Desperate Times – An Ari Story

Disclaimer: I’ve been coming down sick and almost didn’t post today, but I didn’t want to disappoint the regulars, so I apologize if this post isn’t up to my normal standard. Bear with me, and I’ll try to make it up to you over the holiday weekend.

Finally, a Plot Hook I Can Really Enjoy

At the beginning of our Act 2 campaign, I had a hard time finding motivation for my character, but we finally encountered some crazy-scary plot hooks that have pulled me back into the game. First, we encountered a horribly evil goddess bent on tipping the balance of good and evil towards evil (big surprise, huh?). She’s an evil, scary enemy that we totally didn’t deserve. After all, we saved the world just 4 short years ago! One would surely think our contributions have earned us a little peace and quiet, but, alas, that is not to be.

Then, in a follow-up twist, we were called to a council of the gods, who told us that Evil Lady had a good point, that we made the world too good when we saved the world last time. So, the gods can’t stop Evil Lady, and we’ll just have to figure out how to defeat her ourselves.

WHAT!?!?!

We’re being abandoned by our various gods! On the verge of world-wide war, we’re being given a secret mission to defeat an evil goddess, but we can’t count on our gods for assistance. This is the kind of treatment I would have expected if we’d failed our last attempt at saving the world, but being the proven heroes we are, I would expect a little more support, especially as our characters all have strong religious connections.

And so it is that we embark on our assigned mission to save the world once again in these desperate times. There are few times more intriguing than that moment when you realize that (once again) the fate of the entire world rests on your ability to overcome the unreasonable, evil goddess.

The Player’s Perspective

This is always a tense situation, because we if we fail in our mission, the world will be overcome with darkness. I love the intrigue of this particular type of plot hook. The difficulty I find is how to accurately represent my character’s reaction to this kind of responsibility. For Ari, an accomplished fighter, it’s not so much about the impending battles as it is the overwhelming knowledge that failure means the destruction of the world she has already fought to save; unfortunately, this isn’t the easiest reaction to roleplay, so I have my work cut out for me.

Share Your Stories

What kind of crazy-scary moments have you encountered or (for the DMs out there) created? And how did you (or your players) roleplay their reactions?