Turnabout is fair play (my rejected scenario #28)


Society Scenario Submissions

RPG Superstar 2012

I hope I've given some useful critiques of the other scenarios. Here is my rejected scenario, if someone wants to return the favor.

Spoiler:

Lyrics of Extinction

Introduction: 350 years ago, composer Graydon Marit, who had been turned out of the Inner Sea’s best concert halls, led a group of hired performers to Wimbo. The town boasted a perfect natural amphitheater and an accommodating populace. After Marit constructed devices to propagate music throughout town, the company performed his opus, The Grand Harmonic. The true power of his composition revealed itself and summoned a score of destrachans. The creatures obliterated the town and everyone in it. Only Marit’s sound propagators survived.

Every 50 years since, lingering notes summoned a new destrachan. The latest creature became intrigued by the work, as portions of the piece still played from Marit’s devices. Naming itself Graydonmar after the composer, it sensed the music’s capabilities, but it could not perform the composition on its own. It called out subvocally to reach harpies and other monstrous “singers.” They made considerable progress until a Pathfinder Society venture party blundered into Wimbo. After a brutal combat, a single party member escaped. The destrachan and remaining chorus regrouped and began to practice anew, while awaiting replacement singers.

In Kibwe, the survivor warns everyone about ancient “lyrics of extinction.”

Summary: The Pathfinder Society sends the party to Kibwe to interrogate the survivor, Caldor Rosh, and investigate his claims. The group obtains directions from him, but Rosh and his hired thugs attack the characters as they travel to Wimbo. The adventurers then encounter straggling recruits making their way to the town. At Wimbo’s edge, the PCs can disable Marit’s sound propagators to make subsequent encounters easier. In town, the party must contend with satyrs who attempt to lure them to the destrachan’s performance. Finally, they have to dispatch Graydonmar to recover The Grand Harmonic composition.

Encounter 1: Caldor Rosh doesn’t want anyone to undergo his experience, so he won’t part with information easily. Through roleplay or with a successful Bluff, Diplomacy or Intimidate check (Tier 7-8: DC 15, Tier 10-11: DC 20), the party learns the location of Wimbo and that satyrs and harpies overrun the town. If the group cannot obtain Rosh’s information, they can track his path back to Wimbo (same DCs).

Encounter 2: Rosh (Tier 7-8: sorcerer 9, Tier 10-11: sorcerer 12) regrets directing the party to Wimbo. He leads a pair of fighters (Tier 7-8: level 8, Tier 10-11: level 10) into battle with the group. They fight not to kill the adventurers, but to subdue them.

Encounter 3: Graydonmar’s calling reached a pair of yrthaks (wounded for Tier 7-8). While the lure makes them ignore the danger they will face in town due to their vulnerabilities, it doesn’t prevent them from satisfying their hunger with whatever they find in the jungle. They descend on the party with the intent to surprise and grab someone.

Encounter 4: At Wimbo’s outskirts, the adventurers hear a loud hum, the side effect of Marit’s constructions. Until all three devices are disabled or destroyed, all silence spells cast within Wimbo are subject to dispel magic (Tier 7-8: CL 11, Tier 10-11: CL 14—reduce the CL by 1 for each disabled device). Additionally, all spells with the [sonic] descriptor are enlarged. Each device has 40 hit points and hardness 5, and they are all trapped (Tier 7-8: shout, Tier 10-11: greater shout, either effect has an automatic reset). The party can disable each device with a Disable Device check (Tier 7-8: DC 25, Tier 10-11: DC 30).

Encounter 5: Four satyrs (add 3 levels of bard for Tier 10-11) use their pipes to charm the characters and entice them into the amphitheater. If the party resists, the satyrs make a fighting retreat. Survivors assist in Encounter 6’s battle.

Encounter 6: Graydonmar (Tier 7-8: advance by 4 HD, Tier 10-11: advance by 9 HD) and its four-harpy chorus (add 3 levels of fighter for Tier 10-11) wait in the amphitheater for their audience. If not protected by silence, each PC must make a Fortitude save (Tier 7-8: DC 20, Tier 10-11: DC 25) or become deafened. While Graydonmar performs the bulk of The Grand Harmonic, the harpies add to the harmony and work to prevent the party from reaching the destrachan. If the PCs defeat Graydonmar, they find Marit’s still-preserved composition.

Conclusion: Success allows the Pathfinder Society to store away a fascinating, yet dangerous, piece of the past. If the party fails, Graydonmar and its recruits eventually perfect the opus, unleashing yet more destrachans into the Mwangi Expanse.

The name "Wimbo" came from the Swahili word for "song". Of course, the name might have been too close to "Limbo" to be taken seriously. Plus, the introduction was too long. I've got to work on getting over my need to tell a story. :-)

Thanks in advance for your critiques.

Liberty's Edge

I was impressed by the level of detail of your encounters and by how easy you seem to handle them. May be the fact that I am just a newbie and this is something common for an experienced player or DM, but for me was very instructive.

