Dlw |
Level 3: Splinterden is aware of the undead and spiders in the Cellars above. They possess one Spire transport token. They are also aware of Klarkosh, who gave them the noisemakers that ward off the moonspiders, and whose agents occasionally passes through their level.
How do the bandits of Splinterden leave their level? Wouldn't they have to go through level 1 and so they would be aware of the goblins and vice versa? Or is there some other way that they get in and out of their lair that I am not noticing?
Kudaku |
I have a question regarding XP gains on Level 4: Godhome.
Obviously the party gains XP if they kill the troglodytes and deactivate the godbox.
However, if the party is totally friendly with the troglodytes, then it appears they do not gain any XP. Is this correct?
I do not know which assumption corresponds with the expected party level for moving onto the next floor.
Generally speaking XP is awarded for overcoming a challenge, which doesn't necessarily mean fighting it. An encounter solved by clever use of diplomacy or should still earn XP as normal. I'd add up the XP for every trog fight they avoided in the level and award them that sum as a story award. I'd also put in some extra treasure in the next few sessions since diplomatic solutions generally doesn't pay very well compared to murder-death-kill.
The Sword Emperor wrote:Level 3: Splinterden is aware of the undead and spiders in the Cellars above. They possess one Spire transport token. They are also aware of Klarkosh, who gave them the noisemakers that ward off the moonspiders, and whose agents occasionally passes through their level.How do the bandits of Splinterden leave their level? Wouldn't they have to go through level 1 and so they would be aware of the goblins and vice versa? Or is there some other way that they get in and out of their lair that I am not noticing?
There is an auxiliary exit from level 3 to the surface, it's listed as C17.
Dlw |
Dlw wrote:There is an auxiliary exit from level 3 to the surface, it's listed as C17.
How do the bandits of Splinterden leave their level? Wouldn't they have to go through level 1 and so they would be aware of the goblins and vice versa? Or is there some other way that they get in and out of their lair that I am not noticing?
Doh! Sorry for being dumb!
Kudaku |
Kudaku wrote:Doh! Sorry for being dumb!Dlw wrote:There is an auxiliary exit from level 3 to the surface, it's listed as C17.
How do the bandits of Splinterden leave their level? Wouldn't they have to go through level 1 and so they would be aware of the goblins and vice versa? Or is there some other way that they get in and out of their lair that I am not noticing?
You're not being dumb, it's extremely easy to miss it! Only reason I noticed the extra exit was because the cutaway map of the spire on p. 19 shows a tunnel that goes from level 3 to the surface, which made me look for it in the level description. :)
The Sword Emperor |
I believe that the PCs should not gain XP from the troglodytes, whether they fight them or bypass them. The troglodytes are friendly and well-meaning; helpful even. You're more likely to get mugged by a shopkeeper in Thornkeep.
There's the obstacle of the Godbox itself, and the threat of being attacked by the trogs if the PCs don't play along. But think about it for a moment and you'll see that's not a meaningful threat: first, the PCs just need to give up two pounds of metal, each. I'm sure they could find plenty of that on the higher floors of the dungeon.
Second, the godbox is apparently benevolent. The only reasons to destroy it are either racism, greed (for all the treasure attached to it), or paranoia (it must have some secret evil plan).
Third, the trogs have good reason to attack: the PCs are literally cutting off the trogs' food and water supply.
Giving the PCs XP for killing the troglodytes is like giving XP for slaying villagers.
Iammars |
Or one of the PCs got stuck to the Godbox and now wants his stuff back. If the PCs figure out how to deactivate the Godbox, they should know its reversable, so they can get their stuff back and be on their way while providing different stuff for sacrifice in later terms.
John the Cab |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Copy and pasted from the other forum, hope this helps you!:
First of all. Excellent thread and love the players guide.
Secondly, I'm a bit at a loss when it comes to the first quest "Friends in the fort" as described here:"
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2r6r9?Emerald-spire-Friends-in-the-fort-questSorry for calling attention to my thread like this and feel free to ask me to remove this reply, but i'm very eager for a reply since I'll be starting the module soon with my players.
Thanks in advance.
My solution was to add an encounter that I think is sorely missing.
My Encounter:
This encounter will introduce both factions to the PCs, and give them foreshadowing of things to come.
DMs Brief Background:
Several of the children to slaves at Naldred's camp have disappeared over the last 3 months, lured away by the hag. Then came one gruesome murder, courtesy of the doppelganger. That was enough to convince Hella and Robard, who are expecting (as Hella has missed her last two months, but is not showing), to attempt escape. A young couple in love, they simply bit off more than they could chew with their attempted bakery, and ended up as slaves to their debtor. Unfortunately for them, things could not go worse in this attempted escape.
While they did make it out, their absence was immediately noted due to heightened awareness, bordering on paranoia. Naldred's foreman of that crew immediately sent a rider to alert the Hellknights. Maralictor Kiera Writ, normally at Mosswater Gate, was having a stern word with Bolgur at Juliver Gate over a recent incident when Naldred's rider came in. Concerned about the recent murder and disappearances, Writ ordered all but one of the Hellknigts present to mount up. Two went with her, towards the PCs, and two went with Bolgur, going the opposite direction on roads. The two search groups will make a circle around the fort looking for any sign of foul play. One guard was left, and had a peasant send word to Mosswater Gate to send an extra knight for reinforcements.
Taeserle was going to simply met Hella and Jarod in the woods and guide them to a different fox to arrange safe passage, assuming they could escape from the camp in the first place. Unfortunately, the spot they picked to meet was too close to the entrance to Splinterden. Two Outlaws (I'm calling them Tomax and Xamont) saw the trio, and quickly realized at least two were slaves. Knowing a slaver, they saw opportunity for quick coin. And, the way Dars was running things, they both preferred to move on. So, even though Lenik Hastenfar would not approved, they began chasing the trio.
Unknown to all five, Lenik Hastenfar is not far behind. He and three others were returning, saw the chase begin, and are just a bit behind this group in the woods. Lenik's group stays in the woods when Tomax and Xamot emerge, holding back to see what happens. With a better view around the bend, Lenik realizes the Hellknights are on the way.
PCs Enter:
Before arriving in Fort Inevitable, Taeserle stumbles out of the woods, approx 30 ft away from the lead PC, with the two escaped slaves. Taeserle has a bolt coming out of her shoulder, and Hella has a bolt coming out of her leg. Treat this as 1/2 movement, the same as if she had been shot in the leg on the grit table. Robard is helping her move, with one of her arms over his shoulder. This slows the pair.
For the surprise round, Tomax charges Robard, and hits him with a knife, in the back, on the left. The force of the blow spins him away from Hella, and she falls to the ground. Taeserle reaches down for Hella's arm, and attempts to drag her away.
Xamot emerges from the woods with his crossbow loaded with another poisoned bolt. He immediately sees the PCs, turns, and fires randomly at one of them.
Combat:
Use the Echo Wood Outlaws, Pg 40. Add precise shot - both these are humans and get an extra feat. I awarded full for a defeat and half for a non-captured retreat.
(For my group, added a level to each, since I had 6 PCs.)
Xamot is further back, and will flee next round when the sound of horses is unmistakable.
Tomax will flee if able, but does not want to give up his prize of three slaves. He will most likely not be able to escape.
Taeserle attempts to get Hella away from Tomax, and Jarod crawls in the other direction away from his attacker, both provoking attacks of opportunity. Tomax prefers to attack Jarod, since he can still run.
Writt is visible after one round, and arrives on her turn on round two. On round 3, if combat persists, she announces, "Anyone with a weapon will be struck down!" and attacks Tomax if he hasn't been subdued. One hit renders him unconscious.
If the PCs have any hostile actions, Taeserle hold her hand up at the Hellknights. "STOP! They were trying to save us!" She says this irrelevant of weather the PCs were interested in helping or not if they engaged in combat with the two outlaws.
After combat attack
If anyone attempts to heal Tomax or Xamot, Lenik and his men fire four poisoned bolts from the woods, then run.
Should this volley not kill the men in question, Lenik bribes the doppleganger to kill either one in their cell. He does not know he is talking to a doppleganger; Lenik believes he is talking to a Necromancer interested in bodies. The fresher the better. This is how Lenik disposes of any prisoners or corpses.
After Combat Role Playing
Maralictor Kiera Writ will not leave without the two slaves to stand trial for attempted escape.
Without the PCs interference, Taeserle will be able to point out they are injured not in their right minds.
Writ will concede this, and order the two slaves be taken back for treatment.
Taeserle will refuse any help from the 'slavers'. Writ will look to the PCs, and drop a few nails to the ground. She will explain thieves are nailed to trees, but the Order of the Nail is busy. Should they accomplish this and present proof Taeserle was delivered home safely, Writ will do what she can to help the PCs.
Sample Dialogue:
Without PCs interrupting or adding:
Writ: "I am Maralictor Kiera Writ, of the Knights who Guard the Way to Hell, Order of the Gate. No weapons shall be drawn in my presence."
Taeserle: "Unlike you, they just saved us. Now get these people some help, they're bleeding!"
Writ: "Of course. Treat the escaped slaves and Ms. Caerlin."
*After the blood is stopped and bolts removed*
Writ: "Help the slaves to the horses. They are to stand trial."
Taeserle: "WHAT!?! They are poisoned and barely conscious! And we were running for our lives!"
Writ, holding up a hand: "I know how you feel-"
Taeserle: "NO, you don't! They can't think straight! THIS is why people call you Hellknights!"
Writ, pauses for a moment. Then: "You are correct, they are unable to be questioned properly. Take them to the Mosswater gate. Put them in the guests rooms. One of you stand guard, the other get two locks and an acolyte from the High Mother. After you are assured their wounds are treated, feed them and allow a good nights rest. We will question them and hold a trial tomorrow. If necessary."
Writ glaces at Taeserle: "You look in no condition for the trip to your home unassisted."
Taeserle, with venom: "I'd rather rot then accept the help of slavers."
Writ: "Very well." She tosses several iron nails to the ground.
Writ, to the PCs: "You may chose to due the Knights. Our Order of the Nail is otherwise occupied, and the law is to put any outlaws on a tree. You can keep their belongs. Also, should Taeserle find her way to her home, and you provide a token of her father's favor to the guard posts, I will assist you with all I can at Fort Inevitable."
Writ the provides basic directions to the PCs on the location of the house.
Loot on the Bodies
I left the loot at everything listed on page 40, reasoning the hunting party would have more poison than those in Splinterden. I also added 2d20 gold and a silver ring (worth 35g) in Tomax's ear and a gold plated bracer (worth 15g but looks cooler) to Xamot, as they just finished a far-ranged raiding mission.
Each outlaw also had a Gourde-type sphere with a plug, and several rocks inside. I emulated the effect of this by shacking removing a few die from a plastic die holder and shacking it. I reason any seasoned member would keep this on hand in case a spider found their way into Splinterden or the tunnel leading there. No reason to fight when it is so simple to scare the things.
The trip to Caerlin's
The adrenaline that kept the poison or blood loss from clouding Taeserle's mind. She soon goes limb, unable to walk. While in this state, she mumbles several things like:
"...the foxes can help...."
"...where is Royst...."
"...no, don't take them...."
Royst is not a member of the Seven Foxes, but Taeserle has deduced from recent events that magical assistance was needed, and provided. She would not say so to any in a coherent state of mind.
Upon arriving at Caerlin, the PCs find a man who has just come in from a long day's work. Seeing his daughter, he has the normal reaction of any father - panic, followed by relief.
He will answer any questions the PCs have in a straight-forward and honest fashion.
Sample answers:
"Foxes? She must mean the Seven Foxes. They help people stay free and those enslaved when they can. They'll come to blows with the Hellknights one day. I'll be glad we live outside the walls on that day."
