Hi all,
So I thought I'd get a bit of advice from those here about the best method of proceeding with a scenario that's come up in my campaign.
The background is that our group of murderhobos (APL: 6) rescued an orc from a cage at a crossroads who claimed to have been wrongfully imprisoned for kidnapping three children from a local village. They learn that the orc was actually a huntress seeking revenge for the murder of five orc children from her tribe by our BBEG.
Adventure bait is swallowed hook, line and sinker, and the party frees the orc and she leads them to the bad guy's hideout. She tells them the BBEG has allied with a hag who commands a group of ogres for muscle.
The group murder the ogres, murder the annis hag, kill a half dozen small fire elementals and then successfully engage a greater barghest with conversation rather than violence. Said barghest is, of course, a complete a-hole about revealing anything more than the barest of information, but agrees to assist them if they return with the BBEG's corpse.
They retreat and rest, come back at full strength and discover the next room is protected by five allips bearing the features of the dead orc children. Background is that the hag turned their spirits into allips. Party take some serious wisdom damage but survive and open the door to the BBEG's chambers.
The BBEG is in fact a Summoner, currently engaged with a Planar Binding of an efreeti. The efreeti is within a circle of silver powder, and as combat starts it roars to be freed. One of the characters does in fact free it by breaking the circle, meaning it aids the party in attacking the BBEG, turning a CR 10 fight into a CR 8. The party kill the Summoner, but two of the group fall unconscious during the fight.
We left off for that session as the BBEG was slain, but for next week's session I have planned the resolution of the encounter with the efreeti. I could use some brainstorming from the community about how you'd approach this as a player so I can plan some stuff in advance, because no matter how well I prepare, no plan survives contact with the players.
Currently, I believe the players think the efreeti is a large fire elemental, since I deliberately used a token for one and described it as a "burning giant humanoid figure" when they saw it. Nobody has attempted a Knowledge: The Planes check to figure out what it was, though savvy players might note that it spoke in Common, which elementals don't know.
Had the group left the efreeti inside the binding circle, they could have possibly pumped it for a few wishes in exchange for freedom. Since they freed it, it won't willingly grant them wishes, but it won't attack them without provocation since they assisted its escape. However, it will attempt to take the three children from the local village as slaves before plane shifting back home to the City of Brass.
If you were the players, what strategies would you use here? The party rogue is unconscious, but the samurai is at full health, the telekineticist is in pretty good shape, and the cleric is at half health but currently lacking any spellcasting ability due to wisdom damage. The last player, a magus/cavalier multiclass, is in pretty bad shape.
I would offer an innocent young maiden to the Efreeti as payment for a-- hold on. What alignment are they?
I don't really see this situation going well for the Efreeti. If they eventually learn the intentions, the players will have to kill it. Assuming they take a strong ant-slavery stance. (Which I hope they do.)
Of course with that much damage, I think that would require a deal. You could ask for a wish to heal all the players, and if the Efreeti is gracious enough for being freed that could work. Then if they find out the intentions, it seems perfectly fair they do everything they can to destroy it. Although, recognizing the ability to grant wishes means... It's gonna take some shady shenanigans to walk out of this one. Should be doable though. Maybe call in a favor with the Barghest?
We've got a strong anti-slavery theme in the party, which means conflict is pretty likely.
One option I did consider is having the group be offered a trade of the three children for the orc NPC in exchange, since a trained warrior is more valuable as a slave. Currently the orc treats the magus/cavalier as her master who's owed a life-debt (said character has Leadership, so the orc counts as an NPC follower).
I'm pretty sure the efreeti will wipe the floor with the group if they go the combat route. I guess he'll probably just knock them out and leave them alive out of respect for freeing him. They're pretty worse for wear after the boss fight against a CR 10 Summoner and her pet eidolon, with only the samurai capable of putting out any significant damage right now.
Trading the Orc for the children is a pretty brutal move. I mean, she might be down, seeing as how the BBEG is slain and the children she came to save/avenge were turned to undead who've now been murdered twice, it might make sense for her to submit to being turned over to the Efreeti so that no more children suffer, although that would make her the most noble orc that has ever been. The morality of that situation really depends on how the sacrifice feels about it.
Personally, if I was this Efreeti I would just go home, I can come to the prime material and snatch slaves whenever I want, no need to tangle with these ratcatchers just to kidnap some brats, hell, I didn't even want to be there today, I was busy on the plane of fire, living my own life.
I think the players forfeited their opportunity to gain some sort of boon from this genie when they freed him, he really should've just planeshifted immediately, unless it explicitly vowed to assist them if they broke the circle.
Currently, I believe the players think the efreeti is a large fire elemental, since I deliberately used a token for one and described it as a "burning giant humanoid figure" when they saw it. Nobody has attempted a Knowledge: The Planes check to figure out what it was, though savvy players might note that it spoke in Common, which elementals don't know.
As a GM, I allow my players automatic knowledge checks when they encounter something. I don't think it should depend on player agency to identify something.
As for the rest of your question, assuming the party can get back on it's feet, taking down the Efreeti shouldn't be too difficult. A CR 8 encounter vs a party of level 6 characters should get 1 or 2 rounded, depending on circumstances. There should be no real way, barring incredibly bad luck or calls, the efreeti escapes this alive if it chooses to take the children.
I suppose the angle I'm coming from with the efreeti is that the battle is over and it's time to loot the corpse. From the efreeti's perspective, slaves are a valid form of loot, so it's getting something from having spent a few days of its time stuck in a summoner's circle.
As far as the efreeti goes, it's there not just for the roleplaying fun but also for the opportunity to earn the difference in XP that the group lost by the CR reduction of the boss fight. However, I'm fairly certain that the weakened state of the party means it can probably mop the floor with them right now. I kind of see an efreeti's lawful evil nature to include a strong sense of honour and desire to exact retribution on someone who summoned and trapped it, meaning it would hang around and try to kill the summoner when they're distracted instead of fleeing immediately. It also means the group has a shot of learning that the BBEG had summoned this efreeti before and gained a few wishes, notably a wish to duplicate the Clone spell, meaning they and their eidolon are still alive somewhere (but that the players can also loot the current body).
I've got the orc as a worshipper of Lanishra, orc god of slaves, so if her 'master' orders it, she'll willingly submit to being exchanged, since she genuinely believes she has no rights except to do her master's will.
I'm liking the ideas we're getting! Any other ways you'd see yourself throwing a curveball at a DM who gave you this scenario?
Honestly, I would be fairly disappointed in a party with an anti slavery theme, as you said, if they offered up a slave in exchange.
Have you considered the idea of the Efreeti being a shrewd business outsider, and have him explain that he needs something in exchange for his time, and if it's not the children, something else? I mean know it's not a devil, but it seems in line to me that an Efreeti would be great for a deal with the devil type thing.
Doesn't have to be souls, could be favors, a percent of future acquisitions (ie, party loot, cut of a business ventures etc.) Or just money, that could be a great moral situation, what's more important you're wealth, or 3 children. Maybe have them make an offer, so he can balk if it's too low, or if it's higher than what he would accept, still balk to try to negotiate higher.
Now I want to put an Efreeti in a dungeon in a business suit, just looking for deals it can make.