Some changes since original post:
Dwarf Rogue 5/Fighter 2
Human Monk 7
Elf Druid 7
Centaur Fighter 2
Human Cleric (Pelor) 7
Occasional Players:
Human Wizard 7
Dwarf Ranger 5/Dragonslayer 2
A bit of an update since Flood Season - the party is about to start Demonscar and still contain the original characters - although the cleric did need to be raised at the end of Flood -
Human Cleric 8
Human Rogue 9
1/2 Elf Sorcerer 9
1/2 Orc Fighter 7
Zenith was a great challenge for them, but they scraped through.
Reggie
|
The Orc in the party is a pure Killing machine and does so much damage i find it hard to give him any challenges at all,
For example the party was in Jzadurinne and decided that we dont need keys those are for lesser beings. We have a Orc and would pump the orc up with Bull strength and other powers and he would just break the door down.does anyone have any ideas to help slow them down in drakthars way i have thought about Beefing up Drakthars stats, and also improving the goblins stats to make it more enjoyable for the party.
I have only been DMing for a year any advice would be greatly appricated
An Orc Barbarian probably SHOULD be a high damage dealing killing machine... if you want to challenge him I would suggest possibly throwing some encounters at the party after the barbarian has used up all his Rages for the day, and/or some drawn out combat encounters (such as enemies falling back for a few rounds and then regrouping) so that his rage runs out and he is fatigued.
Beefing up the stats of enemies often works, just make sure you dont then make them too challenging for the other players. But if you think the main enemy of an adventure will go down in a couple of rounds to the barbarian, then beefing him up is probably a good idea.
Be sure to throw in some other challenges that can't be solved by a high strength score, to give your other players a chance to shine.
Just finished Chapter 1 last night after about 3 sessions.
Had 7 deaths so far ( although 3 were monks so they don't really count heh)
Most dangerous encounters so far were the acid pit ( 1d6 of character melting doom and a lot of natural 1s being rolled to climb out ) and the ball of chains critter.
The adventuring party is comprised of:
"The Kid" lvl 3 halfing rogue
Rocky Whitebeard lvl 5 dwarf cleric
*forgot his name* Lvl 1 human fighter
Zenon lvl 3 human beguiler
Nullam lvl 3 Elan psionic warrior
The party had some absentees a few sessions so they recruited as Npcs (from the Old Shady dragon Inn supplement modified for 3.5)
Aithne of Far Isle lvl 4 elven chosen soul
Abel Artone lvl 2 fighter
The Orc in the party is a pure Killing machine and does so much damage i find it hard to give him any challenges at all,
For example the party was in Jzadurinne and decided that we dont need keys those are for lesser beings. We have a Orc and would pump the orc up with Bull strength and other powers and he would just break the door down.does anyone have any ideas to help slow them down in drakthars way i have thought about Beefing up Drakthars stats, and also improving the goblins stats to make it more enjoyable for the party.
I have only been DMing for a year any advice would be greatly appricated
An Orc Barbarian probably SHOULD be a high damage dealing killing machine... if you want to challenge him I would suggest possibly throwing some encounters at the party after the barbarian has used up all his Rages for the day, and/or some drawn out combat encounters (such as enemies falling back for a few rounds and then regrouping) so that his rage runs out and he is fatigued.
Beefing up the stats of enemies often works, just make sure you dont then make them too challenging for the other players. But if you think the main enemy of an adventure will go down in a couple of rounds to the barbarian, then beefing him up is probably a good idea.
Be sure to throw in some other challenges that can't be solved by a high strength score, to give your other players a chance to shine.
Thanks MothMan, that advice will be well used,the party is about to face Drakthar in Drakthars way, I have Beefed up the stats for some of the goblins and for Drakthar , i have increased Hit points, should i therefore put the CR up id prefer not to because the party is already as i said around Lvl 5 and leveling very quickly.
I may be planning to try to dominate the Orc barbarian with Drakthar, that may prove to be very interesting.
:)
|
|
I have Beefed up the stats for some of the goblins and for Drakthar , i have increased Hit points, should i therefore put the CR up id prefer not to because the party is already as i said around Lvl 5 and leveling very quickly.I may be planning to try to dominate the Orc barbarian with Drakthar, that may prove to be very interesting.
:)
That could be fun!
If it was me, I wouldnt boost the CRs of the enemies. IMO, if your party is any higher than 5th level at the start of Flood Season they will find it too easy.
I just started a play-by-email "Shackled City" game. The party is starting at level 2 and includes:
-an elven warlock
-a dwarven rogue
-a human fighter
-an elven ranger
-a dragontouched human cloistered cleric/dragon shaman
-a human wizard
It should prove to be an interesting game!