"Royst? He's the town arch-mage, if you will. I understand he's paid some coin to people going to the Spire. No idea why."
"Royst seems to smart to get involved with the Seven Foxes. He's been here too long to bring down that kind of trouble. The new Lady Commander's lookin' to make a name for herself - she'll come down like a hammer on any of the Seven Foxes she finds."
"I do not like the Hellknights methods - slavery, nailing people to trees and the like - but I can't argue with their results. I'm old enough to remember before they came and built the fort - it was different. But, I'll be damned if I call them 'knights' like they were proper kings guard."
"A 'token of my favor'? That's rather fancy talk." If PCs have been decent or even tolerable, he gets a solid black bottle from the basement. If the PCs have been hostile or crude, he gives them a coin. "To new friends! Show the bottle to the Hellknights. But, I'll be damned if you'll present it full to them!" He opens it, pouring everyone some wine until the bottle is empty.
Caerlin readily offers the PCs a meal, a place to sleep, and more wine. Should they wait until morning, Taeserle, in a more lucid state, asks them to check in on the slaves from the previous day. She has no comment about any of her ramblings.
The Gates
Writ has made sure the guards are advise any group bringing one of Caerlin's good black bottles, they get no questions. If they enter in or travel to the Mosswater Gate, Writ allows the PCs to talk to and see the two escaped slaves.
If the PCs question the morality of the Hellknights, Writ is quick to respond with something like, "Before we can to this land, children would often come home to dead parents, or worse. Like it or not, this is a harsh world and requires harsh laws. Should you be fortunate enough to come from a land that can be more forgiving, please accept my envy." If slavery specifically is brought up, she replies, "I consider that policy to be a necessary evil."
Writ does not back down from this stance. She considers the Seven Foxes to be dangerous, and believes if they wage open war with the Hellknights the Hellknights will overreact, killing as many innocent villagers as Seven Fox criminals.
Should the PCs ask how they can help, Writ also offers to introduce the PCs to Lady Commander Audara Drovust, or at least inquire what the Lady Commander would pay good citizens willing to help.
Decision and Impact
If the PCs tell Taeserle or Royst they will support the foxes, they both find a way to relay the message. One of the other Foxes approaches the PCs in a days or two in town. From that point on, the PCs can sell any weapons or armor directly to the Foxes for 75% of full value as opposed to the usual 50%.
If the PCs side with the Lady Commander, The Lady Commander offers 200 gold per PC for definitive information on a Seven Fox. In addition, without any results, the 50 gold fee for a license to explore the ruins is waived or returned. The Hellknights will sell armor that has not yet been enchanted or branded for just above their cost. This includes breastplates, half-plate, full plate, steel shields, and tower shields (made of Mithril, Adamantine, or masterwork) at 60% of the list value.
The Author's Bias
I love the characters, dungeon, and intricacies in the Emerald Spire. This book is a fantastic purchase. However, I personally like a higher amount of gold, at least in the ball-park the average gold per level in the Core Rulebook. By my math, this dungeon puts all the PCs significantly behind that. Starting with level 1, I calculate less than 3500 face value on all items, then you divide by 2 to sell the stuff, and then divide by four.
So, my bias is to provide a financial benefit, and give them some gear to sell early on. I may find I'm mistaken as the level progress, but I suspect the there will be many items that go undiscovered in this dungeon. I compensate by making the bosses tougher, usually adding in feats or hit points so the fights stay challenging. However, I'm not sure that will be necessary.
The Sword Emperor |
4 people marked this as a favorite. |
Travel Time around the Echo Woods
This is for those of you whose parties are ranging around the Echo Woods; and who care to keep track of the time of day and travel time.
I'll provide the following information with "#/#" format to represent parties whose slowest member moves at 20 and 30 feet respectively.
You can walk 2/3 miles per hour; or hustle 4/6 miles per hour . For every hour (or fraction thereof) past the first, hustling inflicts 1 point of nonlethal damage to you. Each additional hour deals twice the damage taken during the previous hour of hustling.If you take any nonlethal damage from hustling, you become fatigued.
When you travel through the echo woods, your movement speed is reduced by half. Therefore, you can walk 1/1.5 MPH; or hustle 2/3 MPH.
Traveling on the roads through the hilly region around the Echo Woods (such as the road that connects Fort Inevitable with Thornkeep) reduces movement speed to 3/4. Therefore, you can walk 1.5/2 MPH; hustle 3/4 MPH.
Fort Inevitable and Thornkeep are equidistant to the Emerald Spire. You need to travel 6 miles, through forest. Therefore, walk: 6/4 hours; hustle: 3/2 hours.
If you want to take a road from Fort Inevitable to Thornkeep (and thereby avoid random encounters in the Echo Woods), you're looking at a 15 mile trek through hills. Walk: 10/7.5 hours; hustle; 5/3.75 hours.
Be sure to ask your players whether their group intends to walk or hustle.
catdragon RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32 |
So my players' character made it down to Splinterden....
where they fought all the low-level mooks in the main part of the complex. They did a fairly efficient job, keeping them from sounding the alarm. So they look around and proceed to search every room... until they hit the gibbering mouther. Which ended the life of our brave tiefling paladin/bloodrager...
With that, the group decided to head out, get their companion raises/reincarnated/whatever they could..
That being said, Splinterden is being left alone for a good 4-5 days. Being a living level, i know that the NPCs are going to take action, but i am not sure what. Any ideas? How would the bandits reinforce their hideout? Or would they take off?
I thought about redoing the synesthesia gas trap with something nastier, but that might be a bit too much, especially considering the bandits live there!
Think it possible that the bandits could recruit more mooks? Or hire a specialist to watch for adventurers (medium level mage or someone/thing that specializes in dealing with groups?
Maybe a ratling/ratfolk mage who has charmed or made friends with an otyugh?
Or a small group of Wolfmane mercenaries?
Maybe they pay a bonus to Klarkosh to get some constructs/automatons for guards?
They might even make a deal with a moon spider on the level above?
Any one have any suggestions?
darrenan |
Same thing just happened to me, except the gibbering mouther killed a character AND an animal companion. Pretty nasty beast to have on just the third level. The characters had to leverage the pending 15,000 gp reward from the Crowned Skull quest as collateral to get both raised and restored. There's some money they won't be getting later on down the line, hopefully they learn to fight more cautiously!
I had Levik Hastenfar (see C8) and a pack of scouts and outlaws return to the complex during the interim. They reinforced the door that the characters had hacked down, and were fully prepared and waiting for their return, including having a guard posted on the secret door at the start of the level that the characters had discovered and were planning to use to sneak back in upon their return.
Ben-evolent One |
.. Pretty nasty beast to have on just the third level ..
Yeah, I've swapped it for a mimic .. "I'll take the cell with the bed!", but I made Jaris into a L4 Alchemist. Made more sense with all the potions & poisons, as well as 'his pet', that Klarkosh sent to be refilled, but has yet to be returned.
Having made that adjustment, I'm an old skool DM: I don't pull punches and not all encounters are character-level balanced. They just have to make sense (the nasty beast on L3 did not). This is how my party started the Emerald Spire ...
The party defeats a lone guardian Moon Spider along the way, but eventually enters Splinterden. They investigate the crypt, but leave it alone. They surprise an irate Tarrin in her chapel who is receiving a report from her failed wood scouts. She's confident of dealing with these invaders, but quickly sends the scouts to get reinforcements. But then the party absolutely canes her! On single-figure HPs she offers deals, parlay, hidden knowledge .. they kill her. Then they spend a lengthy combat making a fighting withdrawal back up C17 using dead Tarrin as a body shield (lotsa bluff). Eventually they're able to dump her and run.
The outlaws decide to bury their fallen leader in the only crypt left, the one Tarrin said never to open. Oops. They free Lucius' ancestor, suffer two losses and retreat back to Spinterden and barricade themselves in.
When the party decide to return (whaaaat!?) thye meet one of the spawn in the passage, their goblin scout is struck (neg level at L1 = death), and rises 2 rounds later. The party destroy their former mascot and flee. They decide to investigate the Tower Ruins instead when they return.
Lenik Hastenfar(C8) is a great idea. Consider Loskar Redcap (sic) from Thornkeep too, a must-have companion to run the Emerald Spire.
SockPuppet |
Flipping through the adventure, it looks easy with such low CRs in the first 3 levels.
I'm glad to hear that you GMs had to soft ball the game. My plan is to run the adventure faithfully and see what happens, with dice in the open, killing PCs if the dice fall that way.
I was afraid this thing was a walk in the park.
SockPuppet |
Question for the Forum
I'm about to run the Emerald Spire and I see it going really wrong.
The book says, "The town of inevitable taxes adventurers 30% to operate."
I get that the writer is trying to drive home this idea that the regime is iron fisted in the way any gamer can understand, but I am afraid it is going to ruin the module.
These things have an implied agreement between GM and player that the party is going to actually do the adventure. The counter agreement is that the GM isn't going to put the party through something they wouldn't do.
This is what happens:
The party hears about the law and refuses to play the adventure. Instead of going to Fort Inevitable, they march out 25 miles to get away from the hell knights and set up camp at another town. They buy a wagon and act like travels to get to the spire. If they are caught or bothered by the hell knights, they will either be kill or be killed because no pc is ever captured without something ham-fisted. If they do escape, the GM has to activate the hell knights, derailing the whole dungeon. If the party ever makes it to level 1 of the dungeon, they will already be like live 4.
Then the GM has to restat the dungeon or let it suck. Either thing blows the point of buying a module.
Beyond that, there wouldn't be any other adventures in town either. They would just leave. It isn't like there would be much work, besides the spire, for adventurers within 20 miles of the highly efficient and motivated hell knights what wiped out banditry anyway.
That makes sense, because Hell Knights would have a monopoly on violence, and wouldn't be permitting armed travelers through their lands really, anyway.
It is a cute setup, and I like it if it were a novel and the main character couldn't leave town because of his dear sick mother, but for an RPG this 30% tax blows, and so do the lawful evil (good) Hell Knights.
This whole back story feels like a trap to derail a game. Why can't the town just be ruled by the lovable but incompetent Frodo and his 15th level wizard body guard, the bumbling and otherworldly half demon what destroys PCs who attack the castle?
This is my real question, to anyone who has played the Emerald Spire: if you drop the 30% tax, do the players end up with +30% WBL, all things being equal?
catdragon RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32 |
I compromised. The Hellknights asked for one share of whatever loot the party brings out as well as access to anything they deemed "too dangerous for the general populace." Additionally the Hellknight insisted on rights to first buy anything that they could use -- specifically masterwork weapons and armor.
Remember the Hellknights are, as a general rule, LN tending towards E. They aren't there to make the PCs miserable. They are there to provide a bastion of civilization, law and order, in the middle of a wilderness. The HK know that the PCs adventuring in the area might make things more chaotic for a while, but eventually the PCs will move on and then the HK can keep control.
Additionally, having the PCs in town makes it easier for the HK to keep an eye on the adventurers.
If the PCs decide to camp away from town, let 'em. The HK won't care as long as they don't do anything that compromise their laws. Of course, since Fort Inevitable is the closest market, the PCs may be dealing with lengthy over land travel that are not patrolled by the HK.
Remember the HK will only be adversaries to the party if the party *wants* them to be adversaries. They have the choice to make the enemy. the Hellknights will react appropriately.
The Sword Emperor |
Re: The Hellknights' Tax
1. Give the players the option to station themselves in Thornkeep. It's equidistant from the Emerald Spire, has its own dungeon related to the Emerald Spire, and is generally lawless.
2. The Hellknights can only tax adventurers in their domain. I decided that their domain does not extend to the Emerald Spire. They really do not have control over that location. It's six miles into the woods and just as easily "claimed" by Thornkeep.
3. Yes, the tax itself is a bother. Just make it clear that it really applies only to the Mosswater Road and the route south to Lambreth.
