Is this a good idea?

[Wicht]

I am starting a new campaign in a couple of weeks. Without going into too many details, I have created a villain that I think I can use as a reoccuring villain and have given him a diabolical scheme that is currently in motion and which the PCs have to thwart as their first adventure.

But I am also going to have the villain aware from the outset that the PCs are being sent to investigate the going-ons and as an intelligent guy he is going to try to hinder and slow down their discovery of him.

He has access to the alter shape spell and also he can fly as a natural ability. So as the PCs are going down the road to where they are heading, the plan is, he will fly halfway there, find a shrine to the PC's deity and at the shrine, assuming the appearance of the parties paladin, this villain will ruthlessly hack a townsperson apart in front of witnesses and then flee.

A few hours later the PCs walk into town and are subsequently arrested. I think it should make an interesting encounter, but my worry is this... 1) There is a real possibility that the PCs will react badly and kill a few townsmen. 2) The end result of this is that it will cause the paladin to immediately lose his divine abilities. 3) The result of this might be frustrated players from the get-go which I don't want.

So on the one hand I think the encounter is good, on the other hand, I have never played with three of the players and don't want to chase them away immediately. So I am looking for opinions... Is this a good role-playing encounter or just going to start the game off on the wrong foot?

 

[Zappo]

IMO, it's better to treat first-time players with velvet gloves. Setting up ploys in which they will almost certainly fall nose first is better reserved for when they already know and trust you.

 

[LostSoul]

I think it might be a good way to end the first adventure. The PCs head into town, weak and weary, when the captain of the guard approaches them: "You are under arrest for murder!" dum dum dum. Fold up the game right there.

 

[Tom Cashel]

If I were you, Wicht, I'd play it straight for a bit before "setting them up."

But by all means, have your evil NPC lurking in the background right from the start. Just don't have him start acting against the PCs so overtly until he realizes that they are a threat.

 

[Yuan-Ti]

Well, if the town is going to try to lynch the paladin, then you are right, there is going to be trouble. If they try to arrest him, the paladin--properly played--should be willing to go to trial. On the one hand will be a number of villagers saying "we saw him do it" and on the other the PCs "he was with us."

But this is where magic comes in. A local priest ought to be able to use some kind of divination spell to confirm the paladin and the other players are telling the truth.

Now, if you want to be really devious, try this:
Have an NPC join the party and adventure with them for the earliest part of the campaign (he can be someone who has info they need and then sticks around to help out). Make him likeable. When they get to this town, he is the one everyone saw kill some townspeople. Go through the trial bit and have the local priest step forward (or at the suggestion of the PCs) and use his magic to determine if they are speaking the truth. And then have him announce that the NPC is lying! At this point the PCs have to make a tough decision--do they kill a bunch of townspeople or let the NPC die. Regardless, they are likely to poke around to find out why the priest lied (since they know the NPC was with them). Have them find the priest's body after some investigation... turns out your major villain also killed the local priest, took his place, and made damn certain that NPC was going to get hanged for the crime.

Spur of the moment, but I hope it helps.

 

[Sodalis]

that is absolutely despicable.. and i like it. i like it a lot...

nice plan yuan ti

 

[Yuan-Ti]

that is absolutely despicable.. and i like it. i like it a lot...

nice plan yuan ti

Thanks, Sodalis. I try to be devious sometimes. It's good for the grey cells.

But I missed an issue with my idea. If the PCs aren't careful and they find the priest's body after the trial, they just might find that the townspeople assume they killed the priest for his final evidence that fried their friend. So, you have to make sure that it's obvious to the authorities that the priest was dead before the trial, with two results: 1) the authorities are going to realize they just executed the wrong guy; 2) some of the townspeople are STILL going to think the NPC was a killer and that the PCs killed the priest, regardless of what anyone else says. This could have consequences further down the road... like if they get accused of murder somewhere and a merchant from this town steps forward and says, "They're guilty! They've done it before and gotten away with it!"

"Errr... No, we were exonerated of those other murders... errr.... RUN AWAY!"

 

[Enkhidu]

A different twist

How about - instead of hitting your players with a set up right from the get go, you "pay it straight" by having the reocurring villian lay a bunch (and I do mean a bunch) of false trails. As the players track down each false lead, the villian gains more insight into their abilities.

The great thing about this technique is that you can bring things to a head with the villian whenever you'd like. All you would need to do is decide that the lead that your players are on is the real one rather than a false one.

Or, why not make the shapeshifting villian take the form of a someone the party believes is friendly and make the villian the person they get the leads from in the first place?

 

[Phoenix8008]

Hiya Wicht,

I like your plan alot. Wether or not you go after your new players on their first time out is a tricky question and one only you should answer.

I have one thought on the plan you proposed though. DON'T have the Paladin lose his special abilities! His god surely knows that he is innocent, even if the other mortals don't believe.

Other than that suggestion, I'm outta here. Have fun and do as thou wilt!

 

[Dave Blewer]

But this is where magic comes in. A local priest ought to be able to use some kind of divination spell to confirm the paladin and the other players are telling the truth.

Yeah... But so are the townspeople. Who is he going to trust, the strangers presumably dripping (figuratively) with magical items any one of which to mask a lie... Or the villagers who he delivered, educated and chastised and who are good friends of his?

Great idea though, consider it yoinked!