So, I'm starting COT with a party of six characters that will have already completed the classic 3.0 module The Sunless Citadel (converted for PF). By the time we get around to starting Bastards, I anticipate that the party will be close to level 3. I don't want to skip Bastards entirely, because it sets up the AP very well, but my goal here is to avoid having to scale the entire Adventure Path by having them start Sixfold Trial as close to level 3 as possible (and definitely to finish Sixfold Trial on par at level 5).
My plan, therefore, is to shorten Bastards and speed them through it, removing some of the encounters. Roughly, this is what I have in mind:
- The characters find themselves in Westcrown and are contacted by Janiven
- Part 1: The Westcrown Rebels, the secret meeting is interrupted by the teenaged messenger with the bad news that Arael has been taken (no hellknights interrupt, no sewer chase); Janiven is distraught and suggests lying low for a few days and then meeting at the safehouse to plan the next move
(Part 2 removed)
- Part 3: The Rebel Hideout, meeting the Children of Westcrown, planning the rescue of Arael
- Part 4: A Dramatic Rescue (possibly scaled up a bit to provide a challenge)
(Part 5 removed, Arael urges a strike on the bastards ASAP after he is rescued)
- Part 6: Temple of Bastards (again, possibly scaled up a bit)
-> Move on to The Sixfold Trial as normal
The idea is that by removing some of the earlier encounters (not to mention splitting the XP six ways, given the large party) they should remain pretty early in level 3 by the end of the adventure, and everything will be more or less synced up by the end of Sixfold Trial.
Any other suggestions? Is this crazy/impossible? In a way I wish I had just started with Council of Thieves off the bat, but I've got two new players and two relatively inexperienced players in the group and I wanted to start them off with a classic dungeon crawl to learn the mechanics and get a taste of the generic D&D style before throwing something more sophisticated at them.