# ry's Threats, Rewards, Assets, and Problems (TRAPs)



## Ry (Mar 29, 2007)

Preparing games is very different than other forms of writing, but I often find the difference isn't made clear to GMs.  In the past, I often found myself preparing material that did not see play, and finding myself underprepared while at the session despite putting in a lot of work.  To figure out what I should be preparing, I sat down one weekend and sketched out what happens in the meat of my roleplaying game sessions.

The diagram is a flow chart that looks like this:

[sblock=This is not a play aid!]
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





[/sblock]

After working on this - and it took a long time - I realized that all I needed to prepare, in the interests of my players driving the game, was problems, threats, resources, and rewards.


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## Ry (Mar 29, 2007)

*The Missing Dryad*

_Problem w. complications_

Gnolls have kidnapped a dryad who guards a sacred oak!  The gnolls have traded the dryad to an evil wizard in exchange for a magic item.  The gnolls are using that magic item to assault the fort of a nearby lord.  The dryad will die without contact with her tree, but will rise as a dangerous undead due to the wizard's experiments.


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## Ry (Apr 5, 2007)

*The Riderless Horse*

_Problem_

A saddled horse with no rider coming down towards the players. The horse is slightly wounded (a piece of a broken arrowhead is stuck in its flank), and is skittish. When the players examine the animal they see an emblem relating to an organization they are familiar with (like a knight's clasp, a wizard's sign, etc.) 

That kind of encounter puts a problem in front of the players: Should we track this horse back to where it lost its rider, or take the horse, or just leave it here and hope everything is fine?

The NPC horserider has abilities that can be a resource to the party, and has been left for dead in some skirmish with humanoids or the players' enemies. If the players track back, they can save him/her. Depending on how you want to handle this, this can be a small enemy camp with the NPC as a visible prisoner, or and empty battlefield where the players can find one of the stripped corpses is actually still alive.


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## Ry (Apr 6, 2007)

_Problem_
Many dungeons have portals to a slave market maintained by yugoloth slavers and other fiends. This place is like an intricate anthill of caverns and twisting passageways, with major crossroads guarded by Molydeus demons (CR 19). The players can stumble across an old portal in a dungeon, or if they find themselves chasing captives in a dungeon, they may have to buy them back before they are sold off to some horrible demon.

_Threat_
A strange virus is spreading, which spreads via sound - the infected speak only Abyssal, and unless they know the language cannot even understand themselves. (DC 14 WIL save upon hearing, Cure Disease removes). If enough people are screaming abyssal at once, Tanar'ri may be summoned.

_Resource_
An organization of rangers and scouts marks trees, stones, or caverns in the area with Sylvan runes. These give simple clues as to an alternate entrances to a dungeon or warn of nearby dangers. If spotted (Spot DC 20), later runes are easier to find (DC 15).

_Reward_
From a high outcropping of rock, a character can see for miles and miles in all directions. The air atop the rock is clear and fresh - the first player to climb it receives an extra action point.


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## Ry (Apr 6, 2007)

*Poachers versus Druid*

_Problem_ 
Local poachers (allied as a guild with any other criminal elements) will pay handsomely for pelts of owlbears, but nearby druids will be angered.


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## Ry (Apr 6, 2007)

*The Watcher*

_Resource_ 
The players receive packages without any trace of their origin.  The packages usually contain information helpful to their quests, but eventually include a minor magical item as well.  Using the magical item causes an invisible wizard's eye on the forehead of the user (the effect can be detected with _detect magic_).


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## Ry (Jun 3, 2007)

Set pieces, such as the hub of my new campaign, are really just more complicated groupings of problems, threats, resources, and rewards.

*Water Street*

_Problem_

Located not far from the bustle of the Guildsmen district, Water Street was once home to merchants, bankers, and city officials, but is now in decline as those families move to Oldtown or Rivergate.  With the closing of the street's pub, Water Street faces a real danger of becoming a slum.  The families and small shops remaining on Lantern Street are increasingly threatened by gangs - whose younger members are often recruited from the Water Street orphanage.  The community also lacks leadership, with the closest thing being a foolish grocer who deliberately antagonizes the gangs.

_Resource_

At the end of Water street lies the Lantern, a small lighthouse that lights the way to a small set of docks there.  Unbeknownst to the residents, one large lantern inside of the lighthouse is home to a Lantern Archon.  This archon is rarely active, spending most days contemplating the connection between physical light and spiritual goodness, but with the current danger to the area he may become more active, speaking to the occasional adventurer or even animating the lantern in which he dwells.

_Resource with hook to Threats_

Those who have lived there know about the connected cellars beneath many of the houses on Water Street, even running across the road (these date from an earlier period of the city and luckily do not experience seepage from the sewers).  A few loose stones in the cellars hide a tunnel to ruins from even earlier incarnations of the city - if it is not discovered soon by a PC, it may become an entry point for monsters that dwell beneath the city.

_Reward_

At the very end of the street is a hub of a few roads, where they meet at the circular Wyrrith Park.  Wyrrith Park is known for the Wyrring Tree, a large oak watched over by a dryad who, though seldom seen, is subject of many local folk tales.  The Wyrrith Park is the main location for the holidays celebrated by the people of Lantern Street and is large enough to host a small fair (although this is definitely a local park - the rest of the city celebrates holidays elsewhere, especially in the market district).  Both the dryad and Wyrrith park can be portrayed as rewards for nature-loving PCs, especially after any threat to the area.  If that portrayal does not work for your campaign, the dryad of the Wyrring tree is also an adept healer.  If Gnolls have a chance to raid the area, this could also be a springboard for The Missing Dryad

_Resource with possible Problem_

Water street is also home to a talented but not very respected alchemist, who operates a lab in the basement against municipal bylaws.


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## Ry (Jun 3, 2007)

*Herding Flumphs*

_Problem_

After a magical battle in a city leaves a small but growing planar vortex in a major square, the PCs are enlisted to track down a herd of "plane stitchers" which can close the vortex. At least two dozen such creatures will be required, and they are more commonly known as "Flumphs."


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## Ry (Jun 4, 2007)

*The Enemy of my Enemy*

_Resource, possible Problem_

Within a dungeon, the players find - strapped to torture equipment - a Lawful Evil wizard who they have heard about before (i.e. he was expelled from his college for investigating dark arts, but hasn't done anything particularly villainous). He's the defeated enemy of the dungeon's master, and promises to help the PCs. His spellcasting abilities would be a great help in a difficult fight, and he is true to his word.  Having an evil wizard with ties to the PCs can be a great source of plot hooks - from an enemy that lets the PCs off easy, an unexpected help, or a later, more powerful enemy.


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## Ry (Jun 4, 2007)

_Resource_

In a dungeon, the players notice a shaft upwards, which is blocked by brickwork.  If they bash through the bricks, they find a small, smooth-floored area with a trickle of pure water.  This can be easily defended and can serve as a resting spot.  If the PCs are beneath a city, the resting spot can be a boarded-up building instead of a deep dungeon room.


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## Ry (Jun 4, 2007)

*Delivery for the late Mr. Bones*

_Problem_

A ghost entreats the players to return her bones to her family plot, to be reunited with her husband. Unfortunately, her husband was a hero buried in a public park in a major city... and most people who spend their time digging up graves attract some suspicion.


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## Ry (Jun 4, 2007)

*Save the Ship!*

_Problem_

During a rainstorm, a ship just off the coast of a town or village the PCs are in has run aground and is sinking in choppy water.  Skum, sahuagin, or just plain sharks are starting to swarm in the area.  As an additional complication, the captain has an Aboleth's eye in the hold, built into a magic item ordered by a powerful (and impatient) wizard.


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## Ry (Jun 4, 2007)

_Problem_

A noblewoman (or queen), in a play for petty revenge on a friend of the PCs, appears to have her most valuable jewels stolen at a party the PCs attend. The PCs must recover and return the item on short notice before their friend, the host, must cough up some ridiculous sum in line with the politesse expected among the nobility.


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## Ry (Jun 5, 2007)

_Threat_

From a suggestion by Land Outcast with a parallel in Greek Mythology.  

Thornhawk: A giant hawk, which can hurl some of its steel-hard feathers with a flap of its wings.  A Thornhawk uses the same stats as a Manticore.


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## Cheiromancer (Jul 30, 2007)

This is tantalizing, but a little mysterious.  In some of the examples it seems unclear what the difference is between a threat and a problem, or between a reward and a resource.  To me it seems like a problem is an indirect or potential threat, and a resource is an indirect or potential reward.  A reward, in turn, is a sort of anti-threat; a way of overcoming threats and thereby gaining more resources/rewards.


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## Ry (Jul 30, 2007)

Threats, in my view, mean danger in an immediate sense.  Problems can lead to threats but are not imminently dangerous in the same way.

Resources and rewards don't break down in quite the same way.  

Resources can take a lot of forms (this lever causes water in the dungeon to rise 5 feet, the Baron can be convinced to aid the party if they're polite, an Alchemist has set up shop by the crossroads).  But they're things that the PCs have to choose to use.

Rewards also take a lot of forms (magic items, gold, cute girl feeding apples to your horses, banquet in your honor) but they're not things PCs are likely to pass up.  If you think of magic items and gold as resources, then there is some overlap, but I think players do feel rewarded when acquiring those things, even if they proceed to use them resourcefully.  

PTRR is about making sure you write stuff that will see use.  In My Experience, when the GM puts something before the players, these 4 things are things the GM needs.  I did a big diagram a while ago to determine the flow of play in my D&D games; I found after the player-characters are created and the players have accepted the basic premise (we're playing a game, your characters are fantasy heroes, here's a basic context for where you are) the DM's job was to put _interactive_ elements in front of players.  

Bad design, whether it's railroading, DMPCs, or boring settings, all have one thing in common:  They put inert elements in front of players (a.k.a. they're all a waste of time).

"Here's the prince of Roundheria, he's thinking of invading the peaceful land of Overtheria, but you can't convince him not to."  

"Here's the dragon of the west mountain, but he's so powerful he'll kill you all instantly, so listen to his monologue before he flies off to what I've already decided he's doing, OK?"  

"You're in a town.  There's an inn.  No, nothing interesting is happening."  

"Elminster talks to you for half an hour, here's his 20-page explanation of why he's not going to help you.  No, you can't convince him."


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## Ry (Jul 30, 2007)

In short: if it comes time for the DM to add some element to the game, and it's not a problem, threat, resource, or reward, it's a waste.


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## Cheiromancer (Jul 30, 2007)

rycanada said:
			
		

> In short: if it comes time for the DM to add some element to the game, and it's not a problem, threat, resource, or reward, it's a waste.




Gotcha, thanks.


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## Ry (Jul 30, 2007)

Here's an example of a crappy problem:

The dopplegangers in the city are trying to hide from aboleths, who enjoy using them as their slaves.

This doesn't actually put anything in front of the players.  A better problem would be:

Walking down a busy street, a player sees a woman turn around, and just for a second, she has a different face.  She flees from the player if approached.  If they catch her, or ask after her with the locals, they can eventually find out that she is a member of a doppleganger village that moved to the city fleeing a group of aboleths.   They are terrified at discovery because the aboleths, and many skum, have come to the sewers below the city / the lake near the town.


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## Ry (Jul 31, 2007)

I tried remaking the flowchart from memory, it's attached above.


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## Ry (Jul 31, 2007)

Now, the flowchart doesn't address the important question of depth.

A setting's depth is the ability for changes caused by player-characters to have consequences that cascade through the setting and thereby provide feedback or consequences for the players. If you want a deep setting, relate the elements players can change back onto each other over and over again.

So let's say we have a threat - a crotchety old Manticore that eats children near an abandoned mine.  To add depth, make related problems, threats, resources, and rewards.  

Problem: The land around the manticore's lair is prone to rockslides.  (Players might turn this into a resource).

Threat: The mine is filled with bat swarms that scavenge off of the remains of the manticore's various victims.  The bat swarms know well enough not to attack the manticore.

Resource: An old mountaineer keeps deadly, trained birds.  He lives not far from the manticore, but doesn't want to provoke the manticore because he lives there with his granddaughters.

Reward: The manticore has a magical spear from an old adventurer it slew before it moved to this region.  The spear is embedded in the brambles in the manticore's lair, but could be removed by a DC 20 strength check.


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## Ry (Jul 31, 2007)

To keep working on depth, add a problem, threat, resource, and reward to each of the above.  

*Edit: you don't need to work exhaustively; as you get ideas for PTRRs related to the existing ones, just put in those ideas.  Working exhaustively is just one method for when you are at a loss for what to do.*

Let's add to the first Problem: The land around the manticore's lair is prone to rockslides.

Problem: Rockslides may block the PCs' path to the manticore's lair, placing them in a vulnerable position if they are detected.

Threat: Goblins in the area love pushing rocks down at their victims, shooting arrows at them from high above.

