MattW's page

A year ago I would loved to have seen this in hard cover, but not now. My main reason is if they do it now, it will most likely be converted to 4E and I have no interest in buying 4E what so ever. 3.5 will be the last version of Dungeons and Dragons I own.

I heartily agree. I note that my local gaming store has stopped stocking some 3rd edition game books and is running out of a few as people stock up before the long bitter drought known as 4th edition.

I wish Paizo well with 4th edition, but checking the WotC web site development articles usually peaves me.
Lastly, I dusted off my Core Rules 2.0 CD so I could roll a few dice and it reminds me of WotC's effort to have integrated online content for 4th edition. Core Rules 2.0 came out in 1998 during the fall of TSR.

I want to heartily thank the folks on this forum. I used much of the thread concerning Balabar Smenk's estate to form the raid my players staged recently.
I made a few additions:
1) Balabar Smenk supposedly leaves town for Greyhawk to validate his claim on the Dourstone mine (see #3 below) and to hire a new mine manager, since the last one was decapitated by Grimlocks.
2)Smenk hires a band of thieves called 'the Black Talons' to kill the PCs by luring them into a farm house with 2 cockatrices, then disguised as a neighboring farm family they try to slit the PC's throats. They are hired by Smenk, but know only an intermediary in Greyhawk.
3)Dourstone had a dwarven bodyguard whom Smenk bribed. While the PCs raided the Ebon Triad, the bodyguard beats up and drags off Dourstone to give to Smenk.
4)Smenk claims that before Dourstone and his bodyguard left town Dourstone sold his mine to Smenk.
5)The other mine owners smell something rotten and have a man watch Smenk's estate constantly. Eventually he sees Dourstone's former bodyguard leave Smenk's estate, and return an hour later. The spy sells this information to the other mine owners and the PCs.
6)The PCs raid Smenk's estate, since the dwarven PCs wish to find Dourstone on behalf of the Greysmere Covenant. The bodyguard knows that Dourstone is below the house in catacombs occupied by Smenk.
7) The PCs find Dourstone barely alive, and Smenk escapes barely. Amongst Smenk's coffers they find evidence incriminating Smenk and Mayor Neff. In this case Mayor Neff was spurned by a sorceress for whom he had formed an unhealthy obsession. Smenk arranged for the woman to be captured and petrified, then placed in Mayor Neff's garden. The knowledge of the crime put Neff squarely in Smenk's pocket.

If the PCs win they find a scroll of Break Enchantment in Smenk's treasury to unpetrify the sorceress Mere.
Note: The plot between Mayor Neff and Mere the Geomancer dates back to the Doom Grinder module so I'm not making it up completely.

"I wonder what the overall "religious demographics" are for AoW games?"

When our groups Bard was killed by the Grimlock Chief, I gave him the option of playing a devoted inquisitor of Wee Jas. He's a Paladin/Rogue with emphasis on trap breaking skills. Basically a holy undead tomb raider with a push in the direction of Worm Hunter (from Dragon magazine) down the road.
A friend who is further along the adventure path with his group of players has a cleric of Saint Cuthbert as a main character. Another is a pupil of Allustan.
The role of the Cult of the Green Lady, like the Bronzewood Lodge, or the Twilight Monestary can be expanded if a PC has strong ties.
In our campaign we have two elves and two dwarves. THe dwarves are very connected to Dulok Blitzhame and the traders of the Greysmere Covenant. The elves are strongly tied to Ellival Moonmeadow, the elvish silver mine owner in town. Strong bonds of friendship, and possibly side adventures may come from these alliagences. In one case Dulok has tried to set up a PC dwarf fighter with his daughter. etc.

With the 3 classes she will have an -20% xp penalty at various levels, as per page 60 of the PHB.

1=Scout 1
2=Scout 1 / Ranger 1
3=Scout 1 / Ranger 1 / Rogue 1
4=Scout 1 / Ranger 1 / Rogue 2
5=Scout 2 / Ranger 1 / Rogue 2
6=Scout 2 / Ranger 2 / Rogue 2
7=Scout 3 / Ranger 2 / Rogue 2
8=Scout 4 / Ranger 2 / Rogue 2
9=Scout 5 / Ranger 2 / Rogue 2
10=Scout 5 / Ranger 3 / Rogue 2
11=Scout 5 / Ranger 4 / Rogue 2 -20%
12=Scout 6 / Ranger 4 / Rogue 2 -20%
13=Scout 7 / Ranger 4 / Rogue 2 -20%
14=Scout 8 / Ranger 4 / Rogue 2 -20%
15=Scout 8 / Ranger 4 / Rogue 3
16=Scout 8 / Ranger 4 / Rogue 4
17=Scout 8 / Ranger 5 / Rogue 4
18=Scout 8 / Ranger 6 / Rogue 4 -20%

Just a drawback to the build, plus does planning out the next 18 levels mean the character is super powered at level 18 but dies a horrible death at levels one or two. This happened in our Age of Worms campaign. The Fighter with aspirations of being a monk never got past Kullen's Axe.

Matt W.

I came back to Dungeon and then to Dragon Magazine after a long hiatus. What I saw initally disapointed me. A single adventure, with Polyhedron added to the mix. I enjoyed bits of Polyhedron when it pertained to Greyhawk lore. I could have done without the homage to Joisie and the Pussycats.
The readers asked for more content, and more adventures. Paizo delivered. Nowhere to go but down I suppose.

Thanks to Wolfgang Bauer, James Jacobs, Erik Mona, and more unnamed writers, artists and of course Christopher West. A fantastic job well done.

Encore.

Matt W.

I'm posting my response to the 'USPS despises local D&D enthusiast; Satanist?' in a new thread in the hope of reaching a larger portion of the D&D community. Don't stand for demonizing Gamers or Letter Carriers.

