I caved (just a little) when one of my PCs--a half-orc crusader with a Int of 5--became infected. His first save--interestingly, a failure--was abated by he zealot's surge (?), which allowed him to reroll a save once per day. His second, however...
I even gave him forewarning, saying he felt "itchy", and that his lips were beginning to pull back. With little our party could do to identify the disease (a loose interpretation of Heal could not define it), they watched as the crusader prepared to take...5 Int damage.
(Here's where I confess, I gave my party a last second moment to intervene.) Our party artificer whipped up a last-ditch eagle's splendor, let the Int damage hit, and used lesser restoration to repair some of the damage. A close call, indeed, courtesy of an advanced Ripclaw, with a very high DC to become afflicted with savage fever.
Still, the poor half-orc is infected. He's gonna have to fight this off with the aid of a skilled healer in the party, and maybe some stat boosters. I gotta hand it to Paizo for making disease a serious threat, by introducing it in a vicious form before spells can fight it off. Also, it's a real reward for parties who plan ahead for every contingency, by purchasing scrolls and potions of various items ahead of time.
Don't forget the point of Strength damage to follow, if they fail their secondary save a minute later (also at the end of the initial effect's duration).
Yes, urchin venom is powerful for as cheap as it is, but the DC is about as low as it comes. For example, a dwarven fighter with a Con of 14 can only fail 20% of the time.
And considering that the Lotus Dragons otherwise fall down like a house of cards--even with max hit points--they need something distinct to make them different than just a goblin with a pretty (?) face.
I had considered upping the poison to DC 13, but found that it is unnecessary. The proliferation of it makes it a consistent--but not a totally hosing--threat.
I haven't run a self-made dungeon for a while, but have been fond of making "three encounter" side quests for my PCs.
The first encounter is a hook, the second is something of another lead to the conclusion, a false conclusion, or something else, and finally, the conclusion. We're using this template in my campaign currently, and it's been pretty successful.
My main problem now is that Rowyn is the only major female character other than Lavinia I've introduced, so when the PCs read about 'the Lady of the Lotus' then it's quite likely they'll make the connection, from a metagaming point of view. Oh well, I'll deal with it. If there was a way to accept Rowyn's offer without killing Lavinia then I'm sure they'd take it. As is, it's 50-50. (They still don't know that Vanthus and Rowyn killed the senior Vanderborens, after all!)
It's a fun moment, really, and one that's sure to test your PCs' alignments sooner than later. (My party outright refused Rowyn; but hey, the option's pretty tempting, in a way.)
Just a suggestion: if they don't go for joining up with Rowyn, you might want to expand the room she's stationed in within the Lotus Dragons' Guildhall. It was so cramped in there, she didn't even have space to use her Tumble in combat, let alone drink her potions without provoking.
Rowyn first appeared in my campaign in a backstory I wrote for one of my characters. Long story short, she took him in and seduced him, thinking she could make him a Lotus Dragon (already unsure of Vanthus' allegiance), but he escaped her clutches, intercepting a note from a Lotus Dragon (he still had no idea of her role in the guild) which led him to Lavinia.
I agree that foreshadowing Rowyn's role will give her presence in TINH more meaning. I like some of the previous posts recommendations to have her be an acquaintance of Lavinia, etc.
Overall, I recommend making her deceptively benevolent. She might approach the PCs with a minor job (one they are probably too busy to take up...or maybe not), but one she'll pay them for, like Lavinia. Make her a patron/friend/lover/face-in-the-crowd, and her defeat will be all that much more impacting.
Nice to see Mastodon do the song at the beginning. I've only recently become a big fan of them. (Check out Blood Mountain for one of the most amazing metal albums I've ever heard.)
Whenever we sit down to watch it (off NetFlix) one of us invariably calls out the appropriate name, and then we go back and forth with me yelling "Kagome" and her yelling "InuYasha" at each other. :D
The more things change, the more they stay the same...
My buddies and I can still do the same thing, with one of us shouting "Tetsuo", followed by the other shouting "Kaneda", to no end.
(If no one gets this reference, I'm going right out and buying a walker and pulling my pants up to my chest, 'cause I'm old.)
I'm certainly going to be putting the battle dancer class to use in the STAP for a certain group.
Spoiler:
The villains are none other than the students of the Telvanta Academy in Sasserine, being trained in the seductive arts of assassination by their mistress, Alma Telvanta.
Big thanks to Nic Logue for the push to pick it up, and giving us a taste of its potential, here. You were right, it's a great resource.
Perhaps because of associations with Wert, and Diablo II? (First thing I thought of. Stay a while and listen...)
Personally, I think it's a bit powerful, namely the latter ability. Instead, I'd make the ability something like a circumstance bonus to AC as an immediate action--as "piratey" would stack with too many things. ;-)
Still, I like the idea of the item. Very original.
As far as RPG video games go, I've been a fan of the Shin Megami Tensei series--including the Persona series--for quite a while. Dark, surreal, modern-day, occult...many adjectives jump to mind. Beautiful character designs by Kazuma Kaneko complement the simple, yet deep, gameplay. Well worth checking into if you ever get tired of the Dragon Warrior/early Final Fantasy fare.
Heh, after the PCs saw poor Kora, no amount of diplomacy could have saved Drevoraz in my game. (I was building up to this and set her up as a really sweet lady who kept on taking them on shopping trips whenever they got extra gold.)
I have a feeling that's going to be the case with Drevoraz in my game. Even the CN character players can't stand to see prisoners exploited. (Wonder what their opinion of Harliss and the slaves will be...)