Flipping through the adventure, it looks easy with such low CRs in the first 3 levels.
I'm glad to hear that you GMs had to soft ball the game. My plan is to run the adventure faithfully and see what happens, with dice in the open, killing PCs if the dice fall that way.
I was afraid this thing was a walk in the park.
The only thing I altered was the moon spiders and the pit trap: the former because the party had already just come off of dealing with "we can't see anything"; I didn't want to repeat myself with a gimmick they already didn't enjoy. The latter because nothing slows down gameplay like players actively checking every innocuous square of a dungeon level for traps.
Dragonchess Player |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Remember the Hellknights are, as a general rule, LN tending towards E. They aren't there to make the PCs miserable. They are there to provide a bastion of civilization, law and order, in the middle of a wilderness.
Not to mention the PCs may easily be allied with/working for/members of the Hellknights in the first place. It would provide for convenient plot hooks and personal goals (including taking over Fort Inevitable from the current leadership, if they have the desire).
As mentioned in Fort Inevitable area 31, the Hellknights are usually on the lookout for potential talented recruits... as long as they display the "right" attitudes. The "letter of warrant" is for independent (i.e., "untrustworthy and little better than bandits themselves") adventurers; those working with official sanction would not have to pay the 30% of "coin, goods, and property."
The Sword Emperor |
Difficulty (using the Third Floor: Splinterden, as an example)
The Emerald Spire is, thus far, not a difficult dungeon. Here's how things went in Splinterden.
The party noticed the Splinters on sentry duty. The thief couldn't pick the lock to their door, even taking 20 (hooray for cat folk climb speed). He retreated; the bard used Ghost Sound to make it sound like somebody had inexplicably gotten through the gate to the fourth floor. The guards panicked, pulled the rope. The party waited a couple rounds. Then most of them charged the door, chopping it to splinters in a couple rounds while keeping clear of the arrow slits. The bard had stayed behind, unaware that more splinters were about to come out of a hidden door literally five feet in front of him. They did, swept past him, provoking an attack of opportunity: he dropped his net on one of them, and proceeded to begin stabbing them to death. The party divided its time between the two groups, quickly killing them, and forcing one to retreat.
That Splinter informed the rest of the Splinters that they had intruders. Every remaining Splinter got together while the party waited, formed a barricade at the main hallway, and set up some scouts on the other route in case the party tried breaking in through the other gate.
The party discovered the synesthesia trap, put on the Splinters' masks, and marched out to meet the enemy. They dodged a flaming barrel, rushed a large group of splinters who had set up crossbows, and handily tackled enemies who came rushing in from a door they didn't check.
The enemy alchemist tried retreating from the wizard (who had built himself as a melee combatant with defensive stats equal to the paladin for now), but ran into the jail. This, of course, caught the attention of the Gibbering Mouther.
The Gibbering Mouther devoured the alchemist, then slipped through the door and joined in the fight just as the party was finishing off the main body of the Splinters. About three rounds later, the party finished off the Gibbering Mouther.
At which point Tarrin Dars decided it was time to make her move. She rushed into the hallway with her automaton and a couple other scouts (the ones at the other gate had fled to find Hastenfar). She and her remaining forces fell in short order.
The party cleared practically the entire third floor in one long running mad dash, and this was after fighting Gorloth on the second floor without resting afterwards. And with only four party members present that session (which means they were down a man and lagging behind in experience points).
So... challenging? No, not really.
Incidentally, Hastenfar showed up eight hours later, seeking vengeance, and marched in with about 12 scouts at his back. The fight was entertaining, but they murdered him quickly.
I will say that the party enjoyed the level. It was one horror show after another. The gibbering mouther, Jareth's unattended animal experiments, a small explosion in Jareth's lab after his alembics were left unattended, and Tarrin Dars' library of blackmail (she had tried running back and hiding herself there when the final battle turned south for her).
They really hated the Splinters because I gave them a flashback where the bard (at the time a gentleman highwayman) saw the Splinters mercilessly rob, torture and kill a caravan; Hastenfar had a thing for eyeballs and melon ballers (to the point that part of the party's treasure was finding a set of three different-sized melon ballers - plated with precious metals - on Hastenfar's corpse). Tarrin Dars' philosophical take on Norgerber was summed up as "we are as locusts, stealing everything - physical or intangible - and destroying it utterly"; stealing was a means to an end. So, the party was happy to be done with them.
Also, when they discovered the wight, they gathered around its sarcophagus, and more or less whacked it back into its casket as soon as it popped out. Good times.
Owen K. C. Stephens Modules Overlord |
The Superdungeon does mostly take place in a Dungeon, and a lot of that (though not all of it) is primarily stone rooms and corridors.
That said, the druids I have seen in it have done fine. You may or may not get much use out of entangle, but druids still have lists of options even when underground in a rock hallway.
Owen K. C. Stephens Modules Overlord |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
For those who have asked about this, in case you missed the announcement:
Pathfinder Module: The Emerald Spire Superdungeon is now sanctioned in its entirety for Pathfinder Society Organized Play. You can find the download either on the product page or in the right-hand banner on the Additional Resources page.
Dragonchess Player |
11 people marked this as a favorite. |
I did have one minor disappointment: Klarkosh is supposed to be "an initiate of Numeria's Technic League," but has very little "technological" flavor other than crafting automatons.
So I modified his stat block to give him a more "Numerian" feel, using the Technology Guide (TG) and some alternate spells from Advanced Player's Guide (APG), Ultimate Magic (UM), and Ultimate Combat (UC). If anyone else wants to use it, see below:
Klarkosh
CR 7; 3,200 XP
Gold-clad male human evoker 6/technomancer (TG) 1
NE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +5; Senses Perception +9
AC 18, touch 11, flat-footed 17 vs. melee (+4 armor, +1 Dex, +3 natural) or 23, touch 16, flat-footed 22 vs. ranged (+4 armor, +5 deflection, +1 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 62 (7d6 + 20 + 12)
Fort +5; Ref +4; Will +7
Defensive Abilities fortification (25%); Resist fire 10
Weaknesses vulnerable to electricity
Speed 20 ft
Melee +1 frost dagger +5 (1d4+2/19-20 +1d6 cold) or slam +4 (1d6+1)
Ranged arc pistol (TG) +4 (1d8 electricity, 50 ft range increment, touch; +2 on attack rolls vs. targets made of or covered in metal)
Special Attacks intense spells (+3 damage)
Arcane School Abilities (CL 6; concentration +11)
8x/day - force missile (1d4+3)
Evoker Spells Prepared (CL 6; concentration +11)
3rd - dispel magic, fireball (DC 18), force punch (UM; DC 18), recharge (TG)
2nd - blindness/deafness (DC 17), bullet shield (UC), false life, scorching ray, web (DC 17)
1st - burning hands (DC 16), icicle dagger (UM), mage armor, obscuring mist, shocking grasp, vanish (APG)
0 (at will) - detect magic, light, message, ray of frost
Opposition Schools enchantment, transmutation
Before Combat Klarkosh casts mage armor and false life each day. When he can tell the PCs are approaching, he casts bullet shield.
During Combat Klarkosh leads off with web, hoping to slow down the party, and uses his arc pistol against heavily armored opponents. He targets ranged attackers with blindness/deafness and uses force punch on opponents that try to engage him in melee. Otherwise, he tries to use his spells at range. If forced into melee combat, he casts icicle dagger and shocking grasp. If forced to flee, he casts obscuring mist and vanish.
Str 12, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 20, Wis 8, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +4; CMD 15
Feats Craft Construct, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, Improved Initiative, Technologist (TG), Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus (Knowledge (Engineering))
Skills Acrobatics -3, Appraise +9, Climb -3, Craft (Mechanical) +15, Escape Artist -3, Heal +6, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (Arcana) +15, Knowledge (Engineering) +17, Knowledge (Planes) +9, Linguistics +9, Perception +9, Sleight of Hand -3, Spellcraft +15, Stealth -3, Swim -3
Languages Androffan, Common, Draconic, Giant, Hallit, Ignan, Undercommon
SQ arcane bond (ring), recondition (TG), technical expertise (+1)
Combat Gear timeworn arc pistol (reconditioned), potion of cure moderate wounds; Other Gear belt of mighty constitution +2, cloak of resistance +1, Spire transport token, journal, key (unlocks doors in F7, F9, and F14), Emerald Spire fragment (used as an alternate material component for recharge), spell component pouch, 273 gp
Craft (Mechanical) can be used instead of Craft (Clockwork) for creating automatons. Remove the Western Star ioun stone from F9.
catdragon RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32 |
I did have one minor disappointment: Klarkosh is supposed to be "an initiate of Numeria's Technic League," but has very little "technological" flavor other than crafting automatons.
So I modified his stat block to give him a more "Numerian" feel, using the Technology Guide (TG) and some alternate spells from Advanced Player's Guide (APG), Ultimate Magic (UM), and Ultimate Combat (UC). If anyone else wants to use it, see below:
Klarkosh ** spoiler omitted **...
Wow! Fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing this with us
Dragonchess Player |
5 people marked this as a favorite. |
Re-reading that level, I just caught two errors:
1) Klarkosh's cantrips are incorrect
2) There's no mention of his spellbook. So, based on the alternate version above,
0-level - All 0-level spells from the Core Rulebook except daze, mage hand, mending, message, and open/close
1st - burning hands, comprehend languages, disguise self, icicle dagger (UM), identify, mage armor, obscuring mist, shocking grasp, technomancy (TG), vanish (APG)
2nd - blindness/deafness, bullet shield (UC), false life, make whole (requires 2 slots), scorching ray, web
3rd - dispel magic, fireball, force punch (UM), recharge (TG)
Dragonchess Player |
8 people marked this as a favorite. |
Small update: Looking up the metal-clad creature template in the Advanced Bestiary (the .pdf can be purchased direct from Green Ronin, BTW), Klarkosh's ability scores on the modified version won't work for gold. Thankfully, copper is the same CR adjustment and gives the same major benefits (other than the changes to ability scores).
Final version:
Klarkosh
CR 7; 3,200 XP
Copper-clad (Advanced Bestiary) male human evoker 6/technomancer (TG) 1
NE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Perception +9
AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17 vs. melee (+4 armor, +2 Dex, +3 natural) or 24, touch 17, flat-footed 22 vs. ranged (+4 armor, +5 deflection, +2 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 62 (7d6 + 20 + 12)
Fort +5; Ref +5; Will +7
Defensive Abilities fortification (25%); Resist fire 10
Weaknesses vulnerable to electricity
Speed 20 ft
Melee +1 frost dagger +5 (1d4+2/19-20 +1d6 cold) or slam +4 (1d6+1)
Ranged arc pistol (TG) +5 (1d8 electricity, 50 ft range increment, touch; +2 on attack rolls vs. targets made of or covered in metal)
Special Attacks intense spells (+3 damage)
Arcane School Abilities (CL 6; concentration +11)
8x/day - force missile (1d4+3)
Evoker Spells Prepared (CL 6; concentration +11)
3rd - dispel magic, fireball (DC 18), force punch (UM; DC 18), recharge (TG)
2nd - blindness/deafness (DC 17), bullet shield (UC), false life, scorching ray, web (DC 17)
1st - burning hands (DC 16), icicle dagger (UM), mage armor, obscuring mist, shocking grasp, vanish (APG)
0 (at will) - detect magic, light, prestidigitation, ray of frost
Opposition Schools enchantment, transmutation
Before Combat Klarkosh casts mage armor and false life each day. When he can tell the PCs are approaching, he casts bullet shield.
During Combat Klarkosh leads off with web, hoping to slow down the party, and uses his arc pistol against heavily armored opponents. He targets ranged attackers with blindness/deafness and uses force punch on opponents that try to engage him in melee. Otherwise, he tries to use his spells at range. If forced into melee combat, he casts icicle dagger and shocking grasp. If forced to flee, he casts obscuring mist and vanish.
