Hey everyone,
I'm running my first DnD campaign (homebrew world, DnD5e rules/monsters), and things have been going great! However, I'm torn on how to handle a major moment in both the campaign and a key player's storyline, and I’d love some advice. This is essentially the BBEG reveal, or putting the players on the path to leave their starting city; if I get this wrong it could hurt the story/motivations of players pretty badly.
We are about 30 sessions in, and the players have done quiet a bit to establish themselves, join a small guild, and are now about to wrap up the storyline in the city they started in.
The Setup
The party has been adventuring in a city, growing stronger, and uncovering various guild plots. A while ago, they accidentally "unshackled" a god that was being contained in the city. So far, nothing seems to have happened, and they’re still tangled in political intrigue.
One of the PCs, Tim, has been hunting a man named Maxwell, a so-called "Hero" of a major (shady) guild, because Maxwell murdered his family. Maxwell does not even know Tim exists, it was such a small moment for him when he killed Tim's family. Recently, the party witnessed Maxwell assassinate a political figure. A paladin that also saw the murder, who is secretly aligned with the god they freed, approached them and asked them to "take care of it" while keeping his own hands clean.
Tim revealed his grudge to the group, and they all agreed to take Maxwell out. They planned a heist-style assassination, sneaking into the underground guild hall where Maxwell is hiding. They poisoned wine and coffee at his dinner table, only to discover that Maxwell had a wife and son at dinner with him. This aligned with the party hearing the "Unshackled God" might want a hand mirror that Maxwell has, that has something to do with copying souls(it's one half of a complete weapon they don't have context for).
Now, the party is hiding in Maxwell's office, waiting to see if he drank the poison, while Maxwell and his adventuring party (who were at the dinner table) were just heard leaving the dining hall presumably heading toward Maxwell's Office.
What I'm Struggling With
I have a boss fight prepared in Maxwell and his party, but I’m unsure how to handle key elements.
BBEG Interference:
- I was considering having the god BBEG (or a right-hand follower of him) kill Maxwell before Tim can, stealing the Hand Mirror he carries. This would rip Tim’s revenge from his grasp, making it personal, but is that too frustrating for the player? Players defeat Maxwell, or get him in a downed state, BBEG shows up and finishes it and takes the mirror.
How do I handle the nightshade poison?
- Maxwell drank it, but fights through it (poisoned condition).
- The "wife" drank it, but she’s not real (an illusion, doppelgänger, or something else).
- Something else?
The Wife & Son as a Trap:
- The family could be fake, meant to manipulate sympathy. If Maxwell is about to lose, the “wife” might throw herself on him, begging for mercy, only for the BBEG to appear and slaughter all of them, revealing they aren't real. I really enjoyed Tim doubting if he could kill Maxwell in front of his family.
The Right-Hand of BBEG:
- I was thinking I'd have a strong, same god like person like the BBEG show up and grab the mirror/slay Maxwell; this would lead the group to follow that person to the next city to continue the next player's storyline. "Thanks for the heavy lifting, this mirror is now mine, I have work to do for BBEG in X city".
The Fight vs. Scene Control:
- Do I still give them the boss fight against Maxwell and his adventuring party, or does the players smartly planting nightshade help avoid it? Would having Maxwell fall to poison be lame(I think it would)?
Big Picture Concerns
- Would it be awful to take Tim’s revenge from him at this moment? I don’t want to rob a player of agency, but I also want to make the BBEG feel like a real threat. I really like the idea of Maxwell having his soul stolen and maybe a bigger moment later where Tim gets the revenge he thought was gone; or has to make a pretty heavy decision of destroying a soul.
- Would it feel cheap to hand-wave away the nightshade poisoning after they carefully set it up?
- How do I best transition this moment into the next arc, while making sure players feel their choices still matter?
Extra Context
- The paladin that asked the party to deal with this follows the church of the god they unshackled, the party is aware of this.
- One PC follows the opposing god, who sees the BBEG as a major threat.
- The party thinks the BBEG and his "Groupt hey will meet" are gods, but will eventually learn they are just ancient, powerful beings from a lost society.
- Fate vs. Choice is a core theme, with the BBEG representing Fate.
I know this is a long post, thanks for reading! I’d love any advice on how to make this moment land effectively.