I don't feel the necessity to build Kell up as this immovable object. If my PCs were to straight up attack him in his theatre, that would probably go pretty poorly for them. On the other hand, if they came up with a really good plan and were well-prepared, then it play out differently.
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Here is the e-mail that my wife and I came up with
today, triggered by a letter we got from Kell right before we head off the Ziggurat (it follows a much longer e-mail I sent earlier in the week setting up our preparations before we leave Flint for the next week). Obviously, we not only think we can take him out (based on our interaction with him and the DM), but it is something we are looking forward to:
Sergeant and Team,
Lorcan Kell has made a grave mistake by threatening a Vekeshi Mystic, unbeknownst to him. There will be repercussions. In addition, as his powers and influence have grown, the Nettles has decayed into an even worse state, and crucial RHC resources have been diverted to deal with this problem that
we have amplified. Lorcan Kell must be dealt with!
I have decided to coordinate an assassination of Mr. Kell with my fellow Mystics. While I await their response to my query as to what aid and resources they can provide, I ask that you help me set up a lethal ambush for this pompous crime boss. I have been devising a plan to pull Lorcan Kell out into the open where he can be destroyed.
If he wants his comrade Kaja back, he can have her. Once we return from the Ziggurat, I plan to raise her, perhaps using the resources Cal has provided, and then either befriend or charm her. Hopefully, she will choose to join our mission. We can also interrogate her about the circumstances of her death. At any rate, we will contact Kell through Kaja, at which point she will set up a meeting at a neutral location. Then we can make our move.
To prepare, we need as much information on Lorcan Kell as possible. Why does he appear to be so attached to Kaja? How can we convince him to come to a location of our choosing? What powers and defenses has he prepared for himself, especially in light of his deal with Caliphax? Doran can use his Docker contacts throughout the city to compile an entire dossier on Lorcan Kell, including who he is, where he came from, and how he made it to the top. Rai should contact Cal and try to pry the nature of Lorcan Kell’s deal out of him. The rest of the team can aid in these investigatory preparations; we do not want any surprises.
Once we have set up when and where Lorcan Kell will be, we can arrange an ambush for him. The crucial part of the assassination comes from Bellicose; he will be set up at a good vantage point to snipe Lorcan Kell and hopefully tag him with a kill shot right off the bat. Either Kirk or Doran will accompany Bellicose to serve as a spotter (aid another). The rest of the team will hide in and around the meeting location and will attack once Bellicose has gotten his first one or two shots off. Since we really want to take out Lorcan Kell as quickly as possible (hopefully with one bullet), Bellicose needs to make a few preparations to aid in his sniper kill. Using his Gunsmith expertise, he should set up the following weapon for this one-time hit (the items can be disenchanted and he can switch back to his normal gear after the ambush):
Vendetta Bullet [Lorcan Kell]: Automatic Critical Hit
+2 Vicious Sniper Rifle: 2d12 + 1d10 extra damage on critical hit.
Potion of Clarity: Reroll miss on next encounter or daily power.
Whetstone of Venom: Apply to rifle to make next shot deal ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends). Every good assassin uses poison to supplement his strike.
Oil of Red Flame:Apply to the
Vendetta Bullet to make it explode in a fiery ball. Next shot deals ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends).
Disruptive Shot: Encounter power to daze (save ends) Lorcan Kell
Clever Shot: Bellicose can spend an action point during the surprise rounds to follow up with a clever shot and knock Kell prone; then we all attack while Bellicose and his spotter provide support fire.
Sniper Shot:100’ range, +20 vs. AC (reroll miss), auto crit, 2d12 (brutal 2) + 1d10 (brutal 2) + 19 damage, and dazed (save ends), ongoing 5 fire (save ends), and ongoing 5 poison (save ends).
Action Point: Clever Shot, +18 vs. AC, 1d10 + 9 damage (brutal 2, high crit, vicious) and the target falls prone.
Average Damage: 71 damage. (Bellicose is almost guaranteed to hit and at least bloody any heroic tier human elite/leader. The purpose of our investigations will be to determine if Kell currently qualifies as a heroic tier human elite/leader, or if we need to hold off on our plans for a bit.)
At this point, Kell will be heavily damaged, prone, and dazed, as well as being poisoned and on fire. Someone on the ground team will have a Tanglefoot bag, as well as possibly other beneficial items. We can all follow-up with our daily powers if Kell somehow survives Bellicose’s initial volley.
If you have any thoughts on these plans or this course of action, please contact me before we leave for the Ziggurat. I plan to send a message to the Mystics right before we leave.
Sincerely yours,
Irony
Edit: If you are interested in more of our adventures, check out Isklexi's recaps under the Redbadge's Zeitgeist campaign thread. Also, I typed up an official investigation report for the first half of adventure 1 and posted it here on EN World near the start of the Zeitgeist AP. It got a lot of good comments.
Also, [MENTION=63]RangerWickett[/MENTION], check out my post for that thread you wanted us to respond in.