Well,
first off I'm a letter carrier and have been for several years. I also have played D&D since Keep on the Borderlands.
I have posted as a letter carrier on these boards before and will again in the future.
I won't defend your letter carrier. In fact I suggust you phone her supervisor to complain. Then watch to see if the service improves or in the rare instance she retaliates and deliberately mangles your mail, then that is grounds for disciplinary action or dismissal. You will have to document your allegations and any fraud on your part would mean criminal prosecution.
OK on to the rest of the complaints about the postal system.
1) Boorish behavior is unseemly and wrong, but it's hard to change.
2) A postal carrier is a delivery vehicle and is allowed if delivering the mail to park in restricted space such as in yellow tow away zones, etc. We are noy allowed to drive in an erratic or hazardous fashion. Doin so is subject to discipline. The case mentioned on a carrier parking for his/her break in an restricted spot is unclear to me. It may be allowed but courtesy would deem it inprudent.
3) Folded magazines are not cool. Let me first mention one possible culprit - the too small apartment mail box. As letter carriers we are obligated to attempt delivery of all first and second class mail we recieve every day. We deliver to mail boxes in apartments made of brass which are too small for the size and volume of todays mail, but because we initiated delivery to that mail box, we are not allowed to cease delivery. In other words an apartments small boxes are the fault of the apartment owner and we are required to attempt delivery.
4) The postal system has undergone a series of reforms both within and dictated by congress. In the late 70's the USPS was mandated to become financially self suffient. It is today. In fact the federal government tried to take money from the post office to cover the pension obligations of veterans employed by the USPS for time served in our military. That financial burden was reversed by the act just passed by the Congress and signed into law in 2006. Note the President added a signing statement to that act which would allow agents of the federal government to open mail without a warrant. This is something which goes against the Postal Code.

Anyway those are some thoughts. Just remember what goes around, comes around. Nobody is perfect, myself included.

Take care,
Postal Carrier Matt W.

Well,
first off I'm a letter carrier and have been for several years. I also have played D&D since Keep on the Borderlands.
I have posted as a letter carrier on these boards before and will again in the future.
I won't defend your letter carrier. In fact I suggust you phone her supervisor to complain. Then watch to see if the service improves or in the rare instance she retaliates and deliberately mangles your mail, then that is grounds for disciplinary action or dismissal. You will have to document your allegations and any fraud on your part would mean criminal prosecution.
OK on to the rest of the complaints about the postal system.
1) Boorish behavior is unseemly and wrong, but it's hard to change.
2) A postal carrier is a delivery vehicle and is allowed if delivering the mail to park in restricted space such as in yellow tow away zones, etc. We are noy allowed to drive in an erratic or hazardous fashion. Doin so is subject to discipline. The case mentioned on a carrier parking for his/her break in an restricted spot is unclear to me. It may be allowed but courtesy would deem it inprudent.
3) Folded magazines are not cool. Let me first mention one possible culprit - the too small apartment mail box. As letter carriers we are obligated to attempt delivery of all first and second class mail we recieve every day. We deliver to mail boxes in apartments made of brass which are too small for the size and volume of todays mail, but because we initiated delivery to that mail box, we are not allowed to cease delivery. In other words an apartments small boxes are the fault of the apartment owner and we are required to attempt delivery.
4) The postal system has undergone a series of reforms both within and dictated by congress. In the late 70's the USPS was mandated to become financially self suffient. It is today. In fact the federal government tried to take money from the post office to cover the pension obligations of veterans employed by the USPS for time served in our military. That financial burden was reversed by the act just passed by the Congress and signed into law in 2006. Note the President added a signing statement to that act which would allow agents of the federal government to open mail without a warrant. This is something which goes against the Postal Code.

Anyway those are some thoughts. Just remember what goes around, comes around. Nobody is perfect, myself included.

Take care,
Postal Carrier Matt W.

Yeah, uber-cool but I would hate to be him if your party did like ours and never entered the tournament or even the actual arena, to complete the adventure.

Where's the fun in that? The high point of this adventure is TO FIGHT IN AN ARENA like the Gladiator movie. We try are create an experience which players will remember years later. Not the most efficient way to kill the Ulgurstasa.

Some of my players fondest stories come from raiding a lawful good temple when they were 4th level and accidentally killing a paladin. The NPC had 2 sisters who hated and reviled the killers, a rivalry ensued and it was never resolved but it had the PCs nervous about it when they hit 15th level. They couldn't name the adventure since it was written by me and not a published one, but that was the highlight.
So far in the AoW path they loved the 3 Faces of Evil, for a great battle in the Hextor side where the wizard used Hold Portal to turn the tide of combat. In the Whispering Cairn they tried to make a deal with Kullen, eventually giving him Filge's head, and Kullen eventually double crossed them.

Sweet picture!
I've already decided to change the arnea tactics for our AoW group when they get there. I've already told Tim much of this. I was just wondering if he was DMing it as written, since 4 way combat can be a lot of NPC rolling.
Since we have 8 PCs I have planned to split the PCs into two seperate groups, one with the same patron, the second with an NPC from my Greyhawk campaign. With 2 groups of four, tactics will be a bit differnt as the group splits into 2 squads.
Eventually both squads will face off against one another before the climactic final fight. They may have one squad throw the fight, or knowing my friends they may save the last blow for a nonlethal blow.
I also plan on having some bad guys who escaped from previuos fights try to avenge themselves in the arena, so it should be fun.

There have been some great articles dealing with problem players, most often appearing in Dungeon or the DMGII. I heartily encourage you to check them out.
First off it's only a game. Tell that to your PCs as you offer them a few choices.
My way of handling it would be to warn them that they feel their 'holy' abilities gradually diminishing until their alinment changes, or seeking spiritual guidance and atonement Role play it out, and don't let them get the spell cast until they have seen the errors of their ways. I tend to play things out in session, so the next time the Paladin goes to smite an evil foe and nothing happens, or Pelor's holy radiance declines to grant the cleric any spells above 2nd level the characters should get the hint.
My 2 cents.

