Looking for some Knightly Quest Ideas

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

kalanth

Oct 19, 2003 11:57:52
Ok, since I know this will be hammered first, let me get this out of the way. I am allowing a Half-Ogre to attempt to enter the Knights of Solamnia. The reason is because his family has been in the Solamnic Ranks for generations past, and he has proven himself to be of an Exaulted Good status. However, I was going to limit him to only Knight of the Sword at best.

Now on to my question. Based on racism (hatred of Half-Ogres) and the willingness to bend the Oath and Measure (after several re-writes), what Quests should I send him on to qualify for these PrC's? He will qualify for KoC for his 7th character level, and if he chooses the KoS, that he can have at 10th character level. He is going to be a Fighter 4 / Mystic 4, he is a chain fighter, his Wis and Cha are both 13, but that is not really all that important. If anyone has any good ideas, please let me know (without flamming me for allowing a Half-Ogre, afterall, I allowed a Draconian in one of my campaigns I ran nearly 10 years ago).
#2

zombiegleemax

Oct 19, 2003 23:17:54
Ther is nothing wrong with having a half-ogre join the knights, since they also allow half-elves nowadays, especially if his family has a long-standing tradition within the knights. Because of racist veiws, though, he would probably have to behave more knightly (generous, honorable, courtly) than a human knight. It would work especially well if the Return something that has been lost feature of the Knights trials were to recover something valuable that had been lost from the family of your Half-ogre's most vocal detractor. That would work especially well if it was something intangible, such as Faith, or it could be that his son or daughter, brother or sister had been turned into a dragonspawn, and finding a way to return them to what they once were instead of killing them, and returning them to their family will bring the knights around to allowing the half-ogre to walk within their ranks. Even then it will not be easy, as the knights and others will expect even greater things from the half-ogre than from an equivalent human knight, and will be constantly watching for "backsliding."
#3

kalanth

Oct 20, 2003 8:49:46
Originally posted by Winterknight
Ther is nothing wrong with having a half-ogre join the knights, since they also allow half-elves nowadays, especially if his family has a long-standing tradition within the knights.

I realize this. I posted the bit in the begining because the last time I saw someone post something realtively close to this, they were allowing a minotaur and a majority of the people flammed the pour guy simply because they adimitly believe the knights would never even bend their rules.

Now, as for your ideas, I like that. They seem rather difficult and certainly feesable. My question to you is this, how would you suggest removing a dragonspawn affliction? The downside is I cannot do faith, because I have already instilled that his family is just as devoted to the church as to the knighthood, and by that choice, non have risen past the ranks of Knight of the Sword so that they stay closer to the gods (in their minds).
#4

josephkell

Oct 20, 2003 10:16:09
Too bad he wasn't a Cleric of Kiri-Jolith... because the mere fact he was being granted Divine Spells while wielding the medallion of Kiri-Jolith would make Knights slandering him falter.

About the worst thing you can do in a religious order is slander a priest that can actually demonstrate divine power from the deity you both worship...
#5

kalanth

Oct 20, 2003 13:43:45
Well, he prays at the temple of Kiri-Jolith when he can, but he feels that it makes more sense to take the "divine caster levels" by being a mystic instead of cleric. He believes in Kiri-Jolith, but he is not devote enough to be a cleric.
#6

zombiegleemax

Oct 20, 2003 14:24:46
Originally posted by Kalanth

My question to you is this, how would you suggest removing a dragonspawn affliction?

In a world such as FR or Greyhawk, I would simply say wish or miracle spells, but in DL, i am not sure. Looking at the way a Dragonspawn is created: subject (i.e. victim), part of a draconian, and bodily fluid from a dragon overlord, as well as the magic, which can be said to be tied to both the dragon and the skull totem. Perhaps the breaking of the power of the skull totem, under specific circumstances (moon alignment, conjunction of the planets, eclipse, or even a specific pattern of solar flares), would free the dragonspawn of a paticular overlord from their affliction. Or perhaps, since it is a romantic fantasy setting, the power of love (BIG roleplaying opportunity there), but that would also require the Dragonspawn to either have managed to keep their free will, or to have somehow regained free will, or at least stubborn defiance on certain issues, from their overlord. I suppose you could take the easy way and go with a magic potion or artifact that has the ability to return the cursed/transormed/ mutated being back to its natural form, or you could have the character make such a sacrifice (not neccesarily dying) that it impresses his god so much, that the god is willing to grant a miracle to the character. Perhaps the circumstances require a bless (or something similar) spell, a peice of the draconian involved in the creation, and some bodily fluids of the dragon overlord, in a ritual performed on the night of the eye (I think thats what it is called when all three moons are alighned at high sanction, once every two and a half? years.)

