Hazards

[BJ Swabb]

Hey everyone. So I need ideas of different hazards or obstacles to have my fellowship encounter with in different terrains. I'm tired of using beast encounters or having them enter caves fighting different guardians. Please help me.

 

[pmmg]

Does making up fluff for them todo help the story? They should be going after the main conflict, not the side quests.

If they are going after the main conflict, most of this takes care of itself.

Lava, water filled passages, getting lost, too much rain or snow. Low food or water. A lame horse. Pursued to the point of exhaustion.

Those are just a few.

 

[skip.knox]

What is the goal of the group?

 

[BJ Swabb]

They are traveling across many lands to save the main characters sister who was kidnapped. But they have to get there first, all while helping another character bring his fiance back from the underworld

 

[skip.knox]

So, is there a plot relationship between the kidnapped person and the character who is in the underworld, or are those separate?

 

[skip.knox]

For now, let's just look at the kidnap story. Who did the kidnapping and how was it done? Why was it done?

Does the kidnapper know our heroes are on the way?

 

[Miles Lacey]

Hey everyone. So I need ideas of different hazards or obstacles to have my fellowship encounter with in different terrains. I'm tired of using beast encounters or having them enter caves fighting different guardians. Please help me.

The landscape should be as much of a challenge as the beasts within it. Tracks and tunnels that look safe but lead nowhere or to hidden dangers like quicksand, pits of frozen lava, beautiful flowers with poisonous fumes or lakes of an alcoholic beverage your main character has a serious addiction to.

If the kidnapper knows the main character and their mates are in pursuit throw in some traps, hazards and puzzles that exploit the weaknesses of the fellowship members and/or require the particular skills, knowledge and personality traits that each character has in order to overcome or solve them.

 

[Penpilot]

IMHO, first think about your characters, then think about obstacles that have personal connection to them and each of their arcs.

A giant rattlesnake can be scary, but it becomes something more if a giant rattlesnake destroyed your home, killed your parents, and ate your puppy as a child, and you've been searching ever since for a rattlesnake with a six segment rattle and an eye-patch.

 

[BJ Swabb]

So, is there a plot relationship between the kidnapped person and the character who is in the underworld, or are those separate?

Seperate

 

[BJ Swabb]

For now, let's just look at the kidnap story. Who did the kidnapping and how was it done? Why was it done?

Does the kidnapper know our heroes are on the way?

So they kidnapped my main character's sister during a rescue mission to save their aunt from an evil warlock ringleader. The Knapper who took the sister is part of the dark council who all serve the Demon King narlyx. The Knapper is a werewolf warlock. As far as the kipnapper, he does know of the fellowship but isn't aware yet that they are on thier way. As far as why it was done, the Demon King ordered it so that it would upset the main character, hoping Damien would react and pursue after her, so that the Demon King can somehow either corrupt Damien to become evil or to find a way to kill him.

 

[BJ Swabb]

The landscape should be as much of a challenge as the beasts within it. Tracks and tunnels that look safe but lead nowhere or to hidden dangers like quicksand, pits of frozen lava, beautiful flowers with poisonous fumes or lakes of an alcoholic beverage your main character has a serious addiction to.

If the kidnapper knows the main character and their mates are in pursuit throw in some traps, hazards and puzzles that exploit the weaknesses of the fellowship members and/or require the particular skills, knowledge and personality traits that each character has in order to overcome or solve them.

Thanks. I like that

 

[skip.knox]

That helps. So, the main villain (MV, hereafter) is not aware anyone is coming to the rescue nor of the party's exact location, so the MV is not laying traps, sending out troops or whatever. No opposition there. You might reconsider and have the MV learn of the approach some time earlier than you had planned. That will let there be obstacles that make story sense. You could even have the party members not realize at first that these obstacles are coming from the MV--maybe they think it's from some more local source, and only gradually learn the truth.

Somewhat related, you could have a secondary villain. This might be something as simple as a wizard or warlord who resents or opposes our adventurers for some private or local reason. This SV comes after them and can present some serious obstacles, which they must overcome if they are to advance to their main objective.

Once you have a few of these--no more than three from each and preferrably only one, maybe two--then you can drop a couple of random encounters into the mix, if you still feel there's a need.

Lastly, obstacles don't need all to be external. There can be in-fighting within the group. There can be a traitor. There can be a traitor who sees the light at the last minute and comes through in the end. There can be a coward who harms the project but who finds courage later. There can simply be a competition for leadership, with legitimately differing ideas about what to do next. In any or all these cases, the problem can lead the party directly into danger (or out again).

In general, though, you're looking to find ways to make the obstacles meaningful by attaching them tightly to the plot (the rescue) or to individual characters (character arc).

Does that make some sense? Give you an idea or two?

 

[BJ Swabb]

That helps. So, the main villain (MV, hereafter) is not aware anyone is coming to the rescue nor of the party's exact location, so the MV is not laying traps, sending out troops or whatever. No opposition there. You might reconsider and have the MV learn of the approach some time earlier than you had planned. That will let there be obstacles that make story sense. You could even have the party members not realize at first that these obstacles are coming from the MV--maybe they think it's from some more local source, and only gradually learn the truth.

Somewhat related, you could have a secondary villain. This might be something as simple as a wizard or warlord who resents or opposes our adventurers for some private or local reason. This SV comes after them and can present some serious obstacles, which they must overcome if they are to advance to their main objective.

Once you have a few of these--no more than three from each and preferrably only one, maybe two--then you can drop a couple of random encounters into the mix, if you still feel there's a need.

Lastly, obstacles don't need all to be external. There can be in-fighting within the group. There can be a traitor. There can be a traitor who sees the light at the last minute and comes through in the end. There can be a coward who harms the project but who finds courage later. There can simply be a competition for leadership, with legitimately differing ideas about what to do next. In any or all these cases, the problem can lead the party directly into danger (or out again).

In general, though, you're looking to find ways to make the obstacles meaningful by attaching them tightly to the plot (the rescue) or to individual characters (character arc).

Does that make some sense? Give you an idea or two?

This helps an awfully lot Skip, thanks for the help.