[Group][Single Quest] - Tomb Home of Ancient Heroes

[torilen]

I finished this up last night. I am giving fair warning ahead of anyone downloading it. This is NOT a traditional quest.
There are some traps, and there could be some combat. This quest, though, is designed more for a few purposes:
- The Game Master expanding the history of his game setting, providing that info to the players.
- The Game Master testing the heroes, to ensure that they are, in fact, heroic, and not simple grave robbers.
- The Game Master has the chance/possibility to give the heroes a place to rest and heal, to gain some healing,
.....and to possibly gain a bonus to Body and Mind Points, and to either attack or defense.

Really, though, the Players are going to have to role-play their characters more than I think is usual, and they'll
have to think just a bit. Sorry.

This quest does make use of some of my own expanded materials, found here:
viewtopic.php?f=58&t=1212&p=12574#p12574


Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think. There will be more quests to come.

UPDATE - as of 6-21-2012 - the issues mentioned below have been fixed (hopefully). Read down to see.

tomb home of the ancient warrior.pdf

[Daedalus]

This Quest offers a lot of reward for what appears limited risk. The Guardian doesn't appear invincible, and he is vulnerable to a strong group of Heroes. Maybe you could offer a suggested power limit for the Heroes so that they can't easily be rewarded for looting (unless you really want to motivate them towards evil deeds). Otherwise put in a contingincy that screws such black-hearted munchkins, such as a curse that makes keeping the many treasures less attractive or not worth it.

I think this Quest is best used as a fast-track to higher level Quests. As another option to be included seperately, cut back on the rewards. One random buff could be enough if you want progression to match standard Hero Quest more closely. My

[torilen]

I had originally had two ways to deal with the situation where the heroes stole everything and killed the elf.
1 - the items would become cursed upon leaving the building, becoming the opposite of what the offered.
2 - nearly everyone in the surrounding region(s) knew of the Tomb Home and had at least some idea of
.....what was housed there....they would know what some of the coat of arms looked like. If the heroes
.....attempted to sell of use anything, if they were wearing anything within a settled area, they would be
.....recognized and the people would turn on them.

As I as finishing the piece, the last part I put in was about the guardian. I had thought about making him
so overly powered that the heroes would be demolished if they did try to steal anything. I honestly could not
think of a plausible and buy-able way to make him so powerful that he could take on a group of 4-6 well-
equipped heroes. So, I just made him more powerful than what a single hero would be. I should've taken that
concept further, yes?

I didn't put any of that in, as you can tell. Not sure why. You are right, though, there are some very nice
items within the Home and could make a party of heroes highly overpowered if they proved to be not-so-
heroic and stole everything.

I guess I'm hoping that the heroes would, in fact, be heroes, and we wouldn't have to deal with that.
Is that being too optimistic??

[Daedalus]

The poeple turning on them makes sense. Maybe you'd need to handle that narratively. At that point Mentor could step to reclaim their stuff and set the "Heroes" on a series of attonement Quests.

Keep the Guardian as is, but add one Artifact that lets him teleport out with a Hero. There at another location, a one-on-one battle can commence.

There are enough munchkin players out there to make this Quest a problem-- the game was designed for 13-year-olds, after all The only thing that makes the Heroes heroic are Mentor's Quests. If you added more consequences, this could work well as an object lesson, however.

[el_flesh]

It doesn't really make sense; that's the hard part: evil is growing in the land, everyone knows it...so when a truly heroic fig comes to town, or a group - you will tend to give them all the help you can find!
"You're the likeliest candidate to pass thru here ever!" = GIVE them items and services for free!
They actually DO this in Megaton, a town in Fallout PC game. It made me LoL that someone finally realized and implemented it, (although they are thanking you)!

So it's tough for this quest. I think you might lower some of the stats a bit on the equipment, and make the heros have to pass some very tough trials for it - trials in which they aren't actually dead; although their companions will think they are - and so will the player themself, until the end of the trial. If they can win against the dragon or whatever they fight, it is revealed to be all an illusion, and they are judged worthy of receiving the particular item of their class of hero. If they fail, then the illusion is still revealed, but the heros must leave the tomb now - and return only when they are powerful enough to face a REAL challenge that can kill them!

In reality we like to GIVE our best items to worthy successors who can wield them at least as well as we can - passing on our abilities, our heritage, keeps us alive in a way.

[cynthialee]

When I play as GM when my crew role plays, I try to remember that the peasents and the commoners of the realm see the player characters as heroes and treat them acordingly.
So long as a hero maintains the cause of good and true there are benifits.
Heroes get great deals at the market, heroes have access to surplus miltary grade hardware from local watch comanders, heroes get full payment on bounties when they aprehend bad guys, heroes have the adoration of the masses and often the lust of the lands women, heroes often get free booze at Inn's and taverns. Villains never get this treatment.

[el_flesh]

maybe villains should get some sort of special treatment out of fear?

"H-h-here Mr. Zebs, sir - have this tasty baby orphan, free on the house..."

Of course the lands women would run and hide...

[ken]

maybe villains should get some sort of special treatment out of fear?

"H-h-here Mr. Zebs, sir - have this tasty baby orphan, free on the house..."

Of course the lands women would run and hide...

I say, old boy, giving Zebs babies to munch on, not really cricket, what? Make him pay good money for them, I say.
Why would the Ladies run from such a handsome fellow. With his green jumper, just like my Wallace the Wookie, I am sure most Ladies would want to Mother him.

[torilen]

PROBLEM FIXED

Okay - I updated the quest above. However, for those who have already downloaded it, here is what I changed.
This should alleviate the issue of the heroes gaining items that would over-balance them in the game. BUT - it
does not take away the temptation, and would possibly still cause severe backlash against them if it is found that
they tried to steal things.

I added the following on its own page:
THE MAGICAL ITEMS
The Tomb Home holds many special and magical items -weapons, armors, and other equipment. These items were placed within the Home to honor those fallen heroes that used them. Some of these items are very powerful, and as such, they might be a great temptation to anyone who enters the Home.
The Guardian of the Home is present at all times to protect the Home and all of those things housed there. However, the Guardian is only one person and is not invincible. Many years ago, the magical items on display were given a special safety measure, in the occurrence that the Guardian is defeated or overrun and the Home ransacked for all its treasures. Each item has been given a special magic that keeps it within the Home. Should anyone enter the Home and wish to take anything from there, the item taken will stay with the thief for only about 100 yards or so. At that point, it will magically teleport back to its display area in the Home.
This magic cannot be overcome in anyway. It is a secret spell known only to those who placed it -even the Guardians are not privy to such secrets, so as to keep them honest, as well.

I also added this part to the description of the rose bush in the garden:
These bonuses are permanent, unless the recipient does anything to dishonor the Home or the Guardian.

[cynthialee]

Puting all those nifty items in the quest, then to turn around and make them unusable/unstealable?!!?

I would refuse to play with you anymore. Why dangle in front of my nose what is awesome that I am not allowed to have? This quest should be ussed as a way to rapidly equip a group of hereos, not rub it in their noses what they can't have.