Advice: Stopping at 11th or 12th level

[Douglas Muir 406]

My group doesn't love high level play. Too many options, combats take too long... the usual. So there's a consensus to wrap things up around 11th or at most 12th level.

We just finished Curse of the Crimson Throne two weeks ago, and I was able to adapt that pretty readily. (Cut most of the Cinderlands and about half of Scarwall, then go straight to the final battle with the Queen. Then all you have to do is nerf the Queen down to CR 15 or so.) That was fairly straightforward. Kingmaker... looks to be a bit trickier.

So, advice: how would you run Kingmaker as a campaign that ends around 11th or 12th level?

Doug M.

[Andostre]

It's been a while since I've read the 2E version, but I'm very familiar with the 1E version. One piece of advice that I've always given players asking similar question is to just drop Nyrissia from the plot altogether and make one of the earlier BBEG's the main antagonist. They don't even have to be a behind-the-scenes villain. They could just be someone who turned their attention to the PCs when their kingdom got big enough.

Dropping Nyrissia from the plot (at least in 1E) is no big deal, because the AP really doesn't let the PCs know about her until higher levels. I don't remember if it's the same in the 2E version.

This AP has lot of BBEGs and/or high-CR henchmen. Choose one of them that the PCs should encounter at the level range you're looking at, and make them the final battle. Bonus points if you can connect the PCs' backstory to this encounter.

[sgtwhy]

We recently made it 80% through the new AP for Kingmaker ... around level 15, just preparing to enter Chapter 9.

** spoilers **

Without changes, ending it after they "free" Fort Drelev would be around level 12.

With some effort, you could trim it further to let them face off with King Irovetti but starts near the end of Chapter 8, where they are 15th level.

But that would likely require adjusting alot of content in the process.