Adding the sandbox element to the 6th book.

[Venequin]

Does anyone have any input on making the 6th part of the adventure path more of a free roam? I don't mean encounter difficulty wise, more-so player exploration/discovery methods for tying together the awesome scenario's.

Id like for it to be more of a problem they need to figure out rather than being some-what guided by Baba Yaga. I do want to keep the "layers" of speech still although.

[Richard Pitt]

I am thinking of setting the whole thing in the Thrice Tenth Kingdom, rather than in the hut, and having the PCs have to explore different locations to find BY's fate, death, power and life. Therefore if you put off meeting the norn till they find her they wont get a full description and have to work out what to do with only the little urging from the doll and clues from the various inhabitants.

The locations will be the island of
Buyen (her death - plot pretty much as is) a city of ice and shadow in the mountains (her power - in my game the skull Vasilinova used now in the possesión of a mad redcap king), the witchspire in the centre of the deepest wood (her life - daughters in the highest tower) and an underground cavern within the screaming caverns (her fate in the Norn's hands).

They enter the realm through a portal found in the hut but then can go about their business in any order. They appear in a hut in the mountains, climbing through a cupboard and find her pestle and mortar to travel in given to them by the polite Jortund troll. He tells the PCs the main locations in the thrice tenth kingdom over tea and then lets them go exploring how they see fit (he doesn't know about Baba Yaga's hidden elements).

[captain yesterday]

I bet you could switch it with Sound of a Thousand Screams, with hardly any adjustment.

[Richard Pitt]

I am going to do that with the wood\witchspire part but change some of the encounters and room descriptions. The fable will be where the crones will be. A green hag the party have been trading with up until now (Agys of the witchmarket) will be on the throne downstairs having tried to claim Baba Yaga's realm in her absence. Should be a nasty fight since she owns one PC's true name and has two shadows from the others