Short Version:
I’m planning on having my PCs attend the wedding of Aldern & Iesha in Magnimar as honoured guests after chapter 1. What sort of things events should I put in to help them experience the event rather than just having it read to them? Anything that helps with foreshadowing also appreciated.
Longer Version with spoilers:
Spoiler:
I felt that Aldern’s chapter-1 appearance was a bit forgettable, and while the background for Iesha is good, it’s mostly there for the GM to read. I wanted to make him (and Iesha) have larger and more memorable roles so that the events of Chapter 2 have more meaning and tragedy.
I am planning on running two adventures between chapters 1 & 2: The Feast of Ravenmoor, and then the Ruins of Raven’s Watch (building on the Beginner Box & comics). Between them, these give time for the tragic events preceding chapter 2 to unfold.
In Burnt Offerings, the PCs will save Iesha as well as her fiancé Aldern from the goblin commando, and when they go hunting, it will be with both of the happy couple (this will give me a chance to use the Envy or Wrath motivations in Chapter 2 depending on how they act rather than the default awkward option). As a result, they will be invited to their wedding in Magnimar.
The wedding service will take place at the Cynosure Tower (the temple of Desna in Magnimar) before the wedding party travels up the road to the Vanderale Villa for the wedding breakfast and reception. These locations are fixed because I have written the wedding-invitation handouts and sent them to my PCs (we are playing remotely, so I make handouts and post them out)
Ideas I have so far are mostly the bones of the event and bits of fluff — I need help with getting the PCs to feel involved. Thoughts so far:
Spoiler:
- Large Varisian families mixing with the elite of Magnimar to create an eclectic and multicultural wedding (nobles unused to a Desnan service, Varisians unused to the customs of a Chellish wedding breakfast, both families dressed very differently, but greatly enjoying each other’s style of dancing)
- Likewise, maybe a lovely attempt by the two groups to fit together — all of the Varisian guests wear a sprig of foxglove to honour the groom, and the Chellish guests might wear approximations of traditional Varisian scarves)
- Lord Vanderale is hosting the party at the behest of a renowned socialite, fixer, noblewoman, and all-around fixer in Magnimarian high society: known by many names, she will eventually come to be known by the PCs as Xanesha. Is she blackmailing Vanderale? Is she his mistress? Who knows?
- Aldern’s sisters — Zeeva and Sendeli — are in attendance. Could be a chance for them to say they hate the Misgivings and want to get away from Magnimar as fast as they can
- Amaya Kaijitsu might be in attendance, perhaps staying over before going to Sandpoint for Lonjiku’s funeral (and to take over the glassworks).
- Otherwise “anybody who’s anybody” in Magnimar will be at the most unusual wedding of “the season”
- Justice Ironbriar is present at the wedding and might be introduced to the PC’s: “We will watch your career with great interest”
- Chances to use social combat or Diplomacy (for gathering information) to learn things. e.g. somebody might mention that Lord Vanderale is being very generous to host this because Aldern is up to his eyeballs in debt, or perhaps it is tragic that Aldern’s parents couldn’t be here to see him getting married, so tragic what happened to that family.
- A renowned Varisian seer (maybe Madame Mvashti) performs a harrow reading for the couple, and maybe the PCs. I want to use the reading to foreshadow unhappiness (but she, being a good performer, would claim that cards showing betrayal, fiend, liar, sickness, and the rakshasa were somehow good omens). She might be persuaded to reveal the truth after a few drinks in the reception, and might even give the PCs a reading which could help them in Chapter 2.
- Dancing contest (winner gets a prize. The dance mimics the one caused by the haunted piano in chapter 2)
- Traditional Varisian bear wrestling (maybe a dancing bear gets fighty)
- Somebody gets wine on their fancy dress (maybe Iesha gets it on her favourite scarf…) and a prestidigitation would suddenly be VERY useful
- Iesha’s great uncle (her godfather) is a really powerful Sczarni boss, giving an opportunity to get a favour for having saved his goddaughter. This could be useful when they come to Magnimar on the trail of the Skinsaw cult
- Drunken jilted young Sczarni man denounces the groom and tries to stop the wedding, leading to Iesha perhaps asking the PCs to deal with this pest.
