So my group finnaly got into Greyhawk after a few encounters on the road. They encountered filge in a bar as a waiter, he thanked them for their mercy and offered his help if ever they need it (he has sincererly changed for the better... for now).
They talked to Eligos and he is researching the Age of worms. He pointed them to an ambassor that can help them make a peace treaty for the lizard folk, they have been invited to a party at the ambassadors house to sort of work out a deal to save the lizard folk, I am going to make it sort of a mini prince of redhand type encounter, if they do well, the lizard folk live.
Now, two chars in my group don't want to go to the party, they want to hang around the bar, that night. The other two will go to the party and try and work out a deal.
I dont know what to do. I am thinking about maybe having the two that stay in the bar be framed by the doppelganger and eventually brought to sodden hold. This way when the other two get back they have to find out where they were taken (perhaps with the help of filge and a minion. This will at least give the other players something else to play while they are locked up).
I am also thinking about getting rid of the second part of HoHR (with the mind flayer), my chars seem to wanna just explore greyhawk/do mercernary work and that part felt a bit like railroading or a typical dungeon adventure.
Any thoughts? Should I have have Filge help rescue my PC's?
How did the second half of HoHR work in your campaign?
Should I shorten HoHR to give my players more time to explore Greyhawk (I have the boxed sets and plenty of adventure ideas...)?
I am almost thinking about shortening sodden hold instead, the idea of roaming around the greyhawk under city is pretty cool. I guess I am just trying to find a way to make this adventure a less like a follow the clues type thing...
He pointed them to an ambassor that can help them make a peace treaty for the lizard folk, they have been invited to a party at the ambassadors house to sort of work out a deal to save the lizard folk, I am going to make it sort of a mini prince of redhand type encounter, if they do well, the lizard folk live.
IMC, I had Hishka tell the PCs to talk with the "civilized" lizardman Souf (from the Midnight's Muddle article on the Free City) & ask him for help brokering the treaty.
I am thinking about maybe having the two that stay in the bar be framed by the doppelganger and eventually brought to sodden hold. This way when the other two get back they have to find out where they were taken (perhaps with the help of filge and a minion. This will at least give the other players something else to play while they are locked up).
If I were you, & your players were willing, I'd have those two PCs replaced by dopplegangers & hook up with the party-goers. That way you'd give them 2 nasty surprises instead of just one.
Im thinking more and more about the link from telakin to zyrog (or whatever the flayers name is). It just seems so stupid, telakin has a note that says meet me under the "cold forge" and voila the PC's have it.... I dont want super complicated tips, but this is a little too silly.
I was thinking about changing it so that there were LOTS of notes, all of which say to the forge, but it doesnt say which forge. The pcs can research and find out that there are 15 or so forges in town. Then when the drow attack have something on them that narrows down the location, I yellow mold would be good but it narrows it down to a river... aren't all forges on a river? Maybe I will just invent some fungus and say that the barbarian noticed it in some area of town...
Anyone with ideas?
I was thinking of removing HoHR and inserting the FR Sons of Gruumsh module somehow.
So here's how its going now with an update from our new session (today).
Our Dwarven warrior was replaced by the Doppellganger. In the crooked house, they killed Tarquin pretending to be the Barbarian, he was arrested and taken to jail along with the Dwarf/Doppel. The other two characters were not there that night (on a solo adventure).
The other two (Mage and Priest) are confronted by Filge, who explains to them that their friends were arrested and that they have made enemies, and they should watch their backs. He brings them to a new hotel and begins to tell them what he thinks is going on... When the Dwarf/Doppel busts in the room and says "we have to save the Barbarian! I know where they took him."
Basically the Dwarf/Doppel wants to take them into the bottom of Sodden Hold and Kill them, but heres the catch Filge knows something is going on. Filge says, "let me come with you!" but the Dwarf/Doppel says "NO!", and the priest and mage agree.
Next session the three of them will walk into Sodden Hold with the Dwarf stabbing them in the back as well as some other Doppelgangers.
The question is what should I have Filge do? Should he follow them and help them? Or should he say "Screw them they dont trust me, let them handle it themselves!"
Whadda you think?