Blakey's page

Anyone who is running SCAP under 4E worked out a set of Skill Challenges for Chapter Nine?

Cheers
Blakey

Does someone have or can point me to the Read Aloud text for the latter chapters. I'm up to Chapter 8 now so really only interested in stuff for that Chapter and onwards.

I'm adding SCAP to MapTool and being able to add read aloud text into clickable info boxes is a real bonus and I don't want to type it all in from the hardback by hand!

I've picked up what was on RPGenius already but the bits of text on there seem to have run out by Chapter Eight.

Cheers!
Blakey

I really need to learn to look before I post. I see a thread detailing the Haunted Village Adventure right under this one. Sorry all. :-)

Blakey

Thanks!

DD, are you using the Haunted Village adventure as a replacement for Chapter 11? And does that adventure entail doing what you just suggested?

Can you share a link to it please?

Thanks!

In the Hardback there doesn't seem to be any description of the little secret room to the north of C17. Does anyone know what this is used for? Is there a description I'm missing?

Cheers
Blakey

I've just read Chapters 10-12 and one thing I didn't spot (but might have missed) is how the PCs are supposed to find out about Shatterhorn.

Did I miss a reference to it in Chapter 10, or if not, how do they hear about it as the Cagewright's redoubt?

Cheers!
Blakey

Anyone done any lovely hi-res encounter maps for Chapter 7? I'm thinking Tipped Tankard, Cathedral of Wee Jas and KK?

I have the ones on RPGenius which are basically the same ones as those in the map booklet but they're not great resolution and are nothing compared to the quality some peope on here have shared for earlier chapters.

Any help would be awesome!

Blakey

Hey,

I just looked at MapTools and RPGShare and you haven't posted any further maps for SCAP on either location (that I could find). Have you got maps for the Test of Sacrifice in Chapter 6?

Has anyone got a better map than the one on RPGenius which is scanned from the map booklet?

Cheers all!

Blakey

Hey,

Great maps (as usual!) but rather than the standard encounter maps for Chapter Five - which we have finished - I'm talking about custom made encounter maps for the Demonskar itself. I'm currently playing Chapter Six and as part of Chapter Seven I'm going to put my PCs up against Nab - they encountered him in Chapter Five but didn't fight him to the death.

So I'm after any personal creations people might have for the Demonskar itself - I'm personally imagining something like the Grand Canyon but with a demonic tint to it somehow (and a lot smaller of course!).

Anyone help?

Cheers
Blakey

I'm going to send my group into the Demonskar to find and kill Nabthatoron soon. I'm wondering if anyone has drawn up a map of this area?

And any encounter maps which are based in that location would be awesome.

Cheers!
Blakey

Wow - awesome maps Pierre. Were they made in Dundjinni?

Have you futher maps of the other chapters available?

Blakey

Hey gang,

This is my situation: Usually my group play face to face at my house. I'm lucky enough to have afforded to use a laptop and projector, wall mounted, so that I can project JPG battlemaps straight down onto the table top. This is how we game and its awesome.

However in May we're off for a long weekend of D&D away from wives and girlfriends in a rented cottage (yay!). Clearly though this means we can't use our usual method of projecting maps onto the table top.

To that end I'm going to have to come up with a new method of showing the maps to the players. One option is to return back to old fashioned drawing on a whiteboard on the table top using OHP pens - it works but is a massive step back from the quality of maps we're used to these days.

So, given the excellent quality of players maps I have in JPG format, what is the best way to get these printed and usable as full on battle maps?

Issues I see are:

1. Material. What should I print on to? Paper is all very well but I'm guessing it will get ruined quickly - then again I won't need most maps for more than one battle so that should be okay. Anyone have any ideas for other sensible options?
2. Scale. This is a big one! How do you guarantee that a printed map will be scaled so that one square is 1"????

I'm sure these are issues loads of you out there have come across in the past, so if you have some good answers, please let me know!!

Cheers for the help
Blakey

Loving those!!!! Thanks, I've nicked the JPGs. I'm also a massive MapTool user so would love anything you've got there.

Thanks Heaps!
Blakey

Has anyone created or found a suitable set of maps for random encounters which take place on Occipitus? I'm specifically after JPGs of a suitable landscape for this weird place.