For a "siege"-type scenario, I recommend checking out Heroes of Battle. But since a siege drastically alters the last half of this adventure, I recommend keeping the few key encounters that help define this adventure at least somewhat intact. For simplicity, I would leave the Jade Ravens out of this scenario altogether.
Try to position Drevoraz and Bua Gorg (?) to capture Lavinia and Kora. Kora is really of no importance, so whether she is killed or not will have no major effect on the AP. Lavinia's capture, however, helps to give her that "damsel-in-distress" quality, which contrasts with her gradual change in demeanor later in the AP. Also, if the PCs managed to make Harliss helpful, it will give that marilith earring some use other than just more pirate booty.
It's a tough scenario, but hat's off it you get it to work.
Edit: Ah! YeuxAndI beat me to the punch on Kora and the earring!
Parrot Island is definitely designed to waste under-prepared/over-confident parties. Fortunately, the encounters are designed to be very flexible. (Though, personally, I rolled 1d3 to determine how many zombies appeared in each encounter...was it my fault I rolled 6 [divided by 2] for each encounter?)
The whole TINH adventure is one of the toughest 1st-level adventures I've ever read, but it is good preparation for the challenges to come in the AP. I'd remind DMs to point out useful actions to players who are coming up frustrated from not being able to do their "first level trick" on every monster in the adventure, like hurling alchemist fires, using aid another checks, or fighting defensively.
I mentioned in a previous post my personal satisfaction at having a chance to pull the wool over my PCs eyes with Lashonna, so she gets my vote.
I've always loved having NPCs betray the PCs. (It's a cliche, I know, but I love it!) But it's been a loooooooong time since I've been able to do it without my players having to pretend they don't know. A real mover and shaker, whose identity twists and turns throughout the last leg of the adventure path more than any other villain I can think of. (Benevolent elf...ancient silver dragon...ancient vampiric silver dragon! Awesome.)
I assumed Theldrick and his Hextorites would totally smite my PCs. Somehow, with serious perseverance and ingenuity, my party did prevail.
Still, if I had been lucky enough to slay them in this "TPK-masterpiece", I would have liked it if the new/temporary characters were actually miscreants kept in that room to the left of the entrance to the Chapel of Hextor. Let's say some of those low-ranking worshipers went rogue (not necessarily the class, but...) and turned on Theldrick, desperate to learn the secret of the Ebon Triad themselves. Could be fun.
The number of zombies really adjucates the difficulty of encounters under Parrot Island. A careful first-level party of four can do just fine under here, though it is exceptionally difficult.
The PCs have a couple of things going for them. First, since the zombies are limited to partial actions, the best they can do if there's any distance between them and a PC is to do a partial charge. This means reusable ranged attacks (any dealing slashing or magic are preferred) will yield victory sooner or later. The map for Under Parrot Island is great, BTW, as the applicable areas fit mostly well on a dry erase board, meaning that you can reveal doors and other rooms with zombies in them spontaneously, to keep up the surprise.
Another advantage the party should take advantage of, should range be insufficient, is to move into a "bottleneck", like the kind leading to P1. Here, the meat shield/most effective fighter should take the point of the assault, while others behind make other actions to assist (such as aid another, cast spells, etc.) The PC will have no more than one zombie attacking him a round, and with a capable healer, they can outlast the zombies. (Here's hoping the fighter packed a greatsword!)
I can only hope for an ongoing season. I'm really sick of tuning in to Cartoon Network to find it's become the "Futurama/Family Guy/Inu-Yasha" channel.
But, I'm really interested in this show, because it's resemblance to Metalocalypse, or even the Heavy Metal movie. Conan, too... :)
I see no reason why they could not stack. However, as P.H. stated, the demons would realize that the fool wielding that weapon is VERY dangerous and they would make sure that he is taken out and that weapon destroyed. Sometimes too much is way too dangerous.
They absolutely stack, and they would absolutely scream, "I hate demons, and I have something to kill them!" practically in Abyssal. It's a neat, and useful, munchkin-ey trick (not that that's a bad thing), but it does cry out for a sunderin'!
My players did the following side quest--among others--preceding the Champion's Games, though it could just as easily be adapted to occur after. The "Midnight's Muddle" backdrop (Dungeon #128, pgs. 64-71) was a treasure trove of potential side quest material, not to mention that unnamed larger building at the north-eastern corner of it, which I used to make my own locale. I originally divided up the side quests to be run as a "single-PC"-styled adventure, though, again, they can be adapted easily.
The first side quest featured an NPC that I had planted early on, a half-orc barbarian (dire flail and whirling frenzy variant) named Awlmont Hog, who was the illegitimate half-brother of none other than Forwell Hog of Midnight's Muddle's Shrine of the Weeping Woman (Area 20). Awlmont, who had been found wandering through Mistmarsh, was taken in as a traveling companion, explaining that upon his--and Forwell's--mother's death (located in a shack in the Mistmarsh), she had asked him to find out his estranged brother to make amends.
Spoiler:
(Backstory: Forwell and his parents lived in the Mistmarsh, barely eking out a living as scavengers. One day, a couple of orc raiders attacked the Hog family. Though Forwell's father fought back, he was slain by the spiteful surviving orc, who proceeded to ravage Forwell's mother. Forwell summoned up all his desperation and hatred, and slew the orc viciously. Over the next several months, Forwell's mother grew with child, and conceived Awlmont with much effort. Since then, Forwell bore him a grudge, and allowed his hatred to consume him. He and his brother were distant, and his hatred for his illegitimate half-brother--though subdued--was an invitation for an insidious anomaly of a monster, whom referred to himself as The Festering One, a phase spider warlock with uncanny sentience and a demonic malevolence and strength. This twisted force finalized Forwell's corruption, and used him as an scion of its power, torturing and warping his psyche, and driving him onward to the Free City to perform atrocities in the Festering One's name. Forwell's sudden disappearance was disturbing to Awlmont and his mother, but their methods to track him down were quite limited. But now, with his mother's death, Awlmont seeks to rectify their pasts, and pursue a future that could be better than what the past afforded them.)
