"Mwahahahaha" ideas for introducing characters to each other
Oct 4, 2016 20:18:27 GMT
joatmoniac likes this
Post by theindulgery on Oct 4, 2016 20:18:27 GMT
I'm starting a homebrew campaign next weekend over Roll20, and many of my friends aren't able to start the same night. (We're meeting on a regular basis after that, but the first night is tricky) So I had to think of creative ways to get them all into the story at the same point, even though they're starting at different times. The campaign is sort of a maniacal game - like the Joker is running Hunger Games that takes place in 3 different zones, one of which is a huge mansion with devious levels.
Anyway, the characters all wake up with amnesia and won't realize right off the bat that they all volunteered for this game. All they know is what they look like - they dont' even know who the other players are or why they're there. I have a lot of mechanisms for revealing bits and pieces of info to them as they "remember" things, including ways for them to realize skills/spells they didn't know they could do. Because of Roll20's whisper feature they'll be able to keep this information to themselves as they learn it, can hide stuff, and even lie. There's very little chance of player knowledge affecting character knowledge.
The players themselves know that they're not all friends, some may even be enemies, and that they don't all have aligned goals. In fact one character is there to assassinate another (he doesn't know it now, but he'll remember it later), and one character isn't even part of the team - she's insinuated herself and plans to betray them at the end to escape.
Okay, long intro over: The way I have them meeting each other is this:
The Rogue: He wakes up on a dirty, torn up mattress. As he explores the room around him he discovers dead nurses that have been chewed to pieces. As he explores he hears giggling from the shadows. Eventually he's attacked by what are essentially little demonic babies who keep skittering into the shadows and disappearing, then hurling out of the dark to attack him. He has no weapons so he'll have to defeat them with his hands. As soon as he defeats them the door opens and the other players are standing there. All they see is a half-orc covered in blood, surrounded by dead nurses and babies.
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The Human: He is led blindfolded into a room and told that he needs to determine the correct combination to open the door that will lead out. The panels in front of him have levers and dials. What he doesn't know is that in the rooms surrounding him are the rest of the players on grated floors. When he flips levers without thinking he shocks the players in the rooms and can hear them screaming. There's a big red button next to him that will open the doors if he flips them in the right pattern. There is a correct pattern to open doors and he may accidentally open some player cell doors before opening the main door.
The Goliath: He keeps getting electrocuted and doesn't understand why. A high enough strength check will let him burst through his cell door. As he explores he'll hear other people screaming. He'll eventually find the center room where the human is working the panels. It would take a massive strength check for him to beat down the lab door, but he does have access to the door with the only female (the eventual traitor to the group). By rescuing her I'm hoping it'll build a protective attitude toward her in him.
The Traitor: She's locked herself in one of the rooms too, planning on insinuating herself with the team. The rest of the team has no idea she's not one of them. If the goliath does manage to break in her door she'll run to him weeping, begging him to help her.
The rest of the party: When the doors finally open all they'll see is the human working the panel that evidently was electrocuting them. The goliath may be there as well, so it'll be interesting to see how that works out. When they eventually leave the next door they find will lead to the rogue's room.
Any ideas to make it better? Any immediate problems or issues? This is a one-shot campaign so I don't mind if characters die, but I don't want them killing each other the first night. lol
Anyway, the characters all wake up with amnesia and won't realize right off the bat that they all volunteered for this game. All they know is what they look like - they dont' even know who the other players are or why they're there. I have a lot of mechanisms for revealing bits and pieces of info to them as they "remember" things, including ways for them to realize skills/spells they didn't know they could do. Because of Roll20's whisper feature they'll be able to keep this information to themselves as they learn it, can hide stuff, and even lie. There's very little chance of player knowledge affecting character knowledge.
The players themselves know that they're not all friends, some may even be enemies, and that they don't all have aligned goals. In fact one character is there to assassinate another (he doesn't know it now, but he'll remember it later), and one character isn't even part of the team - she's insinuated herself and plans to betray them at the end to escape.
Okay, long intro over: The way I have them meeting each other is this:
The Rogue: He wakes up on a dirty, torn up mattress. As he explores the room around him he discovers dead nurses that have been chewed to pieces. As he explores he hears giggling from the shadows. Eventually he's attacked by what are essentially little demonic babies who keep skittering into the shadows and disappearing, then hurling out of the dark to attack him. He has no weapons so he'll have to defeat them with his hands. As soon as he defeats them the door opens and the other players are standing there. All they see is a half-orc covered in blood, surrounded by dead nurses and babies.
The Human: He is led blindfolded into a room and told that he needs to determine the correct combination to open the door that will lead out. The panels in front of him have levers and dials. What he doesn't know is that in the rooms surrounding him are the rest of the players on grated floors. When he flips levers without thinking he shocks the players in the rooms and can hear them screaming. There's a big red button next to him that will open the doors if he flips them in the right pattern. There is a correct pattern to open doors and he may accidentally open some player cell doors before opening the main door.
The Goliath: He keeps getting electrocuted and doesn't understand why. A high enough strength check will let him burst through his cell door. As he explores he'll hear other people screaming. He'll eventually find the center room where the human is working the panels. It would take a massive strength check for him to beat down the lab door, but he does have access to the door with the only female (the eventual traitor to the group). By rescuing her I'm hoping it'll build a protective attitude toward her in him.
The Traitor: She's locked herself in one of the rooms too, planning on insinuating herself with the team. The rest of the team has no idea she's not one of them. If the goliath does manage to break in her door she'll run to him weeping, begging him to help her.
The rest of the party: When the doors finally open all they'll see is the human working the panel that evidently was electrocuting them. The goliath may be there as well, so it'll be interesting to see how that works out. When they eventually leave the next door they find will lead to the rogue's room.
Any ideas to make it better? Any immediate problems or issues? This is a one-shot campaign so I don't mind if characters die, but I don't want them killing each other the first night. lol
