Need a hand.

[Powderdry]

I'm running a submerged power level campaign, and we're a ways into it. The current storyline has them investigating around a small town with a very Lovecraft theme to it. Due to where we cut off the last session, I don't have as much material for the next session as I would like. If anyone could look over what I have and throw some idea around, I would appreciate it.

When they were driving home from the last adventure, they were forced to swerve as someone jumped in front of their car. This caused them to wreck, rendering them (With the help of a bit of magic.) unconscious. They woke up in a cave, which was a few miles north of a town, which they hiked towards. When they arrived, there was a plethora of rude and xenophobic villagers. The last person they talked to that day was the mayor, who put up a facade of politeness and courtesy, offering to let them stay in the town hotel (Run by his wife) for free, while they sorted out their affairs. That night, one of the party members was kidnapped, and the clues led to the city hall, where they found said party member. He was unconscious and when they woke him, he went berserk, attacking the party. This was where we stopped for the night.

The next morning, the town was going to be deserted, and from there, they were going to follow a trail of clues into a local mine, where the locals were doing some sort of ritual. Basically, there was a wizard who used mind magic on the town, and was using the townsfolk for some form of ritual.

I'm thinking that I wont have enough materiel if I go with the plan as is, and wanted to add some more investigation on day two, before the showdown in the mine. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[S1C0]

try allowing them to search the mine with little in the way of challenge finding it, however, to find the people they need to find an old map of the town that shows an older mine entrance/camp that is where the funny business is actually happening. also perhaps they are already there but are actually trapped in a shared dream prison that they must find a way out could eat up some time.

[Haru]

Maybe handling the wizard quickly isn't a bad thing. There's a lot of stuff that could happen afterwards:

- Using the cave for his rituals has created a natural opening to a nasty part of the nevernever. While the threat of the wizard is gone, now there's a whole slew of other stuff threatening to get out and disturb the peace. If that wasn't bad enough, any attempt to close it from this side fails, because there's something keeping it open from the other side.
- The wizard is dead. Or is he? Part of his mind magic allowed him to go all capiocorpus and put his mind into another body. Even worse: he doesn't need to be close to the person he switches to. He's been messing with the towns minds for so long that he is basically connected to the entire town and when his mind is separated from his body he can use them like a giant neural network, switching back and forth between them as he likes. He can pretty much control the whole city as one being and of course the players are next on his list.
- Similar, but in good old Lovecraftian way, the whole city is working together willingly. The wizard is merely the mouthpiece, the head that channels all their energy. If he's slain, they will simply select one of their group and imbue him with the same powers to continue. Well, maybe just a small cabal in the city, not the whole city, but enough to make it bad.
- The wizard had a much bigger agenda than controlling the city. He was planning on corrupting some key figures and has sent some of his mindless drones to bring them an enchanted gift that will put them under his spell. Or just clear their mind entirely, if the wizard is no longer there to control. In any case, these 'gifts' should be found and dismantled as soon as possible.
- Also good old Lovecraftian, the wizard was just doing his job as the protector of the city as his father and his grandfather before him. The city is protected from the sea-beasts by a regular sacrifice and the wizard ensures that this is going to happen, so the village can live in piece for another few years. Stopping the wizard from doing so invokes the wrath of those beasts and they go and invade the city.
- Mind shenanigans are always fun. The players never killed the wizard, they are caught in his mindscape and he is keeping them locked inside. When they think their job is done and they try to get out of the city, there's always something happening to keep them from going. Depending on how subtle you do this, it can take them a while to figure this one out.


Hope there's something in there for you, I might come back to this later if I have a few more ideas.