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Death... or maybe not.

Character name: Sterling Everheart
Adventure: A Gathering of Winds
Location: True Tomb
Cause of Death: Poor decision

Upon entering the true tomb (22), the rogue (with boots of levitation) deftly pranced from pillar to pillar with little to no difficulty until reaching the other side while being nimbly followed by a fleet footed ranger. Upon reaching the other side, the rogue sends his boots of levitation across the chasm via a rope 'bridge' to a not so dexterous fighter who proceeded to safely bounce to the far side with the fear of falling abated. However, as the pally made his way over, an argument ensued which lead to the poor decision of continuing on without the safety net of said shoes. Upon the third leap the pally misjudged the distance and missed the column completely and tried desperately to grapple the pillar as it began to accelerate past him. While he plummeted to his near certain death, the remaining party member (a cleric) leaped from the safety of mother earth and flew after the fallen comrade. The pally embedded into the ground after nearly 500 ft of free fall and initially survived due to the inevitable protection from Heironeous. However, the massive damage caused instant hemorrhaging as his internal organs liquefied due to the impact (he rolled a 1 on his massive damage fort save). Luckily the cleric heard the impact and successfully cast Air Walk right before she met with the same fate and by the good graces of Pelor was able to cast revivify, thereby averting what surely should have resulted in another deathly encounter due to party dynamics.


Well Done!! Major kudos!! We started in 2007 and through many pauses for countless reasons (1 pause was for a little over a year) we are currently making our way through 129 right now. Over HALF WAY, woot!!! Loads of fun and every time we finish a gathering, we cannot wait to schedule the next session. We actually have one scheduled for tonight. Thus the reason I am here... trying to find the supplement.

I posted our first few dungeon crawls at my website which can be found if you google 'versidium' and 'aow' (pHpBB3... third hit). I also put together a supplement for the Midnight Muddle and Diamond Lake that details all the people and associates knowledge rolls in a nice concise format if anyone wants... just hit me up.


The severed head of Mike Hughey wrote:
So maybe a better horse-based analogy...

Okay, I said I was done but I could not resist this excellent analogy by the severed head. That was great and all but you know what the difference here is?

I am the best trainer south of the mason Dixie line that races thoroughbred horses and I told my number one breeder that I loved his horses so much that I agreed to purchase every stallion that he foaled over the next year. Half way through the year he told me that his son just entered the saddle making business and as a token of his gratitude for being such an outstanding customer of his, he would throw in a saddle with the next horse that was born. Unfortunately his son was thrown from a horse the following week and blew the third vertebra in his lower back and was in the hospital. This would obviously put a setback in the promise to deliver the complimentary saddle with the next foal since he would be in traction and unable to move for 3 weeks. Of course I understood his dillema and since the saddle was a gift I told him not to worry. I couldn't bear to tell him that I actually make saddles as a hobby so I already had guite a few favorites of my own (this last sentence might be a stretch for some people to decipher the analogy but I went out on a limb).

After the third week in which the doctors told him that he would be released, they keep running into complications with blood type, infections, etc. and in the end, the whole family (grandparents, nephews and all) pitched in to make the best saddle ever as a token of my loyalty and understanding.

In the meantime, the horse that was supposed to come with the saddle placed first in the Black Licorice Jelly Bean Derby.

Yee-Haw
(now I am REALLY done ... LOL)


Vocenoctum wrote:


It's not free. I'm sure there's no way to get you to see this point if the posts already haven't done it, but I'm not sure why folks keep repeating it.

I guess I won't, because the fact of the matter is that I paid for a subscription that was to deliver a magazine once a month with a set amount of material. They have done just that. The magazine stands on its own and has EVERYTHING that I need to complete the campaign. This "Overload" is just that, all the EXTRAs, AKA "bonus" material that did not make the cut. You know, the the extras that come on DVDs these days. You don't need it to watch, enjoy and understand the movie. It just makes it that much more enjoyable. But in the case of this magazine, it is totally not expected. I think all this online stuff is AWESOME that they are providing. The suppliments, the message boards, etc. But none of it is required with my subscription. So it is all gravy.

In a nutshell, that is why it is "FREE", because I already got what I paid for.

Also, it is okay for people to use their own imagination instead of requiring the assistance from the publishers. I had a monk in my party that came from the Twilight monastery and I was able to create his background quite easily without the aid of Erik and company. We have been playing for over a month without any complaints and loving every minute of it. However, I was pleasantly surprised when Erik posted the details, because then we just worked it in. No problems, just more gravy.

Final note: I agree with the fact that its okay for people to complain about something because it is the only way that we can improve, as long as it is constructive criticism. It just accentuates my point on how amazing it is that you can directly communicate with the publishers, editors, writers of Dungeon magazine in such a one to one forum.