Str 12, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 20, Wis 9, Cha 10; Klarkosh's ability scores are generated using 15-point buy, instead of the heroic array normal for NPCs; from using Numerian fluids, Klarkosh gained a +2 inherent bonus to Int (as well as his hatred of flesh and budding megalomania)
Base Atk +3; CMB +4; CMD 15
Feats Craft Construct, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, Improved Initiative, Technologist (TG), Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus (Knowledge (Engineering))
Skills Acrobatics -2, Appraise +9, Climb -3, Craft (Mechanical) +19, Escape Artist -2, Heal +6, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (Arcana) +15, Knowledge (Engineering) +17, Knowledge (Planes) +9, Linguistics +9, Perception +9, Sleight of Hand -2, Spellcraft +15, Stealth -2, Swim -3
Languages Androffan, Common, Draconic, Giant, Hallit, Ignan, Undercommon
SQ arcane bond (ring), recondition (TG), technical expertise (+1)
Combat Gear timeworn arc pistol (reconditioned), potion of cure moderate wounds; Other Gear belt of mighty constitution +2, cloak of resistance +1, Spire transport token, journal, key (unlocks doors in F7, F9, and F14), Emerald Spire fragment (used as an alternate material component for recharge), spell component pouch, 273 gp
Craft (Mechanical) can be used in place of Craft (Clockwork) for creating automatons. Remove the Western Star ioun stone from F9.
Klarkosh's spellbook (50 pages filled; 795 gp market price/397 gp, 5 sp sale price)
0-level - All 0-level spells from the Core Rulebook except daze, mage hand, mending, message, and open/close
1st - burning hands, comprehend languages, disguise self, icicle dagger (UM), identify, mage armor, obscuring mist, shocking grasp, technomancy (TG), vanish (APG)
2nd - blindness/deafness, bullet shield (UC), false life, make whole (requires 2 slots), scorching ray, web
3rd - dispel magic, fireball, force punch (UM), recharge (TG)
The Sword Emperor |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Complaints about Floor 6: The Drowned Level
I could not decipher the Drowned Level's layout. I couldn't keep track of the relationship between the rooms, the flow dynamics, how high each room was compared to the next, and in one instance I couldn't tell you whether one room connected to another. I couldn't even tell you which rooms had murky water and which had clear.
There doesn't seem to be a way around E7, which is a very long tunnel filled to the brim with water.
The level punishes characters who wear anything but light armor. The party tank had to walk around bare-chested, which was neat for five minutes, and then wore out its amusement.
It's surprisingly easy to toss the PCs into an awkward dilemma. Jorqual's family has claimed this floor of the dungeon. He's not evil; he's Chaotic Neutral. It's not intuitively clear why he would bar the PCs' passage, nor do the PCs have an easy way of bypassing him should he tell them to not go through. I decided that he was afraid of Klarkosh killing him and his siblings if they let anyone through, even though the PCs by this point have obviously proven themselves to be dangerous opponents. He threatened the PCs, saying he was ready to defend his home, and didn't want to let them through because, well, he lives here. The party paladin was actually the one who decided "we'll just force our way through and, if he gives us problems, we'll take him out."
For getting around, the party could use the Spire Transport Tokens, but the players at this point don't know whether the tokens are expendable, nor what happens if they teleport to the next floor. Overall, the encounter just left a bad taste in the players' mouths.
Most of the battles can be summed up as "The party enters a room with one monster. It punches them. They punch it. Repeat. Then find another monster, and repeat again." There may be better tactics, meant to account for the fact that entire room is made of water, but they don't explain it well enough to say one way or another. It's a struggle for someone like myself who isn't accustomed to running water-based battles. It's especially challenging because these are three-dimensional battles.
I actually had to scrap the level and come up with an alternative (involving a trip to the Plane of Elemental Water).
Cranefist |
Good stuff gents.
Here is my play report:
Exactly as I predicted, the party has opted to not have anything to do with the Fort. The first thing they did was free some farming slaves and kill the headman of a plantation, not giving a crap that slavery is legal in the area. Then they led the posse and the local ranger on a merry, overland chase until finally escaping into the safety of Echo Wood. If the party comes out of the dungeon at all, it will be for the rogue to disguise himself and travel to sell gear.
Don't know player characters I've ever met go along with helping anti-paladins, paying taxes, or condoning slavery.
I like the dungeon so far, but the background is silly.
The best tie in I could get was for the Seven Foxes to have an escape root for slaves to get out of country, and the party to randomly meet one of its agents on the way to the tower - an agent who tipped them off about the head of the Seven Foxes in the fort.
Kudaku |
3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Just finished my first session in Emerald Spire. I think it was a great success, we had a lot of fun!
I told my players that they'd be spending the majority of the campaign underground so they'd have some idea what to expect and didn't make characters that would be wildly inappropriate for the spire, and they certainly took the information to heart... The 4-man party was composed of a tiefling inspired blade swashbuckler, a dwarf forgepriest of Gorum, a svirfneblin deep bomber alchemist, and a half-elf (drow-descended) Dawnflower dervish bard. All start at level 1.
The alchemist player is new to Pathfinder but has played quite a bit of 3.x back in the day, while the bard player has never played any table-top RPGs. He does however have extensive experience with WOW, PC RPGs Magic: TG and assorted strategy games and so takes a very tactical approach to Pathfinder combat. It's always refreshing to get a new player's perspective! So far he's been doing a great job learning the system.
The introduction:
Right off the bat the party veered off-course from the book - three out of four characters had Chaotic alignments so the introduction and description of Fort Inevitable really didn't seem tempting to them. I thought this might happen when I looked over their characters, so I borrowed The Sword Emperor's (excellent) advice and had done some prep work on Thornkeep as well - when they got an alternate option to go what's essentially Golarion's Mos Eisley they jumped all over it. Down the line I plan to gradually introduce Fort Inevitable via the Seven Foxes plotline. Spending some time exploring the seedy underbelly of Thornkeep and subverting the Hellknights in Fort Inevitable should provide some variation from the dungeon crawling. :)
I provided the characters with a teleportation spell in the backstory for why they're exploring the dungeon, and dropped them a few hundred feet from the clearing around the spire. Here's my second hiccup - the players immediately wanted to know what the emerald spire looks like? The only piece of art clearly showing the outside of the spire area (on p. 23) also showcases the primary antagonists for the first level, which makes it less than ideal to show the players before they enter the area. I read aloud the description written on p. 16 and answered a few questions, and later showed the players the picture on p. 23 once they'd engaged and defeated the first two encounters with goblins - whereupon several players commented that they had misunderstood the layout of the area and had assumed that the "fort" section surrounding the central spire was much smaller than it actually was. In the future it'd be really great if the book included an overview of the area like Rise of the Runelord's depiction of Fort Rannick. I find it really helps the players mentally visualize the place.
The Spire:
We play using Roll20 with the dynamic lighting option, so the players have encountered darkness effects several times before and therefore value darkvision very highly. Every single character in the party has at least 60 foot darkvision (the svirfneblin has 120!) so the unique darkness mechanic never really came into play, which I thought was a shame.
The party marched straight up the path to A1, alerting the surprisingly keen-eyed commando (nat 20 perception check!) well ahead of time, who enjoyed firing his shortbow at the out of breath adventurers as they (slowly) pushed up the difficult terrain path to the entrance. The fights in A2, A3, A4 and A6 all rolled into one long ongoing fight with goblin reinforcements constantly streaming in. I managed to bait the warpriest and the swashbuckler in the deadfall trap, which neatly split the party in two but also caused a bit of a rules conondrum. The warpriest failed his reflex save and was caught underneath the rubble in the entrance, but the trap doesn't really go into detail on how being buried actually works. Forcing the character to sit out the next 20 hours of game time wasn't an option, so I ruled that he managed to make it to the adjacent square but was prone and entangled (and anchored) until he managed to free himself with a strength or climb check. He promptly aced the check and shook off the rocks dwarf-style.
After killing the leftover goblins the party linked back up in A9.
Clanky and Skizzertz was a fantastic fight, possibly my favorite for the entire level! I was surprised by how low Clanky's AC was (13), but the party interpreted him as the biggest threat and really ganged up on him. When he dropped below 50% health I gave them a description on how he started smoking and spitting out sparks, which made all of them back up exactly five feet since they didn't want to provoke AoOs. The one exception was the dwarf warpriest with Knowledge: Engineering who decided to get as far away from Clanky as possible. One round later Clanky exploded in a 10 foot radius, blasting the three other characters! Skizzertz spent his rounds using Channel Energy while hiding behind Clanky, which was a nice source of extra damage. That said, once Clanky went down he died more or less instantaneously. The party decided to rest before continuing their exploration - which brings us to the big fight of the level... Grulk the bugbear.
When preparing for the game I was a little worried Grulk would be a pushover since I've had bad experiences with solo fights before - I gave him two healing potions and a +1 Leather Armor since I wanted to make him a little more durable, and because I thought the feather fall ring was a little underwhelming for a campaign that spends 95% of its time underground and thus has few opportunities to jump off things. Grulk strikes me as a bully, so I have no problem imagining him pushing around the goblin commandos till they give him some of their potions. Bugbear Rangers are a staple of Pathfinder but I wonder if he'd be better off as a Slayer - it seems like a better fit for how his character is written.
Ironically, after all the time I worried that Grulk would be curb stomped, the party found him terrifying. When they first reached the upstairs door Grulk started the fight with a critical hit on the flat-footed bard that took him down to -13. The improved AC from the arrow slit made him nigh unhittable, so the warpriest went to work to demolish the door, while Grulk took pot shots from the inside. I found it a little odd that the book doesn't list the door quality HP or hardness since the door plays a fairly large role in his listed tactics.
Grulk really did a number on the party - because of the way the room was shaped, Grulk's position, and a few tables he'd set up to limit charge lanes after finding the goblin bodies, the party had a massive problem taking ganging up on him and take advantage of their action economy even after they broke down the door. Add to that their terrible luck while making attack rolls and the comatose bard limiting the alchemist's opportunities to blow him up with bombs, he dished out more damage to the party than all the goblins combined. The party barely beat him, getting lucky with a critical hit from the Swashbuckler near the end.
Kill count:
12 goblins
2 goblin commandos
2 goblin dogs
Skizzertz
Clanky
Grulk
Death count:
None, but the alchemist, the warpriest and the bard were all in the negatives at one point or another.
Lessons Learned:
Fort Inevitable is not for everyone - the strict focus on adherence to laws may rub primarily chaotic parties the wrong way. Thornkeep is a great backup if the party decides to leave town.
If you're a decent artist, consider drawing a sketch of the spire as seen from the outside - it's an incredibly important feature in the game and it'd be nice if the players were blown away the first time they see it. :)
The rubble trap in A5 is a little unclear - I'd prep a ruling for any characters that might get buried by the rocks ahead of time.
Grulk's door doesn't have HP or hardness listed, information which is very likely to be relevant for the encounter. Based on the break DC (20) it's somewhere between a good wooden door (DC 18) and a strong wooden door (DC 23), so ~18 HP and a hardness of 5 seems like a good bet.
Grulk might be an interesting project for a rebuild to the slayer class?
