Kravichak?

[Coridan]

I'm reading ahead to Foundations of Flame as I'm really looking forward to it, I was wondering: Does Kravichak serve any other purpose besides ruining what could be an awesome RP event by turning it into combat?

I'm thinking about just ditching him and increasing the Ad Hoc XP for roleplaying.

[PulpCruciFiction]

If I remember correctly, his open attack on the nobility of Cauldron causes the Cagewrights to accelerate their plans and begin the ritual, which is why only half of them are present when the PCs arrive in Thirteen Cages. If you're worried about him wrecking the encounter, you can always just say that they had planned it that way from the beginning and get rid of him. Personally, I'm going to have him arrive after all of good RP'ing is over with.

[Intrepid]

Reviving an old thread as we're approaching this point....

OK, assassins just hit my party at the Tipped Tankard. Not too much farther down the road, Kravichak pops in to a meeting and tries to kill everyone. This all in addition to the bad guys that repeatedly pop up without notice, unless you're using Delvesdeep's nice BBEG trimming/foreshadowning work.

Did anybody run the encounter with Kravichak as written? Did it seem OK, or really hokey? Is it necessary to run it? Just curious as to how it went for other people. Seems kinda "deux ex" to me.

Thanks!

[nib]

I've tried to mention Kravichak in the local newspaper, but I'm guessing my players didn't catch the drift. I'm hoping they understand some of the news in hindsight, but maybe even that is stretching it.

Anyway, I'm going to run it soon now and quite similar to what has been said. Waiting until the good roleplaying part is over and then crash the party.

Mind, that there is always a chance of the party being clever and trying to catch the bad guys instead of just killing them. Or even kill them and then talk to them. If they don't understand what just happened, they can (at that level) use divination to get to the core.

If they are stumped, you know the reason.

Cheers,
Nib

[EATERoftheDEAD]

The encounter doesn't seem to dues ex machina to me. I think it helps add some combat to an otherwise RP heavy scene. If it doesn't work for you you can easily drop it, I think. Especially if you're using delvedeep's alternate Cagewrights write up. All of them are present in Thirteen Cages so the fact that their plans were accelerated is irrelevant.

[Acrimonious]

For my game, I let it be know that all of the greatest assassins in the area are being offered contracts on the players heads. The party dodged the 1st set of assassins by not stopping in one place long enough for the bad guys to ambush them and then going to the Church of Wee Jas and grilling Ike over his involvement in the Plane of Spam. hostilities followed. Now the party is on the run for killing Ike for no reason.

They suffered some losses at the claws of Vittriss Bale and are licking their wounds but still have a bunch of encounters to face this chapter. Zark Dhor and the assassins this time backed up by Fetor and his undead.
not to mention there will be Wanted Dead or Alive posters all around town.

They are wanted men, but the people are on their sides.