What is a Hook, Line ,and Sinker?

Hook, line and Sinker is one of the most popular columns to be appeared in SHADIS. For the benefit of our new readers, an HLS is a brief plotline for an adventure presented in a simple format. HLS scenarios are generic and are designed to give the Game Master the seeds for an adventure that he can build around. They come in handy when the GM has nothing else prepared or finds the party has outpaced him and the prepared adventure suddenly ends. Readers are encouraged to submit HLS scenarios for any genre.

Explanation:

Hook:
The current situation or location of the adventuring party.

Line:
An opportunity for adventure that presents itself to the party. A 'line' is normally presented as a short paragraph. Think of the line as the 'bait' to lure the party into an adventure.

Sinker:
The clincher to the 'line'. The sinker presents the GM with a dilemma that makes the situation a true 'adventure'.

THE PARTY THAT STAYS TOGETHER

Hook: The party is once again split up and as individuals are exploring every crack of your favorite fantasy city. All the players scream for attention, like two year olds, if you are not playing with them.

Line: Each player character, whatever he is doing, suddenly disappears in a mystical whorl of green dust. This does not include henchmen, but can include familiars. Each player should be taken into another room and told that he is now disembodied and can feel his spirit or soul slipping away. He somehow knows that only what is most important to his character will remain after his ordeal. The player should be given an exact time limit of no more than a few minutes to decide what is most important to him whether it is physical looks, strength, or even a certain weapon or item. Write down their choices.

Sinker: The players are paying back a debt for some past favor or misdeed. The owed favor or debt was purchased by a leprechaun named Danny O'Doone and is now being cashed in. A leprechaun commune in some far away land is being stamped and deforested by a small band of ogres. The leprechaun king, Danny decided to summon those adventurers he had in reserve to come and solve the problem. There seems to be only one problem. When the party arrives, they arrive joined as one creature. The spell cast by Danny went awry (possibly because the party was so far apart from each other!) and the because the summoned creatures all combined in transit.

Here is where the GM can take all the listed player choices and combine them. He may also add several of the more negative features of the players to the creature formed. The creature will demand everyone to flight together The highest intelligence will call the shots, the strength may roll the attacks. a familiar in the mix may give night vision to it, but most assuredly, the creature will be ungraceful and awkward with serious physical disabilities and mental challenges The humanoid thing may have two or more heads that allow two players to argue. It may have four arms, two which swing a massive sword and two that try desperately to cast magic. A small band of ogres will be tough work as the creature gets only one attack per round and has an overall poor and chancy list of abilities.

To conclude, the party will be sent back magically and the spell will be reversed. They will all end up in one inn room together. A really tough GM can add a little side effect to this failed spell. Whenever a member of the party is a way from the group, the party will start losing hit points. A real nice GM may give the party a bonus for being within a certain footage of each other and no penalty when separated.

Luke L. Aheam

LOVE OF A LIFETIME

Hook: One of the party members goes solo into a city and meets the girl (or boy) of their dreams.

Line: It makes no difference if the new love interest charges for dream making or really likes the character. The GM should play this up as a straight forward encounter where the girl (or man) has nothing to hide. It is either real romance or business as usual if the love interest is a prostitute.

As the romantic/erotic evening ensues, the player is accidentally scratched by a ring on the NPC's finger. This should come across as an accident, but will no doubt arouse player suspicion no matter how you play it The ring, if examined, seems to be a cheap ring with a chopped stone of no value. The glass bauble apparently scratched the player. The love interest acts as if they are really sorry and does not make too big a deal of the incident.

Sinker: The ring is highly magical and can infect all humanoid races with lycanthropy. Only the magic of a wish can remove the curse. After the PC, the ring has 3 uses left.

The love interest is amassing a small group of lycanthropes (wererats or werewolves) and currently has eight were creatures that come every fall moon to loyally serve for six hours. An infected person remembers nothing during the change and can not control the change or their actions during the change. Of course this encounter takes place on the night of a full moon.

Luke L. Aheam

THE KLUTZ

Hook: The party meets a super-charismatic non-player character who seeks employment.

Line: The GM should dazzle the party with the NPC's abilities and exploits. The NPC will want to join the party on their next adventure and the GM should use all the tricks in the book to win the party's confidence.

Sinker: The NPC is a notorious klutz and a jinx. He will prove to be a formidable fighter and an asset to the party. However, given the opportunity the NPC will hamper the party from obtaining its goal.

If asked to tie off a rope - he will botch the job and it will come untied if anyone tries to climb down on it. In combat he will accidentally hit anyone within sward-swing. Put an guard duty and he will fall asleep. If there's a trap in the area - he'll be the one to set it off.

Think of this guy as Gilligan in the Dungeon. He will always make a loud noise when stealth is of the essence and or otherwise impede the party. Of course this is all by accident and he will always appear greatly sorry and even angry at himself. He will belittle himself constantly about being a "jinx" and "worthless", He might play on the character's emotions by saying things like "My father was right - I'm no good. I wish his many beatings had proved fatal."