Thoughts on the characters:
The Warpriest handles well, though with combat reflexes, a reach weapon and an excellent strength score that's really not a surprise. The player didn't use a single blessing throughout the session, which I thought was odd. When I asked him about it later he'd completely forgotten he had it as a class feature! Numerous creative curses ensued. :D
The Swashbuckler seems like a really fun class so far and his parry/riposte mechanic saved his life on several occasions. The player was originally only going to take one level of Swashbuckler for Fencing Grace and take the rest of his levels as an empiricist investigator, but is now considering continuing with Inspired blade swashbuckler instead. His +1 fortitude and +0 will save will probably cause some problems down the line. D:
The Alchemist player found the session frustrating. He's designed to focus primarily on throwing bombs, but was repeatedly stopped from using these because of the tight quarters or risk of hitting his allies with the splash damage. This problem should be easier to overcome now that he has his first discovery and can pick up Precise Bombs. We'll see how it goes. :-|
The bard player seems to be enjoying himself, but may change his character somewhat - he seems to enjoy the "support" aspect of the bard more than the "frontline" aspect so he may switch archetypes to something less fighty, or even try an Evangelist Cleric or Life Oracle. Since he's new to the game I'm being very liberal with options to respec or change his character for the first sessions. We also use the retraining system from Ultimate Campaign, so it's also possible to make changes down the line. :)
The party cleared out the first level of the Spire in a five hour game session, and gained a level in the process. Next game is in a week!
justaworm |
Curious if there's a way to combine the Thornkeep book with the Emerald Spire book. I'm sure with some modifications to either (or both) you could have a really long-lasting Campaign (up to around level 21 perhaps?) Any thoughts on this?
DarkKnight, I posted a high level thought on tying Thornkeep and Emerald Spire together here
John the Cab |
Great thread I thought I'd point out - it ranked fairly low when I did a search for "Emerald Spire" in the search window, just looking in Modules.
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2rbjw?The-Emerald-Spire-Superdungeon-Extras#1
I wish he'd finished all 16 symbols before he started! This is way better than the solution I came up with (under Scaling Emerald Spire for Seven PCs, general tweaks)
John the Cab |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The Godbox
Q: How many adventurers have made it past the Godbox?
A: The Godbox on Level 4 presents an interesting obstacle. It seals the passage to the next floor, allowing passage only to those who provide it with at least two pounds of metal. Therefore, nothing can come up from above (at least without destroying the seal, which apparently cannot be replaced); and nobody can pass through without first making the requisite sacrifice. Apparently the Godbox's memory is good, as it will always allow the same people through once they have made a single sacrifice. Consequentially, you can determine exactly how many people have passed through Level 4 by counting out the combined weight of all 150 items stuck to the Godbox, and dividing that number by 2. I have not yet done the calculation myself, but it has likely let through dozens of travelers.
I had to basically figure this out for my group - greedy buggers. The quest is how many increments of 2 lb or less do you have - a Greatsword at 8 lbs will open the door once.
Assuming iron holy symbols weight twice what a silver holy symbol does, the answer is a maximum of 61 possible groups could have passed.
How many groups actually passed is a bit of a grey area - in my game a rogue got really close and lost all his metal gear at once, I imagine the 20 pitons came from a similar experience. If that were the case, then the possible 5 openings gets combined into 1. I imagine that is not an isolated incident, as the suit of half-plate almost certainly trapped the wearer, and I assume he/she had other gear, like a greatsword, or heavy mace and shield of some sort.
Below are the weights for anyone else with a similarly inclined group:
Weapons: 2 Battleaxes/6 lbs ea, 11 Daggers/1 lb ea, 1 greatsword/8 lbs, 1 heavy mace/ 8 lbs, 1 light mace/4 lbs, 2 light hammers/2 lbs, 4 short swords/2 lbs ea, 3 throwing axes/ 2 lbs ea, 3 warhammers/ 5 lbs ea, 2 starknives/3 lbs ea,
Armor: 1 splint mail/45 lbs, 2 suits of chain mail/40 lbs ea, 5 heavy steel shields/ 15 lbs ea, 4 light steel shields/6 lbs ea
Misc.: 7 Crowbars/5 lbs each, 3 Grappling hooks/4 lbs ea, 2 iron holy symbols/2 lb ea?, 3 mirrors/0.5 ea, 20 pitons/0.5 lb ea, 1 kit of thieves tools / 1 lb
Magic/Valuable:
1 suit of half-plate/ 50 lbs
1 magic greatsword/8 lbs
1 suit of magic chain mail/40 lbs
1 magic heavy steel shield/15 lbs
1 magic light steel shield/6 lbs
1 magic metal brooch / 1 lb
Cranefist |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I pumped up the Clanky fight for this weekend because the party is coming in at 3rd level. What do you think?
These are mods and select stats. I didn't recopy their whole sheet.
The priest heard the party coming so he has already popped off an Enlarge before initiative.
Do you think the damage on the explosion at half life should stay the same? Should he still explode at half life, or at the original target number?
Skizzertz Cleric level 4
AC 17 HP 31 / Fort +6 Ref +5 Will +6
MW Falchion +5 d6 18+
Negative Channel 2d6 DC 9 3 /
Concentration +6
Strength Surge +2 5 /
Copy Cat 5 / (4 Rounds)
Bless
Command
Enlarge (Spent)
Cause Fear
Invisibility
Bull’s Strength
Regenerate Construct 4d6
Wand Cure Light Wounds d8+1 20/
Feat: Knowledge Engineering
Clanky CR 4 Large and Advanced, and Enlarged by the Spell, 10’ Reach
Extra Bonuses
+2 on all rolls, excluding below
+3 on strength rolls
+5 on Attack Rolls
+12 on Damage Rolls
Furious Assault
Explosion DC REF 13
AC 20 (19)
CMD 22
HP 48 /
(Explodes at 24)
KennBo |
As a long time player, but a new GM, I'm quite glad I read this thread before getting into the guts of the superdungeon. It's given me reason and circumstance to go back and re-evaluate how I planned on running the game.
For instance; instead of having my four PCs tear through the goblin fodder on the first floor — as they normally do — I'm going to try to introduce some comedic elements into the darkness. With three PCs without darkvision, it should be a hoot. They're a hack and slash bunch, so I'm looking forward to slowing their onslaught. How they feel about LV2 and it's similar qualities... that remains to be seen.
The party includes a human rogue (gunning for arcane trickster), a human bard, a dwarven monk and a half elf druid. The latter three are cross classing, but haven't made up their minds. To make it even more challenging, I limited them to core rule book races. They always manage to create powerful characters one way or another, so I'm not concerned.
We've already started with a short session setting up the town and providing the adventure hooks, forcing them into roleyplaying situations. They seem fine with the idea of catering to the Hell Knights and forking over 30% of their goods... for now. I notice some people suggest the Hell Knights only want the take on what the PCs nab on the road outside Fort Inevitable and not from within the Spire itself. My Hell Knights expect their percentage on everything, regardless of where it comes from. Is this a bad idea? Will there be enough gold to go around to keep the party sated?
We tackle the first level tomorrow night. Keep ya posted.
Nekrah |
Hello, I'm starting Emerald Spire next week - I've been pondering if folks allow the players to wander to somewhere bigger to sell loot / purchase some magic items (Daggermark for example)? Are there any large cities nearby besides Daggermark or should we make meta-rule that no leaving the good 'ol Fort Inevitable? This has been bugging me after playing Skull and Shackles adventure path where my players had ridiculous ammounts of gold 'n plunder after successful pirate career.
Adam Smith Order of the Amber Die |
7 people marked this as a favorite. |
Our group, Order of the Amber Die, would like to contribute to this discussion thread. Our Emerald Spire Project, however, was so large that we felt it necessary to create a separate thread.
Here is the link:
We look forward to hearing from other GMs, players, and fans of the Emerald Spire as the thread develops.
Cranefist |
I pumped up the Clanky fight for this weekend because the party is coming in at 3rd level. What do you think?
These are mods and select stats. I didn't recopy their whole sheet.
The priest heard the party coming so he has already popped off an Enlarge before initiative.
Do you think the damage on the explosion at half life should stay the same? Should he still explode at half life, or at the original target number?
Skizzertz Cleric level 4
AC 17 HP 31 / Fort +6 Ref +5 Will +6
MW Falchion +5 d6 18+
Negative Channel 2d6 DC 9 3 /
Concentration +6Strength Surge +2 5 /
Copy Cat 5 / (4 Rounds)Bless
Command
Enlarge (Spent)
Cause FearInvisibility
Bull’s Strength
Regenerate Construct 4d6Wand Cure Light Wounds d8+1 20/
Feat: Knowledge EngineeringClanky CR 4 Large and Advanced, and Enlarged by the Spell, 10’ Reach
Extra Bonuses
+2 on all rolls, excluding below
+3 on strength rolls
+5 on Attack Rolls
+12 on Damage RollsFurious Assault
Explosion DC REF 13
AC 20 (19)
CMD 22
HP 48 /
(Explodes at 24)
The three pcs were supplemented with a 3rd level fighter. The fighter was down 9 HP from full and selected at random by the roll of a die for Clanky's attack, which hit and critted, killing him instantly. It was really horrible.
The party was able to cut the golem down by drawing it into the hallway and then jamming shut the door to the kitchen. The priest still got off a 4d6 heal and a Bull's Strength, but not much else.
Kudaku |
Hello, I'm starting Emerald Spire next week - I've been pondering if folks allow the players to wander to somewhere bigger to sell loot / purchase some magic items (Daggermark for example)? Are there any large cities nearby besides Daggermark or should we make meta-rule that no leaving the good 'ol Fort Inevitable? This has been bugging me after playing Skull and Shackles adventure path where my players had ridiculous ammounts of gold 'n plunder after successful pirate career.
If you're looking for a metropolis, Daggermark is probably your best bet. There are a few other towns in the area, but their purchase power isn't significantly stronger than Thornkeep/Fort Inevitable.
One option: I bumped Abernard from level 8 to level 9. This way he can provide teleportation magic when needed - for a price (which he will waive once they finish the Noqual Relic quest) he'll provide round trips to a few different (safe) destinations, like Daggermark. Convenient for shopping trips or to offload loot.
Kudaku |
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So my players just finished level 2 and are currently making their way through the Splinterden.
The party is:
Dwarven Forgepriest Warpriest 2 of Gorum
Svirfneblin Deep Bomber Alchemist 2
Half-delf (drow-descended) Dawnflower Dervish bard 2
Tiefling Inspired Blade Swashbuckler 1 / Empiricist Investigator 1
Half-Orc Stone Shaman 2 (this player joined late as he was unable to make it to the first play session)
The sections below have comprehensive spoilers for the second level of the Emerald Spire.
The introduction
This was a bit of an odd session for me. I believe the Cellars is meant to be a 'creepy' or scary section of the Spire, but I had a really hard time nailing that atmosphere. This is more my failing than the level, since I was under-prepared and really tired when I ran this. It was one of those sessions where everything becomes unintentionally funny - the players were having a great time doing goofy things and cracking jokes. I was a little bummed I didn't really bring in the "fright" feeling, but everyone had a good time.
The Spire
The party headed down into level 2 after resting up. The torch on the floor immediately made them curious to check the alcove, and they easily found the secret door. They entered B8 and the swashbuckler triggered the cage trap and took some damage in the process, but made his save to avoid the cage. The skeleton however was trapped inside (earning some jokes) and was beaten to death with reach weapons while flailing ineffectually at the bars. When it reanimated outside the bars, the process promptly repeated itself.
The party headed south and east, where the swashbuckler fell into the pit trap. The moon spider webbed the trapdoor shut and then had a good old time trading ineffective blows with the swashbuckler - slashing resistance is a pain inspired blades. Conversely the low attack roll bonus and the swashbuckler's high AC made the spider rather underwhelming as well. The warpriest hammered the door open while the alchemist was standing on top of the door trying to find the opening mechanism, which led to the alchemist falling into the pit as well. The spider retreated using Gaseous Form and fled to B3. The PCs eventually climbed back up, then used the table in B8 to make a bridge over the pit. They torched the webs in B3, which made the moon spiders there retreat further to B12.
