Crust's page

My players will not have characters motivated by money or items, ad one would expect for the exalted, so I need some other ideas. I've had a few thoughts, but they usually run into conflict with other events, and so I could really use some suggestions.

That's great. All of my campaigns are steered down this path, though not every PC is a paladin or has exhalted feats.

I would toss in minor instances of injustice. Have a barmaid get groped at a tavern (perhaps by Kullen). Have a young child pilfer a loaf of bread (spot check to notice) from an angry baker. Show someone beating a starving dog or flogging a tethered horse. See what the group does in the face of such events.

Make Smenk into the most loathsome and dispicable example of a human being, someone you can't help but hate, but make him relatively innocent in action. Have grateful damsels throw themselves on male heroes. Present moments where PCs could easily take something that isn't theirs. Make them choose between their own lives and the lives of others. Test them.

I would definitely tap into the BoVD to offset the exhalted angle and add that flavor of good vs. evil, one of the eternal dynamic opposites. Pick a few feats, a prestige class, and some spells, and draw from those. The necrotic cyst, evil brand, and other feats would work great. Some of the necrotic cyst spells are nasty.

My first was an elven ranger named Bashtan Silverstaff. There wasn't much thought behind him. I wanted to play an elven ranger. His first adventure was the Dragon's of Ice Dragonlance module. This was Jan-Feb of 1992.

Yeah, what happened with that? I've noticed that some of my posts seem to vanish with no explanation. Scary.

I understand. I'll probably give everyone a +2 to an ability score of my choice just to show that they're "that" good at this or that. I would think twice about the +2 to Cha if he were a sorcerer or bard. It's not a big deal.

Also, if this is the beginning to an Outsider section of the creature series, how will they cover the Inevitables and the Slaadi if they cover the lower planes and upper planes. Will they get their own books? Who knows? Only time will tell.

Modrons.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20010921a

Left side.

One of the PCs in my Age of Worms campaign is a half-orc/half-elf ranger. He functions exactly like a half-orc, but I gave him a +2 to Charisma just because. He can also worship FR elven deities.

1st round, worms start crawling all over the Hexbalde. What does Lylo the Bard do....Alchemists fire baby...all over the Hexblade. Now he is on fire, and swatting at worms.

The funny thing about this is how the halfling sees the hexblade covered in these vile worms, assumes he doomed, and just douses the whole horrible scene with alchemist fire. That's hilarious.

I have a lizardfolk druid as one of the PCs in my group. He's seen the corrupted egg. He will lead the group to it, and they will destroy it. At least that will be the general plan.

A druid can use wild empathy to affect the owlbear. That might make it friendly toward the party, but it's certainly not going to accept training and learn tricks.

Besides, animal companions are not weapons. They're scouts, hunters, watch dogs, and sometimes mounts. Unless it's a dire animal of some might, animal companions should be protected by keeping them out of heavy combat. Not all combat, though.

The Bard/Sorcerer/Arcane Trickster is lucky he didn't get smooshed.

The group's party level is in the mid-20s. And it's a ROGUE/sorcerer/arcane trickster. His hide checks are often in the 60s taking into account ranks, DEX, and magical items. With a spot check of +13, that pit fiend had no chance of avoiding the gnome's stealth. This wasn't a boss battle by any means.

Sounds to me like your player is doing everything in his/her power to explain himself out of a certain fate. I hate when players do that, but I suppose it's inevitable when spell descriptions are ambiguous.

I would deam that "capering and dancing" is a full-round action, which means that the PC can do nothing but "caper and dance." No spell casting at all. Not even as a free action.

This spell is very annoying to DMs. The party gnome rogue/sorcerer/arcane trickster recently tagged an insane pit fiend with the spell. No save, only spell resistance, and the target is one big scary target.

The tiefling annoys me. What's with her sword? Is there a purpose to all the holes down its length? I would imagine such holes would make it easy for someone to disarm or sunder the weapon. It's just not practical. Like a female warrior whose leathers bare the cleavage. It might look cool, but it doesn't make sense.

Actually, I'm pretty annoyed with seeing that same female tiefling with the horns and that ridiculous sword and sickle combo in every issue. I'm not impressed. That sword annoys me. All those holes running down its length... How easy would it be to disarm or sunder that sword? I'd say easier than a regular sword. It doesn't seem practical. Like a female fighter wearing leathers with the cleavage exposed just because. It might look cool, but it doesn't make any sense.

