How old is she? If she's young enough to both be a damsel, but still inheriting property, where are her parents? Has she been forced to age before her time?

She's getting the PCs to clear out the... chocolate sea elves?
Anyway, make her smart. A large part of brattiness is a sense of entitlement, that the world is supposed to work this way just for her because she has money/connections/looks/whatever.
Instead, have her know that although she has advantages, she has to put effort into keeping them. Things won't fall into her lap. Maybe have some successful deals in her backstory.

>>15656047
I'm thinking... something between 16 and 22, but rather young anyway.

the deal is the follwong : she has two older sisters, the first should have gotten the whole ledacy, but the second wanted some, claiming it was unfair. The oldest then said if she wanted something, the youngest should get something too, thus getting this abandonned island.

Then the oldest sister gets marries, goes away with her husband, the second keeps the familial home and casts away the youngest, forcing her to find the forsaken lump of land.

>>15656089
Looks like you've got an easy setup for a clever youngest sister, intent on not just surviving but thriving on even such a barren little clump of land, as a sizable "fuck you" to the sister who put her there.
Future goals could include finding something of value (a rare herb, a precious metal) that make the land worth more than the middle sister's estate, starting some business (it's an island, could she play it up as a port? Is there good fishing?), or expanding her territory (through bargaining, not military force).
A bit conniving, but not evil. Clever and angry. She doesn't want to defeat her sister, she wants to surpass her.

>>15656128
Sounds right.

Should give a good reason to give her sister a reason to make deals with the wrong kind of people.

Also, attracting business means they'll attract piracy, meaning it links with the real swashing and bucling part.

>>15656128
Play her up as a Pratchett heroine. Plucky, no nonsense, but still a decent sort. She has rules and moral standards, but - if someone fucks her over - she'll have no qualms about fighting dirty.

She'll callthe party out on nonsensical bullshit, but she'll appreciate their loyalty/determination/cleverness. Don't expect your PCs getting TOO close with her, but if they ever do, she'll be loyal to the last. Just be sure that they understand she expects this to be a two-way street.

>>15656459
There are some avid Pratchett fans in my players, so that kind of character might be a good hit. I like it.

in my idea the island is a bit far from commercial routes, so what's on the island should be precious enough to be worth the trade. I'm thinking something along the lines of pearls, the kind that could be magic components, giving the PCs reasons to deal with the elfic tribe who have little intrest in trade in the first place, but have the lungs that would allow them to swim and search pearls.

how does that sound ?

>>15656646
Pretty bitching. The fact that you can have some naturally-occurring stuff like oysters makes the natural resource seem more, well, antural rather than forced LOL RARE BULLSHIT HERB I HAS MADE.

Perhaps the elves eat the oysters as part of their native diet, but they don't give a shit about pearls because (1) they find driftwood more appealing than nature gems and (2) they have no need to cast Identify: they're insular and know most of the magic items in their tribe, anyhow.

How much fluff are you willing to contrbute to the island's indiginous populartion?

For that matter, how big is the island?

>How much fluff are you willing to contrbute to the island's indiginous populartion?

Decent, give them a chief, probably a druid, divine variant of druids, some traditions, etc.


>For that matter, how big is the island?

The Island should be a few square miles large, with some jungle, "Lost" style. Enough for the tribe not to meet the PCs if neither want to. The elves are like "men so silly building house of stone far from beach"

But my core idea is that they would take very it really bad if the PCs came all colonial style and claim the island and its ressources theirs to use as they wish.

>>15656646
Also: are pearls an item component for other spells beside Identify in 3.5? Or am I just deluding myself in allowing Little Lady Has-an-island to build up a caster-component empire

>>15656867
We can very well imagine they can be used as enhancing components, meaning if they are ground to dust then mixed with other components, they allow to cast spells with some kind of metamagic.

Or used instead of diamonds in stone skin spells.

Or simply precious enough to be sold as jewelery

Whatever, I'm the DM :3

>>15656832
Nice move. Being able to allow the PCs to play diplomacy over hack-n-slash is a nice way to increase the challenge of a game without CR inflation for the monsters.

Is there any native wildlife on the island? If you have some combat-loving pklayers, perhaps a scrap with the local flora/fauna might make them happy while the party faces are negotiating with the elves.

