Crazy Duck's page

Like everyone, I've very sad about the news that Dragon and Dungeon are going to cancelled in September. I've been a subscriber to both for some time and I look forward each month to receiving the magazines in the mail. Its some of the only gaming mail I get, and its special day to receive an issue.

Paizo needs to make a new magazine devoted to players. Pathfinder sounds nice as a way to fill the void for Dungeon, but Dragon subscribers are left in the cold. There may be a few support articles in each Pathfinder issue, but that doesn't do much for players looking to avoid reading the AP.

Players need magazines too. Dragon has vastly improved over the past couple of years in the content it has offered (some of which necessarily can't go forward without the license, but other stuff such as class based materials and background articles should). It would be a shame to see that momentum gone just because the WOTC license dried up. The talent should still be there.

So to James, Erik and the other editors, is Paizo interested in doing a magazine for the players? If you need contributors for articles, I offer my services for free (that's a gift given I'm an IP lawyer, my billing rate isn't exactly cheap). I admit I never got around to sending something before because I figured there would always be a "tomorrow" but I was wrong. I'm willing, however, to help do what it takes to get something like this off the ground. I'm sure there are lots of others on the boards here who feel the same (and can offer quality submissions). I hope you consider my plea.

One question for you (since I've got my lawyer cap on now). Is there any sort of non-compete clause between WOTC and Paizo preventing you from publishing another magazine (hence the significantly different format for Pathfinder)?

This might have come up before, but does anyone have an idea as to how the grimlocks are to manage attacking the parties light sources? I ran part of the caverns last week and had them do just that, but afterwards I've heard grumblings from the players (rightly so) that the grimlocks shouldn't have been able to do that.

I made it a point that the Grimlocks did not go after Light spells (and passed this info to the players through a wisdom check). But I did have them attack the parties sunrods. But aren't the grimlocks doomed to fail? Not knowing the hardness/hp of a sunrod, at the time I made a mental decision that it was 2 hardness, 2 hp (I assumed they should be fragile). Turns our they are made of iron (10 hardness), and from the weight (1 lb) and size (1 foot rod), they should be .3 inches thick. In other words, they have 9 hp. How are the grimlocks supposed to break that, much less even overcome the hardness? Any thoughts on this? Ranged attacks already do half damage, but even the melee attacks wouldn't work.

Without the darkness aspect, the grimlock caverns become a lot less interesting (from a tactical perspective). The tieflings were actually better at this than the grimlocks, it seems too bad they don't have the same edge.

Crazy Duck

My players have finally finished the Whispering Cairn, so I thought I'd share some of my thoughts and experiences on this adventure. Overall, we had a good time and minus a few hiccups, it went smoothly. I made some changes, though, that I thought I'd explain in a little detail. Oh, and one of my players is writing a story hour if you'd like to read more:

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=170061

Adventure Intro
I thought the adventure did a good job of providing guidance to get started. True, the adventure does literally start at the door of the dungeon, but the suggestions about the rival adventuring party and using instigators worked perfectly. I've previously posted my instigator handout here:

http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/dungeon/ageOfWorms/archives/whispering CairnHeresHowIInstigatedThePlot&page=1#84136

Mine Office Side Trek
I ran my players through a variant of this using lizardmen. Though they are a little tough challenge rating-wise, at the time I had 7 players (plus an animal companion) so it worked out okay. The point was to foreshadow the lizardmen's involvement for later, but as of now my player's have forgotten about this. I'll remind them later. This was good enough to get them to about 700 xp, and it took one session. My version of the side trek is detailed here:

http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/dungeon/ageOfWorms/archives/whispering CairnVariantMineOfficeStarterAdventure&page=1#84125

False Tomb
I had read on these boards that there were lots of problems with the swarm, so I was really concerned about the encounter. But I had seven players and an animal companion so I knew I'd need to beef it up just a little. What I did was add a second Mad Slasher, but kept just one swarm. While my players kept playing with the tomb, they relatively ignored the elevator until the swarm and slashers burst forth. This was a tough fight, but it worked out okay. I had previously given them the weapons they needed, and the use of two Mad Slasher was good because it gave the fighter types something to do as well. Only casualty was the wolf companion, who the druid had left in front of the elevator so it got attacked first.