Cheers!
Blakey

Well, for those that care, this seemed to work well last night. They killed tonnes of demons and Alakast's position shifted to "Satisifed" and thus he became a +3 weapon with associated goodness.

I'm thinking that when he becomes a +4 fully fledged weapon I'm going to have to add something Nabthatoron-specific because even at 12th level, which the party should be when they go back to the Demonskar again and when I'm planning on having Nab confront them, he'll still squish them.

So, the question is, what power can I give Alakast when he's pleased which will make him able to bring Nab down to the party's level?

Any suggestions? I'm thinking the main issue is that a glabrezu demon as written in 4E is a 23rd level monster and that the party, being about 12th level will simply struggle with his LEVEL difference. His defenses and attacks will be too high. I don't want Alakast to boost the wielder as no one else will have this weapon so it follows that he's going to have to reduce Nab's power somehow.

This is what I'm thinking:

Daily Power (Standard Action): Range 10.
If the target is Nabthatoron it takes the following penalty till the end of the encounter:
-10 to all attacks.
-10 to all defenses.

This effectively gives him -10 levels bringing him to 13th level elite, but doesn't adjust his damage so he's still going to hit like a truck. I'm hoping this should balance the fight with him nicely and if he's struggling a bit he can always summon some demons into help him out.

Thoughts?

Session Six of Chapter Five played out last night. They mostly watched as Nabthatoron ripped Alek limb from limb and they fought a bunch of his minion demons. Nab then teleported away and Kaurophon arrived on the scene, summoning a bunch more demons that he could then "save the party" from.

I'm looking to the party meeting Nab again when they return to the Demonskar as part of Chapter Seven when looking for KK. That's when I think they'll finally fight and defeat him and Alakast can "move on" as 4E artifacts are supposed to.

Here's my first stab at Alakast as an artifact:-

What the Players Know at the Start

ALAKAST
Heroic Level Artifact.

Forged from the quintessence of the Elemental Chaos, Alakast was created to be an anathema to demons. It glimmers with white flecks of energy from the Astral Sea and is inscribed with holy prayers and runes. This powerful weapon is the bane of all demonkind.

Weapon: Staff (see Property below).
Property: Alakast will instantly take the shape of whichever weapon is most beneficial to the wielder. It is that weapon for all intents and purposes.
Enhancement: +2 attack rolls and damage rolls
Critical: +2d8 damage, or +2d10 damage against demons.
Property: You gain resist 2 to damage dealt by demons.
Power (At-Will): Free Action. Use this power when you hit a creature that has the demon keyword with this weapon. The demon does not benefit from variable resistance until the start of your next turn.
Power (Daily): Free Action. Use this power when you attack a demon with this weapon. Gain a +5 power bonus to the attack roll and ignore any resist value the demon has.

(Note that due to being an artifact Alakast's Daily power does not count towards the normal limit of item dailies you are allowed to use each day).

As soon as you wield Alakast you become aware of a seething hatred towards demons and escpecially towards those demons of the Demonskar. You are aware of an intense desire to destroy them all, and can sense an overwhelming desire for the destruction of Nabthatoron, the Lord of the Demonskar.

You are instantly aware that helping Alakast with this goal will cause it to grant you even more power against the demons of the Demonskar, but failing to do so will result in its disapproval and the removal of power that it grants you.

DM's Info

Goals of Alakast

Seems to me that this weapon is just crying out to be an artifact. I love the new 4E artifact rules and this is the chance to stick one into my campaign.

The PCs found Alakast in last night's session but at the moment all it is being for them is a +2 weapon with the property of converting to being whatever type of weapon is most favourable to the wielder. Hence for Spellmason it was a staff, whereas for the rogue in my party who currently carries it, it's appearing as a rapier.

I'm thinking that as soon as the rogue hits a demon with it, it will become a demonslaying weapon (see Manual of the Planes). There is also the Demonbane properties to consider here. Also Chaow Weave from the Adventurers Vault will be useful.

So, I'm going to build this artifact this week and I'll post my final version here. Meanwhile do any of you 4E people out there have any comments on this and what I might want to add in?