We are in chapter 2 currently, just about to have a final showdown with the Vampbear. The party is very light melee/magic intensive.
-Human Rogue (eventually going Thief Acrobat)
-Tiefling Rogue (Eventually going Assassin-I'm letting him be Neutral instead of evil for concept and party harmony)
-Elven Duskblade
-Elven Druid - He's using alternate rules, I believe from Unearthed Arcanna. No animal form, or companion. But he can frenzy like a barbarian. Pretty vicious in combat.
-Halfling Sorcerer/Fighter (going eldrich knight)
This has been a surprisingly effective bunch. They are low on defences, but extremely high offense and damage with a lot of magical firepower. I actually had to add more badguys to the Kazmojen encounter in order to make it a challenge. Because of their high magical damage output they blew through the wererats in chapter two like nobodies business.
They just survived a big 20 goblin brawl at the start of Drakthars Way. Poor Duskblade got backstabbed by 4 goblin sneaks in the same round. Luckily due to some poor rolling on their part he survived. Went we left off they had just captured a couple goblins, and forced them to show em how to get to Drakthars throne room. They got them past most of the dungeon without a fight.
Just started my group on Jan 15th, with the next session set for the 29th. The seven adventurers making up the party are...
Celes Aran, a human female Paladin of Heironeous with the Noble campaign trait
Jasper "Pious" Skullcracker, a chaos gnome (+1 LA) male Fighter (late to join the party, may change to Warblade or Crusader before he does) with the Touched in the Head campaign trait
Karsia, a half-giant (+1 LA) male Psychic Warrior
Lulia Walala, a whisper gnome female Rogue
Patuljak Saptanje, a whisper gnome male Illusionist with the Touched in the Head campaign trait
Second of Exelous, an aasimar (+1 LA) male Cleric archer of Pelor
Vlasickoo Snerzi, a human male Enchanter with the Scion of Surabar campaign trait
Without the gnome fighter present, the party had no problem whatsoever with the thugs in the alley. Lulia, the whisper gnome rogue, can sneak around like no other first-level character I've ever seen. One fun moment was when the half-giant charged down the alley and crashed through some barrels, yelling, "Bad men! Bad men!" He's a bit of a half-wit, well role-played by his player. The cleric can already get off two shots a round with his mighty bow, and he took one of the thugs down in one round, only to heal him up later. The illusionist made excellent use of Ghost Sound, Silent Image, Expeditious Retreat and Color Spray (though he may wish he had those all back come next session). None of the thugs were killed, and two were captured.
Of course, with two +1 LA races present, I'd expect them to have done well. It will be interesting to see how that changes as they level. We'll be using the buy-off option for racial level adjustments, so it shouldn't be too bad.
At the end of the 2nd adventure we currently stand at:
Dwarf Cleric (god of luck) (going for Luckstealer)
Dwarf Wizard (Ill)
Elf Monk (going for Drunken Master)
Orc Ftr/Brb
Human Rogue
Half-Elf Ftr (archer)
Please note: I know Luckstealer is for halflings only, but the DM ruled that he was allowed to take it based on his character history.
Hello, all.
I will be starting SC in about two months. Right now, the projected party is:
Half-Orc Monk
Half-Elf Bard
Human Psion (Telepath)
Human Cleric
Human Fighter
Human Rogue
For the most part, I'm confident that this party configuration will do well, but the lack of a real arcane spellcaster causes me some worry (I don't count the bard).
In the opinion of those of you who have begun the campaign,how does this lineup look? Should I try to push to include a wizard or sorcerer?
Half-Orc Monk
Half-Elf Bard
Human Psion (Telepath)
Human Cleric
Human Fighter
Human RogueFor the most part, I'm confident that this party configuration will do well, but the lack of a real arcane spellcaster causes me some worry (I don't count the bard).
In the opinion of those of you who have begun the campaign,how does this lineup look? Should I try to push to include a wizard or sorcerer?
I'm not an expert on the campaign, but I think Psion + Cleric + Bard should have enough magic between them to do O.K. You might want to change some of the treasure suitable for wizards to something psionic, though (e.g. scroll --> power stone, wand --> dorje).
At higher levels the bard could potentially go for the Sublime Chord prestige class to give the party an arcane spellcasting boost.
My group of 9ish,(I have 7 to 8 players and an Assistant DM), have been playing the Shackled City once a week now for quite some time. (Wow, I just realized we've been playing since I picked up the HC at Gen-Con Indy!) We just started chapter 7 and so far it has been a blast. My group calls themselves "The Cresent Edge" - they are:
Edmund Vanderboren - Knight - Wealthy scion of a family just recently granted it's patents of nobility. Is currently serving as lieutenant of the town guard. Has been accused of using family political favors to move upward in the ranks so quickly. Is considered the protege of Capt. Terseon Skellerang. Younger half brother Todd a member of the famed Storm Blades.
