What reason would a mid to high-level witch need the help of 4-6 PC's? She is a white witch. The PCs live in a farming village that has fallen on dire times and they think it is the fault of the witch. A party had been sent to deal with her but they have not returned so the young PC's decide to find what happened. I was thinking that the reason for the issues in the village has been due to a young troll, it has captured the other party and is holding them in its cave. Need a reason why the witch can't take out the troll.
Maybe there is some sort of fey law that the white witch lives by and she can assist, but not directly interfere with this troll for one reason or another.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
Yeah, competing courts of fey is sort of a thing, and direct action is usually seen as a sort of weakness or against some convoluted rule of engagement. However, tricking a band of mortals into solving your troll problem may be seen as a positive.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
Thanks, those are some great ideas. I think I have settled on the reason being is to test them and that there is a fey law forbidding her to kill it herself. may even through in that a rival got a hold of her magic wand and placed it in the trolls' cave?
perhaps the witch's enemies will be aware if she attempts to retrieve it herself, through such means as divination, so she sends the party instead, adventurers going into a troll cave is not uncommon after all :)
Some other simple ideas would be perhaps she is somehow bound to her current location, and can only travel a short distance from where her home is located. Perhaps as punishment for some previous transgression against some more powerful being. This can be part of the testing as maybe she needs a group powerful enough to release her from her curse. She could believe she deserves her fate but wants to cultivate the group to become a force for good (or her personal version of 'good').
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
Yea, I am thinking that the big plot is that the Baron is conspiring with a warlock. the Baron wants to overthrow the king and is attempting to draw him out by putting the village that supplies the kingdom's crops in danger. the warlock, of course, has his own plans. the witch in question had been protecting the village and the Baron needed her out of the way. the warlock was not able to best her so he and the Baron framed her for the disappearance of some of the village children. the villagers caught her in her home and when she would not come out they set the place on fire. she was able to escape and took refuge in a nearby cave until the warlock sent a young troll after her. in her weakened state, she had to flee and in her haste dropped her wand. once rested she was able to regain some of her powers, and with the help of the local wildlife built a small cottage. she is able to keep the cottage and the meadow it sits in safe but is too weak without her wand to leave or deal with the troll who is now reeking havoc on the village.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
What reason would a mid to high-level witch need the help of 4-6 PC's?
She is a white witch.
The PCs live in a farming village that has fallen on dire times and they think it is the fault of the witch.
A party had been sent to deal with her but they have not returned so the young PC's decide to find what happened.
I was thinking that the reason for the issues in the village has been due to a young troll, it has captured the other party and is holding them in its cave.
Need a reason why the witch can't take out the troll.
Maybe there is some sort of fey law that the white witch lives by and she can assist, but not directly interfere with this troll for one reason or another.
That is a good idea, thanks.
Yeah, competing courts of fey is sort of a thing, and direct action is usually seen as a sort of weakness or against some convoluted rule of engagement. However, tricking a band of mortals into solving your troll problem may be seen as a positive.
A few possibilities you may or may not have considered:
"Not all those who wander are lost"
A number of good ideas already. Here's a couple more.
Thanks, those are some great ideas. I think I have settled on the reason being is to test them and that there is a fey law forbidding her to kill it herself. may even through in that a rival got a hold of her magic wand and placed it in the trolls' cave?
Wouldn’t that be awkward if someone planted the wand in the troll’s cave to make the witch want him dead.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
perhaps the witch's enemies will be aware if she attempts to retrieve it herself, through such means as divination, so she sends the party instead, adventurers going into a troll cave is not uncommon after all :)
Some other simple ideas would be perhaps she is somehow bound to her current location, and can only travel a short distance from where her home is located. Perhaps as punishment for some previous transgression against some more powerful being. This can be part of the testing as maybe she needs a group powerful enough to release her from her curse. She could believe she deserves her fate but wants to cultivate the group to become a force for good (or her personal version of 'good').
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
Yea, I am thinking that the big plot is that the Baron is conspiring with a warlock. the Baron wants to overthrow the king and is attempting to draw him out by putting the village that supplies the kingdom's crops in danger. the warlock, of course, has his own plans. the witch in question had been protecting the village and the Baron needed her out of the way. the warlock was not able to best her so he and the Baron framed her for the disappearance of some of the village children. the villagers caught her in her home and when she would not come out they set the place on fire. she was able to escape and took refuge in a nearby cave until the warlock sent a young troll after her. in her weakened state, she had to flee and in her haste dropped her wand. once rested she was able to regain some of her powers, and with the help of the local wildlife built a small cottage. she is able to keep the cottage and the meadow it sits in safe but is too weak without her wand to leave or deal with the troll who is now reeking havoc on the village.