I got myself into a corner and realized I do not have an answer to a very likely question, so I am going to the hivemind.
The situation:
The 7th level party is in the Shadowfell. Specifically Evernight, the Shadowfell reflection of Neverwinter. They are holed up with a... friendly... ish... vampire lord of the city. He has a ward, who is also a vampire, named Gwendolyn.
The warlock in the party has been tasked by his patron to acquire Gwendolyn's diary.
Assuming he tries to bargain with her for it, what is she likely to want in return?
I need it to be something that they either have on them or can acquire within the shadowfell. Getting out of the shadowfell is going to be a HUGE undertaking the way I have things planned and needing to leave, get a thing, come back and leave AGAIN is going to be far too tedious. Plus this is only a task for the warlock, so if they leave it's pretty unlikely the rest of the party has any reason to try to join him if he were to return.
The warlock is in the shadowfell with 3 other party members, as well as 2 throw away NPCs that wound up getting sucked into the shadow crossing with them by happenstance. I have toyed with her being willing to give up the diary if one of those other people stays behind to basically be a bloodbag for the rest of their natural lives. But if she wanted that, she could just do it. The party can't really stop her. If she (or their host) wanted to kill them all they easily could (they don't for plot relevant reasons)
This doesn't need to turn into a fetch quest, though it can if someone has a good idea for one. The party already has enough to do. I would like it to create a moral conflict in my player if possible, if not within the character. It is worth mentioning that the warlock is chaotic neutral with a very selfish streak, so he's not too likely to get too upset about anything he's asked to do.
Well, the obvious answer is blood. She doesn't want to have to reuse the same person over and over again. She wants a fresh taste. This could work in one of two ways: either they provide a constant flow of humanoids for her to drain, or they take her to the Material Plane so that she can prey on people there, preferably in a town or city that the players care about.
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All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Fresh supply of snacks seems valid, but that is a "pay up front" situation, with no promise of a follow through from the players. How would she guarantee compliance?
For plot reasons, she doesn't want to go to the prime material plane. Also for game reasons, since having an NPC following the party around that is WAY more powerful than the party themselves turns the players into bystanders in their own story, which I try to avoid.
Fresh supply of snacks seems valid, but that is a "pay up front" situation, with no promise of a follow through from the players. How would she guarantee compliance?
For plot reasons, she doesn't want to go to the prime material plane. Also for game reasons, since having an NPC following the party around that is WAY more powerful than the party themselves turns the players into bystanders in their own story, which I try to avoid.
I would have her send a weaker minion (such as a vampire spawn or wraith) alongside the party to observe them and make sure they uphold their end of the deal. The monster would not fight alongside the party, but might help guide them through the Shadowfell if it makes sense plot-wise. While this isn't a mechanical effect, you could say that she can see through the minion's eyes, and if the minion was killed, she would go after the players and try to kill them herself, making them into the supply of blood they agreed to give her.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
She doesn't have to be an active participant in combat if she follows the party around, especially if she is still neutral or hostile to the party. I'd have her follow, secretly, in bat or mist form, and materialize the moment it looks like the party might renege on the deal, with a "warning" (as violent of one as you want...personally, I'd have her swoop in, materialize, bite someone, give a verbal warning, and fly off again).
The Shadowfell is a big place, full of lots of powerful creatures. They may not all get along. Perhaps Gwendolyn has a rival/ enemy that she needs help with.
I would have her send a weaker minion (such as a vampire spawn or wraith) alongside the party to observe them and make sure they uphold their end of the deal. The monster would not fight alongside the party, but might help guide them through the Shadowfell if it makes sense plot-wise. While this isn't a mechanical effect, you could say that she can see through the minion's eyes, and if the minion was killed, she would go after the players and try to kill them herself, making them into the supply of blood they agreed to give her.
I know what I'm going to do. This line of thought pointed me to the correct answer.
The party has been tasked with closing a shadow crossing into the shadowfell by their host (mentioned above) which they are in the middle of figuring out how to do. Her cost for the diary could be simply "don't do that"
This also creates some fun interparty conflict, since the party member tasked with figuring out how to close the crossing is a different character. Having one character figure it out, only for the warlock to sabotage the effort could create some interesting dynamics.
She might be motivated to see the world. When the characters leave the Shadowfell, take her with them, promise to protect her until she is settled and they can have her diary - but not until after she is released from the Shadowfell. If it is that difficult to get out, it might be something she would be very interested in. (She could also develop into a much later plot line on her own).
Alternatively, demand the warlock to be her thrall for a year and a day. :)
Canonically vampires can retain their interests from being alive, just twisted by being undead, so it can want anything a human might want. In the case of this particular vampire, it's going to depend on her personality, so some thoughts to consider
First of all, being obsessive about things is fairly characteristic of vampires, so she might simply not be willing to part with it for any price and the PCs have to steal it.