Eppig - War Mage - Apprentice to the noted merchant Maavu Arlintal. Handles much of Maavu's day to day affairs acting as his major domo in both Cauldron and in the neighboring Red Gorge. Also served a brief stint in the town guard, only to be fired by Lieutenant Skylar Krewis and then ironicly be rehired and promoted by a different Lieutenant to the newly formed MTA (Magical Treats Agency).
Ivan - Cleric - A ranking member of the Temple of Lordly Might (church of Kord). Involved in a fierce rivalry with fellow priest and noted adventurer, Zachary Aslaxin for the recently vacated position of high priest. Has also recently gained some noteriety for tying in the "Drink Down the Flood" contest with 15 year undisputed champion Lord Vhalantru and are now seen regularly together sharing a pint at various taverns and inns around town.
Alton Tosscobble - thief - Former member of the AllyBashers, and a kidnapping victim rescued from a now defunct slaving ring that was opperating seemingly right under the cities nose. Owns and operates a fish monger shop on the southern shore of Crater Lake.
Bazil - Dragon Shaman - A wanderer from far off Salt Marsh, (DMG2), claims to be a decendant of a Copper Dragon killed by the "famed" Hookface. Recently opened an Adventurer's Guild with the long term goal of ridding the area of this beast.
Dorin Starchild - Bard - Was a noted performer at the Coy Nixie. Has renently joined the famed Storm Blades. Can also now be seen at the Cusp of Sunrise, that is, if you can get in!
(now an NPC)
Jonah - Warlock - Jonah has made quite a name for himself in Cauldron recently. After arriving into the city with a wagon filled with valueables (some judged as near priceless by local antiquitor Tygot)the man known only as Jonah proceeded to give it all away, divided between each of the churches, the Lantern Street Orphanage, and the needy. Now he's seen around town, in (clean) rags, doing any and all odd jobs all free of charge. When asked why, his reply is always the same: "Redemption is not cheap, and I have much to pay for"
Ashley - Urban Druid - A member of the secret society "the Seekers", the sole survivor of an attack on the Lucky Monkey Inn by a band of raiders. Is working with a cell of Seekers looking into recent Ebon Triad activity in the Cauldron region.
(This character replaced Shensen - she joined the week before chapter three was to start and her character concept was so Shensen-esk I said "You'll be my Shensen!" I love it when things work out like that!)
Desdel "Deadeye" Lyrith - Fighter - Heir to the throne of the city-state of Sasserine. Is currently seeking Kyan Winterstrike, his betrothed who vanished on their wedding day. Has recently found evidence that she may be being held against her will somewhere in Cauldron.
Well that's my group and a wee bit of info about them. I also want to say that my campaign could not have been half of what it is with out this forum and websites like rpgenius so thankyou! Some of your ideas have really helped flesh out my game.
I'm running two different groups through SCAP.
The first group is all from Cauldron or the surrounding area(all at level 1, currently in Jzadirune):
Kearn - dwarven cloistered cleric of Fharleghn (cleric variant from 2nd ed., basically lots of knowledge skills and a d6 for hit dice) - took the Shackleborn trait
Maz - human sorcerer
??? - human (can't remember the character's name, it's been awhile since we've played) copper dragon shaman
Lordling Martel - human swashbuckler - took the nobility trait - he's from the Lathanamire (sp?) house, and he and Cora do NOT like each other
Thalsa - human rogue - originally a PC but played as a one-off by a friend visiting from Kamloops, Thalsa is now an NPC and of course the skill monkey of the group
Group 2 (we play more often) - these characters are *not* from the Cauldron area, because I started them off in anticipation of my FLGS getting the hardcover, and it took over a month (the Canadian distributor is pretty useless for a lot of things so we used the Dungeon version for the beginning part). This group just finished Drakthar's Way:
Leah - 3rd level human scout and skill monkey of the group
Suleena - 3rd elven fighter with bow specialty (i.e. point blank shot, rapid shot, weapon focus longbow)
Kellhus - 3rd human fighter using the pole-axe exotic weapon (10' reach, 2d6 damage)
Seeker - 1st warlock/2nd fighter (human)
Listeria - 3rd human warmage
Aravel - 1st fighter/2nd cleric of Kord - my favourite character because the player has a lot of fun with this character (he chose the deity before knowing there was a temple to Kord in Cauldron). For example, we decided that morning prayers always start with clerics and worshippers running laps around the city. Of course the character has the improved grapple feat (along with the Competition domain), and puts them in various wrestling holds and moves for grappling damage. He has also managed to convert most of the party to Kord.
