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I probably won't be buying Cheliax: Empire of Devils and I don't mind that Westcrown is mostly just a skeleton of a city in the book (it just means I get to fill in all those details myself). The free player's guide should have more than enough information.
In any case here are the main flavours and themes that I want to convey to my players during the game.
1) The City: Like Venice meets Rome with a Renaissance flair. (See Also: http://egamer.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/ac2-13.jpg) Beautiful architecture, exquisite statuary and amazing (if now polluted) canals offer the PCs an opportunity to see what manner of beauty once ruled Westcrown before the current rulers took over. The PCs should be proud of their city.
2) The Themes: Rebellion and Redemption are the big themes here, the PCs are trying to affect social change in their city, (a task that needs more than pointed blades and fiery spells to accomplish). As such the PCs will need to inspire as much as they'll need to fight. Good, evil, law, chaos alignment is less important than the cause. An evil assassin who publicly kills a corrupt noble is affecting just as much change as a Paladin who frees slaves via the underground rail-road - they use different means to fight for the same cause.
3) Dante's Inferno + Shakespeare + Les Miserables = A Classically Informed Campaign: Some ye olde texts with really great themes should definitely seep into the edges of the campaign. The PCs should definitely have an experience of the drama inherent in a pseudo Renaissance Italian city. Devils, Witches and Revolutionaries, if only Michaelangelo or Botticelli could paint my PCs.
Anyway I'll probably be posting up notes to side-quests and changes I'll be making to capture the flavour.
What flavour are you giving Westcrown?
Anyone using a non-Golarion campaign setting?
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This Post is intended for GMs only, and contains spoilers for CoT, if you are a player you might want to turn back now in case you GM is awesome and wants to include this encounter in the game.
I want the PCs to have an extra mini-quest before sending them up against the bastards, so I've come up with a couple of encounters that should give the PCs an opportunity to do some good for the city.
Dodging the Sewer God
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Encounter 1 - Escape from the Sewer God
(EL Special - 4, or 7)
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This encounter should occur during Part 2 - Into the Sewers
At some point the PCs should be travelling along a section marked A3, orient it so the long straight section of the T is running East-West (with the path behind the door leading North).
Read the following out loud:
The marker indicates that you should continue following this tunnel ahead. You can hear a pair of goblins arguing in the tunnel to the left as well as the high pitched roar of some terrible beast.
A number of Goblins and the Sewer God are in the tunnel to the south, attempting to move the Sewer God to his new home in Whitechin's new lair. They are currently not sure if the lair is to the right or to the left. The PCs can easily sneak past the goblins as their argument is all that engrosses them for now if they douse their light sources. The Sewer God is a different story as it has a much higher chance of percieving the PCs.
If the goblins spot the PCs they give chase and the Sewer God follows enthusiastically.If the Sewer God spots the PCs it lets out a horrid screech and begins chasing down the tasty new meal. The Sewer God has a 10 foot space, but only has a 5 foot walkway halving its speed to 20 ft.
Hell Knight Armigers x 3 (AP #25, pp. 21)
Goblins x2 (AP #25, pp. 22)
The Sewer God
(Advanced Fiendish Dire Rat)
Large Magical Beast
CR 4 (1200 XP)
54 HP (7d8 + 28)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft.
Defenses
AC: 14 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +3 natural) (Flatfooted 13, Touch 11)
CMD: 23
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +3
DR 5/magic
Cold and Fire Resistance 5
Spell Resistance 12
Attacks:
Bite +11 Melee (1d8+6+disease)
Smite Good Once per day deal additional 7 points of damage against a good foe.
CMB: +12
Abilities:
Speed: 40 ft. (20 ft. climb)
Disease – Filth Fever – Bite, Fortitude Save DC 12, Frequency: 1d3 days/1day; Effect: 1d3 Dex dmg, 1d3 Con dmg; Cure: 2 Consecutive Saves
Special Qualities:
Darkvision 60 ft., Low-Light Vision, Scent
Abilities
Str 22, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 4
Skills
Athletics (Climb/Swim) + 19, Perception + 7, Stealth + 7, Escape Artist + 18
+8 racial bonus to Athletics checks and are always able to take a 10 on Athletics checks when climbing (even if rushed or threatened); +8 racial bonus on Escape Artist Checks
Feats
Alertness, Weapon Focus (Bite), Stealthy
Tactics and Morale
Tactics: The sewer god attacks the tastiest morsel it sees (it seems to be able to sniff out good opponents and attacks them almost exclusively). Once it has downed an opponent it drags the body away so that it may consume it on its own.
