Hey there Barachiel. I don't think either Gnutten or I check this forum as much as we used to, but I can answer some of this. - Regarding the Wardens of Runes and Wardens of Storms, they have the Fighter Simple Template you can find by googling "Pathfinder Fighter simple template" or searching it on Archives of Nethys. It grants a +4 bonus to STR, Armor Training (class level = HD), Weapon Training in one weapon category (class level = HD), and a number of bonus feats equal to 1 + 1 per 4 HD. Massive bonus in the martial capabilities of a creature; I still use Wardens of Storms and Wardens of Runes in my gestalt Return campaign and they're still lethal threats. - That said, ACs higher than 50 aren't really something the game's math is well-equipped to deal with. Stripping buffs, targeting saves, and targeting CMD can all be a great help. Awesome Blow, Greater Overrun, Giant's Crush, and Giant's Wallop might be handy combat options if you need to rely on maneuvers and only the most accurate attacks. Use Furious Focus to avoid taking the ATK penalties on vital strike/power attacks. - Regarding Karzoug, both Gnutten and I recommend the use of mind blank to avoid divinations like greater arcane sight. Combine with limited wish (greater invisibility) to create a real pest of a wizard. While neither Gnutten nor I recommended this strategy, Karzoug does have the material components for limited wish on hand and can spontaneously cast it via his bound item glaive. - Regarding mage's disjunction, there's not really a lot of counterplay to that spell. I've banned it in my games. Beyond that, there's aroden's spellbane, but in-lore that is a rather secret spell designed well after Karzoug hid away in his runewell, so depending on your table it might be seen as quite bad manners for him to know it. If it's still an option, I just recommend banning mage's disjunction on both sides of the equation. Try wall of suppression, prismatic wall, and greater dispel to strip your party's buffs - both Gnutten and I recommended these spells in Karzoug's loadout, and the Wardens of Runes and Wardens of Thunder come packing Awesome Blow / Awesome Charge to knock PCs through the walls. Hope this is in time to help out your campaign, and good luck with your finale.
Book 4 Part 3: Pride's Heart Part 3 (Refuge and Sanctum) N. Refuge of Violet Vanity Note: The stat blocks provided in the AP for the Shadow Servants claim to be CR 12, but are actually CR 11. I have some actual CR 12 stat blocks in the google docs. N3. Kitchen (CR 14)
N4. Pantry (CR 0 or 12)
Note: The Shadow Servant here is sweeping the pantry if Xanderghul is not present, or else crouching down and counting vegetables to Xanderghul if he is. N5. False Shrines (CR 14)
Note: These traps cannot send someone to another plane as long as the dimensional lock is in place. N6. Arcane Laboratory (CR 14)
N8. Library (CR 13)
Note: The Shadow Servant in this room (for 6 PCs) rushes to participate in any combat it overhears in nearby rooms, but if the party makes it to this room without creating a ruckus, the Shadow Servant will start in the southwest corner, cleaning the library stacks. It will come to investigate once the party begins speaking to the Shadow Librarian, but the Shadow Librarian will instruct it not to attack. If a fight later breaks out in the room, the Shadow Servant will always join whichever side is attacking the PCs, even if that means attacking the Shadow Librarian as well. Treasure changes (ABP):
- 4 PCs: Replace the tome of leadership and influence with a page of spell knowledge iii (tongues)
- 5 PCs: Replace the tome of leadership and influence with a page of spell knowledge v (phantasmal web), planar parchment - 6 PCs: Replace the tome of leadership and influence with a page of spell knowledge vi (psychic asylum) N9. Lavish Bedroom
O. Sanctum
O3. Resurrection Chamber (CR 18)
Treasure Changes (ABP):
- 4 PCs: A portable hole containing a periapt of proof against poison, a ring of freedom of movement, 24 gems each worth 500gp, and Thassilonian coins worth a total of 14,400 gp
- 5 PCs: A portable hole containing a periapt of proof against poison, a sash of flowing water, a ring of chameleon power, 30 gems each worth 500gp, and Thassilonian coins worth a total of 17,450 gp - 6 PCs: 5 PCs: A portable hole containing a +2 defiant longsword, a periapt of proof against poison, a ring of evasion, a sash of flowing water, a rod of selective spell (greater), 25 gems each worth 500gp, and Thassilonian coins worth a total of 15,500 gp Note: The treasure hoards for 5 and 6 PCs here remove the ring of freedom of movement, which is instead worn by Zurea Salvus. If you do not give her this ring, put it back here, replacing the ring of chameleon power or ring of evasion. In addition, I am working on another alternative Boss Fight following this fight, in which removing the Violet Rod plunges the PCs into a demiplane to face the Peacock Spirit. I will post that once I’ve had a chance to playtest it with my own group.