The Wind Dukes and Rod of Seven Parts
I have a mix of old-school and newer players. I passed most of the information through the bard (a newer player) who read it as if it were just ancient history. But it was great to see my old-school players jaws drop at the mention of some of this stuff. As a critique, though, this adventure relies heavily on some Knowledge (the planes) rolls. None of my players have this skill so I've had to fudge some to get the story across (its no fun if they never find out why). Yes, my players should have this skill but the bard is already tapped on knowledge skills (a bard can only go so far), the cleric has low INT, and we have a sorcerer (who we repeatedly find out is no replacement for a proper wizard). On retrospect, it would have been better to have introduced some sort of Rosetta stone that could translate from Vaati to Common.

The Submerged Chambers
This turned out to be a pretty awful combat. When my players first found they water, they immediately turned around saying they weren't going in there. I later used a random encounter to hint there were monsters in the water (by having ghouls come out that were soaking wet wandering about the cairn).

The fight underwater was...well...complicated. I upgraded the water elemental to medium to make it a better fight (since they outnumbered it 7 to 1). I started the fight innocent enough. They were investigating the pool. The sorcerer (who is a bit of an idiot who likes to touch everything....he even ate the orange goo and got sick) stuck his hand in the water. I had the water elemental grapple him and pull him under. The rest of the fight was then the group wading in after him. Mechanically we figured it out, but it was a combat that just dragged on. It seemed a bit much for low level adventurers.

Wandering encounters
I added in two random encounters to try and keep things spiced up. One was the ghoul encounter I mentioned before. I try and use my encounters as story-telling, each one has a purpose so they aren't really random. The ghouls got the players into the water which they wouldn't have gone in otherwise (and thus, would never have found the last lantern).

The other encounter I used was an imp leading several lemures (yes, imps don't have telepathy but I fudged for story purposes). The purpose of this encounter was to foreshadow the rod of seven parts, and the pit fiend looking for it. Right now, the players just know they ran into some devils. But I'm going to make it a repeating occurence around the cairn (with escalating devils, bearded devils are up next). It was helpful when the action slowed down, so I could spice it up with a fight. My group fought the imps/lemures in the brown mold room. The Imp's suggestion ability worked great as the fighter failed and ran into the mold! The imp escaped the fight after taunting the bard and poisoning the sorcerer, so I think I'll have him return as a villian (maybe with some sorcerer levels of his own).

Alastor and the side trek
This was awesome and where the adventure really shines. Sure, it reads like an online game like Everquest where you need X (bury bones), but to get X you must first get Y (find Kullen) and then do Z (filge). But when it plays, it really plays out as a continuing mystery. What happened to the bones? Who has them now?

I changed the encouter at the Land Farmstead from an Owlbear to two tax bears (brown bears). It was a good fight and my players LOVE to fight tax bears. The true beauty of the encounter is when the baby tax bear comes out and the players realize that they've just killed the parents who were defending their cubs. You should have seen the look of shock on my wife! But she was playing a ranger so she adopted the cub and its now her brother's (the sorcerer's) familiar. Again, this was a great encounter with real emotional impact. Those are truly hard to find.

Kullen and his Gang
This was a good complicated fight. Especially the one-two punch of Todrik (with tripping) and Meerothan (with ray of enfeeblement). My players fought them in an alley so the bad guys were able to control the battlefield pretty easily. A tough fight, but very memorable.

Filge
What's not to love about this? My sorcerer still sits at the dinner table when he sulks. Plus, he was plenty creepy. And the story sounds like a Scooby Doo adventure (there's trouble at the Old Observatory!).