Perhaps also some less infamous piratesor smugglers use the island as a layover or hidey-hole from time-to-time. They don't want to fuck with the fortress & its inhabitants because that would draw attention from the noble family from abroad, but they're not adverse to stashing stolen cargo or contraband in some of the island's caves if they need to sit on some hot goods for a while during a period of political turmoil or pirate hunting.

Is the fortress currently inhabited by a skeleton staff? I had a vision of Hanely, a grizzled old warrior who's just enjoying retirement and a chance to sleep in, holding down the fort guard with a regiment consisting of his pimply nephew Norbert, Jesse the fisherman (who took up the job after his boat sank and he turned to drinking) and Missus Miggins the cook (who is has max ranks in Profession: chef and weapon proficiency with Potato Peeler). These folks might help keep stuff running at the fort and might provide some decent comic relief/NPC interactions

Is there a ECL for the party? Might help give ideas for some challenges for 'em

pic related, it's Jesse after a bender

>>15656883
Glad to see someone remembers Rule 0: The DM can do whatever the fuck they want to make a story work.

If the PCs are gonna trade with the elves, what sort of items would the elves want in return? news of the Elven homelands abroad? Religious texts of nature deities? Help fending off the dick-ass pirates who wreck their lovely shrines to the sea (i.e. sell the party as Lady Sto-helit's militia, on loan to Pearl Diver Tribe)?

Perhaps this is the elf liason, a druid with her Awakened Kelp companion?

>>15656832
>divine variant of druids
There are arcane druids?


Anyway, make the Aristocrats island a Zaratan
Biggest ship in the seas!

Play her as someone oblivious. No matter how much danger she is in, she'll just walk right through it with a smile because she doesn't understand what danger is. All her life she's hidden behind a shield of money, and continues to think money would protect her.

>>15657027
I meant bards. Derp :V

>>15657065
Looks like her sister. i think I'll have the party meet her.

>>15656955
>Is there any native wildlife on the island?
Not quite sure. Maybe some dire boars at worse.

>Perhaps also some less infamous pirate use the island as a layover
I was thinking that too. Again : yarr !

>Is the fortress currently inhabited by a skeleton staff?
I'm not very fond of that. I'd rather have the place empty and abandonned.

>Is there a ECL for the party?
My intent is to make them start at level 1 and work thir way up. They might have rised to level 3 by the time they reach the island.

>If the PCs are gonna trade with the elves, what sort of items would the elves want in return?
That's one of my biggest concerns. Elves should be pretty self-sufficient, so they would ask for something spiritual, or maybe protection...

However, on of my players wants his character to have been raised by a former adventurer. Maybe I can gear him with a key to a treasure, like a necklace. this necklace is identified by the boss elf, who asks for a share of the treasure, in exchange of pearls and some clues to its location.

Secret temples and riddles ensue.

>>15657272
Alright!

So abandoned island, starting at early levels and working our way up. Miss Sto-Helit (she'll need a non-ripoff name, but that's for OP to choose) has inherited this shithole and hired/befriended/whatever the PCs as bodyguards/hirelings. The only civilized races on the siland are the sea-elves and the occasional pirate/smuggler. We find that the island has pearl-bearing oysters as it's main natural resource, which is controlled by the elves (who don't really care for material goods like the humans do). One of the PCs has a Plot Coupon which the elves recognize as linked to an important treasure, and which may be useful for negotiations.


This sounds pretty good. I will poke a few holes in it, though, to see how OP handles some nitpicking.

Why haven't the pirates/smugglers used/taken over the Fort on the island? is it too far from shore to be useful for hauling cargo to? Is it in such disrepair it's too dangerous to inhabit? Perhaps there are pirates/smugglers there who object to having their rum-stash raided by some uppity noble?

The treasure the PCs is connected to must be - at some level - valuable in spiritual/cultural terms as well as material ones. Since these elves strike me as having flavors of the Noble Savage archetype (they live off the land and doesn't greed for anything), something of cultural value must be the draw for them to go on the treasure-quest. Perhaps a stolen elf Ark of the Covenant or some such thing? An artifact/relic which is strongly associated to the elvish deities?

>Why haven't the pirates/smugglers used/taken over the Fort on the island?

My approach was that :
a- they found caves by the sea and didn't go further into the island
b- fort is hidden by the vines and trees

>An artifact/relic which is strongly associated to the elvish deities?
Precisely. My idea is also to make it actually powerfull, to tempt the players into keeping it instead of keping their end of the bargain.