Book 4 Part 3: Pride's Heart Part 2: Dungeons and Vault L. Dungeon of Fiery Fury
Overview:
This dungeon floor is essentially split into two combat encounters with exploration and roleplay in the middle. The adhukait in L2 (and the Japalisura for 5 or 6 PCs) serve as an introduction to the floor’s theme and the abilities of asura. The second encounter starts with a powerful lone enemy (Belevaan), but quickly turns into a group brawl as the Adhukaits from L9 and Dhanishti from L13 join the fray. Between the two is the scene with Hobbin and the search for the Pharasman corpses. Stealth through this floor is possible, but diplomacy is not. L2. Intake (CR 13)
L3. Cellblock (CR 0 or 12)
Resplendent Development: Hobbin may be found in a cell in this room, while Corstela Rostrata now occupies L4. L7. Acid Pit (CR 13)
L8. The Racks (CR 12+)
Note 1: The Fighter version of Belevaan has significantly improved gear, helping to adjust for the treasure changes for a 5-person party on this floor. Note 2: Due to the telepathic connection shared between Belevaan and his peers, his allies roll initiative as soon as he does, but are also surprised if he is. L9. Maintenance (CR 12-)
L13 Inquisitor’s Office (CR 13-)
Note: The level 9 version of Dhanishti has significantly improved gear, and accounts for most of the increased treasure for a 6-person party for this floor. Treasure changes (ABP):
- 4 PCs: glove of storing containing a +1 flaming starknife, a pearl of power (level 2), and 630pp
- 5 PCs: glove of storing containing a +1 flaming starknife, a pearl of power (level 3), and 1,130pp - 6 PCs: glove of storing containing a +1 flaming starknife, a pearl of power (level 3), an ebony fly figurine of wondrous power, and 720pp M. Vault of Crimson Longing
Overview:
While this floor is arranged as a series of individual encounters, for the most part encounters are intended to cascade into each other. The last surviving Inverted Giant flees to Vuhsias, Vuhsias retreats to Kasmalogg, and Tuirziaz comes to support Kasmalogg once she hears fighting. The addition of a Fire Giant Glaive is intended to make this cascade more reliable, as a fleeing Inverted Giant only has to retreat for a single round before encountering an ally, rather than 2.
However, most creatures on this floor are distracted, willing to talk, or at least vulnerable to mind-affecting effects, so preventing a combat cascade is probably part of the intended formula here. I suggest making that explicit to your players once the Inverted Giant begins to flee. In addition, I have two suggestions to help encourage that angle. 1. A hidden passwall accessible to medium or smaller creatures connecting M2 to M11, discoverable via see invisibility or similar magic, or with a DC 30 Perception check for those inspecting the room. This more reliably would allow a PC to encounter Tuirziaz in the Map Room. 2. A closed set of doors between M2 and M3. This would make the Inverted Giant’s escape much less likely (and hide the Inverted Giant corpses from the Fire Giant Glaive for 5 or 6 PCs). M2. Giant Cells (CR 13+) - 4 PCs: 2 Inverted Giants (150hp)
*These secondary inverted giants begin in their cells, recovering from their work. They are fatigued. Their cells are unlocked, and they will still react to the party’s presence. However, the portcullis is heavy, and requires 1 round for these giants to lift. M3. and M4. Mess Hall and Pantry (CR 0 or 12)
Note: This giant is currently in the process of preparing the giants’ next meal, a task which distracts them greatly. If the PCs battle the inverted giants, this giant will initially be in M4 and fail to hear the noise. After 2d6 rounds, they will exit the pantry and enter the mess hall, overhearing any ongoing combats, cautiously investigating before fleeing to Vuhsias in M5 for aid. If Vuhsias falls or flees there, they will continue their retreat to Kasmalogg. M5. Training Hall (CR 13)
M6. Indoctrination Hall (CR 14)
M8. Secret Shrine (CR 14)
Trap:
DELAYED BLAST FIREBALL TRAP CR 14
Type magic; Perception DC 30; Disable Device DC 30 EFFECTS Trigger touch; Reset automatic (1 minute) Effect spell effect (delayed blast fireball, DC 21, 15d6. Detonates on initiative 10 the turn after it appears; if the trap wasn’t detected, it appears on a surprise round). M9. Map Room (CR 15)