- A dreaded Varisian witch (perhaps a fairy godmother?) is angry at not being invited but shows up anyway. Maybe she casts Animate Dead on the roast dinner?
- Traditional formal Varisian wedding combat
- Somebody spikes the punch leading to an unintentional drunken brawl
- An official approaches the PCs to ask if such heroes as they are might be able to help with a small tax-collection problem in a distant village before her martinet of a boss (a justice named Ironbriar) finds out about it — setting up the Feast of Ravenmoor
- The band leader (or other important musician) for the evening party gets hopelessly drunk during the dinner.
- Somebody tries a traditional Varisian fire dance while drunk and nearly burns down the Alabaster district
- A wedding joust
- Stag (or hen) party mayhem
- Visiting the happy couple at their townhouse beforehand
- Xanesha might do something to try and assess the PCs’ greed.
- A giant magpie assaults the ringbearer and steals the rings before flying off to its roost on the Irespan
- Somebody replaced the temple’s altar with a mimic
- Somebody replaced the wedding cake with a mimic
- Somebody replaced the priest with a doppelganger
- After the wedding, the bride and groom ride happily off into the sunset to Foxglove Manor to spend the rest of their lives together.
For specific things my PCs might be good at, the party has:
- A druid potionmaker (could help with inadvertent food poisoning)
- An alchemist (cocktail-making contest)
- A half-orc barbarian/butcher/chef (baking contest?)
- A halfling cavalier (wedding joust)
- A summoner (could be asked to summon a celestial to bless the wedding)
Any ideas on other things I should have in the wedding? Bits of rumours or information?
I know maybe no one is looking at this thread anymore, but I have been delving into the Age of Worms AP, and would like to hear more on why you think The Mad God’s Key is a good intro for it :D
It's a good intro because it immediately introduces the cult of Vecna, and can be tweaked a little to be Vecna of the Ebon Triad. It's like when the main character in a disaster film is having breakfast and there's an ominous news report in the background. It builds the story.
When I first ran the campaign, I didn't use any of it. However, I am about to run the campaign again, and I recently wrapped up running Temple of Elemental Evil (3.5 conversion).
I based the ToEE conversion on the computer game, which has tons of sidetreks with the various NPCs. They are short and relatively simple, and I plan on incorporating things from that into my AoW game. The adventures in the Village of Hommlet could be converted to Diamond Lake easily enough.
Some examples:
- Uncovering a spy from the Ebon Triad in town
- Being hired by a mine manager to clear out some low-level monsters from one of his mines.
- Uncover a patron cheating at cards or dice in a pub to get free bed and board.
I'm planning on using the house building from Dragon Magazine to give benefits and further adventure opportunities. I think a steady income stream and some of the sidetreks from the second chapter of Pathfinder AP "War for the Crown" could be useful here, as they can get benefits by undertaking certain tasks to improve their house and the town.
I'm going to be running War for the Crown over Roll20 for a smaller group of 3 players. I don't want the challenge to be overwhelming, and I worry that three characters in particular would not have enough social rounds between them to complete their missions.
I've thought of some options, and I was wondering if anybody could let me know what might work, what problems there might be, or if I'm overthinking things and there won't be a problem?
Option 1: Increase the number of social rounds available by about 1/3.
Option 2: Allow each player to create a second character if they wish. If they do so, then they can have one noble character and one character in service to that noble.
Option 3: Decrease the difficulty of encounters (reducing levels and numbers of enemies).
I want to make sure that I don't make a decision that will make things boring or overly confusing for newer players. I had considered gestalt characters, but that would be too complex for newer players and wouldn't get around the action-economy problem.
Oh yes, I know that it is a sham, but I don't believe it's a believable sham as is, and am asking if it would be more believable as a cult to unite three archfiends?
I'm planning on running the Age of Worms soon, and came to read this forum first (as you do).
I've seen so many great ideas on here, more than I can thank you for in the character limit of this post, but one thing stands out: - Lots of people don't like the Ebon Triad, it's something that seems so patently ridiculous that many players will twig that it is hiding something before they even reach the Free City.
