Asmodean Knot (additions & alterations)

[reefwood]

I am tweaking parts of the Asmodean Knot and am hoping to get feedback others who have ran or played it already. Our group only has 3 players, so I gave them the option of starting with an extra NPC level or extra gold to give them a boost. Also, I added a few extra encounters/challenges, some of which I didn't expect them to fully defeat, so they've wound up even more ahead of the curve (which didn't prevent one PC death during the play). The PCs are:

Ftr4/Brb1/War1 with a focus on sunder and adamantine lucrene hammer
Alch5/Exp1
Clr5 (about to level up) with Wisdom 23 from starting middle-aged

1. Grey Metal Entry Doors

Spoiler:

The first addition is going to be with transportation into the Knot. The description says that touching the metal doors gives a feeling of vertigo, and that is where this idea comes from, along with the notion that the Knot has been damaged by Sian. PCs who touch the doors will have to make a Will save. Success means they are instantly transported to the Knot, as normal. Failure means they find themselves falling through a void of darkness (those with darkvision will be able to see masses of shadowy tendrils reaching for them – this corresponds to the depiction of shadow beasts in our campaign), and each round another Will save can be made to escape the void and enter the Knot. Initially, each round in the void was going to inflict 1 point of Wisdom damage (a little bit of madness from being in the void), plus 1d6 points of falling damage per round upon exiting the void and falling into the Knot. However, the Cornucopia meal already did Wisdom damage, so I may change this to Charisma damage and change the falling damage to 1d6 per two rounds (or 1d6 nonlethal for the first round which turns into 1d6 lethal in the second round, and repeat – so the damage gets more real the longer you are in the void). For the Will save, I'm thinking DC 15 (since I think all the PCs can make this by rolling 10) or DC 17 to make it a bit harder. Also, I'm guessing that conjugation would be the school of magic given off by the metal doors because I know they will cast detect magic on them.

2. Elandriu

Spoiler:

Sian placed him in the entry hall, but to do so, she would have had to carry him (or I guess place him in the handy haversack – which I may keep with Sian or remove entirely) and sneak past the shadows and howlers. It seems like she got past these guardians on her way in by being in gaseous form, so I'm not sure if it would make sense for her to sneak his body back to the entry hall – especially since there are no threats there and she's trying to make it look like he was killed by something in the Knot. Instead, I may have her dump the body just inside the western door of B2 with the used scrolls, runecurse, and pack of unused scrolls. The howlers will chew him up (eat flesh, crunch bones), which will help to cover up the fact he was killed by her blade. This may prevent speak with dead from working, but I doubt my players would take that approach, and if they do, I'll just fudge it by saying there is enough of the body left intact for this instance.

3. Entry Hall Alcoves

Spoiler:

These seems to be totally aesthetic and otherwise pointless, but I may give them a purpose. The background info says that Mayor Anvengen expanded the Knot, and later, Mayor Vheed filled the Knot with monsters and used it for sadistic entertainment. I'm thinking that each alcove held a reflective metal sheet (similar to the reflective metal doors to enter the Knot and black metal mirrors that spawn shadows) and were used to look into the various areas of the Knot – like mirrors of clairvoyance attuned to specific locations and perhaps activated by something like Channel Energy. Although, I'd probably have it be that most of these mirrors have been destroyed with maybe one that gives a look into the Hall of Special Guests (perhaps the others looked into Jabe's Pool, the Kyton's room, and the room with the chests) and maybe one that never got attuned since it was going to be for a feature that Anvengen intended to build but didn't do before he died. Or maybe half will not be attuned because they were supposed to look into the second story that was never built.. Alternatively, the alcoves may have once displayed all the stuff that is now stored in the mummy room.

4. Howlers

Spoiler:

If anyone gets cursed, I may give them a vision from Anvengen with each failed save. Just a fragment of a memory but something that will shed some light on the backstory which doesn't get revealed much. Maybe memories of his appointment by House Thrune, installation of the Nessian Spiral, creation and expansion of the Knot, etc.

There is more, but this seems like plenty for one post.

[reefwood]

5. Szasmir

Spoiler:

It seems that until Sian broke into the Knot, no one has been inside since Aberian had it warded (perhaps decades ago). I'm playing it that Sian had help in undoing the ward, but her skill did not compare to that of the ward, so it broke it more than removed it, and that's part of the reason a Will save is needed to enter.

Anyway, Sian took some mental ability score damage when she entered, and the Anvengen spirit fragments used that energy to create the glaive just a day or two ago. I'm thnking that Szas and Elan chatted with each other since they were each other's only company for the past few decades, so Szas grew agitated when Sian killed Elan and took him away, so he used the glaive to chop open the door.

Szas has lost his mind, so now he stands guard over the cells hoping to regain the favor of his long-dead master Vheed and prevent any other intruders from releasing the remaining prisoners (which are all dead but Szas has started talking to them since Elan was taken away). He will probably attack the Cleric of Cayden on sight for being on the opposite side of things as Asmodeus, be wary of the Fighter til he has reason to fight, and perhaps be curious about the Alchemist who probably appears to have a similar style as the experimental sorcerer Vheed.