These are just off the top of my head. With some time I'll try to figure something really feasable out for it.

As for the faith part, I actually meant in another knight, maybe one of the half-ogre's detractors, or to bring hope back to those who had lost it (elves come immediately to mind, but the people of a conquered land, any group of refugees, or, perhaps, a family/ community of afflicted kender ( a nice one for a half-kender solamnic )
#7

zombiegleemax

Oct 20, 2003 17:08:02
I can't really think of a specific thing said half-ogre would have to do, save that this feat would have to be almost impossible to accomplish. Perhaps this could be the sole purpose of a campaign, for the half-ogre to gain his knighthood. After this is accomplished though, I think the same thing would happen to a minotaur knight. He would be under almost constant surviellence, and would probably be treated with respect by only a select few. I wish I could help, it seems like a fascinating idea. However, some of WinterKnights ideas seem pretty good.
#8

zombiegleemax

Oct 21, 2003 4:04:06
How can you do ANYTHING if you're half of an ogre? What's the other half going to do? Just lay there? Oh, wait, you said half-ogre. Oh, alright, I thought, HEY! WAIT! That would mean that something else had to. . .UURRGH!! YUCK! Have you smelled those things?! How could this guy be all buddy-buddy with those stiff-neck knights if his momma or da did that?! EEEWWW! I'm sorry, I need a drink. A strong one too.

Love,
Haldon
#9

kalanth

Oct 21, 2003 9:08:15
Well, Kender, his past is a bit of a touchy subject for him and his family. His mother died birthing him, and he was concieved by ****. His step-father raised him lovingly, and his father is a Solamnic, along with his brother, 2 cousins, 2 nieces, and one nephew. On the other hand, he also has a sister in the Knights of Neraka (unbeknowdst to him, his Nerakan brother is an Ogre).
#10

zombiegleemax

Oct 22, 2003 20:50:45
Here is another idea to go along with the curing of a dragonspawn. Flipping through the book of exalted deeds, I saw they had rules for the redemption of an evil character. It requires a good character who has captured them to sit down and talk with them, basically teaching them that the gods of good, and their followers, are willing to forgive as long as the one to forgive is willing to repent. It requires a special diplomacy check in which the evil character must make a will save. Failure of seven will saves in a row turns their alignment descriptor from evil to neutral. Failure of seven more will saves in a row turns the descriptor from nuetral to good. Once the character is on the path to redemption, perhaps a ritual, which the dragonspawn is voluntarily subjected to, will enable the spawn to return to its native self. Just an idea, but it gives the Half-Ogre Knight-suplicant the opportunity to be invoved in some heavy idealism roleplaying.
#11

zombiegleemax

Oct 23, 2003 2:26:32
How is it maintaining the balance that Krynn follows if "Good" characters start brainwashing "Evil" characters? If a stereotypical "Evil" character wants to be good, then the DM, (and please realize that my doing ANYTHING out of character or non-amusing is rare, this is play time for me.) the DM who is more powerful than everyone at WotC and the former TSR and everyone else in the world combined when the two of you are sitting at a table gaming, can say that you're character is innately "Good" to begin with. This simplifies the process of fussing endlessly and moping about rules and creating a bibliography to support your case until the DM gets so frustrated at humoring you and sparing your feelings that he/she just loses it and says that anyway. If there's one thing that Krynn is about, it's giving someone a fair chance. How strict do you think the DM who gave Raistlin the Staff of Magus at 3rd-4th level was? Pretty lenient I'd say, and that worked out alright. Anyway, to sincerely and (Ugh) maturely address the issue of a quest, the half-ogre could find out about an artifact that was last believed to be in such and such place that is sacred to Kiri-Jolith or Habbakuk or even Paladine (I'm sure he'd help a little in such a quest too if you're not gaming in fifth age in which case I must assume that you don't like fourth age or haven't yet explored all the wonders of it, in which case I'd suggest you do, but if you don't like it, then I can't understand why.) and all the other knights scoff at such a thing even existing, blowing it off as a children's tale or fable. The artifact could be a weapon that shocks anyone but the knight who sacrificed a great deal to get it but not for his own purposes. This would be a good quest for a holy sword, to retrieve a holy and ancient weapon for the good of the order and to exhault his god, only to find that if he had sought it for his own use, he couldn't have found it. This sort of attention to detail really makes the players feel important and respected by the DM and makes them proud that they are playing their character faithfully. It could also be a large jewel that, after being found, must be held and returned to the knights. All sorts of temptations from simple want of worldly things like better armor to the nearly fatal sickness of a friend or relative whose health comes at a price could be set before the knight. A true knight would complete his task and return the gem, exemplifying true faith and courage. These things could be in Old Godshome or the half-ogre may have to go to the shores north of kalaman by a certain time and follow a dying good dragon down beneath the ocean to the dragon graveyard where an ancient dragon carried the item. (don't worry, the ocean parts to recieve the dragon who isn't strong enough to fly farther north and die with it's people in the dragon isles. This is an extraordinary ability.) So, there you go. Just a few ideas to go on. If you want more, I'll spew them out. I daresay I know more about Krynn than anyone within a two or three state area. But not fifth age. It's horrible. Oh yeah, and the half-ogre's family would probably do well to stay away from ogres from now on.
#12