Resource: During a rockslide, the bats lairing with the manticore will be disoriented (DC 20 Knowledge (nature) check).  If the PCs can keep the sound going they might only have to deal with the manticore.

Reward: After the PCs avoid the worst of a rockslide, they see a path has opened up above; taking this path gives them a good vantage to look at the Manticore's lair, and also reveals a cave with hard rock back where it would be safe to camp for the night.


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## Ry (Jul 31, 2007)

Now let's attack the second element:

Threat: The mine is filled with bat swarms that scavenge off of the remains of the manticore's various victims. The bat swarms know well enough not to attack the manticore.

Problem: The knee-deep bat guano at the bottom of the cave creates a noxious fume.  DC 17 fortitude or become sickened.
Threat: There are scorpions crawling around in the guano.  Stepping in the guano provokes them (Reflex 16 or get stung once per round), and they have a nasty (Str 1d6 / no secondary) poison (Fort 15 negates).

Resource: Towards the back of the cave, some of the manticore's bramble materials have slid down into the cave.  These materials are flammable.  Players will notice their torches flaring brightly in the smell of the bat guano.

Reward: If standing back and using a shovel, the scorpions can easily be collected; their poison is also long-lasting and can fetch a good price with an alchemist.


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## Ry (Jul 31, 2007)

The third: 

Resource: An old mountaineer keeps deadly, trained birds. He lives not far from the manticore, but doesn't want to provoke the manticore because he lives there with his granddaughters.



Problem: The mountaineer moved away from a large city because of his bad debts long ago, and if the PCs approach he is suspicious and could even sick his birds on them.

Threat: The mountaineer's wife passed away some time ago, and has unfortunately risen as a ghoul.  She's not very aware of her surroundings, and goes about chattering and singing to herself until something warm comes close.  There are a few ways to use her: she could be sitting by the well in front of the mountaineer's house, hiding behind the shack, and so on.  The mountaineer will thank the PCs if they deal with her.

Resource: The manticore has had a nasty run-in with a few of the old man's trained crows, and is waiting for an opportunity to swoop down and attack.  He's "contracted" a goblin to spy on the mountaineer's cabin to pick a good time to attack.  If the PCs catch the goblin he knows a secret way into the manticore's lair, but bargains for more than his freedom (he wants the spear he saw in the manticore's lair).

Reward: If the PCs take care of the manticore, the mountaineer, Jepp, happily gives them one of his finest attack hawks.


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## Ry (Jul 31, 2007)

The fourth:

Reward: The manticore has a magical spear from an old adventurer it slew before it moved to this region. The spear is embedded in the brambles in the manticore's lair, but could be removed by a DC 20 strength check.


Problem:  The spear has a minor curse; when gripped with two hands, it moans in pain; anyone within 30 feet can hear it clearly, but beyond that it sounds like the wind.

Threat: The adventurer's family is searching for the spear - his older brother, Gappus, is a much more talented barbarian and will immediately assume the PCs stole it.  If defeated, Gappus may listen to reason, but only if the PCs are very persuasive.

Resource: After scrapping with goblins, players find a crude goblin map to the manticore's lair; it mentions the spear is in there.  Any goblin captive can tell the players that the spear makes the holder the goblin chief.

Reward: Gappus' brother, Chak, was the owner of the spear.  Before approaching the manticore's lair he stowed his sack of travelling goods under a heavy rock.  PCs who search the area can see that the rock was pushed from the spot it used to be positioned.  Of course, the rock can't be moved without a lot of noise (and if rolled down the hill, it can cause another rockslide.)


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## pallen (Jul 31, 2007)

I was about to type a question: isn't it ok for the DM to introduce non-interactive elements to establish context?

But then I thought about it, and I see that it'd be just as easy to establish a context with interactive elements.  And those elements should/would be more interesting to the players.  As a player, I'm constantly frustrated by elements that turn out to be nothing but scenery...

Nice thread, Ryan.  This stuff is pretty obvious when you think about it, but I guess I'd never given it much thought until now.  As a DM, I enjoy the whole world creation aspect, and it's sometimes easy to forget that the world exists to entertain the players, not just me.


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## Ry (Jul 31, 2007)

pallen said:
			
		

> But then I thought about it, and I see that it'd be just as easy to establish a context with interactive elements.  And those elements should/would be more interesting to the players.  As a player, I'm constantly frustrated by elements that turn out to be nothing but scenery...




Exactly!  

Imaro gave me two situations to work with that I think show it best:



			
				Imaro said:
			
		

> Ravenloft: A fog-shrouded caravan of gypsies who appear out of nowhere and upon seeing the PC's shout dire warnings and whisper prophecy of death and madness to come. They flee, with horror in their eyes, if the PC's approach, fading away into the fog.(Sets a mood of doom and mystery.)
> 
> Dark Sun: In the middle of the dessert, the PC's come upon a group of men who are all dead, save one. The lone survivor is clutchig a waterbag, which has a cut along it's bottom and is now empty. When the PC's approach him he will croak at them about his water and how he deserved it, because he was strong enough to take it, before finally expiring from his wounds.(Sets a mood of desperation and savagery)




I don't think those are bad encounters, but both encounters would be better game material if they gave the PCs something to do - presented them with a choice or dilemma. 

For example, imagine using the first encounter when the PCs were wounded, and the gypsies could help.  But the gypsies are afraid of the PCs.  Their terror and horror would be a complicating factor in using the resource - so the players could really engage the horror and terror. The PCs might fail to overcome the gypsies fear - or they might manage to get some brief respite while the gypsies are trying to get the PCs to move on. The GM has more opportunity to play it up than if the encounter - by design - gives nothing for the PCs to do but watch.

For the second encounter, watching a thirsty man who killed his comrades die is one thing - PCs picking helpful items off their corpses emphasizes the desperation of the setting even more. "Nice knife.  Where'd you get it?" "Off a dead man who killed his friends for water."


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## Ry (Jul 31, 2007)

Also, none of this is supposed to diminish the emotional content of the game.  Players get attached to their favorite NPCs, get worried by problems, and so forth.  But those things don't happen when they are inert; players care about their favorite NPCs because they have interacted with them (saved them from threats, helped them with problems, used their resources, earned rewards from them, and so on).  

But the emotions are the result of play, not the DM's front end design.


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## Ry (Aug 1, 2007)

*The Aagen family*

Here's another example.  The PCs in this campaing have a patron; the Aagen family of nobles.  Here's them worked up with PTRR.

*The Aagen Family, basic resource*
The Aagen family can be a major resource for the players, providing a place to stay, twenty guards, political weight, and the talents of their many former retainers (i.e., more player characters).  The members of the Aagen family are:  Murius IV (Ari3), his wife Valoria (Ari6), and their children Murius V (War1), Tarsan (Ari1),  Murian (Ari1), Lumia (Exp1), and Viria (Com1).

_Problem_
The Aagen family has been deposed by royal decree; their lands have been ceded to the kingdom of Koaria in a peace treaty that some call appeasement.  They must gather their belongings and secure as much of their wealth as possible within two months, then make a long journey with what loyal retainers they have kept and leave the kingdom of Muir, which has betrayed them.  

_Threat_
Four assassins have been hired by a courier of the Hallre family, who have taken over the Aagen valley for Koaria.  The Hallre are paranoid and malicious, and fear some lingering claim by the surviving Aagen family.  The assassins are cheap, but their poisons are not.  

_Resource_
Eshan, an elven retainer to house Aagen, has been a member of the House for over six generations.  He travels far delivering key messages and other important duties for the house, and he has a wealth of historical information at his disposal.  In addition, he is a more than capable warrior (Barbarian 6th+20 feats), but does not go out of his way to show off.

_Reward_
The highest honour the Aagen family can bestow upon its retainers is possession of one of the four Auld Aagenswords, keen +1 longswords which were granted in ancient times to the house by the King.  Only three of the swords remain in the family's possession, and of those two are in use: One by Eshan, an elven retainer of the house, and one by Lord Murius Aagen himself.  The last one has been missing for over fifty years.


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## Lonely Tylenol (Aug 2, 2007)

rycanada said:
			
		

> To keep working on depth, add a problem, threat, resource, and reward to each of the above.



Oh, that's cute.  Very stylish.  I suddenly like your system a lot more than I did when I started reading.


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## pallen (Aug 5, 2007)

rycanada said:
			
		

> Here's another example.  The PCs in this campaing have a patron; the Aagen family of nobles.  Here's them worked up with PTRR.



Are you going to leave us hanging here?


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## Ry (Aug 5, 2007)

Oh, hey, sorry.  I forgot this one wasn't finished and I started the new thread in general.


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## Ry (Aug 5, 2007)

Post above has been filled in properly now.


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## TarionzCousin (Aug 8, 2007)

rycanada said:
			
		

> _Problem_
> 
> A ghost entreats the players to return her bones to her family plot, to be reunited with her husband. Unfortunately, her husband was a hero buried in a public park in a major city... and most people who spend their time digging up graves attract some suspicion.



"Most"? Not all? Maybe the PC's expect to be in the minority.   

But seriously, your concept is great, and the examples are even better. Thanks for putting this on the boards.


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## Ry (Aug 8, 2007)

My pleasure, Cousin of Tarionz.  

Did you see the other thread?

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=203128


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

Consolidating the two threads.  

Maggot suggested this NPC as something to work from: "The Master" is an expert swordsman of some renown, when traveling through a town he often attracts a small swarm of followers hoping to learn from him.

Problem: Javeed is a young aristocrat who was just humiliated by the girl he desires. Now in a rage, he is deadset on challenging the Master to a duel to the death. An NPC friend of the PCs (a mutual acquaintance) runs up to them, and pleads with them to help before Javeed gets himself killed. If the PCs intervene by knocking Javeed out, this may set up Javeed as a recurring antagonist to the PCs' plans. Javeed can use his family's resources to obstruct and annoy the PCs without being evil.

Threat: A gnoll bandit, Yagka, heard of the Master's travels and challenged the Master to single combat (read: ambushed him) during the Master's recent travels. He was soundly defeated, but the Master did spare his life. Yagka told his friends that the Master was only powerful because of his magical gear, and has managed to whip them into a frenzy. A large pack of gnolls (20-40) is preparing to descend on the town of Iova's Tryst, their hearts set on arson and murder.

Resource: A local farrier keeps a set of well-designed practise swords made with a thin rod of metal drilled through a straight wooden sword. These are ideal for the Master's purposes of accepting challenges. These swords are treated as masterwork longswords, with a penalty for nonlethal damage of only -2.

Reward: The Master is a significantly powerful NPC (6th level fighter +at least 20 feats in E6). The Master must be played using all possible options as strategically as possible. If a PC challenges the Master respectfully and loses, the Master provides a potion to return that PC to consciousness, congratulates them on a well-fought match. The PC should be awarded a CR 4 experience award for the attempt (this award is given only once, regardless of how often the Master trounces the PC). If a PC challenges the Master and wins, award experience normally. The Master then retires from the life of a travelling swordsman, joining a military academy as an instructor. The PC can gain the title "The New Master" as the legend grows.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

rycanada said:
			
		

> Problem:  Javeed is a young aristocrat who was just humiliated by the girl he desires.  Now in a rage, he is deadset on challenging the Master to a duel to the death.  An NPC friend of the PCs (a mutual acquaintance) runs up to them, and pleads with them to help before Javeed gets himself killed.  If the PCs intervene by knocking Javeed out, this may set up Javeed as a recurring antagonist to the PCs' plans.  Javeed can use his family's resources to obstruct and annoy the PCs without being evil.




Problem:  The PCs notice a smartly dressed man with a blank expression.  He approaches the PCs when they are in town at a later date, asking if they know where he can find a young man named Javeed.  A sense motive check reveals this tightly-controlled man is not all that he seems.  Various clues (a small V mark on the back of his left hand, a vaguely antiseptic smell) point to the truth: he is an assassin.  A helpful gnome, Iupher Standinac, hearing the conversation, mentions that if he's not home now, he's probably with his new girl in the upscale area of the town known as Bidmarket.  The man heads off right away as Iupher says "you could at least say thank you, friend."  If the PCs foil an assassination attempt against Javeed, he is even more resentful of him.  If the PCs fail to foil the assassin, authorities suspect them of involvement. 

Threat:   Javeed travels with a bodyguard (Warrior 4), who (while indifferent to the challenges Javeed gets himself into) will try to defend him from being jumped by street thugs, which is what the PCs are if they immediately try to subdue Javeed.

Resource:  If the PCs have a chance, the Master can be convinced to using nonlethal force in the duel.  As Javeed is a 3rd level Aristocrat, the Master should defeat him handily.  Still, using nonlethal force in a lethal fight is a significant risk for the Master, and says that if the man who shows up at the duel is not a fool, he will not hold back.  As Javeed arrives he is quiet and does not act foolish; the PCs can goad him into hot-headed insults, after which the Master will resort to nonlethal force.  