You're right about magic items. It doesn't matter how powerful they are during epic levels. Balance is there.

I wouldn't necessarily ban vorpal weapons, though I'd be very careful about giving one to a PC. Before "Garund" was given to him, the party barbarian (named Rusk) had in his possession a +3 keen vorpal greataxe (I converted the Moilian Executioner's Axe from Return to the Tomb of Horrors). The vorpal axe claimed the head of a balor on a high summit on Tunarath, the demon having been gated in by Vlaakith and sent to kill Rusk (as one of many one-on-one battles I try to set him up with on occasion) and help crush the invading PCs, their cohorts, and several NPCs, many of them former PCs, angels, and metallic dragons. The resulting death-throes explosion was worth the vorpal attack, which still stands as a high point in the campaign. They did battle on the "nose" of Tunarath, and the balor's explosion was seen by thousands of githyanki. I slowed time down for Rusk (sort of a "shell shock" moment I forced) and had Tempus himself send two planar allies to aid Rusk in his time of need, riding Veiros and Deiros through the conflagaration. One of those allies is now Rusk's consort and "baby's mama." It's Gwynharwyf herself.

Anyway, now that Rusk has devastating critical, and since having been gifted with "Garund" (the axe was fashioned by an advanced great wyrm bronze dragon with 3 levels in dragon ascendant), he has set the keen vorpal axe aside in favor of his newest (and significantly more powerful) axe.

As a DM, if you continue running epic levels for a while (a difficult proposition in my opinion) pay close attention to the "starting equipment values" table (or whatever it is called) and really try to keep the characters fairly close to those limits.

I just wing it. The human paladin2/spellfire channeler4/cleric of Mystra20 wields a +5 intelligent holy avenger named "Glittering Edge" ("Oromea" to elves and worshippers of Corellon and Mystra). His secondary weapon is a +4 cold iron holy ghost touch light mace that casts dispel evil AND banishment each 6 times per day on a successful hit AND casts true ressurection 2/week. The human barbarian13/fighter6/champion7 wields "Garund," a +6 intelligent adamantine lightning blast greataxe that is often huge due to the champion's powerful gauntlet, which allows him to use righteous might 1/day, among other abilities and resistances. I haven't sensed any imbalance considering their foes.

It's true that battles last a long time. I make sure to prepare ahead of time with plenty of notes and tactics. It's best to avoid having to open a book to refresh yourself on the dozens of spells and abilities of each creature and PC. I often lose track of PC abilities and magical items, but my players help with that. I forget things at the table. It's hard keeping everything organized and ready in your mind. I completely forget about a certain NPC's "ace up the sleeve," or some other important tidbit, and I kick myself and move on.

During our epic games, I find my players stomping on certain foes. They're so powerful, and they work so well together, that there's not much that gives them reason to fear. There are rare moments when one or two PCs are near death, but it rarely happens. I'm fine with that. We're in epic levels. The group should feel very confident no matter what.

Pit fiends, white slaad, liches, balors, gibbering orbs, all of them fall pretty quickly. That might make certain DMs a bit irked. I mean, these monsters shouldn't be swept aside, right? It happens.

Feats like devastating critical, dire charge, multispell, improved spell capacity, and epic spellcasting are easily acquired. By the time PCs reach 27th level, those really powerful feats won't mean that much. Also, most classes get bonus feats after 20th. There are lots of opportunities for feats after 20th.

In my campaign, the epic level adventurers always take place away from "normal life," in some deep dungeon or another plane alltogether. Some wild local where those epic obstacles would be found. Of course, by the time epic levels hit in a campaign, the story should have the PCs in a believable place doing "believable" things within the realm of the campaign.

If it's not the world the PCs are fighting for, perhaps the souls of the PCs themselves are on the line, or dear loved ones (cohorts, planar allies, other companions, love interests) are in dire peril.

My suggestion is to get your hands on some epic modules (from Dungeon) to get a feel for what should be expected from an epic situation. The Handbook itself is also very useful in gaining an epic level perspective.

After four years of playing, my current campaign has been in the epic levels for the last year or so. It's been an amazing ride, using my own dungeons and modules along with the githyanki incursion campaign and the Return to the Tomb of Horrors through the upper teens and early 20s. They sley Bazim Gorag, Vlaakith (leading an assault on Tunarath itself), drove off Acererak, and are currently battling through Skullrot (I moved it to the Barrens of Doom and Despair). They seek a cohort captured by a half-fiend vampiric epic sorcerer/blood magus... It's been wonderful.

