So here's a weird player thing for ya, /tg/.
I'm DMing (with reasonable competence) an Eberron campaign, D&D 3.5, for a group of 4 complete newcomers to the d20 system (and, in the case of 3 of them, tabletop roleplaying in general). I'm not actually putting that much effort into crafting the adventures right now, I'm just having them go through Shadows of the Last War (perfect for a level 2 party like this), because I think it's pretty cool and allows them enough leeway to explore their batshit characters. (One of them is playing a brain-damaged Warforged who thinks teeth are seeds he needs to plant. Yeah.)
So last time, one of the encounters was a beetle swarm. One of them rolled so well they managed to grab a beetle off the ground before the swarm dispersed, and now they're obsessed with this beetle. They've named it Pop (Pops?) and may devote an absurd amount of time to making it into some manner of scout or something. Yes, this is the druid's fault. My question is, what's a good hook to make this random beetle actually matter? It doesn't need to factor in immediately--Gods know I have enough to deal with already--but I know these players, and if their beetle doesn't get some payoff, they'll never leave me alone.
Pic related, it's me after every single action. These people are absurd.
Turns out it was a mind controlled Beetle Fairy. Kill the thing that was controlling them and now you have a bunch of little bug people that view them as heroes.
Next, run a space campaign and allude to the PCs being important in their past.
>>43515110
You can either have them do what they want to it, or make it turn into something else.
It could encounter some sort of magic fuckery that turns it into a good luck charm, or maybe grant it the ability to pick things up and add odd trinkets to the inventory of whichever party member has it.
If they want to do something with it, they can upside the thing and use it as a pack animal or whatever. Just throw some hooks at them and see what they decide to make of it.
>>43515144
Shit, I actually forgot: One of the players convinced me to let them get nunchucks as part of their backstory. It's vaguely related to fairy nonsense, I'm making it up as I go along but they have weird fairy runes and contain mystic powers she can't unlock yet. That could totally work. Thanks!
>>43515223
Making it into a bizarre scavenger is pretty neat. "Your beetle has discovered a length of chain that glows a soft green color. It hops up and down excitedly upon one of the lengths." What does it do? "The beetle doesn't know. It's a beetle."
>>43515110
You're a great GM and I wish I was more like you.
>>43515110
>3.5
>Eberron
Sounds like the beginning of a terrible fanfic or the setup for a joke.
>>43516616
Eh?
>>43515110
>what's a good hook to make this random beetle actually matter
Without much of a plot to speak of, pretty much anything.
Maybe it's actually a mechanical scarab formerly possessed by an evil wizard and can lead the party to that lair.
Maybe it's a super intelligence (4 Int) beetle that can gain heroic character levels.
Maybe it's just a beetle, but people believe it's valuable because adventurers are keeping it and they keep trying to steal it.
anything would work
>>43518952
>Maybe it's actually a mechanical scarab formerly possessed by an evil wizard and can lead the party to that lair.
A (missing?) cog of the machine that is Reality? (No go away Sotha Sil i wasn't talking about you much)
>Maybe it's just a beetle, but people believe it's valuable because adventurers are keeping it and they keep trying to steal it.
Tell me your secrects, Beetle of Durandal and Marathon
It's really a mecha-magical beetle that *insert plot hook* uses for spying. Their beetle gained sentience to bypass programming and just wanted to beetle like a normal beetle does.
One of the quest rewards for stopping the spy'r is the beetle can be worn as a broach and grants *insert stat bonus* plus the ability to summon a swarm of mecha-magical beetles 1/week.
Sounds fun.
This beetle is regarded as a folk hero among the local fey, besting him in combat has invoked their ire.
>if their beetle doesn't get some payoff, they'll never leave me alone.
It's nice to encourage players to take an active interest in your game and to help them find things they can earnestly care about, but it's a beetle.
A beetle.
Have some noble with a bug collecting hobby offer them 10 GP for it and call it a day. Otherwise, it, they'll start obsessing about random bits of trash.
