Orcus Arena

[Abba]

Hi all.
I'm currently running STAP using PFRPG game sistem.
The party is playing "Enemies of my enemy" and is currently preparing the Arena confrontation with the crawling head and the death giants.
I was really surprised, reading the adventure,when I noted that Orcus will forge the alliance with the party ONLY if their champions win the confrontation... not really an easy task.
What would happen in the case the party champion is killed?

Again, in the case the party reach Arborea is stated that the moon dogs will attack a party comprising evil PCs when Sir Andros arrive.... but th adventyre say also that Sir will ask the evil character to leave.. attacking only if he refuse.
So... What would happen? Moon dogs attack on sight with Sir Andros o would they wait until Sir Andros ask the evil to leave?
What happen if the party defeat Sir Andros?

Suggestions are welcome.

[James Jacobs]

Abba wrote:

Hi all.

I'm currently running STAP using PFRPG game sistem.
The party is playing "Enemies of my enemy" and is currently preparing the Arena confrontation with the crawling head and the death giants.
I was really surprised, reading the adventure,when I noted that Orcus will forge the alliance with the party ONLY if their champions win the confrontation... not really an easy task.
What would happen in the case the party champion is killed?

Again, in the case the party reach Arborea is stated that the moon dogs will attack a party comprising evil PCs when Sir Andros arrive.... but th adventyre say also that Sir will ask the evil character to leave.. attacking only if he refuse.
So... What would happen? Moon dogs attack on sight with Sir Andros o would they wait until Sir Andros ask the evil to leave?
What happen if the party defeat Sir Andros?

Suggestions are welcome.

If the PCs can't win against Orcus's champion... Orcus is convinced they have NO chance to win against Demogorgon, a foe that Orcus himself can't defeat. In this case, the PCs don't get Orcus's help at all if they lose that fight. In fact, they'll be lucky to not get attacked by an angry Orcus who's annoyed at having his time wasted.

In the other case, the moon dogs might attack but Andros will reign them back if the PCs just leave... Or explain themselves. If the PCs kill Sir Andros, their chances of gaining the aid of the eladrins plummets, and they should probably just turn around and go back home rather than keep going, since they'll get crushed if they get in a fight with those who they'll be encountering later in that area have cause to attack them...

[Charlie Bell]

Also remember that the PCs get a difficult Diplomacy check with Orcus. If they win, their champion only has to face a single death giant. Any paladin worth his salt at that level will easily beat a single death giant (and with some careful buffing and smart tactics could beat both death giants and the crawling head). The initial Diplomacy check gets much more reasonable if the PCs have a party bard or Celeste along. Inspire competence, Aid Another, Charisma buffs, and the magical perfume (from Into the Maw, IIRC) that gives +10 on Diplomacy checks make it achievable.

"Enemies of My Enemy" gets super deadly super quick if the PCs ever try to duke it out with any of the paragon outsiders, or especially Iggwilv.

Funny, as I write this I'm listening to JJ's STAP soundtrack.

[Kain Darkwind]

For Orcus' arena in Enemies of my Enemy, I don't plan on running it as a one on one (or on three) encounter. Combats take so long real time (we game online with mIRC and Maptool) that the entire party would likely have to sit and watch one guy combat for an hour or possibly more.

so my PCs will be fighting a bit larger battle, especially given their improved pathfinder classes and abilities.

I'm figuring on APL +1 on a win and APL +4 on a loss, just to retain the importance of diplomacy. I'm thinking that on a win, they get to fight two half fiendish rune giants and the head, and on a lost diplomacy check, four giants, the head and an evil titan. (presumably missing his head, to imply that it is L-head's body.) Or maybe a tzitzimitl. Or an undead humbaba or a zombie behemoth (with all its special abilities intact).

Man, there's just so many possibilities, and by the time they get there (we're going to start City of broken Idols in a few months), I'll probably have Bestiary 7 to pick from. I can't wait!

[Curaigh]

We finished the arena last week. It was short. The sorcerer shapechanged himself and his familiar pre-combat.
R1 sorcerer casts irresistable dance, familiar turns into a cryohydra and breaths. Death giant dances.
R2 familiar turns in to a pyrohyda...

Spoiler:

which started an argument that went on too long about the 1d4 rounds needed before a breath weapon was available again which I ended by skipping to the

...sorcerer changes into a pyrohydra and breaths. Death giant dies.
I am sure either druid could have finger-of-deathed the thing just as quickly (as they did with Sir andros). The assassin and the scout might have been a longer combat, but neither stepped up for champion.