[PF] Advice on jumping right into Coliseum Morpheuon

[Princess Tracy]

So I found a RL group recently, and after revealing I have the Coliseum Morpheuon adventure book, the DM kind of talked me into running a secondary game with that adventure. I don't have a lot of experience DMing in real life and have only gamed with this group twice now, so my confidence isn't too high, but I figured I might as well jump right into it.

The key concern on my mind is how to open up the adventure. I mean, I've NEVER dealt with high level PCs in pathfinder before (I think we're going for an average party level of 16 to start) so this could get chaotic. Any tips of opening and/or bookkeeping would be nice.

(the premise of the adventure is there's a big challenge series going on in this arena, located in the plane of dreams. so its already a pretty weird adventure without tossing half a dozen super-levelled characters into the mix)

[Chained Birds]

Do you know the class builds your PCs will be using? Because, by this level, it will be very difficult to challenge even a somewhat smartly-played Full-Caster PC.

[Princess Tracy]

No idea, really. I haven't officially put the word out that I'm running the game yet, so no one's made a character. We'll probably have an entire session where we just set things up. I guess in that case, character creation is as good a place as any to nip some problems in the bud. Should I do something to limit the full casters or discourage them somehow?

[Qwilion]

Well I am the publisher, I have also run the game as part of the playtest.

I opened up the adventure get jumped by another adventuring party who thought they would be easy pickings, the PCs then find amongst the other groups gear an invitation to the Damnation Epoch tournament.

The PCs followed up on the invitation and traveled to the plane of dreams and the slumbering shores of the Coliseum, they were then attacked by the Khan of Nightmare's Were-Hellhound guards because they were not really invited. there is an introduction adventure included int he Coliseum from there and the tournament.

I also now use all the Npcs from the Faces of the Tarnished Souk series that supplements it.

If you have questions I am happy to answer them.

Steven D. Russell
Rite Publishing

[Princess Tracy]

Dude, is that really you? That's really weird, but cool though. I forgot I had this thread open! Maybe I can use it given the fact that I'm in need of more advice.

The PCs are overpowered and gung-ho as hell. When the Master of Hounds hit the Sorcerer in exchange for a clue (as opposed to the worthless near-mindless creatures the sorcerer summoned in offering of 'blood'), the Monk jumped up to attack in midair, won initiative and dropped the Master of Hounds with two attacks at his full BAB to spare. He did crit magnificently, but still it was a humiliating defeat - they never even found out the Master was a shapeshifter, much less give it a chance to surrender! Hell, they Surprised it and the lesser Hounds that accompanied it, then intimidated the remaining Hounds badly enough that they ran away.

I do have a way of bringing the Master of Hounds back now that I've slept on it - and actually providing some intrigue, in having there be a better model of the golem to replace it. But for the rest of the session I kind of had to bull**** my way through for how they found their way without the Master of Hounds to guide them. I was mostly silent for ten minutes or so until they asked me 'what happens now' and they got a good embarrassed yet hearty laugh at my news that the clay sphinx was kind of important. I did manage to improvise though. I decided news of the Master's destruction reached the Dirgess in time for them to call off their ambush, though Frau and Sop were still overconfident enough to attack (Sop got his Hope stolen by the Monk for his trouble while Gallows and the others grappled Frau to keep her from attacking the PCs and getting them all killed). The PCs then demanded the frightened rival party each give them an Aspiration to let them go peacefully, at which point the tree-thing shouted out for 'Mother' to teleport them all to safety.

They got a good laugh at least, and someone said it was so far one of the best games they've ever been in, so I guess it went well, but they really seemed to have me for a while there.

How do you get players to act with a little more caution? I'm currently thinking of ways to 'ensure' they don't just try beating up the Khan before the tournament even starts and demanding the prize outright.

[Qwilion]

I would need a lot more information about the PCs stats, levels, composition to give good advice on how to deal with the PCs specifically as 141 points of damage with two hits is a pretty surprising to me.

Remember that Coliseum is a sandbox its designed for you to improv.

If one master of the hounds is not good enough have a second one show up with the same stats be called the mistress of the hounds and bring on a massive pack of Hounds of Ill-Prophecy (they are mooks without number, as if they numbers ever got too low they would just infect more people.)

When it comes to the Khan of Nightmares play him like the Mayor from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, he is super nice and super evil, let the PCs know the kinds of things he has done (imprissioning a pit fiend). Have two other benefactors dining with him. Let them show their fear of the Khan, if someone gets upitty have the Umbral Blot show up and disintigrate the PC on a whim.

This is designed to be high level over the top weird fantasy, killing someone here is a speed bump till a benefactor pays for some spellcaster in the Tarnished Souk to cast True Ressurection. The khan might even see to the PCs Resurrection apologizing saying he was having a bad day, after a team turned him down a joining the games and having killed that group he seemed to be on a bit of a murderous binge and he should not have taken it out on the PCs.

Also if you need more Npcs for the coliseum don't forget the Faces of the Tarnished Souk (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/89893/) series.

Also if you can shoot me an email via steve at ritepublishing dot com I may have something that can help with PCs that have gotten really cocky :)