DM in need of advice for Kingmaker #3, the Varnhold Vanishing

[Vitulv]

My players kind of took a very direct approach to this adventure. They travelled to Varnhold, found the clues, spoke to the centaurs and then went immideatly for Vordakais island. To me this is a very reasonable approach, and this is how I would have done it, had I been a player. I mean, they need to save lives, so hiking around solving side quests would be a strange thing to do, don't you think?

So whats the problem then? Well, the characters are too low level to take on Vordakai (two level 7 and one level 8 iirc). They found the back door, and it was very close to a TPK when they faced the soul eaters and the piscodaemon. They do, however, wish to push on, since they fear that the villagers of Varnhold are in need of immideate rescuing. I admire this, and I do not want to punish their heroism. Neither do I wish for them to take a "break" from the dungeon just to stroll around and kill lower CR monsters in the wilderness, just to get XP - that would just be storytelling. There's a great feel to the adventure at this moment, and I don't want to destroy that. Neither do I wish for a TPK, since it would mean the end of a great campaign.

So, should I just tune down Vordakai, or do you guys have any better advice?

 

[Asmo]

Can´t you add a fourth player to the group?
I can´t shake of the feeling that if you start to scale down the monsters now, you have to do it for the rest of the adventure.

Asmo

 

[enrious]

Disclaimer: I likely run campaigns differently than you.

I ran into the same problem and my group wanted to do the same thing for exactly the same reason.

So I let 'em. And I was honest and up front with them that for some reason none of the testers of the AP were as logical and heroic as they, thus they'd be underpowered.

They tried it and got run off, spent a lot of gold for items and I gave them an extra level as they ran about town gathering supplies.

It worked out for them, although they were a level below the recommended, but coupled with a few cohorts from leadership they were fine.

The next book is sorta more open-ended, but frankly I'm ditching the sixth and ending the campaign in the middle of the fifth.

You may have better luck, but I ended up having to fiat xp for them in those latter books (either that or have a wandering monster behind every rock).

 

[Celtavian]

re

How did they end up different levels? This is exactly why I never allow for xp gain at a different pace for different characters. They should be the same level. If you are running with only three characters, they should be above the level required.

Didn't they get enough xp to level to 8 at Varnhold?

With three characters, they should have been almost level 8 or level 8 after Rivers Run Red. Varnhold should have been enough to get them to level 8. They should hit level 9 after dealing with the centauars, the encounters on the way to Vordakai's, and defeating part of Vordakai's lair. Why is the xp gain so slow for your group? Are you not using the medium xp gain?

 

[Vitulv]

I've must have been on drugs when I wrote the OP. There are five characters, two level 8, two level 7 and one level 6. We started out with equal xp, but after a while me and my group discussed it, and all of us felt that xp should only be rewarded when the player is present during play. Since a couple of players have been abscent to and fro, their characters have less xp.

It works for us, and I made sure everyone agreed to this rule before implementing it.

 

[enrious]

Obviously your game and all that, but IMO, Kingmaker is one AP where it's best to keep everyone the same.

After all, ideally your players aren't competing with each other.

 

[Saint Mac]

Ok, this is truely a IMO comment.

If they want to go up against a big baddie and you've given them the feeling that this is a big baddie place, then let them do it.

I'm also concerned (as stated above) that the differances in level from one player to another, might come back and bite you in the butt.

I know you can't control it all the time, but by book 3, they should get the picture of "I need to be there". One level difference? Ok. If that player that's level 6 doesn't show for several sessions, now he/she is 2 levels.

I guess some have made everyone appropreate level before starting the next book....might consider that.

You could try off-the-cuff stuff like some reason all of therm have to be there to open doors or something of course