Reward:  If the PCs intervene and subdue Javeed, his father, Sir Othen, cordially invites them to dinner to show there are no hard feelings.  This offer is legitimate, but if the PCs refuse they will be seen by the aristocracy as very rude.  If the PCs attend this dinner, they are "treated" to a long speech by Othen about the rashness of youth, as Javeed turns purple with shame and anger, seated across from the PC who beat him.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

rycanada said:
			
		

> Threat:  A gnoll bandit, Yagka, heard of the Master's travels and challenged the Master to single combat (read: ambushed him) during the Master's recent travels.  He was soundly defeated, but the Master did spare his life.  Yagka told his friends that the Master was only powerful because of his magical gear, and has managed to whip them into a frenzy.  A large pack of gnolls (20-40) is preparing to descend on the town of Iova's Tryst, their hearts set on arson and murder.




Problem: On the road, the PCs find a wagon that was just attacked; the survivors beg the PCs to protect them as they go on to the next city.  There are obvious signs that the attackers headed down the road toward Iova's Tryst, and as night is falling the PCs (with an Intelligence check of 10 or more if they have any combat experience and have seen Iova's Tryst before, or 15 otherwise) can deduce that the town will be in great danger if the alarm is not raised.

Threat:  Mupp, the leader of the gnoll pack, favors infiltration as a tactic and especially enjoys sneaking into a town and attacking it from several spots at once, grabbing a few terrified people, and then leaving.  He has a well-cared for and quite large set of halfwild dogs (use wolf stats) who he uses to bring down his opponents while he fires at them from afar.

Resource:  The town has a sizeable copper fountain.  The fountain is made in the shape of a great ship, and water blasts up from the crowsnest of the ship in the middle of the day.  As the players arrive, a nearby building is set alight, but if the mast can be bent (DC 20 strength), and the knobs manipulated correctly (DC 15 disable device or INT) the water will shoot out with tremendous force.

Reward:  Yagka carries a fine silver sword, obviously stolen, with the mark of a southern noble family on the hilt.  A Knowledge (nobility) check of 15 or higher can identify it as the noble house of Unsbrad, who are an old but politically weak house in the south.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

rycanada said:
			
		

> Resource:  A local farrier keeps a set of well-designed practise swords made with a thin rod of metal drilled through a straight wooden sword.  These are ideal for the Master's purposes of accepting challenges.  These swords are treated as masterwork longswords, with a penalty for nonlethal damage of only -2.




Problem: The farrier, Topp, is a friend of the Master and his host while staying in Iova's Tryst.  Topp inherited a sizeable debt upon the death of his own father, Tauper.  A few days after the PCs encounter Javeed, they find out that he has bought up Topp's debt, and is demanding a faster schedule of repayment.  The farrier now works on horseshoes night and day, and is in danger of collapse, but is too proud to ask for help.  Javeed also refuses to sell the debt unless the PCs publicly admit to having tricked him dishonorably in their previous confrontation - and then, he will only part from it at an exorbitant price.  The PCs may find alternate solutions to this situation.

Threat:  The PCs see Topp leading an old horse, that is limping behind him.  Topp has the unfortunate task of putting down one of his older horses, who has gone lame.  As the players turn the corner, they hear a "THWACK" and a heartrending whinny, that begins to sound more like a shriek.  A pair of large horses (treat as warhorses) spook and one throws its rider; both go wildly out of control and charge down the road towards the PCs.

Resource:  Topp has a lovely daughter, Ipna, who is very knowledgeable about any social goings-on in Iova's Tryst.  She knows, for example, that Javeed, the son of Sir Othen, is seeing a young noblewoman from the East who is staying with her aunt in Bidmarket.  (Ipna adds "Poor girl.")

Reward:  Topp is actually a very talented farrier, and if befriended can shod the horses with masterwork horseshoes at half the usual price.  If the PCs bought horses anywhere near Iova's Tryst, he knows the horses by name.  He also inquires after the PCs' horses whenever he sees them.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

rycanada said:
			
		

> Reward:  The Master is a significantly powerful NPC (6th level fighter +at least 20 feats in E6).  The Master must be played using all possible options as strategically as possible.  If a PC challenges the Master respectfully and loses, the Master provides a potion to return that PC to consciousness, congratulates them on a well-fought match.  The PC should be awarded a CR 4 experience award for the attempt (this award is given only once, regardless of how often the Master trounces the PC).  If a PC challenges the Master and wins, award experience normally.  The Master then retires from the life of a travelling swordsman, joining a military academy as an instructor.  The PC can gain the title "The New Master" as the legend grows.




Problem:  A travelling young elven bard, Parathilai, quietly observes the PCs' match against the master.  She is deeply impressed by human commitment to excellence, and how much humans achieve in their short lives.  Sometime later, hopefully when the PCs are trying to keep a low profile, she runs into them and greets them eloquently (and far too loudly).  If a PC has become The New Master she exuberantly begins to sing of their exploits.

Threat:  The players overhear one of the Master's unwanted followers trying to convince the Master to join him, that such an army would be unrivalled in power.  Although dressed like a peasant, the man has a haughty bearing; he is in fact Kuens, a wizard (Wizard 5 in E6) with considerable talent and a following of his own.  After the Master turns him down he sends a few of his accomplices (Wizard 2 and Wizard 3) to burn the farrier's house, trapping the Master inside with a Web spell.  This is preferably done while the PCs are speaking with the Master, which can easily be arranged after a respectful match.

Resource:  If defeated, the Master becomes known as Master Quatran of the Academy of Honourable Warfare in the nearby city of Casta.  Whenever the PC who defeated the Master is in this city, or any other PC who is known for martial prowess, a runner is sent from the academy to ask the PC to demonstrate his strength of arms.  If the PC takes the time to do so, they find themselves quickly brought to the field and equipped for a practise match against another (very strong, very tough) instructor.  After this, provided the PCs are conduct themselves politely, they have a valuable resource through the Academy's military contacts. 

Reward:  Zaivan Mandras, the generous younger brother of the powerful and miserly merchant Guthran Mandras, enjoys betting on the various matches between swordsmen that spring up around the master.  Zaivan has terrible luck but excellent humour; the PC and Zaivan can both use Sense motive checks to discern the stronger fighter, but Zaiven's roll is at a -2 modifier.  To determine the victor of a given match, have the winner of the Sense Motive contest roll a d6, and the loser roll a d4.  The higher value wins the contest, re-roll a tie.  Although Zaiven is likely to lose money to the PCs he remembers them later and is happy to bet with them again.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

Imaro said:
			
		

> I was wondering...don't the problems need a hook of some sort for the PC's?  Especially the encounters where Javeed is concerned.  I guess I'm asking why wouldn't they just walk away from the problem?  Especially the assasination and master fight.




That depends on your PCs, really.  When I think of the Javeed encounter (please intervene) I think of it as a request from an NPC that the PCs already like.  If you're stuck for such a character / the PCs are brand new, one great way to do that is to let the PCs, before the start of the game, make up one contact each in Iova's Tryst.  Then pick the most appropriate of those characters.

As for the assassination - the PCs see what's going to happen, and if they don't act, they have to live with the fact that they let someone die based on mere dislike.  That wouldn't sit well with my players, but your mileage may vary.  Standing back while something evil happens to someone you don't like is a bad thing, and a magistrate summoning them or giving them a curfew order because of their suspected involvement would definitely dampen the PCs' spirits.  So yes, it's a moral dilemma, and that doesn't work for every group.



			
				Imaro said:
			
		

> I'm a little fuzzy on resources...are these for the players to use to solve problems or threats?  That's the gist I'm getting...is that correct?  Shouldn't there be two rewards, one for solving the problem and one for overcoming the threat?




Resources and rewards, like problems and threats, are all generally items in a Tars-method DM's bag of tricks.  Say your players are floundering for an information source - you might have a resource that you could introduce for them when the story starts to drag.  Alternatively, you might throw in a resource to emphasize a certain element - for example, PCs get very attached to NPCs that give them good deals.  

Rewards don't need to be related 1:1 to problems or threats, although they can be.  Sometimes the only reward for defeating a threat is ridding the world of a dangerous monster - heck, sometimes defeating a threat can get you into even more trouble.  A DM throws in a reward when he thinks the players have done well and deserve to be rewarded - and it makes sense at the time, of course.  By having several rewards scattered about a situation, the DM has a lot to work with and can customize on the fly based on what happens in the situation itself.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

Kunimatyu said:
			
		

> Reward: Yagka carries a fine silver sword, obviously stolen, with the mark of a southern noble family on the hilt. A Knowledge (nobility) check of 15 or higher can identify it as the noble house of Unsbrad, who are an old but politically weak house in the south.




Problem:  As they attempt to enter the city of Casta, the PCs are reminded that carried weapons are not allowed inside the city without an expensive permit that requires a noble house's sponsorship.  Guards offer to place the PCs' weapons in a lockup.  If the silver sword is placed in lockup it is promptly stolen, but the guards are blameless - a sewer-dwelling wererat has secretly found a way into the lockup, and carefully replaces and _mends_ the mortar between the stones he must remove to enter the lockup at night.  He has been stealing items very slowly so as to make trouble for the city guards, who have chased him on several occasions.

Threat:  Yagka's brother, Yupz, is a necromancer gnoll who killed Rorgen Unsbrad, owner of the sword.  Yupz used the sword to keep track of where his brother was, and retrieves his brother's bones as soon as possible.  Yupz, after reanimating his brother's corpse as a gnollish ghoul (advance a ghoul slightly) he swears a blood oath of vengeance against the PCs.  Yupz is accompanied at all times by two undead dire wolves, a few ghouls of various original races, and Yagka revived as a ghoul (up a ghoul's armor and raise all stats by 4).  When he ambushes the PCs he uses scrolls  and especially darkness effects liberally; these scrolls take the form of chiseled wood panels embedded in his undead brother's flesh.

Resource:  If the players manage to return the sword to a member of the Unsbrad family, they are unable to provide any monetary reward but the family is happy to furnish the players with letters of introduction.  Although they are not powerful, the Unsbrad family is well respected and prolific - they have many cousins and friends throughout several lands who could be basic friendly contacts for the PCs as they travel.  If the players demand monetary reward the family can scrape together 200 gold but will not provide the letters of introduction.  The Unsbrad's network of contacts eventually hears of the PCs, and considers them scavengers not to be trusted.

Reward:  In a tavern sometime later, a large, burly man with an unsavory look and a scarred face bellows "I KNOW THAT SWORD!"  He proceeds to menace the PCs, and asks "Hey, where'd you get that sword?"  If the PCs answer truthfully (that they killed a gnoll), the man's eyes water up, his mouth quivers for a moment, then he bursts into tears and hugs the nearest PC.  He then buys the entire party several rounds.  The man is Wappander, a former companion of Sir Rorgan Unsbrad, killed in a gnoll raid.  Wappander despaired that the sword would ever be found, and had searched far and wide for it before giving up the chase.  Wappander is a 5th-level fighter with an 18 Strength, and he can introduce the PCs to Inargrid Unsbrad, Rorgan's widow, who is coming to Casta to retrieve her husband's remains.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

Imaro said:
			
		

> Bertram Kang(NPC/monster):  The leader of a druidic council who has, unknown to his followers or himself, been infected with lycanthropy(wererat).




I haven't figured out a whole plot for Bertram but here's the promised Tars:

Problem:  The farmers of the nearby villages have reported several animal attacks recently; in one case an old farmer was killed at night by what must have been wolves (actually dire rats).  The druids are trying to prevent conflict between themselves and the farmers (who are only vaguely aware of the circle's presence in the area), but if the farmers organize a posse it quickly will become a mob and will likely target the druids as enemies.

Threat:  If the players track down Bertram as a wererat, they are set upon by three wererats who deliberately infected him to try to turn him towards their sinister nature god.  These three wererats are their own druidic circle that has many savage animals at their disposal.

Resource:  Bertram Kang (Druid 6) is willing to offer healing and his skills as a herbalist to the PCs if they aid his circle, although they notice his unkempt appearance right away.  Although friendly and helpful, he has large bags under his wizened eyes, and he's more than a little dirty.  A younger druid explains that he has been under a great deal of strain lately.

Reward:  Bertram, if cured, lets the PCs in on his secret recipe: A potion of gainful rest.  This potion, if poured onto grass under moonlight, creates a soft bed of grass that allows one humanoid to gain the benefits of three nights of sleep in a single night.  He furnishes the PCs with his last 3 bottles, but does not have the requisite components to brew more at this time (an element called golden dew is required, which only forms on sources of sap turning to amber in special circumstances).


