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I plan on (re)starting the adventure path, hopefully around april, after I move to Georgia (from Texas, currently). However, at least two members of my group have played the 1st adventure before (I accidentally TPK'ed them in the malachite hold last June). So now I face the quandry of how to rewrite the beginning of Life's Bazaar.
I really enjoyed the roleplaying quality of Keygan Ghelve, but I don't think it will work a second time. Any suggestions on a rewrite/revision?
... but I don't think it will work a second time. Any suggestions on a rewrite/revision?
Try kidnapping the mayor with some bad guys in the same locations. Give them a good divination that leads them the same path (thru Ghelves).
That way, they can be hired by a very concerned noble (mayor's wife?) to perform a separate investigation. The noble can send them to the church to get aid (and the divination) from Jenya.
Then all you need to do is repopulate the two dungeons with whatever "kidnappers" you want. Probably change around the traps and contents of rooms some to keep the two who have been through it on their toes.
Of course, it'd be easy to swap Ghelve's locks with Orak's Bathhouse from Drakthar's way if you have an enchanter type with your badguys. That would make it very different, and still let you use Ghelve in chapter 2, when it is unexpected.
-c
... after I move to Georgia (from Texas, currently). ...
andy?
It really depends on what the first party did with keygan, and how much of Jazidrune they cleared out.
If the party killed many of the dark ones and skulks, there is a good chance the kidnappings stopped. at least for a while. Did the party tell anyone (like Jenya) where they were going? If not, the location of Jazidrune and Keygan's part in the story is unknown.
After a while, Kazmojen will need new slaves, and resume his kidnapping. He'll need allies, someone to do his dirty work for him. I think the last laugh would be a good candidate. The allybashers may also work. Either gives you a tie-in with some of the later adventures. If you use the allybashers. Jil becomes an ally or informant. Someone who points them in the right direction.
I would leave most of the rooms and traps in Jazidrune intact. You could change a few things, like opening doors, or digging new tunnels. Most of the traps should have been reset Depending on how much (in game) time passed between this game and your previous one, the new inhabitants could have constructed new traps.
leave evidence that your previous party passed through Jazidrune. For example, if the distroyed one of the automatons, have the broken down machine stand in the same place. defeated the grell, make sure the barier is smashed, or removed. In other words, make Jazidrune familiar. Even is it's new to the PC's.
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I had something similar happen in my game. I killed 2 characters in Drakthar's way and the other 2 players decided to make new character as well.
I had the new party travelling to cauldron and finding the cave not more than an hour after the first party had their deadly run-in with Drakthar. Gave the players (if not the characters) a sense of continuity, and allowed me to run the adventure with a minimum of changes.
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Thanks for the feedback ya'll.
Clint, the kidnapping the mayor idea was the kind of thing I was looking for (I don't really intend to play the new campaign as a continuation of the old one after almost a year), but how would you keep the PC's from just storming past Keygan once they tracked the case to his shop?
Anyone have any ideas on a good rolplaying encounter to replace Keygan with, and just reduce his shop to a speedbump?
And if you had the Mayor (or some other noble) kidnapped, would you still have the children end up missing, but not be the focus of the search?
Finally, I am unfortunatley John, not Andy. Sorry about that (I will try harder next time though).
but how would you keep the PC's from just storming past Keygan once they tracked the case to his shop?
Well, I'd throw them for a loop and use Orak's Bathhouse in this chapter as the entrance. Make him enchanted or even replace (by someone using Disguise Self).
That would make your two PC's in the "know" question what they know. Perhaps use Keygan as the entrance to Drakthar's tunnels, with the kidnapped familiar routine here as well.
Anyone have any ideas on a good rolplaying encounter to replace Keygan with, and just reduce his shop to a speedbump?
You could have Keygan kidnapped and or missing... or put an imposter in his shop that would hinder the players.
And if you had the Mayor (or some other noble) kidnapped, would you still have the children end up missing, but not be the focus of the search?
Hmm... good point, I forgot about Terrem. You need him to draw in Orbius Vhalantru.
Since we are going with a straight kidnapping and not merely secretive abductions, you can have the Mayor/Random Nobleman taken while visiting the orphanage, and some of the children were taking as well. That would tie in Vhalantru enough to want the mayor found (moreso Terrem). In fact, he could be the noble that hires an adventuring party (your pc's) to conduct an additional investigation. (He might provide them with a divination riddle as opposed to Jenya.)
In closing, congrats on getting back to GA. As a fellow Georgian I think its keen. (My gaming group plays in the metro atlanta area, Smyrna and Lilburn).
-c
Anyone have any ideas on a good rolplaying encounter to replace Keygan with, and just reduce his shop to a speedbump?
You could have Keygan kidnapped and or missing... or put an imposter in his shop that would hinder the players.
good idea. That way you throw the players a curveball. Dissuade them from metagaming and all.
And if you had the Mayor (or some other noble) kidnapped, would you still have the children end up missing, but not be the focus of the search?
Hmm... good point, I forgot about Terrem. You need him to draw in Orbius Vhalantru.
Not nescesarily. Vhalantru has the current lord mayor on a pretty tight leash. loosing him to kidnappers would be a big setback. especially when he's still getting friendly with the cagewrights. They might start to question whether Vhalantru is in fact a suitable ruler for their future gate-town. Vhalantru's motivation would be survival rather than doing a favor for the cagewrights.