So, it states that the PC's go ahead of the Main Expedition as trailblazers. Two questions:
First- Without having the 3rd adventure when they all arrive at the Lost City, I am curious how big is the Main Expedition? And what does it consist of? A dozen, or more like 40-50 laborers, archaeologists, guards, pack animals, guides, etc? How big are the other Faction's Expeditions?
Second- How big can the lead party be and how would XP be divided if they acquire extra NPC members? If they let Nkechi and later Athyra join their group as guides and also knowing it is a couple of month trek, the PC's may take on porters of their own to carry enough gear for such a trip. If you have half a dozen or so extra people in your party (like in Smuggler's Shiv) you sort of have a small army when it comes to the encounters. Are you supposed to beef up ALL encounters? And if the PC's hire guards..."Send in the first wave of troops to take out the chemosits..." who gets the XP? (Are all these people staying at Cheiton's house too? hehe)
Just curious.
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So, it states that the PC's go ahead of the Main Expedition as trailblazers. Two questions:
First- Without having the 3rd adventure when they all arrive at the Lost City, I am curious how big is the Main Expedition? And what does it consist of? A dozen, or more like 40-50 laborers, archaeologists, guards, pack animals, guides, etc? How big are the other Faction's Expeditions?
Second- How big can the lead party be and how would XP be divided if they acquire extra NPC members? If they let Nkechi and later Athyra join their group as guides and also knowing it is a couple of month trek, the PC's may take on porters of their own to carry enough gear for such a trip. If you have half a dozen or so extra people in your party (like in Smuggler's Shiv) you sort of have a small army when it comes to the encounters. Are you supposed to beef up ALL encounters? And if the PC's hire guards..."Send in the first wave of troops to take out the chemosits..." who gets the XP? (Are all these people staying at Cheiton's house too? hehe)
Just curious.
The main expedition is never fully detailed, as they pretty much stay in the background. Just as we don't detail every NPC in a village or town, we don't describe the expedition in detail, other than the PCs and the major NPCs (such as the castaways from Smuggler's Shiv and the faction leaders). In part, this is because each faction's expedition is going to be different in many ways from the others. That said, if you need more detail, I would say on average an expedition would have at least 100 members (mainly laborers and porters, animals handlers, some guards, and a few specialists) with enough pack animals to carry all the gear. Factions like the Aspis Consortium and Sargavan government might have bigger expeditions (because of their access to greater resources), while the Pathfinders and Red Mantis might have smaller expeditions (because they're used to working alone or in small groups, or like to move fast).
The encounters are designed for the PCs to handle without help. If they end up taking a big group with them, the whole point of using them to trailblaze in front of the main group is lost. If they just want some porters to help carry gear, that's fine, but those NPCs shouldn't get involved in combat (and therefore wouldn't gain XP). If the PCs insist on taking a big group with them, then you can beef up the encounters to accommodate those extra guards, or just hand-wave it and say the guards are dealing with a few other foes while the PCs fight the main encounter. And you might want to give them some clue that the other factions (with smaller groups) are pulling ahead of them, while they slog through the jungle with their oversized group. :)
So, it states that the PC's go ahead of the Main Expedition as trailblazers. Two questions:
First- Without having the 3rd adventure when they all arrive at the Lost City, I am curious how big is the Main Expedition? And what does it consist of? A dozen, or more like 40-50 laborers, archaeologists, guards, pack animals, guides, etc? How big are the other Faction's Expeditions?
Second- How big can the lead party be and how would XP be divided if they acquire extra NPC members? If they let Nkechi and later Athyra join their group as guides and also knowing it is a couple of month trek, the PC's may take on porters of their own to carry enough gear for such a trip. If you have half a dozen or so extra people in your party (like in Smuggler's Shiv) you sort of have a small army when it comes to the encounters. Are you supposed to beef up ALL encounters? And if the PC's hire guards..."Send in the first wave of troops to take out the chemosits..." who gets the XP? (Are all these people staying at Cheiton's house too? hehe)
Just curious.
The main expedition is never fully detailed, as they pretty much stay in the background. Just as we don't detail every NPC in a village or town, we don't describe the expedition in detail, other than the PCs and the major NPCs (such as the castaways from Smuggler's Shiv and the faction leaders). In part, this is because each faction's expedition is going to be different in many ways from the others. That said, if you need more detail, I would say on average an expedition would have at least 100 members (mainly laborers and porters, animals handlers, some guards, and a few specialists) with enough pack animals to carry all the gear. Factions like the Aspis Consortium and Sargavan government might have bigger expeditions (because of their access to greater resources), while the Pathfinders and Red Mantis might have smaller expeditions (because they're used to working alone or in small groups, or like to move fast).
The encounters are designed...
Yes, good one. A small group moves faster and can go ahead and stake a claim. This is exactly what ive been trying to get across to my PC's.
Thanks.