If she's a vampire spawn, she might want to become a full vampire. This almost certainly involves violence against her patron. If she's already a full vampire, that's moot.
Is she evil (most vampires are)? If so, what she wants is very likely problematic.
Not sure if you noticed, but the OP has already figured out what the vampire will have them do. Also, I assume she's a full vampire since a group of level 7 PCs could easily take down a vampire spawn.
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All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
I can’t help but think that she would want the warlock to swear allegiance to her and switch to her being his patron. Meaning he’ll be doing errands for her forever in order to keep gaining power as a warlock.
I got myself into a corner and realized I do not have an answer to a very likely question, so I am going to the hivemind.
The situation:
The 7th level party is in the Shadowfell. Specifically Evernight, the Shadowfell reflection of Neverwinter. They are holed up with a... friendly... ish... vampire lord of the city. He has a ward, who is also a vampire, named Gwendolyn.
The warlock in the party has been tasked by his patron to acquire Gwendolyn's diary.
Assuming he tries to bargain with her for it, what is she likely to want in return?
I need it to be something that they either have on them or can acquire within the shadowfell. Getting out of the shadowfell is going to be a HUGE undertaking the way I have things planned and needing to leave, get a thing, come back and leave AGAIN is going to be far too tedious. Plus this is only a task for the warlock, so if they leave it's pretty unlikely the rest of the party has any reason to try to join him if he were to return.
The warlock is in the shadowfell with 3 other party members, as well as 2 throw away NPCs that wound up getting sucked into the shadow crossing with them by happenstance. I have toyed with her being willing to give up the diary if one of those other people stays behind to basically be a bloodbag for the rest of their natural lives. But if she wanted that, she could just do it. The party can't really stop her. If she (or their host) wanted to kill them all they easily could (they don't for plot relevant reasons)
This doesn't need to turn into a fetch quest, though it can if someone has a good idea for one. The party already has enough to do. I would like it to create a moral conflict in my player if possible, if not within the character. It is worth mentioning that the warlock is chaotic neutral with a very selfish streak, so he's not too likely to get too upset about anything he's asked to do.
So... any ideas?
Well, the obvious answer is blood. She doesn't want to have to reuse the same person over and over again. She wants a fresh taste. This could work in one of two ways: either they provide a constant flow of humanoids for her to drain, or they take her to the Material Plane so that she can prey on people there, preferably in a town or city that the players care about.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
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Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
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If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Fresh supply of snacks seems valid, but that is a "pay up front" situation, with no promise of a follow through from the players. How would she guarantee compliance?
For plot reasons, she doesn't want to go to the prime material plane. Also for game reasons, since having an NPC following the party around that is WAY more powerful than the party themselves turns the players into bystanders in their own story, which I try to avoid.
I would have her send a weaker minion (such as a vampire spawn or wraith) alongside the party to observe them and make sure they uphold their end of the deal. The monster would not fight alongside the party, but might help guide them through the Shadowfell if it makes sense plot-wise. While this isn't a mechanical effect, you could say that she can see through the minion's eyes, and if the minion was killed, she would go after the players and try to kill them herself, making them into the supply of blood they agreed to give her.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
She doesn't have to be an active participant in combat if she follows the party around, especially if she is still neutral or hostile to the party. I'd have her follow, secretly, in bat or mist form, and materialize the moment it looks like the party might renege on the deal, with a "warning" (as violent of one as you want...personally, I'd have her swoop in, materialize, bite someone, give a verbal warning, and fly off again).
The Shadowfell is a big place, full of lots of powerful creatures. They may not all get along. Perhaps Gwendolyn has a rival/ enemy that she needs help with.
I know what I'm going to do. This line of thought pointed me to the correct answer.
The party has been tasked with closing a shadow crossing into the shadowfell by their host (mentioned above) which they are in the middle of figuring out how to do. Her cost for the diary could be simply "don't do that"
This also creates some fun interparty conflict, since the party member tasked with figuring out how to close the crossing is a different character. Having one character figure it out, only for the warlock to sabotage the effort could create some interesting dynamics.
I like it!
She might be motivated to see the world. When the characters leave the Shadowfell, take her with them, promise to protect her until she is settled and they can have her diary - but not until after she is released from the Shadowfell. If it is that difficult to get out, it might be something she would be very interested in. (She could also develop into a much later plot line on her own).
Alternatively, demand the warlock to be her thrall for a year and a day. :)
Canonically vampires can retain their interests from being alive, just twisted by being undead, so it can want anything a human might want. In the case of this particular vampire, it's going to depend on her personality, so some thoughts to consider
Not sure if you noticed, but the OP has already figured out what the vampire will have them do. Also, I assume she's a full vampire since a group of level 7 PCs could easily take down a vampire spawn.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
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Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
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If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
I can’t help but think that she would want the warlock to swear allegiance to her and switch to her being his patron. Meaning he’ll be doing errands for her forever in order to keep gaining power as a warlock.
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