In my own campaign, Awlmont was a lot swifter in his efforts to track down his brother--though he could just as easily make the scene now, explaining his plight to a party prior to their departure from Midnight's Muddle.
This side quest was a little unusual in it's structure, in that it plays out a bit like a detective story. Awlmont and his dear friend (one of the PCs, an elf by the name of Slade) went directly to the Shrine of the Weeping Woman. It was notable that there was a good deal of traffic of old women coming in and out of the shrine. Awlmont and Slade entered the shrine, and Awlmont approached his half-brother, who remained aloof and cold to the half-orc. (As a DM, read the paragraph preceding the stat block--yep, he's statted out, too--to get an idea of what skills will be useful to determine that Forwell's up to something fishy.) I also gave him a verminous graft (Dragon #336, p. 108) for added flavor, though covered up by a long, black glove. Trigger happy PCs might try to attack him at this point alone for being suspicious, but it stands to reason that even in Midnight's Muddle, the citizens of the Free City are still protected by the law, and that the law would surely frown upon anyone bearing arms against a clergyman of a shrine to Heironeous, if only an obscure aspect of one.
Awlmont was determined to find out what caused such a sudden transformation in his brother. He encouraged Slade to ask around at local shops adjacent to--or in--the alley the Shrine of the Weeping Woman was located in. (From a side quest perspective, a party looking to explore the hidden motivations of Forwell could just as easily reach the same conclusion.) With a Gather Info check (DC 15) at Horatio Rib's, the unusual gnome reveals that he has seen unfamiliar ladies come in to the shrine, with increasing frequency, but that after a week, he stops seeing the same ladies. More come, with increasing frequency, still. Likewise, a Gather Info check (DC 15) at Meply's or Din Danly's--depending on the time of day (read descriptions on p. 69 for a laugh), maybe both at separate times--reveals that Forwell only rarely goes out, but that he was out late last night a few weeks back, and also two nights back (Gather Info DC 25) Forwell was walking through the streets, talking to himself, and crawling around on all fours. These encounters serve to reinforce that Forwell is worth attention as someone suspicious. They might be skipped if the PCs find Forwell genuinely untrustworthy in any regard, or a potential threat.
Later in the evening--perhaps by chance, or a whisper on the wind--the PCs pass by Location 14: Burnt Shop, a place in close proximity to the Shrine of the Weeping Woman. (My own player came back after seeking out Din Danly in the late evening, having already talked with Meply.) A flicker of movement, noticeable with a Spot check (DC 5 or 10), gives the PCs a quick glance at a mysterious presence. Whispers can be heard, of increasing audibility. No one in the street is present, and the faint illumination of a distant streetlight casts the deepest of shadows. The wispy ectoplasmic force of something beyond the grave seeps across the room. The sound of sloshing water is faintly heard, as are tears being cried. Soon after it notices the party, a wretched ghost, looking as though it had been pickled, floats toward the PCs. While combat might be the expected follow up to such a scene, a diplomatic effort to engage the spirit reveals its motivations. (Sense Motive DC 5 reveals that it is making no aggressive action in the direction of the PCs.) The ghost is none other than that of Laslo, the former shopkeep of the establishment which once stood in this locale. Laslo precedes to moan about his fate:
“Woe is me,” he cries. “I stumbled into something beyond my capacity. I pray my family forgives me for my self-destruction! Woe!” He raised his fists, then subsides, to tell his story. “It was seventeen nights ago, when I saw Forwell Hog, that liar, crawl along the alleys under the veil of a misty night. The moon was put away, and the dim, semi dampened fires only cast the bitterest of shadows. He crawled like a spider, and even with his false arm, seemed more natural that way. Vermin, like spiders and ants trailed him, and he clamored over and up the walls of Varda’s shrine to Heironeous. I followed behind—I was so foolish not to alert the police—and saw him sneak into Varda’s. His spider spun a wicked web over the windows, and Forwell shot fire from his fingers. The whole place went up in minutes, and the fire spread violently to both the Queggens' home, killing their twin daughters, and then to my shop! I was so close to making something for myself! I couldn’t bear the strain, and I couldn’t return to my desperate family with nothing but debt. I ended my life that night in the Millstream near the shrine to Obad-Hai. Heaven forgive me!” With that, he vanishes in a fiery mist. (For reference, Varda was the only priest of the now Ruined Shrine--area 12--of Heironeous, and the Queggens'--and their twin daughters--are inventions of my own, used to fill in the gaps for Area 13: Burnt Hovel, also taken in the same fire that claimed Laslo's shop.)
This ghostly encounter was enough to shake up my player, and infuriate my NPC, Awlmont, so as to force him to race down the alley--a span of ninety feet--to confront his corrupted brother. Slade barely kept up behind him, though his efforts to subdue the enraged barbarian fell on deaf ears. Awlmont went ahead, and Forwell, who had been spying on the two courtesy of his vermin servant, had smashed Awlmont over the head with the very statue of the Weeping Woman that attracted his followers in the first place. Forwell, who had prepared himself for confrontation following Laslo's spirit's appearance, was assisted by two medium monstrous spiders (courtesy of giant vermin), as well as his own small monstrous spider vermin servant. While the spiders drained Slade's strength, Awlmont desperately tried to subdue his brother. However, when he posed such a threat with his verminous allies on his new friend's life, he was forced to slay his kin. (Depending on preference, some DMs may find Forwell redeemable.) However, with his dying breath, Forwell cursed Awlmont, claiming he had already brought his master, The Festering One, to the Free City, and he was below if they dared face him.
