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So we just finished the Fortress of the Stone Giants, and after a brutal battle with Mokmurian, resulting in a PC death, one being Baleful Polymorphed, and one now being a Stone Statue (thanks Flesh to Stone), the remaining two characters ignored Karzoug's monologue and the clockwork librarian. They have little to no info about Karzoug, or about Xin Shalast now. They have some feeling that Karzoug is behind it, but they just left without doing any sort of research or asking questions in the Jorgenfist Library.
The survivors are a Ranger/Rogue/Fighter, and a Druid. They have no skills in history or anything so their research possibilites are kind of limited for the DC's to learn about Xin Shalast or Karzoug.
I have a feeling, based on the party's complete blunder in the attack on Sandpoint and not being able to track the giants, or having no idea about where Jorgenfist was, they will be completely lost now in the overall storyline. Because they never questioned any Stone Giant attackers after the raid on Sandpoint, and had no idea where to go or do anything, I am asking other DM's, or even the author's, how would I go about nudging them a bit to learn about Xin Shalast, or heading in that direction?
To make matters worse, none of the players will even consider playing an arcane caster...not too sure why.
Thanks in advance!
To make matters worse, none of the players will even consider playing an arcane caster...not too sure why.
Paperwork, I'd guess. You really have to read a lot of spells to succeed as an arcanist.
Let them settle down for a few weeks wherever it is they "want" to be, Ft Rannick, or Sandpoint, or whatever. Then have Karzoug send a Lamia assassin to charm the formerly friendly locals into attacking or otherwise subverting the PCs. Leave a fairly obvious clue to the Lamia, and hang a sign on it this time — make them know that Karzoug wants them personally dead as a reprisal for Mokmurian and his army.
Two lamia is a coincidence, three is a conspiracy.
For your group, I recommend henceforth ignoring all the advice about keeping Thassilonian history a secret. I personally think the writers played it a little too secretive. Instead, you should opt for the JRPG "townsfolk volunteering information" approach, with such gems as "I hear the ancient Thassilonians ate babies" and "wow that Irespan is so huge. The Thassilonians must have had giant slaves!" Anyone they talk to might know something related to their exploits — if Thassilon is a remembered classical empire like Rome, it may be on everyone's mind in a redeveloping period.
If none of your PCs are even remotely inclined to investigate matters, just serve the salient plot points up on a platter. This campaign doesn't suffer very much at all for Thassilon and Karzoug being less of a secret. Ditch the knowledge skills table for some actual infodumps. Have Jakardros or another giant-slaying ranger show up and explain the stories of Mokmurian and what he was actually doing. Have Brodert Quink spontaneously develop competence and fluent Thassilonian — he can learn a lot from the Catacombs of Wrath if the players covered that dungeon. He is then a perfect tool to volunteer information for Pathfinder #5. Once you've thoroughly informed the players (in between lamia-driven assassinations) it's time to get the plot rolling again.
In a nutshell, stop holding info back just because the book says to. It will not break your campaign, especially not with the players you've described.
Brodert Quink
Obviously he knows more then he has been willing to share.
But now that Sandpoint has been largely destroyed by the Giants, he would feel that he has no choice but to let the player characters know what he knows about the role Giants played in the Thassalonian Empire, Xin-Shalast, and Karazog.
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The players skipped past the lamias in the Jorgenfist fort, but they did beat Lucrecia, and Xanesha, so if those are the lamias you are referring to, I planned on using another one. I think it might help drive home the point. They have used Brodert as an information source thus far, and I have been fairly open with the history of Thassilon, since I will agree the writers have been a little too secretive. I am guessing the party will make it's way back to Fort Rannick, because Sandpoint was pretty much demolished.
I like the idea of Thassilon being remembered like Rome, and will have to use some hooks like you suggested. The AP has run smoothly, right up until Fortress of the Stone Giants and that assault on Sandpoint.
The group knows, through Quink that the giants played a role in Thassilon, and Karzoug. They just don't seem to be picking up subtle clues, so maybe I should be more open?
Thanks guys!
The group knows, through Quink that the giants played a role in Thassilon, and Karzoug. They just don't seem to be picking up subtle clues, so maybe I should be more open?
I have the good fortune of a single player who loves uncovering ancient mysteries. He gets more out of that than anything else in the game. I think he is the type of player they had in mind when they buried all those plot hooks, so it has worked well for me.
Without that player, I would be in your position, and I would probably have to be a lot more open. Don't be afraid to have people know the names of the Runelords, or remember that Karzoug was the more powerful and reviled amongst them.
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I have a player like you describe having, but he didn't want to play such a concept this time around...he wanted to play the "meatshield" who is just a "tank". I have one new player, and the rest have all been playing for at least 2 years. For some reason the new guy and one of the older players are so afraid of dying, the second they drop below half, they bolt for it.
I was thinking that having them go back to Magnimar, and have Quink help them out with what is going on in the mountains, and all of Varisia, for that matter. I will see what I can come up with.