Pathfinder RPG: Plotting Between a Rock and a Hard Place

I've given up on posting a campaign journal here mostly because words pale in comparison to a session's true happenings. I feel this is for the best though. I suspect most of us avoid reading through  campaign journals (on any site) pretty much for the same reason; they pale. They're also often dull. Such journals just aren't likely to capture the very real excitement of "the play" and again this is just for the best. I suspect this too because that's my own habit, unless the writing in a campaign blog is particularly griping or is at least brief, which would be unusual.

Nevertheless, something of definite interest is developing in my Crimson Tombs campaign, a development that speaks to what I prefer in designing a successful campaign. Over the course of the campaign, the characters have found themselves pitted against forces they're not quite in tune with yet. In short, the party has become a definite nuisance to shadowy movers well passed their understanding, quite possibly more powerful than themselves. This came to head this past session (just as the party reaches the cusp of 6th level) and has now become the central excitement of the campaign. Even I can't wait to see how it turns out!

As has become frequent in the games I run, the planned adventure material ran out a little while ago and I'm now running what I would call more of a scenario than an adventure. It's this scenario which is proving to be one of the most interesting I've ever devised. The party is firmly ensconced between two powerful groups who want the same thing: a mysterious ancient tome they recovered from the dungeon in which they're now trapped. The party hasn't even been tempted to turn its pages for fear the tome itself might be dangerous in and of itself, something I can neither confirm nor deny at this juncture. However, given their surroundings, their fears are certainly well founded. So, technically they have three threats to worry over. (I should mention that the only detractor is the barbarian wizard, played by my brother, who wants to crack that puppy wide open and see if it can help! My brother's a novice player, but I really love the way his character's personality is developing.)

In any case, the party quickly discovered their ensnarement as soon as they tried to leave the dungeon, feeling quite satisfied that they'd recovered the book with no enemy the wiser. Enter the first powerful group, a competing party, three of whom appear to be vampires, interested in obtaining the self same foul tome for their own nefarious purposes (they want to resurrect another even more powerful vampire, a cult leader from over 200 years ago; they've even been so brazen as make their plans known to the party... a fine old bad guy tradition).

Numerically, the party is outnumbered 5-to-6. However, vampires are powerful opponents in any version of our chosen game system and, as far as the players are concerned, no telling how powerful they and their allies (to outward appearances, a witch, a goblin rogue and a fighter type of some sort) are from a game statistical standpoint. My players know full well I'm not one to pull any punches and that I run a campaign where players have a very real chance of dying. I can confirm that they truly are in just this sort of peril because they seem to have no delusions about that. I do run the sort of campaign where players absolutely can bite off more than they can chew. While I do believe in game balance, 5-10% of the time their just is an ancient danger in the country side a given party just can't handle. If they chose to go there, in such cases, they just deserve what they get. That's not the case here though; their interference has put them here instead and that too is heroic.

The players have now discussed several ways out of their immediate peril, which includes giving the vampires what they want in return for assistance in escaping the second peril awaiting them on the surface: mysterious clerics of Vecna about whom they have almost no intelligence. In fact, that IS the extent of their intelligence. Interestingly, the only member of the party with any good in his alignment suggested collaboration with the vampire troupe. The player, my eldest son, has so far explained this as just a clear choice of two evils--live to fight another day--quite reasonable, if you don't play the alignment system too staunch, and I never have. I like some gray in my black and white.

While tromping through the jungle to reach the dungeon they also encountered barbaric cannibals, so it's not outside the realm of possibility that they might also be waiting too, allied with the clerics. I should also mention that the clerics have hostages: a wizard named Quelkin, with whom the party recently became acquainted, and a halfling ranger (former player turned NPC) named Amaryllis Cooper.

While the party is still building a strategy, and after all they have the whole real-time week to think things over, it now seems likely they'll attack the vampire troupe instead. After getting over the initial shock of their predicament, they took stock of their assets and are now considering hedging their bets. The most interesting asset they listed: A decanter of endless water. I have to admit right here and now that even *I* didn't see that coming! You see, vampires in the Pathfinder RPG are vulnerable to running water, losing 1/3 of their hit points to it. This illustrates another thing I do in my games, or rather don't do: I don't always have the enemy prepare against every eventuality. I don't mind being out thought at all! In fact, that's exactly what I'm looking for! I encourage and welcome it! It's when players don't think that I get a bit concerned.

Unfortunately, while discussing this plan, the party discovered that one of the vampires had vanished from the area upon which they were scrying (via a feature of the dungeon). So now they're not even certain if their plan has been overheard or not (although *I* know). Uncertainty, challenge, mystery--this scenario, as I've termed it, has everything I absolutely adore about tabletop roleplaying games. You just can't buy a plot like that in any computerized RPG, though that's certainly not the point at all. We're having a most excellent time and THAT, my friends, is the point!