OK, so one of the groups I am running through this AP is a group of kids (10-13 years of age). They are currently in Skinsaw and were "trapped" in Foxglove Manor by the Carrionswarms. Every time they looked outside, I described "thousands of sickly looking crows sitting on every surface outside the manor and they are all looking at YOU". It is a pretty big group (8 PCs), but they were pretty terrified of the birds.

The first time a couple of them went out, I had the carrionswarms not take to the air until they were about 30' from the house.

So one session later and a night spent in the house, the party had three members infected with ghoul fever from the ghouls downstairs and two infected with the phage (one was also infected with ghoul fever). They decided they definitely needed to get out of the house and back to town to get cured.

Their solution? They took the building supplies form the room in the attic (lumber and rope was listed and I decided there would also be basic tools and nails ... the room was partially rebuilt after all) and build a "mobile hut" big enough for three medium PCs to get under and slowly make their way out of the house and through the birds. The entire concept caught me a bit off guard, but it worked out ... kinda. They did end up having to face off against the swarms, but the cover they built gave time for a couple AoE spells to be cast and the remainder of the party who stayed behind went to town with missile attacks.

Anyone else find their players using what in the text seemed like no more than part of a room description to come up with something unexpected?

The prison in Thistletop. Although I'm making more use of it than my players.

The room is described as having several implements of torture and an Iron Maiden. Since the Fighter and the Wizard were captured by Nualia, I'm thinking of having either her or Lyrie help them get acquainted with the text description, Han Solo style.

Their solution? They took the building supplies form the room in the attic (lumber and rope was listed and I decided there would also be basic tools and nails ... the room was partially rebuilt after all) and build a "mobile hut" big enough for three medium PCs to get under and slowly make their way out of the house and through the birds. The entire concept caught me a bit off guard, but it worked out ... kinda. They did end up having to face off against the swarms, but the cover they built gave time for a couple AoE spells to be cast and the remainder of the party who stayed behind went to town with missile attacks.

I have to ask: Did any of your players ever see The Killer Shrews? :D

zylphryx wrote:

Their solution? They took the building supplies form the room in the attic (lumber and rope was listed and I decided there would also be basic tools and nails ... the room was partially rebuilt after all) and build a "mobile hut" big enough for three medium PCs to get under and slowly make their way out of the house and through the birds. The entire concept caught me a bit off guard, but it worked out ... kinda. They did end up having to face off against the swarms, but the cover they built gave time for a couple AoE spells to be cast and the remainder of the party who stayed behind went to town with missile attacks.

I have to ask: Did any of your players ever see The Killer Shrews? :D

I don't know ... but I can find out in two weeks ;)

OK, so one of the groups I am running through this AP is a group of kids (10-13 years of age). They are currently in Skinsaw and were "trapped" in Foxglove Manor by the Carrionswarms. Every time they looked outside, I described "thousands of sickly looking crows sitting on every surface outside the manor and they are all looking at YOU". It is a pretty big group (8 PCs), but they were pretty terrified of the birds.

The first time a couple of them went out, I had the carrionswarms not take to the air until they were about 30' from the house.

So one session later and a night spent in the house, the party had three members infected with ghoul fever from the ghouls downstairs and two infected with the phage (one was also infected with ghoul fever). They decided they definitely needed to get out of the house and back to town to get cured.

Their solution? They took the building supplies form the room in the attic (lumber and rope was listed and I decided there would also be basic tools and nails ... the room was partially rebuilt after all) and build a "mobile hut" big enough for three medium PCs to get under and slowly make their way out of the house and through the birds. The entire concept caught me a bit off guard, but it worked out ... kinda. They did end up having to face off against the swarms, but the cover they built gave time for a couple AoE spells to be cast and the remainder of the party who stayed behind went to town with missile attacks.

Anyone else find their players using what in the text seemed like no more than part of a room description to come up with something unexpected?

Nearly every single time. Devious players are great fun.

build a "mobile hut" big enough for three medium PCs

It's wonderful to see that the A-Team lives on in a younger generation. Did they paint the hut black with a red stripe?

My player's characters Noah, Justin, Ferlanria, Krista, and Ally are looking at turning Chopper's Isle into a small fortress.

Additionally, they are trying to get the Sandpoing government to move into the underground tunnel complex beneath the city. It wouldn't be a terrible move, a few everburning torches, possibly a few lanterns, and it would be entirely possible. It would be a higly defensible little area, well I assume until later AP's.

Couple of things we did that are a little ... unconventional...

Right at the start, my Fighter was looking for a place to set up his weaponsmithing...with a cranky, ornery blacksmith in town, that was unlikely to happen. So I sprang for a week's "vacation" at the local Cathouse (Madam V's or somesuch...)

Net result: Happy (er) blacksmith, place to crash for me and the rest of the party (when we're not at the Rusty Dragon), and a good place to craft.

Also, our DM has allowed the Gnomes in the party (3 of em) to treat their racial SLA's as Cantrips/Orisons, thus allowing for at-will Dancing Lights. In the Catacombs of Wrath, every 120' section of tunnel (or part thereof) had floating, dancing torches. No more shadowy illumination for us; we were calling it "Castlevania-ing" the dungeon. That was even more funny since the Bard (also a Gnome) is carrying around a dagger-whip and using it almost exclusively.

-t