Then Miss Sto-Helit can get some additional revenue, build up some extra capital, and ahve some people with connections who can owe her a favor if need be. For extra hilarity, perhaps you could play this up at court such that Miss Sto-Helit is in simply an honest businesswoman striving to get by, and so she makes out like she's paying an annoying but not bothersome protection fee to the pirates, to get them to leave her oyster operation alone. She wins over the courts and merchants of the world, gets to build a reputation as an hoenst business woman, and - due to her reputation among some of the pirates/smugglers - just EVER SO HAPPENS to have ships bearing her company's flag avoid serious run-ins with cutthroats.

It'll be a hard-won reputation, of course. Every brigand from sea to sea will, of course, want to test the mettle of her crew and reputation. It'll be a hard fight to win.

Of course, lady Sto-Helit is smart. That's why she hired the PCs.

>>15657558
>>15657272
>>15657379
I have a major hard-on for the Count of Monte Cristo, and wondered if the elf treasure was somehow similar to that. Nicked by a powerful noble or pirate, it got lost during an old regime change a a century or so ago.

It became a smuggling legend, and it becomes something which could be a plot hook for the PCs as well as making opportunity for the DM to have competing pirates/smuggers pursue it once they have proof of the treasure's actual location or existence.

Are the sisters going to be doing anything at this time? Eldest is off with her hubby, perhaps he's a naval captain and has a beef with the pirates?

The middle prissy bitch needs a damned good smashing, perhaps she (via some unscrupulous advisors) gets some sticky connections to the underbelly of the smuggling or piracy world?

I also have a major hard-on for having all NPCs in the world not being too stuck-up on the Good/Evil axis. They're just folks doing what they can to get by, and smuggling or robbing sometimes comes into it. Perhap,: if the PCs kick the shit out of the pirates/smugglers who gave the elves a hard time, perhaps some of the more decent ones might be willing to cut a deal with you: "we'll leave the knife-ears alone and give you a cut of our profits if you promise not to slit us up any more!"

>>15657558
Right. But I need the ass kicking to start soon.

I plan that the ultimate challeng will be for them to face a numerous gang of kobold pirates, lead by a young adult black dragon. I think they'll be after the artifact retrieved for the elves. That would make sense, I think.

I'm also thinking : there could be some fruits on the island... I would hint that they start a brewery

>>15657558
>>15657563
Shit. my copy/pasta fucked up. Those posts were supposed to go in reverse order.

>>15657541
Good move on the power level of the artifact. nothing can breed drama faster than having to fork over the +69 spear of triple penetration over to NPC #452.


The hidden fort works nicely as a plot element. Plus, it can probably work to The Lady's advantage, too. No one notices the secret base of operations until they stumble upon it. And then the merc squads arrive.


How rail-roady are you aiming to make this? I'm just throwing ideas against the wall in the hopes that a few stick: a linear narrative isn't quite as important to me so long as /stuff/ is going on in the world. Are these ideas viable, or do you want to have a more cohesive narrative planned

>>15657589
Fuck yes, brewers!

Will all the adventuresome shit start once we hit the island? You hoped the PCs would be lvl3 by the time they arrived; what sort of build-up can he expected before the PCs arrive?

Perhaps a run-in with some of the kobold pirates? Not the main fleet, mind, but a shitty second-list boat which raids the port the PCs set out from? Or perhaps some puttering about the noble estates, where the PCs can be introduced to the two sisters before the fun begins. Set the tone, establish some NPC rumors of how shipping, trading and piracy plays a part in this setting.

How many nations are involved in this world? I want to say this is the beginning of a colonial era, with trading and international economies starting to blossom, but that's just me. Any ideas about the politics of this world and setting?

>I have a major hard-on for the Count of Monte Cristo, and wondered if the elf treasure was somehow similar to that.

Would totally work. I'm a sucker for old Edmond :3


>How rail-roady are you aiming to make this?
I like the sandbox feel, but I need to at least railroad the PCs to the island. The lady must have enough to pay them until then. I'm still trying to figuring out how they meet.


Will all the adventuresome shit start once we hit the island?
Once they get here, the gears start to move on themselves, they have treasures to hunt, pirates to fend, and a business to run. That should keep them busy.


>what sort of build-up can he expected before the PCs arrive?
i want to give them some trouble, have a couple sessions befor they get here, make them fight their way to get there. I have the feeling that if I give it all away to them, they'd think it's too easy and lose intrest.

Introducing the Kobold fleet is one possible solution.