Wind Warriors
This was a tough, tough fight. I added one extra wind warrior (figuring that 2 for 4 players meant 3 for 6 players). But my group divided itself getting past the iron ball trap. Half were still working their way through the room when the other half burst in. They expected that they would just get the treasure and go home. It never occured to them there would be guardians. The fight was tough and left everyone in negatives, but fortunately I had a deus ex machina in Alastor to pull out a potion for the cleric.

Overall, this was great adventure. It took 6 actual sessions (plus an intro at the mine office and a linker in town with Chaum). Definately recommended!

So I'm preparing for the encounter with Filge, and I noticed that one of his syringes is a potion of false life. Umm...how??? The rules for Brew Potion don't let you create potions for spells with a range of personal (so false life is out).

I realize that the syringes are a nice variation on potions, but I've got a player that when they see this is going to be screaming up and down about this. I think this will get changed to a potion of aid, which although it isn't a wizard spell, its still a valid choice for potions.

Taking some inspiration from people who came before me, this is the mine office variant I put my players through two weeks ago. Two key notes about it:

1) It focuses on lizardfolk in an attempt to foreshadow Blackwall Keep and tighten up the story (goblins really didn't help advance the ball).

2) This is pretty tough because I have seven players. They made it through without any casualties, but I dropped several of them into the negatives.

Crazy Duck

Age of Worms- Introductory Mine Office Adventure
Located on the outskirts of the Diamond Lake community, a ruined mine office and dwelling sits unoccupied, without an owner. This crumbling office is the site of the PCs’ first meeting in “The Whispering Cairn”. The previous owner of the building, the mining manager Ulgo Fant, abandoned the place more than fifty years ago when his mine ran dry. When he died over a decade ago, the property was left without an owner. Few have bothered to visit this wreck since its abandonment. Young children from the town often come up to the building on a dare and a few years back an inexperienced thief took up residence here before moving onto more lucrative trade routes.

The Yard (EL 2)

A modest dwelling squats upon the crown of a small hill. Although the rough stone walls of the first floor look mostly intact, the second floor has completely collapsed. A half height wall rings the house, but it too is in a state of severe disrepair. Rubble and dense weeds choke the yard.

The entire yard is considered difficult terrain except for the small path leading up to the building. Behind the building, a stone well rises up out of the weeds. Although the bucket is gone, the water is clean, if a bit brackish. In the back, the remains of a wooden outhouse lie in an unrecognizable heap.

Stirges (4) CR 1/2
N Tiny magical beast (Monster Manual 236-37)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Spot +4, Listen +4
AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 12
hp 5 (1 HD)
Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1
Spd 10 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
Melee attach +7 touch (attaches)
Base Atk +1; Grp -11 (+1 when attached)
Abilities Str 3, Dex 19, Con 10, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 6
Feats Alertness, Weapon Finesse*
Skills Hide +14, Listen +4, Spot +5
Attach (Ex): If a stirge hits with a touch attack, it uses its eight pincers to latch onto the opponent’s body. An attached stirge is effectively grappling its prey. The stirge loses its Dexterity bonus to AC and has an AC of 12, but holds on with great tenacity. Stirges have a +12 racial bonus on grapple checks (already figured into the Base Attack/Grapple entry above).
An attached stirge can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself. To remove an attached stirge through grappling, the opponent must achieve a pin against the stirge.
Blood Drain (Ex): A stirge drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution damage in any round when it begins its turn attached to a victim. Once it has dealt 4 points of Constitution damage, it detaches and flies off to digest the meal. If its victim dies before the stirge’s appetite has been sated, the stirge detaches and seeks a new target.

