aligned, then just drop them some
rumours about the cult and its sacrificial doings. This should
be sufficient to draw in properly-played PCs. If they are not
inclined to do such a thing for nothing, then have them hired on
to do so (a wealthy parent is concerned their newly-converted
child is going to be a sacrifice, or the established local religion
wants a stop put to this heathen bunch and their evil practices).
In any case, info about the cult should be sketchy. They'll
have to sniff out rumors about town. They'll have to pay some
snitches (who may or may not give them good information). They
should get a little too close for someone's comfort, and they should
get attacked for it. Maybe with magic, a curse or something serious.
Specifically, they'll want (i) cult background and (ii) location
of the next sacrificial ceremony. The second will be very hard to get.
If some of the characters want to try to infiltrate the cult, this
will be next to impossible. Unless some _very_ convincing magical
method is possible to replace an exisiting cultist, they'll be
found out. If they try to "join", they'll be turned away and everyone's
guard will be up.
If they manage to locate the ceremony, they'll witness terrible
magic and nasty rites. An attempt to rescue sacrifices will be met
with (i) much priestly magic (ii) moderate armed resistance.
If the party is strong, and they let the ceremony proceed at all before
stepping in, they'll be confronted wit whatever terrible otherworldly thing
the cult was attmpting to summon with the sacrifice (its notice was
gained with the beginning of the ceremony, and it is furious at the
sacrifices which it did not receive: it'll appear and attack everyone,
cultists included).
There's also a chance that they'll get captured themselves and get added
to the list of sacrifices. This is a good way to go if the party splits
up and comes in from two different directions, or tries to co-ordinate
two different tasks at once: one group will suddeny notice that the
other has been captured and is being led to the slaughter. This adds
urgency to their task. 8-)
If this is the case, a good hook is to have the cultists do something
to one of the characters, pre-sacrifice, that is somehow permanent:
a terrible scar, or a spell, or some such. Something that they have to
live with (and role-play with) for the rest of their lives, preferably.
There's lots of good hooks from the aftereffects, if they're successful
in saving the sacrifice, or even killing off most of the cultists.
They'll earn the undying enmity of that sect, and they'll be after them
forever. They may get some nasty curses from the priests before they win.
They may have allowed a terrible monstrosity to be summoned,
which will wreak havoc, of course. They may even get blamed for this.
Perhaps they'll discover that local officials or nobles were somehow
illegally involved (they belong to the cult, or have struck a black
deal with them). Will they reveal such a conspiracy? Can they really
prove it?
_____________________
There. Go for it.