Masked Jester, you may know how many hours it took him to make and paint the arena?

Matt

Very impressive!

I recently illustrated my own miniatures-scale poster map of the arena, but I had to shrink the arena floor to about 1/2 of its actual size to fit it on the poster. I'd love to make one in 3D at the accurate scale, but my group wouldn't have room to set it up where we normally play! :)

Wow.

Praise indeed! I love your work Mr. West. I will pass this on to my buddy - Tim. He said it cost him roughly $300 in supplies, and I'm unsure how many hours. He cleaned out 4 Micheals stores single handedly cornering the market on the collumns for wedding cakes. Now that's dedication.

In response to a previous post about the minatures arrayed, those are from 3 gamers who passed on our painted minatures collections. Plus Tim/Buggeye has outshown the three of us combined. He and most of the Sunday D&D group are avid minature painters and get together every other thursday to paint minis. 26 nights a year add up.

After I first saw the arena he bult I told my wife. It brought out the uber-nerd in me. She shook her head in dis-belief.

I recently received this web post from my long time friend who is DMing the Age of Worms. He constructed a scale arena for the match. Uber-cool!

First stage: http://www.reapermini.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=25590

and

Second Stage: http://www.reapermini.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=25781

We will use it a second time, since he's running a character in my AoW campaign. Check it out and be awed fellow dorks.

Matt W

Level drain ought to be enough to scare anybody, particularly the lightly-armored spellcasters. They may only be +3 to hit (on average) but flanking and sneak attacks (they have great Hide and Move Silently numbers) can make up for that.

As a DM I would tell my Players that a mob this size could easily over run and grapple them into submission. If they persist in fighting the mob give them one last warning the mob will tear them limb from limb despite their armor. Then no fight, just DM ruling DEAD.

It's a tough world, learn or die.

The Arms and Equipment Guide has a simple looking little candle (Candle, Insectbane) that keeps vermin 5 feet away for one hour. Is it possible to avoid the whole worm issue by buying a pack load of 1sp each candles?! All hail the candlewrights!

As a 'Old School' DM let them try and then tell them what happens. All too often my players ask 'Will X work?' my response is always 'Try it and find out.'

Our campaign has a large number of PCs (8) and we run side adventures to keep the PCs up to the level the adventure path. So they group went through 'A Night on the Town' side trek which appears in other posts in this forum. This occurs after the Whispering Cairn but before 3 Faces of Evil.

Chapter I: I changed the emphasis of that side trek. Thurbiss and his goons kidnap Constance Grace (see the Midnight Salute entry) because she is the paramour of Ragnolin Dourstone and knows too much. The PCs track Thurbiss and his guys to the dead hole mine and fight them and a priestess of Vecna. From the captives they learn Constance had been thrown down a pit where a dread monster lurks. They rescue Constance, and kill the Harpoon Spider. Finally they get a reward from Purple Prose.

Chapter II: During 3 Faces of Evil, 2 PCs die fighting the Grimlocks. 2 Replacements and Melinde the Heironean Paladin are contacted and hired by Constance Grace to protect her from Ragnolin Dourstone whom she fears.
Constance is kidnapped and carried off before the trio meet with her face to face. They see the kidnappers running off through a broken window and give chase. They find them going into the Dourstone Mine.
The trio eventually fight the evil doers as they are about to throw Constance into the Dark Pool from a high ledge. The bad guys include 2 kenkus, an apprentice of the Faceless One, a Lurking Strangler, and a cloaked and cowled Purple Prose. All are killed except Prose who surrenders.
As the fight ends the other group of PCs encounters them and they parlay.
Melinde and Constance take Prose prisoner and head to the surface to warn the Militia. Prose brokers a deal which allows her to head to Celene in exile from the lands of Greyhawk. She will be a prisoner of Ellival Moonshadow, the patron of the two elf PCs. The next silver shipment Ellival sends to Celene he will have Prose taken to the temple of Hanali the elven goddess of love and beauty for punishment.
Prose tells the PCs most of the backstory of the Ebon Triad, as she is an old and valuable agent of the Faceless One and pays lip service to Vecna.

One of the elf PCs loves to play the role of 'the Brilliant Planner' or 'Wheeler/Dealer'. He learns valuable information and later when the PCs find the Faceless Ones letter, he is invested in what is happening.
I have also played up the dire history between the elves and Vecna, who was a flannish human wizard who learned much from the elven kingdoms then destroyed much of the elven realm.
It should be interesting as they encounter agents of Dalt in the near future. Prose will also pop up again, repentant NN rather than NE. In time her survival will be important to the Age of Worms as the PCs will need someone to take up the relic Dalt possessed.

Well so far our group of 8 characters is trending towards the following prestige classes:

Dwarf Barbarian/Fighter - Pious Templar
Dwarf Cleric - War Priest or none
Human Wizard - Arch mage
Elf Cleric - Heirophant
Elf Rogue/Wizard - Arcane Archer
Human Fighter/Dragon Shaman - none
Human Cleric - Elemental Archon (slightly modified from the Forgotten Realms to summon elementals of various sizes rather than mephits)
Human Paladin/Rogue - Worm Hunter (from Dragon Magazine Worm food supplement)

I hope that helps, I'm rather partial to the Tempest Prestige class from Complete Adventurer, it makes a good match with a ranger, or ranger/rogue, or fighter/rogue.