Below the shrine, a secret passage opened into a descending dirt cavern, the heavy scent of perfumes and flowers arise from below, a faint undercurrent to it. White flower petals litter the dark cavern floor. As the PCs descend deeper into the subterranean lair, the scent of flowers and perfume grows even more intense, but too does an undercurrent that is the scent of decomposing flesh; for below the Shrine of the Weeping Woman is where the Festering One has made his lair, satiating his depraved hunger for the flesh of the naive elderly for many months. In a chamber approximately forty feet wide, looms a phase spider, all black and green, waiting. Torn apart bodies of old women litter the room like garbage. It speaks, tauntingly telepathically, saying, “Forwell failed me, indeed, to let scum like you through. You will be a feast for the Festering One.” It then proceeds to blink in and out of the Material and Ethereal Planes, relying on positioning itself in as safe of a position as possible, observing readying PCs from the Ethereal Plane safely. It will even wait for rounds at a time, in the hopes to get the PCs to drop their guard, and fire off chained eldritch blasts, or hideous blows with it's bite, hoping to mix the poison into its unholy arcane power, upon materializing. This can be a challenging fight if the Festering One plays the waiting game, but is appropriate as such, considering the horror-like intensity of the final confrontation.
(Thanks to Richard Pett for the awesome backdrop!)
Well, give it a whirl, and if anyone else does, by all means let us know how it went down.
Spoiler:
(Below is a statted-up Festering One):
The Festering One (Large Magical Beast) w/warlock 6 CR 9
HD: 5d10+15+6d6+18 HP: 75 Initiative: +7 Speed 40ft, climb 20ft.
Armor Class: 15, touch 12, flat-footed 12 Base Attack: +9/+4
Attack: Bite +11 (1d6+4 and poison) Ranged: Eldritch Blast: +11 (3d6 +effect)
Full Atk: Bite +11/+6
Space/reach: 10ft/5ft SQ: Darkvision 60ft, lowlight vision, Ethereal jaunt
Str 17 Dex 17 Con 16 Int 10 Wis 13 Cha 16 Fort +9 Ref +9 Will +7
Skills: Climb +11 Move Silently +11 Spot +4 Knowledge (arcana) +11 Intimidate +11 Knowledge religion +10 Concentration +8
Feats: ability focus (poison), improved initiative, empower spell-like ability (least), ability focus (eldritch blast)
Poison fort DC 17; 1d8 con init + secondary
Invocations: Least: Sickening Blast (2nd) DC+2 for focus, Hideous Blow (1st)
Lesser: Eldritch Chain (4th), Charm (4th)
Since the Diamond Lake backdrop in #124 for Age of Worms, I've found the backdrops in the adventure paths to be some of the most inspiring articles pertaining to a campaign that I've ever read. In Age of Worms, I made it a point for my players to feel that they could explore the city--or section of it, in the case with Midnight's Muddle--in any way they saw fit, even if it took a hook or two to get'em to bite.
Sasserine's been no different, and I've already outlined several side quests for my players to explore at their leisure. Just last night, one of my overzealous players went back to explore the Kellani Manor, having just defeated Rowyn. (He's previously been involved with the Kellani's--particularly Rowyn--in his back story, and that was a lot of fun to write.)
Our eager beaver, a pirate-y warlock by the name of Zatara, went to snoop around the estate, hoping to get an idea of what Heldrath Kellani's involvement might have been. (In the Lotus Dragons' Guildhall, I marked the Kellani Estate on the map found in D28 with a blue pin and gold pin. My PCs assumed that Heldrath was the "puppet master" for the guild.) Bluffing his way in, he confronted Heldrath, letting it slip that he was responsible for her daughter's defeat. (Heldrath Kellani was a rogue 4/aristocrat 2, who was on an upper landing in a wheelchair; she was attended by a mute half-elven eunuch in a formal suit, monk 4, named Vyth. Thanks to Mike McArtor's ninja from Dungeon #129's editorial.) She bluffed in such a way that Zatara could not see what she was doing next...drawing out a musket from behind her, ordering Vyth to get that scalywag!
Vyth leapt into the air, though missed the warlock with his deadly flying kick. Zatara withdrew, one guard on him already too slow to take an attack of opportunity. Still, as he made for the gate, passing another guard, he ducked just behind the estate walls, before a bullet hit where his head would've been. The guard at the front turned to him, and stabbed him for max damage. Now, Zatara's many things, but unfortunately, being capable of resisting damage isn't one of them. Soon, the other guard and Vyth were on him, and he was knocked unconscious, the last thing he heard before slipping into the inky darkness of sleep was Heldrath shouting, "Now, we've got something to play with."
The other party members, now quite concerned at Zatara's long absence--he did point out where he was heading, and what he was up to prior--went to inquire at the Estate about him. The guards failed to conceal that they were anxious, and one left to "announce" them. Vyth, who had been keeping an eye on Zatara, saw that he was using his eldritch powers to try to get out of the rope binding and gag that was adhering him to a rack in a secret basement torture room, as he regained consciousness. Vyth fled through a secret staircase to retrieve Heldrath, who descended in her own secret elevator, musket on the warlock. Just then, the other guard descended, informing Heldrath that the "others" she mentioned were here. Heldrath instructed them to lead them into the trap, and that she and Vyth would be up soon. She left her other two guards to torture Zatara to death. (Running these two scenarios simultaneously at the same table was a boat load of fun.)