*: The shield golem’s stored spell is hold monster (DC 19). Treasure Changes (ABP): - 4 PCs: potions of cure serious wounds (12), scrolls of cure moderate wounds, mass (2) - 5 PCs: potions of cure serious wounds (12), scrolls of cure moderate wounds, mass (2), wand of cure serious wounds [35 charges] - 6 PCs: potions of cure serious wounds (12), scrolls of cure serious wounds, mass (2), wand of cure critical wounds [30 charges]; Tuirziaz’s golem amulet is a massive sapphire necklace worth 10,000gp
Book 4 Part 3: Pride's Heart Part 1 (Gatehouse and Nave) J. Gatehouse (CR 13)
Shrines:
- 4 PCs: Green (poison immunity, SR 26)
- 5 or 6 PCs: Green (poison immunity, SR 26), Indigo (fast healing 10) J1. Overgrown Approach
J2. Narthex
K. Nave of Indigo Decadence
Enemy Scaling in the Nave of Indigo Decadence:
The Nave of Indigo Decadence provides a particular challenge to scale, as an increased population at the temple would create logistical issues. Ultimately I think the best way to scale the difficulty of a large-scale attack on the Nave is to include new enemies, such as asura or constructs who serve as Temple guards. However, for the sake of preserving the style of these encounters in their original form, this guide will instead recommend powering up individual sets of creatures rather than adding new ones. Which creatures should be swapped are listed below:
- 4 PCs: Peacock Spirit Cultists [Lv. 5] -> [Lv. 7] - 5 PCs: Peacock Spirit Cultists [Lv. 5] -> [Lv. 7]; Peacock Spirit Priests [Lv. 9 -> Lv. 10]; Zurea Salvus [Lv. 13 -> Lv. 14] - 6 PCs: Peacock Spirit Cultists [Lv. 5] -> [Lv. 7]; Peacock Spirit Priests [Lv. 9 -> Lv. 10, Invincible Mythic Simple Template]; Zurea Salvus [Lv. 13 -> Lv. 14 Mythic] Development: The Order of Resplendence:
In the event that your party spared Corstela and the other leaders of the Order of Resplendence back in Book 1, there is a good opportunity here for them to make a new appearance here in the Grand Temple. I have included leveled-up stat blocks for Corstela, Kantulin, and Alden, and will provide some suggestions for their placement (noted under “Resplendent Development”) and new RP notes for them within the character sheets themselves. K2. Cathedral Entrance (CR 7)
K3. Dining Hall (CR 10)
K4. Dormitory (CR 13)
Resplendent Development: Swap a Peacock Priest for Alden Tilaresk K5. The Peacock Spirit’s Pulpit (CR 12 or 14 and CR 10)
Trap
Treasure changes (ABP):
- 4 PCs: +1 human-bane dagger, mitre of the hierophant, divine scroll of heal, divine scrolls of sending (3), divine scrolls of cure critical wounds (3), divine scrolls of align weapon (2) 340pp, 450gp
- 5 PCs: +1 human-bane dagger, mitre of the hierophant, divine scrolls of heal (2), divine scrolls of sending (3), divine scroll of mass cure moderate wounds (2), divine scrolls of align weapon (2), 340pp, 6,600gp - 6 PCs: +1 human-bane dagger, mitre of the hierophant, divine scrolls of heal (3), divine scrolls of sending (3), divine scroll of greater restoration, divine scrolls of align weapon (2) 340pp, 8,500gp K6. Library (CR 13)
Resplendent Development: Add Kantulin, Her Pridebound Assistant Treasure changes (ABP)
K7. Gallery (CR 13)
Bonus Event: The Sleeping Serpent This event takes place in the clearing north of map J, and is intended to potentially provide a place for PCs to rest and learn more information about the valley. Here are my notes on it - feel free to include it in your campaign if you'd like an excuse to have a bolla and basavan in your campaign. The Clearing:
Here at the northern edge of the lake, you find a clearing where the poisonous flora of the forest does not extend, but rather the natural grasses of the mountains. The nearby cliff extends far, far up towards the sky, almost impossible in its regularity. You see no sign of a Peacock Shrine, but something feels distinctly . . . off about this clearing. The PCs may investigate further through several avenues. - Survival (DC 20) reveals clear signs that a large creature has repeatedly passed through here recently. It looks like a huge-sized humanoid that uses its hands to aid in movement, like an ape. - Perception (DC 30) reveals that the grass appears to phase into the cliff wall along a narrow stretch - an illusion here is hiding the actual shape of the cliff wall. - Detect magic reveals a powerful illusion aura along the cliff face. Arcane sight can reveal that that aura is a screen spell, a powerful illusion to cloak a large area in an illusion that fools scrying effects, along with all humanoid-typical senses. - Detect magic, greater reveals that many divination spells have been cast in this area - twelve of them, to be exact. Likely someone here has been casting a divination spell in this area daily. If a PC decides to investigate the cliff wall, they can make a DC 25 Perception check to locate a cave opening along the cliff face. A PC with true seeing automatically passes this check. The Cave:
If the PCs enter the cave, read the following:
The passage here is narrow, but about fifteen feet high. After the initial 50', the passage opens up greatly, descending into a natural cave about 30' high and up to 50' wide. A rack for carrying two buckets the size of bathtubs sits in the cave, but that's not the only sign that something lives down here - from somewhere deeper within the cave, you can hear the sound of music. A singular wind instrument playing a lonely melody. However, the cave has many passages branching out from it leading deeper into the mountain. It requires a DC 25 Kn: Dungeoneering check to follow the correct path towards the music without becoming lost. Doing so brings the PCs about 500 feet deeper within the cavern's passages, bringing them to the following tableau: Following the music through the mountain's passages, you come to a ridge overlooking a deep cavern; even from a cursory glance, you can see that this cavern's walls have been magically carved and smoothed, perhaps better to bear the huge paintings that cover most of them. The ceiling is 60 tall, with the ridge you're standing on emerging about 40 feet up. Below you, sitting beside a large, smokeless fire, is a giant covered in wild, tawny hair from head to foot, playing an ocarina that must be the size of your torso. Deeper still lies a circular tunnel. at least 15' in diameter. The giant's eyes settle on you as you get a good look of the cavern, but they do not stop their playing. A PC who makes a DC 30 Perception check can hear - or perhaps more likely feel - the slumbering breath of some enormous creature further within the tunnel. PCs can identify this creature as a basavan with a DC 25 Kn: Nature or History check. Stories of the basavan are old tales in Varisia - stories of friendly giants that care for the wilderness and protect communities and forests from encroachment by monsters, disease, and poachers. These stories have become much less friendly in recent centuries, as basavan have abandoned their old forests or been ousted by settlers. A DC 25 Kn: Local check can also reveal that basavan are long-lived craftsmen and artists, and often are reticent to talk to humans who do not share their passsions. If the PCs try and speak to the giant, he will pause for a moment and reply (first in Terran, then in Sylvan, then in Giant): "There is no time for words. Leave, before you disturb it any further. I must continue to play." At the end of the circular tunnel likes a bolla, an ancient monster bred by the Runelords of Sloth to destroy and devour their enemies, driven by insatiable hunger. The bolla has slept deep within this cave for centuries, but in the years since the cult of the Peacock Spirit has returned, its sleep has grown restless. Ruther's song lulls the creature into deeper sleep, but this requires quite a commitment during the day - if Ruther should cease playing for more than 2d6 minutes, the bolla will waken to devour the cult and everything else living in the valley. A Sense Motive check (DC 30) can provide a clue about the basavan's actions - the DC is reduced by 10 if the PCs have heard the breathing of the bolla below. Clever PCs who wish for the opportunity to speak to Ruther without resorting to compelling his speech with magic may make a DC 20 Perform (keyboard, sing, strings, or wind) check to imitate Ruther's song to keep the bolla placid while giving Ruther a chance to speak. Speaking with Ruther: Whether his cooperation is secured by music or magic, Ruther can provide a substantial amount of information. First read the following, then allow the PCs to ask questions as they wish. While Ruther is not lonely for his solitude here, he welcomes talk with others, so long as they seem peaceful and respectful of nature.