Cheers
Blakey

We played Sesion Five of Chapter Five last night. They figured out the Starry Mirror in about half an hour or so with only one little prompt to tell them they should go through the mirror in the throne room before trying to figure out what the sequence meant, after they'd spent 25 minutes of faffing in the throne room. Once in the coloured rooms they cracked it within 5 minutes.

Cheers
Blakey

DD,

Sounds good indeed!

One question: isn't the Jester supposed to be a visitor at Thirifane's manor? Are you planning on him not being a part of that party using your set up?

I know you have changed things so that there is only one Jester (I'm totally stealing your idea here, even your awesome idea of duplictes of the Jester). I'm thinking about a possible attack on the LL guild headquarters in my campaign and so am reading this with interest.

One of my PCs is actually a member (junior) of the LL. he's slowly but surely got more and more sucked in to the guild and is now wishing he wasn't a member but of course this is not something you can easily leave. Last session the LL staged a raid on the Bluewater Academy where they stole a scroll which allowed them to summon in the fire elementals which attacked Minuta's Board. During this raid the Jester killed the chief librarian (Who was called Google of course!) and the party rogue - who was simply on look out duty - heard his maniacal laugh. The look on his face when he found out he'd been party to the death of one of his favourite NPCs was priceless. He is beginning to really hate being part of the guild now.

He's never been to the LL guild house and is now off in the Demonskar so won't get a chance to get introduced there much before Chapter * anyway. And seeing as he's not liking his involvement I dont think he'll be trying to get there either.

But I can see him wanting to take out the Jester for definite and possibly then will see an chance to wipe out or take over the guild. Interesting times are ahead.

Blakey

Hmmm, I keep forgetting to post my session logs here. Hey ho.

We played Session Four of Chapter Five last night.

Cheers!

One thing you may want to consider is to model the lich fight after an enc#@&er in dungeon magazine. I don't want to spoil too much, but basically, the PCs need to wind their way around a ledge while minions pour out of a random tunnel (there were 6 tunnels in the adventure) each round.

The adventure is called "Siege of Bordrin's Watch", it's in the second free issue of Dungeon on the wizards site. The encounter is called "The Nexus" and is hands-down the best 4e encounter I've run.

Yeah, I've been reading reports on that encounter on the Wizards Forums with everyone saying how amazing it was. I'm a subscriber so I'll read up on it before the fight here and consider it.

Good idea and thanks!

Sounds great Olaf!! These sort of things really personalise the campaign and its certainly not going to "ruin" it. It can only enhance it!

Cheers
Blakey

Fantomas,

How did you deal with the Oblivion Doors? Did you convert them to something 4E-ish, or leave them as is, or just have them as normal locked doors?

Cheers!
Blakey

There are loads of them on the RPGenius.com site. I'm using them all for my campaign. I stick them into MapTool and then use a projector to project the battle maps down onto the table top where we play using Minis. The maps on RPGenius have all the DM-only info removed (i.e. no room numbers, no secret doors, no traps) so they are perfect as battle maps.

Hope this helps
Blakey

Thanks Section8. I see the problem was I didn't stick "http://" on the front of my link.

Cheers
Blakey

Here's a link to my Chapter Five Conversion to 4E.

Feel free to use and abuse.

Cheers
Blakey

Updated the link so that clicking on it hopefully works now!!

Chapter Six Conversion to 4th Edition.

Feel free to download and peruse, use or comment.

Cheers
Blakey

Here is Chapter Seven of my 4E conversion. Feel free to comment, steal it, improve upon it, etc.

Cheers
Blakey

It could also be the previous lord-mayor Navalant who pardons Maavu directly after Demonscar Legacy.
Maybe the events in Demonscar Legacy leads Lord Navalant to suspect Lord Vhalantru of manipulating the tax riots and other events. This, in turn leads Lord Vhalantru to make the Lord-mayor to disappear. Because this was an unexpected move, Vhalantru can't afford to recind some of the Lord-mayor's unfavorable decisions. Maavu, in other words is no-go... for now.

