LN Player in Seven Days

[IcedMik]

So, I've got a player playing a LN inquisitor, focused on upholding the law beyond all else. It worked well while working for Cressida, but her alignment and beliefs have forced her to take opposition with a number of the choices that a more default party would make. For example, she almost argued to turn Trinia back in instead of helping Vencarlo hide her.

Right now, we're at the end of Seven Days, and the party is meant to investigate the Hospice of the Blessed Maiden. However, she refuses to break the law that states interfering with Queen Physician or Gray Maiden work is illegal.

At this point, they have evidence against Davalus, but Cressida doesn't necessarily have the authority to arrest him due to the non-interference law. She could take this to the Queen, except at this point she already suspects her to be corrupt. The player, however, says there is no proof, only conjecture, which isn't enough for her to go against the law.

I've read the beginning of Escape from Old Korvosa, and they basically get proof that Ileosa is evil at the public address when she shivs Marcus Endrin in the face, so I think once the player gets through the Hospice and Chapter 3 begins, it won't be much of a problem. However, I worry that when the Gray Maidens attack the party, she might join them.

Beyond simply telling the player outside the game that the character won't work with this adventure, does anyone have any ideas on how I can mitigate this issue?

[r-Kelleg]

did they already met the wererats ?
They got an information about something strange below the hospice from the one they helped (cannot remember her name)
So they enterred in the temple directly through the sewers. I added an entrance in the prison.

I also had a LN caracter hwo become sick with the plague. So he turn himselft to the hospice (as it is required by the queen's eddict). After one day in, he noticed that the hospice was not te good place to be cured.The player used his torment point to get his charisma back and pretended that he was cured. The doctor came to him and let him go (with, in fact a stronger version of the disease)

[RedEric]

If there's any casters in your party, they could cast clairvoyance in the hospice and discover that the doctors are anything but. Failing that, the rest of the party could sneak in the building and scout it out, coming back with testimony to the evil deeds therein.

I question your players understanding of following the law as well. If they have suspicions of illegal behavior on the part of the doctors, it's much more logical that she'd be willing to investigate that in order to expose it to the proper authorities. Aren't inquisitors supposed to inquire about things anyway? By class design, Inquisitors have the skills, spells, and motivation to investigate things like this. It sounds more like she's following 'lawful stupid' than neutral.

You should have another player try to convince her with some of these arguments.

[IcedMik]

They did meet the wererats already, and that's actually an interesting idea. An entrance to the prison would bypass the doctors and gray maidens above.

RedEric, the Clairvoyance is a great idea. I'll suggest that to the party.

I also question her following of the law, and the proper authorities thing actually came up. She says that regardless of her inquisitor nature from her god, she doesn't have permission within the law to investigate due to the Queen's law of non-interferance with the doctors and gray maidens. She went to Cressida, but Cressida couldn't really overturn the law either. She says if she was to infiltrate the doctors, it would be vigilante justice, which she doesn't believe in. It is kind of lawful stupid, but it's not AS stupid. I've discussed this with the player, and he's sorry for causing problems.

The solution we might use: Cressida is in a hard position, because with the amount of evidence she has on Davalus, it would be treasonous to ignore. So she has to pick her evil; treason against the Queen's non-interference law, or treason of inaction against a plague bringer. She and the PC are going to make pacts with themseves that if it turns out their fears were unfounded, and that Davalus is clean, they would turn themselves in for treason. (However, we know that's not going to happen unless the players fail against anything)

[Douglas Muir 406]

Give the LN PC some evidence that a crime is being committed.

Here's one possibility: someone is stealing from the sick people. IMC I added a couple of low-level orderlies that were doing exactly that. No big game effect, but it added atmosphere. In this case, it lets some poor, emotionally distraught citizen come tell the inquisitor that their dead husband/wife's wedding ring was stolen, and nobody will help, and can't she do something? Which in turn gets the party in the door. Once you have them inside, things should move right along.

I made a number of minor modifications to that scenario. If you're interested, here they are.

Fleshing out the Hospice:

1) Besides the big nurse at the front gate, added a harassed little clerk (Exp 2). The clerk is the only employee of the city government on the premises; he's there to record entries and deaths. If the PCs wait for a while in the anteroom, there is a 10% chance every 10 minutes that a doctor will emerge and murmur for a few moments to the clerk, who will look intimidated and then make some entries in a ledger.

Game significance: pretty much none; he's basically wallpaper. Will flee screaming if a fight breaks out, which could eventually attract the city guard.

3) Add a DC 10 Fort save the first time PCs enter the main floor of the hospice. Fail, and you're Shaken for 2d6 rounds; fail by 5 or more, and you're Nauseated.

3) Added a couple of orderlies, Bodey (human) and Stuggs (a dwarf). These guys are low level thugs, War1/Rog1. They're not wearing armor and have no weapons other than a dagger, club and cosh. They're there to move furniture around, run errands for the doctors, and remove dead bodies. Bodey and Stuggs spend most of their time sitting in a corner, playing cards for copper pieces ignoring the pathetic pleas for help of nearby patients.

Game significance: Bodey and Stuggs will flee from any well-armed party, fighting only if cornered. They know nothing about the cult of Urgathoa, but are familiar with the layout of the warehouse above ground, and (unlike the doctors or the Grey Maidens) could be intimidated into telling what they know. Bodey has the key to the chained back entrance; he will occasionally unlock it so that he and Stuggs can slip out for a smoke. If PCs watch the back of the hospice, there's a 30% chance per hour that they'll see this happen.