The GM should try to make the best of the situation - making the NPC totally likable while at the same time causing him to harm the party. It should be interesting and revealing to see how the party handles the situation.

Jolly R. Blackburn

THE INNOCENT MAN

Hook: A member of the party has just beat a tavern patron at a game of chance.

Line: The disgruntled opponent is actually a mage who curses the player before departing.

Sinker: The curse is little more than an amusing apprentice spell with a twist. Random items within arms reach of the player will inexplicably teleport to the players packets, back pack etc. The items can be of value or worthless. For example silverware from the dinner table, loose change, etc. In addition items from other people's pockets are fair game for the spell.

The player, of course, should initially be unaware of the curse. He will simply find that his pockets gradually get filled up with a wide variety of items as each day progresses.

B.A. Felton

GROD MONDRE
HOOK, LINE & SINKERS

The Grod Mondre Arena, which is included in this issue of SHADIS was designed to be set into any on-going campaign city, allowing the GM to incorporate arena fighting into his campaign.

To make the most of such a setting, the GM will have to run several sessions of play where characters become involved in the activities of running an arena stable.

The following are a few Hook, Line and Sinkers to help get you started.

A SLAVE'S LIFE

Hook: The entire party has been captured as slaves or criminals and sold to the owner of a small struggling stable of arena fighters.

Line: While they are being trained the stable master dies and his widow takes over ownership. She has no interest in the stable and would like to sell but cannot find a buyer. She makes a tempting offer to the PC's. If they can raise enough money in fighting and managing the stable she will allow them to use the money to buy their freedom.

Sinker: The party is now essentially the masters of a stable. They have a small fund to work with and may hire a trainer and/or other fighters. They also have limited control over the stable as long as they can operate within their limited budget. (NOTE: When running this scenario make sure the business aspects of owning a stable come into play as detailed in the Grod Mondre article.)

The GM can spice things up a little by making it known the other established stables are bent on the Player's failure. They might even have had something to do with their stable owner's death.

John Zinser

THE GREAT DILEMMA

Hook: The GM can save this HLS until the party is arrested for some crime or otherwise captured by civic authorities.

Line: Using the Grod Mondre setting, have the players hauled to a slave auction where they are bid upon by local stable masters as prospective gladiators. Magic Users and other 'non-fighter' types might be purchased for kitchen laborers or other menial tasks.

Sinker: The GM should have a lively session of bidding with the players ending up being purchased by the same stable master.

After some rigorous training the Players en are hauled to gladiator school's private arena, There the stable master announces that by law, he is only allowed 50 gladiators and that he has been a little over zealous and now has 54 fighters. The solution? An in house fight to weed out the lesser-able fighters. Of course this means several fights to the death.

This is where the fun comes in. The GM should match two players together and let the dice fall where they may. It should be interesting to see how former comrades-in-arms handle the situation.

Jolly Blackburn

THE SCOUT

Hook: The party is at a tavern and it is fight night. The bar is crowded and the sand pit in the center of the bar is uncovered. The prize money and an opportunity to fight lures one of the PC's into the contest.

Line: If the party member wins the fight he is approached by a small man wearing rich robes. He says his name is Tornis Velm Tornis is a scout for one of the stables of the Grod Mondre. He would like the fighter to come and join the stable as a free gladiator.

Sinker: The stable the man works for has fallen on hard times. He has taken to putting inexperienced gladiators in the arena and betting heavily against them. If the PC accepts he will be taken to the training camp and wined and dined but not trained. When it comes time to enter the arena he will be put up against fighters of higher quality than himself.

John Zinser

THE ASSASSINATION

Hook: The Gray Lotus stable is going to try to kill Follian Grange of the Mottled Blue stable. A snitch has informed the owners of the Mottled Blue about the plan. The owners approach the party with a job offer.

Line: The party's job is to go undercover as fighters in the stable. It is known the assassin is to be one of the Mottled Blue's own fighters. The party is to find the traitor and kill him.

Sinker: Follian Grange is a proud man and the owners have chosen not to tell him about the plot. They also have ordered the players not to reveal their mission. As far as Follian knows, the players are promising fighters purchased by the owners.

The rumor is true that the Gray Lotus stable has paid off one of the fighters in the Mottled Blue stable to do the job. The party will have about a week to discover and expose the killer.

Follian is loyal to his fighters and will be hard-convinced that one of his own is a traitor. It is more likely that he will suspect the new-comers of treachery.

John Zinser

THE SAND OF DEATH

Hook: A mage approaches the party and tells them he will pay a very large sum if they complete a 'simple' task for him.

Line: The mage is in need of a small quantity of sand from the Grod Mondre arena floor. The sand must contain the blood of a freshly slain gladiator or warrior killed in combat.

Sinker: It is illegal to take the sand from the arena because it has been found to be a very powerful spell component and figures greatly into the local religion. The soil is considered sacred because of all the warriors who have died on it.

The party must find a way to get the sand directly after a match. They could have a member of the party go in as a fighter or they could find some other way to get it. If the party is caught they will not be put in jail or sentenced to death. Rather, they will be placed in the arena during the next game where they will have to fight for their lives.

John Zinser