Hypothetical query here ...
I'll use Magnimar as an example. Let's say there's a party of characters who have just finished the Shattered Star adventure path ... placing them at 17th or 18th level. They want to "continue the campaign" and as part of that journey, decide to clean up the slums of Underbridge in Magnimar.
How long would it take characters of that power level, with a fierceness of will, to wipe out slum lords [example - Haugen - the vile scum who uses and abuses orphan children]? How easy would it be for them to really affect quick and decisive change in a city region like that? Most slum lords and petty criminals would get dusted by characters with that much might and clout.
I'm not sure Ultimate Campaign covers this, but if a party like that puts their mind towards a legit "clean up", crime lords and gangs beware.
Curious as to what you guys think ...
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I would guess the act of cleaning up the city would be relatively easy, but then there's the possible fallout. There could be a 20th-level godfather NPC somewhere taking collections from all over the Inner Sea, or high-level necromancers depending on these scumbags for fresh meat. There might also be political fallout, as a move like that might seem to be politically motivated. The mayor would definitely be concerned (even if he weren't getting rich off their affairs) and while the party could handle the local nobility, could they do it without appearing to engage in a coup of some kind?
Nazard is right in his statement but it could be simply worse than that : as soon as the PCs get rid of the Creepers, another gang decides to fill the gap and starts doing the same thing ...
Dealing with this kind of tasks can quickly turn to be like the punishment of the Daughters of Danaus.
Getting rid of crime is not as simple as killing the God father. A lot of Organized Crime exists because they provide illegal serves that there is a demand for. A real world example is the American Mob gaining power during the prohibition because they supplied a service, in that case booze, that was not available legally.
Yes you could kill the mob boss supplied illegal drugs, but somebody else is just going to start selling the illegal drugs. You could kill the boss in charge of a prostitution ring, but another is just going to pop up. If cleaning up crime was that easy, it would have been done already.
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But how long would it take for your 17th level PCs to clean up the scum, about 12 hours of painfully, depressingly boring play.
I advise, if they want to continue, segue 12 hours cleaning up Magnimar (letting them know that a few days after they clean it up, more scum will creep in to fill the void, as mentioned above). But then they discover or are introduced to a bigger job -- extraplanar. Send them to Hell or the Abyss or Galisemni in the Maelstrom.
There's nothing left for them on the Prime Material.
If they want to stay in Magnimar or Lady's Light or Xin or Kaer Maga, ..... they build low level PCs who are hired by the 17th level PCs to continue that stuff while the high level PCs go extraplanar where bigger fish need be fried.
My advice, DON'T let loose high level PCs on Varisian cities and towns (unless you want the game to get ridiculous with Pit Fiends and Mariliths and Wish spells changing the nature of Varisia forever.
Have them move on to extraplanar stuff or make new PCs that get hired by the old ones.