Currently the PCs are heading back towards a hostile Orcish city in an attempts to return to their ship and escape the area. But the city is about to be attacked by an army of Giants, led by one who is carrying a McGuffin they've been interested in. I've planned out a good climax if they go to fight off the Giants, killing their leader and saving the city and such.
But I want to have an idea for if the PCs decide to try and actively avoid the fighting, sneaking through the attacked city in order to get out in the confusion. I don't want to just move the Giant general fight to the PCs if they attempt to go around the battle, but I still feel like I want some kind of big fight to end the story arc.
Any ideas? What kind of big fight do you have for a group of low-paragon characters who are trying to return to their ship in the harbor outside a city under siege? (the city is being attack from land, so away from the harbor)
For instance, if they fail to stop the catapult, then it tosses rocks them when the try and stop the army from climbing the wall, and if they stop the army, they get to use the wall when they battle the general, otherwise it's in the city streets.
Give them reasons to fight the giants. Massacred men, women and children.
Did they have any friends or accointences? Meet them in the street,
Girls friends? The Mayor? The Mayor's daughter?
If the player is leaving and the PC is getting a special send off, make him help you. Is there something in the character's background that can give him/her a reason to fight the giants? Did the giant leader kill the PC's dog?
An epic siege battle can be fun, but you need to clarify who the bad guys are.
I find it odd that my question "what is a good alternate encounter" was met by a lot of "you should make sure they go for the first encounter". I was asking a question about other options to provide to the players, instead of manipulating them along a single path. My game has set up valid reasons for the PC to choose from a variety of options--this is intentional, and is not a problem. I see it as a good thing that the PCs can pick what to do and get widely different adventures.
The problem wasn't a lack of motivation--the problem was coming up with options for the PCs to act on the variety of conflicting motivations present in the game.
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And it wasn't a problem at all, just a challenge.
I didn't need them to convince them to do one thing, I wanted to let them act in one of two possible ways.
I wouldn't bother having a city distroyed, so my players wouldn't get involved.
By the way, please tell us, "did the city save itself?"
The PCs don't want to help the people in The City? Not heroes huh?
Give them reasons to fight the giants. Massacred men, women and children.
Did they have any friends or accointences? Meet them in the street,
Girls friends? The Mayor? The Mayor's daughter?
If the player is leaving and the PC is getting a special send off, make him help you. Is there something in the character's background that can give him/her a reason to fight the giants? Did the giant leader kill the PC's dog?
Good job. You understand you're players and that is what is important.
I wouldn't bother having a city distroyed, so my players wouldn't get involved.
By the way, please tell us, "did the city save itself?"
... unless I missed something, he stated that it was a hostile orcish city. Not sure the PCs would be motivated to save it from the impending giant attack. He was trying to get them to escape amidst the chaos of the battle.
By the way, please tell us, "did the city save itself?"
Nope. The Dragons (a major power in this world) decided to take matters into their own hands and try and stop the Giants. Big fight breaks out (that the PCs don't see), and the Orcish Empire is basically destroyed in the process. The PCs will probably learn this over the next couple of sessions--there has been a major alteration in the power structure of the world now, which they'll have to deal with. Good stuff
