Contents

Foreword: Our Mission Statement
Plot Hook: A Goblin Love Story
Afterward: Tell Your Friends!
Footnote: Privacy Policy / Unsubscribe / Subscribe / Contact Information

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Foreword: Mission Statement

Welcome to the premier newsletter of 1001 Plot Hooks for Lazy DM's! It's a pleasure to have you here. Our mission statement here is to provide you with quality content to improve your gaming experience. Expect quality plot hooks, adventure ideas, and campaign inspirations.

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Plot Hook: A Goblin Love Story

What exactly is a plot hook? To me plot hooks are little pieces of information you tease in front of your characters until they sink their teeth into one. Then you reel them into wherever you wanted to take them in your campaign. Not all plot hooks are used properly though. A compelling plot hook can launch an entire plotline, while an improperly used one can crash and burn leaving you to try to salvage your night of gaming. I personally don't believe that bad plot hooks exist, I think every plot hook has something to bring to your campaign. You just need to bring the greatness out!

In this newsletter I've decided to take a single, oft overused, plot hook and rejuvenate it with my 'good, better, best' method of rejuvenating stale plot hooks.

First find a well known plot hook, one that has been done to death. My choice for this week is going to be:

<------------Good Plot Hook------------> A maiden from the village has been kidnapped by a tribe of goblins. Her father, the blacksmith, offers you your choice of his wares if you would please save her.
<------------Good Plot Hook------------>

Wow we have all played that one, or a similar one, haven't we? It's not that it's necessarily bad. It has just been overused and your players know what to expect. We will be using those expectations against them in a little bit. Now lets see if we can tweak this idea a little. The second step is to add a twist to the old idea, something that gives the plot hook some much needed freshness. Now lets consider what this plot hook would look like if the maiden wasn't taken unwilling.

<-----------Better Plot Hook-----------> The blacksmith's daughter eloped with the goblin chieftain, afraid her town couldn't accept their love. The blacksmith tells the town she was kidnapped to cover up the shame of her tryst, but can't mount a rescue without revealing his shame.
<-----------Better Plot Hook----------->

Well that certainly turned the hook on it's head didn't it? The adventure premise is similar, but a whole host of new possibilities have opened up. For the third step we need to add some extra details to this plot hook, expanding on the twist we added in earlier. And just for some extra fun lets play with the players expectations a bit, after all they are expecting a kidnapping.

<------------Best Plot Hook------------> The blacksmith finds the party in the town and tells them his 'harrowing' story of the kidnapping of his daughter. He claims the goblin chieftain has powerful magics that keep the maiden under his spell. Only the death of the chieftain will release her. In return for killing the chieftain the blacksmith promises their choice in his wares, and anything they find in the goblin's lair. The blacksmith is convinced if the source of his daughter's infatuation is killed then she will return home, and he can use the 'treasure-hungry' adventurers as scapegoats for her anger.
<------------Best Plot Hook------------>

Well that should hopefully throw them for a loop. A lot of times when you twist a well known plot hook, you can increase the fun by using the players own expectations against them. You don't want to do this too often, as they will begin to expect it, but used judiciously this can add spice to any adventure.

Lets fill in the rest of the details and see what the complete plot hook looks like, shall we?

<-----------Final Plot Hook------------> When the adventurers arrive in town everything seems to be closed except the inn, even though it is just nightfall. If they knock on a door a town person will explain that a gang of goblin bandits has been abducting people, and that the mayor has ordered all stores closed before the moon rises. At the inn the blacksmith is sitting in the corner with a pint, trying to figure out what to do about his wayward daughter. When the adventurers walk in into the inn they jolt an idea in his mind. He knows what he needs to do. He waits until they ask someone about the situation, then introduces himself. The blacksmith explains how his daughter was kidnapped by the goblin chieftain and only his death can free her from his diabolical spell. He offers them anything he can make as a reward, and makes a map for them to the goblin's lair should they accept.

Meanwhile his daughter is grudgingly accepted into the goblin tribe. Though she is inept at combat she is a trained healer and earns her keep by patching up the goblins after combat. The tribe of goblins only numbers around 18, but have had great success due to their chieftain. Ruar is exceptional in many ways for a goblin, he is almost at large a human and at least as cunning. His intelligence and strength holds the tribe together. Though like most goblins he has a cruel streak, he genuinely seems to care for the maiden and will take great risks to assure her safety. Several of his subordinates aren't quite as accepting, and want to use his attachment to the maiden as an excuse to get rid of both of them.

<-----------Final Plot Hook------------>

Look at that? After our changes it seems like a fresh, new plot hook doesn't it? And all it took was using the 'good, better, best' method of stale plot hook rejuvenation. This plot hook could be taken in many ways, do the adventurers kill the chieftain and realize their error as the maiden breaks down in tears? Does she convince them to parlay with the goblins and explain the situation? Do they even trust the blacksmith in the beginning. or do they realize that something isn't quite right?

This plot hook could spin out in 100 different ways, and many of them in ways your players or even you might not expect. Those are the types of ideas I hope to give everyone here week after week!

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Afterward: Tell Your Friends!

We at Principle Factor Games feel that the best advertising is word of mouth from people like you. If you enjoy our newsletter please share it with your friends or send them to our website PrincipleFactor.com. We promise to treat them well.

Do you have some plot hooks you care to share with the list? Or perhaps some ideas or concerns about anything you read in this issue?

E-mail your plot hooks, ideas, or concerns to ronny@principlefactor.com. I would love to hear your ideas and we may feature you in our newsletter!

Well that's it for our premier issue of 1001 Plot Hooks for Lazy DM's! It's been a pleasure having you with us.

-Ronny

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Footnote: Privacy Policy / Unsubscribe / Subscribe / Contact Information

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Copyright 2009, Ronald Whited PrincipleFactor.com

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