kalanth

Oct 24, 2003 13:37:02
It has happened in the past times of Dragonlance that the bad guys have become neutral at least, sometimes good. Or did we so easily forget the good Marshall Medan? Whom is on my top five list of Dragonlance characters. I could see pulling off an alignment shift as part of the quest. As a player he is stuck in the mindset that he needs to fight an opponent that is stronger than him. I told him that it is a lot like the test of the towers, and that each quest is different (course, don't get me started on the wizard in my party and how he asked me to redo the test because he failed part and was scared from it. That and he does not like his magic item that I gave him (he failed a knowledge based part, and he got an Amulet of the bard ).

Originally posted by Haldon_Branchbiter
(I'm sure he'd help a little in such a quest too if you're not gaming in fifth age in which case I must assume that you don't like fourth age or haven't yet explored all the wonders of it, in which case I'd suggest you do, but if you don't like it, then I can't understand why.)

I actually play according to the timeline that is set before me by the authors of the novels. I began my time on Dragonlance at the begining of the War of the Lance (ahhh. . . the old Chronicle Adventures), from there we played after the WoL and entered the Choas War. As we finished that War, we struggle through the SAGA years (just not a fan of those rules), and the Age of Mortals made us feel frightened and as though our Dragonlance was dead forever. Finally, with the DLCS, we battled through the War of Souls and have eneterd into a new era, with gods and all.

Now, if you wonder why I include a bit of racism in the spot about the Half-Ogre, well, read the description to understand. Races treat them pourly, and Ogres treat them even worse. The only reason why his squire ship was excepted was because he Cousin argued his case before the Knights Counsil and managed such a convincing arguement that they approve, with much scrutiny I must add. As for his cousin, well, his cousin needed the convincing as well, and from acts that he had performed both on his own and by order of his cousin, he won over the favor of his family. The Half-Ogres step-father was unavailable to make a pley for his son (the father loves and adores the Half-Ogre, the last memory of his lost wife), because his father is valiantly fighting on the front lines in an attempt to reclaim Silvanesti from the Minotaurs. Overall, I like your quest ideas, and will incorperate some of them into his quest, but at the same time I felt like you were belittling me, and telling me that I was not a quality DM because of this very idea. If that was not the case, then I am sorry for misunderstanding, if it was the case then I take great offense to those comments.
#13

zombiegleemax

Oct 25, 2003 0:18:29
I just happen to come across that way sometimes, but I honestly do want to help in any way that I can. Most of my ingratiating comments actually target myself. I've run across dry-spells in DM ideas before (in fact I'm in one now), but my sole and sincere intention was to aid you in generating ideas. I'm glad I could help.

Love,
Haldon
#14

zombiegleemax

Oct 29, 2003 9:03:48
Have him seek out his (biological) father in order to understand him and what he did. Then decide whether to execute him, bring him back in chains or show compassion and forgive him. This could be a big roleplaying moment.
#15

kalanth

Oct 29, 2003 9:44:29
Originally posted by Asta Kask
Have him seek out his (biological) father in order to understand him and what he did. Then decide whether to execute him, bring him back in chains or show compassion and forgive him. This could be a big roleplaying moment.

Oh my. . . .This is an interesting idea. His Bio-Father rapped his mother, so I doubt forgiveness would be done, but for the most part this is a great idea. Something that ties in his heritage and forces him to confront his demons. I think this is what I will do.