Hi everyone
There is a chance I could be running Rise of the Runelords in the near near future (it is in the top 3/top 4 of a list of potential AP options)
One of my slight concerns is that I have played aspects of this before and have (on I think more than one occasion) be known to rant/'tell the story of' the boss encounter of Book 2 when I played
When I played we were a bit screwed over by the GM on gear among other things and had almost no chance of winning. As a result I have definitely ranted about the TPK at least once.
Whilst unlikely to be on the surface I think the memories could be jogged as soon as the start climbing the tower
How could I change the final encounter to maintain the surprise and challenge? Thanks
You could get them to roll an unbeatable Will save at the bottom and describe the building as something else entirely, leaving the stairs in the same place as the actual map (so the players don't drop off) and then, when they eventually reach the top and hopefully beat X, the illusion spell will fade, revealing the true appearance of this building.
GM tricks are all things like this need, though granted you could change the location altogether or even create your own.
You can definitely set her hideout in another location, the difficulty or ease of such depends a lot on what your players remember of your stories: do they know it's a tower? Specifically, a bell-tower? Could set it in an abandoned lighthouse (switch the falling bell for a falling beacon of light), or a hollowed-out (non-load-bearing) pillar of Magnimar's tremendous bridge.
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Yeah, putting people through the adventure you complained to them about a TPK in it isn't an enviable position for anyone involved.
Fortunately, Magnimar is a city that's full of dangerous places to hide. You could make a sewer maze, a defunct temple of Sarenrae, or even a judge's manor. Though those would most likely require new maps to be drawn.
I don't know how much you told your players, though, their memories, or how much they'd let on if they recalled anything, I dunno how to help specifically. You could just run it as written and watch the players blanch as they realize what they're up against. If they find out too late, they won't be able to effectively plan against it all.