Topic: Open to Ideas for a Quest

[Spectre771]

One of the groups I'm running is going o be sent on a quest to capture and to safely return a giant spider.  A young giant spider so it wouldn't be too large yet, maybe 4' in size.

If anyone is familiar with Shadow World: Quellbourne, I've been using the Shrine of Hrassk.  In the timeline though, the shrine is still be carved out of the surrounding mountain and only about 1/3 of the internal structure is built.  The worshipers were mistaken for an evil cult by a different group of PCs (level 5 PCs) and nearly wiped out the entire group, including the spiders.  The reality of the shrine is that the worshipers are actually cultivating the spiders and harvesting the venom for anti-venom and selling it to healers in Gryphonburg. 

Ahhh the perils of going in hot-headed and heavy handed and not doing any research.  At the end of the session, my daughter said "Oh God.  Why do I get the feeling we just did something really really bad?"

Since the current group (level 2 PCs) have been playing in the same area, they are noticing the shortage in anti-venom and poison antidotes.  All of the healers and chemists are near out of stock and the price has skyrocketed.  They are going to be sent on a quest to return with a live spider.  The monks of a temple in Gryphonburg are going to try to harvest the venom to start a supply of antidotes.

I've decided that the very least they need to use subduing, with all the crits resolved on the Stun Table.  If they do too much damage, the spider probably won't survive the journey back or living in captivity.

What gear should the party have?  Ropes? Large cage? Nets?
How should I handle non-lethal combat?  The party can declare that whey want the crits resolved on the Stun Table.
How about transporting back to town?   The spider wakes up, does it try to attack the party?
I'm thinking of a pheromone trail that other spiders can follow to try to attack the party.

[jdale]

Spiders are used to dealing with cords (their webs), and their limbs taper. If you don't tie one up really, really well, it will probably get free. If it's young, the body might be flexible enough so a cage that doesn't have narrow enough spacing between bars might also allow it to escape. Personally I would want a big, solid crate. And a wagon for the crate. And some rope tie-downs so the crate doesn't just happen to slip off the wagon and break free, releasing an unhappy spider. Of course as a GM, I might not want the players to have thought of those things.

A growing arthropod, such as a spider, molts when it is time to grow. Then enlarges its body so that the new exoskeleton hardens at a larger size. They might do that by e.g. drinking a lot of water or inflating their lungs, or it might be right after a meal. Real spiders have book lungs which do have an air space, giant spiders would need much larger lungs. When an arthropod has molted, it is vulnerable but also extra flexible. So another chance to escape, especially if the players do the right thing and feed it well, resulting in it molting and escaping its cage overnight when they are distracted. You'll have to decide how often giant spiders molt and how long it takes the new exoskeleton to harden. Some real arthropods eat their old exoskeleton to recover the proteins and calcium, but it's not required. They might hide (sheltering until they are not so vulnerable) and then try to come back for the molt later.

Spiders normally leave a drag line when they walk. Some types of spiders are social, and giant spiders have more room to have some smarts, so following another spider's drag line is not out of the question. Players might notice the drag line.

If they don't have some way to calm it, charm it, or put it to sleep, I would think it would attack them if it gets the opportunity, especially if they aren't feeding it somehow. Spiders don't have eyelids so they may not know whether it is awake or not. Even real spiders are smart enough to identify prey, then take a circuitous route to get to that prey even if that route takes them out of sight of the prey. Giant spiders are probably much more cunning.

[Majyk]

...and the best part is feeding it *what* and how much, exactly?
 

[arakish]

Stupid idea, but...

Have the PCs discover the location(s) of the Eastern Pole and/or Western Pole.

rmfr

[Ginger McMurray]

Stupid idea, but...

Have the PCs discover the location(s) of the Eastern Pole and/or Western Pole.

rmfr

How does that have anything at all to do with the question? Are those poles spider infested in shadow world?

[arakish]

Stupid idea, but...

Have the PCs discover the location(s) of the Eastern Pole and/or Western Pole.

rmfr

How does that have anything at all to do with the question? Are those poles spider infested in shadow world?