Okay, I'm done. Time for me to go have a turkey dinner so that I don't let all this gravy go to waste. ;)


Dungeon magazine specifically states that "Filge's proudest accomplishments, hulking undead monstrosities created with animate dead scrolls and preserved for later use". I read right over the "scroll" part and focused on the "animate dead". Basically, this thread should be deleted. :)


Riley, that is actually a good point since I just noticed that Animate Dead is a 4th level Wizard spell. So he would not even be able to cast it without using a scroll. Using an Animate Dead scroll created by a 5th level caster (over 1200gp), he would have had to perform a caster level check of 5 or 6. So that sounds doable.


Okay, I have a question about Filge's ability to release and subsequently control the four zombies that he has created with animate dead. Under animate dead, it states,

"No matter how many times you use this spell, however, you can control only 4 HD worth of undead creatures per caster level. If you exceed this number, all the newly created creatures fall under your control, and any excess undead from previous castings become uncontrolled."

Filge is only 3rd level so that means he can only control 12HD worth of creatures. Each troglodyte is 4HD and the bugbear is 6HD. That is a total of 18HD. Is there something else that I am missing here? Basically, he would only be able to tell the 3 troglodytes to break out of their containment shells and attack. This does not even take into account the Gertia Land skeleton (1HD) that follows him around protecting him.


One comment... "It's free" ... nuff said.

Maybe next time, you guys could refrain from even telling anyone that you plan on releasing an overload until you have it up. That might prevent some of the issues.

Silly me, then everyone would complain that they should have been notified so that they could prepare for it and held off on starting campaigns until it was completed.

Nevermind, you just can't win. At least you know that you have a lot of people out there that support the extra effort you put into this adventure path. Hell, you could have just thrown the extras out... and just like I do with my 4 year old... if you complain about a gift... YOU DONT GET IT!

So hopefully this experience does not deter you guys from releasing more overloads in future editions.

ROCK ON!


I put together a list of all the descriptions of each key location at diamond lake in a handout format so that I could give to my players with a copy of the map. This way they could know what each place generally represents. I also added some general "gather information" and "local knowledge" rolls which would enable them to learn more than the generic description. Its a rough cut and it made my life easier since all my players came from Diamond Lake they should know the basics right off without having to ask me all the time (except one player, which he did not get the handout). I just thought if others were interested I could send out a copy.

I started out originially intending it to be a DM guide for myself by including the some of the details along with the DC but then decided against that and just putting keywords next to the DC.

Any suggestions will be more than welcome. If you are interested in a copy, send me an email. scootrose"at"gmail.com

Here is a brief example:
1. Emporium
There is an entry fee to this whore house, sideshow “Gallery of Science” and gaming parlor of 3cp. Place is frequented by the community’s elite. The game room contains Dragonfire card games, Norebonne dice games and Rat games. NO conflicts at the emporium are allowed and everyone must treat each other respectively.
Background (DC10 local)
2. Lazare’s House
There is an entry fee to this cultured nightspot of 3cp. Inside is a cozy gaming parlor which emanates a quiet sense of class and is good for private conversations. The place is home of Dragonchess which is primarily a reason for gambling and a favorite among the upper class of Diamond Lake.
The owner, Lazare, is a champion dragonchess player. (DC5 local)
Lazare’s background (DC15 gather info)
Khellek (DC10) His background (DC20 gather info)
DC10 Spot
3. The Feral Dog
This run down ale house is the busiest hotspot in town. This sleazy tavern hosts a dog fight every night in a pit on the main level. No one savors the tinny ale, but the place is more about the camaraderie, bravado, and desperation than service. It is home to nightly arguments especially during dog fights. It is also a place for dagger games.
Once a month a drunk falls or is pushed into the pits (DC5 local)
4. Church of St. Cuthbert
Any healing visits will encounter a secondary acolyte, Hameneezer, who is always found within the church. Potions and healing are offered to the public at standard rates. Open to the public.
Fiery sermons of Jierian Wierus, a bombastic orator whose populist rants appeal to the best virtues and values of the common man while praying on their fears and superstitions. Hell bent on continuously obtaining new followers. (DC8 local, cleric +5)
His 150 strong followers are almost perceived as a cult. 3 sermons a week, filled to capacity (DC10 local, cleric +5)
5. Tidwoad’s
Home of the cantankerous gnome jeweler with a meticulously maintained shop. As close to a bank as is offered within Diamond Lake. Shows off a collection of gems and boasts that his establishment is completely theft proof. Supported by the presence of a large shield guardian. He charges 5% exchange tax on all gems traded for coin and will purchase non-gem valuables.
Tidwoad’s background (DC18 gather info) Tidwoad knowledge (DC25 gather info)
6. Sheriff’s Office
Led by a boisterous alcoholic, Sheriff Cubbin, right hand man, Deputy Jamis and six thugs. 12 cell jail is usually filled with drunks and maniacs. Crimes against mine manager’s agents seem to go unnoticed but crimes against managers are persecuted
Sheriff’s and police force background (DC15 gather info + local)
Allegiances (DC20 gather info)
7. General Store
Run by a middle aged human named Taggin who has a handlebar mustache, full receding blond hair. All women are treated exceptionally polite. The store is filled with general goods for all the town’s inhabitants. Tables line the walls within stacked high with rope coils, lanterns, bottles, floves and gear. Wagon wheels rest against barrels filled with nails of candles. The inventory includes mostly common adventuring gear, and Taggin will cheerfully special order anything he does not have in stock from the Free City. A process that “usually takes a week.”
Taggin’s approach (DC15 gather info)
...


