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I'm looking to make a few changes to the overall villainy in the AP.
Background: I have two gestalt PCs in my group. A NE Conjurer/Mindchemist and a LN Gunslinger/Cleric. A party that can handle most things (though maybe due to my player's good tactics and course of action).
They've just left Ascanor Lodge in pursuit of the Stairs of the Moon together with Duristan and a few guards, including one or two they hired among Ivanja's body guards (good pay is good pay ^^), while looking for Auren Vrood and his followers.
After seeing this video and also due to one of my players who said something roughly along the lines of "Now we'll take down Auren, who is most likely just a minor piece in the story. There might be a very small chance he's something more, but not likely. It would be cool though" I was inspired to have more continuity in our campaign. Also it was probably his intention by saying just that to put me on this track. ^^;
The idea: We like Auren, and I don't want him to perish with a melted jaw halfway in the AP. However, we don't like plot armor either, and especially not NPCs who dimension doors/teleports away to return later (regrettably a frequent tactic in NPC stat blocks)..
Instead I thought of using another method not often used in the adventures I've read and have Auren use a double (either through magic, a very well made disguise or have Auren never having shown his real face to anyone still alive) to do the dirty work. This can either be a devout free willed follower or a mind controlled soon to die man or something else that fits. Auren will then replace Advion's role throughout the adventure to make it less of a rewrite.
On top of this the real Adivion is most likely the Gunslinger/Cleric's father (or some other close figure…currently in development), who had the fate of a certain character in the last season of Dexter.
This should hopefully create a bit bigger connection between Auren and the players, and also a stronger incentive to keep following. There was little to no reason for my players to go to castle Caromarc, or even the Stairs of the Moon beyond getting paid certain amounts of gold.
Any thoughts or additional/different ideas?
Sounds Solid!
I was going to suggest something like Marionette Possession, but Vrood casts "Protection from Good" before Combat which blocks its usage. Unless you can find a work around for that.
Thanks!
Yeah Inkwell, that or Magic Jar could work, though both are risky should they get the puppet's body out of range of the real Vrood (or his crystal for MJ).