Stealing from LOST for Dungeons and Dragons
The members of the party, for reasons of their own, are traveling by ship to a large city. Along the way, strange winds seem to follow vessel, sending it far off course. Without bearings, the ship travels for days until finding itself in the midst of a large hurricane, which rips the boat apart, dumping the passengers onto an unknown island. Before long, they realize that they aren’t the first people to ever land on the island, and they are not alone. Far from it.
There are many aspects of the show LOST that would make a great D&D (or, even moreso, Call of Cthulhu) campaign. Obviously, following too closely to the plot of the television show would become fairly predictable, and it’s best to take ideas from the show for a campaign. In fact, many of the plot points are synonymous with a survival story. Needing to find clean water, food, build shelter, and protect themselves from any indigenous life make good filler stories in-between plot ideas. There are other aspects that are simply good plot hooks, and below are a list of plot points which could be added to enhance the story:
- During the first night, loud noises can be heard from within the jungles, and trees are visibly knocked down by an unknown entity. It can be a large creature, an illusion, or something in-between.
- Someone finds an official criminal ledger and set of broken shackles, implying that someone on the ship was a violent criminal. The page is washed out, and they aren’t able to find out who it is. It can be a member of the party, or another survivor.
- The players find a burnt body near the outskirts of the jungle, with no way of discerning any information on who it is. A set of footprints from the location leads from the jungle, then back to the camp, and with no one missing people suspect that a changeling might be among them. But why?
- They find that there is another group of people on the island who have been there for a long time, and they are extremely hostile towards them, trying to kidnap different members during the night. What could they want with the survivors?
- Someone reports seeing an Elf ranger wandering in the woods, and upon investigation it turns out that she been stranded there for many years. She, similarly, had crashed onto the island, and has become a bit crazy. It’s worth dealing with her, however, as she seems to know more about the island. She’s also mumbling about an undead presence…
- The party discovers a massive rock blocking what looks like a cave, with ancient runes carved around the entrance. It’s far too large to lift or move by hand, and the runes seem to be warding it against magic. Was it put there to keep anyone from getting inside, or to keep whatever is inside from getting out?
There are plenty of other aspects of LOST that would make great campaigns, and it might be worth experimenting with flashbacks, maybe in the form of dreams, to show what caused the players to become stranded on the island. Either way, it’s obvious that they are supposed to be there, but why? Is it fate, the work of some powerful magic-user, or simply a strange coincidence? Though the show might lead viewers in one direction, a DM can lead it in another, and with some small changes the show’s plot makes for some incredibly fun gaming.
Stealing from… is a Pen and Paper Portal feature, which shows how different books, games, movies, or films can be modified to work in an RPG.
Sarah says:
This is an awesome idea. I love Lost (and D&D, obviously), and the more I play D&D, the more I think about how the plot of Lost would make a pretty damn cool campaign.
I’ve already taken to calling nature checks Locke checks. Roll for Locke!
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:31 am
loltim says:
Dibs Sawyer!
April 3rd, 2009 at 6:58 pm
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