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

rycanada said:
			
		

> Threat: Yagka's brother, Yupz, is a necromancer gnoll who killed Rorgen Unsbrad, owner of the sword. Yupz used the sword to keep track of where his brother was, and retrieves his brother's bones as soon as possible. Yupz, after reanimating his brother's corpse as a gnollish ghoul (advance a ghoul slightly) he swears a blood oath of vengeance against the PCs. Yupz is accompanied at all times by two undead dire wolves, a few ghouls of various original races, and Yagka revived as a ghoul (up a ghoul's armor and raise all stats by 4). When he ambushes the PCs he uses scrolls and especially darkness effects liberally; these scrolls take the form of chiseled wood panels embedded in his undead brother's flesh.




Here I'm going to try PTRRs that expand on that combat, to give it more detail:

Problem:  As the PCs make camp the evening before Yupz attacks, note that it is starting to rain.  The PCs will then make their arrangements for watch and so forth.  Yupz waits until the rain is heavy before he attacks - at this point both he and his minions are very hard to detect through the rain as they get into position around the PCs' tents (or miserable, soaked sleeping bags).  Soaked PCs should be treated as fatigued.

Threat:  Yupz is smart - he knows he is going in for a tough fight, and prepares an escape plan.  Besides taking advantage of the heavy brush, Yupz has armed Yagka with a halberd, and carries a potion of invisibility.  Yupz focuses on buffing his minions, then drinks the potion the round after the PCs engage with his ghoulish dire wolves.  Yupz stays near Yagka casting buff effects on him until the players approach Yagka.  Then Yupz slowly withdraws as quietly as possible, hoping to pick off any surviving PCs that Yagka can't handle.

Resource: There are many patches of wet, heavy brush in the area when Yupz attacks; it provides partial cover, and total cover to prone opponents.  It also slows movement to 1/4 speed when characters try to move through it unless they jump over it.  Yupz makes sure to keep some of that between him and the party, but has to put his undead dire wolves to clearer paths.

Reward:  There is a 500 gp bounty on Yupz' head, posted by the Mandras merchant company.  Player-characters can make a DC 15 Intelligence check to recognize it.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

jjsheets said:
			
		

> Javeed the aristocrat and Zaivan Mandras the merchant's *younger brother*.




Problem:  Zaivan Mandras typically eats at O Lucky Man, the nobles restaurant in Bidmarket.  This is also where Javeed and his new girl, Olarah, dine as well.  Zaivan will try to intervene if an assassin goes after Javeed.

Threat:  Zaivan is dating Olarah's "sister" - but neither Olarah nor her sister Jeniba are what they appear.  Both are cannibal dopplegangers seeking information for their aboleth masters.  Zaivan and Javeed are in no immediate danger, since Olarah and Jeniba are trying to establish strong cover identities, but their associates and friends are.  PCs are in special danger from Olarah, who will frequently look bored or desperate to leave whenever Javeed is not looking, and will jump at the chance to be "swept off" with a male PC - with the PC thinking it was all their idea (note to DMs: This kind of thing actually works).  If Olarah is discovered, as soon as Jeniba learns of it she immediately tries to get Zaivan to a secluded spot to eat him (process takes one hour), then flees in his new identity.

Resource:  Zaivan is always happy to set up free travel for his friends; after all, one or another of his brother's many ships is usually in the harbour.  Of course, if the PCs take him up on that, on this occasion he might have already set up travel for his friend Javeed (and forgot to mention this to the PCs), which could make the trip rather unpleasant. 

Reward:  If the PCs save Zaivan from death (which can come from various sources), Guthran Mandras sends them a merchant's writ for 2000 gold, and offers them work.  In the letter, Guthran asks that they be discreet about their affiliation with him, and that they continue to appear as more of Zaivan's ne'er-do-well friends.  Guthran is deeply concerned about infiltrators into his organization, and although he is a cutthroat merchant baron, he is also a very intelligent man and a relentless foe of dopplegangers of any stripe.

(Cannibal Dopplegangers originally appeared in the free web preview of Hungry Little Monsters).


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

Gold Roger said:
			
		

> Just chiming in to say that I really like your system. I'm notoriously bad at structuring non-dungeon adventures, so this should be a great help for me when not running dungeons or adventure modules.




Try it out on adventure modules - take a situation like a dungeon room that's a fight, and look for a PTRR.  For example, the slope of the room could be the resource, the enemy's loot is the reward, the monster's the threat, the proximity to the killer ant hive is the problem.  When you see a gap, consider filling it.

Edit: I had a fight at the docks in my campaign; it was going to be a gang attacking the tariff office just before an enemy ship was going to dock and unload the vanguard of a city coup.  I cracked open Tars theory and added 

problems:
- Fire at the tarriff office could spread to other buildings
- a local magistrate trying to tell everybody things were normal and to go back into their homes

threats:
- the magistrate brought his own guards, swords in hand, to deal with dockworkers or residents who resisted the coup

resources: 
- dock workers, 
- lots of crates and rope on the docks, 
- a crane, 
- a friendly merchant ship with a big cannon

rewards: 
- the Prince of the city will award them medals if they succeed, and it greatly raises their prestige around the docks.  Every dockworker will know their names.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

jjsheets said:
			
		

> Tar Ipna, the Farrier's daughter... that sounds rather horrible...




We'll Trap her instead.  Isn't that nicer?

Threat:  When the village is attacked by gnolls, one particularly canny gnoll (Warrior4) will try to take cover in Topp's house.  He will try to knock Ipna out and try to escape with her as a hostage.  He can also trade her release for his escape if he is cornered and needs to bargain.

Reward:  Inside the cellar one large slab of rock is actually a secret door; it is heavy enough that the rats have not penetrated it at all.  Hidden inside is an ornate clock - the clock is made with many precious metals.  This clock's value should be sufficient to pay off the family debt unless it is in Javeed's hands.

Asset:  Ipna keeps a number of carrier pigeons, and is operating as part of a messenger system sponsored by several merchant houses.  This is bringing in some extra funds, but all are going towards the family debt.

Problem:  The barn across the field has long stood unused, but there is a cellar beneath it that is filled with junk.  Ipna resolved to clean it out, but upon getting down there found it swarming with rats.  Some rats are actually dire rats - in fact, the cellar has become a pen for a goblin tribe that lives in caves that stretch under most of the town.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

The goblins under Iova's Tryst:

Threat:  The most dangerous thing about the goblisn below Iova's Tryst is their mixed unit tactics.  The goblins break down into 4 castes; paradoxically, each caste squabbles incessantly within itself but members of different castes work together unusually well.  The four castes of goblins are Rock (fighters, stone throwing, clubs, heavy armor, shields), Bow (bows, light armor, also trapmakers), Knife (rogues, focusing on mobility to flank foes) and Fire (sorcerers).  The "leader" of the goblins is an animated Rakshasa's head that retains just enough of the powers it had in life to rule the goblins.

Reward:  The Rakshasa head, despite cowing the goblins, is immobile, and can do very little to the PCs besides bargain.  In life, the Rakshasa was called Mojara, and he has many memories of ages gone by.

Asset:  One exit from the goblin cave follows a long, straight underground tunnel for about a mile out of town.  The tunnel is shaped like a big pipe and was crafted from polished white stones.  There are occasional caves that branch off of the pipe - many have collapsed.  Water, about a foot deep, flows at the bottom of the tunnel, which reflects light back and forth off the polished white stones of the tunnel.  A mile out of town, a cave leads upward to the surface.  Local druids know of the location of the exit, although they don't know it leads under the town.

Problem:  The goblins are an effective bulwark against the even more dangerous monsters of the underdark, and if they are noticeably weakened, a cult of driders may swarm up into Iova's Tryst.

PS: My player calls them PRATs now.   :rollseyes:


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

Here's 4 more for the lair itself

Threat:  The goblins have a main "battle chamber" that they try to funnel attackers into.  The PCs would enter into the narrow end of that chamber, where broken stones are piled high (leaving only a few feet between the rocks and the cave ceiling at the entrance) and require balance checks to cross.  Thus, once a creature enters into the chamber they need to slowly move down to the floor of th battle chamber in order to be able to stand up and not balance.  The other end of the cavern has some very large stone slabs that the goblins use for cover (Rock caste goblins hide behind these until the PCs approach unless ordered forward, which is unlikely as the Bow and Fire clan retreats).  Knife clan tries to circle around through other tunnels to come up behind any intruder.

Reward:  Upon seeing the heroes, the goblin in charge of the rat pen will immediately surrender, and say he can make it worth their while - he can; he's stashed six small rubies that he stole in the city and he's been saving them to bribe Mojara to let him be the next Castelord of the Bow caste.

Asset: A large pit in the main battle chamber has a floor that slopes towards it - at the bottom of the pit is an angry Ogre who has been trapped here for some time.  The ogre could be bargained with, and will kill any goblins tossed into the pit.

Problem:  There are many small, difficult to notice passages that connect different tunnels in the area.  These require Escape Artist checks to pass through (DC 20), but the Knife caste is trained in doing these exact ones, giving them a +2 circumstance bonus in addition to their check.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

I like Mojara as a rakshasa that is vulnerable enough and smart enough not to screw with the PCs.

Threat:  Kuen, the sorcerer who was trying to get the Master to join him, seeks Mojara's head for the lore it holds.  But if the players have come into possession of the head he will treat them very seriously.  Kuen will attack with the support of whatever allies he can find; this might include the remnants of Mupp's gnoll pack, the goblins, a female manticore named Hratchlip, and a few of his lower-level wizards.  Mojara has feat that allows his crow familiar to travel at long range, and reduces his dependance on it.  The crow will keep tabs on the PCs, allowing Mojara to choose the best possible time to strike.  Mojara focuses on enhcantments, so he does not have a big fireball-style effect to open combat; that's what Hratchlip is for.

Reward:  Mojara will be deferential and polite to the PCs, and not do anything stupid like try to turn them into his pawns, at least for the first few years.  Mojara knows he's vulnerable and that the PCs will be paranoid enough about a talking head.  He also knows he needs to act fast - he will offer to lead the PCs to a stash of healing items (wands, scrolls, and potions), saying "I am bound to this form, but please, do not end me.  There is so much more to learn."

Problem:  One of Mojara's ancient brothers survives to this day, hidden among humans in the far-off city of Umatta.  Once Mojara is above the surface, Majago (the brother) will learn of it via a strange shadow divination that links rakshasa of the same litter.  Majago will eventually make his way to the lands near Casta and Iova's Tryst, insinuating himself into the social world of the nobility.  The players will hear of a few murders of the lower-class citizens, mostly beggars and madmen, but these also reinvigorate Mojara.  Mojara recommends returning his head to his brother so his brother leaves the area.

Asset:  Mojara has been stuck in the underdark for some time, and if brought above ground he is greatly disoriented.  He knows of a Rakshasa tomb that would be full of treasure, and it should be up in the mountains, but starts to lose energy after a short amount of looking around.  Sacrificing living creatures to him can enhance his clarity of mind and reenergize him, which makes him able to show the way more quickly.  If the PCs ask something like "How can we keep you going?" He will say "You will despise the truth." and act reluctant to tell the PCs.  Thus, the PCs will have to choose whether to sacrifice animals (pouring the blood into Mojara's mouth) in exchange for treasure.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

Reward: Kuen has Mojara's hand, and seeking Mojara's head was the real reason for coming to Iova's Tryst.  The presence of the Master was just a lucky opportunity, which unfortunately did not pan out.  Mojara cannot animate the hand until he has drank the blood of at least 60 hitpoints worth of creatures, and then only for a minute a day.

Threat:  Majago has Mojara's tail, other claw, and several of Mojara's bones.  With enough sacrifices Mojara will be able to animate himself and start thinking about taking others' flesh to finish the job.  Just the presence of his tail would reinvigorate him enough to use all the normal powers of a rakshasa.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

Problem:   Hratchlip (Kuen's manticore ally) will retreat early on in the battle and return to her mate.  Her mate is Paktkach, the manticore detailed earlier in this thread.

Asset: The mine Paktkach occupies leads to the entranceway of the Rakshasa tomb that Mojara is trying to lead the party to.  The tomb entrance is a difficult puzzle door, but Kuen (who knows about the tomb) hasn't been able to get to it because before you get to the door you need to discover another secret door that looks like a hard rock face.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

I was hoping to show a little more breadth of what kinds of things TRAPs give you.  For example, if you're trying to demonstrate a culture, and you want it to be something the PCs hook into, you've got to build TRAPs around that culture.  For example

Threat: Although they use nonlethal methods, especially Strengh poisons, the Kovani attack intruders into their territory on sight, assuming them to be members or slaves of the Gua Minotaur tribe to the east.

Problem: You can't speak to the elder council if you haven't completed the rites of adulthood.  If you accept the challenge, you must hunt another predator in the wild, and you are given no equipment to do so.

Asset: Each member of the tribe carries a string of beads woven into their hair or clothing; this string of beads tells a great deal about them, and if you spend time with the tribe you can learn to read these to understand why some are given more respect than others.

