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Planescape Introductory Adventure: the Easy Road to Hell

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Tue, 2007-06-12 05:33
#1
Lord Zack
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Planescape Introductory Adventure: the Easy Road to Hell

There are a few Planescape Introductory Adventure threads around, mainly Desire and the Dead. While I like these, I want a little something different for my campaign. So I was thinking about Wolfgang Baur's recent Planar Adventures article in Dungeon #147. More specifically his "Easy Road to Hell" adventure idea.

I was thinking we could flesh that out a little bit. Here's my idea: The PCs join together at the beginning of the adventure, to be more able to survive the dangerous streets of Sigil. Then they get a few short quests from various NPCs. This part of the adventure introduces them to Sigil.

Then is where things start to get truely interesting. A hound archon or some other celestial tells the PCs he has a job for them. They have to take a message through a portal. Unfortunetly, the message is for an Archduke of Hell. And the portal is to Avernus. Fortunetly they have a safe conduct pass, that should, theoretically allow them to get to the Archduke unmolested. Unfortunetly a lot of people want that pass...

So could you help me put together this adventure?

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Tue, 2007-06-12 09:55
#2
Bagoly
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Planescape Introductory Adventure: the Easy Road to Hell

What CR are we talking about here? It seems a bit dubious that low level adventurers (who don't really stand out from the general rabble swarming the City of Doors) would get entrusted with such an important message. To an Archduke no less... I suggest sending that message to someone less prominent. There are plenty of lesser nobles, gods, proxies, vassals ect. in Baator that could be the target of such a message.

Nevertheless the idea is good. I'd be glad to help... Just point out with what.

Tue, 2007-06-12 12:24
(Reply to #2) #3
Clueless
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Planescape Introductory Adventure: the Easy Road to Hell

It is also possible that that message is simply a cover for something else. "Take this box here to this very important guy" when the real point is "So when it gets stolen at his front door and used to infect half of the troops at that location, you can genuinely disavow any knowledge of the event."

But it looks like the focus here would be on the difficulty of keeping that pass long enough to get there as opposed to what happens once you do. (That can be saved for a later adventure I suspect...)

People I can see interested in it: Rule-of-Three, Estavan, Shemeshka. Just off the top of my head. I seriously doubt anyone would think to use the pass to walk any tanarii armies though (I'm sure it doesn't cover that) - but it would be *ideal* for a covert operations cover or to insert a spy. You also have to consider how easily forged the pass may be if you have a single copy of it already.

Biggest problem I see with this: Making sure the PCs stick in town long enough *to* get in trouble. I know my own group, if we were given this sort of missions, would most likely walk straight from point A to point B and hop a portal too fast for news to get out about the matter. We move *fast* - so how fast do the NPCs reasonably move? What sort of complicating delay can we place that will be reasonable for the employeer to require?

Tue, 2007-06-12 13:30
(Reply to #3) #4
Bagoly
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Planescape Introductory Adventure: the Easy Road to Hell

Quote:
"So when it gets stolen at his front door and used to infect half of the troops at that location, you can genuinely disavow any knowledge of the event."
I shudder to think an archon can sink to such methods... Smiling

As for the delay, it can be anything. Who says they can't get attacked in Baator? After all, I bet there are a lot of exiles in Avernus dying for such a pass to the lower layers. Just brainstorm:
- Let us suppose that the message/object the characters are carrying gives off a strong aura that gets noticed by Avernian authorities.
- People who don't want the message/object to arrive or just want the pass are already watching the most used portals to Avernus. A detour is required, and finding it takes time. Maybe the object itself interferes with some portals. (hence the reason to find a way to take it to Baator).
- A group of Eladrins working against the archon's plans believe the object should not be delivered or that the pass should not be given to the party (after all they are corruptible mortals). A good group may have objections against hurting celestials... especially if they are very-very persuasive.
- Why not make the object cursed or otherwise harmful, to add another problem... The character carrying it may become gradually posessive of the object refusing to give it up, or it may impose some penalty, change whatever on the group...
-Even after it has been delivered the players may not be safe, either from retribution, or from people wanting to know what they actually carried.

My two cents.

Tue, 2007-06-12 16:39
(Reply to #4) #5
Lord Zack
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Planescape Introductory Adventure: the Easy Road to Hell

I was thinking 2nd-level PCs, even though I reduce Planetouched LAs to +0. I'm not sure how to delay the PCs. The adventure is kind of dependant on the fact they don't know where they're going at first, so we can't have the portal malfunction.

We also have to consider what kind of encounters we want in the Sigil section. Clearing a building of a cranium rat infestation, or hunting down a criminal are possiblilities I can think of.

Tue, 2007-06-12 22:31
(Reply to #5) #6
Clueless
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Planescape Introductory Adventure: the Easy Road to Hell

It may be easier to answer those sort of questions if we have an overall plot to work with here. As far as I can tell the *interesting* part is "Take X to guy Y in Baator. Here's a pass - don't let anyone else use it".

The bit before it seems mostly like random encounters and things the DM should do just to get the players geared up for the setting. That seems a little outside the scope of the 'fun part'. I would hesitate to include such random encounter aspects in the adventure *unless* they were tied in somehow to the later sections. It needs to be somehow extrinsically connected, otherwise honestly the DM can handle that himself (and maybe should as he could customize it to his players).

Now - I don't have that article - don't think I even have that issue in the house here - so is there any chance I could beg you to paraphrase the basic idea you're working with from that article - that way we'll all be on the same page?

Wed, 2007-06-13 05:38
(Reply to #6) #7
Bagoly
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Planescape Introductory Adventure: the Easy Road to Hell

That would be somewhat helpful, yes.
I was under the impression that anything that happened before the main plot was a different adventure altogether... This one being a way to get the players OUT of Sigil and make them ringwalkers proper.

Wed, 2007-06-13 10:29
(Reply to #7) #8
Lord Zack
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Planescape Introductory Adventure: the Easy Road to Hell

Here's how ity basically goes:

-PCs are approched by celestial to take a message through a portal.
-They learn after going through the portal that they're in Hell, and must take the message to an Archduke.
-They have the safe-conduct pass, and so can get through safely- in theory. Unfortunetly other people want said pass.

That's all he wrote, besides some examples of what they might have to deal with.

Mon, 2007-07-30 17:44
(Reply to #8) #9
Clueless
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Planescape Introductory Adventure: the Easy Road to Hell

Hi, I hope you don't mind - but I opened up a new forum for those interested in creating and playtesting adventures (from hook sized to campaign sized) and moved your thread over there to get that forum started off. Let me know if you want to be moved back.

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