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The Building

Made of smooth stone blocks, this building stands in shambles. Thick vines creep up the side and most of the windows are broken. The front door hangs open, barely on its hinges, under a sagging and partially collapsed porch.
Part of the front porch has collapsed but it still allows entry to the building. The two exterior doors are damaged but are still sound and easily repaired with an hour’s worth of work and a successful DC 15 Craft (carpentry) skill check. The locks on the doors are rusted beyond repair and must be replaced (see page 128 of the Player’s Handbook for prices). The walls and doors have the following statistics.
Wooden Doors: 1½ in. thick; hardness 5; hp 15; Break DC 18.
Stone Walls: 1 ft. thick; hardness 8; hp 90; Break DC 35; Climb DC 20 (15 with vines).

The Interior

Small mounds of debris litter the floor of the building’s interior. Loose stones, dead weeds, and grime cover virtually every surface. Paintings must have once adorned the place as indicated by the particular stain patterns marring the walls. The only light comes from thin shafts sneaking in from outside illuminating clouds of dust dancing through the stale air.

The Living Room (EL 3)

The first floor of the manor consists of five chambers. The largest of these is the living room, part of which has completely collapsed. A staircase in the living room is chocked with debris and leads to the remains of the second floor.

Four of Ssyath’s lizardfolk troops claim this room as their quarters. Three will fight anyone who enters the manor while the fourth will run to the office to alert Ssyath.

Lizardfolk (4) CR 1
NE Medium Humanoid (Reptilian) (Monster Manual 169)
Init +0; Senses Spot +0; Listen +0
Languages Draconic
AC 15, touch 10, flat-footed 15
hp 11(2 HD)
Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +0
Spd 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +2 (1d4+1) and bite +0 (1d4)
Base Atk +1; Grp +2
Abilities Str 13, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 10
SQ hold breath
Feats Multiattack
Skills Balance +4, Jump +5, Swim +2

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The Office (EL 2)

Directly to the right of the living room space is what an office was once. The bookshelves and desk have thoroughly rotted and what few tomes and mine maps remain are ruined and illegible. Now this room serves as the quarters for the lizardfolk scout leader, Ssyath. Ssyath has been tasked by Shukak, at the suggestion of the dragon Ilthane, to spy upon the town of Diamond Lake. Shukak plans on sacking the town after the fall of the Blackwall Keep garrison.

Ssyath CR 2
Male lizardfolk ranger 1
NE Medium Humanoid (Reptilian) (Monster Manual 169)
Init -1; Senses Spot +3, Listen +3
Languages Draconic
AC 16, touch 9, flat-footed 16
hp 25 (3 HD)
Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +0
Spd 30 ft.
Melee club +7 (1d6+3) and bite +1 (1d4+1) or 2 claws +2 (1d4+1) and bite +0 (1d4)
Base Atk +2; Grp +4
Attack Options favored enemy humanoid (human) +2
Combat Gear masterwork club, 3 potions of cure light wounds and a potion of remove paralysis
Abilities Str 17, Dex 8, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14
SQ hold breath, wild empathy +3
Feats Multiattack, Track, Weapon Focus (club)
Skills Balance +4, Jump +5, Listen +3, Spot +3, Swim +2
Possessions combat gear, heavy shield made from a large turtle shell, masterwork club

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Treasure: Carefully hidden in the desk are two scrolls in watertight cases (DC 20 search). The first is an arcane scroll containing detect secret doors, grease and darkvision. The second is a divine scroll with shillelagh, cure light wounds, and hold person.

The Dining Room (EL 4)

Adjoining the living room is a sizable dining room. Any furniture that remains in the room is completely soiled and worthless. Ssyath has brought with him two monitor lizards that he uses as guards for this room. The hungry lizards attack any non-lizardfolk who enters.

