I am running a game monthly and we have just reached assulting the Vecna Temple and are coming to the end of the second part of the AP.
My players are aware of the trio who were also seeking the WC but have not met them yet. I am planning to make my own NPC's to resemble the trio, but i don't know exactly how important these are to the AOW AP.
Is there any experianced AOW DM's who can let me know just howe important these guys are, and if there are any things i should be aware of.
Thanks in advance
DM Shane
The main involvement of the Free City Adventurers is that they appear in the Champions Games. The PCs enter this competition in the Free City, and the Free City Adventurers are among their primary competition. It doesn't matter too much whether your PCs strongly dislike the others, or actually get along with and respect them, in my opinion. But they need to know who the others are, and understand the others are a pretty competent group (have the impression that the Free City Adventurers are still a couple levels ahead of the PCs).
Just as an example of how this can be used - In my campaign, I added a scene at the end of TFoE where Ragnolin Dourstone and Balabar Smenk get hauled out in chains to the big square in Diamond Lake to be accused of their crimes (as shown by the evidence the PCs gathered). Ragnolin started shrieking insults at Smenk; then Ragnolin pulled a ring off his own finger and threw it at the ground in front of Smenk, and it transformed into two Chain Devils who promptly started to attack Smenk. The PCs of course leapt into the fray, and so did the Free City Adventurers (I raised them a level or two from the Overload, and adapted the wizard's spell list slightly, too). I had the Free City Adventurers be kind of friendly, but also a little bit "superior" or condescending, offering advice to a couple of the PCs during the fight. When it was over, I also described the people of Diamond Lake treating the Free City Adventurers kind of badly ("What are these big city folk doing here trying to claim the glory? It was our local boys who saved us from the devils, anyone can see that!") and the Free City Adventurers cleared out of town pretty quickly. So when they meet up again, the competitiveness will be there but theres still a lot of room left for the PCs in my group to decide how they want to react to the others (save Auric from a big nasty monster or not? try to kill the others or not?).
thanks for the info mate, i really apreciate it :) it gives me some ideas which i will try to work into the AP.....
Thanks
DM Shane