The guards led the other four party members into a greenhouse, where they were assaulted not just by the same two guards, but by an assassin vine. As this combat was going on, Zatara, who had been stripped naked before being bound, asked the two guards who were about to kill him (one with the rack, the other with a spear should he resist) if he could die with some dignity and have his pants back. (His pants had a Healer's Belt attatched; he only had two hit points left). He bluffed, they complied. The battle overhead continued, as Vyth and Heldrath took up an ambush position on the same landing above as before, Vyth ready to leap down, and Heldrath to fire on any foes racing out of the greenhouse. (No PCs knew of this tactic.) The other party members swiftly laid waste to one of the guards and the vine, the other remained to harass them.
Below, Zatara needed to be free to aid his allies, so he bluffed to send one of the guys up to aid his buddies, the noise of his allies screams becoming more desperate. The guy at the rack left, as the one with the spear stayed on him, turning away for a second to see his ally leave. Zatara seized the opportunity, frying his face with his briny eldritch blast in one shot. He quickly escaped the ropes, and had scant seconds to run upstairs to aid his allies. His equipment on a table was laid out, but he would have had to waste a round to get fully equipped. I said he could grab 1d4 items, and run upstairs. During this time, the other guard charged into melee with the party, assisting his ally, and blocking their passage.
As soon as Zatara raced up the secret staircase--now healed with his belt--he caught sight of the pair laying in wait to ambush his allies. He shouted to draw attention, calling her an "old bag", which prompted her and Vyth to focus their attention on him. While the other four were mowing down the guards, Vyth and Heldrath joined in on the initiative with Zatara, all moving very close together. Vyth rolled a nat 20 on a Jump check, swinging from the chandelier, and plowing his foot into Zatara's skull. Zatara, staggered at zero, acted next, desperately using (defensively, barely) his Gloves of Eldritch Admixture to give his eldritch blast (already 2d6) another +4d6 of cold. (Both this item and Healer's Belt are from the Magic Item Compendium, and were crafted by the party artificer.) Heldrath, with only 23hp, was frozen with 25pts of damage. She slipped from her wheelchair, dropping her musket, and shattering like an ice sculpture as she landed. Vyth threw his hands up in the air, and a Sense Motive determined that he was surrendering.
Whew...
It was a load of fun, and I'm glad that the staff at Dungeon has put such incredible detail in Sasserine, thus making a side quest like this possible. I have loads of hooks already lined up for this backdrop, and have been dangling them in front of my party for some time already.
For this backdrop, I've been using movies (mostly horror movies) as heavy influences for the side quests. Hopefully, some of my movie-savvy players will dig the references. If they bite, they're sure to see side quests featuring them doing battle with villains like Errix Vorn, Gerialar Divalean, Captain Shadwick, and Alma Telvanta, inspired by movies like Phantasm, Name of the Rose, The Departed, and Suspiria, respectively.
I'm eager to find if any other DMs running Savage Tide have come up with any other exciting side quests featuring these characters, or even side quests outside of Sasserine.
After the Age of Worms Adventure Path, I was still subscribing to Dungeon. When I heard about the Savage Tide Adventure Path, I begged my players to run it, so I would have the chance to play in it.
No one took up the call.
In retrospect, however, I've found that I do enjoy DMing the APs. It gives me a chance to fill in many of the blanks. Just tonight, we experienced very little that was printed in the adventures themselves, and more of what I uses from the backdrop and my own imagination to craft a fiery sidequest. While I'm sure some of my players might have done likewise in the DM's shoes, I'm pleased to be able to express that creativity inside the box.
Spoiler:
Still, I would've given my left arm for a chance to throw down with Vanthus, myself...
I gave gut tugger a charisma of 17 and four levels of sorceror.
he was the head of the Lotus Dragons, and a lotus addict. Rowyn was his front.
I added a room for him, with crocodile skeletons wrapped in leather, and animated to act submissive whenever he was in the chamber.
Even the other lotus dragon rogues did not even know of his abilities.
Awesome! He's sure got a lot more combat prowess than Rowyn, IMO--though neither had much of a chance against five aggressive players in a tight space. Her only action was drinking that potion of gaseous form. Gut Tugger at least needed to be put down with a nigh max-damage maneuver from our half-orc crusader on a critical.
If I could do it again, I'd totally rip your idea off...and I mean that with the utmost respect.
Well, my players just finished playing through TINH, particularly the Lotus Dragons' Guildhall...and they're soon to embark upon a quest to smite whomever in Sasserine provided the subterranean rogues their cornered market on soggy doors and confined passageways.
If I could make a suggestion to other DMs running TINH, reduce--if not eliminate--the need to make a Strength check to open the closed doors when the guild is on alert, by making only a select few stick...say, six or so. Also, I would do away with adding any doors which lead to specifically empty rooms, or rather rooms which have no descriptive text.
Don't get me wrong. As a DM, I loved the verisimilitude in scale to Sasserine's street level and the construction of a seedy, underground thieves' lair, as well as the confined--and, therefore, more challenging--encounter spaces (mostly). It was mostly a response on the majority of my players that prompts me to suggest to other DMs to give the Lotus Dragons' Guildhall a onceover, and see if their players will dig the nonstop attempts to break down doors, some of which lead to no specific advancement.
Another major recommendation I would make regarding the encounter with Rowyn would be to expand the size of her room to at least 20 ft x 20 ft. With five players in my group, and her and Gut Tugger, the room was packed and she was surrounded before the fight began.
