New Campaign, 1st Adventure Question

[Kryndal Levik]

You could make the ratmen part of a cult worshiping a god of pesilence- they could purposely be spreading the disease (fouling the water supply, for example) as an "offering" to their god. After defeating the ratmen and their leader (an evil cleric? Or possibly a druid, as suggested previously?), they may find some evidence that there is a larger plan by the cult... This could provide some hooks for future adventures.

 

[Xarlen]

A Druid makes sense, but a Cleric using Blight Magic is even better. Especially to a god of Pestilence and Poison.

Be CAREFUL with that carrion crawler. I nearly wiped out a 7th level party with 3 carrion crawlers (EL 7). It gets 8 attacks (even if they are a +3), so that will at LEAST be 3 fort saves they have to make in a row.

If you can, have the Cleric use some blighted undead. The Ranger will HATE them. Have some come out of the water, perhaps? Grapple PCs and pull them in?

Maybe the Ratmen could be spreading disease by animating the corpses of animals (Snakes, mice, etc), and using them to move through the food in the marketplace, spreading disease.

A medium giant spider should be a good chalange too. Or several Small ones.

Maybe the PCs could meet a Ghoul who doesn't immediately attack them. Maybe he doesn't like the ratmen, and can give the PCs information... if they help him. Bring him food. Or the Ghoul could be working for the Ratmen. Lurking in the water, a look out, he swims back, tells what he sees. Or a Ghast, that uses his stink as an alarm system.

 

[Tonguez]

I once ran a campaign in which a mysterious diease was sweeping through a city and putting people into a coma.

The PCs, who worked for a woman named Fat Sally (Midwife and Tooth Fairy*) had to work out what was causing it all.

Anyway they did the sewer tour fighting - rats, strirges and exploding methane - and met a group of Goblin theives who were lead by a Ghast named Rotten Eddy. Rotten Eddy in turn had been hired by a Dark Lord** named Lord Autumn who was using the disease to take over the Dreams of mortals and thus invade the Fae Realms of Arcadia!

The PCs were thus contacted my Mother Goose (Mother Nature) and asked (well ordered really - we are talking about The Mother herself) to stop Lord Autumn before his plan came to fruition.

This involve a jaunt across Arcadia (were they met a number of 'Fairy tale/Nursery characters including Puss in Boots, Peter Piper the Pumpkin eater (and his wife the Haridan), Jack Frost and the Troll from under the bridge) As well as Lord Autumns nightmarish minions (modified (effectively blighted) goblins, kobolds and skeletons)

* Tooth Fairy is more a prestige Class than a actual Person - responsible for ensuring that loose teeth are not available for sympatheic magics to happen (yes idea stolen from Pratchett)

** Homebrew Monster - sort of a Liche born of Shadow and Darkness