Yeah, I like that approach Slaad! I think the PCs can be told that the last thing the old Lord Mayor did before disappearing was to pardon Maavu. That might make the PCs think that actualy, perhaps he wasn't a bad egg after all (they currently believe the Mayor and Skelerang to be bad after much hinting from Vhalantru). Then in the same breath they'll be told that Vhalantru is now mayor. Hopefully they'll start suspecting him at thit stage (apart from the pesky rogue who has suspected old V since day one of the campaign!!!)

Good thinking.

Blakey wrote:

As a very brief aside and desperate not to derail this thread, when is this supposed to happen? What causes it?

The heroes go in search of Alek Tercival, paladin of St. Cuthbert. The search should lead them to Redgorge.

Okay, so they are not "fleeing" Cauldron as such, just leaving in search of Maavu. Okay.

Apologies for derailing the thread.

B

Hey Deco,

Are you running Delves Deep's version of the Demonskar Ball? I would highly recommend it - its blinking awesome in its own right but it also has the Stormblades coming against the PCs in a RP environment which really works well.

Also, there is a rumour on the rumour chart where the Stormblades are apparently about to become named Champions of the City (though I don't think they ever do as such). Be sure to throw that at the PCs as it will annoy them.

Come Chapter Seven the SBs are defeated by agents of the Cathedral of Wee Jas so you only have 4 more chapters to keep them interesting. Just think up some random adventures that might have popped up and use those. For example, when the party go off into the Underdark in Chapter Four, have them come back to hear that the SBs have done something of significance. As rescuing Zenith isn't really important to the city, that gives the SBs one up. And the party head off away from the city in Chapter 5 and 6 too, so there are loads of potential options - you just need to say "whilst you were away the SBs did this..."

By the way, if you are interested I have posted 4E conversions for Chapters Four, Five and Six on my website. Feel free to grab them and make whatever use of them you can.

Cheers
Blakey

Thanks chap.

Page 80 of the DMG has a seeking knowledge example. I'm basing my ideas on that plus adding Thievery as a primary skill too.

I also see that there is the first in a series of articles on designing Skill Challenges in Dragon. But its not so much designing as actually running the SC I'm struggling with.

I need to find the latest errata'ed details on how to run a SC.

Cheers
B

Hey Fanto (and other 4E converters),

How did you deal with the numerous places where the module expects the party to use powerful Divination magic but where similar spells/rituals don't exist in 4E?

For example, Chapter Seven the party acquire a Soulcage and on page 211 of the HC it goes through the various spells they could use to research it including Vision and Legend Lore.

I'm guessing two approaches to this:

1. Just give the PCs a straight forward Arcana check. If they don't score high enough then maybe Vortimax Weer can help them.
2. A skill challenge.

Sadly I'm really not quite sure how to run skill challenges under 4E yet (yes its probably time I figured it out!!) so I'm not sure how to design this. If it was a skill challenge, I expect it would involve Arcana but what other skills would prove useful? Also, what would happen if the Skill Challenge was failed?

Any ideas?

In Chapter Five (Demonskar Legacy), Event 19: Order Restored, it is written that the "evil merchant" Maavu's properties have been confiscatd and he has been sentenced to death in absentia.

In Chapter Seven (Secrets of the Soul Pillars), Event 30: Assassins, Maavu is back in Cauldron fixing up his warehouse on Magma Avenue. It also says here that Cauldron's Government has graciously pardoned him for this part in the tax riot and allowed him to rebuild his warehouse.

So, when does this happen and who pardons him? I guess it must be Lord Vhalantru. Why does he choose to do this? Is it to look like a good ruler after Alek's challenge is withdrawn? But what has Maavu got to do with this as such? Is the idea that all of Maavu's troubles were caused by Skellerang and once he has to withdraw from Redgorge he also loses interest in the Chisel?

I need some consistent and coherent reasoning behind this but can't really see it. Can anyone provide me with some?

Cheers!
B

Sounds great! Are you going to keep frequenting these boards? I'd really appreciate having you to bounce 4E ideas off!

Also, whilst you're there, any chance of a critique of my latest conversions? There are threads for Chapter 5 and 6 on this board if you have a quick look. I guess that applies to anyone who is thinking of doing 4E conversion too!

Cheers
B

Here's my first draft of my Chapter Six Conversion to 4th Edition.

Feel free to download and peruse, use or comment.

