In the KotS game that I'm currently running, the PCs released Splug from the jail cell in return for him telling them what he knows and helping out. Splug's motivation is only greed without any threat to his life. So, that deal started OK, but then he wasn't properly motivated due to the frequent encounters, so they gave him a share of the gold. With that, he was willing to stay in the back and throw javelins.
Since then, we've used Splug as a character for new-to-D&D players, as it is easy to play and is already in the party. We have one show up every two weeks or so, so that works out well. (We only play 1 encounter every Saturday; it's a slow group.) My 65-year-old mom even played one week -- she was visiting for the weekend so I made her play D&D with her son and grandson, and she had a good time as Splug.
However, things changed two weeks back when Splug got blasted down to 3 HP by the hobgoblin warcaster and he ran off in fear for his life. He was hiding out in the room with the statue trap (recall that it doesn't affect evil characters), and when the PCs opened the door, he ran to the other exit. One of the PCs took the bait and ran after him... right into the trap.
That's where they are now. In the Wight room, Splug will be hiding in the little "cave", licking his wounds. I expect that the party will apologize for letting him get hurt (they have treated him with kid gloves, but he has yet to bite them). Unfortunately, he's been waiting for an opportunity to steal the Orcus Idols from the PCs and deliver them to Kalarel for a suitable reward. (In my game, there's a number of Orcus idols that Kalarel needs to finish the ritual, and the PCs have 2 of the 4 of them. The idols are what is actually being dug for at the encounters at the dragon bones excavation and the goblin excavation in the dungeon.) He'll hopefully be able to steal them while they're sleeping (I'm giving them a full rest before the final two battles so that they have all their dailies and whatnot to use), but that will take some cunning on Splug's part as there's a Warforged in the party. One or two of the PCs have taken a liking to Splug, and he should be able to use that to be able to sleep near the PC who is carrying the Ocrus idols, grab them, and run off to Kalarel.
Since then, we've used Splug as a character for new-to-D&D players, as it is easy to play and is already in the party. We have one show up every two weeks or so, so that works out well. (We only play 1 encounter every Saturday; it's a slow group.) My 65-year-old mom even played one week -- she was visiting for the weekend so I made her play D&D with her son and grandson, and she had a good time as Splug.
However, things changed two weeks back when Splug got blasted down to 3 HP by the hobgoblin warcaster and he ran off in fear for his life. He was hiding out in the room with the statue trap (recall that it doesn't affect evil characters), and when the PCs opened the door, he ran to the other exit. One of the PCs took the bait and ran after him... right into the trap.
That's where they are now. In the Wight room, Splug will be hiding in the little "cave", licking his wounds. I expect that the party will apologize for letting him get hurt (they have treated him with kid gloves, but he has yet to bite them). Unfortunately, he's been waiting for an opportunity to steal the Orcus Idols from the PCs and deliver them to Kalarel for a suitable reward. (In my game, there's a number of Orcus idols that Kalarel needs to finish the ritual, and the PCs have 2 of the 4 of them. The idols are what is actually being dug for at the encounters at the dragon bones excavation and the goblin excavation in the dungeon.) He'll hopefully be able to steal them while they're sleeping (I'm giving them a full rest before the final two battles so that they have all their dailies and whatnot to use), but that will take some cunning on Splug's part as there's a Warforged in the party. One or two of the PCs have taken a liking to Splug, and he should be able to use that to be able to sleep near the PC who is carrying the Ocrus idols, grab them, and run off to Kalarel.
