I went this-a-way and the adventure went that-a-way...


Advice

Silver Crusade

[For my players, please avoid this one!]

I DM for a great group but generally intertwine modules & pre-written material into campaigns due to limited free time. However, our last adventure went totally off the grid for me, but it's a big deal to the party so I want to see this done right!

Short Synopsis: Party got brutalized in a fight with a Rakshasa, resulting in the death of one player In the adventure, I really had no plans for the Rakshasa to play any future role, but the party "failed" the adventure (the bad guys broke into a vault and got what they wanted) and I wanted to give them another shot at one of the bad guys.

Right now, the party knows the Rakshasa is in their city worming his way up the social ladder. He gambles with the Captain of the City Watch, has sadistic parties involving obscene drug abuse, and is the talk of the social circles.

But that's as far as I've gotten. Rather than get the campaign on track where it was headed (stop undead army from being formed, stop the impending apocalypse, the usual), I want to afford them the opportunity for some payback. I'm looking for ideas, links, encounter thoughts, roleplaying opportunities, anything to make this side-trek rock.

Silver Crusade

Party:
Level 8 Witch
Level 8 Paladin
Level 5/3 Cleric, Bard
Level 4/4 Ranger, Rogue
Level 9 Monk

Setting is a massive city-state of LN tendencies in a state of panic with apocalyptic signs in the sky.


Sabotage the rakshasa's parties; don't attack him directly, attack his reputation. He might be able to gloss over all the problems on a person to person basis, but eventually the nobility won't care to associate with him and his fun will dwindle.


You said they know what the Rakshasa is up to, so they have options. I suppose it's a matter of your party's alignment, and their overall feelings towards the fact that they just got stomped on.

If they're Chaotic, chances are they'd be willing to go through certain lengths to get payback, bad guys for vengeance and good guys for vigilante justice. I imagine they wouldn't have any qualms towards killing the corrupt law enforcement to get answers as to where the Rakshasa is.

However, you said they were protecting a vault, so I'm going to guess that they are good, towards the more Lawful axis (or at least with good enough intentions to mesh well with it).

I suppose they'd have to be more subtle. Asking too many questions might get the Captain's attention, and he'll probably want to get rid of them, lest his dealings be foiled. So just as the Rakshasa snakes his way up, you'd have to follow after. Perhaps if they don't get the right answers in time, it means they have get answers from higher ranked people.

This would probably take a lot of Diplomacy or Intimidate checks though. Of course, since there is an impending apocalypse, there are certain things they might be able to get away with amidst any panic there might be.

Disclaimer: I'm a very inexperienced GM, so most of my advice comes from storytelling logic - I'm still a tad sketchy with actual game mechanics.


Sounds like a great opportunity. I usually work with plotting from the end and work backwards. The ending that immediately comes to mind is the PCs are set up for their revenge. They've got the Rakshasa where they want him and they have to run off to save the world.

How do you set up such a socialite for a fall? Who's a bigger fish? Who's the adversary to Rakshasa's biggest ally? Social-political intrigue. Making those cogs turn can even involve combat, but those details are for you to work out.

Sounds like the a theives guild or two might have an issue with this guy: Playing with the Captain of the Guard; Invading vaults; providing drugs. Maybe Rakshasa IS the theives guild and a rival doesn't like it. Disrupting a shipment of drugs for the next party from Rakshasa's suppliers might be a combat enounter option. That encounter could lead to a clue about a town noble or a church in town who speaks against the ills of being free spirits being a friend or supporter. The embarrassment could led to showdown with the church, one that may need to be an ally in the ensuing appocolypes.

I'm rambling, but there are lots of social role-playing, clue solving, "time bomb", recurring villan, and yes even combats in the scenario you've set up.

Silver Crusade

They are in a quandry - because they "failed" and let the vault get robbed, their enemies (cultists of Vecna) obtained an item that allows them to create incorporeal undead to add to their growing undead force. They're sure that force is on the move soon and need to stop it. Then there's signs of the apocalypse in the skies, causing unrest in the city. Do they waste time pursuing revenge?

So far, I've worked that the Rakshasa is an opportunist and a coward (despite his abilities). He is liberal with his Detect Thoughts ability to gain advantage and Charm Person. People's tendencies to gossip have made his alias an enigma of the social elite. Everyone wants to know him, but if anyone really dug deep, they'd find no reason to think he's a noble. He really has no goal other than to amuse himself.

Finally, the party was successful 1x in Scrying him. However, he did not notice the sensor. Still, the group is asking around with the city guard about his alter ego...

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