The elf wizard is always cloaked in dozens of spells, and uses time stop frequently to "re-buff." His evocation spells are horribly powerful, especially when he uses an empowered admixed chain lightning (admixing sonic) with a spell enhancer.

The human cleric of Mystra typically has his AC in the upper 50s with spells and feats. He's a powerful combatant and an infinitely reliable healer. With the spell and magic domains, he's capable of casting almost any spell.

The human barbarian/fighter/champion of Gwynwarhyf is a towering iron giant of destruction. The very sight of him raging causes almost everything that sees him to be shaken. Nothing survives his full attack. In fact, last Sunday he killed a pit fiend with his second attack: a devastating critical.

The gnome rogue/sorcerer/arcane trickster rolls hide checks in the 60s and 70s, can fire four spells in a round (two multispell feats), and can open virtually any lock (he recently rolled a 43 to unlock one of Skullrot's locked doors).

The group sweat it out recently when the huge fiendish beholder in Skullrot trained its central eye on the cleric while he was being battered by two advanced flesh golems, but that only lasted as long as it took for the gnome to maneuver and waste the eye tyrant with four scortching ray spells, the first one being a sneak attack.

It's AWESOME playing in epic levels. I'm going to stretch it out as long as I can, modifying the Prison Tetrahedron module as the final big bang module. Epic levels are rare, and we've earned the right to really enjoy the power held by the PCs. I want to bask in that for a few more months.

Then the Age of Worms begins.

I agree with Timault. I pronounce it A-ah-KAY.

Pronounciations can be frustrating. It should be a golden rule to provide a pronounciation in parenthesis after the first mentioning of a name or term that doesn't exist in the dictionary. The same should be done for stat blocks and NPC write-ups.

Cool groups.

We haven't started yet (we're finishing up our current campaign), but the guys have rolled up their PCs. They haven't picked names yet, but I've decided their backstories.

Male moon elf scout 2 - The much older half-brother of the half-orc in the group, he spent time in Waterdeep's City Guard before going on leave to "vacation" in Diamond Lake to investigate the mining there. His father was killed by orc raiders in Ardeep Forest. His half-brother (a half-orc ranger) travels with him, the two splitting their time between stays in Diamond Lake and extended periods in the wild hunting and observing the landscape and wildlife alongside their lizarfolk companion.

Male half-orc (the other half is moon elf) ranger of Fenmaril Menstarine 2 - The younger brother to the scout, his father was a nameless orc marauder. The brute raped and nearly killed the elven mother, but she refused to kill the child growing inside her. She died during childbirth, but close relatives and his older half-brother (the above scout) reared him to adulthood. A hunter-tracker by trade, his favored enemy is undead, seeing them as the foulest blight on nature.

Male lizardfolk druid of Meilikki 1 - This one is an outcast of the Mistmarsh lizard tribe. He is one of Shukak's many sons, but he was forced to flee the tribe when his mother (one of Shukak's harem) discovered Kyuss worms in the egg chamber. She was sacrificed by the shaman, and the young druid fled for his life, not out of despair for losing his mother, but out of fear for his life, nothing more. Months later, after stumbling across a half-orc hunter and an elf scout, a friendship was formed. After spending time with these two and seeing their bond, hearing their story, the lizardfolk soon realized that he had been greatly wronged by Shukak and the shaman. He seeks to return and avenge his mother, who he now sees as having acted only to prevent something terrible, something that still might wipe out the lizardfolk of the Mistmarsh.

Male aasimar monk 1 - A student of the Twilight Monastary and a follower of Oghma, this god-touched martial artist's origins are unknown. Having been left at the doorstep of the monastary some twenty years ago, the disciples there saw his arrival as a great sign. The resulting product does not disappoint. This one, though young and adventursome, has some grand role to play in his lifetime.

The aasimar has met the elf and the half-orc in Diamond Lake in the past. The aasimar is also an acquaintance of Allustan, who asks the monk if he knows anyone who might embark on a trip to the Whispering Cairn. This brings the four together, as the monk suggests the elf and the half-orc, while those two bring the lizardfolk along (with his crocodile animal compaion). Should be cool. Babalar Smenk will come into play when the PCs investigate the happenings in the mines (which provide Waterdeep with much-needed ore).