Most of the dying patients here had nothing of value, but the two orderlies have found three small pieces of jewelry worth 80, 40 and 30 gp.

4) Added a dozen dead bodies in the back room, waiting for a wagon to come up and take them away. No game effect, except that the back entrance is opened once per day to take them away, perhaps giving stealthy or invisible PCs a chance to slip in.

5) If Dr. Davaulus has time to prepare, he lights some incense. Ostensibly this is to fend off the revolting smells coming up from the main floor below. In fact, the incense is a subtle poison; anyone breathing it must succeed at a DC 15 Fort save, or be at -2 to Will and Reflex saves for the next 10 minutes. (The Doctor is of course immune.)

If not attacked at once, the doctor will suggest that the party leader sit down and discuss "how to resolve all this" like civilized gentlemen. He'll offer some wine from a flagon he has conveniently on hand. The wine is of course poisoned (choose an ingestion poison) and the Doctor is once again immune. (This will be irrelevant if the PCs simply choose to attack at once, but you never know; someone may want to try talking first.)

HTH.

cheers,

Doug M.

[IcedMik]

Those are all awesome ideas. Unfortuntely I don't know if giving her another crime will convince her; her big deal is that she refuses to fight the Gray Maidens. If I can prove to her that the Gray Maidens are corrupt somehow with a similar prompt, then perhaps that would work. However, I'm planning on using all of this for extra flavour. Thanks!

[RedEric]

Ah, here's a few ideas to expose the maidens: If a party member casts clairvoyance on the hospital, have them catch sight of a grey maiden murdering a patient. Or they could look upstairs and find Ruan Mirukova on the examination table there instead of with Ramoska Arkiminos downstairs, clearly not sick and being experimented on by Davaulos with grey maidens standing by as guards.

Or the party could stake out the building and see the maidens drag in Ruan or other clearly healthy citizens for experimentation under cover of night.

A grey maiden could arrest a citizen on false charges and drag them into the hospital never to be seen again.

A patient could burst out of the hospital at a stumbling shuffle, arrow sticking in his back and get killed by the maidens.

[Protoman]

Does the LN character have any friends? Have one of them try to stop Gray Maidens from forcibly taking a sick child from its family to be taken to the Hospice. Or better yet, a child that isn't sick thanks to that 1 in 10 Varisian immunity (so it's obvious something hinky is happening). Child could be another friend or the friend's own family member, whatever's the most guilt-inducing. Have the PC's friend get horribly ganged up upon by the Maidens, pierced and slashed to death in the streets. THEN take the child away to the Hospice.

This can be done in front of the PC or off-screen. If in-front, she either picks a side or sides-lines herself. At that point, can one even have this PC in an adventure path?
If off-screen, she can choose to check up on non-sick child in the Hospice. If she doesn't, what's the point of her again?

If still doesn't wanna help out the city or party members, sideline her. No realistically convincing her at this point.

[graywulfe]

Remind the player that investigation is in no way interference. Also remind the player that stealthily circumventing any guards to enter is still not interference.

[MrVergee]

The way I see it, you have two options:

- you do your best to convince the player that crimes are being committed, as suggested by the other posters.

- if the PC refuses to go against the law, she will choose the other side and effectively become an NPC. It would be a very interesting turn of events, to have the PC join the Gray Maidens. The player will lose his character and have to create a new one. The party will encounter their former ally later on in the AP, and if you can, try making her a recurring enemy.

[Jason S]

One of the PCs could pretend they are sick and need to go to the hospice for aid. Or make up some other kind of excuse. They're not going there to arrest anyone or make any trouble...

[IcedMik]

I've discussed it with the player, and we've found a solution which I think is kind of interesting.

The character is still lawful at her core, but she's agreed that if the Gray Maidens attack her, she'll still defend herself. This is good, because the book says that if the PCs don't immediately leave, they attack right off, giving the character reason enough to investigate further.

That said, I'm actually going a different direction. The character in question has said that when they get to the Hospice, they'll ask to see Davaulus. Despite what the book says, I'm going to have Nurse Bruno escort them upstairs (with two Maidens), through the various rooms, into Davaulus' office. Knowing my party, they'll present their evidence, Davaulus will deny it until they catch on, then he'll do his speech about the PCs' "foolish crusade to save the city," and drink his invisibility potion before running out the room and down to the temple (or the PCs will kill him, which ends up with the same result.)

This way, instead of fighting their way to his office, they're fighting their way out his office. Same XP at least, and much more legal to say they're just defending themselves, especially when Davaulus basically admits to being evil.

The one issue is the experimentation ward between the stairs and the office; I'm planning on adding curtains between the beds, so it's just one bloody table in the center surrounded by curtains. Definitely off-putting, but not so immediately damning as four Varisians being experimented on. DC 25 Perception hears the faint sound of breathing behind these curtains.

[IcedMik]

Holy crap, I just realized, the hospice offices upstairs have a theme of antelopes and gazelles because it was an Arkona warehouse, and the Arkona are rakshasas, which usually look like tigers, AND TIGERS EAT GAZELLES. mindblown.gif