Reward:  A Kovani woman presents you with a string of beads, and smiles.  You realize that the string of beads tells your story as well as the tribe knows it.  That night you are taught of the secret paths that Kovani use through their territory; walking the path tells other Kovani that you are a friend.


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## Slapzilla (Aug 11, 2007)

Love the flowchart.  Every Threat, Asset and Reward spawns a new TRAP set.  It seems to fill out the world a bit as if the PCs go in one direction, the rest of the world doesn't wait around for them.  PC decisions on what to do and who to help actually have ramifications.  Timing comes into play, relationships that develop are important and role playing skills from the players and Bluff, Diplomacy etc, come to the fore.
The usual balancing act of every DM becomes important as there are many things the players couldn't know.  A while back at the Manticore lair, I think the PCs wouldn't know about the bats and even if they did (in my experience) it is the rare player who would think of causing the rockslides to disorient them, whether they knew about the goblins or not.  Especially when hunting a Manticore is it's lair.  Like the infected Druid.  It's not a problem if the PCs don't know about it, therefore there is no recognizable threat, utilizable asset or known reward.
Mood is what sets the 'stock footage' sort of scenes apart.  The dying man with the slashed waterskin is a great scene for setting the desperate, savage mood.  A cursed dagger and a pack of ghouls on your trail are one idea for an adventure part of continuing the scene but without the mood, it falls flat.  Being a few steps ahead of the players on the TRAP and having the NPCs and beasties prepped let the DM focus on the mood of the scene.  Not wondering during a combat what the 'offstage' players are doing allows mood focus too.  I'm going to apply this system to my plot for tomorrow's game and see how well it turns out.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

Sweet!  Thanks for posting that Slapzilla.  If you have a breakdown of your plot, feel free to post it here if you're interested in some TRAPs or other feedback.


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## Slapzilla (Aug 11, 2007)

It's funny as I have three new players, one of which has only played two sessions-last week and two weeks ago.  The other two have about six sessions between them and I ran them all about a year and a half ago.  As a side note, it is refreshing not to be playing with a bunch of jaded lifers as my last group was.  Anyway, as they are all relatively inexperienced I created a couple of combat scenarios to teach/refresh a bit of the mechanics and in the second scenario they talked thier way around it.  So, going with the flow we ended up starting to play.  The scenario was a basic, stock hook.  A local noble's manor was attacked by unknown assailants and in the confusion, three family members were missing.  The noble is convinced that a new mercenary group to the area is involved in the kidnapping and hired the PC's to infiltrate and map thier walled camp and get some numbers on the company's strength, assets etc.  Pretty lame, I know but it was intended to just be any ol' hook.  They found the place and charmed the guards into not killing them on sight ("but I'm lost, sir and just need a place to sleep") and got some info about a safe place to stay the night- the clearing created by the logging that made the fort's walls.  There they met one of the mercs who (me needing a combat) moved in for the kill.  They took him out and got info out of one of his lackeys about how they were out searching for a possible cave entrance one of the loggers mentioned.  The lackey also provided the info they needed for the noble so they decided to head back to the manor.  So....

The mood is one of tension.  There is a new wall being constructed at the manor and there are new guards active.  The household is anxious and suspicious.  Tempers flare easily.

Problem
The noble is angry at the PCs as they got no info on the missing loved ones and the info they did get was second hand at best and doesn't want to reward them.

Threat
A cool temper will be needed so the noble does not become enraged at the PCs and commit his guards to violence.

Asset
During the debriefing of the PCs the Chamberlain puts two and two together and asks the PCs to search for the cave entrance.  Perhaps to use as a hide out from which to spy on the mercs and a way to try to get back in the good graces of the noble.

Reward
The cave turns out to be (of course) a dungeon that, when cleared, could be a safe spot to base from.  Assuming they tell the Chamberlain and hand it over they are back in good (at least indifferent) standing with the local noble.  

The branches from this are many.  Certainly the PCs may not care about the good graces of the noble and just split, ignoring the Chamberlain's request.
The Threat Problem could be a big ol' fight and all the legal troubles of being outlaws.  Maybe simple enmity from the noble and a tense armed escort off the property etc.
The Asset Problem could be as simple as the life and limb of clearing out a dungeon (full of mercs who have found it or the usual denizens).
The Chamberlain certainly has ulterior motives, farious or nefarious, and the Reward problem might just be keeping varmints off the property.
Except for the Chamberlain's motives, none of these things involve the missing loved ones or in any direct way, the motives of the mercs.  The info reward at the end of the dungeon is the entrance hook into the overarching plot I had in mind.  So far, plenty of action and role playing and my original plot is only just touched on.  Already, with the TRAP system I've got a setting that is in motion with ramifications from the charaters direct actions.  The entrance hook and the missing loved ones are connected directly but nobody but me knows that.  I know exactly what motivates the Chamberlain and why and I know what the mercs are up to and all these thing come out later and how they do is up to the PCs.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

You should definitely think about building TRAPs around that dungeon.  I'd say doing 3 sets would be a good start.

For example, here's a TRAP around any dungeon entrance:  There's (Threat an honest-to-goodness spiked pit trap, but (Reward the player can find the body of a dead adventurer with a little bit of gold and gear at the bottom.  Also, (Asset the pit connects to a few other pits that lead up into other parts of the dungeon, but (Problem making too much noise down might attract the Carrion Crawlers that dug the tunnels in the first place.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

rycanada said:
			
		

> For example, here's a TRAP around any dungeon entrance:  There's (Threat an honest-to-goodness spiked pit trap, but (Reward the player can find the body of a dead adventurer with a little bit of gold and gear at the bottom.  Also, (Asset the pit connects to a few other pits that lead up into other parts of the dungeon, but (Problem making too much noise down might attract the Carrion Crawlers that dug the tunnels in the first place.




Another TRAP to wrap around that:  

There are nasty javelin-chucking goblins in the cave (Threat), but they're afraid of a Chuul that lives in an underground lake and occasionally comes into their caves (Asset, also possible leadin to a Threat).  Thus, they've built makeshift fortifications out of the thorny vines that grow nearby and piled up rocks so that Medium-sized creatures have to crawl into some of the chambers (Problem).  The goblins' javelins whistle eerily as they fly through the air, which in large numbers can panic their enemies (Wil save negates, but also possible Reward).


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

If you want to start cranking the sense of challenge, try adding twice as many Threats and Problems to each situation.  If you end up coming up with an Asset or Reward while jamming on those, don't suppress that idea, but just keep on with the focus on Threats and Problems.


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## Slapzilla (Aug 11, 2007)

It just keeps ramping up and new branches keep showing.  It's a good system and as long as the mood is set, the PCs guide the branching points and the DM stays creative, it flows smoothly.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

Threat: The Chuul is hungry and quite canny.  It has taken a pile of shiny (but worthless) objects and placed them on the opposite side of its pool, trying to tempt adventurers into the water.  If they take the bait, the Chuul takes great advantage of its ability to grapple opponents underwater.

Problem:  The stones around the Chuul's pool are very smooth, slippery, and loose, requiring Balance checks at a DC of 13.

Resource: The water in the back of the cave is quite safe to drink, so long as it's not polluted by the Chuul's decaying body.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

It's not a bad idea to have several possibilities ready for the PCs before the game - things do go smoothly if you prepare at least some of the TRAPs in advance.


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## Ry (Aug 11, 2007)

That time with the bear:

Threat: At the circus, a bear on a chain clobbers dwarf handler.

Reward: Free pie from two dozen grateful mothers.

Asset: Picnic tables, tents, chairs cause bear to move at half-speed.  Also a 10 foot chain around the bear's neck.

Problem: Children sitting right in front of the stage with the bear.


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## Ry (Aug 12, 2007)

I'm now going to soften my initial position: Clearly, there's need to develop context.  When a player creates a cleric, they ask what the deities are, and while you could call the deities resources, it's a bit of a stretch.  

I'm going to re-justify, though, by saying that the context you develop should point back to TRAPs.  For example, if you say that Vogg, destructive god of wildfire, is the brother of Kaen, but they oppose each other, I'd say you should follow that up with at least some possible TRAPs.


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## Emryys (Aug 12, 2007)

This is useful stuff for any RPG 

You should make a pdf and maybe post this over at Treasure Tables


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## Ry (Aug 12, 2007)

Thanks Emryys!  Like E6 I think it has to go through a few iterations before it's well-explained enough for people to get it on the first pass.  Once I explain it well enough it'll be ready for the free pdf "big time"


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## Slapzilla (Aug 12, 2007)

It took me 20 minutes to map out the next two sessions I'm going to run.  I tend to think holisticly about dungeons but the TRAP system helped add dimension to it.  I'd have been able to go further but I found that the decisions the characters make must drive the next set of TRAPs (if you don't want to railroad them... and you don't).  Not so much decisions about whether or not to give the golden idol they just retrieved out of the trap filled cave to the waiting thief and his band of natives outside (because that is probably just a fight), but more like whether or not to hand it over to the collector for the reward, melt it down for the raw gold or sell to the highest bidder. Easy to think of TRAP sets for each scenario.  Going a couple of TRAP sets down the path you think they won't take is a good idea just in case, but I suppose if you feel you know your PCs you can go as far as you need to.


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## Ry (Aug 13, 2007)

Here's some I did for Shark's tavern thread.

Threat: A foreign alchemist has been treated badly by the locals, and after being swindled is filled with rage. He carries a bottle of enchanted oil which can conjure a fire elemental in the fireplace of the inn.

Reward: The innkeeper's private stash includes two 100gp bottles of Earthlove, potent (DC 20 Will save 1d3 int (min 3) 1d8 wis (min 1)) ales from a dwarven brewery that was destroyed by unknown forces over two hundred years ago. These could be given or shared with the party but only if the PCs win the normally dour man's trust and he wishes to celebrate.

Asset: There is one room at the inn where you can clearly hear people talking in the darkest corner of the common room. 

Problem: Two men whisper to each other, clearly engaged in some kind of heated argument in the darkest corner of the common room. In truth, they plan to kill a certain foreign alchemist, fearing (incorrectly) that he will turn them over to the local authorities.


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## Ry (Aug 13, 2007)

Problem:  Throughout the city sewers, a long periods without maintenance have weakened the stones.  While the roads and buildings above are largely safe, within the sewers themselves loose stones and mudslides are a frequent hazard. 

Threat:  An aboleth has sent skum and cannibal dopplegangers into the sewers below the city.  Their purpose here is to find a colony of standard dopplegangers that hides in the city - the aboleths want to capture them to be transformed into their most useful thralls.

Resource:  Yano Mattas, head guardsman of the city watch, has let the doppleganger colony live in secret under his protection.  He knows of the quiet invasion and will try to get the player characters involved and aid them without revealing the normal dopplegangers' presence.

Reward:  Yano Mattas can promise the PCs that they will have an invaluable information source, but he cannot reveal it because doing so would endanger the sources.  He is sincere, although this network of contacts does not take requests.


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## Ry (Aug 29, 2007)

Asset: Ratfolk dwelling under the city know many paths connecting the sewers and ruins beneath the surface.  Many of these locations are practically impossible to find for outsiders, but the ratfolk are willing to deal in the two commodities they value most: Meat, and protection from the city guard.

Problem: A normally lethargic tribe of troglodytes that live in the caverns beneath the city have become aggressive, driving ratfolk from their nests and even making a rare surface raid.  An aboleth and its skum retinue have moved into the area, and convinced the troglodytes that the aboleth is their long-forgotten progenitor.

Threat: When the players near a ratfolk nest, troglodytes wielding longspears, skum warlocks, and a Chuul sent by the aboleth are in the process of attacking the nest.

Reward: The lead troglodyte is a chieftain, and he wields a set of 4 returning javelins +1.


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## Ry (Sep 3, 2007)

I'm still working on this method.  I'm seeing other things in the world that exist but aren't TRAPs, and seeing how much better they are when they have TRAPs associated with them.

But this is actually reminding me that there's more to life than TRAPs.  Everything else is like a peg to hang TRAPs on, but sometimes it does need to exist.

So, like Zones, I'm working on Factions and Themes, which are again, very simple, short ideas that tie together a bunch of TRAPs for the purpose of world-organization and purposeful campaigns with strong stories.


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## Ry (Sep 3, 2007)

I'm also seeing the difference between story-level and encounter-level TRAPs.  I'll try to write more on this later when I have better examples, but the basic idea is that (for organization purposes) there is a big distinction between the kind of TRAPs a DM needs at hand when a dangerous encounter is happening, and the kind of TRAPs a DM needs when an encounter isn't happening but play is still going on.


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## Ry (Sep 3, 2007)

Above the encounter level Problems and Threats are basically the same, as are Resources and Rewards.  

So I am currently looking down at my color-coded TRAP cards and I've got:

Black: Story-level problem / threat
Silver: Story-level asset / reward

Red: Threat
Purple: Problem
Blue: Asset
Gold: Reward


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## Ry (Sep 3, 2007)

OK, more organizational stuff.

