RtToEE, joining the ToAC or CRM

[Fastjack]

I'm currently running some players through RttToEE and I'm looking for a little help with a situation that may pop up during the next session. I think my players may try to bluff their way into one of the temples by getting themselves hired as mercenaries. I have two reasons to think this: first, the players have played the ToEE computer game which featured the ability to be join and work for the elemental temples and second, when they arrived in Rastor I described how even though it was an isolated dying little hamlet they were not surprised to see a group of fighting men show up since small groups often stop by the village en route to some sort of work at the temple in the Stalagos. I even described a couple of dark characters waiting in the Grey Lodge (they are waiting for whomever it is that the temple(s) send to get recruits).

All I have worked out so far is that the temples recruit from various places, the orcs and nearby trolls are given as examples of possible future recruits, the kuo-toa and troglodytes were recruited in the past, and some of the cultists in Hommlet came from an affiliated subcult. I reckon that the human mercenaries in the CRM are recruited from amongst these subcults and other associated vile organizations. The two men I placed in the Gray Lodge are members of a cutthroat gang of thieves who had to get out of Dodge and heard that there was work outside Rastor. One of the temple priests probably figured he could afford to beef up his force (preparatory to an attack on another temple of course) and sent word to various evil groups that he was hiring.

Now I figure that it shouldn't be too easy for the players to insert themselves into the temples and start going Yojimbo on everyone, but I don't want it to be (or seem) impossible either. I am worried that by bypassing the gates and possibly playing the temples off of one another they may make the CRM much easier than intended.

Which temples both need more muscle and can afford it? What will they pay? I reckon they will see and/or believe that the players are fairly experienced, will this scare them? Can they afford what are basically four right-hand men (judging by their current rosters). Will they have to prove themselves first? How? Perform or aid in some despicable deed?

The water temple with its planned attack on the fire temple seems like a natural for the who and why, but will that make taking out two of the stronger temples too easy? (by attacking fire along with water's help, and sandbagging so water eats it hard during that fight). I was thinking maybe something with the arena to prove themselves, but I'm not sure. I'm also divided on whether the 'temple quests' should be things they'll have to do in the module anyway (kill Vranthis let's say) or something extra (recruit trolls that are mentioned as living nearby). I think proving themselves will involve a task, some bluffing and good roleplaying, and possibly splitting up the party ('we can only afford two of you, take it or leave it') which will be easy enough since it is 2 players and 2 npcs including Xaod who won't want/be able to take part anyway.

Basically any help or ideas on how you would (or wouldn't!) run possible inner-CRM intrigue involving the players as agents.

 

[LostSoul]

I am running this game - I just finished a session tonight (though it was a side-quest - the PCs found themselves with some extra time on their hands). Their method was to infiltrate the temple and turn everyone against each other.

My set-up is a little different from the module:

[sblock]I made a thread about it... let me find it. Here it is. Basically I wanted to actually have a time-line instead of the NPC's plots advancing by trigger points in the module as a computer game would do it so that the players would have multiple options and their choices would matter.

In this set-up the Temples in the CRM are there to provide sacrifices for the Triad who use it to create the Orb of Silver Death (I changed the Orb of Oblivion to the Bringer of Doom and placed it in the Dry Steppes; most of the Doomdreamers are out there looking for it). With those artefacts, the Temple can call down another Invoked Devastation.

Naquent visits each Temple at the end of the week to pick up their foul work - the Incense of Dreaming, which she takes to Hedrack, who drops it off with the Triad in the Black Spike. She deals with the payroll, paying the temples, their mercenaries, and the slavers who are out roaming the countryside looking for victims (and dropping them off in Rastor). The Slavers of Suderham (from A1-4) are also working for the Temple.

