SI want to kick off a solo campaign with a demonic assassin that attacks a traveling party. I am looking at the Babau, though it is ... really overpowering. If another demon, or perhaps a mortal agent of some sort would be better, I would welcome advice on a better fit.
The demon attacks the party searching for an artifact, and the demon nearly wins. A Barbarian lass is the sole survivor. She and an awakened Sorc ferret are given 'divine meddling' support and force the demon to break off the attack. The 'divine meddling' comes to an end, the Barbarian is back to Level 1 along with the Level 1 Sorc ferret. The two of them need to finish the battle with a weakened but still very dangerous enemy.
So far, that's the plan. I fear the Babau is still far too deadly an enemy if it is left alive at all, no matter how weakened.
The other problem is that if the demon is killed, I believe it is not really dead, only returned to the demonic plan, correct? It could then report how its mission to recover the artifact failed. I have the Bestiary, but what I need is some guide on how to go about this. The artifact needs to be joined to a device that can be used as a weapon, and the Level 1 Barbarian and the Sorc Ferret (DMPC) start out off on a quest to get the artifact 'key' to the weapon in some major city, and perhaps to battle after some leveling up and experience in how to fight.
Does it sound like I'm on the right track in what I intend to do for a plot? Would anyone know of a good Pathfinder resource to provide direction on how to go about this? I did read http://paizo.com/pathfinder/tales/serial/theGhostsOfBrokenBlades but I don't know enough of the lore. I have also read "Queen of Thorns". Thank you for helping me put together a Quest to carry a Chekhov's gun to further adventure. :)
That demon is a CR 6. It could taken on an entire level 4 party.
Level 1 characters should not fight anything above CR 2 IMHO. Now once they get more levels you can throw tougher monsters at them.
Even a dretch or quasit which is more reasonable might give them trouble.
edit:I just noticed this is a solo campaign meaning there is only 1 player, and a GMPC?
If so the that demon should not show up until level 5, and I would avoid any demons until they are level 3. Starting them at level 3 is not a bad idea either.
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The demon attacks the party searching for an artifact, and the demon nearly wins. A Barbarian lass is the sole survivor. She and an awakened Sorc ferret are given 'divine meddling' support and force the demon to break off the attack. The 'divine meddling' comes to an end, the Barbarian is back to Level 1 along with the Level 1 Sorc ferret. The two of them need to finish the battle with a weakened but still very dangerous enemy.
Trying to play this out in game is going to be nothing but frustration for your player. Fighting a demon that she has no hope of beating, all of her party dead, and "divine meddling" are all things that take away the ability of your player to make meaningful choices. She's listening to your story at this point and her die rolls don't matter.
You should probably just start the character, level one, at the end of this situation. This is where she starts: standing over the corpse of a demon that wiped out her friends and there's an awakened critter that can help her. At that point, she can now decide what to do and carry out HER plan, not yours.Would you really kill off her character at the very first fight of the very first session? No? Then don't go to the dice and hope things come out okay, they don't matter yet.
If you expect things to go a certain way, you'll always either be disappointed as a GM or your players will have no agency over their characters and not have fun.
Just my 2CP, take them for what you will.
I thought I would mention that is my plan to start the character out dealing with the aftermath of a battle already fought. My goal is to set up the solo player barbarian as stranded with the GMPC ferret (newly awakened, also level 1 Sorc) with a "Chekov's Gun" (plot device) artifact she needs to take south to her first contact some distance away. The distance is how far she needs to survive traveling to make it to level 2.
The idea of having the demon not quite dead was to have her finish the fight, but perhaps this is not really necessary, and that the demon is defeated is all part of the hand-waving behind the scenes set-up. The party was nearly TPK'd, she has her quest item to deliver... GO!
I intend for the 'defeated agent' to be an agent acting on behalf of the World Wound. The agent must not escape defeat in such a way as to announce failure. I want to allow for a tracker acting on behalf of World Wound agents to discover the failure, resume tracking and drive the story forward when she needs something to do and the Plot Device device isn't quite enough sense of impending danger.
So a mess of broken and melted cold-iron weapons, a pile of dead bodies including the Solo-player's father and a dead, unspecified body too torn up to be easily identified without a DC 30 knl. (religion) check? Divine meddling, horrible battle just before daybreak, everything as a dream before the GMPC Ferret urgently wakes the PC with, "We gots ta go NOW!"
I don't want to leave over-powered weaponry with the level 1, so the lingering effects of the acid-slime destroying cold-forged high-powered stuff is a bonus. If the rest of the party was high-leveled, TPK'd and the solo player made the killing blow under Divine Meddling, so long as it is plausible enough I can start moving the actual story forward with plans on getting to a destination and natural obstacles to encounter before arrival with the Plot Device.
The two concerns: having a babau slaughter the level 1 just starting out player (it sounds like it MUST be defeated before starting the actual game), and second having it return to the plane to alert its superiors of the defeat (sounds as if it 'gated' in, and is defeated DEAD instead of simply unsummoned).