This led to an interesting fight, and one of the tenser moments the party had this session. While the rest of the party were standing in B3 debating where to go next, the notoriously impatient Warpriest decided to forge ahead on his own and promptly fell into the pit trap in B9. He took some serious damage from the spikes, while the trap door was immediately closed by the moon spider. Because we use true line of sight (on the VTT you only see what your character can see), only one other PC noticed where the warpriest went and he was not at all sure where in B9 the pit trap was. The WP was on his own against the moon spider while at very low health (he burned his fervor to heal the swashbuckler earlier) while the rest of the party were trying to figure out what part of the floor the shouting was coming from. Luckily the shaman was able to locate the pit using his Crystal Sight hex. This in turn led to the second problem: The warpriest is the only character in the party with a decent strength modifier, and the other four struggled to open the trapdoor. The Warpriest barely survived the encounter, and I believe he has since developed a healthy(?) fear of spiders.
The party next entered B9 where the bard, the shaman and the alchemist had a fairly long conversation with Gorloth (through his ventriloquism skeleton dummy) while standing at the entrance to B10. While the others kept the bone priest occupied, the swashbuckler and the warpriest were exploring B4. The entire room screamed trap at them and they were extremely paranoid but after failing numerous perception checks they eventually succumbed to temptation and touched the chest, taking moderate damage as the roof trap activated.
Hearing the trap trigger made Gorloth lose his patience, he commanded his skeleton minions to attack and summoned his spider allies as well. Three moon spiders came rushing out of B12 and used their Gaseous Form ability to pass through the Cold Gates, while a fourth spider that had already used its gaseous form ability circled around and entered B10 via the secret doors to the west. The skeletons advanced while Gorloth used his spells and Unnerving Gaze to hinder the party, then closed to melee range. The party decided to pull back into B4 and fight the enemy using the doorway as a choke point. This tactic backfired when Gorloth opened the secret door to the south and caught the party in a pincer attack with the moonspiders to the north and the skeletons and Gorloth himself to the south. The skeletons turned out to be surprisingly hardy since both the bard and the swashbuckler are limited to dealing slashing or piercing damage (Dervish Dance and Fencing Grace respectively) and couldn't penetrate their DR - suddenly 4 HP turns out to be quite a lot. Gorloth himself was astonishingly dangerous - his ability to combine good damage output via his bastard sword (1d10+3 can potentially one-hit a level 2 character) and Death Drink meant that any PC put in the negatives stands an excellent chance of dying. He knocked the alchemist unconscious, who burned a hero point to make his fortitude save. His Spiritual Weapon knocked another one unconscious.
This was by far the hardest fight the party encountered and they barely scraped by without any deaths. I believe four of the five characters were at one point or another unconscious. That said, the party prevailed and nobody died, so we ended the session here on a high note!
The next session wrapped up level 2 fairly quickly: After resting, the party (minus the Shaman, who couldn't make it) took the secret door from B4 to B5 and triggered the fast zombie. The zombie rolled a natural 1 on his initiative and was promptly dismembered by the bard's lucky strike. They spotted and disabled the net trap, then headed into B7. The skeleton fight in B7 was shockingly hard for the group. Spectacularly bad rolls combined with the party's difficulty with Bludgeoning DR meant that this fight dragged on a lot longer than it probably should have.
Conversely the spider swarm in B11 went down like a chump. The party (yet again) torched the spider webs, then dismantled the swarm with acid flasks and alchemist bombs. It did however seem to solidify the warpriest's arachnophobia. After finishing the mapping of the area the party headed back to Thornkeep to rest and resupply.
Kill count:
Gorloth
Ten skeletons
Seven moon spiders
One fast zombie
One spider swarm
Death Count:
None, but I believe all five characters were in the negatives at one point or another.
The Cellars is comprehensive lesson in the importance of carrying multiple damage type weapons, a lesson my players definitely took to heart. Apart from the zombie, every single enemy in level 2 has some kind of DR: Moon spiders have DR 5: slashing, skeletons and Gorloth have DR 5: Bludgeoning, and the spider swarm is immune to weapons and requires energy damage to disperse. This really brought out the limitations of the two dex-to-damage characters - they spent a lot of time doing little to no damage since they were unable to penetrate DR, while the warpriest was happily switching between longhammer and halberd as the situation warranted. If your party's inexperienced or not used to overcoming DR I'd consider scattering some random normal weapons around the place. A handaxe cleaver in B8, a morningstar in the hand of the skeleton in B6 and a few daggers and maces in B7 should do the trick.
With lots of spiders and poison, there is potentially a lot of strength damage here. Since the party is only level 2 and therefore unable to deal with ability damage, a scroll or potion of Lesser Restoration might be a welcome sight. You could replace one of the level 3 scrolls in B8 with one or two lesser restoration scrolls if you should feel so inclined.
The pit traps are potentially very, very dangerous. If a character is unfortunate and is hit by 4 spikes, it can easily put him at low HP or even in the negatives, making him easy pickings for the moon spider. Earlier in the Emerald Spire thread someone suggested removing the spikes to make them less lethal, and I can see the value of that suggestion.
Bone priests are terrifying against level 2 characters. Combining Hold Person and Death Drink is a great way to put down characters for good and he's no slouch in normal melee either. Keep an eye on this guy, he can very easily kill a PC.
Spider Swarms... I've had bad experiences with swarms at low levels in the past (Mosquito swarms), I find that they are very swingy. With the right party setup (alchemist or blaster happy sorcerer with burning hands) they're chumps and with the wrong party setup (no aoe damage dealer) they're absolutely lethal. If your party is lacking in aoe damage I'd consider making the individual spiders Tiny rather than diminutive - that way they take half damage from weapon attacks rather than being completely immune.
The swashbuckler/investigator hit a low point in the Cellar, and the player was frustrated by how his character was performing. Just about everything had DR to his piercing rapier, and without weapon finesse he was having a hard time doing much of anything. He's considering picking up Dervish Dance on level 3 so he has a second leg to stand on. He's also somewhat regretting splitting his levels between swashbuckler and investigator as he'd otherwise have the Trap Spotter talent, which would have served him very well indeed in the trap-riddled Cellar. Had some really funny RP moments along the way. :)
The Dawnflower Dervish Bard player decided to stick with his archetype, but seems to occasionally forget that he can cast spells! The majority of the time he plays the bard as a straight melee combatant. Like the swashbuckler he was frustrated by DR: Bludgeoning on several occasions.
The alchemist had a redeeming session, and really picked himself back up after his struggle in level 1. Picking up Precise Bombs means his artillery was generally right on point, he single-handedly demolished the spider swarm, and was instrumental in killing Gorloth.
The shaman is... Hard to get a read on. He saved the day with Crystal Sight, but other than that his character seems to fall into the background a lot. Not sure if it's a build problem or if the shaman is just a late bloomer? It'll be interesting to see how this character develops.
John the Cab |
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This was a bit of an odd session for me. I believe the Cellars is meant to be a 'creepy' or scary section of the Spire, but I had a really hard time nailing that atmosphere.
I couldn't do the atmosphere with the tools provided, so I changed things a bit.
I had all the skeletons around Gorloth dressed as the bone priest in the back of the book - blue robes, and a stored Chill Touch (1d6 touch dmg, fort save DC 11 or -1 str) to give the hands the glowing feel. When my PCs opened the door, saw the first one of those skeletons, they very quickly closed the door.
I pulled from Ebinesser Scrooge, and had a face form on the door, a magic mouth - type effect. How did I do this game mechanically? No idea, but it was pretty effective in setting the atmosphere.
Also my spiders were insanely tough to kill, because I buffed them up for 7 PCs. The gaseous form gave the Spiders the ability to do hit & run tactics.
The other thing that really freaked the PCs out was I tweaked the cage trap - I had skeletons trapped inside the bars, and alot of them. They couldn't move, but had a 1 square reach. It was the description of 8 trapped skeletons, that made all the players nervous. When they reformed within a round of being 'killed', that made the PCs run without searching for the scrolls in the room.
Kudaku |
Kudaku wrote:This was a bit of an odd session for me. I believe the Cellars is meant to be a 'creepy' or scary section of the Spire, but I had a really hard time nailing that atmosphere.I couldn't do the atmosphere with the tools provided, so I changed things a bit.
** spoiler omitted **
That said, I don't really think it's the level design - I was just not at my best when running this level. I frequently run Call of Cthulhu games so building the horror atmosphere usually comes fairly easily for me, but that night it just didn't click.
Our next session is on Monday where the party will push into level 3. I did some fairly comprehensive rebuilding of the NPCs there, should be fun!
John the Cab |
** spoiler omitted **
Let me know how you rebuilt the NPCs in lvl 3. I tweaked the lvl 4 main personalities and the summoners in lvl 5, but my group made a trade agreement with the bandits.
They may double-cross at some point, any ideas you have would be great! :D
John the Cab |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
First, to the Sword Emporer's point, I assume one of the Goldenfire members tried to steal the Undine siblings research, or at least they thought so. This explains the instant hostility.
More concerning - the sign Senethar has for level 8 would transport her to the most vulnerable spot of that level, the hatchery. This seems very unwise.
I have thought of two ways to fix this.
One is the sigil is actually level 7, where Senethar is being encouraged to attack or harass. This goes with the Adamanite battle axe - a weapon gift that avoids Damage Reduction Klarkosh has. In this senario, serpent folk from level 8 travel to level 5 to get information updates.
The other explaination is the one I went with - the metal barrier from level 5 to 4 is sealed, and very difficult to open. Add the bandits in level 3 gas and attack any scaled creature they see, and you have a good reason for Senethar to be trusted with the hatchery location in level 8. She has been asked to help send long-lost cousins or brothers to Uzar-Kus when she gets access to the upper level.
My version of the letter in her possession with this logic:
(In Aquan)
Most Respected Uzar-Kus, Of the Circle of Vissk-Thar,
My siblings and I are grateful for your assistance and information regarding this structure. While I understand part of you graciousness has been partially self-motivated, your generosity of equipment and information has far exceeded anything I would have expected. It is to my great sorrow that the humans attack your people without question when they transport above, I will take your word for this without seeing for myself as you suggested.
While we are sympathetic to your struggles, and the desire to reunite with lost brothers or cousins of yours, I cannot in good conscious request my formless Aquan brothers take the unknown risks involved in ascending to the level above. The unknown factors, including if they can ascend at all, are just too great.
I can inform you the skills of self-proclaimed Master of the Spire, Construct Former Klarkosh have advanced significantly. He has offered us safe passage under his rule, and has instructed an automation he designed for this level to follow our instructions. The creature is remarkable in its abilities; very shark-like. The odd electric aura when it is injured has been constructively focused as an intentional weapon. a clever and great aura of electrical destruction. Also, please be aware, I am unable to command it to let any creature with scales pass.
Should the mage's skills continue to advance beyond what you described from your last encounter, you should be very concerned if your people continue to have a quarrel with him.
Given this, there is no chance I will endanger my family by opening conflicting Klarkosh's or his servants. You may send a servant to retrieve your transporting stone and adamantite weapon anytime you wish. While we very much appreciated everything you have offered, we will not be needing either of them, instead focusing on our task on this plane.
Sincerely,
Fifth Sub-Regant Researcher of the Eighth Great Shell Research Order, Shar-Teel
P.S. - I have nothing to add in regards to the two thieves from the Goldenfire Order. The male was quite convincing, his companion less so, but there were two of them. I would ask if you capture the woman again, you inquire as to the research notes they have stolen.
I offer this in exchange for a promise to attempt to return our stolen work: Should you wish to leave the stone, and another group wanders down, I will send one of our least valuable agents to give the stone to the group above with a message of greetings of your choice. As the imp does not speak Draconic or any of its dialects, I would suggest you write the message.
My motivation was to create three siblings in a hostile area, with the primary motivation of keeping each other alive. I do have 7 PCs in my group, but found I didn't need to add anything to this level, just have the fights involve more of the existing creatures.
