Here's some more bonus material for the Pathfinder Module Realm of the Fellnight Queen. The RPG Superstar 2009 adventure by Neil Spicer originally included some additional random encounters at the beginning of Part 2: Lost in the Mist, but they were cut for space reasons. Adding these encounters helps to reinforce the eerie atmosphere of the mist.
Mist Random Encounters
Roll on the following chart to generate a random encounter for each day spent in the mist.
Roll
Type of Monster
CR
1
Desperate Townsfolk
—
2
Missing Lumberjacks
—
3
Spirit Moss
—
4
Amnesiac Elf
—
5
Pit Trap
3
6
Unicorn Sighting
—
7
Giant Bees
6
8
Will-o'-Wisp
6
9
Dire Bear
7
10
Fellnight Spriggans
8
Amnesiac Elf: A half-elf named Carith (N male half-elf warrior 2) wanders this part of the forest. He had the misfortune of falling victim to a pixie memory loss arrow (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 228) and now finds himself lost in the mist. If the PCs escort him to a safe place (for example, leaving him in the care of other good-willed forest creatures), award them experience for a CR 3 encounter.
Desperate Townsfolk: A Perception check (DC 20) detects cries for help in the fog. If the PCs respond, they discover a family of four with a stuck wagon fleeing Bellis. A DC 30 Strength check can get them moving again (multiple PCs can assist in moving the 10-foot-by-10-foot wagon, one per square adjacent to the wagon). A Diplomacy check (DC 20) convinces them to return to town for their own safety. If the PCs free the wagon or convince the family to return to Bellis, award them experience for a CR 2 encounter.
Dire Bear: The PCs blunder into the path of a dire bear that a short time ago hungrily raided a giant beehive. Unfortunately, he's still hungry and can smell the PCs through the fog.
Fellnight Spriggans: Four Fellnight spriggans deserted Rhoswen's army to explore and pillage on their own. They attack the PCs on sight (see page 7 of Realm of the Fellnight Queen).
Giant Bees: A nest of giant bees has recently had its hive disturbed by a dire bear. Three of the bees now angrily search the mist for creatures to attack.
Missing Lumberjacks: The PCs happen upon a ruined Lumber Consortium camp littered with debris. Thorn darts riddle the tents and supplies. A DC 15 Survival check determines at least nine lumberjacks have gone missing from the site. A search of their belongings discovers 38 gp, 42 sp, 118 cp, a brass cup engraved with the likeness of Cayden Cailean worth 25 gp, and a masterwork throwing axe.
Pit Trap:
Devarre the druid has laid traps to capture animals. Along a narrow deer trail lies a camouflaged pit trap (see Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 420) designed to catch a bear, covered by leaves and baited with a honey-covered shoe.
Spirit Moss: A patch of spongy gray-green moss covers the sides of a massive log. A Knowledge (nature) check (DC 20) identifies the substance as spirit moss (Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting 217). Those consuming it suffer 2d6 points of Strength and Dexterity damage (no save), but temporarily gain the ability to speak with dead (CL 10th). A character who makes a Survival check (DC 16) may harvest enough for two preparations.
Unicorn Sighting: Any character making a Perception check (DC 20) notices a horse-like figure in the mist. As some of the fog drifts past, a unicorn meets their gaze and then gallops away, teleporting if the PCs try to pursue it.
Will-o'-Wisp: A will-o’-wisp uses the fog to mimic the voices of desperate townsfolk trying to leave Bellis, pretending to be lost in the mist or stuck among the thickets. It draws unsuspecting victims into a patch of brambles, a ravine, or a swampy area (see Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 427).
What all this "left on the cutting floor" material, I wonder if mr. Spicer is the new mr. Stewart as far as overwriting goes ? ;-)
There were multiple factors that created this amount of "cutting room floor" material. My original manuscript was supposed to target 21,000 words, I believe. I overwrote slightly and hit 21,938 in my final turnover. But then, several of the creatures I had referenced with just a "Bestiary, page XX" tag didn't actually make it into the Bestiary. So, when Sean had to generate an actual stat-block for those creatures, it pushed the word count higher. He also asked me to go back and give him a couple of extra paragraphs on some things. And a change in how Paizo did the layout caused the word allowance to drop back to 20,000 words instead of 21,000.
So, what originally started out as a 5% overwrite (which is typically acceptable, I think?) turned into nearly a 20% overwrite once all of those other adjustments got factored in. As you can tell, Sean did an outstanding job of finding the right things to trim while still maintaining the flow of the adventure. He is exceptionally good at what he does. And I very much appreciate the care he applied to everything on Fellnight Queen. He makes it shine just as much as anyone.
Gorbacz wrote:
On a side note: working for Lumber Consortium must be a really dangerous job. Kobolds, evil ice fey, undead ...
Oh, you have no idea. Wait till you find out what happened to them in the Fellnight Realm. :->
Mairkurion {tm}(Pathfinder Adventure Path, Tales, Battles Case Subscriber)
Maybe we should start calling him Mr. Splicer.
Seriously, it's great getting all this extra material. It's really whetting the appetite for the module.
Post a review or something when you're finished reading it. The only way I'll know what people enjoyed or disliked is if they talk about it. I'm also interested in hearing anyone's actual play experience with the module, too.
Post a review or something when you're finished reading it. The only way I'll know what people enjoyed or disliked is if they talk about it. I'm also interested in hearing anyone's actual play experience with the module, too.
And when has this community ever been sparing in the comments dept?
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