That I why I love this game so much, there is so much to be learned. Thanks for clearing that up for me Nikolas. I was so confused on the spells I completely missed the toughness feat. Duh.

As far as the school specialization goes... I learn something everyday (can you tell that I have never played a wizard or a sorc for that matter). Thanks again Nikolas.


Sounds like this should be added to the download list.

Please shoot me a copy when you get a chance. Thanks for putting this together. I love this community.

scootrose (at) gmail.com


Okay, can someone clear this up with me since I seem to be missing something. Filge is a 3rd level wizard and unless the term "necromancer" actually means something, his spell list is wrong.

A 3rd level wizard starts off with the ability to prepare 4 - 0 level / 2 - 1st level / 1 - 3rd level spells. Since Filge is so intelligent, he gets a bonus of 1 - 1st level and 1 - 2nd level. This brings his total to 4/0, 3/1, 2/3, so can someone please explain to me how he is capable of preparing 4/0, 4/1, 3/2! Does he have two syringes of extra spell storing in his back pocket?

2nd - ghoul touch, scare, spectral hand = 3
1st - chill touch (2), mage armor, ray of enfeeblement = 4
0 - disrupt undead, touch of fatiguw (2), ray of frost = 4

Now all of this would make sense if he were a 4th level wizard, in which case he would be have a CR4, he would be 4HD and his Will would be +5. Also, you guys must have rolled his hp pretty well since a wizard is 1d4.

1st - max hp (4) + con bonus (1) = 5
2nd - roll (4) + 1 = 5 (10)
3rd - roll (4) + 1 = 5 (15)

Any help in this area would be appreciated. Thanks.


QBert wrote:
Are any other subscribers still patiently awaiting their issue of 125? I'm starting to get worried...

I am patiently waiting... well not so patiently since I am checking my mailbox before the mailman can get to the next box.

Also, I agree. N'Wah had some excellent ideas that I will definitely begin to weave into my game. Thanks.


I am... even during 124. I told them that they did not quit their jobs to go explore a tomb that might not reward them in any way. Especially since most all of my characters each have two job to make ends meet in this pitiful town. Housing is expensive, there are too many people and too little jobs. Maybe later in the game they can reduce this interaction but for now when we take breaks, they are in essence going back to their "real" jobs.

I am doing a little role playing in town when they have to come back and sell items or identify things but it is tough not knowing the bigger picture. Plus it is a little harder because it is significantly less linear. They can go anywhere and it is hard to prepare unless you have the whole damn place memorized and every NPC accounted for.


I had to post this because it was SO FREAKING funny.

My PCs where screwing around with the lever on the sarcophagus when it clicked into the third position. So when the alcove self-destructed all five PCs were standing around the sarcophagus staring and wondering what the hell happened. When the ungodly geyser of beetles erupted from the floor every single one of them ran, except one. She was the one that was manipulating the lever.

She (Nadia) tried one more time to try and reverse the “beetle affect”. Heehee. She failed her DC and then RAN to follow the others hauling tail out of the room. She was the second to last to exit the room and the only one with the torch. The half-orc that ran out first was the only other with darkvision. Anyway, the PC in front of Nadia was running so fast down the stairs he failed a DC 10 balance check (and so did Nadia) so the first one out tripped and fell down the stairs and then Nadia tripped over him and fell prone. Laughter.

As the beetles caught right up to them then both jumped up and ran. As Nadia passed the torch, she tried to pick it up, on the run and failed. Not only did she fail, but she rolled a 1. There was more laughter when I told her that she would have to roll another balance check to see if she goes prone again.

Unbeknownst to all the party members, they were being followed by a sorcerer who was standing just outside the cobwebs against the wall. All she saw were 3 PCs flying by in the dark screaming holy hell and then followed quickly thereafter by a torch going skittering across the floor. 6 seconds later another PC ran by, then another that attempted to pick up the torch and failed. I gave her a 50/50 chance to following the fleeing characters (and she failed). <foreboding laughter> So as she stuck her head around the corner to see what the hell that was all about, the wave of black mass engulfed her. <the visual caused one of our players to almost piss her pants> She proceeded to dose herself with oil and ignite herself. This stunt, took 2 turns which ended up taking her down 1 hitpoint due to beetle damage (she made one poison save and she had protection from fire).

