My party just finished off Nualia (and Lyrie) in Burnt Offerings but the bugbear Bruthalmus might get away from them.
After reading the Monsters Revisited section on bugbears I was thinking of having him run off and using him as a decoy for the begining of Skinsaw (maybe have him attack some traveling merchants or terrorize some other farms who'll report the fury beast, at the same time as the other murders occur) so the party might not realise I've started the next adventure.
Any thoughts?
Orik might also get away but I'm not sure how to use him best yet. Probably going to Sandpoint a while (if he still hasn't been seen)before returning to Magnimar to find an employer, maybe a certain elven magistrate? Orik seems to have an habit of making bad career moves...
My party just finished off Nualia (and Lyrie) in Burnt Offerings but the bugbear Bruthalmus might get away from them.
After reading the Monsters Revisited section on bugbears I was thinking of having him run off and using him as a decoy for the begining of Skinsaw (maybe have him attack some traveling merchants or terrorize some other farms who'll report the fury beast, at the same time as the other murders occur) so the party might not realise I've started the next adventure.
Any thoughts?
Orik might also get away but I'm not sure how to use him best yet. Probably going to Sandpoint a while (if he still hasn't been seen)before returning to Magnimar to find an employer, maybe a certain elven magistrate? Orik seems to have an habit of making bad career moves...
You should stick to the book for the beginning of Skinshaw. The PCs are going to have enough trouble identifying the real culprit without adding Bruthalmus to the mix. Since there is time between Burnt Offerings and The Skinshaw Murders, you could still have Bruthalmus and a party of Bugbears as a side quest trying for some payback against the PCs. Revenge is always a good motivator in D&D. Just make sure the PCs have some down time afterwards.
As for Orik I think this is a good idea. I was a little disappointed with how he worked out in Burnt Offerings. If my players hadn't killed him, I would have brought him back. Don't forget to level him up.
In my campaign, Bruthazmus bled out in the final battle because Nualia was too busy to heal him. But Orik and Lyrie both got away, so I need to decide if the stay together, and what they do in the context of the start of Skinsaw.
Anyway, I don't think it's a bad idea to have Bruthazmus's revenge coincide with the beginning of Skinsaw. Assuming the party has a decent tracker (or Search skill), it should be fairly easy to tell the difference between a bugbear and a human ghoul. The general populace may get confused about what's going on, but the clues shouldn't be too hard for a party of 4th level PCs to figure out.
It might be interesting if Bruthazmus was flitting about the edges of Skinsaw, looking for an opportunity to strike at the PCs but having to keep his distance to avoid a case of ghoul fever. Or maybe he catches a bit of the fever, and then comes after the PCs.
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The PCs are going to have enough trouble identifying the real culprit without adding Bruthalmus to the mix.
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They are already a bit suspicious, they had Alden as a suspect for what Tsuto was doing at the cemetary since he was fairly close by when they helped him and learned a little about him (as an outsider dandy) and they mentionned checking up on him after "the goblin situation". That's why I'm looking at distractions.
For other APs: I'll be playing in CoTCT so please keep the info light.
I've read about the existance of the brother in PF13 so no biggy but just in case for the futur. Thanks for using the spoiler tab but I hadn't figured why.