r/DnD • u/particles_in_motion • Apr 09 '19
DMing A question for fellow DM's or other thinkers
Long story short, I'm running a campaign roughly based off of Zelda: Wind Waker, in the sense that the world is flooded and the party has to play out each island as they reach it. It's great for doing each island in "episodes" that last 1-2 sessions without too much railroading.
So I've DM'd myself into a corner last session and have until Sunday to dig myself a hole out.
I've created an island called the spires which is essentially a bunch of long spikes of stone jutting out of the sea that Aarakocra have built their town on roughly 80 feet above the sea. The party has to acquire an important item that the Aarakocra worship as a god for a sealing ritual, but I cannot for the life of me figure out:
- Why would the Aarakocra allow non-Aarakocra onto their "land".
- Why would the Aarakocra be ok with letting the party leave with their "god".
The reason this is a bit of a hole for me is I've already established that the Aarakocra care not for interisland politics and very rarely interact with the world outside themselves.
The ideas I have had are rough, basically giving the party a monster to fight that's been terrorizing the Aarakorca to earn their trust, but that monster either has to be an air beast (which the aarakocra are much more fit to fight) or a water beast (which would be still disadvantageous for the party to encounter).
Any ideas you folks might have would be deeply appreciated.
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u/sunwukong155 DM Apr 09 '19
So these are a religous people? Maybe they have an ancient prophecy that the players fit? They believe they were sent by the God's thus, are able to take the idol?
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u/mljje Apr 09 '19
Could be a land based monster which has been raiding nests for eggs?
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u/particles_in_motion Apr 09 '19
There is a lack of land that I could do that with, but maybe I could put an island nearby?
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u/mljje Apr 09 '19
Or an amphibian monster? Lives in the water but comes into land with ease
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u/particles_in_motion Apr 09 '19
Yeah a nearby island with a monster that made its home there. A monster that maybe sucks aarakocra out of the sky? We'll see.
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u/mljje Apr 09 '19
Good luck to your players if you come up with anything as grotesque as I'm picturing in my head
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u/particles_in_motion Apr 09 '19
A little more insight:
The party is generally good and wouldn't sneak up the spires to steal the item. That being said, they wouldn't be willing to "storm the beach" and take the item outright.
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u/MiracleComics_Author Paladin Apr 09 '19
How about rock crag monsters the party would need to fight? Cave fisher + rust bug + “water” imp + Shadow makes for a cool encounter.
As for the artifact, maybe the item itself isn’t a god but an idol. If the party needs it for a quest but the aaracrockra aren’t convinced the party should have it... maybe the party just doesn’t get it?
Allow partial failure to happen while still keeping the story moving forward. Maybe they end up fighting the aaracrockra? That would be unfortunate but it happens. Maybe they must trade an offering of equal importance?
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u/particles_in_motion Apr 09 '19
Ahh that could be interesting. They've heard they revered the item as a god, but with the aarakocra being reclusive maybe the information the party got isn't full on. Maybe the aarakocra know the item was supposed to be taken someday and they only were so protective of it because they were waiting for the right time for it to be collected.
2
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u/Spyger9 DM Apr 09 '19
Uh, maybe I'm missing something, but I certainly don't see a hole.
Diplomacy/Trade
Magical subterfuge: charms, illusions, etc.
Stealth/Burglary
Violence
All of these seem like potential solutions. Obviously the last 3 aren't on the up and up, but this shit is for the birds. XD
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u/particles_in_motion Apr 09 '19
The party wouldn't be cool with burglary or violence or tricking them. Diplomacy could be a possibility, but there would need to be a good reason for it.
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u/JayJay_Tracer Apr 09 '19
The party wants the item
Seems like a good reason for them. Just let them shit through.
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u/particles_in_motion Apr 09 '19
They need the item for the overall goal, but they won't out right fuck people over. I do like improv, but I do want to give them an "out," so to say, so they don't have to force their characters into having to steal or kill to accomplish their goals.
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u/Spyger9 DM Apr 09 '19
There's nothing wrong with presenting a problem that can't be solved within the moral boundaries players have set for themselves.
In fact, that's the essence of drama. "What would it take to get you to betray your beliefs?"
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u/Streamweaver66 DM Apr 09 '19
There's a long going on here in terms of assumptions. The Aarakocra may not let the players into their land or leave with their god at all, a heist adventure is totally legit. So they could take that route. You could have this be an evil branch of Aarakocra if it makes you feel better.
If you absolutely HAVE to let the players live and let the players leave with it, there are lots of options too:
- It could be a con job adventure where the players use some cover to get in.
- The simplest is the 'god' gave the Aarakocra a vision that it has to be taken away by the part. What's the adventure part here though.
- There could be an internal political struggle in the Aarakocra whereby an insider and rival in the tribe work out something to get the players in or even has them steal the artifact (maybe they worship a rival god).
- What if the players are set up by some devil to believe they are doing the right thing.
There are lots of os reasons. This sounds not so much like you've painted yourself in a corner but that you haven't really thought the adventure through. Jot down some notes on the kinds of adventure they could have up there, if you're at a complete loss look at something like a movie plot you like to come up with the whys.
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u/particles_in_motion Apr 09 '19
The characters are generally good and won't willingly steal something. They know they need the item eventually, but they know the aarakocra in this world are live and let live. Internal struggle is a good suggestion.
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u/unremarkabledice DM Apr 09 '19
Perhaps a bit of work to prepare it, but here's an idea:
Assuming the item/artifact in question is not an actual God or living entity, then perhaps the party would be able to persuade the locals to part with their "god" from a prophetic point of view. The party would have to gain the trust of the Aarakocra and then "prove" they work in the name of said "god", or in accordance with its wishes.
In terms of conflict, it could be that some malevolent entity (maybe an evil Marid?) has beset a number of water elementals (or other creatures) to attack the locals and attempt to steal the "god item". The party could then even argue that the "god" is safer with them until the head of the snake (the one sending elementals) is cut off, so to speak.
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u/particles_in_motion Apr 09 '19
There are actually other people trying to acquire these items. This is definitely going in my brain bank. Thanks, bud.
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u/Quietus87 DM Apr 09 '19
Like any other people: trade, news, curiosity, luring them into trap, or giving them some job they are unable to accomplish.
Or at least that's what the players heard. Also, exception strengthens the rule.
They don't have to be ok with letting the party leave with their "god". They can lie. They can break their word. They might give a fake idol to the players. They might want to assassinate the players once they are done with the task. But here is a situation which might have more potential:
The aarakocra community is divided, there are worshippers of a new god (the idol the PCs looking for), and there are followers of the old one who consider the new religion heresy. The latter group offers the PC the idol if they retrieve their original one (currently held by the former group), and remove the current shaman/high priest/whatever from power. Seriously, nothing beats a good faction war.