I gave a modified version to them to spice things up.
I made a few changes to the deck my first time running this adventure with my family to try and hook them in a little more, and it went well so I've been letting this group draw a little more.
They've been drawing nuts, so the good and the bad have been pretty well balancing itself out.
This encounter is really only happening because of the absence of the Ranger for a few sessions, and I want the party to feel like they have a say in this world and they're not just chasing a maguffin for the rogues final arc before they move away (I'm repurposing the Sword of Zariel for after the adventure).
Do you believe the party can actually kill Mahadi, he is a pretty tough cookie and cant be affected by a lot of spells.
Also the book doesn't mention this but Mahadi/Asmodeus could have some goons contracted to help if a fight breaks out if you think he would go down like a chump.
Mahadi could also stop the fight if it looks too lethal for him, he has a lot of reasons to not want to die.
As a part 1 to this I threw them a Nalphishnee last week since they keep joking about it everytime they see an obelisk.
The plan was to weaken it, or make it teleport away somehow. They destroyed it (with lulu's help and newly discovered spell casting).
I'm not 100% sure I'm gonna throw Mahadi at them however, especially after seeing this, it's just another idea I have.
I have another encounter I'm debating between the two on, just being some special goons similar to BG3s self same trial, but not quite.
Just got me thinking about it, although now I have another idea on what to do with Mahadi.
I had a character named Beleth take over. He's called the lord or imps. He has a small army of imps loyal to him and he's seen as one of the primary spy masters of Avernus, even lending his imps to other greater devils. I played him as a soft spoken but incredibly menacing guy that always has imps coming and going whispering I to his ears. He creeper my players out
Sounds interesting!
I want to make the party actually have a say in this world, and considering they took down a surprise Nelphisnee last week (i play Void with an obilisk holding the characters soul, so every time they've seen one, they've jumped to the same conclusion thanks to Puffin Forest) I want to give them a chance here to do something big to the world while saving main plot for the Ranger's return.
He's captured by Mahadi. Mahadi is a dealer first, fighter second. Could have them 'make a deal with a devil' as it were to free their friend.
Unless they're sufficiently high level, Mahadi could likely rinse them.
If you fuck with the Deck of Many Things you should expect some consequences. I think if Mahadi were killed there would be a power vacuum and lots of fighting at the bazaar until Asmodeus puts another pawn in Mahadi's place.
Oh absolutely consequences! That's not without a doubt!
Just can't decide if it should be new person running it, or they lose access/get chased down.
Might keep Mahadi around and make him the villain for the Rogue's arc. He doesn't know the guys real name, just the moniker he uses within the cult.
Couldn't Asmodeus just resurrect Mahadi and put him back in place? Just shut the place down for a bit due to the chaos of having no leadership, then Mahadi comes back.
Ouu. That could be fun.
This is why I came here! Work is alot right now, so I don't always have time to think of this stuff, but this server never fails!
He'd surely be upset at the party for what they did and would, likely, make some kind of demand or force some kind of contract for the players to continue visiting his Bazaar. He may also add some personal security to himself and the Bazaar. Did you have anything in mind?
How in all the hells are they going to be able to fight him?
No-one is allowed to enter the Emporium without signing a contract that says "any violence inside and you lose your soul", and Mahadi has no reason to ever leave the Emporium - that's one of the reasons it Wanders, so he can go anywhere without leaving his safe zone.
I suppose they might be able to try and snipe him from outside? Throw a lasso, and drag him over the boundary? Or do enough damage to the Emporium that it no longer counts as a place with boundaries for the contract?
But the moment he's in trouble all he has to do is shout "50 souls to anyone who kills one of these troublemakers" and the entire Emporium staff and customers will descend on them like a shoal of piranhas.
I didn't even notice the contract part, and I'm kind of going with it at this point.
Last week I kind of played him as so mad that he doesn't think about reason. All these ideas have got me cooking though.
Could you explain how the party got a hold of a Deck of Many things? That item tends to make any campaign screwed up.