Started with six:
half-elf wizard
half-elf paladin
human rogue/scout/fighter/dervish
human rogue
human cleric of Wee Jas
half-orc fighter
At least, that's what races the PCs thought they were; it's become apparent that the first five are mistaken....
It seems likely that the wizard will eventually turn into some kind of spellweaver and the paladin will shortly turn into some non-paladin thing--we're in Smoking Eye.
Two PC deaths so far, the fighter at the Lucky Monkey (critted by the lycanthrope) and the paladin at Zenith. Zenith was very, very close to TPK, though, and not much fun for the player; nothing the PCs did seemed to work, and it went 70+ rounds over 7 hours of play. We pretty much abandoned sticking to the main line of the modules after Zenith.
Mary
I've got a Human Crusader, Dwarven Cleric of St Cuthbert, Halfling Rogue, Human Monk, Human Fighter. They're about to head into the Malachite Fortress at L2.
I have been DM for this campaign for the past 14 months and the group has just finished Strike on Shatterhorn. I am planning on taking them through two side adventures before heading to Asylum, since the pary level is currently 17-18 and they need a little more experience before they continue. The party composition is as follows:
- LG male human Paladin 18 of St. Cuthbert: Lord Mayor of Cauldron. Has a cohort that is a LG male dwarf Cleric/Battlesmith/Church Inquisitor 16 of Moradin (I forget the breakdown between the classes). Died once and was raised, cohort has never died.
- LG male human Fighter/Exotic Weapon Master/Purple Dragon Knight 12/2/4: Spiked chain specialist. Renamed the PDK to Knights of the March (Grand March) since the player had a great backstory for it. Has a cohort that is a LG female gray elf Wizard/Archmage of 15th level. Has died 4 times, cohort has died once (or twice?) and has been raised.
- CG male wood elf Ranger/Wizard/Arcane Archer 10/1/7: Is a bow specialist and the party's damage machine. Has died 3 times and been raised.
- CG male gray elf Wizard 18: Has a coure eladrin (I think) familiar that has made a difference in some close fights, and died once. The wizard has only died once and was raised.
- CG male human rogue/fighter/tempest 11/2/4: Specialist in rogue abilities and good light fighter. Has died only once. Saved the party from a TPK early on by strategically hiding during the fight with Aushanna and recovering the corpses.
- LN male human cleric 17 of St. Cuthbert: Does a lot of blasting than normal given that there are other clerics in the party. Has died 4 times and was raised.
- LN male human monk/cleric/sacred fist 2/4/10 of St. Cuthbert: Smoking Eye template after sacrificing himself. Great grappler, buffer and all around defensive PC. Only PC that has never died.
The party used to have a hexblade that left at level 8, a fighter/kensai that left at level 13, and a brief appearance by a barbarian. I expect the remaining 7 players to finish the campaign together. It works out well since we average 5-6 players per session, so no major adjustments need to be done to the adventure as written, although when all 7 show up I beef up the encounters a bit.
My players are just about to start Foundation of Flame.
Druss Bladebite, male dwarf fighter 12/dwarven defender 2 (smoking eye template)
Alwen Nightbreeze, female half-elf rogue 13/bard 1
Mina, female human paladin 14 (St. Cuthbert)
The Flame, male human sorcerer 14
Thog, male half-orc fighter 14
Since the PC's are at a lower level than they should be and there are only 5 of them, I'm going to modify the next adventure and have Shensen accompany them. They may not need it since they walked over Vhalantru, killing him in 3rnds.
|
Finally, the complete lineup of my party has been settled. We've got five players:
Human Warblade
Human Swordsage
Half-Orc Cleric (St. Cuthbert)
Human Witch
Dwarf Rogue
The warblade and the swordsage are pretty twinked out, but the cleric and the rogue make up for it, I'm thinking. We'll see how it goes this Thursday when I begin running it!
We are about to begin, this weekend in fact. Party seems to pretty much be set. I made them pick classes and races from the PHB only. They are:
Elf Ranger
Elf Fighter
Human Wizard (may change race)
Human Fighter-Archer (may change race)
Rogue (Still deciding race)
Bard or Cleric (Still deciding race)
~Sandi~
We just started with 4 players:
Araquis- male, Grey Elf Diviner
Janessa- female, Aasimar Urban Ranger
Simon- male, Tiefling Rogue
Gideon- male, Half-Ogre Penitent of St. Cuthbert (Cleric)
Currently half way through Thirteen Cages:
Druss Bladebight, male dwarf fighter 12/dwarven defender 3 (smoking eye template)
Alwen Nightbreeze, female half-elf rogue 14/bard 1
Mina, female human paladin (St. Cuthbert) 15
Thog, male half-orc, fighter 16
Indy, male human monk 15
They currently have the three striders with them due to them being a level lower than they should be (although Fario got disintergrated by Moltenwing last session).