TRAPs, as I've got them now, are organized into 3 sets:  Zone-based (TRAPs that happen at a particular location), Conflict-based (TRAPs that might happen in various places but as phases of some conflict the players are involved with) and Random.  

Most of the TRAPs posted in this thread are zone-based, and a few are conflict-based.  There's really no distinction deep down, this is just to organize for my purposes.  Why have three groupings?

Conflict-based TRAPs serve the sense of an overall "plot" of the game.  Not that my game has a predetermined plot - but it has conflicts that the players are interested in, and those conflicts need to have a lot of content and interactive elements.  There needs to be more to a conflict than a problem that the players resolve right away - serious, campaign-level conflicts have a large variety of related problems to solve, threats to defeat, resources to use, and rewards for taking them on.

Zone-based TRAPs are one important element of the setting; they are there for the players to be able to go back to and enhance the campaign's "sets" with interactivity and content.  To the players, the docks aren't the docks without Mencha, the Dockmaster that helped them fight off the coup, or the Tariff Office that was rebuilt after the fire.  

Random TRAPs exist to fill gaps in my planning (when players do something unexpected) and to remind me to keep the game detailed.  While a 50gp book on ancient architecture might just get sold, a player might decide that his character has an interest in such things and keep it.  That becomes a cue to me as a DM to build TRAPs (i.e. opportunities to interact with something in-game) that relate to such things.  I organize my Random TRAPs into City, Wilderness, and Dungeon for ease of use.


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## Slapzilla (Sep 8, 2007)

It does seem that Conflict and Zone based TRAPs can be both story and encounter.  I think TRAPs help best when they provide somewhere for you to go when your players make a decision.  Player action drives the game and if you can be flexible, you can stay one step ahead of them.
I've got a pretty good story idea a-brew and I've got a line on the characters' personalities.  By being flexible, I can drop a hook here and there and let them 'find' my plot and it will seem as if they uncovered it themselves.  Manipulative?  Perhaps.  All DMs are to an extent.  What isn't manipulative is me not hammering them to go ONE way and do ONE thing.  I've used the TRAPs concept on the fly a couple of times and it worked out real well.
Having 'set pieces' is always necessary to story building and concentrated locations of monsters and treasure is a staple of the game.  These are the Conflict and Zone TRAPs you are talking about, I assume.
What I like about the process is the emphasis on continuation.  A reward that becomes an asset, which in turn becomes a problem when someone tries to steal it, or break it.
Whatever the scope of the TRAP, the process remains the same it's just that instead of Reward: Wand of Magic Missile 5th level, it becomes Reward: Alliance with the Empire of McGuffin.


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## Edheldur (Sep 24, 2007)

rycanada said:
			
		

> I'm also seeing the difference between story-level and encounter-level TRAPs.  I'll try to write more on this later when I have better examples...



I'd really like to read about this, after reading all of this thread. I've started using this method and I've gotten great results so far.


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## Ry (Sep 26, 2007)

Hi Eheldur, I'm working on coming back to this, I've been dealing with a really heavy load of responsibilities and trying to wrap up E6 as a project until 4E comes out.

Basically, the idea is that some Assets / Rewards really don't make sense on a purely encounter level (i.e. Resource: The Orcish Warlord chafes against his Lich master) and some Problems don't make sense at the story level (Problem: There is a hedge of brambles between you and your opponents, this complicates any ranged combat). 

Designing to match the use, say you're lining up a combat where you have lots against the players but nothing fun for them to use in the scene.  You wouldn't want to put your hand in a bag labeled "Assets" and come up with "The millwright knows most of the dirty secrets of the village elders, including that three are infected with lycanthropy.  He can share this information with the players quite casually once he believes they are competent enough to react appropriately."  You want to come up with "The area rolls significantly; mark 10 square as high ground and 10 as low ground; this is a resource to smart players... although smart villains might use it too."


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## Edheldur (Sep 27, 2007)

Hey Ry. I get it now... and thought of something similar while using your TRAPs model while doing some campaign prep-work. Thanks for your answer!


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## Slapzilla (Sep 29, 2007)

Adjust for scale and it is easy dealing with encounter/story TRAPs.  I've been able to work pretty smoothly with it so far and scale hasn't been an issue.  It's easier for me to start large and get small but if I have a large TRAPs set up, getting down to the encounter level is easy as I already have some sense of how the world is moving.  As long as you remember to go on what the players want and do, you can't go wrong unless your imagination fails entirely.


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## joela (Oct 4, 2007)

*Traps*

Damn. First E6, now TRAPS. GOOD STUFF. I'm already a convert of the former (my upcoming Eberron game is E6) and the latter will be an excellent guide as I designed adventures set in Sharn. 

When's your "how to maximize your DM experience with as little work as possible" book going to be released?


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## Slapzilla (Oct 7, 2007)

Ry, when you mentioned Factions and Themes that got my brain going.  I've been thinking about each of these things and how they relate to TRAPs already and I think scale is the only issue.

You've mentioned encounter/story level TRAPs before and I think there is no real difference with the Politics of the Empire TRAPs (Story-campaign) and the Assassin at the Royal Wedding Banquet TRAPs (Story-session) and the Pursuit through the Palace TRAP (encounter).  The campaign TRAPs lead out and 'down' to session TRAPs and the encounter TRAPs are derived from the session's TRAP sets.

Factions have motivations and are a part of the Politics TRAPs and of course, filter down into the session TRAPs.  Individual encounters may or may not involve any factions, but to guide Themes... depends on your story.

Themes, like mood, are the lifeblood of making any game memorable.  Like a good book, there is more to the action than the actions themselves.  Context, mood and underlying themes are vital to making a work of imagination come alive.  Make a Faction represent a Theme!  If a Politics story involves a ruthless dictator and the struggle against him/her/it, then what it means to be free could be a Theme of the Resistance Faction.  It could be a Theme about the struggle of Nature against the onslaught of Civilization represented by the Freedom Fighters' clash with the Tyrant of Order.  Make it interesting and make Civilization a really likeable Faction and the Freedom Fighters just as likeable.  Forcing the characters to choose sides always makes for railroading, but letting the characters choose sides creates a personal connection to the Theme.  Intimate involvement from the players means a better time had by all.

Festive dances by the Bonfire of Freedom or orderly rows of tents and a Communal Dinner in the (totally not a) Mess Hall are natural Themes predicated by the Factions themselves.  All these things add flavor to what is already an imaginative exercise.  More Power to Us All!


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## Ry (Oct 7, 2007)

I see what you mean.  I want to emphasize for lurkers / readers that when I talk about Factions / Themes / etc.  I'm talking about making these things out of TRAP-shaped blocks.

For example, if you're designing a theme of nature vs. the unclean, you're going to want Threats from the aberration family, Rewards bestowed by those connected to nature, Assets that involve nature's defenders, and Problems that involve nastiness taking over the natural world or how to get people to choose nature over the alternative.


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## Slapzilla (Oct 7, 2007)

All of these things lend a natural flow to the story.  Factions have their own motivations and the Themes they represent have a life of their own, just as your example of nature vs. the unclean suggests.  Building TRAPs around them is easy.


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## Ry (Oct 7, 2007)

If I wasn't writing a GMless game, working on an open fantasy iconography, and imminently apparent (i.e. a parent), I'd be trying to rewrite that first post to get the idea across in a cleaner, easier way.


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## wargear (Oct 11, 2007)

So. Threat, Resource, Asset, and Problem. Great idea.

I'm going to go back and apply it to my campaign...see what effects it will have...


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## Ry (Oct 11, 2007)

Thanks wargear!  Remember it's not designed to stifle, just to transform the things you create into things that the players will really interact with.

Let me know if it works!


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## Ry (Oct 22, 2007)

I don't have time or resources to work TRAPs up into a .pdf - at least in the near future.  I was going to write "Please treat TRAPs as 100% OGL" but here's one better.  

All my posts in this thread are 100% OGL except where they cannot be OGL because they reference another work (like when I was talking about Dark Sun).  

[sblock=The License]THIS LICENSE IS APPROVED FOR GENERAL USE. PERMISSION TO DISTRIBUTE THIS LICENSE IS MADE BY WIZARDS OF THE COAST!

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a

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15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
_TRAPs: Threats, Rewards, Assets, and Problems_ Copyright 2007, Ryan Stoughton[/sblock]


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## Slapzilla (Oct 23, 2007)

Sweet.

Any ideas on how you're going to finalize things yet?


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## Ry (Oct 23, 2007)

See this thread. 

It might be a while. 

I also have another project that is ahead on the queue.  That could change if J's time opens up and he's still interested but we'll see.


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## Slapzilla (Oct 23, 2007)

YAHOO!

Congrats!

I'll see what I can do and submit it to you soon enough for your perusal of my understanding of the process.  See what you think, if we're on the same page and all.

Have fun!


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## Ry (Oct 24, 2007)

Sounds good - I'd be happy to edit and put my input in.  Revising "What TRAPs are" would be awesome.


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## Slapzilla (Oct 24, 2007)

Input?  It's your thing, baby!  I just to help by giving you something to work off of.  If I have it right in the first place.


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## Ry (Oct 24, 2007)

Reference:

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=202750

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=203128


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## Woas (Oct 29, 2007)

If you have the time (I understand you have a newborn and all) could you extrapolate more on the conflict-based TRAPs?
I've been trying to use this method in my current Iron Heroes game as a method of focusing the action and flow/storyline of the game into a better package. And because the game has hit a "new chapter" point where the story and plot is switching gears I'd like to try TRAPs.

For example two of the players have created characters that share some character backstory and are both searching for an NPC. For the most part I've been skirting the issue and keeping it on the back burner. But now I would like give the players a chance to fulfill their characters backstory and create a side-plot of it.

Threat: ??? To be honest I'm still not 100% sure how a threat is unique from a problem. Senos (The NPC is question) is to be hung in X amount of days? Would that be an appropriate threat?
Reward: Senos can give the players further info about the story-line.
Asset: Characters can do favors for the warden or other such figure to gain access to a special session with Senos?
Problem: Senos was arrested and now is being held in a prison. The characters are not allowed to talk to him.

Thanks,
Woas


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## Ry (Oct 29, 2007)

Well, Threat is like Monster and Reward is like Treasure.  

The difference between problems and threats in my mind is that threats are dangerous in a very immediate way.  Remembering threats is exactly the same as remembering to put traps and monsters in a dungeon. 

So for a Threat, I'd design a badass executioner (could be capital E Executioner class or not) that has been sharpening his axe for Senos, or a wyvern that attacks the crowd gathered for the execution.  That's just like saying "In d20 games, when the the going gets tough, the weapons come out."

A Problem is just like you describe: Something where the PCs are going to be at cross purposes with someone else or have to "solve" something, but not necessarily in immediate danger in the same way.  

A warlord's plot to take over the city is a Problem - the warlord's dragon lieutenant is a Threat, and his badass but evil sword is an Asset with a Problem, and he himself is probably a Threat that's tied to a bunch of these Threats, Rewards, Assets, and Problems.

Good?


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## Woas (Oct 30, 2007)

Yes it is more clear now. Threats are the actual meat n' potato element of a session that is going to involve the dice rolling. A problem is the overarching/guiding reason why the characters an a threat are in the same place at the same time to begin with.

Thank you for the help.


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## Ry (Oct 30, 2007)

Just to throw a LITTLE mud in, there is a kind of Problem that works in a meat and potatoes way.  That's the "during the battle" Problem - for example:

Threat: Weredirebadger Archers with bows the size of ballistas

Reward: Weredirebadgers' bows are worth 1000 gp each.

Asset:  Weredirebadgers are known (DC 20 knowledge check) for a strong sense of honour and can be called out to a melee challenge by an appropriate party.

Problem: Aforementioned dire badgers have good cover, long range, and high ground, and there's a river between their hill and the PCs.


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## Ry (Nov 2, 2007)

Someone e-mailed me looking for some help with making a "lower down to the giant-built quarry floor" more of an encounter/situation than just an exercise in dice-rolling.

Problem: Grimlocks have taken up residence in some caves connected to the quarry - these are fissures originally dug by the giants.  The Grimlocks ruined the old steps down into the quarry.

Threat:  Bulette or Devourer attacks if players linger too long.  The PCs see some kind of grooves chisled into the bulette's hide, maybe Undercommon for its grimlock master's name.

Asset (AKA Resource): Some mineral in the quarry attracts the beasts.  The grimlocks have figured out how to use them as guard animals because the mineral is delicious to earthdwellers.

Reward: Smart PCs who scout out the area find a cave that - if navigated quietly and carefully - can be used to reach the quarry floor without alerting the grimlocks.


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## Cerulean_Wings (Nov 16, 2007)

I got in love with the TRAP system, and here are my very first 2 attempts at using it for my E6 campaign 

*Spoiler warning:* If you happen to be one of my players in my Rpol campaign, do not read this post, unless you wish to spoil yourself of what's going to happen.

