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Hello, friends. Spoilers aplenty.
In reviewing Silent Tide for tomorrow's game, I noticed a pretty stark difference between the way Grandmaster Torch is presented in ye olde venerable Silent Tide and the last of the First Steps module. In the former, he's presented as a no-nonsense, quid pro quo underworld information broker. In the latter, he's presented as the head of a group of benevolent watchdogs that seem to be Golarion's version of Anonymous. I've been trying to come up with some ways to make the difference a little less jarring, particularly for the player who instantly and enthusiastically embraced the Shadow Lodge after that encounter last week.
(I prefer the way ol' G-Pain was portrayed in Season 0, but I didn't start the thread to editorialize.)
In reviewing the messageboards, I found two people who'd made suggestions about this issue.
I decided that some Pathfinders had been abandoned by the Society during the original invasion, the Lodge needed the skull to try a hail mary 'speak with dead' to see if they knew the Pathfinder's remains.
This is good. I like this. However, I am reluctant to use it because it adds story to another author's adventure - something I do all the time in home play, but not in "living style" campaigns.
(edited for length) You can still have him in charge of the Shadow Lodge. You just have him present it as being loyal to the Society and wanting what is best of the individual Pathfinder agents. Going with the general fluff you find in the Field Guide.
You can present the Shadow Lodge agents the PCs have to deal with in Season 1 & 2 as rogue and rebel agents as well as outsiders trying to corrupt Torch’s vision and mission for the Shadow Lodge. ...Torch is not wild about this separatist faction of Shadow Lodge agents destroying everything he had built...
While clever, it is more complex than the previous. And far-reaching. Not only does it add story to many author's adventures, it also a campaign story arc. This would be a great idea for a home game, but not for Society play.
I was personally leaning toward having Torch warmly (heh, heh) greet and congratulate the PCs, ask them to open the safes as a favor to him, and provide the needed information regardless of whether or not they are successful. If they are unsuccessful, or refuse, their rewards would be adjusted accordingly. That seems to me to be the best way to keep the big picture, the world of the Pathfinder, consistent for the players with the smallest impact on Michael Kortes' most excellent adventure.
What do you guys think? Suggestions? Ideas? Comments?
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You could have the best of both Torches.
In the intro he playing the role of recruiter. He was selling the Shadow lodge and wanted to seem as nice as possible, but now that the PCs have made there choices and he can be back to the same no-nonsense Torch of year 0. If the PC's are shadow lodge have him act like their boss, throw in a line about them paying their dues. Have him be curt and skeptical of others who refused his pitch and chose different factions. The chests can be greenhorn work for shadow lodge members and a test for those of other factions.
Just a comment though I personally would not run Silent tide to closely after the intro's, the test from intro 1 and the this scene are a little to similar for my liking.