The giant lowers his ocarina - this time not only from his lips, but sets it down in his lap. He gestures at the fire beside him, inviting you to sit. […] "Greetings, strangers to this mountain. I am Ruther, a basavan as you might have guessed, and a keeper to the Chavali River. You've come to this Temple of an ancient god, but you are not yourselves pilgrims, are you?" What are you doing down here, playing music all alone? "A serpent dwells within this mountain, venerable even by my reckoning. It has slumbered at the bottom of this cave for longer than I, or my father before me knew. And that is good, for its kind are filled with an insatiable hunger matched only by their indolence. It might have well slumbered forever if humans has not returned to this valley, but now its rest grows restless. Nothing good will come of that." Why not just slay the serpent? "The serpent's hunger and its immense strength are nothing to be punished for. To live is to eat, to eat is to kill. I will not slay it for abiding by this principle. I simply do not wish for others to suffer for a mistake they did not know they were making." If the PCs can make a compelling argument on behalf of the valley's safety, Ruther can be convinced that the bolla should die with a DC 35 diplomacy check. This DC can be lowered by 10 if the PCs manage to make Ruther Helpful through magic or other means. What do you know about this valley? "This valley overlooks the first tributary of the Chavali River. An illusion hides this place, making the tributary's headwaters appear to come from much higher up in the mountain than it really does. This temple was abandoned long, long ago, but it resists the call of nature to erode and decay. Even its keeper, the Forester, supports this eternal stagnation. So it is. But nevertheless, it is within my territory, and I assure no harm comes to the river." What do you know about the humans here? "The humans here serve an ancient god that was worshipped in this place. A peacock god of many colors. They returned to the valley through the means of a ritual several years ago, and made peaceful contact with the Forester and the other keepers of the Temple. Now they serve another human, and more humans have come to the valley. You are the first that I have seen who do not appear to serve this god." If the PCs manage to have a conversation with Ruthers, he'll end the conversation by offering this cave as a place to take shelter while the PCs here. He will also urge them to consider an approach other than violence in solving their disputes with the cult of the Peacock Spirit, if they discuss that with him.
Book 4 Part 2: Cultists in the Clouds Scaling the Grand Temple:
By its design, the Grand Temple isn’t particularly friendly to being ‘scaled up’ with greater numbers of enemies, so I struggled for quite some time to come up with a scheme of raising the difficulty of encounters for larger parties without simply increasing the level/CR of each individual creature. Here is my recommendation.
- 5 PCs: Inhabitants of the valley gain the benefits of any Peacock Shrines in adjacent maps, as well as those from an earlier part of the temple. - 6 PCs: Inhabitants of the valley gain the benefits of all surface shrines, as well as those from an earlier part of the temple. As this will effectively provide no benefit to maps K-O, more typical scaling measures will be employed there. I will note at the start of each map which shrines will be expected to be active in each case at the start of the map section. Map Change Suggestions:
There are three changes I’d make to the layout of the Grand Temple that are conveniently easy to implement with the maps we’re provided from the AP.
1. North of point J on the map includes a brush-hidden entrance to a deep cavern that clearly serves as the living space of a giant creature. A basavan can be found within, playing soothing music to prevent an ancient bolla’s restless slumber from being broken. The basavan has lived in this valley for the past several decades, and has managed to continue their life here without being detected by the Peacock Cult. 2. Following the spiral staircase behind the secret door in K5 leads to a landing 200 feet down, which splits into two separate stairs. One is labeled ‘Dungeons of Fiery Fury’ and the other is labeled ‘Vault of Crimson Longing’. The stairs leading down in both of these dungeons lead to the same landing, which then descends to the Refuge of Violet Vanity. 3. Ideally, I’d like a connection from the Peacock Lake to Map M, such that someone who swims to the bottom of the lake can enter either M4 or M9. It would need to be a permeable barrier concealed by the screen that covers the valley. I haven’t figured out a reasonable implementation yet, however. B. The Cloister of Cerulean Languor
