Rise of the Runelords - Taking all the enemies alive

[Damascus121]

So I'm running a Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition Game. The party is currently level 3. We have a drunken master in the party who refuses to do lethal damage. By extension of this, every powerful enemy we are coming across is getting knocked out, tied up, and interrogated. What happens to them after that is somewhat subjective.

So far we captured Tsuto, but he killed himself by tripping the cleric so that her scimitar impaled him.

Currently we have Korvus tied to the bars in the jail within the Catacombs of Wrath, rambling and spewing acid all over the stone wall opposite.

Erylium was similarly captured (with the use of some Shoanti bolas, and the monk grappling her, the alchemist knocking her out with drow poison). The party plans on keeping the quasit in a thick jar, secured to a shelf, with only a few holes for air.

My current conundrum is how to handle the situation. How much info can Erlyium give the group? How much info is the group going to glean if they interrogate every significant enemy they come across?

My current plan is to give the group a lot of back story into the Catacombs themselves. Some info on Nualia, and some snippets of Thassilonian history (if they can get her in a talkative mood). I feel like Korvus is a lost cause to group - so animalistic he won't be able to give much information nor be a good pet (our bard has some crazy ideas).

Overall, just wanted to see if anyone had any advise or suggestions on how to continue forward.

[Lincoln Hills]

Encourage this, by all means. The PCs' decision to capture rather than massacre their way up the chain should grant them some insight into the actions of their enemies. As you noted, no one of these minor bosses has enough info to expose the whole scheme - just enough for divination and investigation to make the next stage a little easier for the PCs, and there's no harm in an easy fight when the PCs know that it's only "easy" because their own actions made it so in advance.

I don't want to get into too many details, for fear of spoilers. Just bear in mind that a minion who thinks his organization will eventually free him from imprisonment will provide just enough info to keep himself alive, while one who considers himself betrayed is going to be interested in using the PCs as agents of his revenge - and will either lie or use the truth, whichever works better. In both cases, letting the PCs know that they're withholding a few pieces of information may increase the chance of being tortured for it (this is how evil NPCs are likely to think, even if your particular PCs would never stoop to torture), but decreases the chances of being outright killed - so they may run the risk.

[Damascus121]

Ironically, the party dropped Gogsmurt before the monk had a chance to lay on hand on him.

Now the bard (Thunder caller) is attempting to placate Tanglefoot and tame it as his own pet.

[Kolokotroni]

This should probably be in the rise of the runelords section of the forums and have a spoiler warning

[Miss V]

I think you're on the right track. Maybe offer to tell more if they swear fealty to Lamashtu. ;)

Depending on the character, you might give some teaser information on the Runewells themselves.

This early in the book, though, I simply don't see that much to add. These guys are way down the food chain - as in, may not have even heard of Mokmurian.

As you progress, there are a couple lore tables to help gauge how much to reveal (like Foxglove Manor).

Above all, I recommend keeping in mind that these NPCs are not going to warm to the PCs and may even view them with higher contempt for not striking the killing blow when they had the chance. When you're done disclosing information, tell the group that the bad guy provides nothing that hasn't already been said or lapses into a brooding silence.

Maybe give the NPC the old "cyanide pill in the hollow tooth" trick so that they take what they know to the grave.

[FrinkiacVII]

Honestly, this isn't all that different from what you'd get if you had a decent Cleric at higher levels. With Speak with Dead and Zone of Truth you can kill the badguy bosses and then interrogate them in a lot of cases.

[Damascus121]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Rise of the Runelords Exploits:

Our Bard currently has Erylium in a jar (with holes in the lid) suspended in some netting tied to his side. One party member tried the strong arm approach which just irritated her with how improperly a queen was being treated. The drunken master wanted to let her out to drink with him, but the party made sure he didn't. Our bard, took cues from her calling herself a queen and tied treating her with respect and acted a bit like an interested grandchild to get 'granny quasit' to chat about her past exploits. Overall the group got a bit of a history lesson on the Catacombs of Wrath along with info on who certain people are (How Korvus came to gain an arm, who Nualia is/ her back story). Overall they haven't learned anything that would change how they would handle the situations going forward, but the players got a lot of the background information that they otherwise wouldn't necessarily have had been privy to.

Korvus was so bonkers that the group decided to 'put him out of his misery'. To which the magus did not hesitate to use his new black blade.

I'm thinking at some point, if Erylium in a jar stays around, that the Sage in town will pay the group to interview her. A book may be produced by the end of the campaign (level 15 or so) about the history of Thassilon.