Sebastian wrote:

Allen Stewart wrote:

This is crazy. Please WASTE ALL OF THEM during the next game session. If your players choice of classes and decisions during the game merit serious consequences, then let the natural consequences happen. You are only delaying the inevitable by letting them off the hook each week. There are WAY TOO MANY players who have this allergic reaction to character death. If your players seriously can't handle character death and lose enthusiasm for the game if you don't bail them out, then I would suggest that they may have some personal problems that are beyond your ability to help... or ought to be playing some other game than d&d... like maybe Chutes & Ladders

I was playing in a group for a while where the primary "storyteller" (it was a Werewolf/Mage campaign) ran a horrible game where she would not kill off the PC's no matter what. It got to the point where my character was threatened at gunpoint and I told the guy to piss off because I knew (i) I couldn't hurt him and (ii) I wouldn't die (and I didn't).

Anyway, once 3e came out, I got behind the screen. The first thing I did was tell them I run a deadly game, I don't screw around. The first thing her husband did was go off on his own rather than working with the rest of the party. His character died and the two of them were so offended that they quit the campaign. I recruited two new players, one of them a first timer how turned out to be one of the best gamers I've ever known.

I can't say how thankful I am that I killed those characters.

I'm equally thankful you killed those characters, Sebastian. That's a really touching story. I hope we can get a few more testimonials like this about DM's who bravely lay the smack down on their overly sensitive players on this thread.

I got rather misty eyed after reading your story. 'sniff' If you play with critical hits and don't fudge all the time deaths will occur. Stupid deaths should occur. Then again sound tactics and game play pay off as well

My plans are as follows:
PCs have been lining up evidence against Dourstone. After the Ebon Triad is defeated Dourstone disappears, the PCs find out he was abducted by his own bodyguard who was bought and paid for by Smenk.
The PCs investigate Smenk's estate, where they find Dourstone held against his will, Smenk has forced him to write a confession and turn over the deed to his mine to Smenk.
The PCs confront Smenk and he flees for his life for Greyhawk. The Garrison convict him in absentia for grand larceny and kidnapping. With Smenk and Dourstone gone the town is effectively 'saved'.
The PCs have a side trek when in the Free City. The rogue PCs try to join the Thieves Guild to better their search for Smenk.

"Who's your star lineup, huh? Who are the NPCs you love the most, the one who inspires you to think devious plots against the players and ways to slip a cameo in later on in the AP?

What NPCs are you unwilling to let lie dead or *GASP!* are willing to fudge, allowing them to escape?
Give us your list of you favorite NPCs and just why you love them, also, how about an example of how they've tested your player's patience and HP limit."

So far we've only gotten to the start of 3 Faces of Evil. Smenk is the man but I like Sheriff Cubbin and his 'boys'. I play him like he's the Boss from Cool Hand Luke 'What we have here is a failure to communicate'.

Kullen really scared the piss out of my players, since they first bribed him and his gang, then he cornered them after leaving Filge's demanding the Necromancer's eyes as he had been promised. Then lastly he kidnapped a PC and was going to start picking off the PCs one by one until. He killed another PC with a critical hit from his Great Axe before he was rudely stopped by an arrow to his chest.

Our group is about to head into 3 faces with the following:

Dwarf 2 Fighter/1 Barbarian
Dwarf 3 Cleric
Elf 2 Wizard/1 Rogue
Elf 3 Cleric
Human 3 Wizard (Evoker)
Human 3 Bard
Human 2 Dragon Shaman/1 Fighter
Halfling 3 Rogue

I'd give alignments but they may read this board. 3 lawful neutral/good, 1 true neutral, 4 chaotic neutral/good. The elves and dwarves actually get along quite well due to the constant threat of death. (2 deaths so far one by Kullen another by a wind warrior). With this large a group a secondary healer is essential.

Just want to let our blog out into the wider world to wander and bump. We are a group of mostly 30-40s old school D&D guys who drink, belch and fight. Sometimes nachos are involved.
So far the Kullen scared the piss out of the group. An albino half orc. His first encounter he was bribed, then the next time he got Filge's head, the third time he kidnapped and scared the dwarf cleric with Intimidate, the last time he fought and killed the lead fighter on the first hit. Unfortunately he was laid low, but the group left his head in the back hall of the Feral Dog.

http://ageofwormsminnesota.blogspot.com/

The owner of the best tavern in town is secretly looking for a band of thugs and mercenaries. The mission? Start a bloody brawl and close his tavern down before a certain noble can come and seduce his female entertainer. Is he jealous or buying time for something else entirely?

Perhaps Tensor claimed to have created Dragonchess, but Allustan actually laid much of the foundation of the game. Lawyers got involved. Meanwhile Allustan creates a seperate game called Dungeonchess. Tempers flare and lawyers get rich, until a group fo Coastal wizards scoop in and buy up the rights for both games from the goonish wizards.

The players in our group were very interested in the Seekers organization.
Perhaps the players learn the Seekers are interested in a weapon at White Plume Mountain, and run the downloadable adventure. You can find it at the WotC web site and it is converted from 1st edition to 3rd edition. Perhaps they even find/buy a map to the mountain with the Dragotha reference.

On a rather unrelated note, I added a kitchen and restrooms to the Hextor complex. They're not overly squeamish about sanitation, I'm sure, but being military they're not oblivious to it either. A small...

Good point. It's also those little details that last. I still remember the kitchen from the Hill Giant Fort from G1. Yum 'humanoid tenders' anyone?

deClench wrote:

I want to see you guys do a Pirates & Ninjas (... & Robots?) theme in the AP. That would make my day! ;)

Ninja Golems of the Free City! Watch them destroy the Rhenee Pirates of the Nyr Dyv! Avast, ye maties, there be shurikens off the starboard bow!

=)

I always did like Rhenee Pirates. I know the ship has probably already sailed, but I remember reading a Greyhawk supplement that mentioned a Sargasso sea with numerous ships caught in the Mystical Sargasssum. One ship had a lich, along with the usual Sahuagin, Merchant survivors, etc. That always sounded very, very cool.

My 2 cents.

