Foul Betrayal

This storyline is best combined with one of the others. It fits well in the thief subculture and can be wrapped around any significant non-player character in the campaign. It provides PCs with strong motivation and can dramatically shake up a campaign that starts to run too smoothly.

The NPC who betrays them should be an important figure in the campaign, and one who is fairly well known to the player characters. He can be their employer, or a respected neighbor, or even a mentor or family member to one of the PCs. Ideally, in one of the latter cases, the NPC has a deep and compelling motivation for the betrayal. Most characters, even including thieves, would not be too likely to sell their brother or grandmother down the road for a small profit.

The betrayal should be set up carefully by the DM. Perhaps one or two clues might indicate the NPC's true nature, but only if the players are exceptionally alert. The betrayal itself should not be the end of the story, however; the PCs should have a long and difficult road to follow in their quest for an accounting.

The betrayal situation works best in campaigns where there are many well-detailed NPCs. If it is used capriciously in a setting with few NPCs, players may become inclined to distrust every NPC introduced to the game. This is frustrating for players and DM alike.

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