BTLOTM |
So I may have dug myself into a big of a hole here. I've been GMing for a while now, but mostly Pathfinder Society and Homebrew stuff. I've only ever played one AP, but am going to be starting RotR soon for my group. The problem I've come into is that my party is going to be starting at level 3. They're from the town of Kassen and they will soon complete the module "Crypt of the Everflame", and I have plans to take them through the two sequels to it, Masks of the Living God, and City of Golden Death, modules tiered for a level 3 party and a level 5 party respectfully, though Golden Death is suppose to be incredibly difficult from what I understand, Masks seems to be of a role play module from my experience.
My original plan was to hold off on the two modules till after the completion of book 1, my party isn't very power built (Rogue, Cleric, Sorcerer, Barbarian, Samurai). We've been doing everything on the fast track. My major concern is that I'm worried they're going to cakewalk through the first book, if I have done my math correctly, they'll be about halfway between level 5 and level 6 by the end of it. What I'm trying to do is toughen up the first book a bit but would be open to suggestions. Any help would certainly be appreciated.
the Lorax |
I think it's fine to let players feel awesome/powerful, but I get that some DMs don't enjoy running encounters that are cake walks.
My advice to do it quick and dirty (and lighten the workload) would be to triple (or more) the number of goblins in the initial Festival encounters (placing lots of extra goblins as scenery, some of which injure or kill themselves is good fun.
Also, add the Advanced Creature simple template to many of the goblins and other threats along with throwing in extra goblin bards to provide more buffing to the group (and allow you to use more goblin singing!)
Named/important NPCs?
Advanced templates and a few more allies should keep things easy for most things, but it may be better to actually give the human NPCs more levels and advance them the hard way. Restoring Naulia's barbarian ally who died in the trap (as say a 6th level barbarian) and building Naulia herself as a Cleric 7/8 should keep the Thistletop finale work.
Its the Glassworks & Catacombs of Wrath encounters that are actually a bit more of a challenge. Tsuto definately needs to get away to be able to reinforce Thistletop, so letting him take a couple pot shots from behind a bunch of goblins (before running away and drinking a potion of invisibility). Catacombs just needs more Wrathspawn, again Advanced Templates.
By the end of Burnt Offerings, I wouldn't worry about it overly much, your 5 player party will have you sorted out pretty quickly.
Bellona |
Some good advice has already been given, but I will jump in with my own two coppers' worth.
First off, put the party on a slower XP track until they reach the right level according to the AP. (Either the Medium or Slow track.) Or just freeze their XP until they reach level-appropriate content.
Secondly, the party has one more character than the AP is built for, so max out the foes' hit points. Also, add more foes and/or levels to the opposition. (By my count, you have something like 2½ front-liner, 1½ utility, and 1 full arcane characters.)
I changed Tsuto into a Monk 3 (zen archer archetype from APG) /Rogue 1 (sniper archetype from APG). This was done and run prior to Pathfinder Unchained, so I haven't been back since to look at how that might affect my conversion. If he gets away after taking some pot-shots at the party, then have him warn Erylium before going on to Thistletop. And considering your group's level, you might want to level him up too.
Erylium can be very nasty, particularly if she is more prepared (even more so if levelled up). Let her get the zombies up from their pits, and prepare spells best suited to combat the party (Tsuto or her familiar can give her information on the party's make-up). Let her hit the Barbarian with fear effects, and either the Samurai or Rogue with Ray of Enfeeblement. Keep an eye on your party's individual encumbrance values (unless they all wear little/no armour, carry light-weight weapons, and have Handy Haversacks or the like) - she caused a lot of grief for my second party with that spell.
And if you really want to give the party a run for their money, let Erylium cut and run if things go badly for her. My first group let her get away, and she made it to Thistletop - which was really bad news for the party when they finally got there. Erylium as a flying, invisible, very stealthy look-out/spy/saboteur can be extremely deadly. She might even cut ropes when it might cause the most trouble (for climbing, the bridge, to release any prisoners taken, etc.).
You can add an extra vargouille to the room which already has one.
Lyrie definitely needs some beefing up. As it stands, she is most likely to be caught unawares and without any meat-shield.
