Why are bodyguard quest so boring? What should be done to make it bearable?
>>43906547
>NPC is likeable and undisruptive.
>Journey is open enough not to be a railroad.
The PCs need to be having a bodyguard adventure, not be a part of the NPC's adventure.
You're guarding the NPCs purity/chastity.
The would-be enemies seek to defile them sexually.
>>43906547
Fuck that shit.
You're the one getting bodyguard'd.The game is everybody is john.
>>43906843
>The game is everybody is john.
>>43906547Sauce on OP?
>>43906547
The NPC is always in potential danger, dont set this up for a "single kidnap, finish mission". The NPC has stats and will be targeted by the attackers. The party have a reason to keep the faggot alive aside from muh gold. The NPC dose not steal the spotlight, he is just cargo that needs to be delivered, it's the PC quest
>>43906991
oda non
>>43906870
Shit game for a shit thread
>introduced NPC really early on
>she needs help getting escorted to a distant place
>no actual reward promised
>party still chose to go with her
>now I have no idea what to do with her when the party is doing things
>she's just kinda there now
Let this be a lesson to you all, think through your escort missions very carefully before putting them in.
>>43907315
Make her an avatar of the Goddess of Charity or something, rewards your party with blessings and such.
>>43906601
>The PCs need to be having a bodyguard adventure, not be a part of the NPC's adventure.
Adventure is adventure. There is no real difference.
>>43907315
Just asspull something. Or make her fade out if you really don't want to use her.
Meanwhile you could turn her into PC number 3's long lost half sister who's out looking for her brother she only knows from a vague description that slowly gets closer and closer to him.
Or you know, just make her a secret agent half-dragon or something.
There's like a million things you could do.
>>43907315
>PCs will never deliver her to the destination
>instead they will drag her everywhere as a pet/pack mule
>she's no fighter so she won't just leave in the middle of a nowhere
>chances are she secretly likes it
>tfw
>>43907719
Agency makes all the difference.
>>43907856
But there is no reason to think a bodyguard isn't going to have agency. I mean, sure, he probably can't tell exactly where they're going, but pretty much everything that happens and how they handle it and act is up to them.
>>43906547
It's shota, isn't it?
>Party consists of 2 barbarians, a paladin and a wizard
>Personal bodyguard for King who loves to RIP AND TEAR things.
>Always fighting
>Always trying to keep him from killing EVERYONE
>We always get first loot because either the King said so or there's noone left to challenge us.
Pretty fun imo
>>43907903
There's a pretty big difference between "Follow this guy and cover his arse." and "Can you help this guy to his destination?"
The first means the players are following orders and feel like they're being bossed around. In the second one, the players feel like they're the ones in charge. And believe me, they'll enjoy the experience a lot more.
>>43907978
Well it's pretty convenient that you just created both of those on the fly. So why not pick the one you like more to start with?
>>43906547
Have the PCs actually be competent at it/ make it like real bodyguarding e.g. constant vigilance necessary, occasional sniper shots from lackies who run away after the initial surprise round, etc. Make it a mind game, not just a "carry npc from A to B and kill some mooks on the way."
>>43908226
Not him, but those are two generic ways to go about bodyguard missions, and 'help this guy get to his destination', is clearly the one that's phrased to encourage PC agency.
>>43907315
There are multiple ways you could go here.
>She becomes the party mascot (she better be cute! CUTE!)
>She falls in love with, and becomes the partner of, a PC (she better be the right kind of attractive)
>She thinks the party is a bunch of weirdos throughout her time with them and bails when she can
>She's actually the BBEG
My personal favorite incorporates a lot of these
>She's a bard looking to get first-hand material for her magnum opus, along the way she endears herself to the party and maybe even bangs one or two (or settles on one) but, eventually, must leave when things get too hairy
>>43907941
>Party of MILF adventures transporting shota noble across the land
I'd play it
>>43907941
Probably. I, however, choose to see it as the young Prince has discovered the two ladies have feelings for each other and he's trying to help them express it.
>>43906547
Nobody ever attacks.
The NPC just hired the party because he's lonely.
Last time I did this it was with an old man with a crook leg. He was the Viscount of a semi large territory. Over the course of the journey he owned up to them, particularly after fending off an attacking hobgoblins.
Basically I gave them an overweight cripple and made him sympathetic.