Cheers
Blakey

This is never really defined in the SCAP HC as far as I can see, but my players have been asking about this recently, as the campaign has started to get very political, so I made this Power Point of the Ruling Council as it stands in my campaign.

Feel free to download it, steal it, modify it, use it or whatever for your own campaigns.

Cheers
Blakey

Once the party flees Cauldron for Redgorge...

As a very brief aside and desperate not to derail this thread, when is this supposed to happen? What causes it?

Cheers

Yes, Saureya engineered the Test (and influenced Addy into setting it up) in the hope that a good aligned being might win rulership of the plane and be able to re-integrate it into Celestia I believe.

Okay, yes, having re-read the HC again I can see this now. I think I'll have Saureya basically tell the PCs that when they speak to him.

Thanks for clearing that up!
B

One thing I can't figure out is why would the ruler of a plane of the Abyss (i.e. Adimarchus) go and invent and set up a test whereby the person who completes the Test can take over rulership of his plane? What sort of an idiot would do that?

Is this set up because Adimarchus is insane? Or is there some other more devious reason that has escaped me as I've read Chapter Six?

Cheers all
Blakey

That sounds like exactly the sort of thing I'm after in my campaign, thanks!

I also used DD's excellent Demonskar Ball, which was superb for explaining places like the Haunted Village and foreshadowing Redgorge and its huge bastion walls and of course the legendary Nab. In my Demonskar Ball the paladin of the party was given the Nabthatoron invite (and did awesomely well in the dance) so the party are well aware of the glazrebu demon and its legend.

I'm definitely going to leave Nab as a fully fledged 23rd level elite demon (4E here) which will make light work of Alek and then teleport back to his home - probably summoning in some demons to "finish off" the pesky PCs.

That of course is a good time for Kaurophon to arrive and help save the day...

Hmmm, I'm probably not going to run the Seige of Redgorge (good as it looks) if for no other reason than this campaign is already massive and adding more to it seems a tad like overkill. At the moment I'm using auto levelling up at certain stages of the AP and adding in a whole extra adventure of that scale with no experience reward might prove frustrating to the PCs. Having said that I might move towards 30 levels for the AP in stead of 20 (I'm running SCAP 4E) and this might make the Seige a nice interlude. We'll see.

Anyway, given that I'm not planning on running Seige I don't think Nab will be turning up there. But I do plan on having him battle the PCs at some stage in the campaign as he's such an architypal villain (a legendary foe like this need to be battled at some stage). So in fact, him ripping Alek limb from limb in Chapter 5 and the PCs actually attacking him during that fight (plus taking some residual damage from his area attacks) is some great foreshadowing of the main demon and also goes to show them just how powerful he is. It should set them up for revenge when they reach an appropriate level - somewhere towards the end of the Path if I stick to a 20th level version, or somewhere in the not so distant future if I go for a 30th level version.

I'm running SCAP 4E using the Expected Party Levels file I found on RPGenius.com way back. This means the PCs simply level up at opportune moments during the Path. I like this. The level ups are as follows:

2nd - Descending into Jzadirune (after significant RP and such)
3rd - Going down into the Malachite Fortress
4th - End of Drakthar's Way
5th - After the Lucky Monkey
6th - End of Flood Season.
7th - Arrival at Bal-Hamatugn
8th - End of Zenith Trajectory
9th - Arrival at Vaprak's Voice
10th - End of Demonscar Legacy
11th - Arrival at the Plain of Cysts
12th - End of Test of the Smoking Eye
13th - End of Secrets of the Soul Pillars
14th - After House Rhiavaldi
15th - End of Lords of Oblivion
16th - End of Foundation of Flame
17th - ???
18th - End of Thirteen Cages
19th - End of the Strike of Shatterhorn
20th - Just before the fight with Adimarchus

Now, given 4E supports play up to 30th level, the question is, should we modify these level breaks and make SCAP 4E go to 30th level? Is anyone who is running SCAP 4E aiming for the levels suggested in the HC or have you expanded out to 30th level? If so, what do people think for sensible level breaks?

Cheers
Blakey

I'm trying to convert Chapter Five to 4E. In fact I have done (stealing much of Fantomas' excellent work in the process). But I'm still really struggling with the final fight.