Again, this is not a criticism of the adventure--though one of my players who ran through Into Wormcrawl Fissure made eerie comparisons--but a suggestion for others to gauge how much time busting in will take, and if your party's truly up for a confined dungeon crawl.
I have stated out a version of him for those who want to use him. I don't know how much the real Jajirlok would differ, but I imagine he'd be close to this...
Thank you for the stat! I was just looking through the scaling, myself, and this will add a nice, extra encounter. Much obliged, Rasmar!
We start The Bullywug Gambit next Friday, and I can't wait for them to see the first signs of the Savage Tide.
Absolutely one of my favorite "idea/flavor" books, with a little more, to boot. Two excellent classes, particularly the dread necromancer and a variety of feats applicable to many campaigns assure it won't collect dust. And some fantastic and diverse monsters will keep your PCs guessing. (Personal fan of the dusk giants.)
But the book is used to build a horror theme into a campaign/adventure, with excellent chapters discussing how to build fear and dread using real game mechanics. The random chart for scary happenings is really fun, too.
For extra flavor, check out what's happened to the good old adventuring party (including Mialee and Jozan (!), but Tordek, especially) for an example of a terrifying application of the taint mechanic, which is really exceptional for mature role-players. This is one of the first books I bought for 3.5, and I still reference it constantly.
Absolute genius! I desperately hope that the producers bite the bullet, and release these together, if only as a dual-disc special edition. The two movies are designed to compliment one another.
Truly, it's a film that MUST (my first time using caps on a message board, ever...) be seen in the theaters to be enjoyed fully; rather, to maintain that "avant-garde" aesthetic. Would be a shame if it didn't at least get Academy Award nominations for Best Picture (Pictures?) and Best Special Effects.
...besides, Rose McGowan with a machine-gun leg fulfills my fantasies to, like, the "n-th degree"!
Lashonna comes in first, with Prince Zeech at second in a photo finish. These two became so important, IMO, because they came to represent the different kinds of evil that not only would allow, but encourage the Age of Worms.
Though I could hardly believe it, my players were fully taken with Lashonna, convinced she had nothing but their interests in mind. And why wouldn't they? For all intents and purposes, she seemed just like another guiding hand (a la Allustan or Manzorian). She was even revealed early on to be a silver dragon. (Thank you for throwing a curveball to all those metagamers, my party most of all!) One player even refused to believe it when Balakarde revealed that she was a vampiric dragon! With Dragotha lined up as the BBEG--or so it would seem--Lashonna had a role usually reserved for some of Hollywood's best twists. (Keyser Soze, anyone?) I even had her off one of the dear friends of our party, a fellow adventuring NPC since EaBK, who was transformed into "Maralee." Simply unforgettable.
Zeech was a fantastic NPC, whose role was so perfect, in that the party had to restrain themselves constantly, desperately fighting off the urge to depose the tyrant, and "free" Redhand. He's never a true threat to the PCs--at least, in combat--but what he represents is a tense, twisted security for Redhand, that the PCs are loathe to admit is the best thing for Redhand at the moment. He and Loris Raknian came to represent how power without conscience was the clarion call to invite evil into their hearts and lives.
Dungeon has helped to redefine the villain in fantasy literature, IMO. These two provide complex examples of how a villain doesn't have to be a creep with a curly mustache, tying maidens to railroad tracks (though check out Nemein Roblach's pic in TINH!) Way to go, guys!
Since I've made my attempt to bed down for the night,
A svelte and shadowy figure has haunted my room.
Amidst the darkness creeps an indiscernible doom,
Glinting predatory eyes are my only light.
Since I've read Miss Talventa's stat block,
I've kept my room under key and lock.
Let it never be said no assassins were sent,
For the dancer of death came with my assent.
More concealed and silent than the deadliest rogue,
Miss Alma Talventa stalks with panther-like cunning.
My fate is sealed. There's no use running,
I've been done in good; a hit commissioned by Nicolas Logue.
Alma is just right. She seems as though you had my STAP party in mind!
Spoiler:
I'm especially keen on her high AC, giving her exceptional lasting power in a fight, and forcing the PCs to maintain their cool if they have any hope of victory. The ring of nullification is a nice bit of flavor (and a personal favorite magic item of mine). So are the frost darts, for that matter, giving her ranged versatility I find most "monk"-types lacking. It's the dance of the vexing snake that has my attention, as it allows her to play in the shadows in the midst of combat, as much as her shadowcaster mysteries. I love how sight obscured and sight eclipsed play right into her stealth game. Who needs invisibility?!
I'm guessing Still Mystery was meant to be included as one of her feats, instead of Extend Mystery. (What an amazing feat for shadowcasters at large, looking to sneak in the dark.) I can already see the battle scene...
The dim ballroom--resembling a pagoda, but spiraling upward like a conch--was strewn with the fallen troupe of "Dragon Dancers" (battle dancers), their scarlet and jade veils fluttering in the salty breeze that poured in through the ripped shoji screens. Our heroes breathed a sigh of relief at the conclusion of the deadly dance, yet their moment of recuperation would be brief, indeed. Silent as a descending feather, a shadowy figure, lithe and graceful--yet cool and methodical--in her movements, was upon them in a heartbeat. With an outstretched hand, she seemed to invite them to a dance; yet just as swiftly, a pair of beautiful hairpins stabbed into the disoriented heroes, chilling them deeply. Slipping in and out of the deadly umbra, the rhythmic steps and precise movements--and all of the gliding and turning, punctuated by throat jabs and elbow strikes--assured the heroes that should they even survive such a test of their mettle, they might never accept another dance from even the prettiest maiden in Sasserine, again.
