Re: [DL] Still looking for ideas...

[Allan Seyberth <darious@darious.com>]

Sorry Ghoull, but I've got to put my 2 widgets in. . .


 >     For Humility, a demon has a beautiful woman in its arms and is just
 >about to assault her when the hero walks in. The demon panics and threatens
 >to kill the woman unless the templar is willing to drop his weapon, get down
 >on his hands and knees, and beg for mercy. If the hero does this, the demon
 >releases the woman and lets down its guard long enough for him to kill 
it. If
 >he cops an attitude, the demon cuts the woman's throat and then kills the
 >hero.

I think that this is almost a setup for failure - too many hostage 
situations on action movies have ended up with the good guy refusing to put 
the gun down. . . and then one shot-ing the hostage taker.

For a more subtle test of humility, there should be a skill in the party 
that someone does better then the Templar - and the Templar know 
this.  Depending on the skill, arrange a situation where both the 
characters can use the skill.  If the other character is given the chance 
to use his by the Templar, then everything comes out okay.  If the Templar 
muscles in and tries to use his, he fails with tragic results.  (Fake some 
rolls to make it seem like the outcome wasn't pre-determined.)

 >     For Honour, the hostage that the templar just rescued runs into his
 >arms, thanking him profusely for saving her. She begs him to run away with
 >her and get out of the doomed town before it's too late. If he says no, she
 >says she will wait for him, finds a safe hiding place, and starts tending to
 >the wounds of the townsfolk. If he says yes, she transforms into a demon and
 >kills him when his guard is down.

Hmm. . . too much focus on the Templar.  He's going to be wondering why all 
the attention is on him.  Why not make this the biggest Templar honor test 
out there - does he save the town of innocents who may have proven 
themselves as being less than worthy, disobeying the dictates of his 
order.  Or does he pass on by?

Nah.  Overplayed.  And if he skips on saving the town, then how does the 
scenario play?

Hmm. . . how about this.  In a town suffering from a low food supply (not 
quite starvation, but food is still tight), the Templar  is in the middle 
of a situation where the demons are about to attack a fat merchant and his 
wife.  The NPCs are scared and     terrified, but they were trying to 
escape the town with their hoarded food supply.  Don't let there be any 
distractions to give the Templar an easy out (But I was busy fighting those 
demons over there, which is why they died).
Make the NPCs complex enough to be thankful for being saved, but human 
enough to not change their minds about sharing their food after being 
saved.  (It's a known bit of cynicism that the desperate pay better then 
the grateful.)
If the Templar lets the NPCs live, then he has saved the lives of two human 
beings who may not have been worth saving.
If the Templar lets them die, then he has followed the dictates of his 
Order, dictates that he has sworn to uphold, at the cost of two not quite 
so evil lives.  At least the town will get to share in the food.  (Which 
will stave off hunger until the next crop comes in.)  Of course - as the 
last bit of dream imagery, have the feast table be placed over the 
gravesite of the NPCs.  (A nice ominous note that may make the Templar 
think about the costs of the Templar Oath to only save the worthy)
If the Templar saves the NPCs, and then takes the food anyway, the NPCs 
will fight to keep their property from having this thief take it from them.
-------------------
Allan Seyberth
darious@darious.com
Deadlands fan site - http://www.darious.com/deadlands/index.html

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Sulu:
To get back to San Franciso; it was born there.