I also plan on working Sons of Gruumsh in there somehow, with several orc-based side quests involving the City Guard and its members who operate outside the city, in the regions surrounding Waterdeep.

My PCs get at least one level after most modules I run.

My current group gains two levels sometimes when they finally get XP. I wait until the current quest, mission, etc. is completed (which can take up to four or five gaming sessions) before the group can rest and reflect on what they've done. At their current PL (25th), they make lengthy treks to distant locals and planes, so they can focus on the current conflict completely and exist on their own without needing to return home to resupply.

I hope to be able to slip in Sons of Gruumsh somewhere in AoW. That'll ensure that the group is at least 9th level by the 5th installment.

Big Jake, that's a really good idea.

The sad thing in my case is that I've done this in two previous campaigns. I replaced a dead PC rogue with a duplicate malaugrym demarch of Mask in our 2E campaign, and I replaced the party human fighter/sorcerer with a drow elf arcane trickster assassin. Both players were pleased with the new PCs they were allowed to play, and I made sure to make it up to them when their PCs were revealed and ultimately killed or driven off (becoming NPCs). To do it a third time seems silly to me. However, I really like this module, so I'll probably run it as is.

All of the Age of Worms modules are excellent. I'm dying to start.

I'm wrapping up our current epic campaign before starting AoW, but I'm already thinking about WC.

My group will be told straight up: Buy alchemist fire. The players might not know to do it, but the characters should know. One of them should, at least, unless each player is running a wet-behind-the-ears novice who probably shouldn't be adventuring in the first place.

I also reserve the right to just remove encounters. If the group gets badly beaten by something, I'll remove the next encounter on the fly without thinking twice. TPKs are no fun, especially when the DM loves the characters each player creates.

I'm very interested in seeing how things go down. I hope to allow the party druid to calm the wolves (if that's possible), which could be very interesting. As soon as I read that section, I thought, "Man, that a nice touch. Give the party druids a chance at their first animal companion in game."

Honestly, I don't plan on killing off any PCs unless it will move the plot of the campaign in an interesting, compelling, and fun direction for all. It's annoying watching players go from PC to PC. I want these characters to grow and age through the campaign, not be the first kills in a long list of party turnovers.

Concerning XP, I wait until the party is in "down time" to award XP. They must be back in town or wherever they call home, in a controlled environment where they can train, practice, study, or meditate in relative safety for at least 24 hours. This isn't Baldur's Gate or Final Fantasy.

Concerning Kullen and his group, that should be very interesting. A few of my players like to fly into hostile mode whenever an NPC starts talking smack. I suspect the party half-orc ranger (the other half is elf) will get into something with Kullen. We'll see what happens with that. That could be time to humble the group (or perhaps gain a potential ally).

Very good idea concerning Ravenloft. I ran something similar when my DL group finished Soth's Dargaard Keep (Magic of Krynn 2E module) back in '97. When they plunged the completed rod into the vortex near Soth's throne, the castle and everyone inside was immediately transported Ravenloft, which was (in my campaign) the birth of Sithicus, which is Soth's realm now, I believe.

That's a great idea! Raknian as a death knight is also a sweet idea. I would LOVE to run a Day of the Dead/28 Days Later hook in Waterdeep. That would be just awesome.

As a DM, you'll have to ask yourself, "Do I want the campaign to stop here, or do I want the PCs to move forward." Once you know the answer to that question, the game will work itself out on its own. It's important that the DM give the group plenty of chances to use their skills and know-how (gathering info, diplomacy, survival for tracking, etc.) to figure out that there's a situation brewing in the Arena. Certainly, the PCs should register for the games SEEKING something beneath the surface, literally and figuratively. With all the NPCs in the mix (Allustan, Eligos, Ekaym), the PCs should know what to do. If they don't, NPCs should point them in the right direction.

If the game is set in the Forgottem Realms, say, Waterdeep, the destruction of 20,000 wights might make for a fun day (perhaps a week) of street-to-street, shop-to-shop, urban geurilla battles against a horde of wights. Could be your campaign's answer to Day of the Dead. I love that idea. It wouldn't spell the end of the world, but it would make quite an unforgettable mess.

One of my players is running a male lizardfolk druid with a crocodile animal companion. Should be interesting and fun.

The Mistmarsh.