I was thinking then, what if the Ebon Triad weren't trying to create the Overgod out of three gods, but out of three archfiends? Rather than Hextor, Vecnor and Erythnul, how about Asmodeus (King of Hell), Anathraxus (the Oinoloth) and either Demogorgon, Orcus of Graz'zt?
I like the idea of this myself, but do not know how I would implement it. While this idea certainly would seem to fit Asmodeus, who wants to unite the lower planes against heaven, it is finding the right demon prince that irks me. Demogorgon is the Prince of Demons, but beyond being the Capo di tuti Capi of the Abyss, there is little to recommend him for this roll, he spends his time focussed on the Blood War and internal Abyssal politics, so it would seem out of character for him to try this merger idea (that said, it could be a plot of Aamuel to permanently silence Hethradiah or the other way round). Graz'zt would seem perfect: he is the most scheming demon prince, and like Asmodeus, he wants to unite the lower planes to cast down the heavens. The problem with him is that he is not the Prince of Demons, and his followers as outlined in the Age of Worms are too... savage. Orcus again suffers from the fact that he is not the Prince of Demons, but the appearance of undead such as Spawn of Kyuss might allow the idea that the Ebon Triad is behind the outbreaks of undead to hold that much more water...
I think running TLD in the Abyss would require too much adaptation. I think I may just miss it out entirely, not decided for certain yet though.
Although it would remove the forced choice of whether to destroy the tear of Tlaloc or not...
And all of the Kopru
Decisions, decisions...
EDIT: Actually, on second thoughts I give my players the Savage Tidings Sections, so I'd better keep it otherwise they'll look at the last one and go "Tear of Tlaloc? Koprus? Aboleths? WTH?"
MY PC's are just about to start the Battle of Farshore at the end of Tides of Dread.
Over the course of the campaign, they've been through plenty of side quests:
Wreck Ashore before TinH
Eye of the Sun after TinH
Bad Light during BG
The one with the intelligent sword antagonists after BG
Porphyry House Horror and Hidden Shrine of Demogorgon during ToD
So they'll be a couple of levels ahead at the end of ToD, after which, I intend to run Strike on the Rabid Dawn (not sure if it should happen in Farshore or Sasserine).
Should I conflate CoBI & tLD?
Should I run Strike on the Rabid Dawn in place of one of the above? Or alongside them conflated? Or instead of one of them? Should I instead just give half experience over the course of tLD & CoBI?
I'm planning on putting the option for a few sidequests into the Isle of Dread, focussed around monster hunting. The giant Scorpion may turn out to be the haunting presence of the imprisoned Aspect of Obox-ob if I decide to put a bit of EomE there. The Shambling mound will probably be a dungeon with an advanced Mother of All at the centre, and the Green dragon will rule over a small civilisation of Greenspawn of Tiamat.
In my campaign, Sasserine has just been partially sacked by the Crimson Fleet, so could Strike on the Rabid Dawn fit in well there?
So I'm going to be running the Strike on the Rabid Dawn from Dungeon 111, and in it, a disciple of Asmodeus releases an aspect of Asmodeus from an Iron Flask.
Given that the specific selling point of Malcanthet's Iron Flask minor artefact is that it can hold an aspect, how do these interact?
As I am planning on making Malcanthet an antagonist rather than an ally, should I make this Iron Flask the one required for the Aspect of Obox-ob?
A house sized scorpion.
- The Scorpion could be surrounded by a tribe of scorpionfolk from the MM2 that worship it as some sort of god. Perhaps this is partially true; perhaps it looks like a horribly mutated scorpion; perhaps it is an aspect of Obox-ob? Perhaps it is a giant scorpion with some fiendish power due to an aspect of Obox-ob being imprisoned beneath the island (could be useful in the EomE)
A reclusive green dragon
- The green dragon itself could be reclusive, but perhaps it has servitors upon the island. A tribe of Olman or greenspawn that serve it and bring it treasure. Perhaps it is reclusive because it is studying the island, and has become itself a repository of lore and is the only being that holds the answer to a crucial question that the PCs have.