So the rest of the party catapulted out of the entrance of the cairn only to hear gut wrenching screams behind them. They instantly did a party count and found everyone accounted for. <more laughter> Then down the tunnel, they see a flash of light followed by a figure coming running down the tunnel all ablaze. <more pee breaks> The archer drew his bow and narrowed in on the humanoid fire ball. The sorcerer was trying to yell to the party but nobody could hear what she was saying (they all failed their listen checks). More laughter (except for the sorc’s PC).

The archer asked the rest of the scared shitless party members for guidance and they all said to plug the hellspawn. So two arrows went true, right into the chest of the sorcerer. Ironically, the sorcerer had decided to take the armor check penalties of 15% and don leather armor with a buckler. (This decision saved her hide because both arrows missed by 2) The flames only lasted for 3 rounds so she ran by the PCs as she exited the cairn, dropped to the ground and surprised the PCs with a new party member in dire need of healing (but having rid them of the beetle menace).


I had to post this because it was SO FREAKING funny.

My PCs where screwing around with the lever on the sarcophagus when it clicked into the third position. So when the alcove self-destructed all five PCs were standing around the sarcophagus staring and wondering what the hell happened. When the ungodly geyser of beetles erupted from the floor every single one of them ran, except one. She was the one that was manipulating the lever.

She (Nadia) tried one more time to try and reverse the “beetle affect”. Heehee. She failed her DC and then RAN to follow the others hauling tail out of the room. She was the second to last to exit the room and the only one with the torch. The half-orc that ran out first was the only other with darkvision. Anyway, the PC in front of Nadia was running so fast down the stairs he failed a DC 10 balance check (and so did Nadia) so the first one out tripped and fell down the stairs and then Nadia tripped over him and fell prone. Laughter.

As the beetles caught right up to them then both jumped up and ran. As Nadia passed the torch, she tried to pick it up, on the run and failed. Not only did she fail, but she rolled a 1. There was more laughter when I told her that she would have to roll another balance check to see if she goes prone again.

Unbeknownst to all the party members, they were being followed by a sorcerer who was standing just outside the cobwebs against the wall. All she saw were 3 PCs flying by in the dark screaming holy hell and then followed quickly thereafter by a torch going skittering across the floor. 6 seconds later another PC ran by, then another that attempted to pick up the torch and failed. I gave her a 50/50 chance to following the fleeing characters (and she failed). <foreboding laughter> So as she stuck her head around the corner to see what the hell that was all about, the wave of black mass engulfed her. <the visual caused one of our players to almost piss her pants> She proceeded to dose herself with oil and ignite herself. This stunt, took 2 turns which ended up taking her down 1 hitpoint due to beetle damage (she made one poison save and she had protection from fire).

So the rest of the party catapulted out of the entrance of the cairn only to hear gut wrenching screams behind them. They instantly did a party count and found everyone accounted for. <more laughter> Then down the tunnel, they see a flash of light followed by a figure coming running down the tunnel all ablaze. <more pee breaks> The archer drew his bow and narrowed in on the humanoid fire ball. The sorcerer was trying to yell to the party but nobody could hear what she was saying (they all failed their listen checks). More laughter (except for the sorc’s PC).

The archer asked the rest of the scared shitless party members for guidance and they all said to plug the hellspawn. So two arrows went true, right into the chest of the sorcerer. Ironically, the sorcerer had decided to take the armor check penalties of 15% and don leather armor with a buckler. (This decision saved her hide because both arrows missed by 2) The flames only lasted for 3 rounds so she ran by the PCs as she exited the cairn, dropped to the ground and surprised the PCs with a new party member in dire need of healing (but having rid them of the beetle menace).


Lord Thasmudyan wrote:
... It was previously promised we would see an outline of some sort in regards the overall story of the AP...

I believe that you will be getting more information in the next issue (#125) but I am not sure if they plan on giving a "full" overview.


I was so totally inspired by the character backgrounds that were created by the amazing artists of Dungeon magazine that I put quite a bit more effort into the character backgrounds for this adventure. I normally just give them a verbal background. But since this was going to be an epic, I wanted something a little more concrete that we would be able to reference periodically as well as give me the opportunity to pull a thread from it now and then. So I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed reading Tyrlandi, Aroval, Dram and the rest. If you have put your heart and soul into a character background, please post it so that we can continue to get ideas and continue to develop our vision of Diamond Lake. This represents the first of at least 4 characters.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Gronk’s life began when his mother, Elana, was raped during an orc raid in an outlying town. She was 16 at the time. They busted into her parent’s home, threw her to the ground and quickly bound her arms and legs. Her last memory as an innocent child was being pressed to the ground with a knee crushing her head in such a configuration that it forced her to watch as her parents were butchered by the ravaging beasts. She was then presented as an offer of bounty to the great orc leader, Shendak Kou Aamon as a reward for their minor conquest. As Shendak unmounted her, he plunged an ornamental dagger deep into her chest and left her to die.

