Greetings All,
My party just wrapped up a session last Friday, and we left off with them accepting Aldern's offer to go on a boar hunt. One of the PCs is none too trustworthy of the noble set, and wants to do some investigating on him before they leave. I think he actually suspects Aldern of having a hand in the goblin raid, which will be great fun to play around with. >)
One of the other party members grew up in the Sandpoint area and spent a few years recently in Magnimar. Having the advantage of being able to access the background information on the Foxgloves in The Skinsaw Murders, how much of that information would be accessible to a Gather Information check?
Going by the wording in the text, certain things would be either common knowledge or a low DC to get (Foxglove Manor being called 'The Misgivings', Aldern's whirlwind marriage to Iesha, the general bad luck that the family seems to have had over the years). Would this be a reasonable assumption, or am I missing something?
I would love for Mr. Pett and Mr. Jacobs (...that sounds so MIB) to weigh in on this one, but (as always) all thoughts are welcome. Thanks in advance!
Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
"Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 DR"
Greetings All,
My party just wrapped up a session last Friday, and we left off with them accepting Aldern's offer to go on a boar hunt. One of the PCs is none too trustworthy of the noble set, and wants to do some investigating on him before they leave. I think he actually suspects Aldern of having a hand in the goblin raid, which will be great fun to play around with. >)
One of the other party members grew up in the Sandpoint area and spent a few years recently in Magnimar. Having the advantage of being able to access the background information on the Foxgloves in The Skinsaw Murders, how much of that information would be accessible to a Gather Information check?
Going by the wording in the text, certain things would be either common knowledge or a low DC to get (Foxglove Manor being called 'The Misgivings', Aldern's whirlwind marriage to Iesha, the general bad luck that the family seems to have had over the years). Would this be a reasonable assumption, or am I missing something?
I would love for Mr. Pett and Mr. Jacobs (...that sounds so MIB) to weigh in on this one, but (as always) all thoughts are welcome. Thanks in advance!
Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
"Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 DR"
Remember that the gather information check in the AP2 on page 23 are a bit biased towards the events in that adventure, but do contain information available at any point of time. the DC's for the information you asked about are all going to be around the DC15 to 20 level (based on the existing DC's).
How about taking some of the other information available in that module and using that.
I'll hide the rest below a spoiler for to protect the innocent:
Too much information risks having your players become obsessively suspicious - at least, many groups I've played with or run for have jumped to the conclusion that if an NPC (any NPC) has "too much" background detail, he must be important and is probably a bad guy. (Plotline metagaming at its worst, but sometimes unavoidable.)
I recommend that you play up the sympathetic elements of the story, using the ideas hidden by the spoiler tag in the entry just above. Try to ensure that the logical conclusion, from what you tell them, has the players believing Aldern is a poor-little-rich-boy (wealthy but beset by ill luck), rather than an annoyance or in any way suspicious. He should come across as more of a patron than anything else; a person who might hire them for future adventures, and/or introduce them to other important people.
Too much information risks having your players become obsessively suspicious - at least, many groups I've played with or run for have jumped to the conclusion that if an NPC (any NPC) has "too much" background detail, he must be important and is probably a bad guy. (Plotline metagaming at its worst, but sometimes unavoidable.)
I recommend that you play up the sympathetic elements of the story, using the ideas hidden by the spoiler tag in the entry just above. Try to ensure that the logical conclusion, from what you tell them, has the players believing Aldern is a poor-little-rich-boy (wealthy but beset by ill luck), rather than an annoyance or in any way suspicious. He should come across as more of a patron than anything else; a person who might hire them for future adventures, and/or introduce them to other important people.
I've had players who have done the same thing (plotline metagaming). To throw them off, I sometimes present information that may be premature "unscripted," fumbling around in my notes for a few seconds, and not looking down at them while I'm talking, but glancing up to the ceiling and at the player asking, stuttering as necessary.
Hmmm - I had been thinking about giving the character a chance to chat up one of Aldern's three manservants over some drinks for the information. I am really intrigued by the idea of involving Rogors Craesby though....maybe I will have him still be in town for the Swallowtail festival.
Good stuff so far - thanks folks!
Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
"Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 DR"