My party had the option of going on a side quest (to get some more experience) or just go after the Hospice of the Blessed Maiden. They went straight to the Hospice. They're 5th level, but there are 6 of them, which makes for a much more powerful party than a group of 4.
They have a 5th level cleric that can channel to heal and the rogue has 1 level of cleric as well, so they have lots of healing, and, with 6 characters, I think they could probably survive the Hospice. BUT, I'm really worried about the power of negative energy chanelling.
I'm thinking this might be a TPK... But, I'm not sure. What does everyone else think? Any advice?
|
5d6, will save for half. 5d6 is an average of 17 damage by itself, so on a successful save that's only 8 damage each. Pretty easily survivable, especially with bad rolls. I'm sure the party will be fine. I doubt many of the other clerics will use theirs much unless they have a nice clear area to burst, otherwise they're hurting their buddies too (maybe they have the feat, but that doesn't let you exclude EVERYone).
True, about the save. I am still a bit worried. I tend to roll well... Oh well, I've warned them that this is going to be a challenge. Nothing wrong with a challenge, I guess, as long as it doesn't result in a TPK.
|
Damn! I wish I had seen this post a months back when I ran that encounter for my group. I totally forgot to give her the channel negative energy ability from Pathfinder RPG... I think my players found it to be a moderately challenging encounter, but not challenging enough. Had I remembered the channel neg. energy ability, it would've made things much more diffcult. Too bad...
Creative Director
|
While it's probably true that a party of six 5th level characters, as a whole, is more powerful than a group of 4 6th level ones, the individual characters are not. That causes problems when facing single foes who are intended to be tough battles for higher level parties, since as individuals they are less able to stand up to large area stuff or potent hits. Put another way, there's a pretty good chance that a large group of lower level characters can handle a tough foe like that, but it's also pretty much guaranteed that someone'll die.
Making things a bit more complex: the final encounter in the adventure actually assumes the PCs are 7th level (or close to it).
For an Adventure Path, it's often good to arbitrarily inflate XP awards, especially if you have a large group or if your group isn't interested in side quest adventures and wants to focus on the main storyline. Sure, that means your characters might be going up in level faster than you might be used to... but we make two Adventure Paths a year for a reason! :)
My party ran the temple also with 6 PCs, the pc's were 6th (almost 7th) level when they entered. Due to a few bad tactics choices and a few (un)lucky rolls, what should have been several encounters with perhaps a few chances to get off a healing spell or two turned into one long battle all the way from the Princess's Bacchanal to Lady A herself. Party consisted of a Paladin, a dex based fighter (specializing in thrown weapons) a (universalist) Wizard, a monk, an (aberrant) sorcerer and a cleric of Gorum. Rolth took the wizard and monk down with a lightning bolt, a quick channel brought them back, only for the monk and sorcerer to go down again due to the demon. I had thrown in the iconic wizard as a mercenary since i had a feeling they'd be overmatched (put him in as a friend of Ishani). Rolth ran to alert Lady A (being out of spells and down to 6 hit points in that battle) and the PCs were able to just barely get everyone to about half hit points (thanks to a few potions of cure mod from Ezren). They went to chase down Rolth, not wanting him to escape AGAIN, only to run into lady A. Between channeling, using her scythe dipped in the contaminated fluids and spell use she the monk went down AGAIN, along with Ezren and the sorcerer.
The party just barely survived the encounter, and that was without boosting her hit points by her charisma once she was undead and by negating the channel damage on a successful save. No deaths, but the sorcerer and the monk ended up at -9 twice, and the combined hit points of the party at the end were in the low double digits.
Don't living clerics (like the ones in the complex) take that same damage from channeling negative energy? Kind of like when a good cleric channels positive energy and gets healed by it.
they do, unless they have the feat "selective channeling" which allows them to avoid hitting allies. only a few of the "mook" priests used the channel energy, but lady A used it to full effect even though it meant killing Rolth with it.
Don't living clerics (like the ones in the complex) take that same damage from channeling negative energy? Kind of like when a good cleric channels positive energy and gets healed by it.
As stated in the rulebook, a cleric can opt to not be harmed by the negative energy channelling he or she does. However, you have more than one together and they're going to hurt each other without the selective channelling feat.
While it's probably true that a party of six 5th level characters, as a whole, is more powerful than a group of 4 6th level ones, the individual characters are not. That causes problems when facing single foes who are intended to be tough battles for higher level parties, since as individuals they are less able to stand up to large area stuff or potent hits. Put another way, there's a pretty good chance that a large group of lower level characters can handle a tough foe like that, but it's also pretty much guaranteed that someone'll die.
That's what I figured... I wouldn't have a problem just jumping them to 6th level, except... they just made 5th level before taking on Carowyn manor. Only 4 players were there, so those 4 got at least one adventure in at 5th level, but the other 2 characters didn't get any in... and I would like to have them do *something* before leveling.
