3 - Deceivers' Moon (GM Reference)

This is intended to be a spoiler-filled resource thread (as in other AP subforums) for GMs running book 3 of The Threefold Conspiracy Adventure Path, "Deceivers' Moon."

All GM threads in this series:

1 - The Chimera Mystery
2 - Flight of the Sleepers
3 - Deceivers' Moon
4 - The Hollow Cabal
5 - The Cradle Infestation
6 - Puppets Without Strings

Thanks for setting these up! I'm preparing book 3 right now and will make sure I post here if I have any questions.

What happens when reptoids die? Do they revert to their natural form, like lycanthropes in Pathfinder? Do they stay in their chosen shape indefinitely? Or is it up to the GM to decide?

What happens when reptoids die? Do they revert to their natural form, like lycanthropes in Pathfinder? Do they stay in their chosen shape indefinitely? Or is it up to the GM to decide?

Book 6 seems to confirm that their form reverts. I've been using it since my party's first battles with Reptoids in Book 3. "Oh, look, our hunch was right," they got to say.

Thanks, that clears it up! I am not sure if my players will have actually figured out what's going on by the time they face Jox. Seeing his true form might answer a lot of questions for them.

Also, I just found this in The Insidious Reptoids in the Backmatter:

"[...] when Kluss's features changed to become reptilian upon death".

Who knew information on reptoids could be found in the article in reptoids.

anyone have any hints with how to run the base and the escape?

That part is definitely a bit tricky and it strongly depends on your group and how much real world time you want that part to take.

My group meets for short sessions and I decided to keep things on a tight schedule. It helps tha players also often expect events to drive the story onward and usually don't seize the initiative, like breaking into the secure area of the station.

I mostly narrated the few days they spend in captivity, giving them several opportunities to take charge and "zoom in" or start acting on a smaller time scale. We roleplayed some conversations with the mercs to help motivate later events. I also followed the advice regarding the "montage" technique of the interrogations.

All in all, it worked pretty well for us that way. The whole bit took 2 sessions of about three hours, I believe.

But as I said, other groups might want to take more initiative, go through events at slower pace, explore more. Really depends on your players' preferred style.

That part is definitely a bit tricky and it strongly depends on your group and how much real world time you want that part to take.

My group meets for short sessions and I decided to keep things on a tight schedule. It helps tha players also often expect events to drive the story onward and usually don't seize the initiative, like breaking into the secure area of the station.

I mostly narrated the few days they spend in captivity, giving them several opportunities to take charge and "zoom in" or start acting on a smaller time scale. We roleplayed some conversations with the mercs to help motivate later events. I also followed the advice regarding the "montage" technique of the interrogations.

All in all, it worked pretty well for us that way. The whole bit took 2 sessions of about three hours, I believe.

But as I said, other groups might want to take more initiative, go through events at slower pace, explore more. Really depends on your players' preferred style.

my group is… I dunno. Great guys.

I really need to dive deep into the section… I don’t want it to take 6 hours, but it will take as long as it takes.

So... the Steward base has fallen.

Despite my epic misreading of the text [i found it quite confusing] the Sleepers staved off what was an almost certain TPK.

I mistakenly threw almost all of the named NPCs at them all at once [well, i added the Insepctor 2 rounds later], and that was... a mistake.

The way to do it, i think is to throw the Narla and Shez, with a few of the mooks at them during the break-in. After the explosion, when they are rummaging through the base, have the Inspector and a few surviving mooks encounter them.

The Inspector is just a straight up melee monster.

word of advice, don't expect your ace pilot to make all his driving checks. oh, and for funzies, don't allow anyone to help with the cliff. let that one player, who gets to have the most fun in starship combat, be the one to destroy the hovertruck and kill another PC.

so... almost finished book 3 last night.

the tyrkalis reptoid is supposed to come out with full auto... and they didn't give him a full auto gun.

i used the one they gave him anyway, but... any suggestions for what the gun should be?

Thanks for all the comments so far. My group is diving into Tyrkalis Base this evening and I'm a little nervous about how it's all going to go, especially with the debriefing interviews, but I have faith in my players to make it smooth. It does seem like I will want to stagger the encounters once they are behind the secured area. There are a lot of tough NPC's. We'll see. Thanks!

