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My party are mostly first-time gamers and they seem to much prefer social interaction, small dungeons and the odd grand combat. They don't especially enjoy grand trawls through tactical combat.
We are nearly at the end of The Skinsaw Murders and my group really enjoy being in Magnimar.
Should I make Xanesha the BBEG and move on?
If so, which AP would be good (anything except Curse of the Crimson Throne is an option)?
Yes, Carrion Crown is *loaded* with research, investigations, murder mysteries more than any other AP out there. Not to mention that some combat need not necessarily happen to make room for even more RP, if that's your thing.
I am playing in Carrion Crown, and GMing Serpent Skull, I think both would suit you just fine.
Being in Magnimar, you could spring board them right into Souls for Smuggler's Shiv as Magnimar is one of the departure points for the AP.
Without any spoilers there could also be ample opportunity to bring back Xanesha
I have no idea why Serpent's Skull is getting recommended here. It seems to be the antithesis of what you're looking for. Outside of the first book (which you've leveled far past at this point), it's a slog-fest through a menagerie of defensively-biased enemies. There is very little in the way of social interaction baked in. (The only significant RP in the AP is assumed that GM will make some stuff up.)
Have you considered Council of Theives? If nothing else, it's entirely urban, which is a perk for RPers.
Otherwise, you could do a string of modules instead of an AP. Have a Lovecraft itch? You could set Carrion Hill in Magnimar without too much fuss, and then have them go down the coast and run Shore to Sea. Both are RP-heavy with some great set-piece combats in my opinion. From there, perhaps consider the recently released The Harrowing, played with a sinister bent. (It is also RP heavy.) Perhaps do Ashes at Dawn as a bridge module before ending with whatever climax you have in mind? (I can't think of a high-level module that's RP-heavy, unfortunately.)
Hope that helps.
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I have no idea why Serpent's Skull is getting recommended here. It seems to be the antithesis of what you're looking for. Outside of the first book (which you've leveled far past at this point), it's a slog-fest through a menagerie of defensively-biased enemies. There is very little in the way of social interaction baked in. (The only significant RP in the AP is assumed that GM will make some stuff up.)
Have you considered Council of Theives? If nothing else, it's entirely urban, which is a perk for RPers.
Otherwise, you could do a string of modules instead of an AP. Have a Lovecraft itch? You could set Carrion Hill in Magnimar without too much fuss, and then have them go down the coast and run Shore to Sea. Both are RP-heavy with some great set-piece combats in my opinion. From there, perhaps consider the recently released The Harrowing, played with a sinister bent. (It is also RP heavy.) Perhaps do Ashes at Dawn as a bridge module before ending with whatever climax you have in mind? (I can't think of a high-level module that's RP-heavy, unfortunately.)
Hope that helps.
Hmmm... could I substitute Magnimar for Westcrown?
Would Xanesha make a trippy, sin-syphoning tool of the BBEGs from CoT?
I'd suggest Savage Tide. :-)
I'd suggest Savage Tide. :-)I hereby gratefully accept your offer to send me all of your copies of Dungeon containing Savage Tide.
I will gladly give you all zero copies, gratis! :-)
(I'm playing it, not GMing it.)
You could also consider continuing on with Rise of the Runelords. There are a lot of opportunities for roleplay in the rest of the path.
My group found plenty of opportunity for interaction in the third adventure. I recommend you check out Denek's campaign journal for Rise of the Runelords, particularly the part where they visit Turtleback Ferry. I cribbed shamelessly from his journal for my own group. Whether you let your group actually experience the massacre (perhaps with their own PCs, perhaps as a cut scene playing NPCs) or you just use it for background for a handful of "survivors" they can talk to, it will enrich the story.
For the fourth adventure, I'll admit that I did some extensive rewriting. I fleshed out some of the different groups ("armies") and had some of them be much less happy about being there than others, plus a lot of disputes between different groups that the PCs could take advantage of. My PCs spent a lot more time talking and investigating than they did fighting. Some specifics from my version:
- A small group of Fomorians were only there because their shaman (a pre-teen-equivalent girl fomorian) and the tribe's sacred ancestral skulls had been taken hostage.
- One of the tribes had a really psychotic leader who was making some of the others miserable. Easy setup for the PCs to take her out (and make friends) or do things to increase the existing rivalries.
- One group of giants included a mentally-deficient giant they encountered after the raid on Sandpoint (carrying an armoire full of clothes from one of the mansions, because he was told to get "the ones with the nice clothes" and he didn't realize he was supposed to get people), and allowed to live - and they leveraged their almost-friendship into an alliance.
- Malfeshnekor (who had been left alive under Thistletop and had been gone when they went back to check on him some levels later) was there and in his desire for revenge against the forces of Karzoug for his long imprisonment, he was assassinating giants who wandered alone or in small groups (e.g. hunting parties) so that the various giant tribes were convinced there was a ghost killing them. (My PCs ended up allying with him.)
When you get to Sins of the Saviors, don't let the big "dungeon" fool you - this adventure can be a huge opportunity for roleplay. Each separate faction is its own mini-community with opportunities to interact, form alliances, or deal with enmities that have been brewing for thousands of years.
The sixth chapter is harder, since by the time you get to high-level play, so much of the word count has to go toward combat stuff. I added:
All that is to say - there's plenty of opportunity for interaction in this path.
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You could also consider continuing on with Rise of the Runelords. There are a lot of opportunities for roleplay in the rest of the path.
My group found plenty of opportunity for interaction in the third adventure. I recommend you check out Denek's campaign journal for Rise of the Runelords, particularly the part where they visit Turtleback Ferry. I cribbed shamelessly from his journal for my own group. Whether you let your group actually experience the massacre (perhaps with their own PCs, perhaps as a cut scene playing NPCs) or you just use it for background for a handful of "survivors" they can talk to, it will enrich the story.
For the fourth adventure, I'll admit that I did some extensive rewriting. I fleshed out some of the different groups ("armies") and had some of them be much less happy about being there than others, plus a lot of disputes between different groups that the PCs could take advantage of. My PCs spent a lot more time talking and investigating than they did fighting. Some specifics from my version: ** spoiler omitted **...
Ooh, lots of nice ideas.
thoughts, thoughts... hmmm
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The only AP I have run as a player and GM is Council of Thieves.. I would suggest this AP. It is a city themed AP with a lot of investgation thrown in.... The only thing that I would review is the magic and money that is found in the AP. It could be a little much. You would have to tone it down quite a bit. The 2nd book "Trials of Larazod" is worth it. Read the whole AP. Lots of it can be nerfed if you want to. My group went on several side quests and we are doing ok. Only 2 party members were nerfed.... Good Luck!!!:)