I play in a group with 9 of us. The biggest tips I have are:
1)Whomever is DMing has to make sure via e-mail we have enough players on a given week.
2)For those players missing a session, we roll off to see who will handle said player that session. If a player misses repeatly we consider taking his/her character out of play in fairness to those who can make it.
3) Since there are many players and not all are 'into' the plotline, a summary is crucial.
4)The DM should maintain an experience list. This way if experience is awarded and someone is missing, or inattentive, they don't lose out. It also avoids mistakes.
5) Also have a standard character sheet for all characters, this will help players understand a missing players sheet.

We hand off DM responsibilities, so no one DMs for more than 6-7 months at a time. We are currently running 2 separate groups of adventurers, one a high level (15-16th level) in a home brew campaign, and another (6th level) in a Greyhawk campaign. With so many DMs there are rule challenges, but the final rule applies 'Whomever is DMing tonight is right.' Lastly, with this many players tell them the group is 'closed' to new players. If you're in a hole, stop digging. If you think there are too many players, don't allow any more.

While rounding out a few discrepancies in the AoW for my home campaign I put this together. I found on an earlier post in the Overload thread a request for Ragnolin Dourstone's stats. Here they are, feel free to use or change (i.e. be a DM).

Ragnolin Dourstone CR 5
(Mine Manager)
Male dwarf expert 6
NN Medium humanoid
Init +0
Senses Spot +0, Listen +0
Languages Common, Dwarven, Gnome
AC 15, touch 10, .at-footed 14
hp 36 (6 HD)
Fort +5*, Ref +3*, Will +6*
Spd 20’
Melee Master-work Light pick +7 (1d6+2)
Base Atk +4; Grp +6
Abilities Str 15, Dex 10, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 11,
Cha 8
Feats Earthcraft (+2 to Knowledge engineering, architecture, and dungeoneering), Persuasive (+2 to bluff and Intimidate checks), Skill Focus (Appraisal)
Skills Appraisal +12, Diplomacy +5, Bluff +10, Intimidation +7, Knowledge (Engineering & Architecture) +13, Knowledge (Local) +5, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +13, Profession (Miner) +7, Sense Motive +7, Use Rope +9
Possessions masterwork light pick, chain shirt, ring of
protection +1, cloak of resistance +1(annotated with a *), potion of hiding, 12 pp, 4 gp
Hook “Bah, that's gonna cost.”

Here are some sample stats for Ragnolin Dourstone, feel free to use them or change as needed.

Ragnolin Dourstone CR 5
(Mine Manager)
Male dwarf expert 6
NN Medium humanoid
Init +0
Senses Spot +0, Listen +0
Languages Common, Dwarven, Gnome
AC 15, touch 10, .at-footed 14
hp 36 (6 HD)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +5
Spd 20’
Melee Master work Light pick +7 (1d6+2)
Base Atk +4; Grp +6
Abilities Str 15, Dex 10, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 11,
Cha 8
Feats Earthcraft (+2 to Knowledge engineering, architecture, and dungeoneering), Persuasive (+2 to bluff and Intimidate checks), Skill Focus (Appraisal)
Skills Appraisal +12, Diplomacy +5, Bluff +10, Intimidation +7, Knowledge (Engineering & Architecture) +13, Knowledge (Local) +5, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +13, Profession (Miner) +7, Sense Motive +7, Use Rope +9
Possessions masterwork light pick, chain shirt, ring of
protection +1, cloak of resistance +1, potion of hiding, 12 pp, 4 gp
Hook “Bah, leave me be.”

I think I'll run the adventure and have a PC adventurer meet with Allustan and role play the encounter to help develope Allustan. He will prompt the group to check out the silence from his pupil at Blackwall Keep.
I run a large group, and will be changing the lizardfolk into blackscale lizard folk from MMIII. The standard Lizard Man gains 15 hp (average 26 hp rather than 11) and will make the fight there a LOT tougher. When theyu realize they are in for a tough fight I'll prompt them to get into the Keep and reform depending on how things develop.

Golbez57 wrote:

My issue arrived on Wednesday here in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Golbez, how come your issue is already there in GR, and mine hasn't made it to Lansing yet? After the last issue disappeared into the black hole and had to be resent. . . let's just say I'm starting to get a bit impatient with USPS!

As a Mail Carrier for the USPS I feel it I should respond. We carriers get and deliver all 1st and 2nd class mail immediately upon arrival at our Station. The delays may be caused if you've changed address and not notified the sender, or more typically by the mail processing center.

As an avid D&D player, I feel your pain.

Well there are a few options.

The easiest solution is have 1-2 NPCs that you or the more seasoned players may play. These NPCs can fill the holes in a party, help ensure survival, and give thoughtful advice in critical times. These should not be uber characters that dominate play. Think supporting actor not leading man.
In the past I've had NPCs who are flavorful, and become allies of one or two PCs. Some of the NPCs I've used in the past: A cleric of Olidamara who travels from town to town (Gregor), a young ranger on a personal quest (Hugh O'Dale), a captive half orc bent on revenge (Grump), etc.

One unorthodox solution mentioned earlier on the board was to give each PC a level in an NPC class. These 4 classes (Aristocrat, Commoner, Expert & Warrior) found on page 108-110 of DMG 3.5 are usually reserved for NPCs who don't have the adventuring background of most PCs. I would omit the Warrior and Aristocrat, since most characters from the region will be skilled craftsfolk or common laborers. This will give each PC an extra 1d4-1d6 hit points, better saves, more skills, and a well rounded back ground.
Either of these two options should give your 3 PCs a chance to survive. At level 6 they should consider taking the leadership feat to attract a cohort. By this I mean to say 'you should talk them into...' Three good cohorts are described in a Dragon article from 2005 (I forget the month). They are all good examples of helpful cohorts (A cleric for healing support, ranger for missile support, and fighter for extra strength of arms).

Good luck and have fun. Below are 4 NPCs I've used in the past, refitted to 1st level.