A traveling band of monks on their way to pay homage to a sister monastery heard word of the raid and made their way to the town only to find the place a blaze and in ruin. Everyone had been massacred… accept one. Elana was hanging on to life by a thread. The monks blessed her with their touch and then took her to the nearby town of Diamond Lake, where she was given refuge within the Twilight monastery. Eight months later her child was born. Unfortunately, the orcan code imbedded in the child’s DNA caused such a rapid growth that its size and birth weight caused a hemorrhaging rupture of Elana’s uterus of which her small body was unable to survive. Elana never had a chance to name her child and so the monks affectionately named him Gronk, which is roughly translated as ‘emissary’ from the orcan language.

Gronk has never been able to forget the fact that his birth resulted in the loss of his mother because during the emergency extraction from his mother’s womb, his leg was broken. This premature damage never fully healed and resulted in him developing with a noticeable limp.

Primarily due to the eternal war between the orcs and the humans, Gronk has been ostracized. Throughout his life, whenever Gronk ventured outside of the monastery, he was ridiculed and teased by people of all ages. So he ended up spending most of his time inside, assimilating the ways of the monk. One of the most powerful associations that Gronk felt towards the teachings was that he saw himself representing the ultimate testament on the balance between good and evil. Through the years, Gronk developed many father figures within the monastery but his closest advisory by far was Lucian. They spent a lot of time together discussing the future of monastery and Gronk’s place in it as well as the rest of the world. Over time, he soon became an honorary member.

In order to help support the monastery and give back in some way, he worked in the mines of Balabar Smenk and donated all of what he earned. The salary was but a pittance, which greatly disturbed Gronk since he wanted so much to provide a meaningful donation for all that the monastery had provided for him. The mines were the only place in Diamond Lake that would accept him, which was not uncommon for his kind. It was a place that could reap the fruits of his labor by throwing him to the depths of a cave and never having to look at his “sub-human” form. Everything has a purpose and he accepted his position graciously.

After years of monotony, Gronk stumbled upon a gang rape inside the cave. It appeared that the molestation was being lead by one of Balabar’s son and included 4 of his acquaintances. He ended up bringing down a flurry of blows on Balabar’s son and 3 of his comrades. Among the turmoil, both the rape victim and one of the accomplices that Gronk had spared fled the cave. The fleeing accomplice quickly returned with a band of guards to arrest him. Gronk willingly left with the guards, leaving behind a mass of twisted bodies.

Gronk was given double the maximum sentence allotted for 4 counts of aggravated assault (most likely due to the corruption of the legal system via bribery of some sort). Gronk accepted his sentence of 2 years incarceration for the brutal beatings without rebuttal. While in prison he himself was abused and beaten insatiately and luckily only ended up spending 3 months in jail. He was released only because the cells were filling up with much more dangerous criminals and they needed the room. Plus, his presence was causing too much of a disturbance in the warden’s eyes.

Upon his release, Gronk was not allowed to return to work at Balabar Smenk’s mine (or any others that were tied to him in any way), but due to his great strength and mining experience, he was quickly hired at a mine owned by one of Smenk’s competitors, Luzane Parrin.

Gronk was pleased with the change even though all the mines looked the same once you step into their bowels. The only difference was the people you ended up working with. Luckily for Gronk, he met a fellow miner by the name of Nadia. She was a beautiful maiden who was the first person outside of the monastery who treated him as an equal. They spent many weeks getting to know each other and discussing their past experiences while they slowly chipped away at the subterranean rock.

3 days ago, Nadia mentioned a grand adventure that would involve the plundering of a forgotten cairn, which could reward those involved with an endless bounty of treasure. She was gathering resources and felt that he would be of great aid. The thought of being able to present caravans of gold to the monastery brought him to the point of tears and he graciously accepted the challenge.

This morning, Nadia told Gronk that they would be meeting at the old abandoned mining office that is about an hours walk just northeast of town.


I was so totally inspired by the character backgrounds that were created by the artists of Dungeon magazine that I put quite a bit more effort into the character backgrounds for this adventure. I normally give them a background that is verbal but since this was going to be an epic I wanted something concrete that we could reference and provide threads that I could pull from when needed. Anyway, here is what I wrote for one of my PCs. If anyone else has some that they want to post I would love to read them. It helps give me ideas and develops a "feel" for Diamond Lake.
-----------------------------------------
Gronk’s life began when his mother, Elana, was raped during an orc raid in an outlying town. She was 16 at the time. They busted into her parent’s home, threw her to the ground and quickly bound her arms and legs. Her last memory as an innocent child was being pressed to the ground with a knee crushing her head in such a configuration that it forced her to watch as her parents were butchered by the ravaging beasts. She was then presented as an offer of bounty to the great orc leader, Shendak Kou Aamon as a reward for their minor conquest. As Shendak unmounted her, he plunged an ornamental dagger deep into her chest and left her to die.

