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ralphmeltonSo, in the last D&D session, it became established that the world is in need of some saving. One of the PCs raised the quite reasonable question, "Why don't these other, more potent folks go save the world instead of us?"
The OOC answer is obvious: this is a story about the PCs, and it's cooler to have the PCs save the world. But I'm making a mental inventory of possible reasons why these PCs (who are not yet the most powerful heroes in the land) might end up saving the world:
- The PCs are the only ones who realize the world needs saving.
- The PCs have special knowledge that no one else has.
- The PCs are in the right place at the right time, and have the opportunity to change the course of events.
- The PCs have a special item that is seems minor but becomes important.
- Ditto, but with a special ability or quality.
- The most powerful folks are engaged in direct action, while the PCs get sent on an indirect errand that swings the whole course of events.
- The most powerful folks all get killed.
- The PCs are considered more expendable than the more powerful folks.
- The more powerful folks are frauds who are not so powerful after all.
Hmm, that's only nine, and I figured that I could get up to a dozen at least. What am I missing?
The OOC answer is obvious: this is a story about the PCs, and it's cooler to have the PCs save the world. But I'm making a mental inventory of possible reasons why these PCs (who are not yet the most powerful heroes in the land) might end up saving the world:
- The PCs are the only ones who realize the world needs saving.
- The PCs have special knowledge that no one else has.
- The PCs are in the right place at the right time, and have the opportunity to change the course of events.
- The PCs have a special item that is seems minor but becomes important.
- Ditto, but with a special ability or quality.
- The most powerful folks are engaged in direct action, while the PCs get sent on an indirect errand that swings the whole course of events.
- The most powerful folks all get killed.
- The PCs are considered more expendable than the more powerful folks.
- The more powerful folks are frauds who are not so powerful after all.
Hmm, that's only nine, and I figured that I could get up to a dozen at least. What am I missing?
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The nine of the fellowship versus the 9 ringwraiths?
Date: 2003-02-24 06:44 pm (UTC)Everyone who can go up against this threat should...if this force is not opposed by all who can, it will mean the end of all that the PC's hold dear.
The more powerful folks are engaged in defensive actions, while the PC's are free to take offensive actions.
Gold? Wealth? Fame? You don't get it if you don't go for it.
Re: The nine of the fellowship versus the 9 ringwraiths?
Date: 2003-02-24 07:30 pm (UTC)Or said powerful adventurers are greedy and short-sighted, and won't do anything until someone coughs up a reward 'worthy' of their abilities, so someone else had better do it before it gets too late.
Re: The nine of the fellowship versus the 9 ringwraiths?
Date: 2003-02-25 02:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-02-24 11:54 pm (UTC)- The PCs have special knowledge that no one else has.
A combination of these two is the only thing I can think of to use in my game, as it turns out. I'm still trying to hack together how they get this exclusive information--I may have to settle on something rather cheezy. I'll let you know how it works out.
- The most powerful folks are engaged in direct action, while the PCs get sent on an indirect errand that swings the whole course of events.
Tal used this one. It worked out fairly well, but required playing on the PCs' supervisor. If your PCs have no mission dispatcher, it may be harder to work.
- The most powerful folks all get killed.
I'm not sure this is really a great idea--I mean, either the powerful folks are all killed because of a freak accident (in which case you have a plot-important freak accident on your conscience) or they're killed by the enemy, in which case the PCs likely say "And we want to go up against the guy who easily killed all those obviously powerful people because...?"
- The PCs are considered more expendable than the more powerful folks.
I'm not sure this passes the test of reasonableness--if this battle isn't won, the world is effectively going to end, so it doesn't make sense to throw anything but your full power into the battle since there will be no second chance.
- The PCs have a special item that is seems minor but becomes important.
...and that they are unable to pass off to more powerful people because [insert reason here].
- The more powerful folks are frauds who are not so powerful after all.
This could be highly amusing.
Also:
- Prophecy
Advantage: Can't be argued with
Disadvantage: Requires lots of setup. Inherently cheesy.