What the GM may imagine.  Exceptionally powerful ley locations?  Intersection of all the major ley lines?  Etc.  Etc.

rmfr

[Spectre771]

What the GM may imagine.  Exceptionally powerful ley locations?  Intersection of all the major ley lines?  Etc.  Etc.

rmfr

I am going to have them stumble across an earthnode, which will have been built on a ley line intersection.  The portal will be damaged and only large enough for a rabbit-sized object to pass through.  I want them to start to experience more aspects of RM in general and specifically, the magical features of the area they are in.  Essaence storms are a brewing too, albeit a minor one.  There is only one spell caster in the group but he's going to have a heck of time!

[Spectre771]

I like the idea of the crate instead of a cage. I think that will be a nice curveball to throw at them.  Maybe the spider molts overnight then squeezes through the bars.

If they manage to bring a crate, feeding will be an issue and what do they feed it.

I'm probably going to throw the pheromone trail in as well, at least until they are far away enough from the forest nesting areas.

Any other ideas to spice this adventure up.  I don't know if we are playing Saturday or the following Saturday.  Waiting to see what the work schedules are for the folks.

[Ginger McMurray]

Depending on where they are, maybe the spiders they find are descendents of a much more powerful spider. I'm thinking a Shelob situation, but modified for Shadow World. The progenitor isn't around so they're not facing down an ancient evil, but the bloodline makes these ore than mere spiders. They're more intelligent and may have some minor mentalism abilities. Something that prep time kept it from using in combat but being in a cage gives them plenty of time for.

Keeping it trapped is a ton harder but if they get it back it's venom is a ton better for use. They could even bargain with it. A lifetime of sex and free food might sway it into being amenable to working with the monks.

[intothatdarkness]

You could also have some odd local group that worships the spiders and takes offense at the party running off with one of their holy creatures. This is good if the party isn't quite up to dealing with larger critters (if they're level 2), because human opponents are often easier to balance. Maybe they use tamed (or somehow magically controlled) spiders to track the pheromone trail, which is how they manage to stay close to (or even jump ahead of) the party.

[Spectre771]

Depending on where they are, maybe the spiders they find are descendents of a much more powerful spider. I'm thinking a Shelob situation, but modified for Shadow World. The progenitor isn't around so they're not facing down an ancient evil, but the bloodline makes these ore than mere spiders. They're more intelligent and may have some minor mentalism abilities. Something that prep time kept it from using in combat but being in a cage gives them plenty of time for.

Keeping it trapped is a ton harder but if they get it back it's venom is a ton better for use. They could even bargain with it. A lifetime of sex and free food might sway it into being amenable to working with the monks.

- I do have a much larger, much more capable spider but it is being used to track down the party of PCs who slaughtered the acolytes in the Shrine.  Now is ideal for this party to make an attempt.

- I love the idea of some sort of Mentalism spell!!!  The party already encountered a brood of spiders and they used some higher animal intelligence (the spiders... there wasn't much intelligence displayed by the party members) to lure the party into an ambush so this could work.

- A lifetime of sex with a captured spider??     It will be a very short lifetime!  Build a man a fire, he's warm for a day.  Set a man on fire, he's warm for the rest of his life.

You could also have some odd local group that worships the spiders and takes offense at the party running off with one of their holy creatures. This is good if the party isn't quite up to dealing with larger critters (if they're level 2), because human opponents are often easier to balance. Maybe they use tamed (or somehow magically controlled) spiders to track the pheromone trail, which is how they manage to stay close to (or even jump ahead of) the party.

They are definitely dealing with the Shrine of Hrassk.  Whether or not the party goes as far as the shrine is up to them.  There are plenty of wild spiders surrounding the area, and there are more "domesticated" ones located in the shrine proper.  While one is more plentiful, they are harder to deal with and the others are easier to deal with, but  they will have to be 'stolen.'  This party is only level 2 so I'll at least have most of the surviving shrine leaders out hunting for the other group of PCs who destroyed the shrine.

[B Hanson]

Not sure if it's helpful, but have you checked out my spell list for Hrassk?

