PFS Jade Regent: Empty Throne p6

[Sammy T]

I know it's a longshot, but checking to see if anyone has played this.

Looking for feedback from other GMs about whether or they had an Ameiko NPC accompany the PCs into the Well. Did you stat her out? Did have her basically disappear during combat or stay on the board as a juicy target that the PCs had to defend? Or did you just have the PCs act as her proxy in the Well?

[DrSwordopolis]

Probably a better question to be asked in the Jade Regent section - I know it's PFS sanctioned, but this is non-specific to PFS.

My players haven't gotten to this section yet, but I intend on having her more-or-less disappear. One less character to eat up combat time on.

[DesolateHarmony]

My samurai is Ameiko's little brother. He had to chastise Sister-dearest for sticking her head out during the mass fight. The life oracle had to get to her to help out. She hadn't -quite- gone down, but it was hit-or-miss there for a round. So, she basically limited her actions after that.

[Matthew Downie]

I ran Empty Throne in a non-PFS context. I sent Ameiko into the well with the party - leveled up as a bard. She was useful, but vulnerable if attacked.

She actually died before entering the well, I think due to a load of shadows picking on her and getting lucky. (She got better, thanks to the Seal.)

I didn't send any friendly NPCs into the palace - the party didn't need it.

[downerbeautiful]

Sammy, I'm pretty sure that, because Ameiko isn't given stats beyond level five, she is not able to go into the sanctioned part of the adventure with the party.

Thematically, she should, but the AP assumes that Ameiko stays about three levels behind the party and gets leveled in a way that suits the way the group plays. (If she's even alive at all. Not an uncommon move is to kill off Ameiko, making the PCs the center of the story. If they want to assume the throne, they'll have to fight really hard to earn it for themselves.)

I believe this is another instance where a bit of an AP may not be well suited for PFS mode. Not saying PFS mode for APs is bad, simply that this is an example of where it can fall short.

Edit - If you do include her, it's not like the PFS Police are going to break down your door and tear up your copy of Empty Throne, but considering she'd be a GM built GMPC, I'd wager you aren't supposed to do that (statted out anyway, she's not a part of the AP past book one).

[Mark L. Crowell]

We played in campaign mode... and the characters ended up loving all the npcs and doing their best to protect and build up their relationships with them... In this case Ameiko did go into the well, in order to prove her worth and in much of the style of the old trials to prove onself worthy of the throne... and it became very much about the PCs trying to be good royal guards to their friend. In combat she did help... in that she put up bard song, and made knowledge checks to shout out things the enemy might do or their capabilities. She never did a single offensive thing otherwise, and the party still loved having her (and her lore along.) If i were running it non campaign mode, I would make it very clear she was squishy and important, and give them a choice on whether they thought her help was worth the risk of her dying and making things harder on themselves.