I'm thinking, maybe I can let them go through the upper portion of the place and then level them up to 6th level before they head into the basement. So, it will be six 6th level characters instead of four 7th level characters. Hopefully that will work. Although, it sounds like the other party of 6 did OK.
Or, I might just have make them try to do it as 5th level characters. I'll see how the aboveground stuff goes.
I think I'm going to move the Temple of Urgathoa from beneath the Hospice to another location. Maybe the Gray District, someplace Rolth would be familiar with, somewhere where there is already lots of Vaults underground. It will give me an opportunity to introduce the Vaults to the characters and also a chance to give them some more experience and get them to 6th level before the big battles.
While they're leaving the Hospice, I'll run the Street Massacre discussed in the sidebar, with the Gray Maidens and the 100 citizens, hopefully talking the situation down... but with them having just fought some Gray Maidens in the Hospice... it might turn into a bloodbath.
Then, when they head into the Gray District, they'll have to battle the ghouls and ghasts disturbed by the massive funeral pyres, as written in the sidebar. That should give them enough experience to get to 6th level, and, probably, wear them out enough that they need to rest somewhere before storming the Temple.
It should be fun. With the Temple moved, they'll battle Davalus and, if they defeat him, maybe they'll think it is all done... but there will be that nagging question of "where is Rolth?" They really want to get the necromancer. I figure hiring someone to do a locate will work... If they kill Davalus, they'll have to use some potions they got from Jolistina... potions concocted by Rolth. The lingering magic in those potions will be used to track Rolth. I'd rather, though, that they don't kill Davalus, and, when Davalus escapes, use some of his blood (on one of their weapons) to track him. I'm not sure if there is a spell for this... but, I'll just make it up.
I had Vimanda (in disguise as Eries... I didn't like that Eries was some random wererat) introduce the party to an old wizard, and I'll have Vimanda come to the party to offer help (she is happy that they are getting close to exposing Queen Ileosa and the party has the dagger, so she knows what's going on), and she'll know that the old wizard can cast a locating spell, and help them with that.
Any potential problems with this scenario?
|
|
the biggest problem I see is the sole reason the hospice was on top of the cult's base is because they could transport the bodies down for further study/reanimation/etc. The Hospice is just a front, after all. With them moved, that means the priests would have to transport live captives and bodies all the way to the Gray district instead of into the Hospice, which would draw a LOT more attention.
Good point. Fortunately, my PCs killed Davalus and have no idea how to find the basement. So they took all of the injured Varisians out of the Hospice and hightailed it. I leveled them up, and they're going to get a visit from Lady Arkona, surreptitiously about their friend that has been thrown in jail in Longacre... but they already know about him. So, she'll ask them what they've been up to, what happened to these poor people, hoping that the party will spill the beans on the Hospice... If that doesn't work, she'll notice the crate of Vudran silks with the Arkona house crest on it... and say, "Why, wereever did you find that?"
She knows they were there because of the raktavarna, but doesn't want them to know that. She wants to tell them about the basement and how to get down into it using the elevator. So, hopefully the party will spill the beans. And, then, when she leaves, she'll use the not-so-subtle phrase and foreign curtsy that she used in disguise as the old woman Areis, giving it away that she was Areis. She's totally toying with the PCs at this stage. And loving it.
I left it last nigth with a bit of a cliffhanger... The party had holed up at the Old Fishery and there was a knock at the door. When they opened it, a beautiful and sophisticated woman stood there, Lady Arkona, of course. One of the party members had met her before, and recognized her. She said, "I have news, may I come in..."
With the party being 6th level, I'm thinking I don't have to change the encounters in the basement much, but... I will have to think a bit about how the place will be defended, since they will be coming back either hours later or the next day. With Davalus dead, will there be a new batch of Gray Maidens and Doctors in the Hospice with all of the sick people? Will they move all of the people to a new location (well, except those they take down below) and abandon the place? Will some Red Mantis assassins be there, waiting for the PCs?
I'm leaning towards the Hospice being deserted, like they closed up shop, with the hope that the party doesn't find the way into the sublevel. But, the population of the sublevel will certainly be on guard, and it is likely going to end up being a running battle the entire way through.
|
With the party being 6th level, I'm thinking I don't have to change the encounters in the basement much, but... I will have to think a bit about how the place will be defended, since they will be coming back either hours later or the next day. With Davalus dead, will there be a new batch of Gray Maidens and Doctors in the Hospice with all of the sick people? Will they move all of the people to a new location (well, except those they take down below) and abandon the place? Will some Red Mantis assassins be there, waiting for the PCs?
I would say that there would be some people going in and out of the hospice, but if the PCs follow them, the hospice is empty... that should clue the PCs into a trap door, and that there are more guys to fight, possibly eliminating surprise round (depending how weak you think the PCs are for the fight as you intend to run it)
This also gives thier choices more weight in the outcome of the battle, which is something I like to do - especially if adding to an adventure