Morale: The Sewer God fights until it is brought to 10 hp at which point it attempts to flee
Development:
The wall next to the door at the Western end of the tunnel indicates the PCs need to travel beyond that door. If the PCs have no light source only PCs with Darkvision can make a Perception check (DC 11) to notice it. The door itself is jammed requiring a DC 12 Strength Check to open. Of course bashing open a door makes quite a bit of noise attracting the attention of both the Sewer King, his goblins and the Hell Knights waiting on the other side.
On the other side of the door is a coterie of Hell Knights arguing over a map. If the PCs are having trouble opening the door (more than 2 attempted Str Checks to open it) then the Hell Knights open the door and order the PCs to surrender.
Once PCs have walked past the junction one of the goblins pushes the other into the sewer sludge and decides that left is the way to go (the direction the PCs are headed). It takes the Goblin and the Sewer God 2 rounds to reach the junction and gain another opportunity to spot the PCs.
Of course this gives the PCs an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, with some Acrobatics or Combat Manoeuvre checks the PCs can rush past the Hell Knights with the Sewer God hot on their tails. Alternatively the PCs can run the Hell Knights straight into the Sewer God.
Or for a 3rd Alternative the PCs might be able to make a Diplomacy check to team up with the Hell Knights against the Sewer God (the Hell Knights are Hostile meaning its a DC 35 Diplomacy check. Give the PCs a +5 bonus if they promise to come along willingly after the fight (a Bluff check vs DC 9) and a +5 bonus if they convince the Armigers of the honour and pride in taking down such an impressive monster.
Or the PCs could just head West at top speed and hope to find an alternative route out of the sewers.
In any case, this encounter is built to build tension against a foe they surely can't yet defeat. If the Sewer God is killed in this encounter they should rack up all the experience in this encounter (about 1600). If they managed to escape the Sewer God and the Armigers without being captured award them 800 xp.
===SPOILERS AHEAD===
I really like the Les Miserables connection! I've got to find a way to create a Jean Valjean and a Javert analogue and get the PC's involved in that struggle. I'll have to work to make Javert more of a sympathetic figure or at least make it obvious that he is right in his application of justice, even if it does lack mercy. That's a great subplot!
I'm also thinking of creating something very similar to your "Sewer King" idea. But this would represent a third faction in the city that will be the source of ongoing conflict and offer the enticement of temporarily joining with "evil" to win their fight for the city. I was thinking of using a full society of were-rats in the deeper sewers who have their own agendas and also fight against the rulers of the town. I don't even think I'll make the "Rat King" evil, just intent on protecting his people and "his" territory from those above.
My campaign will also have quite a bit of a Dresden-esque twist (although not modern.) I want a real sense of the supernatural in Westcrown...almost where the devils turn out to be the red-herring for the real problem. I'm definitely also going to add layers of complexity to the main plot by demoting the CoT to a sham organization and having the main protagonist actually being part of another organization to keep the naming of the AP from ruining the mystery of what is going on (my PCs like to solve those types of 'whats going on here?' puzzles.)
I've been listening to Carl Orff's Carmina Burana and it strikes me as rather appropriate to
I like your creature
Capturing the "early Rennaissance" vibe in combination with the "degenerating city" will be interesting to be sure. The suggestions from everyone here are great.
I am really trying to achaive a sense of lost. That this city was once the most amazing city in the known world and since than has fallen away into ruin and corruption. Really playing on classicism. There is the poor struggling to survive under the harsh regime of the noble houses and than the noble houses living in decadence and debauchery.
I am stilling the sewer king idea, but in mine I am going to have goblins running from. There route of retreat runs them right into the party.
I've been listening to Carl Orff's Carmina Burana and it strikes me as rather appropriate to ** spoiler omitted **
Thanks for the music suggestion.
Anyone else have some good music ideas for the AP? Character themes battle music, general ambiance?
The Thief games Sound Track.