Lizard, monitor (2) CR 2
N medium animal (Monster Manual 275)
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Spot +4, Listen +4
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13
hp 22 (3 HD)
Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +2
Spd 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee bite +5 (1d8+4)
Base Atk +2; Grp +5
Abilities Str 17, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Feats Alertness, Great Fortitude
Skills Climb +7, Hide +6 (+8 forest), Listen +4, Move Silently +6, Spot +5, Swim +11

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Treasure: Ssyath uses the monitor lizards to guard the treasure he has acquired during his campaign. Underneath the debris in this room he has hidden a locked chest (DC 15) containing 477 gp and 345 sp. Also underneath the debris is a suit of banded mail, a longsword, and a heavy steel shield that Ssyath took from a garrison member he ambushed and killed. If the remains are returned to the Diamond Lake garrison, the characters will be rewarded with 25 each and given a small medal worth 5 gp for their service.

The Kitchen

The kitchen contains an actual fire pit, but the chimney is blocked and must be cleared before it can be used. A staircase chocked with debris leads downstairs to a crude cellar.

The Pantry (EL 2)

The pantry, attached to the kitchen, has a number of empty and broken shelves along with two empty barrels.

Ssyath keeps the groups food stores in this location. He keeps the pantry locked at all times, but as an extra measure to discourage his troops from sneaking rations, he keeps three medium vipers as well. The vipers will spring forth and attack when the pantry door is opened.

Snake, medium vipers (3) CR 1
N medium animal (Monster Manual 280)
Init +3; Senses scent; Spot +5, Listen +5
AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13
hp 9 (2 HD)
Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +0
Spd 20 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
Melee bite +4 (1d4-1 plus poison)
Base Atk +1; Grp +0
Abilities Str 8, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Balance +11, Climb +11, Hide +12, Listen +5, Spot +5, Swim +7
Poison (Ex): Injury, DC 11, 1d6 Con/1d6 Con.

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Treasure: The pantry contains 16 days worth of trail rations, and four waterskins. Also cleverly hidden among some refuse is a potion of resist energy (acid).

Second Story

The second story of the manor is in complete ruins. Although there is no roof in its current state, the floor above prevents most of the rainwater from leaking into the first floor.

Cellar (EL 2)

The cellar is partially collapsed, but appears to be stable at the current time. Along one wall, a crumbling wine rack still stands, although others have already plundered it, leaving a pile of empty and broken bottles at its base. Ominous squeaking sounds can be heard coming from the basement with a Listen check (DC 10).

Numerous rats live in the cellar. Most are harmless, but a few dire rats are also present. They will attempt to swarm any characters that disturb the cellar.

Dire rats (6) CR 1/3
N Small animal (Monster Manual 64)
Init +3; Senses low-light vision, scent; Spot +4, Listen +4
AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 12
hp 5 (1 HD)
Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +3
Spd 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee bite +4 (1d4 plus disease)
Base Atk +0; Grp -4
Abilities Str 10, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 4
Feats Alertness, Weapon Finesse
Skills Climb +11, Hide +8, Listen +4, Move Silently +4, Spot +4, Swim +11
Disease (Ex): Filth fever—bite, Fortitude DC 11, incubation period 1d3 days, damage 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: Dire rats have a +8 racial bonus on Swim checks. Dire rats have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.
Dire rats use their Dexterity modifier for Climb and Swim checks.

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Treasure: Hidden away among the refuse are some old mining items that the characters may find useful in the future, including a climber’s kit, a hooded lantern, 3 flasks of oil, a miner’s pick, 6 torches and 50 feet of hemp rope. Also included are a breathing mask, two miner’s helmets and miner’s outfits, a pickaxe and a rockhammer (see Wormfood Dragon 334). A careful search also turns up a small wooden chest containing 140 gp, 341 sp, an elixir of swimming, a scroll of burning hands, and a potion of reduce person.

I started the Whispering Cairn last week and so far my players are loving it. Last week we started with a variant of the mine office side trek (that I'll post in another thread) and this week the players went through the false tomb. We ended with the encounter with the acid beetle swarm. It was tough, but they made it through with only the loss of an animal companion.

