Five Motivations

This adventure focuses on the party going to great lengths to gain a wish. They'll be put through flame and frost (and things far worse) to outrace their rivals to The Fallen Star . To make it all worthwhile, the party needs a wish worth pursuing. Before running the first session, use this guide to take your party through a "Session Zero Checklist" In addition to the usual "Session Zero" activities, such as creating characters and sharing ideals, flaws and bonds, the party will want to discuss what a wish is worth to them. Perhaps the whole party is in agreement on a single outcome, or perhaps they are all supporting one character on their quest.
Whatever the case, there is only one wish to be had. Making sure that wish is meaningful to your group will raise the stakes, heighten the thrill or reward, and enhance the fun of your games.
This adventure begins presuming the party already has a strong reason to want a wish granted. Maybe they seek a mountain of gold, revenge on a deadly foe, or to right a grave injustice. Their goal may be lofty and virtuous, or utterly self-serving - anything is fine, so long as everyone in the party is in agreement and the GM is okay with the party's goals. If the players need a prompt to get them started on their journey, any of the five motivations below can be used as a jumping-off point. When using these prompts, be sure to figure out the personal attachment to the characters. In each situation, have the players ask themselves who it is that's afflicted or in need of help. Is it a parent? A wife or child? A mentor? Dear friend? The more personal the motivation is to the party, the more powerful the motivation will be, and therefore the more meaningful the quest for The Fallen Star
If the party can't decide on a single motivation, consider using the Multiple Wishes?

The Five Motivations

Party Motivations

Stop the Deadly Pestilence "In my home village, nearly everyone has become sick with a mysterious disease. No one knows the cause. The priests say the only cure is a miracle. When the Fallen Star fell from the sky, I knew it was our only hope." Name your village and describe what it looks like. Pick a family member or important person to you. If you don’t find The Fallen Star soon, that person will eventually succumb and die of the mysterious disease.

Rescue My Family

"My village was conquered by Blackrift soldiers when I was a child. Most of the adults were slain, or sent to labor in frozen mines far to the north. The only hope I have of seeing them ever again is to wish for the downfall of Blackrift ." Pick a family member or important person to you. Imagine the moment when they were taken from you. If you don’t find The Fallen Star  soon, that person will perish as a captive, far from home.

Heal the Forest

"I'm from a beautiful forest, but it, the animals, and the surrounding lands are all dying. The land has become poisoned by a strange blight... and nothing but a wish can stop its spread." Imagine what the blight looks like and describe how the land is suffering. Pick an animal or creature important to you. If you don’t find The Fallen Star soon, that creature will go extinct, and all the land around your home will become uninhabitable.

Clear My Name

"I was marked for death by powerful forces in Grayhaven for defying a law. I managed to flee, but now I live as an exile, without my belongings and without a home to call my own. Guards seek me, and if they find me, they'll execute me on sight." Picture the crime you committed that got you in this trouble. Imagine an injustice that is being carried out against a family member or group you identify with. The only way to get justice for how you've been wronged is to use the wish to intercede.

Recover Forgotten Lore

"I know of a fabled library of great knowledge that has been lost - burnt to the ground. A thousand years of accumulated lore, learning, and art from the greatest writers and thinkers in the world have been turned to ash. It will be lost forever unless I do something." Think of a mystery that you crave the answer to, or a body of knowledge that you hold dear. The only way to return this lost knowledge to the world is to restore it with a wish.

Multiple Wishes (Variant Rule)

Consider this alternative if the party is having trouble agreeing on just one wish. Instead of a single wish, the Fallen Star can grant a wish to anyone who touches the star at the same time - potentially giving an entire team their own wish.

Fracturing the wish in this way may or may not have unintended consequences (of the "be careful what you wish for" variety), depending on GM judgment and the scope of the wishes granted.