A domineering dragon turtle
- Perhaps Emraag the Glutton's shell has become so large, that it is now inhabited by a spellcaster or mindflayer that controls him. Perhaps the domineering is merely the dominated, carrying out the will of the mad spell caster within
A massive shambling mound
This will sound off the wall, but perhaps the Shambling Mound is itself a dungeon. A massive, stinking, changing dungeon. at its dark heart could reside an advanced Mother of All.
Okay, here is the list of miniatures that I used/will use with links to where they can be bought (all stores with multiple regions will link to the uk version) If a character is not mentioned, then the model that I am using is OOP
1) Ambush: The road to the village could go through a gorge with high cliffs on each side. Have natives with bows and arrows and javelins all along the side of this. When the PCs are half way through, roll logs to block both ends of the passageway, and then have the natives shoot arrows down, lob rocks down, roll boulders and logs down etc...
2) Building the natives: It's almost certain that the natives will be less powerful individually than any of the PCs. That said, make them all rogues/barbarians with a bit of fighter mixed in so that they can give the party a nasty fright. Have a few assorted casters in there too, the weaker ones to buff allies, and the stronger ones to perhaps be a threat on their own.
3) Native tactics generally: The natives will almost certainly be weaker than the PCs. Have them all use vantage points like tree tops, rock ledges, and the far sides of hazardous swamps to rain death on the PCs. They should always be shooting from cover, and where possible they should have height advantage and the advantage of surprise for maximum sneak attack efficacy. Consider having one that is really good at sneaking sneak into the camp at night to nick stuff. Combat oriented natives should ideally be built as chargers, so spirit lion totem barbarian is a must. It's unlikely that these fellows will survive one round in combat with a PC, so they need to have all of their impact at the start of the battle, so power attack, leap attack, improved bullrush and shock trooper are must-haves.
4) Tactics with dinosaurs and other monsters: Have dinos stampede and rampage, send fleshrakers at casters, triceratopses and tyrannosauri at the more melee capable ones. Perhaps one or more of the village elders could be an orlath in disguise. He can send one retriever at the PCs each day to support an ambush, and when confronted, he'll have some suitable retriever to protect himself. Perhaps he could disguise himself as a defenceless elderly woman, and open relations with the party by having his retriever disintegrate the wizard and have himself disintegrate the rogue, that would set the party on edge.
5) Psychic poisons: Psions can really confuse the PCs, and psionic poisons more than most. Have some Lanshita (2d6 cha/2d6 cha) on some kind of obvious malign magical device or some other thing that is going to get spells hurled at it, and then watch as the wizard blasts himself into a coma.
6) General poisons: These are always good to use, as even a lowly graze can lay a PC low. They will roll a one at some point, so coat every weapon with as many poisons as you care to.
7) Trapped offerings: On the side of the cave, have some alcoves with gold and silver offerings in them. When a PC goes to grab them, have something within the cave ensnare his hand, or better yet, have his entire arm stabbed by hundreds of tiny spikes with enough colossal spider, colossal scorpion and colossal centipede venom to fell even an ogre. Even if the PC survives, his arm is impaled with spikes that will do a lot of damage if he tries to remove it. And the gold is naturally just iron pyrite.
8) Giant punjee pit room: Have a large, empty room which is in reality a thin rock bridge across a large punjee pit which would make the tomb of horrors embarrassed.
9) Idol trap: Have a giant, ancient Olman idol of some god like Zotzilaha in the centre of a room or clearing. The statue should either itself be made of some precious material, or else carry a magical, flaming sword. If the PCs try and grab the sword, then they are whisked up in a net. On top of this, the sword itself burns the flesh to touch. If that wasn't enough, then the gems on the hilt of the sword are actually scarabs of death.
In summary: Use poison, use cover, use spellcasters (magic weapon is a must-cast on ranged weapons before an encounter to overcome any pesky damage reduction), and use fiendish traps.
One thing that you may wish to try is something that I have always wanted to do (and thinking on it now may do myself for this adventure). Create a heroic, champion of good, make him either a good lich or a deathless, and have him challenge the party to "prove their worth."
Wow - CR18 versus 10th level characters after 4 or 5 CR 10-14 encounters :-)
You playing Gestalt, Larellian? I know my players have badass characters full of splatbookery, but they may very well lynch me if I hit them with this bad boy.