>Any ideas about the politics of this world and setting?
Well, the conquest, colonisation and political struggle is appealing. My party must attend the Embassador's party, it's always a blast.

>>15657798
>My party must attend the Embassador's party, it's always a blast

An ambassador's party is always a great way to provide exposition about a world's politics without boring expospeak. Interact with Bigwig A there, flirt with Knows More Than S/He's saying B, all adds up to selling the idea that your world is a place rather than a monster obstacle course, while leaving adventure hooks and useful clues everywhere.

>I want to give them trouble before they arrive

Perhaps, while chartering a ship to Island of Plot, the party with the best perception/spot/whatever-the-notice-shit-going-on-skill-is finds them being trailed by Mysterious Figure X. He might be a smuggler who has connections to Island of Plot, and fears that the latest shipment of contraband might get ruined by some nosy-but-tough tourists.

Alternately, some agent of the Middle Sister of Uselessness is stirring up shit, to make sure that Little Sister of Smarts gets a good sendoff or doesn't cause some foreseen trouble (bonus points if this agent claims to be working for Sister Clueless, when in fact s/he is acting of his/her own accord as part of some conniving scheme).

>I'm still trying to figuring out how they meet.
Mind if I ask what the party composition/backstory is?

bump for interest

She's trying to melt all the chocolate elves so she can make sundaes. She hires the PCs to get her supplies and equipment for a solar melter thing.

>>15657982
Sorry for the delay, I got busy.

>Mind if I ask what the party composition/backstory is?

For now, I only have the guy adopted by a former adventurer. It's also why this is all so mind buggling, because I don't have all the backstories of the other players, so I can't really make plans.


Also, I'm thinking about a second in command for the bitch sister : military gone rogue.

Let's say mister Husband is a corsair for his country. The handy man of the sister is one of the many men under his command. After years of service, he's made lieutenant and command his own ship. However, he's not quite following all the orders he's given and is starting his own business on the side.

He's started getting orders from the bitch sister because, contrary to him, she has the ability to plan ahead of time. Of course, he knows where he wants to get, but has no idea how to get there. He met her when he was about to make lieutenant, and she found in him the man she needed to do her handy work. He found someone to give him the right orders.

Now, they happen to be also lovers, but they'd rather die before admiting they have feelings for each others. She kinda likes him, and have respect for his courage and skills. He, in the other hand, likes her force of will and her cleverness.

In the other hand, he wouldn't dare propose her until he has enough wealth, however he's now certainly wealthier than she is.

There will be only two gods :
-A male god of sky
-A female god of earth

They will each have a bunch of domains, but every believer will have to chose a Patron Saint for the first one, or a Totem Spirit for the second, both giving access to more domains, allowing more diversity.

I'll also split the magic users in four :
-Priests of Sky and Paladins will be teh paragons of civilisation. Most boats have either one on board, and their powers helped spread colonies through the ocean.

-Earth Priests, Druids and Divine Bards will be the casters of nature, and overall tree huggers

-Wizards will be parts of semi-cultits activities, very voodoo style, and seen by the other civilised people as supersticious nut jobs, sometimes hunted and victimised

-Sorcerers and Bards will be considered gifted individuals, and seen prodigies by some, filthy mutants by others. Of course, they'd be of some kind of remote supernatural descent

bump

>>15658922
Ah, good. let me bump with art and then I'll reply (went away too, sirrah)

Mind if I ask why the setting has that kind of religious makeup? It won't affect my help either way, I'm just curious.

Excuse me for being a little confused; the heat where I am is pretty stupidly high & I've been out in it all day.

The husband (of the eldest sister?) and the middle sister's handyman are separate people, right? And this handyman works for Eldest Sister's husband, but plays favorites with Middle Sister because Middle Sister has connection/wealth which allows him to get where he wants.

SO far, I like this in theory: the love affair between these two make the villains more human, which is always a plus in my book. I never figured the middle sister would be so shrewd though: I'd have player her as a spoilt bitch with less brains and more sense of entitlement, like >>15656070 describes here. I guess I didn't give Middle Sister enough credit, but that's just me. I'd rather have Middle Sister be a smug little snake who THINKS she's in control, until BAM - suddenly, her mercenaries mutiny when Black Dragon Pirate puts a bit of fear into them or else plays to their greed. Then poor little bitchy sister is left high & dry, leaving the PCs with anothe delicious choice: do they save the bitch who made life difficult for her because she IS the sister of their (hopefully) beloved employer, or do they say "Fuck that!" and bail on her, possibly even siding with Black Dragon for a share of her wealth.