TRAP #1

Problem - The Captain's son went missing, apparently taken captive by the Black Lead, a group of bandits. In truth, he willingly joined them, and is now using his knowledge of the city to make it easier for the bandits to sneak in and steal

Threat - The bandits are violent, and approaching them in a frontal-assault at their cave will end in a bloody mess

Asset - There's a knight who was buried in the cave, in a secret chamber, who could assist the PC's (as a skeletal knight), should they retrieve his family heirloom (taken by one of the bandits)

Reward - If the Black Lead is convinced to get away from the region (or slain), and the boy is returned to the Captain, they will have a quartet of horses given to them, along with free food for a week

TRAP #2

Problem - A group of assassins have planned to wreck a small city by asking the local alchemist to make loads of explosive materials as a "special order", and convinced the local hunter to kill as many animals in the region for their hides. The explosives will be used to literally blow things up in an "accident", and the hunter's actions will lead to a tribe of barbarians to get angry with the city - angry enough to attack it

Threat - The barbarians will attack soon enough, unless convinced, and the alchemist's explosives will wreck everything if the assailants are not stopped in time. 

Asset - One of the pc's comes from a family of wood elfs that lives in the woods nearby, who could agree to help the pc's to stall the barbarians from attacking.

Asset #2 - The barbarians will accept this deal: the head of the hunter in exchange for not attacking the city

Reward - A big feast for the heroes, should they succeed 100%, which will attract the attention of the local noble. Should they also convince the barbarian tribe, they will earn their respect, too


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## Slapzilla (Nov 16, 2007)

Sounds right.  Just be careful about NPCs helping out too much, specificly TRAP #2 Asset #1.  The PCs need to be the stars.  If the family does help, it should be with information only.  Assets should be something for the PCs to use, not something that does the work for them.  It does look like you've got the idea though.  Nice!


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## Ry (Nov 16, 2007)

Another way to use those elves would be to have archer support of PC activities during a forest battle.  That would be cool, PCs are still the stars and the asset is still an asset.


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## Cerulean_Wings (Nov 16, 2007)

Yes to you both, Ry and Slapzilla: the idea is that the family of elven archers will help make the battle possible, but the PC's still need to be there, front line, and attack with all their might. Like in a Lord of the Rings movie


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## doghead (Nov 24, 2007)

After getting through about half of the thread, I decided to try and apply the TRAP's system to Underdogs, my current PbP game here on EN world. My head is still spinning.

Initially most of it was just sorting out ideas already floating around in my head (I'm not a great one for pre-planning and putting everything down on paper first). Much of it fell reasonably easily into place. As I worked, it seemed to make sense to organise the TRAP's into trees. So Campaign (or trunk) TRAP's describe an overview. Several story (or branch) TRAP's lead off the Campaign TRAP. Each Story TRAP may have several Encounter (twig?)TRAP's.

Ideas seemed to flow fairly quickly. Sometimes elements needed to be shifted from one level to another - a Campaign level problem became a Story level one, and was replaced by another Problem, which was then linked to a new Story level TRAP. Sometimes I found myself starting at the Story level and working back to the Campaign level, sometime vice versa. I tried to include all four elements (Threat, Reward, Asset and Problem) in each. I found it easiest to think of Assets as something to be used to deal with the threat, while Rewards as something gained as a result of succeeding (or at least having had a go).

I spent less time on Encounter TRAP's, as these seemed to be more dependent on the path chosen by the PC's. It seems like initially, one or maybe two may be enough. However, it seems fairly easy to create new ones fairly quickly as the game progresses and new encounters are needed. I really like the fact that what the system gives you is the essentials, without a lot of inert elements. My games have probably been a little to rich in inert elements which would help explain why they have struggled to engage the players as much as I want them to.

Its possible I'm not using Threats and Problems in exactly the way intended. I see Threats as the overarching situation, with Problems being like complications. Threats might not necessarily pose any immediate danger to the PC's.

doghead
aka thotd


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## Ry (Nov 24, 2007)

I think you're making a very natural extension there (in terms of changing scale), because at least 2 others (Todd Hodges who's working on a draft, and Leonard Balsera who wrote a cool game called Spirit of the Century) have taken it in the same direction.  I think this goes to show that Situation is something RPGs need in a few different ways, and this is a way to get it.


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## Slapzilla (Dec 2, 2007)

The Problem is the difficulty the PCs must overcome, solve or mitigate.  The Threat is the immediate motivator.  They can look like the same thing sometimes... like a forest fire.  They can involve different aspects of the same thing... The Druids needing to complete a ritual as a forest fire bears down on them.  They can be confusing too... The sea monster is wrecking the ship-which is the Problem and which is the Threat...the monster or the sinking?  In the end, how you set it up is the answer.

In the forest fire example, if the PCs divert the fire long enough for the Druids to complete the ritual, then the Circle being in danger is the problem.

Problem:  A Circle of Druids must complete a special ritual on time or the ancient forest will succumb to a necromancer's curse and fall into decrepitude.

Threat:  A raging fire races to the ritual grounds.  (Notice this won't cause HP damage to the PCs, but still a Threat)

Asset:  A local village is full of able-bodied volunteer fire fighters.

Reward:  Completion of the ritual and thwarting the curse.


Now if the PCs set the fire in order to thwart the ritual, then the Threat and the Asset switch places and the Reward is thwarting the ritual and completing the curse.  

Take the Sea Monster situation;

Out at sea, a giant monster is attacking the ship and it is breaking apart fast.

Problem 1:  Even the lifeboats are being destroyed and out floating on flotsam, the creature will still lurk... and feed.

Problem 2:  The creature is so big and mostly underwater it is hard to do enough damage to it to at least fend it off.

How you set this Problem will dictate the associated Threat(s).  It is up to you to decide the direction to a certain extent.  The situation could go in many different ways.  If the PCs split up, then both problems become 'active', each with their own Threats and Rewards.  Being ready for multiple problems within a single situation will help you see what the real difficulty is in the situation and then see the difference between Problem and Threat.

Hope this helps.


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## Ry (Dec 2, 2007)

At opposing ends of the spectrum:

An angry dragon swooping down on you is a Threat.
The muddy ground is a Problem.  
The dragon's well-known mud allergy is an Asset.
Dragon stew is a Reward.

So complicating factors that make it hard to resolve the Threat in a situation are Problems.  Complicating factors that can make it easier to resolve the Threat are called Assets.


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## Ry (Dec 13, 2007)

OK, I did something awesome with TRAPs last night with my group.  Collective world building with TRAPs.  It was great.


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## Edheldur (Dec 17, 2007)

That's something I've been wanting to try out since I started using TRAPs. Too bad it will be a while till I find a new gaming group.


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## Edheldur (Jan 5, 2008)

Post not relevant anymore, I found the thread  in question (my google-fu is still strong).


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## doghead (Mar 12, 2008)

Hey Ryan

This is an adventure I have had in the back of my mind for some time now. I've been trying to get an outline down on (virtual) paper in order in case i get the chance to run something on day. Your TRAPs methodology has been helpful in helping me expand the factors in play. But I would really like to see how you would apply TRAPs in this case.

I haven't indicated a level. I wanted to leave the level (and system) open at this stage. But mentally I was thinking E6. I had forgotten that that was another one of yours.

Below is the work as it stands now. As I have been working through the details, I have begun to feel that something was missing, it just didn't seem to gel properly. The full thread is here > http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=220666 < if you are interested.

doghead
aka thotd

[sblock=adventure outline]adventure - Duvik - beta version.

- PROLOGUE -

The seed for this adventure comes from the WotC web-module, A Burning Plague. I have changed things a bit. The plague reduces Int, rather than Con. The town is a village. It is not located in a pass, so their is almost no through traffic. I have also zoomed out a bit, and introduced some new participants into the drama.

- SETTING -

The adventure requires two competing cities within a few (4 - 7) days travel of some mountains. I last ran this as a Living EN World (LEW) adventure, so I have used the original names here for simplicity. A map of Orrusus can be found at the Living Enworld pages.

- Locations -

Duvik, a small mining village set in the Stonepike Mountains. Population approx. 300 (100 young, 140 adult, 60 elderly), about 50 households. One priest (some artisan god, as most of the Vikians were craftsmen/artisans originally). One more priest, just for luck (probably some farming or fertility god?).

The Village of Duvik consists of a number of individual houses clustered fairly closely around two large hall like structures. These were the first structures built when the village was settled. One now serves as the village hall and church. The other is used mostly for storage. 

Surrounding the village is a relatively flat plain a couple of miles wide and several long. The ground around the village has been cleared of trees. The bulk of the village lies within a small palisade. The palisade is not in the best of condition, it is possible to climb over it or slip through it in a number of places. About half a dozen houses lie outside the palisade, scattered around the valley. Most of them are within half an hour's walk of the village.

There are three mines around Duvik, a large one (20 workers - including cook, animal handlers, carpenters.) and two smaller ones (12 workers). Near the entrance to each mine there is an encampment where the workers live. 
[[population significantly reduced from original module (pop. 1500).]]
[[Given the remoteness and difficulty of life, a priest would probably have a few levels under his belt. Remove Disease is Cl 3, needs caster level 5th (once or twice a day.) So likely to be overwhelmed by number of cases. People can catch the disease after being cured.]]

Orussus, a major city several days travel from Duvik. The majority of Duvik's silver trade is with Orussus. 

Fallon, another city also several days travel from Duvik. Fallon and Orussus are rivals.

The Bainlunder Hills lie somewhere between Orussus and the Stonepike mountains.

- PARTICIPANTS -

- Orc Shaman - 

1 orc shaman: driven by his hunger for revenge, he has turned to the darkest of the old gods - more primal forces than old man with beard.
half dozen orc hunters/warriors: The shaman recruited a number of malcontents from the surrounding tribes with promises of loot, as well as positions of power in the new tribe that will be formed to re-take possession of the valley. They are moderately experienced fighters and hunters. They are enthusiastic enough supporters when things are going well and they get to beat-up on the weak. But have little loyalty to the cause beyond self interest. They have little stomach for a fight.

Alternatives to orc followers - bugbears, gnolls, goblins (good for scouts and sentries).

In an effort to hide his actions and spread confusion, the shaman has had his warriors paint their armour red, as well as wear face masks and wigs designed to give the warriors a hellish or demonic appearance. While the disguise would not be hard to see through in normal circumstances, in heat of battle, or in poor light conditions it is reasonably effective. Through in a few smoke bombs and thunder-stones, and it gets even more effective.

- Fallon Troops -

The Fallon contingent has been tasked with assisting the people of Duvik. It consists of around 30 individuals.

The commander has also be tasked with getting the people of Duvik to formally acknowledge Fallon as the rightful ruling authority over Duvik village and valley. Along with this would come, of course, the obligation to pay taxes to Fallon. 

This acknowledgement would also make Duvik subject to Fallon's laws. One law of particular significance is Fallon's right to restrict trade with those outside Fallon. This law would allow Fallon to cut Orussus out of the silver trade with Duvik in favour of Fallon's own merchants. 

The Fallon commander expects to be able to use his assistance as leverage in 'negotiating' an agreement. This is largely what is expected of him by his superiors. Of course, the commander is working on the assumption that there will be someone to negotiate with.

Commander: A career soldier. Has little liking for the task. But proud, and likely to be stubborn. Especially if he feels that he is being bested by mere 'opportunists and sell swords'.
Commander's aide:
2 Lieutenants:
2 infantry squads: 6-8 basic soldiers, perhaps one or two more experienced members. Hand weapon, dagger, light armour, shield.
1 skirmisher squad: 6-8 generally more experienced soldiers. A bit cock sure. Similar fighting skills to the above squads, but with some stealth/survival stuff as well. Hand weapon, dagger, light armour, ranged weapon.
3 priests of some angry un-dead butt kicking deity. One mid level, two lower level acolytes.

- Bainlunders - 

During their fight from Fallon, the Bainlunders helped the refugees, and were instrumental in helping the Vikians establish their village. The Bainlunders are mostly herdsmen. In subsequent years, there was significant trade between the two people, the Bainlunders selling cattle, the Vikians crafted goods.

The Bainlunders visit the village several times a year, taking up small herds of animals for sale. So they are resonably familier with the geography of the valley. 

It is also likely that they do not tale kindly to the arrival of the Fallon troops in the foothills, especially if the troops start trying to throw their weight around.

- DISEASE PROGRESSION -

The progression of the disease depends upon a number of factors; initial intelligence, daily Int loss, periods of recovery. But for an average person with 10 Int.

* Int 8 (2  days after infection)
no real behaviour change except perhaps some frustration with loss of ability with craft, knowledge tasks.

* Int 6 (4 days after infection)
less inclined to tasks without immediate benefit, some loss of social restraint, increased interest in food and sleep.

