AMAngel's page

I don't think it's odd at all... it takes several months for the web enhancements to become available (and they are worth the wait). But given this lag time...I can't imagin someone starting the AP without a coupl'a months of 'Buffer'. I didn't actually even start the AoW 'til mid Feb. The Players have just (finally) completed WC and will be headed into the 3FoE on the 22nd of April (we've spent a lot of time in Diamond Lake). I'm runninng two large groups thru and it lookslike we'll take about 6 sessions per 'dungeon' and probably a session (or two) between each for down time and small side treks. This AP should get me THRU 2007 ;-)

As opposed to another dungeon, How about droping in a Legacy Wewapopn or two en route to Greyhawk? The encounter(s) where the items are found, the subsequent search for knowledge, and a short quest to perform a ritual or two could easily be padded a bit with a few 'random' encounters and be enough to boost everyone up. If you have a coupl'a plyers that are on the weaker side of the party average, you could even tailor the LW(s) towards them.

If you think about it, this will actually be a case of your (the DM's) stack of notes ACTUALLY getting smaller..as the player's stacks get larger. That in itself makes me want to give them a try. As a long time Magic:tg & Hero clix that just had to draw the line at the D&D minis because of that 'random packaging' and rarity crap, I really like the idea of beaing actually able to purchase them by the set! and

3 words....

POST IT NOTES

I'm DMing 2 groups thru the path- Both are just finishing up with the WC. One group thinks a lot more and the other hacks first and asks questions later.... but both groups came up with this great solution...

They had set off the burning hands trap in the sarcauphagus the day before... and it was lucily reset. As the swarm followed the PCs... they led it to the trap and opened the lid. For the quick thinking on thier parts, I allowed the max damage from the trap to take out the swarms as they were so willing to take the trap damage to take care of the swarm....It just softened them up for the Mad slasher...

PC name- Gruel half-orc Paladin 2 of Lathander
Place of death- the Wispering Cairn- The Architect’s lair
Catalyst-earth Elemental, Lurking Strangler, And Brown Mold.....
With no means of Freezing the brown Mold, The party had ingeniously gone to the bedroom and managed to flip over the stone base of the ‘airbed’ creating (almost) a hoverboard. It at least hovered enough to allow them to push it over the brown mold and use it as a stepping stone to jump over the mold into the wok shop.. After a harrowing battle with the earth elemental, the party’s Psion wandered off to check out the bed room. The Lurking strangler had been waiting for its opportunity and struck. Fortunately the psion’s psi crystal took off for help. As the party rushed to save the psion ( which they did only by the skin on his teeth), the paladin was struck by the strangler’s fear eyebeams and went fleeing in panic... Straight into the brown mold. Previous damage from the elemental proved to much. By the time the party found him.... He was frozen solid. Tough last few days for the party.... Last time they lost the Dwarven fighter to the wolves at the Cairn’s entrance.... Tonight the Paladin.... We’re only half thru the WC and I’m starting to see a demoralizing body count.

Thank you, Golbez. And, of course, you're right.... I've already had to slap my hand several times- reaching for the DMG to add a cool (and overpowered) item. All these new toys are a little overwhelming. If my players could see my impatience with wanting to play with as much of it as possible as soon as possible, they'd never let me utter the words 'game balance' or 'patience' again.

The Rod was originally intended to be a legacy item... its nice how these can be placed into the game fairly early...almost a tease.... then grow as the campaign does. Alas, I'd already put in the WoL 'Flamecaster' ( couldn't resist- i'd just gotten back from seeing Spamalot on Broadway and as I read the description of the previos owner taunting the attacking hordes of goblins I just couldn't get the French Taunters out of my head. That being done, I thought the one WoL was enough.... but forgot that I'd precviosly placed 'Tree Brother" (in an earlier read thru of the dugeon) with the ghouls. Fortunately, i caught myself in describing it from notes and shaved off 18 inches and made it a ( rather large, oddly shaped) Rod.

The lesser rod of Extending barely goes over the'Wealth by level' table for a third level character, so i'll just stick with that. Thanks again.

"As for artifacts, I think it's high time for the Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga to make an appearance."

Funny you should mention the Hut of Baba Yaga... Just last night I dug up the ol' 1st E DMG and went wandering down memory lane. Of course, i had to read the old descriptions of the Rod of Seven Parts, The various parts of Venca, and the Sphere of annihilation....I remebered using all those at one time or another. Then I saw the entry for the Hut... and thought," hmmm... never did use the Hut.... meant to get around to it... but never did... hmmm how about the Hut of Baba Yaga being one of those artifacts that the AoW ushers in as it approaches?"

I've been at work now crafting a wu Jen and oriental typ NPC party that I think my PCs will come across in the marsh on the way to the lizard folk lair. The NPC party will be looking for that green falling star that they'll all see in a night or two... And the Wu jen will have unearthed a Hut.... Thinking about some serious (old school) draw backs to just ensur that the Party DOESN'T want to pursue ownership though.

