DM in a fix, needs technical support (ANDREW STAY OUT)

[devastator]

So I'll start off with a super quick run down of the campaign, so you have a quick idea of what is going on:

Adventurers have been summoned through space and time into the future, where demons summoned through a mystical gate have laid waste to mankind. Adventurer's are promptly ordered to "fix it." Throughout the world small communities of humanoids still live in hiding. The Adventurer's have uncovered the location of three hideouts.

Current problem:
I just introduced the adventurer's to the new BBEG, through rather sneaky means. The lizardfolk in the world are well educated survivalists and nomadic creatures... who have made a deal with the demons, who really aren't interested in munching on anything but humans and their pink counterparts (part of why they were summoned).
The BBEG, a lizardfolk, currently controls a nearby castle, and is in charge of a semi-large army of demons.

The adventurers just met said lizardfolk and a few of his cousin bodyguards while traveling through the forest. The lizardfolk, being a smart guy, tricks the group into befriending him, and they unwittingly reveal the location of all three human communities. They ask him for his help besiegeing the castle once they round up an army from the castles.

He sneakily agrees, and they agree on a rendevous point.



Now, it seems I have a few options, all of which result in the adventurer's getting owned in more or less a resounding fashion.

1. The lizardfolk meet the group at the rendevous point with a bigger army, and following a dramatic BBEG reveal trounce them ambush style.

2. The lizardfolk meets the group with a smaller army, and slowly has the humans picked off on the way to the castle until they finally arrive to find the castle "empty" and a dramatic BBEG reveal occurs within the castle walls, "where no one can escape".

3. The lizardfolk sends his own army to go clean up the communities after the adventurer's leave each one, resulting in a massacre of the only mortal civilians left in this part of the world. (He then either follows up with option #1 or #2)

4. I time warp the group to the past or even further in the future and give them a small mini-quest which may possibly reveal the lizardfolk's treachery.

Yeah, I'm unfortunetely stumped. I want my players to have fun with this part of the campaign, but I don't want their plan to completely backfire when all the defenseless civies they leave behind get obliterated. Anyone have cool ideas?

 

[UngainlyTitan]

The BBEG decides to go with plan 1, unfortunately he feel that he has in suffuicent forces to garrison the castle and ambush the advertures so he dispatched couriers with orders to a number os subordinate formation to rendezvous near the agreed meeting point. Or better yet orders two corp to meet with his household forces and a third to cut of the advertures retreat. The party stumbles across the courier and intercept the message.

The message gives the dispositions and locations of the enemy forces but not enough time to do anything much about it. There may or there may not be enough informtion to ID the lizard as such, imo there should be clues but it should not be obvious.
So the party know the bad guys know their plans and are going to ambush the rendezvous and can lay counter plans. But not that their allies are the bad guys. So the BBEG arrives does his thing and then it is up the PCs as to wheither their counter plans are enough or they should leggit.

 

[knightofround]

Yeah that sounds like a tricky situation to DM out of. I'm not a huge fan of 1, 2, and 4 because they are fairly cliche. How about one of these instead:

1. Double Agent. Reveal the BBEG to the PCs in a way that the BBEG isn't aware his "cover is blown". This sets up a ticking time bomb situation where the PCs can save the communities if they act quickly. The BBEG is very secretive and is a cautious planner. If the PCs can double-cross the BBEG in a quick and quiet manner, then the secret will die with him/her. However, if the PCs act in a matter that makes the BBEG aware that the PCs are "on to them"...then the human settlements are doomed.

2. Sharks and the Jets. A portion of the BBEG's demonic army rebelled against the BBEG while he/she was away. The BBEG's rival is now in control of the castle. The BBEG loves this opportunity because he/she can use the humans as cannon fodder to wipe out the rebellion against him/her. THEN you could have a BBEG reveal after the castle is captured. Preferably at a "victory banquet" of some kind....the cuisine is "to die" for! (Bonus points when the BBEG's loyal demons do actually "sup" on humans)

 

[knightofround]

Double post

 

[fba827]

I don't know how reasonable this would be based on population in the area, but perhaps some random soldier or peasant or survivor (either for the BBEG or for his opposing force) happens to wander by and asks the lizard for info/orders/something (or attacks him if an enemy or deserter).

Basically it would allow for an encounter where the PCs have the opportunity to find out what's going on depending on how they play it.

 

[devastator]

All good ideas, one thing I should have mentioned I suppose is that the lizardfolk and the party have already gone their separate ways to make preparations.
I like the Sharks vs Jets idea, the party recently interrogated a demon and found out that their pecking order is determined via "darwinism"... or so you could say.