Gregor of Olidamara
Medium human, Male, 1st level Cleric (Olidamara)
AC 16(Armor +3, Shield +2, +1 Dex), Init: +1; Speed 30’; HD 1d8+2; hp 10; Base Atk +0; Full Atk +1 War Hammer(1d8+1) or +1 Light Crossbow (1d8); AL CN; SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +4; Str 12, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 12
Skills: Bluff +3, Concentration +4, Disguise Self +1, Diplomacy +2, Heal +4, Hide +2, Knowledge (Religion) +2, Spell craft +2
Feats: Dodge, Improved Toughness; Domains: Trickery & Luck
Possessions: Studded Leather, Heavy Wood Shield, War Hammer, Light Crossbow
Spells
1st Entropic Shield, Divine Favor, Shield of Faith

Hugh O’Dale
Medium human, Male, 1st level Bard
AC 15(Armor +3, Dex +2), Init: +2; Speed 30’; HD 1d6+1; hp 7; Base Atk +0; Full Atk +1 Long Sword (1d8+1) or +2 Short Bow (1d6); SQ Bardic Music, Bardic Knowledge, Countersong, Fascinate, Inspire Courage +1, AL CG; SV Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +2; Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 15
Skills: Balance +2, Bluff +2, Climb +2, Decipher Script +2, Diplomacy +3, Disguise +1, Gather Information +4, Hide +3, Jump +1, Listen +2, Move Silently +3, Perform +4, Search +1, Slight of Hand +1, Spot +2, Tumble +3
Feats: Dodge, Mobility
Possessions: Studded Leather Armor, Long Sword, Short Bow

Grump
Medium Half Orc, Male, 1st level Fighter
AC 17(Armor +4, +2 Shield, Dex +1), Init: +0; Speed 20’; HD 1d10+2; hp 12; Base Atk +1; Full Atk +5 Great Sword (1d8+4); AL CN; SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 19, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +1, Intimidate +2, Ride +1
Feats: Weapon Focus (Morning Star)
Possessions: Scale Mail, Morning Star, Heavy Wooden Shield

Hobwin
Medium human, Male, 1st level Cleric (St. Cuthbert)
AC 16(Armor +4, Shield +2), Init: +0; Speed 20’; HD 1d8+3; hp 11; Base Atk +0; Full Atk +1 Heavy Mace (1d8+1) or +0 Light Crossbow (1d8); AL LG; SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +5; Str 12, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 12
Skills: Concentration +2, Diplomacy +1, Heal +4, Knowledge (Religion) +1
Feats: Extra Turning, Improved Toughness; Domains: Destruction & Strength
Possessions: Scale Mail, Heavy Wood Shield, Heavy Mace, Light Crossbow
Spells:
1st Divine Favor, Enlarge Person, Shield of Faith

I think formalizing flaws as would be good. My top 5 are (not in this order):

-change Ranger hp back to d10
-Allow Gnome and halflings to use medium sized light weapons (Small weapons irritate hulk! Hulk pound puny weapons!!!)
-Change Barbarian rage to just add temporary hit points rather than a Con increase. Barbarians tend to die when their rage ends.
-Bards. Not sure what to do there, maybe use 'em for catapult practice. How about adding a free weapon feat every 5 levels to give them some power.
-Add back in minimum strength rules for weapons.

Lets see. My first AD&D character was in 1st edition (1983)Everod, an elven thief/mage. I got him to a mighty 2/1 before he was amongst a near TPK in a dungeon. Orcs led by bad bad men I recall.

One of my old characters did something like this and the DM was game. Finally we figured the name of the game was 'Dungeons and Dragons' not 'Tariffs and Taxes'. The DM may wish you to purse this avenue as he/she may use future adventure hooks in with your mercantile pursuits.
D&D is escapism. If you want to detail a shop as a character, then write it up, come up with reasonable costs (say from the Stronghold Builders Guide) and have the DM read through it and sign off.
Try not to eat up valuable DM time, DIY (Do It Yourself). Remember our DM has to assess experience, run a campaign, plus real world commitments.

My 2 cents

MattW wrote:

My 2 cents is that the creature is a magical beast. On page 36 of the Players Handbook it states an animal companion is treated as a magical beast for purposes of determining which spells will affect them.

Ooops... turns out I was right for the wrong reason. This came up on another DnD bored I read, page 36 of the PHB is wrong. See the official PHB errata

...Errata... (picture me doing the Seinfeld 'Newman') Ok, so it's against the rules, but I'd allow it. My other DM buddies might not.

MattW wrote:

Diamond Lake is a frontier town, not unlike the wild west. With a corrupt Sheriff. Does that mean killing an outlaw is justice? No it's the act of vigilantes.

The best westerns involve good people who are forced to fight and take down the bad guys, rather than kill the bad guy so he won't escape later or because they have no confidence in the legal system.
If the adventure is played as written Filge is an impediment, a right nasty wanker, but still the worst crime most can prove is grave robbing.
An 'eye for an eye' just leaves everyone blind at the end of the day.

I'm guessing you didn't like Boondock Saints.

Western novel? I'm more into the movies myself.

The Clint Eastwood westerns such as 'Fistful of Dollars' is a good example of a NN guy playing off two evil competitors for profit.
'The Magnificent Seven' is an example of true altruism. It was set in a Mexican town beset by Bandits. Was the Mexican government of the 1900s a lawful society? Yes and no, probably in the larger population centers, surely not in the hinterlands. Not unlike Diamond Lake.

MattW, your example of western movies is not applicable to the AOW setting. In just about every western I've seen, the whole premise of the movie is that it takes place in a LAWLESS town, city, etc. Diamond Lake is a LAWFUL society, though not necessarily a GOOD one (in fact, in D&D terms, it is probably a Lawful Evil town).