From a purely aesthetic point of view he's pretty nifty though - the Hand of Glory is a nice touch.
I'm sure Turin will be along presently with his own lethal and hideous blend of viciousness.
If needs be, the 6 characters and a cohort can be reinvigorated by Zotzilaha before Vanthus or the Vrocks. (He has promised them a favour of some sort at some point)
Additionally, I'm running Porphyry House Horror and The Lost Temple of Demogorgon as part of the Tides of Dread, so they should be level 11-13 before they face big V.
Here is my version of Vanthus Vanderboren for the end of Tides of Dread for your perusal.
Name: Vanthus Vanderboren (raging, hasted, unholy aura)
Build: Unique Augmented Male Lemorian Human Spirit Lion Totem Barbarian II/Swashbuckler I/Ranger VI/Fighter II/Tempest IV/
Size & Type: Medium outsider (chaotic, evil, augmented humanoid)
Hit Dice: 2d12+1d10+6d8+2d10+4d10+78
Initiative: +12
Speed: 50’ walk or fly
AC: 33 (8 dex, 1 dodge 1 natural, 2 armour, 2 shield, 3 deflection, 1 monk, 2 tempest, 4 unholy aura, 1 haste, -2 raging)
Touch: 27
Flat-footed: 33
BAB/Grapple: +15/+20
Attack: Fang of the abyss +24/+19 melee (18-20 x2)
Sickle +24/+19 melee (x2)
Tail +15 melee (19-20 x2)
2 Wings +23/+23 melee (19-20 x2)
Damage: Fang of the abyss 5d6+8
Sickle 1d6+8
Tail 1d6+3 (poison)
Wings 1d4+7
Space/Reach: 5*5/5
Special Attacks: Smite good +15, poison (DC 21, 1d6/1d6 wis), pounce, rage 1/day, favoured enemy (gnome +4, elf +2)
Special Qualities: Uncanny dodge; darkvision 60’; immunity to poison; resistance to acid, cold, electricity and fire 10; DR 10/magic, SR 25, wild empathy, animal companion, fast movement, mettle
Saves: Fort: +24, Ref: +22, Will: +7
Abilities: Str: 20, Dex: 26, Con: 22, Int: 14, Wis: 8, Cha: 22
Skills:
Feats: Dodge, mobility, spring attack, multiattack, shock trooper, leap attack, power attack
Bonus Feats: Weapon finesse, two-weapon fighting, improved two-weapon fighting, track, endurance, martial weapon proficiency, armour proficiency (all), shield proficiency, tower shield proficiency
Environment: Lemoriax, the Abyss, the Ocean, Scuttlecove
Affiliation: Crimson Fleet
Challenge Rating: 18
Treasure: Monk’s belt, +1 acid, frost, flaming, shocking rapier (fang of the abyss), +1 spellstoring (haste) light sickle, shadow pearl, boots of speed, capsule retainer of a potion of cure critical wounds (4d8+20), Bracers of moderately fortified armour +2, shield ring, ring of protection +3, hand of glory, ring of mettle
Alignment: CE
Spell-like abilities: CL 16th
Command 3/day DC 17
Suggestion DC 18
Fear DC 17
Charm Monster DC 20
Dominate Person DC 21
Mass Suggestion DC 22
Unhallow
Unholy aura 3/day
Mass Charm Monster DC 24
Suddenly, in the midst of combat, a dark shape comes soaring down through the air. It rapidly approaches and lands atop a nearby pillar. With spined wings, a barbed tail, scaly patches and a pair of evil looking blades in his hands, a demented smile plays across the twisted countenance of the fiend. The past year hasn't been kind to Vanthus Vanderboren.
Chance of getting an ECL +0 race = 73%
Chance of getting an ECL +1 race = 15%
Chance of getting an ECL +2 race = 2%
Chance of getting an ECL +3 race = 4%
Chance of getting an ECL +4 race = 5%
A character in my campaign died in HTBM, and they have been reincarnated by a druid. Two issues face me though.