Thanks for all the comments so far. My group is diving into Tyrkalis Base this evening and I'm a little nervous about how it's all going to go, especially with the debriefing interviews, but I have faith in my players to make it smooth. It does seem like I will want to stagger the encounters once they are behind the secured area. There are a lot of tough NPC's. We'll see. Thanks!

i ran the interrogations as they were described in the books, and the players liked it. start off easy, and then got harder, and was just blasting them with accusations by the end of Day 2.

For Day 3, none of them could remember the debriefings... wonder why...

Did anybody do ANYTHING interesting with the reptoid prisoner?

a) I can't even find the reptoid prisoner at first glance
b) Anyone come up with ways to save the Peryton's? Maybe I need to read more but if every couple books everyone they get to know dies it might be a real drag.
c) Who did y'all pick as "the Tyrkalis reptoid?"
d) anyone make minor changes like "Orivir's" armor, because it doesn't really look like "inheritor's grace" armor?
e) anyone know why this is the least commented GM thread I've ever seen??

Did anybody do ANYTHING interesting with the reptoid prisoner?

Did you mean Kibotu?

I'm actually kind of tempted to make some mass combat hand wave background rolls or narrative telling for a giant blob of rag tag NPCs to follow the main characters around. I can certainly RP how may people there are to fight on Varos, and then they can stay on the Voidcrier as the adventure continues, instead of all just dying from an attack of the plot. Once in book one seems enough?

Random other reflavor notes I should put in a google doc - why is Orgot the half orc given the devastator mystic connection with the big chomp if they worship Pharasma??

a) I can't even find the reptoid prisoner at first glance

b) Anyone come up with ways to save the Peryton's? Maybe I need to read more but if every couple books everyone they get to know dies it might be a real drag.
c) Who did y'all pick as "the Tyrkalis reptoid?"
d) anyone make minor changes like "Orivir's" armor, because it doesn't really look like "inheritor's grace" armor?
e) anyone know why this is the least commented GM thread I've ever seen??

i've deleted my pdfs, so i'm going by memory:

a) he's in the 2nd base.

b) You'd have to change the scenario. Maybe they are able to flee, but like, they are GONZO. Then you'd probably have the PCs waiting around for them to come back.

c) can't remember

d) eh. just ran it as written, or at least tried to. it worked out pretty well.

e) look around bud, lots more emptiness out there!

I'm actually kind of tempted to make some mass combat hand wave background rolls or narrative telling for a giant blob of rag tag NPCs to follow the main characters around. I can certainly RP how may people there are to fight on Varos, and then they can stay on the Voidcrier as the adventure continues, instead of all just dying from an attack of the plot. Once in book one seems enough?

all the fun NPCs in Book 2 died as well ;-)

one thing which kinda stuck w/ me is the approach on the 2nd base. maybe use that handwaving as the mercenaries attacking the outside of the base while your heroes charge into it? similar excuses can be made up for the encounters along the way to the 2nd base.

the PCs and the Perytons can then leave the moon and part ways at the start of Book 4. maybe have one or two of them come back in book 6 or the epilogue if it works for the narrative.

Random other reflavor notes I should put in a google doc - why is Orgot the half orc given the devastator mystic connection with the big chomp if they worship Pharasma??

I think the list of deities on the connections is a suggestion.

blashimov wrote:

I'm actually kind of tempted to make some mass combat hand wave background rolls or narrative telling for a giant blob of rag tag NPCs to follow the main characters around. I can certainly RP how may people there are to fight on Varos, and then they can stay on the Voidcrier as the adventure continues, instead of all just dying from an attack of the plot. Once in book one seems enough?

all the fun NPCs in Book 2 died as well ;-)

one thing which kinda stuck w/ me is the approach on the 2nd base. maybe use that handwaving as the mercenaries attacking the outside of the base while your heroes charge into it? similar excuses can be made up for the encounters along the way to the 2nd base.

the PCs and the Perytons can then leave the moon and part ways at the start of Book 4. maybe have one or two of them come back in book 6 or the epilogue if it works for the narrative.

I might do that, of course poor rolls or strange PC plans might see them all die anyway.

Speaking of book 2, I think you can save Vrexi as written, and of course could just make Hrog not suicidal if wanted.

Also how do you follow a thread - just use the RSS reader? I miss people replying to me often when I want to stay engaged in the topic and I'm coming back months later...

