2-12 Below the Silver Tarn


GM Discussion

Liberty's Edge 2/5

I am planning to run this game very soon at my local store. I have read a little bit, but I am particularly concerned about running the last encounter. The party will likely include a heavily optimized grappler character.

I am specifically concerned to know: 1) if there is a size limit to creature that can be grappled, and 2) what happens if he successfully grapples a flying elemental. I don't want to cheat, but with a 7-11 game I don't want to sell the bad guys short either.

5/5 5/55/55/5

Derek Weil wrote:

I am planning to run this game very soon at my local store. I have read a little bit, but I am particularly concerned about running the last encounter. The party will likely include a heavily optimized grappler character.

I am specifically concerned to know: 1) if there is a size limit to creature that can be grappled

Nope. A halfling can grab a dragon by the horns and wrestle him to the ground.

2) what happens if he successfully grapples a flying elemental. I don't want to cheat, but with a 7-11 game I don't want to sell the bad guys short either.

Technically the elemental can't move

A grappled creature is restrained by a creature, trap, or effect. Grappled creatures cannot move and take a –4 penalty to Dexterity. A grappled creature takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and combat maneuver checks, except those made to grapple or escape a grapple.

I can see saying the elemental isn't solid enough to grab (especially if it uses whirlwind) . It could also just keep slamming the grappler with its fist.

Grand Lodge

Honestly being grappled shouldn't terribly bother said final encounter. I ran this scenario against an optimized party with a few low tier playing with some 10s and 11s, and they had a rough time of it, I was very impressed with the season 2 scenario.

While the grab monster ability has some verbage for inability to grab larger creatures without text specification, using the grapple action allows you to grapple a creature of any size. The only thing being bigger does is give said Elemtental a good CMD.

Good luck, I really enjoyed this scenario when I ran it. It's a great read honestly, and the creep factor is really cool if your group is in to roleplay. The combats aren't even lacking either, The Blade Barrier from the optional really messed with my party, with 3 people sitting out of said combat because they feared death from the 13d6. Really stressful, tense roleplay and combat situations with a creepy atmosphere and some cool back story if you make the knowledge checks.

5/5

I would think that if it gets grappled, it's not flying anymore. If it's not flying, it's probably in the water. If the grappler gets dragged into the water, he might be in for a very bad time. The elemental still has plenty of options then too. Whirlwind, slams, SLAs. At high tier, don't forget the str damage to good creatures from Unholy Aura.

On a semi-related note, if you're in the US and have a Michaels nearby, they sell a lasercut wooden boat for $5 that makes for an amazing set piece if you draw a 1-inch grid on it. It's a little bit big to be the boat in the scenario exactly, but it's far more fun to have some easy 3D terrain.

Liberty's Edge 2/5

Thanks for the input everyone! That boat idea from Michael's sounds cool, but I'll have to pass for now. I did pick up a frost drake mini to portray the water elemental (flying, I can just say the beast took the shape of a dragon made out of water). For the boat I will probably cut one out of cardboard so we can at least have something halfway sturdy to move around.

I'm probably going to have to skip the optional encounter, since we never have more than 4 hours to play. But dang, I want to run it if possible!

Liberty's Edge 2/5

But...how is the water elemental flying??

If it is in the water and gets grappled, it can just turn the tables with a whirlpool. This final encounter is probably the WORST to be a grapple monk for...

Liberty's Edge 2/5

As I read it, that's what I'm thinking as well. I don't think being grappled would make it fall. And even if it did, the monk falls too, into the WATER that hits for 1d8 every round with no save. Then the elemental can still do nasty stuff. It think this one will give them a challenge. Really, the best bet is to just fend the sucker off until you drop the ingots in the water, but we'll see. This is a bunch of veteran players: Paladin, Ranger, Alchemist, Rogue, Monk, Oracle (mega-healer). So a good mix of classes and abilities. I think they'll all have a chance to do cool stuff in this one.

The Exchange 3/5

Hey, I am also GMing this tonight, noticed the shared file in the
GM prep for this scenario was suspiciously empty so I uploaded a map of the city that keeps the Compass but gets rid of the spoiler stuff and names.

This at least gives your players or you a way to count distances. I unfortunately couldn't also keep the 1 square = 30 feet but as long as you write that on there you can easily count distances.

Which will make it easier for calculating teleportation distances. If they go that route.

Liberty's Edge 2/5

I had another question - this one is more likely to be a thing: Charging the silver bricks. Can this be done by anyone, or must it be done by the person actually holding a given brick. Our life oracle can channel around 10-12 times per day, so it would be relatively easy for the group to get out 3 or four bricks, have her charge them, etc.

If this is not how it works, please let me know, because the final encounter will take them a few rounds longer otherwise...

4/5 ****

Codanous wrote:


GM prep for this scenario was suspiciously empty so I uploaded a map of the city that keeps the Compass but gets rid of the spoiler stuff and names.

Was the map of your own creation, or just a stripped down paizo one?

Grand Lodge

Derek Weil wrote:

I had another question - this one is more likely to be a thing: Charging the silver bricks. Can this be done by anyone, or must it be done by the person actually holding a given brick. Our life oracle can channel around 10-12 times per day, so it would be relatively easy for the group to get out 3 or four bricks, have her charge them, etc.

If this is not how it works, please let me know, because the final encounter will take them a few rounds longer otherwise...

I personally ruled that charging them required a dedicated charging, so that you couldn't channel all of them and then have an octupus toss them all into the water or something. I felt like doing so would trivialize the encounter.

Shadow Lodge 4/5

The spell or channeled energy is entirely diverted into the ingot and provides none of its usual benefits.

Liberty's Edge 2/5

I get that, but I guess I wasn't clear if it got to charge every readied brick within 30'. It sounds like the answer is no, or at least I would not be wrong to rule that way. Thanks guys!

The Exchange 3/5

Pirate Rob wrote:
Codanous wrote:


GM prep for this scenario was suspiciously empty so I uploaded a map of the city that keeps the Compass but gets rid of the spoiler stuff and names.
Was the map of your own creation, or just a stripped down paizo one?

It was a stripped down map of the map provided in the scenari, it had location listings for each act and that seems spoilerish but its a beautiful map to rob the players of. Are we not allowed to do that?

The Exchange 3/5

Pirate Rob wrote:
Codanous wrote:


GM prep for this scenario was suspiciously empty so I uploaded a map of the city that keeps the Compass but gets rid of the spoiler stuff and names.
Was the map of your own creation, or just a stripped down paizo one?

It was a stripped down map of the map provided in the scenario, it had location listings for each act and that seems spoilerish but its a beautiful map to rob the players of. Are we not allowed to do that?

4/5 ****

Codanous wrote:
Pirate Rob wrote:
Codanous wrote:


GM prep for this scenario was suspiciously empty so I uploaded a map of the city that keeps the Compass but gets rid of the spoiler stuff and names.
Was the map of your own creation, or just a stripped down paizo one?
It was a stripped down map of the map provided in the scenario, it had location listings for each act and that seems spoilerish but its a beautiful map to rob the players of. Are we not allowed to do that?

We are not unfortunately. We can draw our own maps that work functionally the same, but the only Paizo artwork available to use is what's been published in the blog.

CUP wrote:
You may not use artwork, including maps, that have not been published in the blog, although you may create your own interpretations of material presented in our artwork and maps, provided that your interpretations don't look substantially similar to our materials.

Community / Forums / Organized Play / GM Discussion / 2-12 Below the Silver Tarn All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in GM Discussion