Oriental Campaign Help

[bootzin]

Hi guys,

So I'm making a new campaign for my players to play, and I'm having some ideas and would like you to give your opinion about them.

This group I'm playing with is a 4th level group, and we already played some campaigns before. We live in a (in game) city called Dragonport, and are already quite familiar with each other.

This city is along the sea shore, and a lot of merchants pass through, but lately (And here is my campaign) a lot of oriental ships are coming in, and that's unusual. Thing is, this ships are bringing immigrants, who need to leave their home because of really bad social conditions and a very bad life. They wish they could go back

The party will then travel abroad (by ship) and when they get there they will face very sad life conditions. They eventually will find out that the city's commander (emperor, maybe) is mad, and is not being able to think rationally anymore.

From then on, I haven't really had any ideas on how to develop the story, but what I've considered:

During the ship sail, they will suffer from a giant sea creature attack (probably a classic tentacle monster), and also from a mutiny, which they are supposed to deal with diplomacy, not war)

They are probably gonna have to defeat the commander, which will be the "boss battle", but that is after making a small quest for him. The quest will be an excuse for him to prepare an ambush against the heroes, and when they get back, there will be a fight and the emperor trying to get away (We have a large tripper, so I don't think he will make it, which will lead to a fight)

Now.. Should I let the PC's kill him? The city will be rendered without a command, and some people (The richies) do like him, which can cause some rebelion
On the other hand, if he survives, the city will continue to suffer..

So what are your thoughts and ideas? Anything is welcome (Including possible classes for the emperor)

[Rogue Shadows]

You should do whatever is best for the campaign in the moment. And if the PCs kill him, they kill him. And if they don't, then they don't. Hell, there's a great opportunity for a "by this axe I rule" moment from the PCs here.

(Including possible classes for the emperor)

Aristocrat. He's the Emperor, he shouldn't have to have significant class levels, that's why he has servants and slaves and the like.

[bootzin]

But if I don't assign him better class levels, it won't be a boss battle.

He was once renowed for his ability to guide others, including during battle.. I thought about some sort of samurai or something. It is a big village, but not a town yet, he is the commander of them (That's why I don't know if it is appropriate to call him emperor), but now he is crazy and people are dying from starvation due to that

Also, I have to find out what are the PCs gonna do after they reach their destination, what monsters will they face and the sorts of it

[LibraryOgre]

But if I don't assign him better class levels, it won't be a boss battle.

Not every conflict has to result in a Boss Battle. If you wind up killing the emperor, sometimes it's just that you walk up to a scared 0th level NPC, and casually behead him with the Battle Axe of Bad-Assness. Events then flow from there, since you're standing there, atop a bloody corpse, and everyone's wondering what's going to happen next.

If you really want a "boss battle", then your 0th level NPC might be guarded by high-level warrior, a priest advisor, the typical vizier, etc.

[AstralFire]

Mark Hall's advice here is great. Just to chip in: boss battles are cool when they happen, but games are just fine when they happen considerably less than in video games or even action movies. It took me the better part of a decade to really, really get that, but I think my players are happier for it.

The most important thing I have found is that the players need to feel like the things they are doing matter. Everything else flows from there.

[Honest Tiefling]

Consider making the climax a choice, not a battle. The emperor is insane, probably delusional, and he'll might act weirdly. The problem is getting to him through his elite guard. If they muck up they still kill him, but now have an elite guard chasing them all over the place.

Or toss in some hints they could control him. Instead of replacing him, entertain him where he won't do harm to others while they (or a proxy) rule the place, making it fair. The enemy shifts not to the emperor, but to corrupt nobles (and possibly priests) trying to cling to power, cheat the system or bail out the emperor out of a sense of duty.