Starting this thread because at last nights session my players did something that I just needed to tell someone but can’t tell them because it will give everything away.
So bit of background. Party are in a town which is suffering a series of bad events. There is someone called the Black Spider hiring different people to cause trouble, hiring thugs to rob key council members, or a goblin gang to kidnap a merchant.
There is a cult of some description trying to achieve something, so far they have stopped them from raising the dead in a long lost dwarven tomb under the town.
There is a trade delegation from a bordering nation which is aggressively expansionist and very very racist (believe all half breeds are a weakness that needs eradicating), the main political envoy in this group has suggested the town would be safer under the empire then the current nation they are part of.
Most recently the half orc head of the guards of this town was identified as attacking this trade delegations camp, just outside the city. The party have worked out that a changeling is in town and probably the cause of that.
All of this is on the backdrop that 2 years ago the nearby mine which, was the source of wealth for the town, stopped producing meaning the town is now struggling to exist. The reason this move has stopped is that over 2 years ago a powerful wizard released an aboleth buried in the mine, intentionally, with the aim of using it to get information. Wizard is immune to enslave and is working with it, he has been using the aboleth to enslave town members, using a potion he has created to then maintain the enslavement beyond the normal range while also making it harder to escape. The cult members are largely enslaved as are key council members.
At last nights session the party tried to catch the changeling where they knew it was staying (they were to late). But found evidence linking the black spider and cult together, and also identifying places to investigate including an inn. 2 of them went to this inn, saw an old women give a package to the bar lady, stayed and tried to grab the package. More ones then I have ever seen 2 players roll in a session later, the 2 escaped with package. Failing to work out that there was anything odd with the way the patrons fought, putting it down to being drunk. They escaped, spilt up, low int Minitotaur took the package, unopened, to the only person he knew might understand it outside of the party. The wizard who owns a magic shop. Same wizard working with Aboleth and the same wizard who, just an hour before, disguised as an old lady, dropped off a package full of mind controlling potion to the inn he has been using to run his cult.
I sat there just elated but keeping a poker face, months of hard work building this wizard as a bumbling harmless but very clever aid to the party having worked. Another 1 for insight as the Minotaur told the whole story meant he has no idea the wizard was shocked, surprised and concerned that just an hour before he could have been caught. Instead he sent the Minotaur out telling him he would open and inspect the package later. The best thing, post session all the players agreed the wizard was the best person to investigate this so even they have been sucked in by the act. The reveal will be even sweeter.
So yes, my moment I needed to tell someone. Minotaur stole a thing and unintentionally took thing back to person that made it.
A follow up today a player messaged me telling me she feels that they have missed something obvious, but has no idea what and is listing everything out, had some questions just clarifying if certain information and assumptions she has made her character would make or if it is meta gaming, she actually said to me, the wizard is so helpful and friendly the one thing we are sure of is that he is not a bad guy.
Wizards whole intention for the party is eventually for them to take out the Aboleth once he has all it's knowledge and for him to then be able to step up and take over as the leader of the town as they ride off into the sunset as hero's placing him in place as the person that helped them "save" the town.
I also realise that once the reveal happens they will never trust another NPC I put in front of them again :).
Starting this thread because at last nights session my players did something that I just needed to tell someone but can’t tell them because it will give everything away.
So bit of background. Party are in a town which is suffering a series of bad events. There is someone called the Black Spider hiring different people to cause trouble, hiring thugs to rob key council members, or a goblin gang to kidnap a merchant.
There is a cult of some description trying to achieve something, so far they have stopped them from raising the dead in a long lost dwarven tomb under the town.
There is a trade delegation from a bordering nation which is aggressively expansionist and very very racist (believe all half breeds are a weakness that needs eradicating), the main political envoy in this group has suggested the town would be safer under the empire then the current nation they are part of.
Most recently the half orc head of the guards of this town was identified as attacking this trade delegations camp, just outside the city. The party have worked out that a changeling is in town and probably the cause of that.
All of this is on the backdrop that 2 years ago the nearby mine which, was the source of wealth for the town, stopped producing meaning the town is now struggling to exist. The reason this move has stopped is that over 2 years ago a powerful wizard released an aboleth buried in the mine, intentionally, with the aim of using it to get information. Wizard is immune to enslave and is working with it, he has been using the aboleth to enslave town members, using a potion he has created to then maintain the enslavement beyond the normal range while also making it harder to escape. The cult members are largely enslaved as are key council members.
At last nights session the party tried to catch the changeling where they knew it was staying (they were to late). But found evidence linking the black spider and cult together, and also identifying places to investigate including an inn. 2 of them went to this inn, saw an old women give a package to the bar lady, stayed and tried to grab the package. More ones then I have ever seen 2 players roll in a session later, the 2 escaped with package. Failing to work out that there was anything odd with the way the patrons fought, putting it down to being drunk. They escaped, spilt up, low int Minitotaur took the package, unopened, to the only person he knew might understand it outside of the party. The wizard who owns a magic shop. Same wizard working with Aboleth and the same wizard who, just an hour before, disguised as an old lady, dropped off a package full of mind controlling potion to the inn he has been using to run his cult.
I sat there just elated but keeping a poker face, months of hard work building this wizard as a bumbling harmless but very clever aid to the party having worked. Another 1 for insight as the Minotaur told the whole story meant he has no idea the wizard was shocked, surprised and concerned that just an hour before he could have been caught. Instead he sent the Minotaur out telling him he would open and inspect the package later. The best thing, post session all the players agreed the wizard was the best person to investigate this so even they have been sucked in by the act. The reveal will be even sweeter.
So yes, my moment I needed to tell someone. Minotaur stole a thing and unintentionally took thing back to person that made it.
That is a wonderful moment. It's so hard to avoid giving this sort of thing away XD
Kudos for pulling it off so well!
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
DM's Guild Releases on This Thread Or check them all out on DMs Guild!
DrivethruRPG Releases on This Thread - latest release: My Character is a Werewolf: balanced rules for Lycanthropy!
I have started discussing/reviewing 3rd party D&D content on Substack - stay tuned for semi-regular posts!
A follow up today a player messaged me telling me she feels that they have missed something obvious, but has no idea what and is listing everything out, had some questions just clarifying if certain information and assumptions she has made her character would make or if it is meta gaming, she actually said to me, the wizard is so helpful and friendly the one thing we are sure of is that he is not a bad guy.
Wizards whole intention for the party is eventually for them to take out the Aboleth once he has all it's knowledge and for him to then be able to step up and take over as the leader of the town as they ride off into the sunset as hero's placing him in place as the person that helped them "save" the town.
I also realise that once the reveal happens they will never trust another NPC I put in front of them again :).