This may not be AoW specific, but we're finishing up the Wispering Cairn and I've placed a Magic rod with the Red Lantern ad hoc last week. There hasn't been time to even detect magic.... so I've got a lot of lee way. I've got 8 players, so I've been having to 'level- up' all the encounter levels and treasure... I'm afraid I might have overextended the worth. I 've checked the DM guide and most rods are pretty expensive.
At any rate, since most of the players are new to 3E / 3.5 E D&D, my party wizards have been wowed with the new possibilities of spell/metamagic feats. My initial impulse was to create a rod that was a (lesser)'metamagic sampler' ( giving them a taste of the possibilities that they could explore as thier characters progress)- maybe allowing the rod holder to use silent spell, extend spell, enlarge spell, and empower spell each once per day; and maybe even one or two 'greater' feats like widen spell, and/or quicken spell once every three days. I know those greater feats especially will encrease the value of the rod ( a rod that can do the 'smaller' feats alone would be just a little over the DMG listing as a rod of any one feat ( useable 3 times a day) is worth 3000 gp. But the Rules for determining Rod (especially with the feat abilities as opposed to spell/spell-like abilities) worth are a little vague. I'm not too worried about one item exceeding the recomended wealth level by to much as with such a big party... it may be a few levels before I throw another really cool item at my arcane types to keep them intrigued.( BTW- all players are 2nd Level- and will be well past 3rd after the next game)
So, does anybody have any suggestions about the function of the Rod and what it's cost would be- or how to determin the cost of the above listed rod?
Thanks in advance for any help. I've been so impressed, comming back into the D&D fold and the community here has been a fantastic DM aid as far as jumping back into the deep end of DMing.
Also BTW- I'm thinking of calling the rod a 'Rod Of Spell Wierding' and tieing its creation /backstory into a priest of /or (arcane) follower of Wee Jas. I'm anticipating a few more weeks of time, though, to nail down the story as next week, the party will have its hands full with the Kullen and Filge encounters....

I have two groups. One meets every 2nd and 4th Saturday night. We've had 4 sessions and it looks like they'll finish up the Wispering Cairn when we meet on Feb 25th.
the other group meets every other Tuesday Night and just rolled up thier characters and meet up with each other two weeks ago... they should get into the Cairn early tomorrow night.
Both of my groups ar huge one 8 players and the other nine.... so it tends to take us a while to do anything... i believe this adventure path will take us into 2008!

Is anyone actually making a count here?

At any rate, i've got two groups- One that just meets on every 2nd & 4 th Saturday of the month thats got seven players and myself ( expecting to add a new guy on the 28th. BTW- we're well into the Wispering Cairn.

And another group that has remained at 9 player characters for almost three years now. These guys meet every Tuesday night and will be starting the WC on the first game night in Feb. They keep me busy.

All began tonight ( at 1st Level) and first meet at the Ferral Dog... where they also heard a certian Free City Fighter boasting of his next great adventure to a party of halflings and almost started a brawl with Kullen and his posse....

Nathan, a human Monk from the twilight monastary
Randall Parrin, human Paladin, who is visiting his aunt Luzane Parrin
Heiromous, halfling ( a very strange clumsy, armored,halfling) Priest of Heironeous
Alcyon, Elven Wizard... competing with three other mages for Allustan's apprenticship
Emeroan, Elven Driud and
Lothor, Human Ranger sent by the Bronzwood Lodge to investigate some miner named Smenk... who has sent surveying parties into the woods.
And Kurst, a Half Ork Priest of Wee Jas, who hasfollowed some attemted grave
robbers that he and some brethern chased out of the bone yard last night he only saw a tattooed hand of one of the robbers, but has recognized Kullens forhead tattoo...

All went really well tonight and the group can't wait to see all the seeds planted start to grow. When we start back up, they've made arrangements to have a local lead them to another cairn.... not the one that that Braggart at the Ferral Dog was going on about...he he he...

Thanks, Gary.
Lucky for me... i have the slowest group of players alive ( it doesn't help that there's eight of'm) We won't actually begin the path 'til late Jan. that means that I won't HAVE Module # 7 or up 'til mid 2007 - grin. ( of course, with this power gaming oriented group... it takes me almost that long to adjust the adventures)

I'm new to this whole site and message board.I've been letting one of my regular players run a d20 modern game while I take a vacation from DM'ing. By chance, I picked up a copy of #124 and was wowed by the Wispering Cairn. Now, I've been following the adventure path and getting ready to start it when we're done with the d20 modern game. Last week I noticed everybody starts sounding off as they get thier new issues. I haven't seen #130 in any of my local stores... so i've committed to the subscription ( just now, tonight). Any body have any idea if #130 will be my first issue or should i keep looking for it here and expect 131 to be my first?