Talk:Red Sewers (3.5e Quest)

Cast of CharactersEdit

You wanted suggestions on how to improve this one, but had to leave. Here are some ideas and considerations.

You have clearly set up the idea that there are certain key characters in the town. This is a good idea and it may be a good idea to flesh that out more. One way I like to make important characters to a plot is to come up with a defining feature, motivations, and a plot connection. Here's an example you could use for your town:

Grim'chk, Orc Barbarian Mercenary

• Defining Feature: Other mercenaries look to him to answer any questions, which he replies in an irritated voice with short answers.
• Motivations: He wants to get the bounty with his group first. If he thinks the party has information he could use, he might threaten them.
• Plot Connection: In the tavern, clearly waiting for someone (the vampire). He doesn't know who it is he's waiting for, but he has enough info to know the vampire will be visiting. He keeps his eyes on the door.

Deruka, Thief

• Defining Feature: Discreetly observes his surroundings talking in a hushed tone.
• Motivations: Wants his partner out of jail, but works for the vampire, which is more important.
• Plot Connection: Deruka will follow the party into the sewer, once they figure it out.
  • If/when caught, he will explain that he was "making sure they were capable of doing some delicate work for him". He will offer the 50 GP to break out his buddy at this point, saying it is urgent they go immediately. He'll make up a sob story about his friend being unjustly imprisoned because the city guard were the ones that brought the "beast" from the sewers into the town to dispose of some people that had discovered corruption in the town guard.
  • If they accept, he will run ahead to "distract the guards" for the party. He's actually alerting them so they can set up a trap.

(name here), Vampire

• Defining Feature: A lisp (hiding those teeth is tough) and unusually bundled in heavy clothing for this time of year.
• Motivations: Y'know, drain blood.
• Plot Connection: He's no idiot and visits the tavern every night to see what's going on in town. He smells terrible and when asked, says he's boarding with a local farmer and working in the farmer's pig pens. His clothing is a bit odd for a laborer, however... He sits down with Daruka and tries to let Daruka do the talking.

(name here), Priest (is he/she a pantheon priest or one of a specific deity?)

• Defining Feature: Restless and jittery because he/she senses something unnatural.
• Motivations: Wants the balance restored in the town.
• Plot Connection: Cast Detect Undead the previous night, and was pretty sure he/she saw something for a brief moment (it was a lingering trail from the vampire). He/she isn't completely sure, however, because Deruka had met up and chatted with him/her a minute before seeing the aura and Deruka was carrying a lantern that blinded him/her, which was disorienting.

There's a basic idea. You can see that there's some interplay between characters, which helps make the story more real. I fit Deruka into the Priest's story so that the players might discover he's serving the vampire. And the vampire is a character they can (and should) meet. I'd have them arrive at night, so that they meet him in the first "scene".

A 1-dimensional villain is fine sometimes (and can work in this case quite successfully), but a great way to add some depth is to make the villain not totally a villain. Here's how:

• The vampire is actually a (former) thrall of a greater vampire self-named the "Blood Lord".
• He managed to break free of his servitude somehow (come up with some convincing reason).
• He's not actually killing townsfolk. He's bringing them into the sewers and draining blood by needle. He doesn't want to make more vampires.
• Why? Because the Blood Lord expects some vials of blood as tribute and the vampire in town doesn't want the blood lord to find out he's actually not commanded anymore. He needs to continue draining blood from folks to survive himself, but also to get that tribute ready.
• If he doesn't bring the tribute, the Blood Lord will kill him and send a much more dangerous thrall to the town, which will end in all the villagers dying.
• He talked to the mayor already to try to make a bargain, but the mayor is convinced if he gets the vampire killed, the Blood Lord won't bother with the town. The mayor can't let on that he knows what is going on because the Blood Lord might catch wind of it. He needs to make it seem like the vampire just failed.

So the players need to figure out if the needs of the many (the town) outweigh the needs of the few (the captured villagers, which are blood-slaves). They can try to get creative with solutions.

Hope these ideas help with your adventure writing. --Aarnott (talk) 18:50, 19 November 2013 (UTC)