GMing my first game

[quozaxx]

Well, Saturday,  I GMed my very first time 

  It was challenging,  but fun.  

 

First I established the one with magic,  was contacted by the head of the University paranormal studies. 

 

The man's name was Drake Shelton,  and he was expecting a potentially magical artifact from the ruins of Pompeii 

 

So, I had one character driving with his DNPC, one in his secret ID, driving and one flying over a bridge that was partially under construction 

 

While heading over the bridge,  they saw a vortex about the size of a football stadium appear in the sky.   

 

12 giant, car sized,  spiders fall out, but 3 fall into the water.  (Or so it seems)  3 fell onto the tower that spans over the bridge,  and the other 6, land on the bridge. 

 

A fight ensued.   A worker got bit and a driver got hurt.  The spiders were relatively easy to stun and knock out. 

 

One thing that threw me off was the DNPC knew the hero's identity.   I was hoping to play that out a little. 

 

The heroes found a box in the back of the UPS truck that was magical and headed to Drake Shelton 

 

They opened the box with Drake and it was a very powerful magic wand.  It radiates magic and basically they just let everyone who can detect magic know that they had a very powerful magic artifact. 

 

Even after closing the box, they could feel the magic.  

 

Of course,  this is a very abbreviated version of what happened,  but you get the idea 

 

[csyphrett]

What's the next section going to be like?

CES

[quozaxx]

Right now they are in the professor's office with the very magical wand.  

 

First, I'm going to have one character's friend from his job call him and ask him why his car is abandoned on the bridge.  Got to get those disads in.  LOL

 

Then I'll have someone go to the university and attack them.  The problem is that I have two potential groups. One is the Devil's Advocate, from Creatures of the Night and Arcane Adversaries, or Harpy from Anarchy and Witchfinder since they both hate magic and can detect it.  And if Harpy is there, that means Anarchy is waiting for them.  

 

I haven't decided which.  Either way the group has to figure out what to do with the wand.  I made it obvious they can't just break it. (That's what happened to Pompeii) and it radiates to much magic (it's presently in a magic box that dampens magic and detect magic, but doesn't get rid of it.)

 

Now, the professor will need access to it so, he can figure out a way to disarm it safely.  So, he will need someplace that he can access it and examine it, but every time they take it out of the box, it's like... well.. opening Pandora's box.  It's like sending a signal to every detect magic individual out there.  

 

Basically, I'm going to have the heroes decide what to do with the wand.  Give them a chance to discuss it out.  I'll probably give them JUST enough time to figure out what to do with the wand... and then the university gets attacked.  

 

And, let me just say this wand is just the tip of the iceberg, but I want to keep a few secrets.  

[quozaxx]

I'm going to have 2 members of the Devil's advocate try to steal the wand. 

 

2 possible outcomes.  1 they don't get the wand.  2 they do get the wand 

 

More than likely,  number 2... but then what?

 

Suggestions?

[drunkonduty]

The classic Devil's Advocate plot is: Use it to power a big, reality warping spell that transforms campaign city to its mediaeval equivalent.

 

The Indian guy, whose name escapes me at the moment, could use it for something a bit more India specific. Basically the guy is all about reinstating the caste system in all it's mediaeval glory - there's plenty of Hindu nationalists who would welcome him. He might try to overthrow the government and replace Modi.  (Truth is, Modi is pretty Hindu nationalist himself and might welcome the guy as an ally to install a totalitarian regime, but we drift into real world politics at this point so I'll stop.)

 

Gyre would use the wand to do something... weird. How about building a huge multi-dimensional maze, all inter-locking, shining portals and strange geometries. Which might be fine and even beautiful if done in an empty desert somewhere, but she dropped it in the middle of campaign city in the middle of a busy work day. Now hundreds or thousands of people are lost and wandering in an effectively infinite maze. And maybe some things from elsewhere are wandering through to here.

 

Vlisindra (something like that, 🤔) might be interested in returning to Svartlheim and taking over her old clan. Which might kick off a conflict that spills over into our dimension. That , or just playing a HUGE practical joke on the world. She is an illusionist and trickster type after all.

 

Golem (again, not sure if that's the right name) is kinda dull and one dimensional. Which is fine, I think every villain group should have a member who's just kinda there. He'd use it to make a bigger golem.

 

Or how about something controversial - they use it to put out the fires in the Amazon and then kick out all the governments and mega-corps. Then they start re-growing the rain forest.

[quozaxx]

I have an overall plot for the wand and last night, I had a brilliant idea.   I just hope the heroes go with it.

 

I just needed an alternative,  "just" in case they get the wand 

[dsatow]

You can always have both villains group come take the wand.  This is useful when the villains win and you really don't want them too, the second villain group comes to take the goal from the first group.  Usually, the heroes will then try to escape with the goal.

[quozaxx]

50 minutes ago, dsatow said:

You can always have both villains group come take the wand.  This is useful when the villains win and you really don't want them too, the second villain group comes to take the goal from the first group.  Usually, the heroes will then try to escape with the goal.

Now that's a good idea.   Thanks