Well, you've sold me, Nic! Looks like I'll be hunting that Dragon Compendium down, if only to do such a scene justice.
Three Faces of Evil is one of my favorite adventures because it rewards resourceful and versatile PCs, and punishes those who are too predisposed to hanging around, saving gold for stat boosters, and just waiting to jump into that prestige class a few levels down the way.
Your party looks sound, but what it comes down to is how prepared is your party for a real dungeon crawl? Alchemist's fire, rope, sunrods, tindertwigs, and all that stuff are practically essential. Furthermore, one of my inventive players used pints of oil (PHB p. 127) to make crude oil bombs, when he wasn't using his spells. Another cast a light spell on a coin, and put it in his mouth, allowing him to shut or open his mouth to provide illumination as needed, without having to spare a hand slot. (Technically, it should have still illuminated within his mouth, but it was so darned clever, I went with it.) The fighter made liberal use of his spiked chain weapon to trip opponents at reach, thus giving the party the tactical advantage they needed against so many humanoid opponents. And believe me, it's kill or be killed down there. Just make sure you've got potions, oils, and all those other things your players tend to overlook, whilst saving up for that cloak of charisma +2, or whatever.
Other items I would recommend: potions of cure light wounds, lesser restoration, false life, darkvision; scrolls of web, magic missile, and color spray; maybe even a pearl of power (1st), but scribe scroll is better for economic spell access.
I took the "4/day" to mean how many encounters the average gaming group should get into per session. This is something I've always tried to promote in my games.
Frankly, I've played in a lot of other campaigns, and always got bored during the slow moments. Murder mysteries drag on too long for me--for the most part--and puzzles usually leave me wanting to go running off into the woods to kill gnolls.
For me, one or two encounters a session tend to leave me feeling a bit unsatisfied. I like to see my players run across a wide variety of monsters and challenges that will swiftly reward them with the experience they need to expedite the story. Hanging around at the tavern at level two gets old quick.
I usually run for a 3-4 hour session every week, so I set a goal of at least one encounter every hour, hopefully two in the depths of a dungeon. Other time can be spent collecting treasure, navigating obstacles, interrogating/negotiating with captured enemies, and rescuing prisoners.
Don't get me wrong, though. I love a good PC-NPC dynamic, a kind of interaction that enriches the role-playing experience, and makes the gameplay more meaningful. For instance, a recently acquainted merchant is suddenly held hostage by an evil cult to Erythnul, for a sacrifice. The PC has a greater vested interest in his rescue, but one that encourages experience gain through the most basic element of D&D: combat.
Gotta go goblin! What wonderful designs! But the decision lies in their "Labyrinth meets Gremlins-flashback to movies of my childhood" kinda feel that gets them on my laptop.
For the folks who were asking about Pathfinder ISBN numbers:...
Thanks! I hope I can dig these puppies up when they surface on our comps, and mention it to interested customers. (I'm constantly running across newbies perusing the RPG section, and recommending this or that.) I'm probably going to subscribe for the first month at least for that PHB.
First, in the aftermath of TINH, there (perhaps) remains no harbormaster to fill Keltar Islaran's shoes, the Dawn Council may decree that until the post can be officially filled, there can be no water travel/water-oriented business going on without a permit from the Council, (which they might not be able to provide to the PCs at the time of their return). What this can mean is that the city watch might keep an eye on any one traversing the channels throughout Sasserine more earnestly than before, citing any swimmers as "offenders". In truth, this idea seems a little fishy (sorry--my puns know no shame), but it might be officious enough to sufficiently deter players not up for a run-in with the fuzz.
A better idea might be to go the other way with it. Due to the Wormfall Festival, the channels are overcrowded with gondolas, making swimming through them dangerous. Navigating them might require much higher Swim checks, to avoid being bonked by oars or low-sitting gondolas. The old, "inflict damage on a PC, and their likely to learn from their mistake" negative reinforcement-trick. In a water-centric kind of city like Sasserine, moving about in a parade when the seas are crowded can be as impossible as trying to get through a crowd in Chicago on St. Patty's Day.
I'm on it Hierophantasm! It'll be up tomorrow sometime.
Cool! I can just imagine what my players will think, knowing they've got an encounter coming their way, with a stat block made by one of D&D's leading published authors.
Wow! Thanks a million, Nic! One of the most fascinating elements of Sasserine--for me, at least--is the possibility of a "sandbox"-type of free-roaming D&D backdrop. (I'm currently putting the finishing touches on a three-encounter sidequest template, usable in any D&D setting. Had actually planned on submitting it to Dungeon, but...*sigh*) Anyway, as such, I've put all those villainous NPCs listed in the Sasserine backdrop on a hotlist of prospective sidequests, already planting the seeds for their involvement.
Spoiler:
Personally, I see Alma Telvanta as being a bit like Miss Tanner (played by Alida Valli) in the Dario Argento horror film, "Suspiria". Strict and cruel, almost predatory. As this movie deals with witchcraft as horror, I had toyed with the idea of adding either levels of binder, or even shadowcaster to her, giving her a supernatural mystique. Since Charisma is an important stat for either of these classes, it stands to reason that she could get the benefit for a high Charisma (also suggesting her capacity for manipulating her students) for both classes. Shadowcaster also allows for that espionage element suggested at in the backdrop. Oh, the possibilities...