The confusion here stems from the difference between Law vs. Chaos and Good vs. Evil. In D&D, killing a sentient being is not necessarily an evil act on the moral alignment axis. Depending on the laws of the area in which the killing took place, it may or may not be an unlawful act.
On the moral alignment axis, killing an orc is just as wrong as killing an elf, human, gnome, etc. They are all sentient thinking beings. The example you listed as society labeling it murder is a Law/Chaos thing, not good or evil.
The bottom line for this debate all boils down to what the PCs motivations were in killing Filge. If they did it for expediency's sake, then it is an evil act. If they did it to stop his future evil, just as they would for a rampaging undead creature, then it is not an evil act, but probably is an unlawful one.

In the opening description of Diamond Lake from the first AoW installment in Dungeon a bunch of thugs are kicking hell out of a halfling. Does the Sheriff come to protect him? Nope. Is there a law against assault in Diamond Lake, probably, if you wealthy enough to afford the Sheriffs protection. I'll concede the alignment of the town is LE-NN, the true neutral comes from the uncaring populace.

Murder can be a ethical dilemma (i.e. law) but mostly it is a moral dilemma (good). See page 104 of the PH. It says there that "evil" folks kill without qualms if doing so is convienient. Sounds like the case in point at the start of this thread.

I'd say that killing Filge after he is caught would certainly be a Chaotic act. Torturing him for information would be an evil act. But killing him after the party's done interrogating him? Not evil, especially if you look at the act as an execution of a criminal. I'd say it'd be more evil to let him go without supervision. There's plenty of evidence in his tower that he's up to no good; remember that creating undead is an evil act.

Lawful characters should balk at executing Filge more than good characters should. The best solution to the Filge Problem for a Lawful character is to turn him over to the authorities, which in Diamond Lake probably means the garrison.

The PCs are not the authorities or even agents of the garrison, they are free agents. So killing a man in Diamond Lake is murder. Like it or not Orcs, Goblins, Ogres kill all of them you want. But kill a civilized PERSON, be it gnome, human or elf, then the act would be seen in society as murder.

Diamond Lake is a frontier town, not unlike the wild west. With a corrupt Sheriff. Does that mean killing an outlaw is justice? No it's the act of vigilantes.
The best westerns involve good people who are forced to fight and take down the bad guys, rather than kill the bad guy so he won't escape later or because they have no confidence in the legal system.
If the adventure is played as written Filge is an impediment, a right nasty wanker, but still the worst crime most can prove is grave robbing.
An 'eye for an eye' just leaves everyone blind at the end of the day.

silverx wrote:

My group are still playing the first adventure and managed to capture Filge alive (he surrendered when he realised he would be defeated) then after interogating him a while, they decided to kill him. Most are neutral and/or chaotic aligned, but none are evil.

Killing a helpless foe -after- he's surrendered is definitely evil. Just because he's an evil necromancer up to no good, and may have killed people while defending his lair, does not change the fact that the players accepted his surrender. To act in a consistent, good way, they should take him to the Heironeous temple (given that the sheriff's men are susceptible to bribes).

Confronting a necromancer (with clear evidence all around) and killing him in the midst of combat is vigilantism - and not evil - but killing him while defenseless (and after his surrender) is certainly an evil act.

I agree that killing Filge after surrender is an evil act. The PCs are feeling out the boundaries of the moral world. Turn the person who did the actual deed one alignment closer to evil and if any persist, then repeat as need be. Maybe they want to play an evil-nuetral crew, but let them know their decisions have consequences.

My 2 cents is that the creature is a magical beast. On page 36 of the Players Handbook it states an animal companion is treated as a magical beast for purposes of determining which spells will affect them.
I would allow a druid or ranger to take a feat which would allow them to take a magical beast (with certain hit dice limitations naturally) as a companion. I would also limit any non-fighting actions the companion took, and if the PC isn't present the Owlbear would likely get into trouble/gobble up dead bodies.

I suppose there are various directions a DM could take this.
The Iron is probably magically generated like the lanterns. Perhaps is does disentegrate into rust after a day, a week, a month, or is permenant like a wall of iron spell. In a world where a wizard can conjure upiron at will, will these spheres really be worth that much?
Scheming plans are great, but the goal is to financially unbalance play. 1st level characters with 150,000 gps?!? Dream on!
At first I would flat out tell the adventurers they will be taking the adventure into a different and possibly less heroic adventure than you had anticipated. If they persist, they run a campaign along those lines. Take a vote and majority rules.
They will need to deal with Kullen and crew and then Filge to appease Alastor Land's ghost. Then off they go.
They will gain experieince dealing with unscrupulous thugs hired by a rival mine operator, thieves, roaming monsters who try to set up home in the cairn, wandering monsters or bandits along the road. Call it 'the Age of Iron' adventure.
As an added way to lure them back into the adventure path, have some kenku steal their first chest of hard fought gold and see how motivated they become to get into 'the 3 Faces of Evil' adventure.

How about this for a character background. I harkens back to the 1st edition when Psionic Blast could cause someone to go permenantly insane. Oh the good old days...

'The Faceless one's sanity was shattered by an encounter with a Mind Flayer in the sewers of Grey Hawk, and since then he has developed multiple personalities. The Faceless One's persona has taken hold so strongly he has forgotten his 'real' name and has magically disfigured himself so no one will recognize the 'real' person.
To add Pathos to this disturbed character, have an encounter where he is stalking the PCs and and old lover or friend recognizes his mannerisms and he has to flee, lest his weak persona take hold.'

Holy crizzap!! These guys are tough! You're DMing a party of 8 PCs!? Dude, for me, that would be living h!!

Heh, yeah we have a group maxed out at 9 of us when every one shows up. We play every other Friday, being mostly married and settled down. Having 8 PCs can make for a challenge as a DM since they outnumber many foes. We have gotten used to using flanking maneuvers to take down less numerous foes.

As a player it's rather fun, since there is no pressure to be 'the fighter' and 'the cleric' of the group.