If that makes sense, I'll focus on the nearby area with several options for the player to decide to travel to along with natural hazards to pass along the way.
"Chekov's Gun"
You keep using that word... I do not think it means what you think it means.
"Chekov's Gun" refers to a story in which the writer (not the Trek crewmember) reportedly said something to the effect of, "If you don't know what to do next, have somebody enter with a gun." It's not a plot device, it's a spur to get your players to do something other than craft for weeks on end when used in a PNP setting. Your artifact is often referred to as a "MacGuffin," from Hitchcock lore...
Reading the rest of your post, you seem (pun intended) hell-bent on your Babau, and your concerns about it are focused on its role in the start of the story. I would suggest that you think of a more natural way to get your player invested in the story rather than the extended cut-scene with the dead father and the killing blow and the divine meddling.
I get the sense that you're more focused on your story than on your player; this seems forced. What about her backstory? Could there be something in there that would provide impetus for her quest? What other ways can you think of to let the situation build up to stalking demon assassins rather than start there?
Food for thought. GMing is a tough job. Good luck and happy gaming.
I thought I would mention that is my plan to start the character out dealing with the aftermath of a battle already fought. My goal is to set up the solo player barbarian as stranded with the GMPC ferret (newly awakened, also level 1 Sorc) with a "Chekov's Gun" (plot device) artifact she needs to take south to her first contact some distance away. The distance is how far she needs to survive traveling to make it to level 2.
The idea of having the demon not quite dead was to have her finish the fight, but perhaps this is not really necessary, and that the demon is defeated is all part of the hand-waving behind the scenes set-up. The party was nearly TPK'd, she has her quest item to deliver... GO!
I intend for the 'defeated agent' to be an agent acting on behalf of the World Wound. The agent must not escape defeat in such a way as to announce failure. I want to allow for a tracker acting on behalf of World Wound agents to discover the failure, resume tracking and drive the story forward when she needs something to do and the Plot Device device isn't quite enough sense of impending danger.
So a mess of broken and melted cold-iron weapons, a pile of dead bodies including the Solo-player's father and a dead, unspecified body too torn up to be easily identified without a DC 30 knl. (religion) check? Divine meddling, horrible battle just before daybreak, everything as a dream before the GMPC Ferret urgently wakes the PC with, "We gots ta go NOW!"
I don't want to leave over-powered weaponry with the level 1, so the lingering effects of the acid-slime destroying cold-forged high-powered stuff is a bonus. If the rest of the party was high-leveled, TPK'd and the solo player made the killing blow under Divine Meddling, so long as it is plausible enough I can start moving the actual story forward with plans on getting to a destination and natural obstacles to encounter before arrival with the Plot Device.
The two concerns: having a babau slaughter the level 1 just starting out player (it sounds like it MUST...
I will repeat, the player will not kill this demon realistically. Even if you dropped it down to 10 hit points the player would likely lose. You would have to fudge dice, and do other things to make this fight be an auto-win. Most players will see through it. You can have the demon teleporting away as the player wakes up, or you can start the game in a different manner. You can start the player at a higher level, but your original idea is not likely to go over well.
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Please know that we aren't trying to beat up on you. We do want to help. The disconnect that Wraithstrike is pointing out is the fact that you want to make sure that your setup follows the rules for Pathfinder, but you have a scripted outcome in mind.
There are two main variables in Pathfinder: 1. what do the dice say? 2. what do the players do?
What if your player loses init and the demon crits her and kills her before she acts? Will you let it stand? No? Then don't make her roll until the outcome actually matters. Your knowledge check is impossible for her, so why put it in there? If she needs information, put it there in a way that the player can accomplish through guile or skill or just give it to them. Other ways are unsatisfying.
What if she said that she wanted to throw the artifact in a lake and run away? Or tell the ferret to take a hike? will you let her? The answer to that question will tell you whether or not this is her story or yours.
Looking at your GMing objectively is very tough. Us looking at it for you and critiquing it for you is tougher. But it will help if you're open to it.
Ok, sorry if I was using the term incorrectly. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChekhovsGun indicates "an unimportant element introduced early in the story becomes significant later on" where a "MacGuffin (a.k.a. McGuffin or maguffin) is a term for a motivating element in a story that is used to drive the plot. It actually serves no further purpose."
Thank you for your input. The main point I have is to start the Barbarian out alone (except for the GMPC ferret caster) and give her a reason for this situation and something to consider doing.
I suspected babau with any hitpoints remaining would still be too strong to overcome, and you have confirmed that. So related to the specifics of 'demonology', it appears the demon *can* be dead-dead without being returned to the demonic plane. The point of the 'wake up after big battle with parts of it remembered as a dream' was to set the scene.
I went looking for a demon of some sort to destroy the party she was with, and to have Desna and Gorum stumble upon the battle. Gorum was going to glory in the hopeless battle, Desna was going to awaken a ferret companion to a deceased Sorc. This great battle is remembered in dream, then the Barbarian and the Ferret start their journey from that point.