Yakman wrote:

blashimov wrote:

I'm actually kind of tempted to make some mass combat hand wave background rolls or narrative telling for a giant blob of rag tag NPCs to follow the main characters around. I can certainly RP how may people there are to fight on Varos, and then they can stay on the Voidcrier as the adventure continues, instead of all just dying from an attack of the plot. Once in book one seems enough?

all the fun NPCs in Book 2 died as well ;-)

one thing which kinda stuck w/ me is the approach on the 2nd base. maybe use that handwaving as the mercenaries attacking the outside of the base while your heroes charge into it? similar excuses can be made up for the encounters along the way to the 2nd base.

the PCs and the Perytons can then leave the moon and part ways at the start of Book 4. maybe have one or two of them come back in book 6 or the epilogue if it works for the narrative.

I might do that, of course poor rolls or strange PC plans might see them all die anyway.

Speaking of book 2, I think you can save Vrexi as written, and of course could just make Hrog not suicidal if wanted.

part of the 'fun' of books 1 and 2 is that the PCs are the only witnesses and only survivors, of the gray base shenanigans. I wouldn't have anyone else make it out.

and if you do go w/ the perytons surviving, hint that one of them is like a terminator robot or something right as they part ways. or they meet someone who looks JUST LIKE one of them in a later book...

gotta keep the PCs on their toes.

a) I can't even find the reptoid prisoner at first glance

b) Anyone come up with ways to save the Peryton's? Maybe I need to read more but if every couple books everyone they get to know dies it might be a real drag.
c) Who did y'all pick as "the Tyrkalis reptoid?"
d) anyone make minor changes like "Orivir's" armor, because it doesn't really look like "inheritor's grace" armor?
e) anyone know why this is the least commented GM thread I've ever seen??

The Reptoid prisonner is Kibotu in Terrapin Station

For my part, i tend to use the planned descriptive as a default (if it makes sense) before taking account what my players will do. The thing is to deprive the player of a starship; when things begin going weird, it is a good thing for the reptoid to sabotage the Peryton, but with planning the players can come up with a plan to prepare the Peryton for liftoff. The "Voidcrier shoots on an unshielded Peryton becomes railroading if the player made sure the ship would be ready to depart.

My team saved some of the Peryton's crew and ship. The Peryton made a distraction against Terrapin detection systems, allowing the players to invade. Kibotu found that a mercenary group turned reptoid hunters is a safe a place as any to begin a new career, so he joined the Peryton's crew.

Orvir Pyke was my Tyrkalis reptoid, and since he was identified as fishy with Danika and her team, he had not the momentum to kill the team. I did not plan this, but he was the obvious choice afterward.

It is not important that the Peryton's crew perish. The more efficient the attack on Tyrkalis is, the more disturbing the videos of the reptoid on Terapin publishes are disturbing. Two teams are then hunted by the Stewards.

As an epilogue, the Peryton made their own attempt to clear their names, and can be contacted by some true Stewards after the next module. They made appearances on the news, and killed gray clones of the players after an attack against Aspis Consortium holdings (red herrings by the buckets). The much later on, the Peryton were present with the Absalom Fleet to defend the station against the Devastation Ark... but that is another story.

Orvir Pyke was my Tyrkalis reptoid, and since he was identified as fishy with Danika and her team, he had not the momentum to kill the team. I did not plan this, but he was the obvious choice afterward.

It is not important that the Peryton's crew perish. The more efficient the attack on Tyrkalis is, the more disturbing the videos of the reptoid on Terapin publishes are disturbing. Two teams are then hunted by the Stewards.

As an epilogue, the Peryton made their own attempt to clear their names, and can be contacted by some true Stewards after the next module. They made appearances on the news, and killed gray clones of the players after an attack against Aspis Consortium holdings (red herrings...

Thanks for your advice! The players are infiltrating but managed to convince the mercs to have the party *inside* the base while they go through the hanger - Orvir Pike is going to be there when things go south and run from a fight to the voidcrier - I've already added some more vehicle space to the garage (just made the police bikes have a reachable hack DC and flavor the truck a little bigger). So I anticipate casualties when Pike blows his way out and the Peryton ship destroyed, but I'm going to "let" them have survivors.

Still want to know how to get an email or something /follow this thread...