- Vendetta victimhood (PCs accidentally stumble upon a working of Evil Guy, who then decides to be out to get them. Traditionally this involves sending all of his minions after the PCs in increasing order of power, starting with the wimpiest. The PCs now must find some way to defeat Evil Guy before he runs out of minions and comes after them himself. Optionally, Evil Guy can only be beaten through the use of the artifact X, which he has cleverly hidden away inside the backpack of one of the PCs.)
Advantage: Must defeat Evil Guy for sake of own survival, which is a pretty good motive. Hallowed by long tradition as the base plot of many Japanese fighting cartoons.
Disadvantage: Hallowed by long tradition as the base plot of many Japanese fighting cartoons. Not particuarly deep or complex. (The point of Dragonball isn't the plot.)
no subject
Date: 2003-02-25 01:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-02-25 08:09 am (UTC)Some of powerful folks aren't really on our side.
The PCs are the only ones who realize the world needs saving.
Unlikely in this game, yes?
The PCs are in the right place at the right time, and have the opportunity to change the course of events.
Also known as: trouble seems to follow the PCs around. We're bad luck. :-)
The PCs are considered more expendable than the more powerful folks.
This doesn't work so well with self-guided PCs, though.
The more powerful folks are frauds who are not so powerful after all.
Interesting idea.
Reasons for the PC's
Date: 2003-02-25 10:39 am (UTC)To help brainstorm.. (Some are a rehash of others.)
PC's:
- are too small to be noticed by the 'big guys'.
- stumble into the adventure on a side street instead of the main offensive that the big names are on.
- do not have the expirence with the evil ones, and are left to find their own path. Where as the powerful ones have first hand knowledge of these people, how they work, and where they have setup. Therefore, the PC's are immune to any 'changing tactics' of the evil ones and don't fall into the first large trap.
- are thought to be 'troublemakers' and sent to a place that is 'out of the way' or to some small mystery. (Mr. Fleadle's Cows are missing!). Only to get roped back in.
- are /there./ (Bird in hand is worth two in the bush.). Perhaps all the big heros are busy or MIA.
- are mistaken for someone else, either new henchmen, or the notables, and escorted to the lair.
- are diverse enought to solve whatever is keeping the big heros from moving ahead.
- meet up with the big heros at some point. (They are there, just on a different path)
- are the 'big heros', but no one has told them that. (The other's have slipped into legends.)
- are needed to find out what happened to the big heros.
- are the only ones that can|want|are young or healthy enough to do anything.
What you may want to do is think about that more powerful groups exist, and then make reasons for their action or inaction. A powerful enclave of mages hiding in their tower, a group of holy warriors running headlong into battle (and thus a trap). If the villan is large enough, there can be several paths up to the top, but you only need focus on one and give hints/references to the players about the others.
More suggested reasons
Date: 2003-02-25 11:48 am (UTC)- PCs may be the most powerful people who actually care
(it is folly to think that even powerful wizards/sorcerers/clerics care about every problem in the world - the current problem may just not interest the most powerful people or the powerful forces of good might just not have taken notice of the problem yet - also, think of how people can have inertia - if the group is already on the trail to the solution, then the powerful forces might just be happy to watch the PCs do it and are standing by incase they fail, because they don't want to get out of their comfortable habits)
- PCs are the only people who have time to handle the problem
(the powerful people may be involved in stopping other, more powerful, evils that are trying to destroy the world)
- PCs may be being lead by more powerful people in a larger, more complex plan to save the world
(the threat to the world is large, and the PCs represent a part of the solution being orchestrated by the more powerful forces of good)
- The PCs are the only people who believe that the threat to the world exists
(possibly the more powerful people just outright do not believe that the treat exists - denial is not just a river in Egypt - either their egos will not let them believe it, or they are being deluded/mislead magically by the forces of evil)
Another one, from the campaign I'm playing in now...
Date: 2003-02-26 04:58 am (UTC)