The seed of this sidequest will involve (much as in the movie) a young dancer having arrived in the Azure District (one of the two districts acting as my PC's stomping grounds, the other being Sunrise), only to find that she is shut out of the Telvanta Academy, under suspicious circumstances. (Likely) given refuge by one of my PCs, she is sure to become an amicable acquaintance. Fast forward to the aftermath of the "Kellani's Killers" encounter in The Bullywug Gambit (honestly, my favorite adventure title, ever), when the PCs are likely to piece together the source of Diamondback's assault--perhaps leading them to Heldrath, who in turn will likely lead them to the Telvanta Academy. Be it stealth or siege, my players never like to let their enemies escape justice.
The overall sidequest--at the level I anticipate it occuring (between 4th and 5th, erring on 5th, with a party of five characters, using Eberron-esque action points)--would likely have three encounters; the first encounter taking place sometime prior to the last two, which take place nearly back to back, with encounter levels of EL 6, EL 5, and EL 8 or 9, respectively. In short, Alma Telvanta would probably show up as a CR 8, perhaps with a few action points of her own, to kick it up a notch!
Gotta say, Sasserine's a stellar setting that I'm likely to use in future campaigns...if I don't find myself knee-deep in Pathfinder by that point! Thanks again for the offer, Nic!
The fight aboard the Nixie went fairly well, with our Goliath Fighter and Catfolk Rogue doing most of the damage (The Dwarven Fighter/Dragon Shaman was so heavily-burdened by armour that he couldn't make a climb check to get aboard!). Once everyone was on deck, the cleric and rogue started mopping up what was left of the group while the dwarf and goliath checked ahead.
The Rhagodessa instantly knocked the Goliath from 5 or 6 HP to -9 (actually, -10, but I Hate killing PCs in the first encounter!) and started it's work on the dwarf, paralyzing him. If it weren't for the cleric's lucky blow with his mace, the whole fight could've wound up as a TPK.
Later on, the second time the group fought the Rhagodessa, they got paranoid. The Goliath charged and power-attacked (in the hopes of landing a quick kill) while everyone else fought at range.
Nasty little buggers.
I love the make-up of your party, though! I've been trying to get my players to play goliaths, catfolk, and the like (there's almost all humans this game, save two.) Just thought I share that.
I seriously punished our half-orc crusader. I blasted him from the first round/first atk w/a musket (yep I upped the EL for that), max dmg. Barely alive, he eventually jumped through the covering from the deck into the rhagodessa pen by himself (after being healed) only to be assaulted by a full atk from the vermin (hence, bringing my question about the two-bites full circle, as that's what I did to him)...dropping him to -12! (We use the "go to negative Constitution" house rule, so he had a few rounds.) And this was the first time this player had ever been in one of my games. He said he had a great time!
I'm hoping for that same paranoid reaction when--and, if--they meet up with them in the pen in the guildhall. Three of them might get them to run for their lives! Hahahaha! (Evil DM laugh!)
I've made the occasional Lotus Dragon a swordsage from Tome of Battle. Just think what that Island of Blades stance does when used in conjunction with sneak attack...
I agree that Kyuss would've been the most appropriate NPC to use MDJ on the party (especially considering it's the last fight, so magic items that don't come back really won't result in too many tears). Still, even though his stat block kind of pigeon-holes him into an uber-heavy necromancy bent, with death ward being the end-all spell for negating his effects, I felt like it would have taken the real flavor out of a fight with Kyuss to just give him the best PC-hosing spells around. True, MDJ should be a staple spell at high-level, but with quickened greater dispels, he's able to try to remove the buffs, and still fight with his intended arsenal.
So do any of you Paizo guys know if there is an ISBN# on this yet? I work part time at Barnes and Noble. I was going to look to see if it's in the system. Sometimes we get advanced info on soon to be released books but it's not coming up under a keyword search. I could do an ISBN search if I had one.
I DO hope we get to cary Pathfinder. There are a bunch of us here that would LOVE to not only play but help sell and support you guys.
The emp. discount isn't half bad either ;o)
Interestingly enough, I work at a B&N, too (Woodmere, OH). Unfortunately, I've tried to get Paizo-published material there, and with only passing success. We had a subscription for Dungeon (and that's why I'm a DM again) and Dragon, but as far as the hardcovers went, we only got the art of Dragon. We couldn't even get the Dragon Compendium or Shackled City Hardcover. This surprises me, as almost half of our store managers alone (including the GM) are long-time gamers. Perhaps it's a regional/district choice, but unless things change, we might not even see it on the shelves of our respective B&Ns. Who knows? I might be wrong, and we'll see it in the Role-Playing Games section come August. All the same, I'm subscribing from the site, just in case, especially for the free player's guide.
I think Pathfinder is going to be a turning point for the OGL. I do have a couple of OGL questions, however:
1: Since no material printed by WotC (at least in 3.5) appears to contain content that is part of OGL, can we expect to see wholly new--or, at least, redefined--classes and races (PHB), magic items (DMG), and/or monsters (MM)? (How awkward would it be not to be able to play a dwarven barbarian, anymore?)
2: Though it might be related to the above question, what is SRD, and how can I find out more about it, so as to know what to expect/assume from the upcoming series? Is this something that allows certain material to be exempt from copyrighting, or a sort of base for fantasy material?
With that out of the way, I am ecstatic to see the wellspring of fantasy-gaming possibilities that Pathfinder presents. It reminds me of the "Known World" feel of the Mystara campaign setting--the very setting/series of modules upon which I was weened.
I have always appreciated Paizo's encouragement of submissions, and am eager to see an expanded selection of articles/sections available for submission in Pathfinder. Is there the possibility of submitting material that can expand upon anything from the setting/geography of Varisia, or even the pantheon of the developing setting? I can't wait to see the submission guidelines on the site!
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