Nabthatoron is the Lord of the Demonskar. He's the legendary demon who lead an army against Surabar Spellmason. He should be an epic foe. And in 4E glazberu are suitably 23rd level elite demons. this seems suitable nasty to me. However a 23rd level elite demon would rip apart a 9th level party as has been agreed by all those interested in the 4E conversion. So many people are downsizing the glabrezu to a fight that 9th level PCs can win. Although this is good for keeping the campaign inline with the HC as written I am not happy with the approach of reducing Nab's power.

So, my question is: Do the PCs really need to defeat Nabthatoron during the final fight of Chapter Five?

If Nab's only purpose is to kill Alek (I don't have access to the HC right now so I can't check it up), then surely he could fight the PCs and Alek as written in the module, and concentrate all his attacks on Alek and then when Alek is dead/mortally wounded, Nab could happily teleport back to his lair in the bottom of the Demonskar (I'm happy allowing my special/powerful 4E demons to teleport even if its not in their stat block).

Benefits to having him not fight the PCs:

1. A recurring villain. I can never get enough of these and I think they make much more memorable encounters than one shots.
2. Nabthatoron can still be 23rd level elite and therefore one seriously nasty monster as befits the Lord of the Demonskar.
3. He can always summon in a bunch of suitable powered lesser demons to "finish off the pesky PCs" - hence the PCs get a suitable battle.
4. In my campaign the paladin Morgan is Alek's cousin who is going to inherit his falling down mansion and his title upon Alek's death, so the party can officially be given Alek's gear as a treasure reward for this part of the adventure.

Am I missing something or am I right in thinking that Nab doesn't have to fight the PCs at this time? What exactly is his purpose in killing Alek?

Thanks all
B

Sorry, I forgot you asked about the Striders.

In my campaign Shensen has also become the GF to a PC. His mother (he's just found out) was also a priestess of Fharlanghn so he's quite keen to become a Strider himself, even though he is a wizard.

Meerthan has been encountered and they know he's the head of the Striders in this region and Shensen told them they are currently investigating an evil cult in the region but would not tell them more than that (this is the CW's of course).

I expect they'll become more important over time and of course in Chapter 8 (I think) the PCs have to try and rescue one from the Last Laugh. So of course by then it will be good to get the PCs familiar with them.

I think soon enough in my campaign Meerthen is going to want to "interview" the PCs, especially the PC dating Shensen, and so the whole party will meet all the Striders soon....

Well, I'm happily converting SCAP to 4E at the moment so I guess its possible to do the same with AoW and ST! Anyone know (yes I'm lazy for looking this up myself) if there is an active 4E conversion community for those APs?

Thanks all
B

A thread for discussing conversion of Chapter Six to 4E.

I'm only just beginning this but if anyone who has already done it or is currently doing it wants to thow some input in, feel free!

So far my only consideration is what to do with Kauphoron? At present I'm thinking of making him a wizardy type demon (I think the Psychic Mage, 15th level controller from the DDi) and then adding a daily power which allows him to summon 6 evistro demons. He'll use this power at the start of the chapter to pretend to help the PCs and then adding this power to him makes him a formidable opponent at the end of the chapter when the party have to fight him - he'll summon the demons which will of course fight the PCs this time. It also should help the PCs realise that he set up the fight where he came to their aid.

CATHEDRAL OF FEATHERS
I am replacing the driders (don't exist in 4E yet) with Blade Spiders.
I am keeping the Succubus and Salamander as they are.
The Mummy lord will stay as a mummy lord.
I'm putting a Horrid Timber in the north chamber and an Angel of Battle in the southern chamber.

That's as far as I've got provisionally so far. Oh, and I'm making libaral use of the DDi to get all these monsters.

Any comments?

Okay, so given I'm now 100% a 4th edition convert there's nothing really to be gained from running AoW or ST adventure paths it seems. I'm better off picking some 4E adventures or even Scales of War and adjusting it to fit into the Cauldron Region if I wish to re-use this area. Or of course just placing it elsewhere in my homebrew world entirely.

Thanks for all your responses - you cleared that all up for me.

Cheers
Blakey