Interacting with the PCs and NPCs.

Interacting with animals.

Wild shaping in Waterdeep.

I live in Pittsburgh, and I got mine on Tuesday.

It's one of the best, IMHO. The gladiator information is just amazing. I've always wanted to run something straight out of the film Gladiator, and now all the work is done for me!

The froghemoth is a brilliant touch. Classic monster!

Dungeon is awesome. I was a fool to wait so long to get a subscription.

A froghemoth? That's awesome. They were detailed in a 1E Monster Manual, I think. Also in one of the 2E MM Annual issues. Tough monster, and very cool.

If your group isn't ready for one of the modules, throw something else at them. Go to Wizards.com and download some web enhancement modules (there are tons of great ones there), use Sons of Gruumsh or some other pre-made module, or toss in another module from your collection of Dungeon magazines.

I can't wait to incorporate Sons of Gruumsh into the campaign as sort of a nod to Obould and his influence in the north.

A few discussions later, my players have explained that they want lots of action, combat, and hack-n-slash.

They also feel that they are in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation with the Age of Worms. They feel the adventure path is too bleak and hopeless.

They also feel cheated that the "Talisman of the Sphere" did not turn out to be a part of the Rod of Seven Parts.

But they are willing to keep trying. We are planning to play through the part where they raid Filge's hideout.

Basically, they want very low information and backstory, low amounts of role-playing, and lots of hack-n-slash.

I can see doing this with some parts, however others may become difficult. For example, the parts in Overload mentioning Lashana doesn't appear to me to be filled with combat and danger.

The part they hated the most was when I introduced Diamond Lake, and allowed them the freedom to do whatever they wanted in town. They felt that they had too many choices, and no set goals. They tell me they had too much freedom to explore the town, and no opportunies to use their combat based abilities.

Complaints were also made that they don't know who to trust in-character and they feel like they are wandering around just waiting for something bad to happen to them. They feel powerless and helpless.

So, that's what I'm working with. I'm going to try hard to meet their needs. I may stop by and create threads from time to time asking for advice. I really really appreciate the positive voices in this message board. Thanks a lot!

Guth,

I have a group that is like yours. In fact, I prefer a game that is at least 75% rolling initiative. That's awesome that your group has given you what they want. I have some suggestions.

-Have encounters prepared beforehand on scratch paper, with monster hp, ac, saves, full attack, DR, SR, any miss chance, any spells currently active, and key special attacks. I also include some very shorthand tactical notes, such as a feat/class skill/spell-like ability combos. This speeds things along.

-Use a board of some kind. A dry erase board or a chalkboard. Draw as many maps as you can, and plot out things, where enemies are, etc.

-If you don't have the books memorized, just come up with ad-hoc rules on the fly, and keep things moving. If you're not sure if it's +2 or +4, use +3, say screw it, and move forward. I find that rifling through a mountain of books in the middle of a boss battle just plain stinks.

-Don't be afraid to totally change encounters. Toss in a rabble of orcs if things get boring. Have a pesky wizard pop in with a gang of ghouls or something. Keep the PCs on their toes. Toss in a side module to let them know that it's not just one campaign they're involved in.

-Give your players a mentor. You can make this game so easy for them by just making Allustan the know-it-all sage who is constantly scrying and teleporting and using sendings and legend lores, etc. to just point the PCs in the direction of the next campaign hook. "Greetings, adventurers. You must now investigate the Whispering Cairn. Oh! And be mindful of Smenk..." That's what I do. Give the group a mentor of sorts, someone who seems to know everyone and everything, and who is content to nudge the younger, intrepid adventurers off onto the road to adventure (much like Gandalf does in LotR). Sure, let the ranger do some tracking, have the group roll knowledge and survival checks, and give them the feeling that they're operating with independant thought ;-), and you'll have happy gamers.

-Let the PCs kick butt more often then you kick theirs. Give them meat to hack down, and do some fun verbal choreography. Develop styles for your fighters, thematic magical effects for the spellcasters, and acrobatic moves for the rogues. Make it visual.

-Create reoccuring villains, perhaps NPCs with class levels that you create to specifically act in opposition to one or all of your party members. Your PCs need arch enemies. The Dungeon issues can't anticipate your party's dispositon, so don't expect to find that perfect villain in a pre-made module. Create those yourself.

