I have a long-form campaign (~5 years now) that's close to it's end. I should say up front that if you recognize my username, then please stop reading and don't spoil any surprises for yourself or our game. I'm here searching for advice from fellow DMs about a process related question: namely, how can I provide a meaningful story arc to this certain PC without making them feel like I'm removing their agency?
Background in as little words as possible, tldr at bottom:
My party is okay with a bit of a darker tone at times, and we've had many discussions to ensure that everyone is happy and comfortable with plot and backstory related hooks, and so far people have been nothing but lovely and receptive to my ideas/stories.
Homebrew campaign taking place across many established worlds of DnD - mostly Sword Coast, though.
PC Gnome was born with visions of people dying, and has had them her whole life. Doesn't know what they mean, etc. She also joined our campaign late (joined around level 11, after a good amount of my PC's backstories had been resolved). The overarching plot of my campaign has been a multiverse adventure, where the party ultimately collects McGuffins to prevent an Illithid invasion from the Far Realm. Classic stuff. Throughout the adventure since Gnome joined, I've teased certain NPCs and PCs that she has visions of, and treaded the line between her being able to affect the visions or not.
It's important to note that this PC Gnome is incredibly cheerful and bright, and plays her character to the utmost of a Good person (she even tried to make friends with devils when they went to hell). I like that about her character, and enjoy that being a reliable part of the dynamic of the group - you'll always know that she will forgive, make friends, etc. She's a Way of Mercy Monk, by the way.
My plan is that her visions come from Shar, one of many gods/goddesses that have an inkling of an upcoming war with the Far Realm, and have tried putting things in place to stop/win the war. Shar's plan was to create a living weapon (not a person, but literally a weapon like a bomb or something inside a person. This part will be DM handwaivey and not important). But in order to make a living weapon, she needed an empty vessel of a person - not dead, not undead, not missing their soul - but rather a person essentially beaten down cosmically until they're pliable enough to be shaped how she wants. If you've ever played Hollow Knight, compare it to how The Knight or The Vessel are technically living but are created just to contain the Radiance. Similar vibes.
This came about kind of naturally, as over the course of the campaign she's either bad bad rolls during meaningful times, or has been betrayed by people she thought was her friend (remember when she befriended devils in hell?). I'm at the point where PC Gnome knows Shar is involved in her visions, but doesn't know why. I'd like to reveal all of this information to her, but my goal is to have her fight against Shar's plan. I want it to be a sort of trope of Shar thinking that even the best of humanoids can be broken, and this PC Gnome proving her wrong and still succeeding. My problem, obviously, is that that's a pretty narrow window of roleplay opportunity without telling the PC the plan and her just quietly accepting it. I fear that if I come to her as a god in-game and tell her that she's part of this big cosmic plan, she won't try to argue against it or anything. How can I make use of that sweet, sweet trope without it feeling like I'm removing her agency?
Tldr: I have a gnome PC who is really really nice. I'd like to have Shar reveal to her the goddesses cosmic plan to stop a war; that the reason this PC keeps getting rejected, betrayed, and having visions of people dying without being able to do anything, is to break her will and essentially turn her into an empty/hollow vessel that Shar can place some kind of McGuffin weapon inside. How do I reveal this information to her without her just....accepting that as the plot? I'd love for her to ideologically (or hell, physically) fight against Shar's plans, but it's hard when I'm roleplaying a literal god telling her what her plans are.
Thanks in advance for any input. It feels like a delicate situation, but there's probably an easy solution I'm missing.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
I think you can set up a moment where Shar can speak to the character, drop serious exposition about the upcoming war, and then ask if the gnome wants to be the Chosen one who saves all of reality.
If they say yes, move forward on the timeline.
If they say no, move forward on a different branch.
If they negotiate, they are a savvy player ;)
It sounds fun, is well developed, and you can protect the player's agency by sharing the plan in the game and then letting them choose - and stopping for a meta moment to say "You don't have to say yes, it's just one option." as people playing the game.
seems like it's important that Shar isn't asking for volunteers in this instance. is it worth preserving the twist at the table by perhaps spoiling some of the twist to the player ahead of time?
maybe tell them straight that there's going to be a big reveal and the character is going to be tasked with a heavy, heavy burden. and it's going to seem like there's no choice... but there's a choice.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
unhappy at the way in which we lost individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
tell them you don't like features disappeared quietly in the night: providefeedback!