As for the story, I enjoyed it, but it seemed a little strange to me, maybe even "Alien". That destrachan was too intelligent for my expectations and for what MM say about his kind. Moreover, I am not sure if all those monsters had a place in Mwangi Expanse. However, maybe I am too conservative about some monsters capacities.

Josh said „ancient culture”... 350 years ago could make for „old”, but not for „ancient”. And that dead town did not seem to be enough for a „culture”. An „ancient culture”, from what I seen in Golarion, must have existed in the Azlanti`s time, as after their fall the world entered into an dark era.


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
taig wrote:
Introduction: 350 years ago, composer Graydon Marit, who had been turned out of the Inner Sea’s best concert halls, led a group of hired performers to Wimbo. The town boasted a perfect natural amphitheater and an accommodating populace. After Marit constructed devices to propagate music throughout town, the company performed his opus, The Grand Harmonic. The true power of his composition revealed itself and summoned a score of destrachans. The creatures obliterated the town and everyone in it. Only Marit’s sound propagators survived.

I kinda like the basic idea of your scenario, although I have to admit it's a bit goofy. The name Wimbo leaps out at me. This is the first mention of it and it isn't explained. I take it that it's a village somewhere in the Mwangi expanse? Propagators? Oh, amplifiers! ;)

taig wrote:
Every 50 years since, lingering notes summoned a new destrachan. The latest creature became intrigued by the work, as portions of the piece still played from Marit’s devices. Naming itself Graydonmar after the composer, it sensed the music’s capabilities, but it could not perform the composition on its own. It called out subvocally to reach harpies and other monstrous “singers.” They made considerable progress until a Pathfinder Society venture party blundered into Wimbo. After a brutal combat, a single party member escaped. The destrachan and remaining chorus regrouped and began to practice anew, while awaiting replacement singers.

After reading the description of the destrachan from the MM I found this premise a bit hard to swallow. Evidently this evil, sadistic, lone hunter has ambitions of creating a masterpiece that will summon more of its kind. It even possesses a strange sense of honor in naming himself after his favorite composer. And he's able to summon other monsters and sell them on the idea of "Hey, this song is really cool. Let's all jam to it! Together we'll bring the whole world to ruin!" Must be a mutant destrachan since his singing can do more than just destroy (unlike the standard destrachan in the MM who just blasts holes in stone walls).

taig wrote:
Summary: The Pathfinder Society sends the party to Kibwe to interrogate the survivor, Caldor Rosh, and investigate his claims. The group obtains directions from him, but Rosh and his hired thugs attack the characters as they travel to Wimbo. The adventurers then encounter straggling recruits making their way to the town. At Wimbo’s edge, the PCs can disable Marit’s sound propagators to make subsequent encounters easier. In town, the party must contend with satyrs who attempt to lure them to the destrachan’s performance. Finally, they have to dispatch Graydonmar to recover The Grand Harmonic composition.

What does Caldor claim? What are the Pathfinders sent to investigate? You later imply that the mission is recovering the Grand Harmonic? Or are they in Mwangi to stop the destrachan? The motivation of Caldor & Co. isn't explained until later, so now them attacking the party is just confusing. Straggling recruits? Who's recruits? What happens in the encounter with them? I wanna know right now, without having to scroll down to encounters. ;) Why are the satyrs working for Graydonmar?

taig wrote:
Encounter 1: Caldor Rosh doesn’t want anyone to undergo his experience, so he won’t part with information easily. Through roleplay or with a successful Bluff, Diplomacy or Intimidate check (Tier 7-8: DC 15, Tier 10-11: DC 20), the party learns the location of Wimbo and that satyrs and harpies overrun the town. If the group cannot obtain Rosh’s information, they can track his path back to Wimbo (same DCs).

What's my motivation again? Do I want the Grand Symphony which was turned down at every venue in the Inner Sea region for its artistic value or because it summons destrachans?

taig wrote:
Encounter 2: Rosh (Tier 7-8: sorcerer 9, Tier 10-11: sorcerer 12) regrets directing the party to Wimbo. He leads a pair of fighters (Tier 7-8: level 8, Tier 10-11: level 10) into battle with the group. They fight not to kill the adventurers, but to subdue them.

This comes right out of the blue. Who are the fighters? Pissed off art critics who will stop at nothing to prevent the retrieval of the symphony?

taig wrote:
Encounter 3: Graydonmar’s calling reached a pair of yrthaks (wounded for Tier 7-8). While the lure makes them ignore the danger they will face in town due to their vulnerabilities, it doesn’t prevent them from satisfying their hunger with whatever they find in the jungle. They descend on the party with the intent to surprise and grab someone.

