After a tough fight involving overlapping fields of Ghoul Touch stench auras (thanks to an overzealous wizard), my players knocked out Girrigz. They have him chained up in an abandoned warehouse, and are planning to... I don't know, deprogram him? Or something? I don't think they're super clear on it. They didn't want to bring him to Kroft and further threaten any wererat lives, and they wanted to avoid making him a martyr.
I'd like to reward this decision with consequences that aren't just "he gets free later and terrorizes you again," because gods know I'm doing that enough already, but I'm struggling to find a way to make it work without one of the players making Girrigz a project in game; maybe I could expand the role that Girrigz played in the plague? Maybe he's working with one of the villains from Book 2? I'm not sure.
Any thoughts?
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If you wanted to break away from characters coming after them maybe there is a way you can have him imprisoned but where Yelloweyes can help turn him around?
He could be a character you do bring back later maybe later in the adventure to help them get in/out of Korvosa. That way they would feel some level of reward that they didn't just kill him and in fact helped him turn his life around.
The beating he's just received could be the catalyst for his realisation his world view was wrong, now with the guidance of Yelloweyes he's starting a new (but difficult) path.
I only suggest this over him working with other villains because I personally get tired (as a GM and player) of every bad NPC just turning on the players again once when free, as it encourages the "kill everything so it doesn't come back" mindset.
I would personally avoid him being a bigger part of the plague as well just because sometimes it's nice to have character and quests during events which have no links to the main event, someone else said it in a thread I read earlier that if too many people/quests are connected it makes the city/world seem smaller.
Hope my ramblings are some help even if just inspiring new ideas of your own.
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Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, and is helpful! I'm already planning on rewarding their merciful behavior; I've got Verik Vancaskerkin from the first book freed due to plague-problems and intend on making him a helpful presence in the future. I think, depending on how the players treat Girrigz next session, I'll follow your suggestions.
Persuading Girrigz to give up his militant zealotry IS the most satisfying conclusion possible, and the players need a strong win, given the ongoing plague and near-deadly ambush I had Rolth spring.
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So this dilemma turned into something great. The party took a pretty unexpected tact: they sympathized with Girrigz' rage and asked how they could help the wererat population in Korvosa, and noted that the plague could be the stimulus to their current state of affairs that they needed to change their standing in the city. They released Girrigz to set up a meeting with the wererat elders, and the party is dedicated to finding a way that the wererats can contribute to the city's health.
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Thanks for posting an update on what happened OatsMalone.
I'm glad you and your group were able to find a way to turn what's written as a "kill the bad guy" adventure into something everyone will remember as great roleplay.
I am really hoping my group try some things like this so I can start running some custom content spawned off their ideas. Just need November to roll around already so I can get my hands on the new hardback for the campaign.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So this dilemma turned into something great. The party took a pretty unexpected tact: they sympathized with Girrigz' rage and asked how they could help the wererat population in Korvosa, and noted that the plague could be the stimulus to their current state of affairs that they needed to change their standing in the city. They released Girrigz to set up a meeting with the wererat elders, and the party is dedicated to finding a way that the wererats can contribute to the city's health.
In my campaign Girrigz agreed to try and lead as many rats out of the city as possible, reducing the chance of spreading the disease somewhat and thus saving a couple hundreds of citizen lives.
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In my campaign Girrigz agreed to try and lead as many rats out of the city as possible, reducing the chance of spreading the disease somewhat and thus saving a couple hundreds of citizen lives.
My players asked whether wererats had extra resistance or immunity to disease, and I figured "sure, why not; hefty bonuses." They live in the sewers, after all. I think they're planning on getting them to man the plague carts taking victims to the graveyard or Hospice, since the plague carters are deserting by the dozens.