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I just ran Severing Ties and the players did not do anything which classified as sabotage. In fact, most of what they did were the tasks specifically stated to not qualify.
So they went through the scenario, beat the baddies, but did not complete their mission objective. What do they get for this?
I'm thinking 1 exp, 0 fame/prestige, 0 gold, 0 items.
Some players are saying no exp; others are saying 1 exp, partial gold, some items. At a loss. I don't want to cheat them, nor do I want to give them things they shouldn't have.
Soooo... help? Please?
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Ironically, they had the briefing in their journals the whole time. (Online game via VTT)
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Which is exactly why I hated that scenario. From the player's perspective, you are supposed to go in there and wreck a few things, and make them mad so that they blame the <other group> you are pretending to be. The specific instructions are to not fight if you can help it. Something the scenario pretty much forces if someone rolls not great pretty early on. It's extremely poorly designed and basically set up to rob the players (not characters) of rewards.
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Which is exactly why I hated that scenario. From the player's perspective, you are supposed to go in there and wreck a few things, and make them mad so that they blame the <other group> you are pretending to be. The specific instructions are to not fight if you can help it. Something the scenario pretty much forces if someone rolls not great pretty early on. It's extremely poorly designed and basically set up to rob the players (not characters) of rewards.
We will have to agree to disagree. Every time I've run that scenario, my players are VERY thorough making the base unlivable.
What combat does the scenario force if the party doesn't roll well? I'm drawing a blank in that regard.
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Our group
-Tatooed "Aspis was here" on the rumps of the cultists awaiting tattooing.
-Brought the red ache plagued hookers to the cultists "on the house"
-Set the sewer line to explode
-Set the Basilisk free on the way out
What combat does the scenario force if the party doesn't roll well? I'm drawing a blank in that regard.
I think the Golem fight is neigh inevitable with a silver crusader in the group.
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The construct is unavoidable because it activates once something has been messed with. Even if you run, it chases you like a bad girlfriend...
Cultists aren't meant for combat and are only drawn in if players ACTIVELY seek out combat.
So that just leaves the optional encounter...
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You know, that golem is actually a lot more dangerous in the lower tier, I think. Upper tier it'll stand there for a few rounds to coup someone. Meaning your party can assume beatdown formation and just annihilate it. The lower tier enemy you face has no such mechanic, and will happily maul the crap out of everyone.
Severing Ties was actually among the first Pathfinder scenarios I played. I have to say that the conditions for mission success are so blatantly obvious that I would consider it more difficult to fail than to pass.
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What combat does the scenario force if the party doesn't roll well? I'm drawing a blank in that regard.
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I considered running this one; but I've got a pally and a cleric in my usual group, and I really can't justify the pally even -wanting- to do such a thing as what most of this scenario calls for. Greater good and all, but still: deceit, sabotage, etc... just didn't jive.
I played Severing Ties with my paladin Maximo. It was a fun challenge to get through the intrigue with him. He didn't tell a single lie, though he didn't correct anyone when they made incorrect assumptions either. Some might disagree, but he doesn't believe deceit and sabotage are evil acts when they are the only option available.
Regarding the scenario itself, I played in the lower tier, and the party just barely survived (we had to pool funds save someone at the end). I would not suggest it as an introduction to the Organized Play.
By the way, heya Beckett!
Venture-Lieutenant, West Virginia—Charleston
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I considered running this one; but I've got a pally and a cleric in my usual group, and I really can't justify the pally even -wanting- to do such a thing as what most of this scenario calls for. Greater good and all, but still: deceit, sabotage, etc... just didn't jive.I played Severing Ties with my paladin Maximo. It was a fun challenge to get through the intrigue with him. He didn't tell a single lie, though he didn't correct anyone when they made incorrect assumptions either. Some might disagree, but he doesn't believe deceit and sabotage are evil acts when they are the only option available.
Regarding the scenario itself, I played in the lower tier, and the party just barely survived (we had to pool funds save someone at the end). I would not suggest it as an introduction to the Organized Play.
By the way, heya Beckett!
As an aside, I have to say that this was one of the few PbPs that I actually read all the way through. It was quite interesting!
In regards to the topic at hand, I've GMmed Severing Ties a number of times. I have yet to have a group fail to catch on to what they are doing.
If the party is full of inexperienced and shy players who don't want to do too much, I would probably nudge them in that direction as a GM. It's good to help low-level Pathfinders gain confidence.
If the party is full of people who are just oblivious and don't seem to care that much about the mission, I wouldn't help them as much. I recall hearing about one table that did an admirable job on this scenario. They collected the three items, delivered them to Grelph, then left without even attempting to sabotage. They were perfect Aspis Consortium agents.
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I recall hearing about one table that did an admirable job on this scenario. They collected the three items, delivered them to Grelph, then left without even attempting to sabotage. They were perfect Aspis Consortium agents.
Oh that's hilarious!
This group was inches from getting at least one of them, but one player didn't feel right releasing toxic gas into the hideout since they weren't supposed to be killing anyone. Somehow he convinced the rest of the party to not. I suppose it could be seen as a "This would be the easy answer, but would lead to the Dark Side. Find the better answer which leads you down the Way of the Kiri-- I mean, Jedi."
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Venture-Lieutenant, West Virginia—Charleston
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The group I played with wound up having to kill the basilisks. We had an unfortunate encounter of the petrifying kind. Despite this, the mission went off relatively without a hitch (people being temporarily turned to stone aside).
I'd say that's a fair assessment. You guys "rocked" it.
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When I GMed this, four of my seven players were instantly turned to stone, then in the following round nobody could pass the Knowledge check to know what to do and thus two more people failed the save and were stoned. The seventh (cleric) managed to get the hell out of there.
I convinced him to try to go back and kill the creature with some "bag full of alchemists fire flasks" shenanigans and he of course rolled a one on his throw and thus nuked himself with alchemists fire, barely survived, and then left again.
Killed six of seven players in that one :(
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I convinced him to try to go back and kill the creature with some "bag full of alchemists fire flasks" shenanigans and he of course rolled a one on his throw and thus nuked himself with alchemists fire...
That's...not at all how splash weapons work on a 1. Unless he rolled a 1 on the d8 to determine where it landed on the miss.