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I have a long-form campaign (~5 years now) that's close to it's end. I should say up front that if you recognize my username, then please stop reading and don't spoil any surprises for yourself or our game. I'm here searching for advice from fellow DMs about a process related question: namely, how can I provide a meaningful story arc to this certain PC without making them feel like I'm removing their agency?
Background in as little words as possible, tldr at bottom:
My party is okay with a bit of a darker tone at times, and we've had many discussions to ensure that everyone is happy and comfortable with plot and backstory related hooks, and so far people have been nothing but lovely and receptive to my ideas/stories.
Homebrew campaign taking place across many established worlds of DnD - mostly Sword Coast, though.
PC Gnome was born with visions of people dying, and has had them her whole life. Doesn't know what they mean, etc. She also joined our campaign late (joined around level 11, after a good amount of my PC's backstories had been resolved). The overarching plot of my campaign has been a multiverse adventure, where the party ultimately collects McGuffins to prevent an Illithid invasion from the Far Realm. Classic stuff. Throughout the adventure since Gnome joined, I've teased certain NPCs and PCs that she has visions of, and treaded the line between her being able to affect the visions or not.
It's important to note that this PC Gnome is incredibly cheerful and bright, and plays her character to the utmost of a Good person (she even tried to make friends with devils when they went to hell). I like that about her character, and enjoy that being a reliable part of the dynamic of the group - you'll always know that she will forgive, make friends, etc. She's a Way of Mercy Monk, by the way.
My plan is that her visions come from Shar, one of many gods/goddesses that have an inkling of an upcoming war with the Far Realm, and have tried putting things in place to stop/win the war. Shar's plan was to create a living weapon (not a person, but literally a weapon like a bomb or something inside a person. This part will be DM handwaivey and not important). But in order to make a living weapon, she needed an empty vessel of a person - not dead, not undead, not missing their soul - but rather a person essentially beaten down cosmically until they're pliable enough to be shaped how she wants. If you've ever played Hollow Knight, compare it to how The Knight or The Vessel are technically living but are created just to contain the Radiance. Similar vibes.
This came about kind of naturally, as over the course of the campaign she's either bad bad rolls during meaningful times, or has been betrayed by people she thought was her friend (remember when she befriended devils in hell?). I'm at the point where PC Gnome knows Shar is involved in her visions, but doesn't know why. I'd like to reveal all of this information to her, but my goal is to have her fight against Shar's plan. I want it to be a sort of trope of Shar thinking that even the best of humanoids can be broken, and this PC Gnome proving her wrong and still succeeding. My problem, obviously, is that that's a pretty narrow window of roleplay opportunity without telling the PC the plan and her just quietly accepting it. I fear that if I come to her as a god in-game and tell her that she's part of this big cosmic plan, she won't try to argue against it or anything. How can I make use of that sweet, sweet trope without it feeling like I'm removing her agency?
Tldr: I have a gnome PC who is really really nice. I'd like to have Shar reveal to her the goddesses cosmic plan to stop a war; that the reason this PC keeps getting rejected, betrayed, and having visions of people dying without being able to do anything, is to break her will and essentially turn her into an empty/hollow vessel that Shar can place some kind of McGuffin weapon inside. How do I reveal this information to her without her just....accepting that as the plot? I'd love for her to ideologically (or hell, physically) fight against Shar's plans, but it's hard when I'm roleplaying a literal god telling her what her plans are.
Thanks in advance for any input. It feels like a delicate situation, but there's probably an easy solution I'm missing.
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
I think you can set up a moment where Shar can speak to the character, drop serious exposition about the upcoming war, and then ask if the gnome wants to be the Chosen one who saves all of reality.
If they say yes, move forward on the timeline.
If they say no, move forward on a different branch.
If they negotiate, they are a savvy player ;)
It sounds fun, is well developed, and you can protect the player's agency by sharing the plan in the game and then letting them choose - and stopping for a meta moment to say "You don't have to say yes, it's just one option." as people playing the game.
seems like it's important that Shar isn't asking for volunteers in this instance. is it worth preserving the twist at the table by perhaps spoiling some of the twist to the player ahead of time?
maybe tell them straight that there's going to be a big reveal and the character is going to be tasked with a heavy, heavy burden. and it's going to seem like there's no choice... but there's a choice.
unhappy at the way in which we lost individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
tell them you don't like features disappeared quietly in the night: provide feedback!