Plots · Coincidence · Side-Quest
Changing faces
What would you do if you were offered the chance to be a monster?
Plot Description
While travelling along a little used roadway, the party hears a sharp cry for help coming from the woods to one side. when they investigate, they find, in a large clearing, a diminutive man holding a band of laughing brigands at bay, barely. Behind him stands a bubbling cauldron, and he is holding the large stirring spoon before him as a makeshift weapon. Just as the party enters the scene, one of the brigands makes a dart forward and lunges at the small man with his gleaming blade. The strike comes home on the man's arm, causing him to let out a yelp of pain.
Hopefully, the party is decent enough to take the brigands in hand and send them packing (they'll run before they fight). If so, then the man will ask for some help with his bleeding arm and then thank them for their help. He will then turn back to his cauldron and continue stirring. If asked, then he will inform them that his name is Grinning Bibleflibble (he will also make some snide remarks about his parents' sense of humor), and that he is a hedge-mage of some small talent.
Suddenly, he wil et a sly twinkle in his eye and offer the players a drink from his cauldron, though he won't tell them what it is on his own.
If 'pressed', he will grudgingly admit what his brew is, a magical potion to change the drinker into a fearsome creature. Fangs, claws, wings, scales; the whole sha-bang.
Once that much is out in the open, Grinning will continue that his village drove him out because they did not like the idea of him turning random monstrosities loose around the countryside. Then, when the brigands learned the nature of his brew, they demanded he give them some of it, believing that it would help them in their 'duties'.
Grinning tells them that he offered the party some out of gratitude and curiosity.
Secrets
Maybe the effects wear off, maybe not. Grinning hasn't had enough time or subjects to properly find out what the effects are. One thing that Grinning won't tell the party, is that he used some very strange ingredients while he was creating the brew, and he doesn't know everything that they do. One of these is Moosewort, a dark brown shrub-like plant found in the forests nearby. Moosewort is a good cure for cramps, and also apotent narcotic. It is highly addictive, and gives violent halucinations. Moosewort also has adverse affects. It gradually shrinks the eyeballs of anyone who uses it, and it also eats away at their stomach lining. WHile the potion gives only a small dose, it is still enough to addict anyone.
Expanding the scenario
-Some of the brigands got away when the party attacked. Now they're feeling sore that they were beaten, and that the party got some of what they wanted, Grinning's brew. Now they
re out for vengeance.
-Grinning is always interested in how his potion works. It woud not be unlikely for him to check up on the players to see how things are going.
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This isnt without merit, i like the idea of a Potion of Monsterous Aspect, may write that up myself later. However there are alot of questions to be answered.
1. Who is this halfling mage? Not many of the hobbits take to the arts of brewing potions and such. Who is he, give us a little detail. Even if it is just naming him Bumfinger Hobbitsnot, a little can go a long way.
2. Why is he brewing potions in the woods? Most mages have laboratories and special places for brewing and enchanting.
3. Why are the robbers trying to steal the potion? Did Bumfinger cheat them when he paid them for spell components, or do they just want to knock him down and steal his pot of goo?
4. Why will he let the PCs have some of the potion, but not tell them what it is? If they Fang-Out, they could be rather well equipped to evicerate Bumfinger Hobbitsnot.
5. The Idea of the Halfling Brewmaster is a good one for a benefactor, but if he is brewing potions alone in the woods, what does he have to offer?
There are thousands of possibilites, but it would be great if we could have a couple to start us off.
Maybe he's brewing out in the woods because what he's brewing is illegal. He could be a moonshiner, making illegal alchohol, part time.
I agree that not telling them is a bad idea. I know that if I was in an abandoned piece of woods, and I was stupid enough to drink from an unknown person's cauldron, and then I sprouted wings, claws, and a really bad temper I wouldn't hold back. In fact I'd probably be taking the hobbit with me until I washed the blood/guts off of me.
Also, maybe the robbers are after the potion cuase they know what it does. And they want some of it so they can harrass poor, cuddly adventurers.
Updated: Thanks guys
Okay, you are still posting the same problem submission and people are giving a great deal of gentle advice.
That hasn't worked as well as I would of hoped. Though there is still hope
You need to edit this and all your posts.
First I want you to read a few posts here and see what their scores are. In fact, check the category you want to post it, click the 'highest rated' and see what those are like.
Do you see the differences between your posts and those?
Your ideas are okay. Your premises are okay. Your execution is sub par.
Could you please spend a bit more time on your posts. You need to flesh them out some more, filling in description and answering obvious questions about the items in point. I don't need colorful stories and cool turns of phrase (though it would be nice). Simple, clear, narritive, is all you need. Answer all the basic questions: Who is involved, What is happening and what is the item involved, where and when did all this take place, and why did the people involved do what they did. Answer those and your post will be higher scoring.
The average submission here takes a minimum of 30 minutes worth of work. Yours seems slapped up in about 5. That implies that you don't care about your posts or the people who read them. I am not sure this is the case with you. So please, a bit more effort and work on your posts.
You are ignoring many rules of grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. An extra space after a comma (or other punctuation) would be nice as well. It makes your post seem 'childish'. Spell Check, either using our spell check (or checking your posts and pasting them in) would do wonders to stop knee jerk reactions to your work. So far everyone is trying to be nice both nice and helpful... but your grace period is running out... so we are soon only going to be helpful.
If English is not your primary language, let us know and we can help.
Feel free to check the general good guidelines 1272 posted here. You will see much of the same advice people have been giving you has been sumarized here.
The scenario as you put it is more like a cliff note summary of something. There are not a great deal of details here for people to do much with. This can be a pretty good post, if you just took the time and did it right.
damn it! I'm starting to like the name...Grinning Bibbleflibble
Well, just because he's a halfling, comical on his own, doesn't mean he has to have a name fit for a comedy character.
Other that that... why does a halfling make a Potion of Monster Morphing? Aren't halflings usually the ones who get eaten by monsters?
Also why would anyone, who finds out what the potion is, want to become a monster... you know universally feared by all, unable to go to town/ villages/ cities, hunted by NPC heroes and local militaries, and so on. In short, big plot hole.
Besides, if anyone in the local political structure (like the local lord) had been having problems with monsters... you would take yon hobbit and his potion caldron, take them to the Lord and earn not only his gratitude, but a large reward.
This is quite good and I could imagine using it in some form or another - definitely an improvement on your previous posts.
Updated: Rewrite
Updated: Rewrite: better grammar and flow over-all. More fleshed out.
A nice effort put into the rewrite, and over all much improved from its original incarnation. (Read way back and never voted on it.) A few paragraph breaks in the initial plot description would be a nice finishing touch and make the a touch piece easier to read ;)
Other then that it's an interesting sub plot, and worth tossing into an otherwise slow overland travel session.
As for precedence - Look no further than Dr. Jekyle and Mr. Hyde. The potion of monsterfacation is not new.
This is a decent plot for a less serious game where some of its 'plot holes' are not too big a deal.