Another little used sonic-attack -using monster.

taig wrote:
Encounter 4: At Wimbo’s outskirts, the adventurers hear a loud hum, the side effect of Marit’s constructions. Until all three devices are disabled or destroyed, all silence spells cast within Wimbo are subject to dispel magic (Tier 7-8: CL 11, Tier 10-11: CL 14—reduce the CL by 1 for each disabled device). Additionally, all spells with the [sonic] descriptor are enlarged. Each device has 40 hit points and hardness 5, and they are all trapped (Tier 7-8: shout, Tier 10-11: greater shout, either effect has an automatic reset). The party can disable each device with a Disable Device check (Tier 7-8: DC 25, Tier 10-11: DC 30).

What do the devices look like? What incentive do the PC have to destroy them? Who trapped them? The destrachan? Doesn't seem like a trap-building monster to me.

taig wrote:
Encounter 6: Graydonmar (Tier 7-8: advance by 4 HD, Tier 10-11: advance by 9 HD) and its four-harpy chorus (add 3 levels of fighter for Tier 10-11) wait in the amphitheater for their audience. If not protected by silence, each PC must make a Fortitude save (Tier 7-8: DC 20, Tier 10-11: DC 25) or become deafened. While Graydonmar performs the bulk of The Grand Harmonic, the harpies add to the harmony and work to prevent the party from reaching the destrachan. If the PCs defeat Graydonmar, they find Marit’s still-preserved composition.

At which point do the PC have the chance to learn that this particular destrachan goes by the name of Graydonmar and plans on summoning a destrachan army and take over the world? There isn't a single conversation with any of the antagonists that could reveal this grand master plan.

----

There goes. I hope I wasn't to harsh. Finn's aren't known for mincing words. ;)

Liberty's Edge Contributor, RPG Superstar 2012

Cicattrix wrote:

I was impressed by the level of detail of your encounters and by how easy you seem to handle them. May be the fact that I am just a newbie and this is something common for an experienced player or DM, but for me was very instructive.

As for the story, I enjoyed it, but it seemed a little strange to me, maybe even "Alien". That destrachan was too intelligent for my expectations and for what MM say about his kind. Moreover, I am not sure if all those monsters had a place in Mwangi Expanse. However, maybe I am too conservative about some monsters capacities.

Josh said „ancient culture”... 350 years ago could make for „old”, but not for „ancient”. And that dead town did not seem to be enough for a „culture”. An „ancient culture”, from what I seen in Golarion, must have existed in the Azlanti`s time, as after their fall the world entered into an dark era.

The destrachan was a reach, I'll admit. I liked the idea of having a monster appreciate some relatively apocalyptic music. I was also going for a surprise final nemesis. Really, who would expect a destrachan? In one of the earlier drafts, it had bard levels, but someone talked me out of that.

I had concerns about the amount of time. I probably should have added a few hundred more years, and I could have had the town be "ground zero" for the destruction, which would have spread beyond the town. That would have accounted for the ancient culture.

Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.

Liberty's Edge Contributor, RPG Superstar 2012

Navdi wrote:
Lots of good comments

Justifications behind the spoiler tag:

Spoiler:

See above for my justifications for "Wimbo" and the destrachan. I'm not saying I'm right, but I did have a plan. I wasn't going for goofy, but I can see why it would be perceived as such. Also, I liked the idea of bringing in "themed" monsters, especially some little-used monsters, rather than EEEEvil cultists.

A lot of the questions you ask about the summary I could have answered there. I worry about either repeating information in the encounters, or reducing the encounters to a list of stats.

I must not have been as clear as I'd have liked in the flow of the adventure: The party starts off investigating Rosh's claims of "lyrics of extinction", but the DM knows ultimately what the characters are after. Rosh grabs a couple of fighters (admittedly, there is some hand waving done to get those high-level fighters) to stop the characters from being killed. The amplifiers (propagators *is* a poor choice) are inherently trapped, which I did not spell out.

The PCs were never going to find out the destrachan's name. I named it, so I could refer to it as something other than "the destrachan", "the monster", or "the creature". I also wanted to show that it was an unusual specimen.

Thanks for your input. I will find a way to incorporate your advice into my next submission.

Sovereign Court

I'll have to echo the destrachan thing. Considering the creature is blind, and despite blindsight it's doubtful it would read the written song. And frankly I don't believe Graydon Marit used to write in Braille. :)

Maybe I'm a bit troubled by the way Rosh just suddenly turns against the Pathfinders and chooses to fight. Personally I'd hope there would have been a way to convince him not to aggravate four to six combat-experienced pathfinders.

All in all, it does have a lot of variation and a nice little theme with the monsters (sonics!) Maybe it was a bit too exotic to Josh.

RPG Superstar 2012

Deussu wrote:
I'll have to echo the destrachan thing. Considering the creature is blind, and despite blindsight it's doubtful it would read the written song. And frankly I don't believe Graydon Marit used to write in Braille. :)

Oops! I didn't make it clear the destrachan learned the song by listening to its echoes. I spelled that out much more clearly in an earlier draft, but I was trying to cut down "story time" in my introduction.

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