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When I GMed it in PBP, I gave everyone three rounds of movement up front to get there, and then started the combat. Sometimes short cuts make sense!
Hmm
Unfortunately, doing it that way does change the encounter. While it speeds things up, undoubtedly, it reduces the chance for player shenanigans... and some of the tension.
Example, in one of my PbP games run, one of the PCs jumped into the water and let the flow of the river move him downstream. Another did leap-frog across the rocks. Neither would have done so, likely, if they could just calmly move up.
John, is there any way to clarify tactics on the critters in area J?
Do they remain in the circle as long as possible, or do they sortee out?
I've seen it run both ways... and, honestly, have run it both ways.
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Just a comment in general which may not apply to Solstice Scar: there seems to be an overabundance of haunts these days. It's hard to find a module that doesn't have a haunt. They're relatively ok if the party has a cleric with channel positive energy, but for partys that don't (including those who just have a paladin instead of a full cleric, as the paladin will blow his entire load of lay on hands on these) then these haunts become a real pain in the neck and in some case become an obstacle that can't be overcome without major resource and game time expenditure. They often don't really add to the fun of players, and I've seen people roll their eyes at the obligatory haunt when they reach that annoying part of a module. Plus, why do they have to be so deadly or cause PvP? Why not illusions of what the bad guy used to do in life before he became that monster they're about to fight? or a pen animating to write a message for the PCs? do haunts *have* to be evil? Can't we have good haunts that can be destroyed by channeling negative energy? etc. A good haunt that inhabits a good character's body to provide phantom-like benefits to 'help them set things right and defeat the lich' might be refreshing... right now ghosts and haunts can never help themselves and entirely depends on the PCs... they're so needy! :P
Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden
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Almost all haunts have a duration of a few rounds... why don't your players just run back out of the area of effect and wait for it to pass? I think part of the difficulty with haunts is players with an "all obstacles shall be forcibly removed" mentality, expending more resources than needed.
At least half of the haunts, if you succeed at the perception check or at least make the first save, you can escape and grab popcorn.
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My medium loves all the haunts lately. They let me use an otherwise niche ability and can set up some fun RP when the haunt is controlling her body.
That said, as you mentioned it's generally difficulty to deal with haunts. Where as it's rather common for people to have a way around traps, or to make them completely obsolete and pointless. It's much harder to do that with Haunts, letting them be act as traps that are more likely to do something.
Regional Venture-Coordinator, Appalachia
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Oh I missed this.
I will just say the most challenging part of the whole thing was player management of all the various available boons. In general, players are really conservative and even being told "play these as quickly as you can with reckless abandon" the player instincts make it so they have a difficult time with them.
Perhaps some of the boons (especially the twinhorns ones) could go into effect automatically?