My group has recently invaded the kopru ruins in Flood Season, where they killed Triel Eldurast toward the end of the last game session. They still have over half the complex left to explore, though, because they happened, by luck, to enter the ruins as close as possible to Triel's quarters.
The party's makeup:
Brenvia, male human Rogue 3/Fighter 2
Cigwyn, female gnome Illusionist 5
Keira, female human Cleric 5 (Heironeous)
Kepkal, female halfling Rogue 5
Moridoc, male human Fighter 5 heavily specialized in archery
I don't think I could have made up a more balanced party, class-wise, if I had assigned the Players the classes they would play. They made all their choices on their own, though. A couple of them have some fascinating ideas/plans, too, for branching out into prestige classes.
They've done very well so far -- no deaths yet!
|
|
well i can now finally add to this thread. My campaign starts this Saturday and now everyone has their characters done:
7 players they are:
Human (desert/persian empire type) Wizard (Evoker) (Feat emphasis on doing more damage with spells and elemental substitution)
Human (Anglo-Saxon type) Swashbuckler (feat emphasis on dodge/spring attack type stuff)
Human (vistani gypsy type) Fighter/Rogue (feat emphasis on trip/disarm)
Wood Elf Cleric of Archery god (feat emphasis on archery)
Hobbit Rogue (feat emphasis on being quick and nimble)
Dwarf Cleric of Moradin (feats on power attack / cleave stuff)
Moon Elf Wizard generalist (feats on making spells more useful or powerful)
2 wizards (one for damage, one for variety), 2 cleric (one for archery, one as tank), 2 rogues (one for traps and locks, one for skills and damage), 1 swashbucker for back up fighting and tactical movement to help with flanks and strategy
All in all I think it will prove to be a great and diverse group. If I was to ask for more, I would asked for a bard in there somewhere.
Robert
|
|
Congratulations on finally beginning the AP, Robert! I'm one session in and it's going well so far - make sure to let us know how well all the planning has paid off for you!
Thank you - I certainly will. You can follow along with our heroes at:
http://z6.invisionfree.com/World_Of_Mydian/index.php?act=idx
I've put as much effort into my players member/message board as I've done here, so see for yourself just how much detail is involved alreayd - and I havent even started it yet! :-)
Thanks For Everyones help!
Robert
We're in the Test of the Smoking Eye and we've added two new players to our original group!
Original group:
Half-orc 8 Fighter/1 Weapon Master
Half-orc 10 Evoker
Halfling 8 Rogue (he's died twice)
Dwarf 10 cleric of Moradin
New additions:
Human 9 Bard
Elf 9 Monk
The bard was rolled to be a diplomat, but since he's joined the party it's been pretty much all dungeon crawl (mid-Demonskar to now) and he's getting antsy because he basically stays in the back, sings, and tells everyone what bonuses to add to their rolls. On the other hand he singlehandedly took care of Dugobras with good diplomacy rolls, and nearly had a group of fiendish centaurs allied with the party on Occipitus.
The monk just joined on Occipitus and is finding it hard going without a magical attack. I feel like I've shortchanged him by not giving him some gloves, so I've got to adjust some treasure elsewhere.
The fighter/weapon master is b~&!!ing about having an underpowered weapon too, but he's married to his full blade, so they end up selling or discarding whatever decent magical weapons they come across. His choice.
My group, The Knights of Anduria, have are composed of eight stalwarts, ready to fight for Honour, Cauldron and Gold. At present, the lineup stands at:
Belious: Lawful Good Aasimar Paladin of Tyr 7. Default party leader.
Trait: Dream Haunted.
Blort Grubber: Neutral Good Gnomish Cleric of Shaundakul 9.
Trait: Noble.
Brother Uist: Lawful Neutral Tiefling Monk of Lathander 8.
Trait: Touched in the head.
Malkavian: Choatic Neutral Tiefling Barbarian 6/Frenzied Beserker 2.
Trait: Child of Jzadirune.
Shadi el Maskari: Lawful Good (formerly lawful evil) human Sorceror 6/Wizard 1 Ultimate Magus 1.
Trait: Noble.
Rydal Redleaf: Neutral Good Gold Elf Paragon 3/Wizard 5. (Replaced Abdarion, a netutral good air genasi swashbuckler after his untimely demise).
Trait: Touched in the head.
The Artful Dreadgo: Chaotic Neutral Human Rogue 8.
Trait: Dream Haunted.
Morgan Cinderstorm: Chaotic Neutral Fire Genasi Swashbuckler 7.
