Most likely the message in this post will be big.
A while ago I did another post on this adventure road in which I asked about pairing Book 1 with Plunder and Peril. But after today's game, all these plans have expanded and I do not know how to bring it back to normal.
In short, two players died on the ship from a plugg (both were at low hp), and the third was saved by a fourth player who only recently joined. They also didn't save the survivors from grindelow and some of their loot was taken by the plugg. And the blame for everything is the fact that they hoped for Sindara and did not have a healer among the players (there was a skald, but he only has healing from spells), which is why they were consumed by the disease and they were often not at a high number of HP
As a result, the plugg's ship is about to sail away, and the fourth player, who is a true neutral merflok, with whom the players entered into an agreement on mutual assistance, dragged the survivor to the shore.
My main question is now how to return to what was originally planned: the death of the plugg, the capture of the ship by the players, and then changing its appearance in Book 2 or participating in Plunder and Peril.
Hmm, something I did not think about such an easy and obvious decision. Old players will be taken from the island, while new ones will most likely start with a festival (new characters are associated with the dead). But then the question remains about Plugg. He and the Scourge must die, and the friendly NPCs must survive. Maybe they were affected by ghoul fever, or had the cook poisoned the food in some way? I need Herrigan to think by the third book that it was the characters who killed Plaug and captured the ship.
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You could let them meet Plugg and Scourge after Plunder and Peril.
If Mans Promise was poorly changed at Ricketys Squibs by Plugg, then the players can recognise the ship when they meet it. They can then get revenge at Plugg and Scourge and a extra ship, if they do it smart (getting the crews support),
And If the players can recognise the changed Mans Promise - then Harrigan will recognise it to. Just let Mans Promise be a bit better than Magpie Princess, so they change their flagship.
I dont think Harrigan cares about Plugg, but he cares about losing a prize.
Or just let Harrigan lose some other treasure to the players - like coming 1 week late to Black Coral Cove or ManCatchers Cove.
Indeed, Herrigan is more excited about the ship than the Plugg itself.
Regarding the rescue of the surviving players from the island: repairing the Magpie Princess ship takes about a week and I think this time is also important: it gives some information about the mutiny and the captain, and also gives the players a sense of usefulness (on Mans Promise they were slaves), and such an opportunity it will be very bad to miss. But on the other hand, what will the survivors of the island do? Merfelk is a cavalier, he can theoretically bring 1 or 2 NPCs or payers to some settlement
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Regarding the rescue of the surviving players from the island: repairing the Magpie Princess ship takes about a week and I think this time is also important: it gives some information about the mutiny and the captain, and also gives the players a sense of usefulness (on Mans Promise they were slaves), and such an opportunity it will be very bad to miss. But on the other hand, what will the survivors of the island do? Merfelk is a cavalier, he can theoretically bring 1 or 2 NPCs or payers to some settlement
I don’t understand your problem. If Magpie Princess was damaged in the same storm as Man Promise, but arrives a couple of days later to get shelter and make some temporary repairments.
Then the players just need to survive a couple of days and then board Magpie Princess. Then Magpie Princess sail for Lillywhite to get better materials and complete the repairs and the story goes on along the script from there.
Regarding the rescue of the surviving players from the island: repairing the Magpie Princess ship takes about a week and I think this time is also important: it gives some information about the mutiny and the captain, and also gives the players a sense of usefulness (on Mans Promise they were slaves), and such an opportunity it will be very bad to miss. But on the other hand, what will the survivors of the island do? Merfelk is a cavalier, he can theoretically bring 1 or 2 NPCs or payers to some settlementI don’t understand your problem. If Magpie Princess was damaged in the same storm as Man Promise, but arrives a couple of days later to get shelter and make some temporary repairments.
Then the players just need to survive a couple of days and then board Magpie Princess. Then Magpie Princess sail for Lillywhite to get better materials and complete the repairs and the story goes on along the script from there.
The problem is not with the ships themselves or that they broke down. The problem is that while the new characters are busy fixing the ship, the survivors on the island can only wait, in terms of real time. They can try to save Sandara and another NPC, but they have few resources for that on the island. I don't really like it if one of the two groups of players is waiting and do nothing
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Ah.
I would just tell them that they felt miserable for 2 days licking their wounds (give some back from full rest).
Then let Magpie Princess come by for shelter and temporary repairs. Then sail for Lillywhite. No need to roleplay all the days.
Or the new PC’s could recently have been recruited by Varossa and already on the ship.
sorry for the long answer. About licking wounds and the fact that some players know the Captain can help, because after what happened, they will only cooperate with those who at least somehow know, and this will speed up the start time of the module, but this will not break the intrigue and mystery of the mutany and treasures?
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Yes you need to read the entire adventure thoroughly to make the right ajustments when the players goes "off script".
Mystery and intrigue is mostly flavor and should not be the problem, but the players motivation to follow the story and the story's integrity is what you should look out for when you change the story.