Shrines:
- 4 PCs: Blue (summoning exception)
- 5 PCs: Blue (summoning exception), Yellow (DR 10/-, energy resist 30 (all)) - 6 PCs: Blue (summoning exception), Yellow (DR 10/-, energy resist 30 (all)), Green (poison immunity, SR 26), Indigo (fast healing 10) B1. Arrival Chamber (CR 12)
B2. Guard Post (CR 13)
B3. Cyan Pools
C. Glorious Approach (CR 15)
Shrines:
- 4 PCs: Blue (summoning exception) - 5 PCs: Blue (summoning exception), Yellow (DR 10/-, energy resist 30 (all)) - 6 PCs: Blue (summoning exception), Yellow (DR 10/-, energy resist 30 (all)), Green (poison immunity, SR 26), Indigo (fast healing 10) C2. Guard Towers
C5. Jailer’s Quarters
Treasure changes
E. Garrison of Golden Greed
Shrines:
- 4 PCs: Yellow (DR 10/-, energy resist 30 (all)) - 5 PCs: Yellow (DR 10/-, energy resist 30 (all)), Green (poison immunity, SR 26) - 6 PCs: Yellow (DR 10/-, energy resist 30 (all)), Green (poison immunity, SR 26), Indigo (fast healing 10) Garrison HP Scaling:
Wereboar Barbarians - 4 PCs: 120 hp - 5 PCs: 130 hp - 6 PCs: 150 hp Karrigan Patch
Hobgoblin Warrior
Hobgoblin Bombardier
Old Haanshu
E3. Garbage Room (CR 10)
E5. Sparring Room (CR 11)
E6. Kitchen (CR 8)
E7. Karrigan’s Den (CR 12)
Treasure changes:
E9. Commissary (CR 9)
E10. Storage (CR 11)
E11. Alchemy Lab (CR 9)
Treasure change (ABP):
E12. Barracks (CR 11 or 12)
E13. Old Haanshu’s Lair (CR 12)
Treasure changes (ABP)
F. Flourishing Grove (CR 13)
Shrines:
- 4 PCs: No shrine benefits - 5 PCs: Green (poison immunity, SR 26) - 6 PCs: Green (poison immunity, SR 26), Indigo (fast healing 10) Encounter
Note: The animated trees and leaves are not considered residents of the valley, and thus do not benefit from the shrines’ blessings. G. Jade Guardians of Jealousy (CR 14 and CR 12)
Shrines:
4 PCs: Green (poison immunity, SR 26) 5 or 6 PCs: Green (poison immunity, SR 26), Indigo (fast healing 10) Encounter
Note: I’d recommend swapping out the shining children’s Ability Focus (blinding aura) feat for Combat Casting. Two free action DC 25 Fort saves or permanent blind is likely to be beyond your party’s capabilities to deal with at this level. Trap
H. Peacock Lake (CR 13)
Shrines:
4 PCs: no shrine benefits 5 or 6 PCs: (poison immunity, SR 26), Indigo (fast healing 10) Encounter
Treasure changes (ABP)
Once your party either Deactivates 3 Peacock Shrines or Enters the Grand Temple, they level up to 13!
Event 1: Dragon Displaced
A. The Therassic Library A2. Lecture Hall (CR 14+)
Note: The Time Flayers in this room are under a similar veil effect as the Time Dimensional, themselves as scholars of Thassilon. If the Steward of Stethelos protects the PCs from a lethal blow from any enemies in this battle, all of them are banished. A4. Hallway (CR 11)
A7. Unfinished Cauldron
A8. Impossible Room
Note: The changes to this hazard are intended to make the hazard a meaningful potential hazard, or potential tool, in the upcoming Event 2. It also aims to avoid completely neutralizing a PC from that encounter or the encounter in the library should they fail their saving throw. A9. Library (CR 13+)
Event 2: Removing the Distortions (CR 12)
Note 1: The number of Hounds of Tindalos have been increased to account for the reduced threat of them entering at a staggered pace. As a result, the CR remains the same across all iterations. Note 2: I recommend limiting the effect of teleportation effects such as dimension door once the party has acquired the Book of Serpents, Ashes, and Acorns, with such effects failing in the library, and requiring a DC 26 CL check in other rooms. A failed check results in the PC appearing at a random room in the dungeon - roll 1d8, with each number corresponding to its map label. Event 3: Research
Treasure Changes, Ninuron's Hoard (ABP):
- 4 PCs: +2 towershield, +1 corrosive warhammer, +1 seeking heavy crossbow, deck of illusions, tremor boots
Once the PCs have repaired the temporal fracture, they level up to level 12!