For those who may be curious as to how to get the whole thing started, here's the text from the handout I gave to my instigators as suggested by the module:

The Latest Gossip in Diamond Lake

Amazing news is flowing through the streets of Diamond Lake. Adventurers have come to town! And not just any adventurers, these were real champions from the Free City of Greyhawk itself!
A man named Auric was the leader of the small group. He is a dashingly handsome man with well-coiffed blonde hair and a very muscular build. He has made no secret of the fact that he is the greatest gladiator from the Free City arena. He wears a unique red and black leather belt topped with the representation of a haunted female face. Those people who had been to the Free City games instantly recognized this as the Champion’s Belt of the Free City Arena.
A beautiful elven rogue seems to be the marksman of the group. She wears a blue cloak, red top, and black leather pants accented by black elbow length gloves and thigh high boots. She has introduced herself as Tirra and she appears very self assured, openly flirting with the rough and tumble crowd of the Feral Dog. She enjoys games of chance, and has challenged anyone who thinks they can take her in a dagger throwing contest.
The last member of the group is the more mysterious man Auric refers to as Khellek. This balding, dark-haired human wears a high collared red cape, clasped with a skull. Khellek is clearly older than Auric, although it was difficult to tell his age in comparison to the elf Tirra.

(Insert picture of Auric and company from the online supplement here).

Speculation runs rampant as to why they are here. This richly dressed trio has been frequenting the Feral Dog, Diamond Lakes’ most notorious (and dangerous) tavern. The small group has been asking a lot of question about the Stirgenest Cairn, one of the many ancient burial sites that are scattered about the Cairn Hills where Diamond Lake is located. Everyone in town, though, knows that there is nothing there of interest. The town’s youth constantly explore the ancient site, and have always found it completely empty of marvel and harmless to say the least.
But that isn’t the only site at which the youth of the town have played. It wasn’t common knowledge, but those children who had recently grown up in Diamond Lake knew of another cairn about a day’s ride outside of the town. The cairn is near an old iron mine that went dry about fifty years ago, and was abandoned a few years later when the manager mysteriously died. About a decade ago, several children found the nearby cairn while camping out by the mine. Since then, the town’s youth have dared each other to venture into the cyclopean entrance to prove their bravery. Most found the place too scary, for when the wind was just right, haunting and almost magical tones would emanate from the depths of the forgotten tomb. Those who have been to the tomb have called it the Whispering Cairn.
Visits to the Whispering Cairn became less frequent about six years ago when a girl mysteriously vanished while sleeping in the cairn. Now children still dare to go to the entrance of the tomb, but none enter. The secrets of the cairn have since remained undiscovered.
It stands to reason that if famed adventurers from the Free City have bothered to come to the inconsequential town of Diamond Lake, they must be in search of some hidden treasure. Right now they’re asking about the wrong place, but it would only be a matter of time before they learn of the Whispering Cairn.
Maybe a group of intrepid youth could investigate the Whispering Cairn first and plunder its hidden secrets? The office to the abandoned mine would serve as a perfect meeting place and base of operations for just such an expedition. Perhaps you should gather your friends and seek fortune and glory in the ancient halls of the Whispering Cairn.

Hi Everyone,

It's my first post here and I have a question about the AOW. I'm getting ready to start the Whispering Cairn this Friday and I need to know how many players the AOW adventures are scaled for. I've of course read the adventures themselves which say they are for four players, but there seems to be some disagreement on this board that they may be written for six players (though I wonder if this is confusion due to the Shackled City hardback).

James Jacobs, any way I could get an official answer to this so I know what to do? I have 7 players so it does matter. If its written for 6 players then I'm just fine, but if its only for 4 players then I need to up the encounters.

BTW, if it is only for 4 players has anyone addressed the issue of handing out extra treasure? Its easy enough to scale the encounters to handle more players (add more minions, etc.) but there isn't much guidance on adding treasure.

Crazy Duck