They were getting their money from a Nalfeshnee that Hedrack would Bind every month and Wish for 25,000 GP. (You can only Bind something if you know its "True Name" so things don't get crazy; Hedrack has it. That was one option for the players - find its name, kill it, disrupt the Temple that way.)[/sblock]

Anyway. That's how it's different. The players in my game decided to infiltrate the Temple; this is how it worked out:

The PCs were able to gather information from Dunrat - they got him Dominated by enlisting the help of Burne in Hommlet - and they discovered the Temple's plans. They knew about Naquent's role in the Temple, so their plan was to free some sacrificial victims from their captivity in Rastor and pin the blame on her.

They were able to bluff their way into the various temples, who are all warring with each other (Chaotic Evil isn't very organized). They ended up battling the Water Temple; Tessimon was able to Scry on them, and she contacted them for aid. Together they took out the Water Temple.

When the PCs told Tessimon about Naquent's "betrayal", Tessimon saw it as an opportunity to advance her position in the Temple's hierarchy. Together they killed Naquent, and then the PCs turned on Tessimon, killing her.

This drew the attention of Hedrack. They successfully bluffed their way past him, but not before he split them up. He forced one of the PCs to become his new apprentice (and she took one of the other PCs along as her "slave"). They passed their test with Satau, then killed Hedrack in an epic battle. One of the PCs (Xoad, who became a PC) donned a hat of disguise and passed himself off as Hedrack.

That's pretty much where we are right now, with only the Triad and the Doomdreamers left. The PCs are between 9th and 11th level. (Their next plan - after they finish some side-quests - is to grab the Talisman of Ultimate Good and use it to destroy Lareth the Beautiful.)

One issue with this approach is that the PCs aren't going to gain much XP - they're better off killing everything in a massive room-to-room grind. If you look at my thread you can see how I dealt with that - by giving the PCs bonus XP whenever they did something that would slow down the Temple's plans.

 

[LostSoul]

To answer some questions:

1. Which temples both need more muscle and can afford it?
2. What will they pay?
3. I reckon they will see and/or believe that the players are fairly experienced, will this scare them?
4. Can they afford what are basically four right-hand men (judging by their current rosters).
5. Will they have to prove themselves first? How? Perform or aid in some despicable deed?

1. All of them are looking for more muscle. The Earth Temple might be an exception, since they're pretty racist, but they might work with someone and then kill them later on. The Air Temple probably has the greatest need, and Fire the least (since Tessimon can create Salamanders as long as she has a sacrifice).

2. As little as they can get away with. I'd probably offer them whatever loot they can take from the cold, dead hands of the other Temples, and possibly a position as head of one of the Temples with all of its benefits.

3. I imagine they'd be afraid - they're probably always paranoid about betrayal. They can't show weakness or fear without putting their lives in jeopardy, though. To me that means the best way to use this new help is to put them to the test: send them against your enemies, then kill whoever's left and take the loot and glory for yourself.

4. Probably not, no. I pegged the cost for each Temple at around 2500 GP per month, for salaries, food, equipment, and sacrificial victims.

5. See #3. Send them against your enemies, then kill everyone. I don't know if there's a test you can pass to gain the trust of an insane, chaotic evil cleric.

 

[Fastjack]

I just want to thank you for your replies, they are exactly what I was looking for. I really like your idea that the temples exist in order to provide sacrifices (and as the incense which they are familiar with already). I think air temple hiring them to attack earth or fire and then betraying them as soon as they can would be a suitably evil thing, if they win they have killed two temples so Hedrack will hear about these Yojimbo dudes messing things up and send his assassins. Getting to the earth temple will provide them opportunities to level-up along the way and maybe even get a gate assault if the main gate suspects they are air aligned (given the troglodyte cleric's affinity with the Earth temple). I also like your use of 'bonus xp' for really messing up temple plans. Your players rolled it all into a bluff through the OF, which sounds totally badass and would probably make the adventure WAY mroe memorable than if you just hacked your way through.

I just need to make sure the betrayal doesn't result in TPK, maybe if they lose they will get used in the arena or some other less-than-death fate. As you point out they are insane chaotic evil cultists.

Again thanks for all the great ideas/advice.