By having the PCs get drafted off-screen before play even begins, Descent distances the players from the hook. “You’ve been drafted by the Flaming Fist” is specific, but its first failure is our next requirement: The players should experience the hook. What you have here, basically, is a broken scenario hook that the designers have so little confidence in that they feel the need to hold a gun to the players’ heads.Īs I wrote in my design notes for scenario hooks in Over the Edge, a scenario hook should be specific: What is the specific thing that gets the PCs involved in the current situation? Neither the players nor their characters are given any reason to care about what’s happening. The fact that Descent repeats it three times in rapid succession here, however, mostly serves to point a big, flashing arrow at the more significant problem: The “do what I say or I’ll arbitrarily kill your characters” motif is problematic for what I’m hoping are fairly obvious reasons. If the PCs escape, Zodge sends two more squads to murder them. If they accept the gig, but then don’t follow through, he sends a squad of soldiers to track them down and “kill anyone who refuses to go.” If the PCs refuse to do it, he has them “executed on the spot.” They need to go meet with an informant named Tarina at the Elfsong Tavern. Once the cut scene wraps up, Zodge comes over to the PCs and tells them that cultists worshipping the Dead Three (Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul) have been taking advantage of the current crisis to go on a murder spree. The PCs show up at Basilisk Gate just in time to stand around while the GM describes Flame Zodge jumping into the middle of a riot, kicking ass, and being awesome. Later on a “Commander Portyr” similarly shows up who should actually be either Blaze Portyr or Marshal Portyr.) Their ranks are: Fist, Gauntlet, Manip, Flame, Blaze, and Marshal. (The adventure actually refers to him as “Captain Zodge,” but there are no captains in the Flaming Fists. The city is overwhelmed and orders the gates closed.ĭescent Into Avernus opens with a blob of boxed text that informs the players that, due to the crisis, they have been drafted into the Flaming Fist, the mercenary guard who has served as Baldur’s Gate’s military and police force for hundreds of years, and ordered to report to Flame Zodge at the Basilisk Gate. Refugees fleeing the catastrophe head down the River Chionthar to Baldur’s Gate.Among those lost in Elturel was Grand Duke Ravengard, ruler of Baldur’s Gate, who had been visiting the city on a diplomatic mission.A few days ago, that happened: The entire city of Elturel was pulled into Avernus, the first layer of Hell.After fifty years, the city and the souls of all its inhabitants would belong to Zariel.
Under the light of the Companion, the city of Elturel was bound to an infernal pact. Except this was a lie: The Companion had actually been crafted by Zariel, who had cut a deal with someone in Elturel (more on this later).In this, their darkest hour, the god Amaunator responded to their holy prayers and the Companion appeared in the skies above the city: A second sun that burned through the night and whose light no undead could endure. Many decades later, Elturel was plagued by a new evil: The High Observer of the city was secretly a vampire lord.Meanwhile, the knights who had fled back to Elturel lied about the glorious battle they had fought on the other side and their order became known as the Hellriders.Still filled with hatred for the knights who had betrayed her, she watched Elturel from afar and waited for an opportunity to present itself for revenge. Swearing fealty to Asmodeus, she became the Archdevil of Avernus. After her capture, Zariel was tempted to evil.The rest of Zariel’s army was wiped out, Zariel herself was captured. This went poorly: Many knights deserted the campaign, fled home, and shut the gate behind them.140+ years ago, an angel named Zariel convinced the holy knights of the city-state of Elturel to ride with her on a glorious charge into Hell itself.
Let’s back up for a second and briefly sum up the essential back story: It then proceeds almost directly to, “If the players don’t do what you tell them to do, the NPCs automatically find them and kill them.” Descent Into Avernus begins by having the PCs stand around doing nothing while the GM describes an NPC doing awesome stuff.
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