Trait; Wyrm Blooded.
Though 8 seems like a lot, we're a busy bunch, and so rarely make the full compliment of an evening. The xp being split between 8 people is also slowing down their progression, which is keeping the AP challenging. The party has just finished Demonskar Legacy, and is about to start Test of the Smoking Eye.
I just started running this campaign last night with a group of 4 players. I'm hoping to add one or two more players, but for now we have:
Clido - Halfling Rogue. Local scallywag and barfly.
Gregor - Half-orc Ranger. Father is constable of Hollowsky. (Wyrm-blooded trait)
Wry - Human Wizard. Local student at Bluecrater Academy. (Nobility trait)
Marrik - Human Cleric of Wee Jas. From Sasserine, sent to keep tabs on Cauldron chapter of the church. (Long-shadowed trait)
This is my current party composition after a near party wipe on monday.
-Lvl 7 elf cleric
-lvl 6 human cleric
-lvl 1 human commoner lvl 5 dragon shaman ( was previously a drow but was reincarnated last session)
-lvl 1 tiefling rogue lvl 3 paragon ( missed a few sessions so is behind )
-lvl 2 elf ranger lvl 2 barbarian lvl 2 fighter
-lvl 2 fighter lvl 2 barbarian dretch ( not sure if I should have allowed this but the at 2 racial hd and 2 ecl thought it was balanced enough)
Henchman and cohorts
-lvl 1 psychic warrior lvl 2 divine mind duegar
-lvl 1 fiendish halfing fighter
-lvl 5 elf paragon
-lvl 2 human figher ( a hillman the human cleric hired)
The party is very strong in healing but severly lacking in arcane powers. Since the beguiler and warmage died they have had almost no crowd control or mass damage except the pitiful 2d6 breath weapon of the dragon shaman heh. They are also pretty weak in the melee department too , since the elf fighter is a hit and run short sword guy , and the dretch is pretty wimpy in the damage output too.
I've had to use Alek Tercival and the striders a few time to give the party a fighting chance in some encounters.
After some shifting around, My group will be starting SC in about three weeks. We have:
Human Rogue
Human Warlock
Half-Elf bard
Human Cleric (Pelor)
Dwarven Paladin
Half-Orc Monk
The party is made up of the children or proteges of an adventuring group from Cauldron that dissapeared nine years ago. The party has now reached adventuring age and is headed to Cauldron to find their fortunes and investigate their mentors/parents' whereabouts. I have recast Triel and Zenith Splintershield as former members of the adventuring group, to give the players more connection to some of the campaign events.
I am new to these boards, but am pleased to see a lot of information that will help with my campaign (like the suggestions for the Haunted Village). I just started the campaign in the last 2 weeks, and tonight is the second session. I have:
Male Human Cleric of Fharlanghn (is the Noble son of the Aslaxins of Cauldron)
Male Human Bard (travelled from the Hold of the Sea Princes to avoid the nuttiness there from the Scarlet Brotherhood) - has Merchant's Tongue
Male Human Barbarian (Pit fighter from Sasserine) - Soul scarred and Arena fighter
The cleric, while being the eldest son of the Aslaxin family, is not interested in taking over the Coy Nixie or the other businesses. This has annoyed his father. The second son is the one from the book. It is the interplay between his older brother and his father that has caused him his uncertainty. These 3 people just travelled from Sasserine to meet up with the cleric's friends that he grew up with. They are:
Male Halfling Rogue - Touched in the Head
Male Human Urban Ranger - Scion of Surabar
Female Human Wizard - Dream Haunted
Everyone is 2nd level, with the Barbarian at 3rd. This will make the starting a little easier as they adjust to the campaign. It also means I won't have to be merciful regarding traps or encounters. Due to player changes, it is likely that the barbarian will be an NPC soon enough.
I used some of the feats from the Sasserine player's guide, along with the starting character "templates" from the HC of SCAP.
I had the three already in the city select rumours (one each, with an extra for the halfling) to begin with. This has already given them "leads" that they will probably follow up on. The first session was literally the meet and greet, though it looks like they are interested in the disappearances already.
All of the humans are of Suel descent, except for the Oeridian Bard and the Touv ex-slave now Barbarian.
I am running a 5 member party, with (sadly) frequent changes.
Elven Ranger3/werebaboon2
Halfling thief1/sorcerer4
Human Cleric(Pelor)4
Human Barbarian 4
Human Monk5
Originally
Elven Ranger
Human Thief(DEAD)
Human Duskblade(DEAD)
Human Cleric(bahamut)(DEAD)
Oh and I was wondering, what can I do to make my game less... deadly? I know they added a new chapter in the SC book and I hope that helps everyone but, 2 of my characters died fighting Kazmojen and another one perished fighting Tougneater. Both fights were TPK's that I fudged, ALOT.
