D&D General Sunday Fun: The PCs are left holding the bag. What's in it?

[EzekielRaiden]

elder dragons to archmages to crime lords to angelic hosts, that are going to want it.

This, I think, is the hardest part of the question. It has to be something that essentially anyone with power wants to have. They don't necessarily need it for the same reasons, but everyone has to want it. Some of these beings are already immortal or don't strictly care about death, so that's largely out the window (at least as the main motive.) Several have access to, if not total knowledge, then rather a lot of it, so it probably isn't mere information. It can't be purely magical mojo, since the crime lords wouldn't be able to use it, though I guess they could want it in order to sell it to the highest bidder (but that feels kinda weaksauce.)

The biggest problem of all, though, is why the PCs wouldn't just give this thing, whatever it is, to the angelic host, assuming those angels are (non-4e) D&D angels where they're inherently good beings. It needs to be something the PCs can't trust anyone, even angels, to have--and that's a hard bar to clear.

 

[TwoSix]

Is it more fun if the PCs know what they have right off the bat, or not? In your typical inept caper film, the crew realizes they have a duffle bag full of cocaine worth millions and the fun is them trying to dodge mobsters, feds, bounty hunters and each others' ambitions while trying to figure out how to sell it. In this D&D scenario, if they find the Orb of Dragonkind, they should know what they have and know that wizards, dragons, dragon cults and paladins will be trying to get it from them. it isn't really worth anything on its own to the 1st level party, but they could possibly sell it...

Or, it is more fun if they don't know what they have? Say they find an ornate box with a dragon motif, but can't open it or divine what is inside. Yet, wizards, dragons, dragon cultists and paladins keep showing up trying to get box.

I think it's more fun not to know if the item is a quasi-random source of good fortune. It doesn't do something all the time, but when it does, it's beneficial or at worst, neutral but interesting. It also allows the reveal of the item's actual origin to be a mid or late-game twist, if needed.

It's more fun TO know if the item is something that the party can strategically leverage, not just in terms of its value, but in terms of its capabilities.

I would generally avoid anything where the item's value is more narrative than its actual gameplay value, because the party will possibly be tempted to just ditch the item to relieve themselves of the complication. Ideally, keeping the item around should feel more like a boon than a burden.

 

[Reynard]

I would generally avoid anything where the item's value is more narrative than its actual gameplay value, because the party will possibly be tempted to just ditch the item to relieve themselves of the complication. Ideally, keeping the item around should feel more like a boon than a burden.

The duffle bag full of cocaine is definitely a burden, but it is potentially worth millions, yet very hard to liquidate. The item in this D&D scenario should be similar. The PCs shouldn't want it for its own sake, but for what it is worth (which may not be money) -- but it should be hard to convert to that thing.

I do agree that there is value in a mid to late game reveal of the thing, though. "What do you mean all this trouble has come about because of some deck of cards?"...

 

[James Gasik]

A tiny stone statue of a beautiful sorceress, hands raised in a spellcasting pose, a look of intense concentration on her face. The statue has an aura of Transmutation magic upon it.

170 years ago, the Sorceress was a living woman, who was defeated in a spell duel with her rival. If the PC's find a way to turn her back to flesh, they may suddenly have a powerful, unknown spell cast upon them, and, surviving that, have to deal with a very angry (and diminutive, as she's also been reduced to 1/12 her normal height by an even more potent enchantment, one that resists any means at her, or their disposal) sorceress who is suddenly a fish out of water, given how much the world has changed. But at the same time, she not only knows magic the party has never heard of, she has crucial information that several NPC's and groups of interest want...badly, including the location of an artifact that could restore her to her proper size once more (something relatively immobile hidden in a hard-to-reach location, like Heward's Mystical Organ or The Throne of the Gods). It also turns out the person who did this to her became a Lich, and was using her statue form as their phylactery, and they really want it back, thank you very much.

 

[Corinnguard]

Or, it is more fun if they don't know what they have? Say they find an ornate box with a dragon motif, but can't open it or divine what is inside. Yet, wizards, dragons, dragon cultists and paladins keep showing up trying to get box.

It's more fun if they don't know what they have or why nearly everyone in the entire multiverse seems to be after them. You could even have it where the item in question had a spell placed on it that makes it appear to be a very ordinary object.

"What have we, what have we, what have we done to deserve this?" "Funny, you should ask...."