I think the basic edilon design is good for any group though. Feel free to poke holes in my designs though :D
SharTeel's Eidolon: Quadriped Base, Energy Attack-Cold (2), swim (1), gills (1), Grab (2), Rake (2), Imp Grapple, Weapon Focus (bite)
Damage:1 attack, +8 Bite/ 1d6+3, 1d6 Cold, Free Grapple - CMB +13, then 2 add attacks +7, 1d4+3+1d6 cold. CMD 26 to break
Stats: 34 HP, AC 17, Flat 14, Touch 13, Fort 6, Ref 7, Will 1, Move 40, +7 attack, +7 CMB, 20 CMD/24 trip
Dayana's Eidolon: Serpent Base, gills (1), swim (1), reach(1), cold (2), nat ac+2(1), push/5ft-Bite(1), Improved Dmg - Bite (1), Weapon Focus-Bite, Weapon Focus Tail
Damage: +7 bite/10 ft reach (1d8+2+1d6 cold, free push 5ft/+6 CMB attack), +2 tail (1d6+2+1d6 cold)
Stats: 34 hp, AC 22, Touch 14, Flat 18, Fort 4, Ref 8, Will 4, Move 20, +6 CMB, 20 CMD
Adam Smith Order of the Amber Die |
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Level 9: The Spire Axis
(Spoilers)
When I first opened the flip-mats for the Emerald Spire, I knew little about the superdungeon. I sat with the maps, and spent about ten minutes poring over each one. As GMs can likely attest, once you know what resides in a dungeon level you will never be able to look at the maps the same way. The first impression a map gives you is fleeting; I wanted to savor it, and see what I could glean. While each level appeared to have its own distinct flavor, it was the ruined Spire Axis that jumped out at me. This level seemed gloomy, definitely foreboding, and yet I could not help but wonder at the secrets it once held. What happened here in the Axis? Why had it been turned into the cramped mess it now was?
On level nine, the Tim Hitchcock offers GMs a chance to showcase how well they can utilize what is predominantly a single monster throughout the level. The Spire Axis belongs to the morlocks and their mistress, and it is the job of the GM to make it feel that way. Luckily, the author has used his allotted 5,000 words to provide a great deal in the way of understanding morlocks, so the blueprint and tools are present for the GM to defend the Axis properly. At GenCon I had the opportunity to speak with Tim at length about his level, and I have offered what I could best remember here.
The GM is tested to not only know the creature well enough that he can spontaneously respond the way the morlocks would to anything the PCs might try, but also to creatively attack parties the way morlocks would. To prepare for this level, GMs would be wise to read and reread the morlock entry, and run through some of the potential outcomes of the battles prior to running the level. The morlocks have gone to great effort to protect this level, and a GM will have a rough time implementing morlock tactics if they have not prepared thoroughly. While using the room descriptions to study the map, I took some time to close my eyes and visualize the level, and creep through it as the dark creatures would. I tried to think of good places to utilize their climb speed, swarming ability, and leap attack. A morlock's climb speed is your friend. These expert climbers can access spaces above players' heads, as well as going up over, around, and behind with a double-move. Remember, the time a GM spends preparing tactics is still a fraction of what the morlocks could have spent coming up with ways to defend their level. While they have an intelligence of five (the mistress and creepers can help them with this), they do have an ample wisdom at fourteen.
The long flight of shallow steps down to level nine also served as a metaphorical reminder to the party that they were now more than half-way through their journey. Still, they were not in a good place. The denizens of The Emerald Spire had made servants of them, while the Hellknights took their precious spoils. By this point the superdungeon had humbled the players, veterans and greenhorn alike. In fact, the real-world interference caused by the Emerald Spire Project was taking the dearest toll on the tenderfoot, and level nine would be her last. Yet they were alive, and advancing to the next level; they tried to focus on the positive as best they could, and kept pushing. Now free of the serpentfolk and their schemes, the party could explore level nine in the manner of their own pleasing. The morlocks would be their guides.
Using the morlocks in I2 to draw the PCs into a running battle is ideal for getting the most of the ribcage in I4. My players were frustrated by the morlocks' repeated use of the withdrawal action, and did give pursuit through the ribcage in order to stop the morlocks from sounding a general alarm. In my experiences, most parties are more inclined to give up on a chase to try and stop an alarm once the creature they're chasing is too far out of sight, so keeping your morlocks at the edge of the party's grasp is the GM's challenge. Be aware that if your morlock lure doesn't need to use the withdrawal action, it can move out of sight in a single action but remain close enough to continue baiting a pursuing player by utilizing total defense for its standard action. When the PC rounds the corner and tries to engage, the plus-four armor class might help keep your morlock alive long enough to lure the PC further with a withdrawal next round. In fact, using two morlocks to lure is safer than one, as many times a party can get lucky and kill the enticer faster than the GM expected. I did not discourage players from thinking there might be swarms of morlocks down there, and that their best course was to pursue at full speed and prevent an alarm.
The decapitator was a trap that worked but did not stop the advancing party. They continued to hack their way out of swarming morlocks, but did use considerable party resources in the process. Headed east from I10, they encountered a chamber with a welcome sight: a potential ally. A quick interrogation later, and the party was then discussing the possibility of using Jherao to aid them against the Mistress of Thorns. Throughout the Spire journey to this point, certain members of the party had grown mistrustful of anyone or anything offering something--even aid. A heated debate ensued, fueled by the heavy toll that thirty-six hours of play in one weekend can exact on players. The final decision was not to use Jherao, and to engage the Mistress of Thorns in the same kind of diplomacy that had been successful on previous levels.
Regrettably, the Mistress of Thorns did not make the best conversationalist, nor did she bargain easily. With her arms crossed, the barbed devil watched the party's wizard enter and address her with the line, "Be careful, you face a Riftwarden here." The devil could barely contain her laughter, and would kill him within the hour. She wanted Spire transport tokens, and with the party refusing to give up their only token, they settled on a deal of acquiring more for her. The deal did not have a clause preventing the Mistress of Thorns from killing them at her leisure; and, as stated by the author, she allowed them to leave while preparing to ambush them.
After the party set off the pit trap in I16, they needed to crawl down into the pit and try to gain access to the door on the other side. The barbed devil, following their actions with her stealth, knowledge of the level, and greater teleport, showed up just as the party was navigating the skewers. Only the wizard--the confident Riftwarden--remained alone above the pit. The party could do little to respond as they watched the Mistress of Thorns tear the wizard to pieces in three rounds, and three was generous.
What the party quickly found was that from the bottom of the pit they were not in a position to beat the devil. Worse, their adversary had taken the most important square in the fight: the clear square between I15 and I16. She rained down scorching rays one after the other, with no intention of stopping. Down a character and almost completely out of resources, the party was staring at TPK. Only one ability remained of use: the paladin's smite. Still, from down in the pit the Mistress of Thorns would have cover from the paladin, bringing her armor class to thirty. Every player had a moment like this during our expedition, and it was the paladin's turn to step up.
For our campaigns, these are the moments when we go to your character's song on the soundtrack, turn it up, and inspire you to greater glory. Thus, with the stereo blasting Pink Floyd's Money, Aurelius the paladin of Abadar proceeded to exchange fire with the Mistress of Thorns. A few rounds later it was clear that the devil was going to win. She was going to win unless something drastic changed in the damage-swap between herself and the paladin. While Aurelius had put together hits and was bypassing her damage reduction, her touch attacks were dominant over the paladin's standard ranged attacks. We needed a critical with added high rolls on the d8s--which meant we needed a natural twenty--and then another eighteen or higher.
There would be no negotiations with the Mistress, and they knew it. I could see it on their faces: our summer project, the hope of surviving the superdungeon without TPK, the dream of being the first to complete the Emerald Spire, all now being consumed in the flames of scorching ray. Everyone stood, one player pacing, another fidgeting with dice, and the last gnawing nervously on a pencil. And then it happened.
This is why we play.
Level 9 Errata/Technical Concerns:
♦ the keyed description for area I1 reads "one of walls" instead of "one of the walls."
♦ p. 88 says that the morlocks "mark many of the passages with their bodily waste to provoke intruders into giving off loud, disgusted reactions." The only "alarm" of this nature that I saw was in area I4. Were there supposed to be more?
♦ the description for area I2 says that anyone searching along the west wall can find the passage to area I4, but it should read "south wall."
♦ area I3 says that "the morlocks use stealth to creep up through the hole in the corner and see what's happened in here," but I had some difficulty understanding which hole that was. Perhaps one from area I2?
♦ area I3 does not specifically state that the passages to the south and west are blocked, and if so, by how much rubble. They appear blocked on the map, and so I decided to play them as the equivalent of the rubble in I1.
♦ the T-intersection to the west of area I6 also appeared blocked on the map, but I could find no details aside from a short reference in area I9 to a north and east passage. I did get a chance to ask Tim Hitchcock about this, and he said the intent was to have it blocked the same as area I1.
♦ area I15 says that morlocks will move into position where they can flank with their leader. It is important for the GM to remember that morlocks do not need to actually flank the target in order to utilize their sneak attack, as they are considered flanking when teamed up against the same opponent and sharing the same square.
For the entire Emerald Spire Project, go here:
Kudaku |
Kudaku wrote:
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
Let me know how you rebuilt the NPCs in lvl 3. I tweaked the lvl 4 main personalities and the summoners in lvl 5, but my group made a trade agreement with the bandits.
They may double-cross at some point, any ideas you have would be great! :D
Let's see:
I made the echowood outlaws level 2 slayers instead of fighter/rogues and picked poison usage as a slayer talent. They get +1 BAB, fortitude and reflex saves increase by +1 and they get +2 HP, but they lose sneak attack and one feat - I picked Improved Initiative. This is not a massive change, but I'd say it's a net gain for the outlaw. Slayers are awesome and the extra attack bonus and saves as well as Studied Target serves them well.
I made Jarin an alchemist with the spontaneous healing discovery instead of a wizard/rogue. Using his mutagen and drinking a shield extract brings his AC up to 24(!), which will definitely cause some headaches. I really wanted to make him a sandman or magician bard and keep the enchantment focus, but there are two players in my party that use extracts so losing the spellbook was not an option. Making him an alchemist also helps explain where the splinters are getting all their poison. I originally wanted to make him a vivisectionist, but he has no real flanking opportunities and I really enjoy bombs! If you were to make him a 4th level alchemist I'd replace Spontaneous Healing with Infusion and have him hand out Invisibility and Enlarge Person extracts to two outlaws for added hilarity.
All of these changes were inspired by the fact that the splinter gang are big fans of poison, utilizing both poison traps and poisoned weapons, but no one has poison use as a class feature so they'll constantly poison themselves whenever they apply poison or ready poisoned weapons! Granted, dumbass thieves that poison themselves are funny, but they're sufficiently well organized that I expect a slightly higher level of competence.
I made Tarrin Dars a Sanctified Slayer inquisitor 5 instead of a rogue 2/cleric 3. I generally find cleric/rogues NPCs underwhelming and usually rebuild them as inquisitors instead. As a result my players have a very healthy respect for inquisitors and tend to try and kill them as soon as humanly possible.
Inquisitors are nasty if they have time to buff up, and getting access to Bane on level 5 dramatically increases Tarrin's output.
This is the change I'm least sure about - Bane, Studied Target, Sneak Attack and a few inquisitor buffs make for an extremely lethal enemy for a 3rd level character. It was tempting to make her a level inquisitor/level 1 ninja for poison use and so she wouldn't have access to Bane. In the end I decided to make her a straight inquisitor, we'll see how that turns out tonight.
John the Cab |
Senethar's Sigil Logical flaw** spoiler omitted **...
Oops. Left off one key piece of my logic in the 2nd scenario.