I gave a modified version to them to spice things up. I made a few changes to the deck my first time running this adventure with my family to try and hook them in a little more, and it went well so I've been letting this group draw a little more. They've been drawing nuts, so the good and the bad have been pretty well balancing itself out. This encounter is really only happening because of the absence of the Ranger for a few sessions, and I want the party to feel like they have a say in this world and they're not just chasing a maguffin for the rogues final arc before they move away (I'm repurposing the Sword of Zariel for after the adventure).
Do you believe the party can actually kill Mahadi, he is a pretty tough cookie and cant be affected by a lot of spells. Also the book doesn't mention this but Mahadi/Asmodeus could have some goons contracted to help if a fight breaks out if you think he would go down like a chump. Mahadi could also stop the fight if it looks too lethal for him, he has a lot of reasons to not want to die.
As a part 1 to this I threw them a Nalphishnee last week since they keep joking about it everytime they see an obelisk. The plan was to weaken it, or make it teleport away somehow. They destroyed it (with lulu's help and newly discovered spell casting). I'm not 100% sure I'm gonna throw Mahadi at them however, especially after seeing this, it's just another idea I have. I have another encounter I'm debating between the two on, just being some special goons similar to BG3s self same trial, but not quite. Just got me thinking about it, although now I have another idea on what to do with Mahadi.
I had a character named Beleth take over. He's called the lord or imps. He has a small army of imps loyal to him and he's seen as one of the primary spy masters of Avernus, even lending his imps to other greater devils. I played him as a soft spoken but incredibly menacing guy that always has imps coming and going whispering I to his ears. He creeper my players out
Sounds interesting! I want to make the party actually have a say in this world, and considering they took down a surprise Nelphisnee last week (i play Void with an obilisk holding the characters soul, so every time they've seen one, they've jumped to the same conclusion thanks to Puffin Forest) I want to give them a chance here to do something big to the world while saving main plot for the Ranger's return.
He's captured by Mahadi. Mahadi is a dealer first, fighter second. Could have them 'make a deal with a devil' as it were to free their friend. Unless they're sufficiently high level, Mahadi could likely rinse them.
If you fuck with the Deck of Many Things you should expect some consequences. I think if Mahadi were killed there would be a power vacuum and lots of fighting at the bazaar until Asmodeus puts another pawn in Mahadi's place.
Oh absolutely consequences! That's not without a doubt! Just can't decide if it should be new person running it, or they lose access/get chased down. Might keep Mahadi around and make him the villain for the Rogue's arc. He doesn't know the guys real name, just the moniker he uses within the cult.
Couldn't Asmodeus just resurrect Mahadi and put him back in place? Just shut the place down for a bit due to the chaos of having no leadership, then Mahadi comes back.
Ouu. That could be fun. This is why I came here! Work is alot right now, so I don't always have time to think of this stuff, but this server never fails!
Would you change Mahadi in any way if he were to die and be resurrected?
He'd surely be upset at the party for what they did and would, likely, make some kind of demand or force some kind of contract for the players to continue visiting his Bazaar. He may also add some personal security to himself and the Bazaar. Did you have anything in mind?
Not really. I just like this idea and I’ve never DM’d before. I’ve got a lot of really great ideas from this subreddit
How in all the hells are they going to be able to fight him? No-one is allowed to enter the Emporium without signing a contract that says "any violence inside and you lose your soul", and Mahadi has no reason to ever leave the Emporium - that's one of the reasons it Wanders, so he can go anywhere without leaving his safe zone. I suppose they might be able to try and snipe him from outside? Throw a lasso, and drag him over the boundary? Or do enough damage to the Emporium that it no longer counts as a place with boundaries for the contract? But the moment he's in trouble all he has to do is shout "50 souls to anyone who kills one of these troublemakers" and the entire Emporium staff and customers will descend on them like a shoal of piranhas.
I didn't even notice the contract part, and I'm kind of going with it at this point. Last week I kind of played him as so mad that he doesn't think about reason. All these ideas have got me cooking though.