Hi, I just read Prince of Redhand... I liked it, but man my PCs will not be ready for it... I anticipate something like this "What do you mean I have to leave my sword at home? NEVER!".
or
"Ok the dinner ends.... Now what?"
Anyways, I was thinking since I am only on the 3rd adventure (Blackwall Keep), I could get them ready in the Free City. Maybe there is some type of classy get together in the Free City that they need to attend? Any ideas?
Hi, I just read Prince of Redhand... I liked it, but man my PCs will not be ready for it... I anticipate something like this "What do you mean I have to leave my sword at home? NEVER!".
or
"Ok the dinner ends.... Now what?"
Anyways, I was thinking since I am only on the 3rd adventure (Blackwall Keep), I could get them ready in the Free City. Maybe there is some type of classy get together in the Free City that they need to attend? Any ideas?
If the PCs agree to negotiate the treaty on behalf of the lizardfolk, you could set something up around that event. Dinner with the mayor or influential politicians, etc., etc. If you need some NPCs--you can use Greyhawk the Adventure Begins as a sourcebook.
Alternatively, you could have Eligos host a fancy do, or have them learn that Loris Raknian is having a big affair with the high muckety-mucks of the city two or three days before the tournament. They could figure out how to get themselves invited to scope him out and find out why he wants them dead, etc., etc.
I am thinking about having the gladiator manager throw a dinner before the fights (in champions belt). I think I'll say that the pc's are late and the only way to get into the tournament is if they impress him (both soccially and physcially) at the dinner. Maybe they have been given this chance only at eligos's request.
Any ideas on this?
I share your concern about my PCs not relinquishing their weapons.
I think this is a psychological response built up to DM abuse. What happens when we say "No weapons allowed?" The first time, the PC says, "That's reasonable." Then the half-fiend awakened dire badger attacks them. The second time, they look over the shoulder of the guy asking for weapons to see if there are any badgers in the room.
One thing that has to be done to make Redhand successful is to create an atmosphere where PCs are not punished for giving up their weapons. Look for places in AoW where PCs can be asked to leave their weapons behind--restaraunts, inns, even the houses of more noble folk (maybe even Allustan in Diamond Lake). Don't punish them when they give up their weapons--if a combat encounter MUST occur, turn down the DC, and/or look for ways to provide improvised weapons. Don't punish them by having a crooked bellhop borrow their weapons.
My players aren't to Sharn, "The Free City," yet, so I can only give advice for Diamond Lake. Here, I'd suggest not letting them into the Emporium or the Governor-Mayor's house armed. Also, I would think that none of the mine managers would abide armed folk in their house who were not being paid to protect them. In general, players shouldn't be allowed to enter houses of law enforcement, barracks, or prisions armed, either.
Set up trusted NPCs to man your "weapon check" booths in these areas. Maybe your PCs will even want to hire a henchman who will stand guard over their goods while they are away--if your players feel this is necessary, giving them a cheap henchman is a good way to quell their fears.
You may even want to play up the "hero" aspect; have some kids and young adults celebrate the party's arrival in town, and make a few of them groupies. This shouldn't be enough to render moot the Leadership feat, but one or two of them might do simple favors for more charasmatic members of the party. Run encounters with them, start them at "Friendly," if they are made "Helpful," I'd think they'd watch their favorite heroes' weapons for a little while.
I guess it would ultimately depend upon what you think will work with your players - my lot would give up everything they had for a free slap up dinner but that's them...
Come to think of it that sums them up full stop...
One of the best ideas I've seen was suggesting that one of the heroes comes from Redhand and is aware of what is going on - this player can act as a buffer between the DM and players by advising them of the exact situation in Alhaster, plus of course playing up that other guests give up weapons may help. I always fondly remember vault of the drow - there was simply no way the PC's could storm through that place and had to use tact and cunning to overcome impossible odds. Yet it was bad - it was so very bad.
Plus the players are in for a combat fest over the coming adventures - especially my mate Mr Vaughan's terrifying 'kings' which has just popped through my leterbox and looks mighty scary.
Rich
This brings up something that I know will come up in my campaign... one of my characters will be a Warforged juggernaut by the time PoR comes around.
How would Zeech respond to such a character? On the one hand, you've got a non-disarmable tank which is a threat to the guests. On the other hand, you've pretty much got the best freak money can buy (or CAN'T buy, after the Treaty of Thronehold), which has to impress Zeech just a tad.