I also assume when the magnet is active, and trog.s are being pulled in from all over the planes, that the spire transport tokens can no longer go to this level.
Then the metal plate keeps the Uzar-Kas from climbing up from level 5, and the trigger-happy bandits make entrance or escape through level 3 unwise. The casualties would be high.
Kudaku |
Great and efficient session today, my players are just about done with level 3. So far they've done three levels in four sessions. I wonder if their speed keeps up!
The party is:
Dwarven Forgepriest Warpriest 3 of Gorum
Svirfneblin Deep Bomber Alchemist 3
Half-delf (drow-descended) Dawnflower Dervish bard 3
Tiefling Inspired Blade Swashbuckler 1 / Empiricist Investigator 2
Half-Orc Stone Shaman 3
The sections below have comprehensive spoilers for the third level of the Emerald Spire.
Disclaimer: I rebuilt just about every NPC in level 3 - details on the rebuilds can be found in the second spoiler.
The swashbuckler scouted about 50 feet ahead of the party down the staircase. He saw a fairly formidable defense with a sturdy barred door, multiple manned arrow slits, and could hear guards talking on the far side. Deciding that attacking an unknown enemy with fixed defenses was unpalatable, the party started level 3 with a somewhat uncharacteristic attempt at diplomacy. After approaching and being hailed by the guards in C3, they traded insults bit back and forth. After the initial flurry of surprisingly creative descriptions of the opposing team's ancestry, body weight, place of employment and sexual preference had ended, they negotiated a bribe to be allowed to pass into C2 and down to the next level. This was where I made my first mistake - I didn't read the section closely enough and so didn't notice that the iron gate is opened with a lever. Therefore I had one of the outlaws approach the gate in C2 from C19 to unlock it. If I had played this straight and opened the gate with the mechanism the party would probably have left Splinterden alone, at least for now.
Alas, the fantasies of thieves' guild treasure was too much for them. They rushed the door to C19 when it was unlocked to let the outlaw back in, and managed to breach it before the splinters could lock the door again. Gotta love chaotic parties. This led to a fairly massive fight that included most of the splinter gang at some point or another. The party swiftly dispatched the two scouts and one outlaw stationed in C19, then buffed up before proceeding.
This is where I made my second mistake - the party triggered the statue gas trap and I immediately asked for fortitude saves, which sparked a strong suspicion towards the statue. Since the gas has a very long onset time, in hindsight I definitely should have asked for fortitude saves later. My party is generally pretty good about not metagaming such things, but in this case I feel I could have handled it better.
After hearing some commotion in the southern door (the guards at C3 rang the alarm and sent runners to C7 and C16 for reinforcements) they used the crates in C19 to block the southern door and braced for impact. Tarrin made the perception check to hear the fight (through two closed doors!) and used her time well, casting Bless, Divine Favor, Shield of Faith and Effortless Armor.
Tarrin brought her two scouts south and attacked C19 through the north gates, quickly getting into a fight with the swashbuckler and the bard. Unfortunately she proved too much for them and quickly dispatched both using her Bane ability to extremely good effect. In the meantime the Warpriest was blocking the south door and trading blows with an outlaw and dodging bolts the trigger-happy scouts were firing from the barracks. The shaman was debuffing with slumber hexes, Bane and casting the occasional healing spell, while the alchemist was once again missing absolutely everything when throwing bombs.
This was possibly one of the longest fights I've ever run, taking somewhere around 12-14 rounds to finish - the swashbuckler and the bard were quickly incapacitated and left behind enemy lines, while the warpriest and the alchemist were holding the eastern line for a long time against Tarrin's extremely effective and the scout's rather ineffective attacks. Both characters had active shield spells and had ACs in the low 20ies, so the scouts were quickly (and correctly) dismissed as harmless as long as they couldn't flank. Tarrin would occasionally dodge out to heal herself, and the party were unable to follow her without leaving their flanks vulnerable to sneak attacks.
Eventually the Warpriest was disabled, and used a hero point to make two attacks on Tarrin before he succumbed. Both attacks hit and did well over 30 damage, bringing her down in a single round. The shaman succumbed shortly thereafter when the scouts got in a lucky flank.
After that the alchemist (slowly) cleaned up the scouts. The alchemist realized that the scouts could only hit him on a natural 20, and switched to firing his crossbow at point blank range for the extra to hit. Three rounds and twelve attacks later the scouts were dead and the alchemist was untouched.
At this point Tarrin, seven scouts and one outlaw was dead, another outlaw had made a hasty retreat with 3 HP after he drank a CLW potion. That left another three scouts and one outlaw at the south gate (which had remained in place in case the party tried to retreat or flank) - I was torn on how to use these. If I had sent them to the north the party would have died, caught between two forces that both benefit immensely from flanking. That said, the splinters don't seem particularly loyal to one another and I can only imagine that the dread those bandits must have felt when the fighting to the north gradually died down and no allies came to relieve them or tell them how it went... I decided that they bolted up the stairs to C2 and left the spire.
After this harrowing fight the party healed up using wands, then decided to push on. The majority of the level was now abandoned, their residents having hastily run to either join or flee the battle. Eventually they found their way to C6. They spent a fair bit of time breaking down the door (the first impulse the dwarf has whenever he meets a door, frequently before checking if it's locked) before deciding to pick it when it turned out to be a little more resilient than most of the other doors here. I figured that the banging would wake up the gibbering mouther, which was waiting on the other side of the door when they got it open.
Four of the five PCs immediately made the save against the gibbering (=<), but the creature itself was absolutely terrifying. I was rolling surprisingly well for its six attacks and due to the tight positioning it got full attacks in for each of the four rounds it managed to stay alive. The shaman closed to melee with a mace (because of the DR 5/bludgeoning, normally he uses a longspear) and was promptly bitten, grabbed, and engulfed. This was the first time I ran a gibbering mouther and though I had read the monster block ahead of time, I have to say I found the interaction between grab, blood drain and engulf extremely confusing to the point where I almost killed the shaman by applying the rules incorrectly - my third mistake for the evening.. I originally thought that blood drain meant that it does one point of constitution damage per mouth. Luckily I caught this mistake in time and was able to fix it before it turned really ugly.
After that the party decided to rest up in the prison, barricading and locking the door. While they rested I ruled that Jarin found the carnage and wisely decided that discretion is the better part of valor,joining the other survivors by fleeing the spire.
After resting, they quickly explored the rest of the level, easily destroying the wight before it was able to inflict a single point of damage. They had just discovered the secret door into C15 when we ended the session.
Kill count:
Tarrin
Gibbering Mouther
Eight(?) echo wood scouts
One Echo Wood Outlaw
1 Wight
Death Count:
None, but everyone except the alchemist were at negatives at one point or another - the shaman in particular was extremely close to death when he was engulfed by the gibbering mouther. Seem to be a pattern forming?
The synesthesia gas traps are interesting and the poison effect is awesome, but I wish the onset time was a bit shorter - I'd probably put it at 1-3 minutes rather than 10. If I could do a do-over I'd delay a bit before asking for fortitude saves after they triggered the trap (or make the saves secretly) so the players don't immediately associate poison saves with the statues - play it right and you could have characters tripping balls all over the place with no idea what's going on.
The gibbering mouther... This is a fun and iconic monster (and scared the hell out of my players) but it also has a lot of fiddly bit and is fairly complex to run. Make sure you understand how this creature works (run a mock battle if necessary) before springing it on your characters. If you're not sure how to run it, you could probably replace it with something less complicated, like a gray ooze or an owlbear.
Both the scouts and the outlaws use lots of poison and there's three poison traps scattered around the place, but no one actually has Poison Use so whenever they reload the traps or prepare their bolts they have a decent chance of poisoning themselves. I find the idea of the goofy thieves' gang that constantly poison themselves or go tripping on the Synesthesia gas entertaining, but at the same time they seem sufficiently coordinated that I expect a somewhat higher level of competence.
To facilitate that, I made some changes: I made the Echo Wood Scouts level 1 ninjas instead of rogues. Their stat block is mostly unchanged except they lose two skills (I picked Ride and Appraise) and gain Poison Use. Both my players and me found these generally underwhelming and even annoying to run - since there's a lot of them they take up a lot of time. and they'll usually miss when making attacks at level 3 PCs. They're equally unlikely to do well with ranged combat past the initial rounds without precise shot. In hindsight I would have made these level 2 ninjas with Vanishing trick - it would make them much more able to procure flanking positions, adjust for their underwhelming attack bonuses, and make for more dynamic encounters in general.
I made the echo wood outlaws level 2 slayers instead of fighter/rogues. Their attack bonus, saves and HP increase a bit, but they lose a bonus feat and sneak attack. For a slayer talent I picked Poison Use.
I made Jarin an alchemist with the spontaneous healing discovery instead of a wizard/rogue. I originally wanted to make him a vivisectionist, but he has no real flanking opportunities and I really enjoy bombs! The presence of an alchemist also helps explain where all the poison comes from. Unfortunately my party didn't encounter him, so I'll have to save him for some other encounter in the future. Wouldn't want to waste all that work!
Finally, I made Tarrin Dars a 5th level Inquisitor with the Sanctified Slayer archetype. I I don't like rogue/cleric multiclass NPCs and have had great success rebuilding them to inquisitors in the past, so this was a nobrainer for me. Tarrin confused me a little - her strength is so low that the chain shirt puts her in medium encumbrance, but the stat block doesn't reflect this. Effortless Armor lets her ignore encumbrance, so that was one of the spells I picked for her. I was a little bit worried that Bane would make her too powerful for my party, but they managed to tough it out. For a less experienced party I'd consider making her a 4th level inquisitor/1st level ninja or something similar. In fact, with hindsight I think that making Tarrin an inquisitor 4/ninja 1 and the echo wood scouts a bit more dangerous (ninja or slayer 2) would balance the encounter out better.
The Warpriest was once again pivotal, dealing the most damage and holding back at least four enemies, blocking some otherwise very dangerous flanking options. Clever use of Fervor meant he kept on his feet longer than he would otherwise. He's getting more proactive with his blessings, frequently using them before entering dangerous areas.
The Swashbuckler/Investigator was having an off day. This threw me for a loop since I figured the deliciously low-AC, low-HP non-DR scouts and outlaws of Splinterden would lead to a flurry of critical hits and glorious panache, but his dice apparently brought a personal cooler to the table and consistently disappointed us both. I don't really think he's making the most of his extracts, and could probably benefit from using them a bit more proactively. A simple reduce person or shield extract would have made a massive difference in how the fight turned out for him.
The dawnflower dervish bard burned bright and died hard. He started out the fight activating battle dance & arcane strike and landing a very rough critical hit on Tarrin Dars, who responded in kind by tuning Bane for half-elves and knocked him into the negatives in two blows. He then spent most of the fight unconscious.
The alchemist... Ah, the alchemist. I've had three alchemists at my tables long-term played by three different players, and they all have one thing in common: When the going gets tough, the alchemist misses his ranged touch attacks. Bombs were flying all over the place, hitting everything except their target. I would not be surprised to find that he did more damage to his allies than to his enemies despite now having Precise Bombs. This constrast is especially noticeable because he was later using a crossbow to great effect (in the same fight). Part of the problem here might be that he didn't take all the modifiers into account - the alchemist didn't realize that the party had several buff effects in play.
...Oh right, the shaman. I almost forgot to make a write-up for this character. So far I'm extremely underwhelmed by this class, but I'm undecided on if the problem is the class or the character build. A strength of 12 and medium BAB progression makes for a disappointing melee combatant, but his level 1 & 2 spell list isn't really compelling enough for him to focus entirely on spellcasting. I thought the slumber hex would make him significantly more powerful, but the player seems extremely reluctant to use the hex. After thinking it over, I wonder if he thinks the slumber hex has a per day limit? Not sure what's going on there, I'll take a closer look at this character down the line.