Chapter 2 Part 2 Keeping PCs on the right track

[GoblinMaster]

So my characters are now investigating the murders in Sandpoint. The lust letter that Aldern left behind for our female Varisian Half-Elf was almost a dead giveaway as to who it may have been. They are suspicious of a few other NPCs as well, but they've been dying to check out the Misgivings for quite some time as Ameiko (the hub of town gossip) has mentioned to them that it is haunted. Misgivings has usually been too far out of their way to investigate, but now they want to check it out on the way down to Habe's Sanitorium. Of course, they're not ready for it at all. How should I get them to forgo the Misgivings for now until they're ready to check it out?

Apologies if this question has already been answered in another thread, or I'm missing something obvious, but I am truly worried.

Cheers for replies!

[Phntm888]

Just say Habe's Sanatorium is closer than the Misgivings, or that going to the Misgivings is out of the way for going to Habe's. If they do go to the Misgivings, skipping Habe's, it's not a huge deal. They aren't really missing a whole lot, and they should already be 5th level. Habe's won't make them any stronger for fighting Aldern, all things considered. Heck, maybe they'll skip over Habe's entirely and Caizarlu and Habe can continue their work in peace. It's only a drawback if you're using experience and not just leveling them up at certain points in the story.

Story-wise, the Sanatorium's purpose is to direct them to the Misgivings. If they already want to investigate it, then they're already on the right track, so it becomes much less necessary.

[GoblinMaster]

Good note, but the characters are only halfway through 4th level as they've failed to face certain challenges including Nualia and Lyrie who escaped their clutches. I've given them extra challenges to help with the XP differential, but they're still not up to speed and I'm afraid that Misgivings will kill another party member or worse.

[Ms. Pleiades]

If they've been clever enough to head for the Misgivings, let them head out there, only to come across a panicked family of farmers, lead them into the Hambley Farm. Draw this part out a bit longer to make up for the their lagging XP. That should catch them up. They need the key to the Misgivings anyway.

[GoblinMaster]

I don't know if I would call them clever or just obsessive over haunted attractions.

[Ian Bell]

My group decided to go to the Misgivings in Chapter *One*, so it could be worse.

I do like the idea of getting them to the farm first; you can just have them encounter Farmer Grump on the road south somewhere as he's traveling to Sandpoint.

[Qakisst Vishtani]

Have a pack of ghouls attack them on the way to Misgivings and wear them out. Divert them to the Hambley farm then to rest, and wind up fighting more ghouls. Or stop at the Sanitarium to rest and wind up fighting a bunch of crazed ghouls since they didn't come here first (and now the Habe's is over run with ghouls too. Maybe even some leftover goblins wandering around or some highway men. If you don't want them going to Misgivings until they're 5th level just have experience constantly ambush them until they're 5th level.

The great advantage of being the GM is that random encounters don't have to actually be random.

[GoblinMaster]

Quite true. I don't think Habe's will be too difficult a struggle since that's where I had set up the introduction of a new PC. A 5 man squad should make quick work of the few encounters there. It would make much more sense to head there after getting roughed up by some ghouls rather than brave the several mile journey to the manor.