A traveling band of monks on their way to pay homage to a sister monastery heard word of the raid and made their way to the town only to find the place a blaze and in ruin. Everyone had been massacred… accept one. Elana was hanging on to life by a thread. The monks blessed her with their touch and then took her to the nearby town of Diamond Lake, where she was given refuge within the Twilight monastery. Eight months later her child was born. Unfortunately, the orcan code imbedded in the child’s DNA caused such a rapid growth that its size and birth weight caused a hemorrhaging rupture of Elana’s uterus of which her small body was unable to survive. Elana never had a chance to name her child and so the monks affectionately named him Gronk, which is roughly translated as ‘emissary’ from the orcan language.

Gronk has never been able to forget the fact that his birth resulted in the loss of his mother because during the emergency extraction from his mother’s womb, his leg was broken. This premature damage never fully healed and resulted in him developing with a noticeable limp. Primarily due to the eternal war between the orcs and the humans, Gronk has been ostracized. Throughout his life, whenever Gronk ventured outside of the monastery, he was ridiculed and teased by people of all ages. So he ended up spending most of his time inside, assimilating the ways of the monk. One of the most powerful associations that Gronk felt towards the teachings was that he saw himself representing the ultimate testament on the balance between good and evil. Through the years, Gronk developed many father figures within the monastery but his closest advisory by far was Lucian. Over time, he soon became an honorary member.

In order to help support the monastery and give back in some way, he worked in the mines of Balabar Smenk and donated all of what he earned. The salary was but a pittance which greatly disturbed Gronk since he wanted so much to provide a meaningful donation for all that the monastery had provided for him. The mines where the only place in Diamond Lake that would accept him, which was not uncommon for his type. It was a place that could reap the fruits of his labor by throwing him to the depths of a cave and never having to look at his “sub-human” form. Everything has a purpose and he accepted his position graciously.

After years of monotony, Gronk stumbled upon a gang rape inside the cave which was lead by one of Balabar’s son and included 4 of his acquaintances. He ended up bringing down a flurry of blows on Balabar’s son and 3 of his comrades. Among the turmoil, both the rape victim and one of the accomplices that Gronk had spared fled the cave. The fleeing accomplice quickly returned with a band of guards to arrest him. Gronk willingly left with the guards, leaving behind a mass of twisted bodies.

Gronk was given double the maximum sentence allotted for 4 counts of aggravated assault (most likely due to the corruption of the legal system via bribery of some sort). Gronk accepted his sentence of 2 years incarceration for the brutal beatings without rebuttal. While in prison he himself was abused and beaten insatiately and luckily only ended up spending 3 months in jail. He was released only because the cells were filling up with much more dangerous criminals and they needed the room. Plus, his presence was causing too much of a disturbance in the warden’s eyes. Upon his release, Gronk was not allowed to return to work at Balabar Smenk’s mine (or any others that were tied to him in any way), but due to his great strength and mining experience, he was quickly hired at a mine owned by one of Smenk’s competitors, Luzane Parrin.

Gronk was pleased with the change even though all the mines looked the same once you step into their bowels. The only difference was the people you ended up working with. Luckily for Gronk, he met a fellow miner by the name of Nadia. She was a beautiful maiden who was the first person outside of the monastery who treated him as an equal. They spent many weeks getting to know each other and discussing their past experiences while they slowly chipped away at the subterranean rock.

3 days ago, Nadia mentioned a grand adventure that would involve the plundering of a forgotten cairn which could reward those involved with an endless bounty of treasure. She was gathering resources and felt that he would be of great aid. The thought of being able to present caravans of gold to the monastery brought him to the point of tears and he graciously accepted the challenge.

This morning, Nadia told Gronk that they would be meeting at the old abandoned mining office that is about an hours walk just northeast of town.


Phil. L wrote:
Hypothermia is the result of the body losing too much heat due to exposure to cold weather. Since brown mold sucks the warmth directly from your body it would definitely cause hypothermia. Frostbite is the freezing of extremeties due to cold exposure. Whether having the heat sucked from your body in large doses freezes your extremities is something that players could debate. I think that brown mold would do both, but that's just me.

That's just me too. As you stated, frostbite is the result of your tissue freezing and dying due to the lack of oxygen since circulation is decreased. The act of sticking your hand in a COLD environment and it freezing is no different than having the heat removed from your hand. It is still being frozen. It is all about the differences in temperature trying to reach an equilibrium, regardless of the method (unfortunately your body loses).


Any chance that I could get some more info on the Twilight Monastery? One of my characters is from there and I would like to provide him a little more background before our next session tomorrow.


Peter Girvan wrote:
The best part is that each issue is better than the one before--kudos to everyone at Paizo.

I second that!


