So, I am currently running Rime of The Frostmaiden with a heavy emphasis on the player secrets. Everyone seemed to really get into them as a seed for character creation, and for most of them, I've been able to turn their secrets into really interesting and rewarding quests and story points.
That is... With one exception.
One of my players rolled up the "Drizzt Fan" secret.
Now, he really liked it, and thought it was very funny. I was very fortunate that the person who got that one is actually very familiar with the Drizzt novels, and is probably the only player in the group who is an ACTUAL Drizzt Fan. However, I'm finding it very difficult to turn this secret into some kind of meaningful quest or hook for his character. Does anyone have any good ideas on how to do this? I'm very hesitant to just drop a character as ludicrously powerful as Drizzt into my campaign without completely overshadowing the party. What might Drizzt be doing in Icewind Dale? How can I use this goofy secret to make the game more interesting for him?
In my opinion, the only value to that one is that everyone in the party KNOWS he has a secret and none of them will believe, no matter what he tells them, that it's as benign as "I am a huge Drizzt fan." They'll all think "man, whatever his secret is, it must be awful if that's the best cover he could come up with." Just make sure there's no way he can prove that that's his secret and when he says it is, tell the others to roll Insight checks and say "You can't tell if he's lying." It'll drive him crazy.
Alternatively, you could say he's a fan like Kathy Bates in Misery was a fan and he actually has some drow hogtied in an ice fishing shed on the lake and he goes to visit him and make the drow call him "Wulfgar" on pain of torture... up to you.
I do like the idea of going a bit Kathy Bates with it. I will talk to the player, and see if he's interested in going down that route. I think he might enjoy going a little dark.
Well, if you like dark, you should hear my pitch for how to end his character arc.
Basically, his prisoner gets free, they struggle desperately outside, the drow gets the upper hand on your player and then the real Drizzt shows up. He completely misreads the situation and cuts off the drow's head, saving your player, then tells him he hopes the player won't judge all drow by his traumatic experience with that one. He gives the player his cloak and offers to walk him back to town. Drizzt asks what his name is and the player says to call him "Wulfgar" as they walk off and we do a slow fade out on the corpse of the nameless drow bleeding into the snow.
You could use his fandom as a reason to chase around from town to town because he’s just missed Drizzt here, but I think he said he was heading to XXX. When they get there it’s a case of ‘sorry, the drow you’re seeking is in another castle’...
You could leave small reminders and clues to where they may be able to meet their idol and then let them cross paths in a run-down inn where Drizzt is heavily drunk, and admits to the fan that he never did any of those things, but that he had a stunt double and a very good publicist...
So, I am currently running Rime of The Frostmaiden with a heavy emphasis on the player secrets. Everyone seemed to really get into them as a seed for character creation, and for most of them, I've been able to turn their secrets into really interesting and rewarding quests and story points.
That is... With one exception.
One of my players rolled up the "Drizzt Fan" secret.
Now, he really liked it, and thought it was very funny. I was very fortunate that the person who got that one is actually very familiar with the Drizzt novels, and is probably the only player in the group who is an ACTUAL Drizzt Fan. However, I'm finding it very difficult to turn this secret into some kind of meaningful quest or hook for his character. Does anyone have any good ideas on how to do this? I'm very hesitant to just drop a character as ludicrously powerful as Drizzt into my campaign without completely overshadowing the party. What might Drizzt be doing in Icewind Dale? How can I use this goofy secret to make the game more interesting for him?
In my opinion, the only value to that one is that everyone in the party KNOWS he has a secret and none of them will believe, no matter what he tells them, that it's as benign as "I am a huge Drizzt fan." They'll all think "man, whatever his secret is, it must be awful if that's the best cover he could come up with." Just make sure there's no way he can prove that that's his secret and when he says it is, tell the others to roll Insight checks and say "You can't tell if he's lying." It'll drive him crazy.
Alternatively, you could say he's a fan like Kathy Bates in Misery was a fan and he actually has some drow hogtied in an ice fishing shed on the lake and he goes to visit him and make the drow call him "Wulfgar" on pain of torture... up to you.
It is just a goofy secret, I gave to the tables Drizzt fan because he can't keep a secret. I am planning on some NPCs being drizzt fans.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
I do like the idea of going a bit Kathy Bates with it. I will talk to the player, and see if he's interested in going down that route. I think he might enjoy going a little dark.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Well, if you like dark, you should hear my pitch for how to end his character arc.
Basically, his prisoner gets free, they struggle desperately outside, the drow gets the upper hand on your player and then the real Drizzt shows up. He completely misreads the situation and cuts off the drow's head, saving your player, then tells him he hopes the player won't judge all drow by his traumatic experience with that one. He gives the player his cloak and offers to walk him back to town. Drizzt asks what his name is and the player says to call him "Wulfgar" as they walk off and we do a slow fade out on the corpse of the nameless drow bleeding into the snow.
I am not overly familiar with the novels, but could he use his knowledge of those adventures in an IC manner?
Attack: [roll]3d20dl2+6[/roll] Damage: [roll](if([roll:-1:critical], =0, 1d8, 2{1d8}.expand()))+4[/roll] Sneakattack: [roll](if([roll:-2:critical], =0, 2d6, 2{2d6}.expand()))[/roll]Maybe he writes Drizzt fanfics?
You could use his fandom as a reason to chase around from town to town because he’s just missed Drizzt here, but I think he said he was heading to XXX. When they get there it’s a case of ‘sorry, the drow you’re seeking is in another castle’...
You could leave small reminders and clues to where they may be able to meet their idol and then let them cross paths in a run-down inn where Drizzt is heavily drunk, and admits to the fan that he never did any of those things, but that he had a stunt double and a very good publicist...
1. make a museum with an artifact from everyones fave Drow hero....see if he tries and steals it.
2. have someone badmouth drizzt.