>Mind if I ask why the setting has that kind of religious makeup?

Just trying to re-purpose the crunch, and make it a bit more colorfull. In short, an attempt to steer clear of too much "déjà vu"

>The husband and the middle sister's handyman are separate people, right?

Absolutely.


>I'd have played her as a spoilt bitch with less brains and more sense of entitlement

It can be both. I picture her like the queen in snow white : cunning, but so spitefull she's blinded. The eldest sister is rather kind, but when you have everything, you can damn sure be nice, but when you're one step away from wealth and power, it's a bit more difficult not to be bitter.


At least, that's how I see it.

>>15661475
Also, I should have monitored that thread more closely XD

>>15661475
No worries, I'm a lazy bastard who'd half given up myself

At any rate, I hope I've been helpful. I'm feeling a bit tapped out right now, but I hope I've been helpful.


Getting the party's individual backstories will help a LOT. Once you know what each PC wants, you can tweak this (really kickass sounding) plot to hook them in.

Worst comes to worst, the PC's arrival can involve some legal misstep ("Oh dear! it seems we've got a failure to provide documentation! What's that? You don't HAVE that kind of paperwork? TO ARMS, GUARDS!") which (1) provdes some delicious conflict, (2) might give the combat-happy folk something to chew on, and (3) provides a plot point for Lady Sto-Helit to hire the party while still clinging to the excuse of "I need rough & tumble hirelings, you folks look like you can handle yourselves!"

Question: Is littlest sister just going to be a pure aristocrat? or wil she have levels of PC classes (rogue , methinks)?

>but I hope I've been helpful.

Very.


>Is littlest sister just going to be a pure aristocrat? or will she have levels of PC classes?

Still trying to figure that out. Looking at the character classes, and how I handled them, I'd say sorcerer could be an option. Sorcerer / Rogue ? Maybe with very few actually combat spells, played very low key, so she doesn't steal the spotlight.

>>15661926
Glad to aid.

Little Miss Sto-Helit, if she IS going to be part of a PC class instead of a pure NPC class, would be best served by being a social character. While I think rogue is a perfect fit (just have high CHA & DEX and pimp the few social skills + disable device/open lock), having a family bloodline which manges to include some arcane talent wouldn't be unheard of.

The spell selection should include debuffing abilities, along with some cool utility stuff and social enchancers. Charm Person, Dancing Lights, Prestidigitation, Grease, Eagle's Splendor, etc - aid for which (1) aren't particularly flashy, but work well for someone who seeks to be a self-made woman who will do her damndest to surpass her sisters. As much as magic missile is beloved, I don't think it would work too well here. hell, even the awesomely useful Silent Image might be a bit too showy.

>>15661995
I'd keep at least one combat-ish spell (namely, grease in case she needs getaway from a grapple or she wants to trap a stairwell), but largely stuff like ghostly sounds, message and the like would be more her bag. Cantrips, cantrips everywhire might be a valid option - just say something about her bloodline not being properly attuned or somesuch bullshit, and give her more cantrips in exchange for lesser level 1, 2, etc spells. This might be terrible advice, but it might make her character make more sense: she may not be a talented magician, dammit, but she'll use what little ability she has really, really well!

>>15661995
>>15662025

This is taken under advisement :)

Might be too late, but the Savage tide adventure path (Dungeon Magazine 139-150) might be just up your alley. Very similar plotlines. I'm sure if you don't want to use the plot, you could steal a few of the encounters. There's adventures under the far distant island, armies of pirates, a noblewoman's pirate brother, Demon Fleets... Good path overall. The adventures on the island are issues 142-146. (starting with the travel to the island at level 5 and ending by breaking the demonic spell on the island at level 15).

Chock full of stats and so on. They're all up on /rs/ last time i checked.

>>15662088
Marvelous ! :D

OP needs to make her this character.

>>15662184
Sauce ?

>chocolate sea elves

>chocolate...chocolate...chocolate.....

>>15662220
Innocent Pirate Mujakki from Kyouran Kazoku Nikki, the craziest anime in existance. Even on the level of FLCL, only more funny and easier to understand.

Going to bed.

I had the vanity to archive the thread, so should you want to leave some further comment, please be my guest.

>>15662275
You egoist.

I'll bump in the vain hopes that this will survive another day, so that once I regenerate overnight I'll be able to contirbute again