|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
My group is just wrapping up their time in Thistletop, and as we work our way into Chapter 2 I'm worried that my players are going to piece things together when they receive their first clue from the sheriff.
Has anyone else had issues with their players coming to the proper conclusion so soon? Any ideas for slight modifications or additional red herrings to keep them guessing?
My group is just wrapping up their time in Thistletop, and as we work our way into Chapter 2 I'm worried that my players are going to piece things together when they receive their first clue from the sheriff.
** spoiler omitted **
Has anyone else had issues with their players coming to the proper conclusion so soon? Any ideas for slight modifications or additional red herrings to keep them guessing?
Sandpoint has at least five 'Noble' families, aside from the fact that it is only a couple days ride from Magnimar & likely considered a nice 'vacation spot' for a number of their 'nobility', particularly considering most of Sandpoint's noble families are effectively 'cadet branches' of Magnimarian Houses.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Any ideas for slight modifications or additional red herrings to keep them guessing?
You might have the players, as a tail end to Chapter 1 or intro to Chapter 2, be brought before a council of the noble families of Sandpoint to brief them on events that have transpired. Play up a dislike for the players* and perhaps a creepy lewdness for one of the members**. Make him or her look like a potential antagonist.
*If you've ever played Mass Effect, the Turian Councilor would be a good reference for how I'd do that. Basically, whatever the PCs have done, he frames it in a negative light.
**Likely the female PC. Make them feel like they worked for the clues. Perhaps a perception check to notice him staring at her chest, or some such. Maybe a knowledge: local roll tells them that there have been rumors that he's been lusting after her or something. The harder you make them work for it, the more likely they are to believe it's genuine.
Give them multiple chances to learn of it. Make the DCs look as high as you can but have the best shot at succeeding. If a PC has a +13 in perception, then a DC 20 might look high enough. If they've focused enough to get a skill up to +16 or more, then no matter how high they roll, they "just barely made the DC" to discover it. If they roll really low, just smile mischievously and chuckle to yourself, saying "oh my, this could be fun" or something similar to make them fret about having failed to notice something important, then give them another chance to notice it later using a different skill.
I'm in the exact same position at the moment.
Great ideas, Poldaran.
My group was certain that the Scarnettis were behind the murders somehow. Part of this lies with the fact one is a bastard son and half-brother of Titus Scarnetti (the character is in his late 20s so seeing that the Elder Scarnetti only died 20 years ago, it's quite probable the elder sowed a wild oat before dying), and thus hates the Scarnettis and wants to cast them down and take their place. ^^
I think when all is said and done I'm going to have the GMPC say "Huh. I guess the Scarnettis WEREN'T involved after all!" at which point Tongs will probably snarl "bite your tongue, thief!"
The Mass Effect's Coucil idea sounds just great. I spent months hating all the Councilors, so I think I can play them pretty accurate... >.<
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hmm my group initially thought of Foxglove, but i had Deverin hire a dwarven squad of engineers to colapse the smuglers tunnel. They told the Pcs that they were actually in sand point to renovate the Foxglove manor, but their employer had fled to magnimar after the goblin attack. Or rather thats what people think.
Then i had scarnetti bandits cause alot of trouble at the same time as the murders putting Titus and Vhiski in the spotlight.
Then i had the Pcs discover that Tsuto had escaped on his way to Magnimar's court.
Then i had the Caizalu surrender being put in jail but still seeming to have quite some power in the city.
They will find clues of Foxglove manor next session, but til then im quite sure they are in the dark.
As a player, yeah, the first note made me immediately think of Foxglove, since my character (wizard) had sarcastically referred to him as "Your Lordship" all through the Boar Hunt. It also didn't help that my character was the only one to survive a near TPK the session before. :S So the note was very obviously tied to me, since everyone else was new in town.
Despite making the deduction after the first note, we talked as a group and decided to do more investigation, since I could well have been "jumping the gun" (and XP and loot!), by making the accusation.
As we've just got to The House of Haunted Hill, err, I mean, Foxglove Manor, I guess we'll see how far down the rabbit hole this goes...