I picked 'Demon' because the World Wound is in close proximity to the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, and it is an upcoming setting for PFS play.
Ditching the 'dream sequence' before the actual start of play would be fine, but I need some way to open the game, and I would prefer this initial pitch tie in with the World Wound.
As to her seriously making her own choices, she can. If she discarded the artifact, I would plan for that to have eventual repercussions, but she would be free to do that. If she told the ferret to take a hike, he does. But my wife has already stated she would accept the Ferret as a companion GMPC, and I plan to try it out to see how well it works out.
If there is a better story pitch that would start out the Barbarian and Ferret companion, I would welcome suggestions. My hope is to make an opening pitch that sells the story and provides at least an initial driver. My hope is to tie the initial pitch to events at the World Wound. If she takes the story in a different direction following the pitch, that is my understanding of 'sandbox' play.
Anyone with demonic inspiration?
You can bring the demons into it later on. In many stories the main problem is not presented at the beginning. She may be visiting an old friend or she may have been hired to take care of a smaller problem, and she "stumbles" onto the demon.
Maybe she arrives as the demon is leaving, and it has killed someone important to her. The knowledge check for a Babau, if you want to use one, is about a 16 to identify it, and for every 5 additional points she gets another piece of info. Alternately if you she is that close to the World Wound there may be someone around such as an NPC that can provide some information on demons in general, and that specific demon type.
If there is a better story pitch that would start out the Barbarian and Ferret...
Is your wife's barbarian just a collection of numbers or does she have a backstory? I would recommend you start there.
The other problem is that if the demon is killed, I believe it is not really dead, only returned to the demonic plan, correct? It could then report how its mission to recover the artifact failed. I have the Bestiary, but what I need is some guide on how to go about this. The artifact needs to be joined to a device that can be used as a weapon, and the Level 1 Barbarian and the Sorc Ferret (DMPC) start out off on a quest to get the artifact 'key' to the weapon in some major city, and perhaps to battle after some leveling up and experience in how to fight.
How did it get to the Material plane?
If Summoned or planeshifted then fine, then it isn't really dead.But if called or gated, it is dead for real.
The reason I brought up the knowledge check is just that I would 'hand-wave' much of the background and gloss over it. I would describe something specific to explain the battle, but not tell her what the name of it is as detail she couldn't know. She would see a mangled corpse, but not know what it is. She would see cold-forged weapons, but they are too acid-damaged to be useful. If she wanted to knowledge check, she *could*, but the DC is too high since that is not her expertise. I would know for the purpose of crafting the aftermath of the battle and anything she might look at, but she would not know. That's why I'm looking at the technicalities of the demon fought in this battle just before the start of the game.
On the Role Play vs. Roll Play, my wife has stated she "doesn't know how to role play, but would like to learn." I'm looking at it as an opportunity for interaction with her. We have been reading and enjoying the Pathfinder Tales novels, so my goal is to create the opportunity for her to 'star' in her own 'Pathfinder Tale' experience, and we can learn together. So I want to find a compelling start that kicks this thing off. So I thought up waking up to find your party slaughtered, your father among them, the remains of a demon and a hazy dream of the event. Her real life father took her hunting and fishing, and he died seven years ago (but NOT BY A DEMON!) So I wanted to draw from that as to the background for the Barbarian girl, and suggest a rank in "survival" skill.
So I am providing the suggestion of a backstory and encouragement of a direction, then letting her decide from options she thinks would be most fun and getting her to develop that as she interacts with NPCs and the Ferret.
The idea I had for the demon as part of the background is that a demon from the world wound received notice an artifact was being brought from Tian Xia over the Crown of the World. He orders a babau to intercept the party and retrieve the artifact to prevent it from being assembled with a device that could be used as a weapon specific to battling demons. None of the demons know for sure how the artifact is packaged, but they would know it when they see it. And the artifact is hidden within a tiny bell among other bells on a bracelet (bag of holding on the bell). The bracelet has "comprehend Tian" for the wearer, and it is being worn by the Sorc that gets killed in the battle. The Sorc also bears a letter (in Tian) instructing her to meet a half-orc in Wyvernsting. The babau doesn't return (killed at the battle just before game-start) so later another tracker is sent and has to figure out what happened.
From there, I planned to let my wife search the battle aftermath, including the Ferret taking interest in the "pretty bracelet". If she doesn't wear it, the Ferret can as a collar. They would find the letter it is thought they needed to deliver, and get more info from that. The demon killed her father, and nobody on the material plane is likely to be happy for the world wound, particularly the Kellids neighbors. I'm fairly confident with that much of a sign-post, my wife would take that direction. The Ferret could advise, blessed with Arcane Knowledge ranks by Desna (and experience as a Sorc Familiar), but he can't lead or decide. That has to come from her.
I will develop and document more of the campaign in another message thread, but for this thread I hope to have the technical details of the demonic portion accurate enough to plan an ambush site, nearby cities and travel-times, 'mundane' hazards & XP, and so on.