Hi,
My party (4 level 2) have to enter in the church in order to fight the bastards (they killed all foes in C-D-E and F areas), but I'm asking if they are "high" enough to go down the crypt? Shouldn't they be level 3 ?
If they are stealthy and real careful, they might pull it off. Might. Alas, it's a long time since my players tackled the bastards so I can't remember their level at the time, but I do remember that their tactics had nothing in common with stealth. It was more bulldozer-work where the ranger (as he was at that time) kept the odds in their favor by shooting baddies full of arrows. The Sorcerer/Monk kept dropping below 0 and The Cleric Channeled until he was dry... It was a crazy touch and go battle... But stealth is good but being 3rd level is probably better...
Have fun!
THanks! The thing is that I kick their ass during all sessions and I'm afraid to kill them all during the last episod of this book! But they have to be smart to get out alive! Thanks guys!
As I'm about to start running this myself, I've been looking into the experience issues with this adventure quite a bit. It's my understanding at this point that, yes, the PCs should be 2nd level when they hit the Bastards' Lair. However, the adventure also states in the conclusion that they should be "well into 3rd level" by the end. Therefore, you might also want to take into account whether they have only just leveled up to 2 or if they are well on their way into it. My goal, as it seems to be how the adventure wants things to go, is to have them level up to 3rd not too far into the Lair itself so that they start on Six Trials on the right foot.
From what I've seen on the boards, the experience issues that plague part 1 only improve as the Path moves on.
To add to what Joseph said above, since there's no difference in early level 2 and late level 2 stat-wise, be sure they have enough cash to buy some useful items before going in. I'm not talking major wondrous items or anything, but some potions would be a good idea if they are smart enough to plan it out.
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they get a stack of potions from Arael before going in, and as long as they don't make any gross tactical errors (like opening two doors at once) they shouldn't have too much trouble with lowlife tiefling thugs.
do you track XP so closely in your games that you award level-ups in the middle of a dungeon or in the middle of an encounter? I'd say especially the early levels benefit from 'xp fudging' i.e. levelup after a big achievement.
I had my party gain 2nd level after emerging from the sewers, and gain 3rd level after disposing of Palaveen. This seems to have a positive effect on the feeling of accomplishment for the players, and it saves me a lot of micromanagement. Everybody wins.
If you feel they get their levels for free, you could always throw in a random encounter to make them work for it. Personally, I think the first few levels are not so much fun to play, and everybody is happy to get them over with quickly.