ROCKSTEADY... I think you need healing. Especially in the first chapter. Plus I don't know what a Kineticist is but it looks like you might want some magic too, but its not needed.
|
|
I am running a 5 member party, with (sadly) frequent changes.
Elven Ranger3/werebaboon2
Halfling thief1/sorcerer4
Human Cleric(Pelor)4
Human Barbarian 4
Human Monk5Originally
Elven Ranger
Human Thief(DEAD)
Human Duskblade(DEAD)
Human Cleric(bahamut)(DEAD)Oh and I was wondering, what can I do to make my game less... deadly? I know they added a new chapter in the SC book and I hope that helps everyone but, 2 of my characters died fighting Kazmojen and another one perished fighting Tougneater. Both fights were TPK's that I fudged, ALOT.
If you're running the Hard Cover, remember that it is intended for 6 PCs as it illustrates in the preface, so it may be that you dont have enough PCs.
Add a little extra treasure, or allow for some player friendly caveats by the DM, such as:
Allow 32 point buy intstead of 28. Allow reroll of hitpoints if the player wants to gamble rerolling a low roll (player is required to use the second roll regardless if it is more or less - but usually this benefits the players.) Allow an NPC to travel with them. Provide healing and help from the local churches at diminished prices to help the party when they need it.
I have 7 players in my game so I'm hoping that lethality wont be much of an issue: unless they play every encounter as break in the doors and hack it up, cuz that kind of behavior will undoubtedly populate the local graveyard.
Robert
My gestalt party is ready to begin chapter 4, Zenith Trajectory.
They are as follows:
Tom Riddle (Githzerai Monk 4 / Panther Totem Druid 3 / Scout 4, Mark of the Beast, he is a teen and his guardian is Sir Alek Tercival) ECL 6
"The Hawk" Calvin Surabar (Human Urban Ranger 5 / Ninja 6 / Order of the Bow Initiate 1, noble, scion of surabar, , big-time Batman copy) ECL 6
DaVid Navalant (Human Wizard 6 / Cleric of Boccob 6, Noble) ECL 6
Xiloscent "Goldy" Jones (Half-elf Bard 4 / Urban Ranger 5 / Half-elf Paragon 1, Noble) ECL 5
Noke Arrier (Human Monk 6/ Fighter 6, Scarred Soul) ECL 6
Jax Vaine (Human Mystic 5 / Fighter 2 / Rogue 2 / Wizard 1, wyrmblooded) (Mystic is a homemade monk like class based on gaining knowledge and uses spell like abilities)
We lost two players, both characters are now Stider NPCs.
The Demonskar ball went amazingly (thanks Delvesdeep!)
My Gestalt Party is now starting Flood Season:Tom Riddle (Githzerai Monk 3 / Panther Totem Druid 2 / Scout 3, Mark of the Beast, he is a teen and his guardian is Sir Alek Tercival) ECL 4
"The Hawk" Calvin Surabar (Human Urban Ranger 4 / Ninja 4, noble, scion of surabar, on the way to Order of the Bow Initiate, big-time Batman copy) ECL 4
DaVid Navalant (Human Wizard 5 / Cleric of Boccob 5, Noble) ECL 5
Xiloscent "Goldy" Jones (Half-elf Bard 3 / Urban Ranger 4 / Half-elf Paragon 1, Noble) ECL 4
Noke Arrier (Human Monk 4/ Fighter 4, Scarred Soul) ECL 4
Lucian "Luke" Nailo (Elf Rogue 4, Cleric of Fharlanghn 4, Wyrm-blooded, Scarred Soul, Striders member) ECL 4As you can see, my group grew considerably. In fact, there was one other player who no longer plays with us at one point.
Drakthar's Way was a blast, though they got tired of killing hoards of goblins every time they came back from resting.
You can read some of there adventure write ups here:
http://d20.billimek.com/
And what are you guys using?My Gestalted party in Jzadirune:
(started at 2nd level)
Tom Riddle (Githzerai Monk 1 / Panther Druid 1, MarkoftheBeast)
"Hawk" Calvin Surabar (Urban Ranger 2 / Ninja 2, noble, scion of surabar)
DaVid Navalant (Wizard 2 / Cleric of Boccob 2, Noble)
They just finished running from the Pulverizer Automaton in the Invisibility Sphere.
Some update:
Still in Flood season;
NG Dwarven fighter 3
NG Human cleric 4 (Alzina=Magic)
LN Human cleric 4 (Zelis=Destiny)
CG Elven Fighter/Wizard 4/1
NN Human(Dark template) Spellthief 3
Lost: 2 barbarians, 1 wizard, 1 monk, 2 rogues.
