Travel Encounter: The Tower Cannon
Continuing with our new series of Traveling Encounters blog posts…
Here is our next edition:
Out of This World, Wary Ally, Quest Giver
A traveler from another world crashed here and is attempting to contact his home world or star organization.
Setup: The PCs spot a very strange wizard’s tower. It seems to have an impossible metal dome and giant cannon.
Potential Plot Points:
- If the PCs approach armed they are warned off with a loud alarm, then a shout to keep away.
- But the resident, Franklyn, wants help so any reasonable parley will allow the PCs to talk to him through a window.
- He is cautious because some items were stolen from the shed. If the PCs continue to approach without permission, he shoots an energy blast from a window.
- Franklyn won’t reveal his true background unless the PCs help him significantly (see follow-up ideas), but he will do what he can to help them: let them rest in the shed, heal minor wounds, etc.
Vary the Challenge: Several people/aliens have crash landed, potentially with special powers.
Possible Twist: Franklyn is a fugative. Later someone may come to investigate them for aiding him.
Follow-up Adventure Ideas:
- Help him recover the stolen equipment.
- Gather rare minerals he needs to repair other equipment.
Switch Genres:
Science Fiction: A disgraced inter-stellar war hero, Franklyn decided to be a hermit on a low-tech world. The PCs must convince him to help their quest.