Thoughts?
The players say that it is their machine, and will agree to bind it's weapons, just to show if off.
Unless of course you're playing Ebberon.
In my mind, Warforged==Eberron.
So, yeah, I'm playing in Eberron.
I think Zeech will be delighted enough by the warforged juggernaut as a freak to let it in armed (because they're always armed). I might put caps on all his spikes, though, just as a gesture of goodwill.
I think Zeech in an Eberron world would react in one of two ways - either considering it little more than a battle toy, a clockwork soldier in his eyes hardly worthy of note. Or secondly as an intriguing toy he may, at some later date wish to take apart to see how it works, bombarding his new 'iron man' friend with questions that betray this evil curiosity. Of course at the moment he has to much on his plate to spare it the time, but an overfriendly Zeech asking questions about how the construct feels and how it was put together could make for quite a scary encounter. Perhaps Zeech spots the construct on its way in and sends special orders that his mechnical guest is exempt from rules about handing weapons over, adding that he only rarely dismembers guests before they have met him, and today, after all, is a special happy day...
Of course the blessed angels will give the construct special attention from the shadows, watching like eagles for the slightest move out of place...
Rich
Thanks for the input. This brings up a HUGE point that I hadn't thought about before. Of all my PCs, the Warforged is the most likely to insult Zeech. One of the many ways he could insult the prince is by not eating... even if he did eat the most likely heavily poisoned food, it would have no effect on him.
So, how would Zeech try to dispatch a guest who had insulted him, when he couldn't just poison him? One of the elegant points about the poison is that it doesn't kick in until hours after consumption. I could send Blessed Angel assissins after the warforged, but that becomes a party problem, not an individual problem.
Maybe I'll just take advantage of the fact that the 'Forged doesn't sleep, and have Zeech invite him back for a "nightcap." Then, the dismantling will begin in earnest :)
On a side note--I'd like to commend the editors and authors at Paizo for being so attentive to these boards. It is wonderful to be able to ask a question about how to handle something in an adventure, and getting a response from the author of that adventure. The forums are a tremendous value added to Dungeon. (I just wish they were faster :))
This is just getting all the more rich with each continued thought. I'm giddy with the possibilities in this adventure.
The PCs have to dress to impress.
How does the Juggernaut, the unfeeling, uncharasmatic war machine, go about doing this? I think it is time for an effiminant gnome to make a spiked tank man look just fabulous. There will be no guest more impressive than the eight foot tall metal man with a carefully constructed gold filagree corsage soldered to his breast.
Oh, how my players will hate me... :)
Thanks for the input. This brings up a HUGE point that I hadn't thought about before. Of all my PCs, the Warforged is the most likely to insult Zeech. One of the many ways he could insult the prince is by not eating... even if he did eat the most likely heavily poisoned food, it would have no effect on him.
So, how would Zeech try to dispatch a guest who had insulted him, when he couldn't just poison him? One of the elegant points about the poison is that it doesn't kick in until hours after consumption. I could send Blessed Angel assissins after the warforged, but that becomes a party problem, not an individual problem.
Maybe I'll just take advantage of the fact that the 'Forged doesn't sleep, and have Zeech invite him back for a "nightcap." Then, the dismantling will begin in earnest :)
On a side note--I'd like to commend the editors and authors at Paizo for being so attentive to these boards. It is wonderful to be able to ask a question about how to handle something in an adventure, and getting a response from the author of that adventure. The forums are a tremendous value added to Dungeon. (I just wish they were faster :))
Zeech could consider that the warforged does not have to eat, and therefore would not be offended by such actions, however, the character could easily still offend Zeech. The Prince concludes the feast with a special gift to the warforged - an elixir he would like him to consume - promising a benefit untold if he does; the benefit, he says, will take place at dawn tommorrow. If the warforged has offended him the potion is actually a slow acting acid which in twelve hours delivers enough potental damage to have a chance of killing the character, if somehow the character has not offended Zeech maybe the gift gives a bonus to one of his statistics.
Those who refuse the elixir could be visted by angels later the next day.
And as for dress - a dirty character offends, a well polished gleaming character might not.
Rich
P.S. As for input, well that works both ways Mougoo, I'm just working on a new adventure that may well not have been wrtten if it were not for the support of the fine folks on the mesageboards (Greg Vaughan being persona non gratis in this regard of course.) :)