request for adventure ideas

[Gilladian]

As usual, I'm asking if anyone can spur my imagination...

The situation is this:
+

In my campaign, which is really dungeon-based, but I've thrown in a lot of Kingmaker locations outside the dungeon, my pcs have suddenly (after getting beaten up badly in the dungeon) decided to go bandit-hunting for a while.

A second NPC adventuring party (whom my PCs mostly dislike) announced 10 days ago that they had discovered the location of a large "bandit keep". They hired 8 1st level warriors (we're playing 3.5) and claimed they were going to "lay siege" to the Keep.


Now, the PCs ignored this for 10 days; at that point they decided to go after the other group. Not being great trackers, and not knowing where the Keep was, they hired a local ranger to lead them to the Keep. It is a few days travel away, in a hilly, lightly wooded region, near a large lake.


My PCs are 5th level, so I've added a bunch more lower-level bandits (doubled them, and upped them to 3rd lvl warriors), and have beefed up the lieutenants a little bit.The fort, for those who don't know Kingmaker, is also protected by zombies in the "mound" around/under the fort.



But, my quandary is; why haven't the other party managed to wipe out the keep? What's going on? They are also about 5th level; a grippli wizard, a fighter/cleric multiclass, a fighter, and a catfolk rogue. They have their 8 1st level warrior henchmen as well.


What are some fun things that could have waylaid them, or problems they could have encountered? The NPC party is really borderline evil. I could even see one or two of them joining the bandits!

 

[renau1g]

Well, as you mentioned, perhaps one (or 2) of the enemies joined the bandits and that tipped enough of the power in their favour.

Perhaps they ran afoul of a group of Boggard's that I hear are rumoured to be in the area, the Staglord, kobolds, or even the dreaded Taztlewyrm. Oh, and mites too....

Perhaps any large owlbear, or a wandering troll up from the swamps nearby, fell upon the unprepared party and laid waste to their hirelings.

They could be scoping out the keep trying to figure out if they can overcome without their hirelings.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Perhaps the characters could arrive at the bandit keep and find the keep besieged by the other group, decide to infiltrate the keep to help the bandits defend their base against the other group?

 

[Grogg of the North]

Disclaimer: I'm not familiar with kingmaker.

Perhaps they've already attempted to storm the walls and failed. If there are undead in the motte(?) their advance stalled and archers picked off the hirelings. Now the other adventuring is attempting to wait out the bandits and force them to come out of the fort.

 

[The Red King]

Maybe the group never made it there because they are getting drunk in town? Did the bandits pay them more to leave? Or join up with them? Maybe the bandits are in league with a higher level wizard? Litch? Vampire that helps with fortress fortifications? Go crazy with it.

 

[Yora]

Comming up with reasons is easy. But I assume you are looking for ideas how to include the first party in an interesting adventure that is not just simply attempting the same thing the first party failed to accomplish?

Easy solution: The NPCs were defeated. Either never made in inside, got killed on their way there, or both NPCs and Bandits annihilated each other. But where's the adventure in this?

To make things interesting, I would arrange a situation in which the confrontation between the groups caused something unexpected that is much more complicated than before. Ever better if it makes the players say "How fortunate we weren't the ones to make the first attack".
I think one possibility is that there was something being prepared inside the keep that the bandits guarded, and the NPC party interrupted it and caused some disaster. Maybe something escaped, or something collapsed. A flesh eating monstrocity, a magical black hole, poisenous stuff bubbling from deep within the earth... Something like that.

 

[Lwaxy]

I would arrange a situation in which the confrontation between the groups caused something unexpected that is much more complicated than before. Ever better if it makes the players say "How fortunate we weren't the ones to make the first attack".

This! And if it is just that the bandits had some spies in the area and knew there was someone coming, but now they have used up their resources for a while and don't at all expect another party. The terrain could have been changed - maybe there is a forest fire, something awful has been awaken in the lake by accident... oh so many possibilities

 

[Animal]

Here's an idea.
Evil adventurers laid siege on bandit fort. Bandits tried to fight them but quickly realised they are outmatched and locked up in their fort. A few days passed and suddenly another group arrived - a renowned paladin, his squire, two pages and a small retinue of men-at-arms (for example paladin lvl6, paladin lvl3, rogue lvl2, bard lvl2, 12 warriors lvl1 respectively, all mounted too). Apparently they also came to root out the evil bandits, but as the paladin sensed evil cleric's aura, he challenged him to a duel and suggest the rest of the npc party to disband and leave. Evil npcs forged their own plan. Evil cleric accepted tha challenge, but instructed his mates to attack the paladin after he engages in the duel, and after he dies the rest of his men will go down easily. But evil cleric did not expect that this paladin was REALLY good at smiting evil and got gravely wounded right in the first round of the duel. His accomplices rushed in to gank the paladin and managed to land a few surprise hits before paladin's men also engaged. But as this all was happening shrewd bandits sortied and attacked both parties from behind. After a quick but vicious battle all three parties withdrew with heavy losses. Neither was able to prevail. Now, as your PCs arrive on the scene, all three groups lick their wounds and are afraid to strike for fear that the other two will wipe them out.
To make your players' choice not so obvious make the paladin a total jerk who refuses to work with any group which contains non-good characters or who don't revere his god and don't share his views. All the better if you've got an evil PC in your group.
Let them pick sides and solve a moral dilemma. Side with the paladin, who scoffs them, evil adventurers, who hate their guts.. Or even bandits who will backstab them at first opportunity? Don't side with any of them and try to wipe them all off and have their butts whooped by all three groups combined? Or just retreat and cover themselves in shame?

 

[Gilladian]

To make your players' choice not so obvious make the paladin a total jerk who refuses to work with any group which contains non-good characters or who don't revere his god and don't share his views. All the better if you've got an evil PC in your group.
Let them pick sides and solve a moral dilemma. Side with the paladin, who scoffs them, evil adventurers, who hate their guts.. Or even bandits who will backstab them at first opportunity? Don't side with any of them and try to wipe them all off and have their butts whooped by all three groups combined? Or just retreat and cover themselves in shame?

Oh, ye gods, this is great! I hope I have time on Saturday to write this up! It is EXACTLY the sort of creative inspiration I was hoping for. I even know who the paladin is; they've met him once before, though they may not remember it!

 

[Animal]

Glad i could help!
Let us know how it went.