Regarding Nualia, I made her into a Warpriest 6. With your group, you might also give her some extra levels. Plus give her some extra yeth hounds.
The shadows _probably_ don't need any help, just read up on the incorporeal rules beforehand (they are in scattered locations in the rulebooks). And remember that they cannot leave their crypt.
And check the other threads on the RotR sub-forum! :)
Latrecis |
I think more information may be necessary. Kassen is a long way off from Sandpoint. What is the backstory that explains the group being in Sandpoint? Getting from Nimrathas to western Varisia could be an adventure in and off itself.
That question sets up the next one: did you have a plan for getting the pc's connected to Sandpoint? That's one of the major purposes for Book 1 and if the players/pc's don't pick up some level of attachment/commitment to Sandpoint, the AP is going to give you some fits. They will be coming back to Sandpoint again and again - if the players don't care about it, they may resist/dislike repeat visits. One normal solution to this is for the characters to originate in the immediate vicinity, an option you don't seem to have. The other method is the series of encounters in Sandpoint itself at the beginning of Book 1, but those will be no challenge to your 3rd level group. Beefing them up is a lot of work for you and comes with a hidden downside - it only gives them more xp which in turn makes it harder to get them on the xp track assumed for the AP. (You also have another difficulty challenge - the AP is written for 4 pc's and you have 5.)
One idea is you could omit the lead-ins - everything up to the Glassworks (but not the Cathedral). Perhaps the pc's have a reason to be in Magnimar (don't know anything about the modules referenced to make a suggestion) and Hemlock stumbles upon them while trying (in vain) to get help from the city government for his goblin problem (the initial attack has already happened.) In desperation he hires them to go to Sandpoint right away while he tries to get more aid from an unresponsive Mayor (which by the way gives you a chance to foreshadow how Magnimar's government "works.")
Dropping the pc's participation in the initial attack creates a gap - they don't get introduced to Aldern. But you could solve that by having them come upon Aldern being attacked by goblins on their way to Sandpoint from Magnimar. He could then journey with them to Sandpoint and <insert creepy beginning to their relationship here>
When they get to Sandpoint, the town is in an uproar because the scene at the Glassworks has just been discovered (as if the pc's don't go there right away as described in the AP.) The mayor has Tsuto's note to Ameiko and she and the other noble families (perhaps even the Scarnetti's) are outraged about what's happened to the Kaijitsu's and they up the pay for the pc's: find out what's going on and rescue/capture Ameiko (is she in on it or a victim?)
I'd make the smuggler's tunnel hard to find (so the pc's can find it when they investigate yet explains why the guards didn't.) When they explore the tunnel, they find Tsuto's journal perhaps with a note from Ameiko hoping someone would find it. This gives you another method of increasing difficulty (beyond the suggestions above and in many other threads for groups above 4 players) - urgency. Tsuto's journal should make clear human sacrifice is a real possibility and Ameiko may be a prisoner. After they deal with the Cathedral, the Mayor offers a higher reward if they can bring Ameiko back alive (by the way if you ever want to run Jade Regent, she needs to live.) This means the pc's can't be as leisurely in their efforts at Thistletop - every time they retreat to rest/recover they risk losing their bonus/an innocent woman being sacrificed (whichever motivation works for your group, hopefully both.) This means pressing on when retreat is safer which in turns increases the danger/difficulty.
Bellona and the Lorax have good suggestions for upping the strength of the npc's though I would add one clarification: the shadows CAN leave their room, it's simply they don't do so of their own volition. If Nualia has Command Undead (say instead of the power attack feat for which she does not qualify) she can readily compel them to join her.
Crazier ideas to increase the difficulty: Malfeshnekor is free and Nualia and her forces are in the last stages of preparing for the real attack on Sandpoint when the pc's get to Thistletop. (Warning: the barghest is a significantly more difficult encounter if not trapped in one room.) Or Nualia's found him but hasn't broken the binding to free him yet. She plans to sacrifice Ameiko to make that happen. This is too much for Orik and he comes to the pc's during their assault in desperation - if they don't get to the temple soon, the noble woman will die. (Some goblin raids and sacrificing a few of them to Lamashtu is distasteful but a job's a job. Human sacrifice and dealing with actual demons is another thing entirely.)