Phil. L wrote:
Remember that swarms are made up of hundreds or even thousands of members. A centipede swarm deals 2d6 points of damage because the swarm is composed of over 1,500 centipedes. While a PC might have 50 or so centipedes clinging to him once he exits the swarm they dont deal enough damage to be noticeable (though their bites might be painful or their presence in his armor revolting). Since the beetle swarm is probably made up of thousands of beetles, even a hundred clinging to you wont cause any appreciable damage. As for grappling a swarm, you must be insane!

Let me clarify again... THE SWARM IS GRAPPLING THE PC! It fits perfectly. They move into your space, provoke an AOO and then do damage. Gee, sounds like a grapple to me.

Also, how are they doing damage? THOUSANDS are all over the PC biting them, burning them, etc... i.e. "SWARM". Imagine a PC being engulfed in a wave of black beetles, so just taking a 5 foot step is not going to miraculously leave only 50 on your person.. Come on now.

Your explanation on reforming did some shed light on the issue. Thanks.


If it is really humid in the room, would it snow? lol


Rob Bastard wrote:
...magical flame can be quenched by water elementals.

Ahhh, thanks Rob. That was the little tidbit that was missing. I was unaware of that. "Quenching" the sunrod just did not make sense and "everburning" to me meant that it would burn forever. Is an everburning torch a common torch with continual flame cast on it? Cause I did look up Continual flame and it even specifically states that it can not be "quenched".

However, I apologize, since I should have read up on Water Elemental. It says in the MM that "the creature can dispel magical fire it touches as dispel magic (caster level equals the elemental's HD)"


I have been confused about this section for a while. Erik states that it is completely submerged and I agree that would be more fun (especially since it will be much more challenging, as long as it is not too challenging).

In addition to the discrepancy in "stair length", the description states that the water elemental will "wait until the torchbearer is in the middle of area 19 before attempting to quench the torch". If the room is completely under water, then it would be pretty difficult to get a lit torch in there.

Secondly, it states that it is a safe assumption that PCs will be standing during combat. Is that because it is assumed that they enter the water in full plate? One of my PCs is a monk. Unless he just finished a Hungry Man TV dinner, I think he would be rather bouyant and most likely swimming. Of course I just read the DMG and it says you only need 16 pounds to weight down a medium creature enough to establish a firm footing. The monk and the psion might have a problem but the others should be fine (looks like they will be doing a lot of swim checks and that water elemental is going to be kicking some A$$ on them since they don't get the "grounded" modifier).

I just calculated the breath thing and at a Con of 15, that is 30 rounds of holding your breath (barring no combat). One could survey the whole area in about 20 rounds (depending on what constitutes half movement, I used 10 feet). Throw in a handful of standard actions and it sounds doable.

I was surprised to not see anything that mentions taking damage underwater adversely affects your ability to hold your breath. I would think that a Con check with the DC being the damage dealt would be a good way to show the ill effects of holding your breath while in full combat. For perspective: I'd like to see you continue to hold your breath while someone punches you in the gut.

...Man I love this stuff...

And this is just the first of 12!!!


Erik Monas wrote:


ASEO wrote:
"6. Area #19 is noted as being completely submerged. If the stairs from #18 descend at a 1:1 rate, then the floor of #19 is 10ft below #18. If all areas have a 20ft ceiling, and the water starts halfway down the stairs, then the water in areas #19-22 should be only 5ft deep with 15ft of air above. Is this correct?"

The idea was to have the whole of areas 19-22 completely submerged, and I can see how the map and the distances involved sort of betray that. I suggest extending the stairs to make it work, as you'll have a lot more fun with a fully submerged shower area than one with only 5 feet of water.

Is anyone having a problem with this section being completely submerged under water? You know, problems like fighting, breathing, light... the basics. From Tyralandi Scrimm's perspective it only required a portion of the party (I think they initally sent in 5 and then 4 the second time) and they just received scratches and bruises.


Thanks Lex for the laughs.

My comments (coming from an enginerd's point of view):
3d6 is for a 5 foot diameter mass of mold but a shovel of it would be only 1 foot diameter. So I would have to agree (again) with EbbTide that the damage would be much less. Not to mention it would take time to drop the ambient temperature to the point that it would even cause damage at that volume.

Also, the weight of a shovel with a scoop full of mold would get rather heavy at the end of a 10 foot pole. Unless you have someone with the constitution of a storm giant in your party, I doubt they could weld that for more than a 15 minutes (course I guess they could pull it around with them or push it).

Funny never the less and I would love to have my PCs be that ingenuitive. I would even give them the benefit of the doubt and let them play with it for a bit if they come up with that on their own.


Ebbtide, thanks for clarifying my grappling comment. Also, I too thought of climbing the chain and hopefully some of my PCs will too. If I explain the situation well enough they might as well.

I HATE killing my PCs, but I am a very realistic DM. In regards to taking the PC to -20 (which sounds realistic), maybe I can persuade myself that they are attracted to movement...