* Int 4 (6 days after infection)
no interest in things without immediate benefit, tendency to use aggression to settle conflicts, tendency to wonder off and sleep, speech becomes broken/simplified, more sexually aggressive.

* Int 2 (8 days after infection)
 behaves much as an animal, interests limited to food, shelter and sex, conflicts resolved by displays of aggression, fighting.


- BACKGROUND -

Many years ago the village of Duvik was established by the a group of Vikian people fleeing persecution and oppression in Fallon. The village is located in a small valley in the Stonepike mountains. The village is a couple of days travel from Fallon and Orussus. The village is farily isolated, about a 6-8 hours up a narrow path into the mountains. The initial years of the settlement were hard. The land was tough and unforgiving. There were times when it looked like the settlement wouldn't survive. 

The discovery of silver in the surrounding mountains changed the fortunes of the village in more ways than one. It gave them something to trade for the things they couldn't produce themselves. It also drew the attention of the local orc tribe. The people of Duvik fought hard to protect their village and mines from the orcish raiders. But the orc tribe was strong and well established. In desperation, several appeals were made to Fallon for assistance. All were ignored. Instead it was from Orussus that help eventually came, in the form of mercenaries (adventurers) hired by the city through the Guild of Merchants. Nominally Duvik was part of the territory claimed by Fallon. So Orrusus could not risk officially supporting the people of Duvik. To do so would risk sparking a conflict beteeen the two cities which were already not on the best of terms. But the merchants of Orussus wanted access to the silver of Duvik, and the city authorities were keen to help them get it.

Eventually, the orc tribe was overcome and the valley secured. The villages and the siler mines were secured, and it was to the merchants of Orrusus that the people of Duvik sold their silver in the years following.

- TIMELINE -

*** (day -7) an orcish shaman/priest returns to the Duvik valley in order to get revenge on the village. He is one of the remaining members of the tribe that once raided the village and was eventually destroyed. The orc calls upon dark forces and in return for his service, is granted the power to corrupt the waters of the valley, poisoning the minds of those that drink it, slowing destroying their ability to think and reducing them to the state of animals [ie - Int loss]. His plans take about a week to set in motion. The first step is the creation of a number of small shrines, which he locates upstream of the village on several of the tributaries of the stream that runs through the village. To keep the magic active, he needs to  place bloody offerings at each shrine each night.

During the first few days, the shaman keeps out of the way. He sends the bulk of his warriors to watch the path into the village. Their job is to keep any visitors away without being identified. They have thunder stones and smoke wands (?) as well as 'whistling arrows' to help with deception.

Once the bulk of the villagers are incapacitated, the shaman will gather his warriors and go into the village (mostly at night), hunting down those who appear to be resisting the disease. He will desecrate the temple/shrine at the first opportunity. The priest will be high on his list of those to kill.

[[other options: summon monsters, create undead to prowl the streets.]]

*** (day 1 - midnight) The shaman begins the ritual.

*** (day 1) More than half of the village population become infected through drinking the water, or contact with contagious individuals. The only symptom at this stage is a slight fever.

*** (day 2) Most of those not infected will become so, either by contact or by drinking the water. A few of the infected experience some difficulties with day to day [[Int based]] tasked. Some cases of slight behaviour change, but nothing that couldn't be explained by a fever. The infection is carried to the mines by workers returning from town.

*** (day 3) Those hardest hit (possible 6-8 points of Int loss) by the disease are starting to display distinct behaviour changes. Priest discovers remove disease works, but only has a few spells/scrolls, and those cured are often re-infected by others who are contagious. He tries to keep the worst of effects quiet to avoid creating panic. 

*** (day 3) Priest sends a messenger to the nearest temple of his faith, asking for help/advice. Expected to return in about 4 - 6 days. Messenger is killed by orcs. [[alt: uses sending spell (scroll probably)]] ???

*** (day 3) Many others are suffering little, a bit of a fever, a bit of difficulty concentrating on tasks. Many are still unaware that they are infected. People starting to get worried a bit worried about 'this fever everyone seems to have come down with'. Reassured that the priest has taken steps.

*** (day 4) A few of the worst affected reach the 'bestial' state. They are relatively harmless so long as fed and kept happy. One or two wonder around the village or off into the forest.

*** (day 4) Messengers from the mines arrive in the village asking for the priest. He has too much on his hands, and can't really do anything, sends advice.

*** (day 5) (evening) Three Bainlunders bringing up some animals to trade are attacked a couple of miles out of the village. One is killed, two flee back down the mountain. The animals wonder off.

*** (day 6) The bulk of the villagers are by now obviously sick. Dozens have reached bestial state' - unless provided for, they simply raid houses and fields for food, taking whatever they find. 

*** (day 6) Villagers start to panic. Many (say dozens?) flee into the woods or down the trail. Those taking the trail are attacked by orcs. Many killed. Some escape into the woods. 

*** (day 6) The two herders get back to the Bainlunder hills and tell others about what happened. 

*** (day 6) By now the infection has spread through the mines. A number of accidents have resulted as a result of the loss of Int (leading to skill check penalties). 

*** (day 7) A small group of Bainlunders (3) sets off to the village to see what they can find out. They stay off the main (only path), travelling through the forest instead. Much slower, takes nearly two days travelling.

*** (day 7) A delivery of silver was supposed to set off for Orussus this day. It doesn't. The silver is locked in the basement of the silversmith.

*** (day 8) Almost a third of the villagers have reached the bestial state.  Another third are severely incapacitated. Of the remainder, most show symptoms. About a dozen or so have recovered or seem to be immune. Lead by the priest, the healthy and not so bad pull back into one of the great halls [[the first buildings built when the village was settled were two great halls]], stock up on food, try and aide the sick. 

*** (day 8) Several fights break out at mines as the sickest raid food. Several just wonder off, many back to town.

*** (day 8 - afternoon) The Bainlunder scouts reach the site of the attack. They keep their distance. Spot the attackers, watch a little. Hard to identify at distance, but one thinks 'monsters' are speaking 'orcish'. They are spotted and flee.

*** (day 8) Word reaches the Bainlunders tribal elders. Word is sent to the dwarves, who have long been allies of the Bainlunders.

*** (day 10) By now only a small number of functioning villagers remain holed up in one of the great halls. 

*** (day 10 - night) the orc shaman launches an attack on the hall. Spells and effects used to create a demonic effect. They attempt to set the hall on fire. They succeed but those inside manage to put it out. Several villagers healthy are killed.

*** (day 11) A group of villagers attempt to break out and make it too the plains below. They split up into several smaller groups and take different route out of the village.

*** (day 12) driven by hunger, villagers who have reached the plains below raid Bainlunder settlements for food. Ragged, dirty and stripped of the ability to do anything more than howl, scream and grunt, they terrify the Bainlunders. To the layman, they would appear to be possessed or zombies. The Bainlunders do recognise the villagers as from Duvik. Several villagers are killed, the rest flee.

*** (day 12) A delivery of silver from Duvik fails to arrive in Orussus.

*** (day 13) One of the breakout groups from Duvik reaches the plains. They tell a tale of a terrible curse and demons.

*** (day 14) News of the problems in Duvik reach Fallon.

*** (day 14) News of the problems in Duvik reaches Orrusus. 

*** (day 16) Seeing an opportunity to bring Duvik under into its area of influence, Fallon sends out troops to 'assist the people of Duvik'. 

*** (day 17) The troops set up camp in a village at the base of the mountains. 

*** (day 18) The troop commander sends a band of soldiers up into the mountains investigate. 

- OTHER POTENTIAL PARTICIPANTS -

- Orc Tribe -

The renegade orc shaman has called upon forces forbidden by his people. Troubling omens (or something) brings the shaman's actions to the attention of another tribal shaman, who send a junior shaman along with a few warriors to investigate. In the dream there is some indication that they renegade has an artefact of some power. The tribal shaman wants it, if it exists. Given its nature, he will probably destroy it. But he doesn't know for sure what it is, or even if there is an artefact at all.

These orcs also have no love for humans, but they may be willing to work with them in order to overcome the renegade shaman. But its not the sort of thing they will be easily convinced to do so. Initially, they will somewhat unfriendly. It will take some effort to change that. Nor will they be very reliable as allies. If they see an opportunity to achieve their aims, they will take it.

NPC Descriptions

Junior Shaman, lowish-middle level.
3-4 orc warriors: reasonably experienced hunters and warriors. Very capable in the wilderness and mountains. short spear, hand weapon, dagger, light armour.

Timeline additions:

*** (day 11) The small band arrives in the valley. They spend a couple of days scouting the valley and watching the village. 

*** (day 12) They spot the renegade orcs raiding the village. They follow the renegades, but ... 

- Dwarf Clan Hyborus -

The Stonepike mountains are largely controlled by the dwarves. The closest Clan to the Duvik valley is Clan Hyborus. As originally written, the dwarves have very little to do with the human cities. Clan Hyborus are little different from their fellow dwarves in this regard. 

The dwarves are reluctant to get involved. Caution plays a big part in this. But there are other reasons for them holding back. The dwarves have little love for humans. Although the current mining falls within the agreement between the dwarves and the Vikians, elements with the dwarven society are concerned about the possibility of the human mining activities expanding into the dwarven territory. Elements within the Clan would be happy to see the humans leave the valley and their mountains. 

Of course, they do not want to see an orcish tribe re-establish itself in the valley. If the dwarves learn that orcs are involved, elements of the clan would become more keen to help. Not all however. Some of the more committed isolationists think it is better to let the orcs drive the humans out, then the dwarves can deal with the orcs later.

Like most clans, Hyborus have a network of tunnels that allow them to travel through the mountains without having to come to the surface. Clan Hyborus have a hidden gate about six hours march from the village. It is secured by a solid locked door. Guards are not usually stationed at this gate. From the gate to the centre of the clan stronghold is another day's march via tunnels through the mountains.

The location of the gate is not known to the villagers, but they know that there is a gate somewhere, and its approximate direction from the village.

Upon receiving news of the problems in the Duvik valley, the dwarves will send a small garrison to man the Duvik valley gate. It will be lead by a minor clan noble, and include a priest and a dozen warrior/scouts. Once established, a small band of about 4 will be sent into the valley to see what is happening.

NPC Descriptions

Noble: traditional, cautious. reluctant to make decisions without consulting the council first. Messages take about 48 hours to do a round trip. several hand weapons, medium armour, shield.
Priest: ...
Mage (?)
8-10 Warriors: hand weapon, crossbow, medium armour, heavy shield
3-4 Scouts: hand weapon, crossbow, light armour (scouts)

Timeline Additions

*** (day 16) Dwarves arrive at the gate and set up the garrison.
*** (day 17) The priest and 3 scouts are sent to the village. 

The Bainlunder people

One group of people the dwarves do have good relations with are the herders of the Bainlunder hills. The Bainlunder people could be useful friends to have. The have a good knowledge of the region (the best routes, hiding places etc) as well as close relations with the dwarves.[/sblock]


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## Edheldur (Mar 13, 2008)

As far as I know, Ryan's not posting on EnWorld at this time. I don't know if he will come back, though I hope so.


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## doghead (Mar 17, 2008)

That's a shame. I would have loved to get some input. Game planning is not one of my strong points, and at the moment, I don't have any games running. So no chance to test drive ideas.

Thanks for letting me know Edheldur.

doghead
aka thotd


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## Hrothgar Rannúlfr (Mar 17, 2008)

Definitely a loss to the ENWorld community.  His E6 system was is still a great idea.  I just found this TRAPs thread.  So, I'll be taking a look through it in the coming days.

I hope he returns.


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## Slapzilla (Apr 8, 2008)

Break it down a bit, doghead.  What is the threat?  The town getting the disease?  If, so what is the problem?  The ritual itself?  If so, the flow is a bit muddied.  A race against time, for sure but what is the dynamic player actions that happen to progress things?  Waiting for the DM to reveal things is a bit dull.  Players discovering things and acting on them is AWESOME!

You'd need to be strong at 'on the fly' stuff but any idea from the players that is clever and creative needs to be rewarded.  Resolution is entirely dependent on player action.  I've taken to creating the bad guy timeline, giving Him/Her/It/Them a few Assets and then react to player actions.  They'll take umbrage at something eventually and fight back.

I've also found that having the Timeline frees me up to act and react to the players actions.  I don't spend so much time pre-planning as I do getting ready for the next session.  You've got the Timeline and an understanding of the system... keep us posted!


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## joela (Jul 25, 2010)

*TRAPs are fun!*

Good stuff. Sorry that Ryan can't post at this time. Shall we all pitch in to carry the E6/TRAP/Raising the Stakes forward?


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## hoangthanh289bg (Jul 25, 2010)

thankssssssssssssssssssssssssss


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## NotZenon (Aug 4, 2010)

...


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## NotZenon (Aug 9, 2010)

,.....


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