this post was submitted on 18 May 2024
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The following all happens in a town and the nearby surrounding area.

So my party, hereby referred to as their classes are currently third level and have infiltrated a cults hideout, they went there looking for Rogues friend and snuck in with disguises and managed to bluff their way into where the friend was being held. She was in a holding cell. After some deliberation they devised a plan to cast silent image and sneak her out, they couldn't manage to pick the lock and Cleric smashed the door in, this was heard by nearby cultists and they decided to just make a break for it. The cult massively outnumbered them and the party got surrounded. Sorcerer, who is an Aasimar and can fly at 3rd level, flew past everyone and escaped while the rest of the party surrendered. We ended the session there and Sorcerer told me after the session that they plan to go to Cleric's tavern to get the barkeep and any tough looking patrons to form a quick mob.

The conundrum here is that I can't think of a good reason for these cultists to not just kill the party aside from that's not fun. The cult is aware that one of them escaped is probably going to bring the law down on them, so they'll also want to leave. If I was them (and in a way I am) I'd probably kill the witnesses and bail.

Any advice?

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Ok so the cult is going to kill them right? Cults kill stuff by sacrificing it to whatever they worship.

Lets also say they do it on the night of a full moon or something so everyone including the villagers knows when it happens.

Let the one dude rally the mob while you have the captured characters make some skill checks to free/arm themselves before the big sacrifice.

Guy with the mob arrives just in time because every villager told him when to show up. Mob busts in Players bust out.

Boom boss fight. You could even make a big bad out of a half summoned evil cult deity. Say the portal didn't open big enough and only shadowy hands are coming through. These could grapple players and drag them toward the summon portal. Small damage if they actually hit the portal and plenty of chances to get away but it creates tension while they try to kill the summoner. Plus you don't need equipment for the athletics checks.