I also like your idea of planting some oil vials in the backpack found in the wolf den (since they haven't searched there yet). I think that one of the areas I need to improve when DMing is dropping subtle hints or realizing a gap in their capabilities and provide helpful tools that will aid them without it being obvious.

As far as "escaping" the swarm, I think I am leaning towards performing a grapple check for the PCs. Since they only have a STR of 1 it should be easy, but they still have to beat my roll with a -5 modifier (not to mention most of them have some type of bonus to their STR). But the option still exists that they might not be able to "beat" off enough to remove the damage that they will inflict.


I have to concur on the campaign so far, in addition to my PCs. I LOVE the detailed room descriptions that I read off to my PCs. I miss that from the old days of D&D, when the modules rocked.

Hangfire wrote:
... They eventually came up with a unique solution...

Okay, so what was the unique solution for the beetles?

Hangfire wrote:
... My only worry when starting out on this adventure path (and I haven't played or DMed the last adventure path) was would the players move through it too quickly...

I would like to know how you can DM a dungeon so rapidly? Granted it was our first session with this campaign and we were developing character backgrounds and leading up to the meeting at the abandoned office, but we did not even get past the wolves. We also play weekly for about 5 hours and most of the time the game play drags along. So what is your secret. I must admit that a lot of time is spent lolly gagging and basically taking advantage of the social gathering of friends but I find it difficult to get my guys to FOCUS and keep the game moving. I think I spend a lot to time waiting for them to tell me what they are doing next since I hate to Push or Guide them through the adventure. Maybe that is my problem.

Anyway, Hangfire... what is your secret for SPEEDY adventures.

Note: It appears that even the editors will not complete this adventure within a month's time and I assume they know all the secrets.


philarete wrote:


Don't forget to read the section on the Swarm subtype as well.
[url]http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#swarmSubtype[/url]
That's where you'll learn about the immunities of swarms, which for some incomprehensible reason isn't mentioned in the Swarm monster entry of the SRD.

Thanks for the link. That was much more helpful (in addition to everyone's comments here so thanks to everyone else as well).

No surprise, I still have some questions. The issue with grappling has not been address. It would seem to make sense that once they move into your space and do damage, especially crawling creatures like the beetles, that they are attached to your body and most likely up in your clothes and/or armor. So I don't even see the option of "outrunning" it. Plus, how do you attack something like that without hurting yourself? Does grappling come into play or is that up to the DM? The only flaw there is the strength check... but I guess if they have clawed feet that can grip your skin, they would be harder to "ungrapple" by flicking off your body then say a swarm of worms. Oh the confusion...

Also, I don't totally agree with the "not killing" the swarm issue. Or should I say, I think it would depend. If you dropped a fireball on a swarm of beetles that took up a 5ft square... I would have to say that it would be very difficult for any survivors to reswarm. However, in regards to "killing" it with a sword, that would seem to make sense. Anyone have an idea of how long it would take to reform? Are we talking rounds here (similar to a troll) or minutes? More DM discretion I assume.

Basically, I am afraid of killing my characters since most have dark vision, so they don't even own torches. And I keep going back in my head how are they supposed to fight something that is crawling all over their bodies doing 1d6+1d4acid per round. Mainly since the average HPs is around 14 and at an average of 5 points damage per round, that is only 3 rounds before death assuming they don't somehow disperse it prior. I don't believe they even have oil flasks or vials of acid. Who's fault is that you say? They are inexperienced 2nd level vagrants from the slums of Diamond Lake with little to no money. Of course, what's a better lesson than life itself?

In fear of having my PCs pulling out their 6 siders to reroll characters, I reread the module and it appears the only saving grace is that there is only 1 swarm (I thought that there were three for some reason) and they do have arcane and divine powers within the party. It is just inevitable that someone will die (or "almost" die) before this encounter is finished, especially if the damage to kill the swarm also effects the PC being swarmed.


EbbTide wrote:

Check out the d20 3.5 online srd:

[url]http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/swarm.htm[/url]

The details covered in this link is no different than what is written in the 3.5 monster manual. And based on this information, what makes swarms so difficult? A swarm acts like a single entity with the same AC, attack, yada yada... so it is no different than any other solitary creature.

The only difference that I see is that they take up your space. So my question (since it is not discussed), should it be treated like it is "grappling" the opponent? Because that would make matters difficult and it would make sense. Because then if someone were to attack the swarm, they would be attacking the person being swarmed too. Which again, makes sense, but it is not mentioned explicitly.

The only mention that I could find is that they say "swarms are extremely difficult to fight with physical attacks", but what does that mean in game sense? Does this equate to a +4 to AC when attacked by a slashing weapon or is that taken into account by the stated AC? But that doesn't make sense either because a bat swarm has an AC of 16 and how is that "extremely difficult" physically when compared to a boar that has an equivalent AC.

Can someone please elaborate? I delayed the encounter with the swarm by adding more wolves :) so that I could clear this up before they run into trouble.