It's pretty much inevitable that my party is going to want to eventually take down Smenk the hard way: Fighting. Besides Kullen and his goons, a trio of Dire Apes and a dozen or so hired thugs what does Smenk have backing him up? We know he's a wealthy mine manager, but how wealthy? How much of a hit did he take supplying the Black Cathedral? How many disposable goons or hired assassins can reasonably throw at the party before he's toast? And how much actual wealth does he keep lying around his tacky, run down house?
I wouldn't worry so much about Smenks' resources as I would worry about his friends...
He runs a mine, and ships iron to somewhere. Somebody needs that iron to forge weapons, armor, etc. So imagine some warlord who gets very cranky when his iron shipments trickle to a halt.
And assuming this is true, then perhaps he sends investigators first, and depending on what they find out about the PCs (a chance for some roleplaying/combat), then perhaps he sends in the shock troops. In the Realms, the PCs may have just upset the Zhentarim. In Eberron, perhaps Karnnath has a vested interest in outfitting their necro-soldiers.
Somebody has to pay... somebody always pays.
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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It's pretty much inevitable that my party is going to want to eventually take down Smenk the hard way: Fighting. Besides Kullen and his goons, a trio of Dire Apes and a dozen or so hired thugs what does Smenk have backing him up? We know he's a wealthy mine manager, but how wealthy? How much of a hit did he take supplying the Black Cathedral? How many disposable goons or hired assassins can reasonably throw at the party before he's toast? And how much actual wealth does he keep lying around his tacky, run down house?
In my campaign the PCs just took out Smenk's entire Diamond Lake operation by invading his home and killing just about everything inside. Smenk himself escaped and will appear later in the series, but the PCs really cleaned his clock. They were 4th level at the time, and there were about 8 of them involved in the final assault.
Up against them were:
Todrik (advanced 2 levels from TWC)
Rastophan (advanced 2 levels from TWC)
Merovinn Bask (advanced 2 levels from TWC)
Two dire apes
Six guards (I used stats for the level 3 militia from Overload, which wasn't tough enough)
The main route the PCs took into Smenk's home invovled a nasty bestow curse trap that would have really hosed the party if they hadn't had a potion of remove curse, the bastards.
Smenk got away with the party's owlbear mascot and his primary treasure, but here's what I gave the PCs in the final analysis:
banded mail
masterwork chainmail x6
heavy wooden shield x6
masterwork longsword x7
masterwork longbow x6
60 arrows
short sword
masterwork guisarme
masterwork crossbow with 20 bolts
tanglefoot bags x3
Personal Loot from Smenk's House Total Value (GP)
3 white pearls 300
Full-length free-standing mirror 200
Flattering portrait of young Smenk 50
Wine locker with assorted vintages 200
Masterwork manacles 50
Spyglass 1000
10 flasks of acid 100
10 flasks of alchemist's fire 200
3 vials of antitoxin 150
Disguise kit 50
hourglass 25
merchant's scale 2
masterwork thieves tools 100
water clock 1000
3 courtier's outfits 90
noble's outfit 75
4 doses of nighteyes (Dragon Compendium p. 118) 100
Total Value of Smenk Loot 3692
Come to think of it, I should have also given them Bask's spellbook.
--Erik
Smenk himself escaped and will appear later in the series
Is this only in your personal campaign or will the readers see the return of Smenk as well? I dont remember reading in the Overload about Smenk slinking back, but Ive been tryin' to figure out a way to incorporate it as well.
The Cleric of Tyr(Hieroneus) of my campaign has tried all possible "legal" ways to get at Smenk, but his plans have so far been foiled.
I had him roll a couple of Diplomacy test in front of the assembled Mine Managers and authority figues of Diamond River(Lake) to try to convince them to let the garrison and his church investigate the matter, but Smenk outsmarted him (he's got an awesome Diplomacy check modifier).
High Justice Dun refuses to take the matter in his own hands, as it would mean going against the "orders" received from Waterdeep/Free City. Smenk has actually obtained a forged order from the city's council that explicitly gives Sheriff Cubbin the authority to try Filge and investigate Smenk's link with the Ebon Triad.
Unfortunately, Filge "took his own life" while in custody and the sheriff's men "did not find any of these crates with Smenk's name on it. You must have been dreaming" (they escaped the mine in a rush as the ground was shaking and stones falling down after they killed the Ebon Aspect).
So I now have a Tyrran cleric who is seriously doubting his faith, feels dangerously vengeful and is slowly going apostate...
[insert DM's maniac laugh] ;-)
Bocklin