So, I am fully aware that the first act of this campaign is insanely hard, particularly the first dungeon. I am planning to have the tavern fight take place with the party at level 2 (the rationale being that they leveled up for completing whatever it was that gave them their Dark Secret), and then the Dungeon of the Dead Three at 3rd level. I am also planning to allow the party to get help for the dungeon (Tarina at the Elfsong Tavern will actually make a snide comment about them looking like they'll need it). To keep things sane, I'll only allow them to get help from one source, and once they've secured that help, nobody else will help them because DM Magic. The help they can get will either be backup from the Flaming Fist or from the Five Factions. Here's what I've got:
Captain Zodge will get mad at the party asking for help, threaten to cut some of their pay for it, and then assign Gauntlet Hartwin to help. He's a veteran who is armed only with a spear and shield, so only two attacks from him. Hartwin will adopt a Leeroy Jenkins strategy until he takes enough damage, at which point he'll leave the dungeon (I'll roll his fight with the Dragon Cultists in secret).
The Emerald Enclave safehouse in Baldur's Gate is Torimesh, the druid in Insight Park. He will give the party a scrap of bark which functions as a scroll of Fortune's Favor, one healing potion per member of the Emerald Enclave, and the party will be joined by an awakened cat. The cat (I need to think of a goofy name) will consider itself a patriar and will occasionally rub against the party to help them cover up their "ghastly man stench". Otherwise, it will be a faithful scout. Also, the Master of Souls will have a rat familiar in the dungeon that will alert her, which the cat will swiftly devour before the rat can report them.
The Order of the Gauntlet operates with the Gravemaker Crew in Szaar Mansion, and also has a secret safehouse inside the city that faction members will know about. They will assign a Bronze Dragonborn Knight (uses the new UA rules for his breath).
The Harper operatives inside the city are Syndra Sylvane who has yet to arrive back from Chult, since she's recovering from her sickness and the Death Curse affair, as well as Falaster Fisk, who has recently gone missing. The only other contact is a teenager named Teron Shore, the son of Chultan immigrants who own a store in the Upper City. Teron is a 4th level sorcerer (no metamagic) with the Gift of the Metallic Dragons feat.
The Zhentarum can assign a halfling Spy who carries two vials of serpent venom.
Inside the dungeon, the Master of Souls will not have Fireball prepared (I'm thinking of Summon Undead Spirit?), but her rat familiar will be in the area where the Bane followers are torturing a man.
Spoilers, obviously.
So, I am fully aware that the first act of this campaign is insanely hard, particularly the first dungeon. I am planning to have the tavern fight take place with the party at level 2 (the rationale being that they leveled up for completing whatever it was that gave them their Dark Secret), and then the Dungeon of the Dead Three at 3rd level. I am also planning to allow the party to get help for the dungeon (Tarina at the Elfsong Tavern will actually make a snide comment about them looking like they'll need it). To keep things sane, I'll only allow them to get help from one source, and once they've secured that help, nobody else will help them because DM Magic. The help they can get will either be backup from the Flaming Fist or from the Five Factions. Here's what I've got:
Inside the dungeon, the Master of Souls will not have Fireball prepared (I'm thinking of Summon Undead Spirit?), but her rat familiar will be in the area where the Bane followers are torturing a man.
Any thoughts on the changes?
l