As you may have noticed from reading this guide, I am running this campaign for a set of gestalt PCs. When it comes to high-point-buy, mythic, or gestalt characters, increasing CR by adding mooks, as is typical advice, doesn’t quite cut it, as even powerful creatures can be easily overwhelmed or defended against thanks to high PC statistics. As a result, for my own game, I am adding ‘boss mechanics’ to certain encounters, including Zutha. These are largely homebrewed and inspired by my experience in other TTRPGs such as Pokemon Tabletop United, ICON, and D&D 4e. I’m including this section in my guide less as a recommendation for how to run your game, and more as a matter of sharing the work I’ve done to accommodate my own party. Here is a summary of the mechanics I’ve incorporated for “BOSS: Zutha Reborn” Scaling:
Zutha HP Scaling (BOSS Variant)
- 25 hp/phase per regular PC - 40 hp/phase per gestalt PC Example: Against a party of 3 gestalt PCs, Zutha’s first phase has 135 hp (120 + false life), and his second phase has 144 hp (120 + greater false life). Phases:
Phase 0 - For the first turn after Zutha begins to manifest, he is invulnerable to all damage and cannot be afflicted with any status effects. It is during this turn that his automatic spells (fly, false life, greater magic weapon, mage armor) activate. This turn is not counted against the 1 minute time limit.
Phase 1 - Zutha casts spells and wields his scythe exactly as outlined in his stat block in the NPC Gallery. Once his HP is depleted, his phase changes and his initiative changes to act next. Any additional damage after the fatal blow carries over into Phase 2. Phase 2 - Zutha cleanses all status effects and dispels all ongoing spells, including beneficial ones. Then, his automatic spells are cast again, though greater magic weapon is eliminated and false life is replaced with greater false life. Zutha discards his scythe and gains the Zutha’s Fragment (Gestalt) stat block. Any spells already cast remain used. Dual Initiative:
Zutha’s Fragment gains the Dual Initiative mythic trait. However, what he can do on each individual initiative is limited.
First Initiative (Phase 1): Zutha has a full set of actions (standard, move, swift), and must use his standard action to cast a spell or activate a special ability. This follows his stated tactics as the book.
First Initiative (Phase 2): Zutha has a full set of actions (standard, move, swift), preferring to attack or grapple enemies in melee, or use damaging spells if he cannot.
Boss Abilities:
Boss abilities are unique standard actions that can only be used during Zutha’s second initiative, and are phase-specific. Only one Boss Ability can be used in a given round, and he cannot use the same Boss Ability in two consecutive rounds (except for Summon, which has a maximum allowance for the fight provided on Page 1).
Scythe Sweep [Su] (Phase 1): As a standard action, Zutha imbues his scythe with violet flame and sweeps it in front of him, dealing 8d6 negative energy damage in a 20’ line (DC 23 Reflex save to half). This line can begin in any square adjacent to him and continue in any direction, although it cannot pass through him. This negative energy can only harm the living, it cannot heal undead. Lifehunt Scythe [Su] (Phase 1): As a standard action, Zutha makes a melee touch attack with his scythe, tearing through his enemy’s life essence. The attack deals 12d6 slashing damage (DC 23 Fort to half) and grants Zutha temporary hit points equal to half the damage dealt. These temporary hit points do not stack with those from false life, and have a duration of 1 minute. Summon [Sp] (Phase 1 or 2): As a standard action, Zutha commands the restless dead of Xin to rise within 60 feet. At the end of the turn, a mass of undead arrives or is animated as a Bonestorm, Lacedon Horde, or Bloody Skeletal Sea Serpent. The undead are under Zutha’s control as per control undead. The maximum number of each type Zutha can summon in this encounter is provided in the encounter changes on Page 1. Shackles of Pain [Sp] (Phase 2): As a standard action, Zutha wraps a chain around a target within 30’, binding them to him (DC 23 Will negates). For one round, any hit point damage Zutha takes is also taken by the target. In addition, the target cannot move more than 30’ from Zutha without making an opposed Strength check; if they succeed at the check, the effect is ended. This is a necromancy, force, pain effect. Deathblow [Ex] (Phase 2): As a standard action, Zutha can strike an adjacent helpless creature with such ferocity it tears through armor and flesh alike. This attack deals 6d6+24 bludgeoning damage; if the target is reduced to -1 or fewer hit points, they must save or have their heart ripped out (Fort DC 23 negates). At the start of Zutha’s next turn, the target dies unless they have been targeted with a regenerate spell or equivalent effect. Variant Tactics:
Turn 0: Zutha’s automatic spells activate as he manifests, but he takes no other actions.