I'm just starting, and the characters are probably going to be.
- Human, Favored Sould of Nerull
- Human Fighter, Shield focus. (As a weapon...)
- Rogue of some descritption.
- Fiendblooded Sorc.
As of Friday, our group just finished the fourth adventure and rescued Zenith. Our party consists of:
Tiefling Male Fighter 7 (archery specialist)
Human Female Rogue 7 (sneak attack craziness)
Elven Female Druid 6 (healer and wild shape combatant)
Half-Elf Female Bard 5/Cleric of Fharlang 1 (booster)
Human Male Sorcerer 6/Favored Soul of Pelor/Bahamut 1 (blaster)
Dwarf Male Barbarian 7 (Rage + Powerattack = splat)
We also have a few other PCs:
Human Male Paladin of Pelor 3 (player currently away)
Human Male Ranger 2/Fighter 4 (player temporarily replacing paladin, but was turned into a wraith and attacked party; obliterated by black dragon)
Aranea Male Fighter 2 (player's new character replacing above; found in koa-toan prison by party)
So far, it's been absolutely crazy, but absolutely fun and exciting as well. We're currenly taking a two week break, but I can't wait to start up again.
My group just finished Chapter 1, and here's what the group is looking like so far:
Lolly Diddle: Female Gnome Artificer 3. Lolly hasn't had much of a chance to tinker yet, but now that the time pressure of Chapter One is winding down, she should be able to contribute on the magic item front. She obviously isn't specializing in Combat, but she's provided some memorable moments when disabling devices and running off ahead and putting herself in danger. Lolly is the heart and soul of the party, and her innocence and good nature reminds me a lot of a well-played Kender without the annoying kleptomania.
Selos Auderin: Male Human Cleric (Pelor) 3 - Wyrm-blooded trait. Selos is an invaluable party member. While he so far has usually stayed out of the front line for most fights, he's got enough interesting spells and domains that he has proven quite versatile. He's recently been playing up the Wyrm-blooded trait by developing quite a temper, but his goodly nature tempers it into something wholesome. Selos is the conscience and righteous wrath of the party. He's also one of two people I'd consider to be party leaders.
Audric Macalevan: Male Human Fighter 2/Psychic Warrior 1 - Noble Trait. Audric is the nephew of Captain Terseon Skellerang and the scion of a minor noble house. He's also the party's most versatile warrior, and has proved quite effective as a spiked chain trip-monkey. Naturally, the first Psionic Power he took allows him to grow to size large. Audric is very assertive and has quite an ego, and therefore is the other person I'd consider to be a party leader.
Kale Lathenmire: Male Human Swordsage 3 - Noble Trait. Kale is Audric's longtime best friend and sparring partner. Kale has a good sense of humor about him, but doesn't seem interested in taking a leading role in the party. Kale is a very effective light fighter specializing in twin shortswords along with his esoteric maneuvers.
Cecil: Male Human Paladin (Torm) 3. Cecil is a follower of a strange deity that few Cauldronites have heard of, and is mostly the strong, silent type. He wears a helmet covering his face with the holy symbol of Torm incorporated into the design. Cecil wields a Bastard Sword, shield, and heavy armor, and has thus frequently proven to be too slow to reach combat before Audric and Kale apply the smackdown. Of all my players, he's probably the least interested in roleplay - and that's fine. There's plenty of hacking in this adventure path to go along with all the yacking.
Asenath: Female Human Rogue 1/Warlock 2 - Scarred Soul Trait. Asenath is an illegitimate daughter of Vervil Ashmantle, who I have decided has Demodand blood instead of Demon because of her choice of trait. She began as a fairly normal rogue who is passionately opposed to the slave trade, but as the adventure wore on she suddenly began manifesting strange powers - she's playing up her concern with these, along with her disgust with the nobility and her general foul temper very nicely.
So. That's the party thus far. I'll update again when we finish Chapter 2.
Eric "Critic of the Dawn"
|
|
It has been a while and we had a big break (lots of real life things came up) but they are about to clobber the meeting in Lords of Oblivion. We have been recently joined by an old player who has brought her character across from when I ran Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (she was the sole survivor from the fight with Imix):
Halbarand: male human Ftr3/Clr3(Saint Cuthbert)/Pious Templar9
Saint Stern of Cauldron: male human Pal13(Pelor)/Saint2
Archon Xia Sacari Koruth "The Govdeen": male human Cloistered Clr3(Wee Jas)/Wiz3/Mystic Theurge9/Smoking Eye1
Elorna: female half-elf Clr6(Pelor)/Radiant Servant of Pelor9