[Spectre771]

Not sure if it's helpful, but have you checked out my spell list for Hrassk?

Very cool list.  Thank you.

[OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol]

Technically-speaking, all the PCs need is access to the level 4 spell from the RoCo. IV, "Arachnemancy" spell list, "Charm spider"... With a 10 min/lvl duration, they may need quite a lot though. A full staff (100 charges!) with such a spell would be enough, as it'd cast at least the spell at level 4 (the level of the spell) thus would last 40 min x 100 charges = ~67 hours.

Poor spider, though. Since we're in the matter of spiders, I'll use the opportunity. One of my (next) NPCs is a major spider. When I don't have a problem with giving her a profession (the sweetie is a level 24 maleficant...), I'm not sure how I may handle her stat bonuses. Any idea?

Oh, yeah, and a great spider is supposed to have little intelligence (equal to a RE/ME of 7-25), thus above "animal" intelligence... so the PCs may just want to use, you know, diplomacy?

[Spectre771]

Technically-speaking, all the PCs need is access to the level 4 spell from the RoCo. IV, "Arachnemancy" spell list, "Charm spider"... With a 10 min/lvl duration, they may need quite a lot though. A full staff (100 charges!) with such a spell would be enough, as it'd cast at least the spell at level 4 (the level of the spell) thus would last 40 min x 100 charges = ~67 hours.

Poor spider, though. Since we're in the matter of spiders, I'll use the opportunity. One of my (next) NPCs is a major spider. When I don't have a problem with giving her a profession (the sweetie is a level 24 maleficant...), I'm not sure how I may handle her stat bonuses. Any idea?

Oh, yeah, and a great spider is supposed to have little intelligence (equal to a RE/ME of 7-25), thus above "animal" intelligence... so the PCs may just want to use, you know, diplomacy?

Excellent points.  Luckily the PCs are only level 2 so their skills ans spells are limited.  I'm probably only going to pit them against level 4 maybe level 5 spider.  The spiders do have a slightly higher than normal animal intelligence and I'm going to give the spider access to an open spell list, probably mentalism realm.  Keep in mind, the only magic in our gaming world is Elemental Companion and Alchemy Companion.  The spell lists will be all of that nature.

For your major spider, why not roll up stats as you would a PC?  C&T I-II-III have stats for unusual races, I'm sure there's a creature that is similar to a spider or intelligent insect type.  I've done that for a good number of NPC's that I plan on keeping around in my game world.  Stats, background options, spell lists, etc.  As I'm playing the NPC in more depth, I treat it as my own PC in the game.  A major spider with some background options on Skill at Arms and Skill at Magic charts?  Awesome!

[OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol]

For your major spider, why not roll up stats as you would a PC?

That's the idea, yes, hence the question.

C&T I-II-III have stats for unusual races, I'm sure there's a creature that is similar to a spider or intelligent insect type.

Actually, no, there isn't. The RoCo. VI has stats for all creatures in the C&T, thus for the major spider, but I'd assume it's for its spider form and hardly for when it takes a human form. The C&T has the maazhat but they are insectoids (just a note: spiders are not insects, but arachnids...) and the stats are for them in ant's form anyway. I thought about using the spider hengeyokai from the OC (since they're pretty much that, spider being able to take human form) but its statistics feel too low for a major spider, mayhap more appropriate for a greater spider in human form.

…talking about which, you should make your greater spiders actually such hengeyokai. Your PCs would be in a lot of fun (ok, mayhap the fun would only be for you ) when the greater spider they've captured suddenly takes human form. Especially since you want it (her?) to be a young one, thus with the human appearance of a young/child girl. 
Since, as with most people, your PCs probably consider that "all spiders are the same" (which they are not; for some reasons, they're also often called "insects" whilst being in a different class, being arachnids), you may have actually several kinds of greater spiders: the animal intelligent ones whose venom is harvested by the cultists, and the hengeyokai with light human intelligence. And do you know what? Your PCs actually caught one of the latter!
…who actually may help them locating and capturing the former one!