Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 2529670" data-attributes="member: 20323">Play it cagey.The PCs are obviously packing some magic, possibly psionics (the report back from the time hopped vrock is particularly troubling). They travelled by foot to their escape portal, so at least they're not uber-mages casting teleport nilly willy or disguised fiends teleporting w/out error. And they have a paladin who could go toe-to-toe with any vrock. Your succubus is screaming for their heads on a platter. Your main alchemical workshop is in ruins- several orders will be delayed. And your reputation has suffered: "Did you hear that the apothecary teleported away from battle against a group of mere mortals?"It sounds like this was a "crime of passion", in that there was no premeditation to destroying the apothecary's most treasured belonging (his lab). Of course, the apothecary is going to suspect they were enlisted by a fiendish rival...but the presence of the paladin is disturbing and promising. Disturbing if they were on a holy mission from a temple, angel, god, or simply their own damnable morals. Promising if they were manipulated by another fiend into the attack. A paladin you can manipulate is a powerful weapon indeed.Glabrezu and succubus are consumate tempters. Since the apothecary is already personally involved, I would try tempting one or two of the PCs, in particular that paladin. After all, what is one alchemical workshop and a couple of vrocks compared to the luminescent soul of a paladin? The succubus is very keen on bringing about the paladin's fall.Some tactics:* Send succubus to do reconaissance on PCs. Who are their associates? What temples are they aligned with? Where is their HQ? Who is the most temptable among them? What would it take to tempt them? What are the paladin's character flaws?* Spread misinformation in Sigil. Create conflicting reports: The apothecary was defeated by a group of devil adversaries that teleported in minutes after the adventuring party left. The apothecary went mad and slaughtered all its minions before retreating to its mountain workshop. Etc.* Learn as much about your enemies as possible, then tip off some of your business contracts that one of your shipments was destroyed by them. Preferrably this is a customer with some clout (possibly a Hezrou) who is prone to rash action. All the better if the customer is expendable or undesireable.* Consider a defensive stance for a moment. Bump up security. Hire a 'loth or two. Ward your workshop against teleportation. Close down the portal the PCs used (or at least trap and alarm it). Either move your HQ or similarly trap/alarm all portals nearby.* In your newly revised HQ, create a trap room above your main workshop. Basically your lab has a high ceiling which is concealed by a curtain which is disguised as the ceiling (all the better if smeared with contact poison <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> ). In the hollows surrounding the vaulted ceiling are several dretches & a vrock or two (maybe the hezrou). PCs bust in, glabrezu uses reverse gravity while dretches create stinking clouds and vrocks produce spores which PCs "fall" into. Now it's time for a turkey shoot, vrocks armed with bows attack.* When you want to really freak the PCs out and make them attack you out of anger (of course, walking into a trap), mass poison their closest allies.* Restrain yourself from using poison/acid/drugs against the PCs as that will tip your hand too soon. Instead, spend some time in your lab devising a particularly nasty poison and distribute it to enemies of the PCs as a token of "goodwill" in an "attempt to secure their business."Cheers!</blockquote>

Verification