1) The party is now level 9, when he died this character was level 8, so he will come back at the start of level 7. He is already in a party with a druid and a warlock/binder/beguiler/incarnate/something else, and as a single-class barbarian specialising in Dex, Int and Con he is already quite weak.
2) What's actually on the list: bugbear, dwarf, elf, gnoll, gnome, goblin, half-elf, half-orc, halfling, human, kobold, lizardfolk, orc, troglodyte. Ot those, Only humans, lizardfolk, kobolds and troglodytes are thematically appropriate.
So I want to create a new list of Isle appropriate races, preferrably with an ECL mod of +1 to +4
I've already looked at the saurials in the serpent kingdoms web enhancement, can any of you give me extra suggestions?
We haven't rolled yet. For one thing, the player who is having his character reincarnated wasn't there. For another, I want to create a new table for reincarnation.
They actually managed it, despite some clever tactics on my part.
They entered the main room and killed one of the Bar-lguras before escaping to rest and recoop. They came back the next day and in one trip exhausted the spells of the spirit naga and the summons and perdays of the bar-lguras before escaping again. They then healed up again and re-entered, taking out all of Olangru's mates and the spirit naga. The druid was abducted all around the complex, first to the fire pit and then to the baboon room. After a hair-raising encounter with the baboons (led by Olangru), they escaped, rested and re-entered. They found Olangru and killed him, and then ran away with the hostages after a perilous encounter with the Lemorian Golem. They healed up and went straight back in.
The resurrection issue was sorted out by a reincarnation from an Olman druid.
[spoiler]I have plans for him to either leave by then, simply not come back from a quest into the isle (perhaps making him the cleric in CoBI), or becoming a problem that needs to be "dealt" with.
Actually, I ran a few sidequests in Farshore during which it was established that there was an open temple of Hextor in the city, and due to these sidequests the players were able to add two ships to Lavinia's fleet which they themselves recruited the crew for. They went to get a cleric from the Hextorites and
Spoiler:
they got the high priest himself to come along. He will be an interesting future ally/adversary, but at level 13, he is capable of casting resurrection.
Not sure if I should have him running in Farshore's election.
I'm not going to let the other 3 players find new characters there, not until they get to the pit and find all of Olangru's sacrifices (one or two of which will be captured Olman (new characters). One of the dead characters has expressed the wish to be resurrected and so he won't get a new character (maybe let him control one of the NPCs).
You can have the character wanting to come back dangling in the... ooops ** spoiler omitted **
They've already buried him and taken a hand for resurrection in Farshore.
I'm not going to let the other 3 players find new characters there, not until they get to the pit and find all of Olangru's sacrifices (one or two of which will be captured Olman (new characters). One of the dead characters has expressed the wish to be resurrected and so he won't get a new character (maybe let him control one of the NPCs).
Also, one of the magazines with the AP (I forget which) has an adventure called the Hidden Shrine of Demogorgon. Perhaps it would be good to incorporate that at the Throne of Huhueteotl.
Beats the heck out of the lame nightmare mount. Saddle him up in a ginormous construct packing death rays and watch the heroes squirm!
Hrm ... how big is a Retriever again ... ?
*eyes Bestiary* Huge, it looks like. I'd probably sub out the fire, cold, and electricity rays and replace them with a level 11 scorching ray (hits up to three targets!), an enervation, and a level 11 disintegrate (with the Fort save for 5d6).
Petrification can stay. *evil grin*
Hrmmm ... Advanced Dreadnaught Flying Retreiver mount for ol' Vanthi...
The druid and the warlock are the only two living party members. Due to good profession (sailor) rolls, all of the named NPCs survived the shipwreck. However, all barring Amella, Tavy, Thunderstrike and Avner were abducted by Olangru and his mates. The Druid and the Warlock have just figured out the Shrine of Duplicity, but have yet to enter the mirrors.
Although the situation looks grim, both the druid and warlock are powerful beyond their levels (being dragonborn whisper gnomes). Both can manage an AC of above 30, the druid can turn into a troll (MoMF) and the warlock is also a level one beguiler and has incarnate levels.
The party, originally consisting of a warlock, a druid, a barbarian, a spellthief and a wizard, has been severely battered by HTBM, and now only the warlock and druid are left alive. The combat capable NPCs have been abducted by Olangru, and only those two remain able to enter the Temple of Demogorgon and do anything. Should I make any changes?
