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I am in the planing stages for this module.
I wonder, if it might be a good idea (I know, it's said otherwise in the module), to let the pcs actually be townsfolk.
I think, it might be easier to motivate them to investigate the collapsed tower and all that is behind it.
I, personally think, that it will not be too bad, if the pcs know one or two things about the town. They don't have to know much about the history of it's founder, so that there will be enough to find out about the twon they're living in.
Any thoughts? Did someone already tried this?
I recently finished running The Dragon's Demand for a group and I told everyone that they had to choose characters that were not from Belhaim. I did allow one PC the backstory of having already been in the town as a visiting historian for the past month before the other PCs arrived. I did this because the player was specifically interested in history and lore, as was her character.
In my personal opinion, I would not allow the PCs to be townsfolk because it takes away from a lot of the exploration and discovery in the module. You're going to have to give them background information ahead of time that their characters would know, which I think would dampen their experience of finding things out on the fly.
If they are playing adventurers, aren't they already going to be interested and motivated in exploring the town and major plot points that happen?
Obviously, you can run the module however you want, it's your game. I think if you really want to allow them to play as townsfolk you're going to have to go over backstory with them and flesh out the town more so, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
This is just my opinion. If you decide to go through with allowing the PCs to play townsfolk, I hope you update this thread. I'm curious to see how that would go!
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Problems I can see with having your PC's as Belhaimians:
* You will nullify several of the diplomacy based quests and will need to make up the lost experience:
1) Making friends or enemies = 400xp
2) Hero or Villain = 1,600xp
3) Best Friend or Worst Nightmare = 3,200xp
* As citizens of the community, you will need to provide more detailed information about EVERYTHING. The module's author assumes that the PC's are outsiders and therefore privy to only a certain level of information about Belhaim, its history and (more specifically) Hunclay.
I've been running it at home for several months (Beginning of Chapter 3) and just started another run in PFS (Part 1). I would recommend that you do not make that change and run it as intended by the author.
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Ok, guys, those are exactly the kind of answers I was looking for. You both have run it already, and those answers made me decide to run it as intended.
But one PC has some infos about an uncle in his backstory (which he described as a very nice man). I think, this one will be Hunclay, and the PC is on its way to make a surprise visit. So, some pcs will be caravan guards and one only a passenger...
Again, thx guys!
Hunclay as his uncle? That's an interesting twist. Although that might give you a snag in a couple places:
I'm not sure how much of a nice guy Hunclay was, but that's probably open to interpretation.
When Hunclay's manor is getting auctioned off, the reasoning behind this is his only known relative lives far away and doesn't want to come to Belhaim to claim anything. So will you have everything go to that PC? My players were very keen on purchasing the manor itself, and even brought it up with Lady Devy several times.
Hunclay is from some distant land...Rahadoum, I think? Will your PC also be from there?
Can you still go through with the auction? It's kind of an important plot point, since that's when the PCs first see Aeteperax.
Those are just a few things that you may want to look into while you're planning the module. Good luck!