-Don't be afraid to change the module itself. You need to bend and mold those modules to fit your party's disposition. Change, add, and remove NPCs to suit your party's behavior and attitude. If there's a ranger in the group who has giants as his favored enemy, there better be giantkin for him to hunt down and kill... or perhaps be forced to ally with against a greater foe, which can be all you need to stimulate even the smallest level of role-playing.

-You might just go ahead and start making role-playing decisions for the players themselves. See if they like that. If they do, so be it. Run with it, but don't kill a PC in that manner. If the player doesn't like that, then you might awaken a role-player, and that's contagous.

-Give them magical items. Players like that. Nothing too over the top. Just make sure they're outfitted as if they're hard-core adventurers who don't play at warfare.

-Try to create a persona for your players. If there's a powerful fighter in the group, have upstarts challange him. Have assassins hunt him down for killing the arrogant cousin of some noble in Waterdeep. Always have him square off with the clan chieftan, the orc captain, etc. Find a way to heap renown on your players for the deeds they accomplish. They should hear their own names spoken by bards they've never met.

-Don't force them to stay in-character at all times.

-Concerning role-playing, if your players don't want to "act the part" so to say (mine don't), and they don't want to have to act out approaching countless NPCs to gather information and all of that, just give them brief narrations informing them of what their characters are doing on a general level. Update the group as often as you can on the situation at hand. Show them maps, use the pictures in the overloads, and remind them of the people they've met and the foes they've slain. Have PCs roll knowledge and gather information checks under the assumption that they've done some ground pounding and are now ready to embark. You might bring Allustan into the mix. Have him sit with the group while they're suiting up so he can brief them on what they need to do. Have Allustan suggest the necessary equipment, and make sure the PCs buy that stuff. Have Allustan pass off a potion or two, perhaps a scroll, before each trek. When the group gets stronger, it might be time for Allustan to take up a staff and join the PCs in the field.

-Try substituting role-playing with e-mails to your players updating them on their accomplishments. Write it like a scribe chronicalling the exploits of a new and brash group of adventurers who are feared by many, hated by some, and loved by more.

I think I'm tapped out. I think you'll find that the more you play with your group, the more you'll be able to act in tune with your players. You'll know what they want, and it's ok to give it to them. It's not the DM vs. the players. Everyone is contributing to the story. In fact, I'm always reluctant to kill a PC, since I want to do so much with each one!

I'm not sure what your levels are, but you might consider running the "Amarantha Agenda" from Dungeon #123. Toss another module into the mix.

I quote Mr. Miyagi:

"No such thing bad student. Only bad teacher."

Forgotten Realms.

I'm hoping to have the following in the group:

~elf scout (eventually going either dread commando or order of the bow)
~human ranger (eventually going dervish and dread commando)
~human druid (eventually going war shaper)
~human sorcerer (eventually going war weaver)

I want to steer away from the brawn in my current epic campaign and start out with some stealthy woodsman.

The above is what I was hoping for. This is what I have to work with:

~male half-orc ranger (building toward dread commando)
~male elf scout (possibly going straight scout)
~male aaisamar monk (building toward the fochlucan lyrist)
~male lizardfolk druid (building toward war shaper)

I'm 28. I've been playing since I was 14.

You could have Bane as granting spells to his heretical worshippers that are cooperating with followers of the dead gods because that way he hopes to integrate the faith energy of followers of the dead gods to grant him greater power, since he is the only one of the three around to benefit from the "merger" which he might think (or know) is really impossible anyway.

I like that idea. Thanks.

Concerning the merging of these gods, I'm not sure if I understand why Bane would want anything to do with two dead gods. Or is this grand conjunction out of Bane's control?

I'm hoping to have the following in the group:

~elf scout (eventually going either dread commando or order of the bow)
~human ranger (eventually going dervish and dread commando)
~human druid (eventually going war shaper)
~human sorcerer (eventually going war weaver)

I want to steer away from the brawn in my current epic campaign and start out with some stealthy woodsman.

I only ask because I see "Age of Worms," and I see large worms on the front of issue #24, so I assume there will eventually be an enormous amount of large, wormlike monsters in future modules, which seems to suggest that magical beast is a good choice.

Then again, concerning FR, the region, and Obould, orc might be a great choice.

I think I might try selling undead to any possible rangers in the party.

Does anyone have any ideas or guesses on whether or not magical beast would be an ideal choice for a starting ranger? Any suggestions in this area?