Although the STAP has no use for Rowyn Kellani (other than Chaeron's proxy) after her battle in SWW, I was wondering if the following would be a good idea.
The party has, by crook and by hook, managed to get two extra ships for the expedition, both captained by ex-pirates and one crewed mostly by pirates. On one of these ships is a powerful priest of Hextor (the party doesn't actually know HOW powerful, but between us, he's level 13).
Due to making him flee in BG and royally ticking off Harliss Javell, the party was attacked by Drevoraz while in port. They killed him and threw his corpse overboard, but the priest of Hextor gathered up his corpse. They have now just killed Rowyn and will probably dump her overboard too. If they do, then the priest of Hextor will probably gather up her corpse too.
What should I have the priest do with the bodies of these two powerful NPCs? By RAW he can make them into corpse creatures, bone creatures, skeletons, zombies, ghouls or ghasts. Which should I have him do? Should I even have him do any of them? If he does, will he keep it a secret from the party? Will he use his servitors for evil? Will he openly have them and just use them as extra help to him?
I think that you should leave it as a devil. Dispater would be a good choice as he is so paranoid that he would do anything to make sure that he knows what is going on, same too for Asmodeus, and Bel or Mephistopheles would be interested in furthering the Blood War by bringing down the Prince of Demons.
It could also be a duke such as Moloch, as they have the most to gain out of the unique devils.
Scarletrose wrote:
In my campaign I have a player aiming for Disciple of Dispater.
As a matter of fact I find it interesting since in the end there are demons and eldarins involved but not a single devil willing to strike down the prince of demons... I find it odd and I plan to give Dispater a part in it in the final chapters...
If your player want to deal with devils rather than demons I would take the opportunity to do the same.
Let your player choose freely the devil he wants to serve and make him the pawn by which the nine hells get involved in the fight.
You can also imply that some devils are deployed into the battlefield, granted by the character's infernal patron.
I also plan to make a side trip to the Iron City of Dis during Enemy of my enemy.
Please do tell about the trip to the iron city, I plan on having devilkind involved in EomE too.
The way I did it was to have a chart detailing the successes and failures of different Profession (Sailor) checks, with room for circumstance modifiers depending on technical know-how of the players.
The best result is to avoid HTBM (that's a really high DC), or they could beach the ship, or they could wreck the ship with all NPC's surviving, or do the above but named only, or as HTBM assumes, or without any NPCs and an unsalvageable wreck, or all dead.
When Verrick and Larissa Vanderboren gained their vault under Castle Teraknian, they were owed a favour by a master construct maker named Arthur Morannin (CG Gnome wizard XVIII) for capturing a working Kolyarut for him, and so he agreed to make for them a guardian. Larissa wanted a mindless golem or iron cobra, but Verrick instead chose to have a nimblewright created and contributed some of the XP for its creation. Because he so liked the personality of the construct created, Verrick named it Maximilian Vanderboren and treated it as his firstborn son. He often spent time with it between adventures, and though many intelligent constructs would have come to loathe this servile, menial existence. Verrick lavished enough attention upon Maximilian that he in turn considered himself a beloved member of the family.
Eventually though, adventures, setting up Farshore, and a real life family of their own meant that Verrik and Larissa were unable to spend time with him. When Verrik and Larissa died, Maximilian passed into the possession of Lavinia, and although he knows this, he has never met Lavinia.
When Vanthus came to the vault, he was curt and dismissive of Maximilian, thinking of him as just another mindless construct. Maximilian was disappointed with Vanthus, and he knows that Lavinia will have to visit soon, and looks forward to this meeting with her.
He has come to think of her as something between a younger sister and a master, so he may seem overbearing or even impertinent with her, treating her as a close friend.
In the Vanderboren Vault, there is an Iron Cobra construct guardian. Is such a thing thematically appropriate for such brave and experienced adventurers as the Vanderborens? It strikes me as not impressive enough for them, but still too powerful for level 1 adventurers.
So my question is this, should I replace it with a Dreadguard from the MM2?