Anyway, I really do like the write up for this side adventure. Kudos mate.

I will be running this side adventure to get some 1st level characters some much needed experience. I already ran 4 PCs through half of the Whispering Cairn where they reached 2nd level, and another 4 are joining them as 1st level adventurers.
Here are the stats for the thugs, notice I beefed them up a bit.

Thurbiss’ gang:

Thurbiss Rogue2/Fighter1, AC 14, +2 Init, HD 3, HP 25, +4 Long Sword (1d8+2) , SA +1d6 Sneak Attack, SQ Evasion, Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +0, AL NE, S14 D14, C14, I13, W10, Ch13 Feats/Skills Weapon Focus (Long Sword), Dodge, Mobility, Toughness / Listen +6, Spot +6
(leather, Long sword, dagger, thieves tools, silk rope, 35gp, 56sp, 12 copper)

Gulgh, Fighter1/Barbarian1, AC 16, +1 Init, HD 2, HP21, BAB +4, 1d8+3 Long Sword, SA +1d6 Sneak Attack, Rage 1xday, Fort +6, Ref+2, Will +1, AL CE, S16, D13, C15, I10, W12, Ch 9 Feats/Skills Weapon Focus (Long Sword), Power Attack, Cleave / Listen +5, Spot +5,
(studded leather, Long sword, dagger, Heavy wooden shield, short bow, 20 arrows, 2gp, 6sp, 8cp)

Gerzy Fighter1/rogue1, AC 16, Itit +2, HD 2, HP15, BAB +2 Long Sword (1d8+1) , SA +1d6 Sneak Attack, Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +0, AL NN, S13, D 15, Ch14, I 13, W10, Ch10 , Feats/Skills: Weapon Focus (Short Bow), Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot / Listen +3, Spot +3
(studded leather, Long sword, dagger, light wooden shield, short bow, 20 arrows, 2gp, 6sp, 8cp)

Brekk Fighter1/rogue1, AC 15/16, Init +2, HD 2, HP19, BAB +5 Glaive (1d10+4) or +4 Short Sword (1d6+3) and Buckler, SA +1d6 Sneak Attack, Ref +4, Will +0, AL CN, S16, D 14, C 14, I 12, W10, Ch10, Feats/Skills: Toughness, Weapon Focus (Glaive), Combat Reflexes, Listen +3, Spot +3, Fort +3,
(studded leather, Glaive, Buckler, Short Sword, 12gp, 62sp, 38cp)

Sherkel Fighter1/rogue1, AC 17, Init +2, HD 2, HP16, BAB +4 Morning Star (1d8+3) , SA +1d6 Sneak Attack, Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +0, AL CN, S16, D14, C14, I12, W10, Ch11, Feats/Skills Weapon Focus (Morning Star), Dodge, Mobility, Listen +3, Spot +3,
(studded leather, Morning Star, heavy wooden shield, short bow, 20 arrows, 1gp, 16sp, 5cp)

O.k. it's time for me to post, since there will be an e-mail notification for all those posting on this thread.
Otherwise I have nothing to add to the 'why isn't it out yet' vs. 'hold your horses' debate.

I agree with your assessment of 'a shared experience'. Many of us would love to run the best adventure in any one Dungeon magazine. But events can conspire against us lowly DMs. If your group is of a higher level, wants to start new characters, or that particular adventure is set in a swamp and your group left off in a desert and you lack the hook to get them from here to there. Whatever the case the AoW campaign offers a fresh start.
I also must congratulate Eric Mona for writing an adventure that inspired more adventure. The backstory of the Wind Dukes of Aqaa, the staff of seven parts, etc. gave the adventure an epic scope in the tradition of great fantasy writing.
We started AoW as a pick up game and that helped the feeling of 1st edition.
"O.k. there are 5 of us, who wants to play the cleric?"
A quick backstory such as "You grew up in Diamond Lake, and are a thug for the mine owners and a bouncer." "you run errands for X" "You are guests of Moonfellow the Grey elf, and have left Celene for adventure."
This feels like Hommlet. Keep it coming.

If the goblin is a Rogue (which is their favored class I believe) make him take ranks in Disguise and pass as a gnome or halfling... He may avoid real members of that race and the more perceptive characters (such as Rangers with a decent Spot check).
Why would he disguise himself? Good question. Make the PC work that one up is he really wants to play a gobo.

Warning: Spoilers!
Well we got lucky. My group had played the 'Rabid Dawn' adventure with their high leel characters a few weeks before so the hellwasp swarm in that adventure aided their survival.
As an 'Old School' DM I also strictly enforce lighting conditions. This means if any humans, halflings and elves want to see in a Cairn they better bring lots of lamp oil, which came in handy.
In the distant past they have had characters run out of light, and have to grope their way out of the dungeon, and run out of food (Yum, Carniverous Ape isn't cannibalism is it?).
So anyway we had a party of 5:
Human Fighter, NG
Dwarven Fighter, LG
Elven Cleric, CG
Elven Sorcerer, CG
and a Halfling Rogue, NN
The Dwarf and human fighter killed the wolves in one round, and took the carcasses to the Bronzewood Lodge later to trade for lodging (so I need those stats soon please). They are very leery of staying in town with a competing adventuring group around sniffing for treasure.
They crashed the elevator and killed the Slasher in a lucky crit of the Dwarves War Axe. The Beetle swarm was burned...slowly with lamp oil. Then the group left to rest up.
Next day they descended into the Architechts lair, killing the eye thingie, mold and Earth Elemental. The dwarf swore he knew Terran but, *grumble grumble* took Goblin instead. Ib the Halfling has developed a phobia of floating eye balls.
Next they descended to the workers quarters, killed the beetles and avoided the fatigue room. They leveled and we stopped for the night. It's always a nice touch to stop when PCs level, thus giving them a chance to mull over their advencement choices.
It's kind of fun to play newbie characters for a change of pace.