Turn 1
Turn 2
Turn 3
Turn 4
Turns 5+ - On subsequent turns, Zutha will identify whoever has been his greatest threat so far and begin to focus them down with his remaining resources, such as a second quickened blindness/deafness, cone of cold, and empowered scorching ray. He’ll continue to alternate between scythe attacks and summons in phase 1 until he has summoned all the undead he can control. - In Phase 2, Zutha will instead try to eliminate his greatest threat through grapples, using a Greater Grapple -> Savage Slam -> Vicious Stomp combo to slow down their offense and gain the upper hand. He’ll use his spell actions to dissuade intervention through spells like black tentacles, telekinesis, and create pit while he defeats what he perceives as the greatest threat. As a lich, he believes he will return from the dead if killed, but that opponents he defeats now are unlikely to have the same luxury. I ran this variant combat with both of my (gesalt) parties and had a pretty great time with it. Zutha's abilities were consistently threatening, and he didn't immediately fold to their extremely aggressive tactics. Both me and my players were happy enough with it that I felt it was time to post it.
Hey K. Catgirl! Love this first look at the tweaks you're making. I tweaked, revised, and rewrote large chunks of this adventure as well and frequently look back at what could have been done to make a smoother and more enjoyable adventure overall. Like you, I was running a game almost entirely for sapphic players and felt inclined to swap around character genders to decrease repetition (only so many 'Manipulative Woman Controls Man Through Love and Sex' and 'Man Obsessed with Control kills Wife/Consort' narratives you can take in a single adventure) and make the NPCs more interesting for my players. I'll be keeping an eye on other tweaks you put forward, as I think your outline for the goblin tribes and Mama Graul are excellent changes that keep the adventure intact while making it more palatable for your players (I hadn't figured out how to salvage Graul at all and scrapped the whole section, which was not in the pacing's best interests!). Cordelia Vianu is another DM doing similar reworks posting in the "This time will be different" thread I see you're already following - they're my current DM. Here's to a hopeful next couple of years while you two run this adventure!
anyone got a backup or update for these? they all lead to dead links. I took a couple of those ideas and made a few of my own for a Siege of Magnimar scenario. Not as clean as my sheets for Xin-Shalast or anything but feel free to make any use of them that you can.
Great work vornn and Ziday! Someday soon it looks like we might be able to put together a library of maps, which would be an incredible boon for future DMs! The maps of Return are often extremely bare-bones (not to mention weirdly aligned), so I think this could really help DMs interested in this campaign. And vornn, wow! You went above and beyond with Roderic's Wreck. Almost makes me sad for anyone who isn't running their game via VTT.
I'll be making two posts on this short section. The first is just a standard scaling suggestion like I do for (almost) every fight. The second will be a variant version of the fight using some homebrewed mechanics specifically for gestalt/powerful parties. You can find the current version of the fight (not yet tested by my party) in the Drive above. I'll upload that version once I've had a chance to test it. Zutha Reborn (CR 14)
Note: These undead are drawn by Zutha's necromantic power and are under his control as per control undead. This control can be contested or dispelled as normal. 1 arrives at the end of each round until every allotted creature has been added to the combat. Zutha HP Scaling (Single Stat-block)
Once your party has defeated Runelord Zutha, they do not reach level 12! There's a discrepancy between Books 3 and 4 in saying when the party should reach level 12, and I will be making this guide assuming a Level 11 party for Book 4 Part 1. In addition, Alaznist's damage to the timestream means that they now roll twice and take the worse result on all Kn: History checks, and everyone has forgotten the names of the Sihedron Heroes.
Book 3 Part 4: The Sundered Seal D3. False Shrine (CR 12)
D3a. Quadrille Controls (CR 10)
Panthereon:
Panthereons are cat-headed clay golems which were once built to act as mighty guardians. To create a Panthereon, modify a clay golem as follows: CR 11, add bite +19 (4d6+7 plus cursed wound), speed 30 ft., add Improved Initiative as a bonus feat, change initiative modifier to +3. This particular Panthereon has a stag head with a gore attack, rather than a cat with a bite. D4. Quadrille (CR 11)
D5. Hexward Guard (CR 11)
D7. Eastern Stairs (CR 10)
D10. Monk Cells (CR 11)
D11. Collapsed Library (CR 11)
ABP Treasure changes:
Yssyr’s formula book is worth 1,000gp
- 4 PCs: Remove the book of the loremaster - 5 PCs: Keep the book of the loremaster - 6 PCs: Keep the book of the loremaster Note: For a four-person team, you could remove Ysyyr’s magical weapons and armor, as well as his poison, thus rendering him a non-combatant. If you do, keep the book of the loremaster as a hidden item. D12. Chapter Hall (CR 12)
ABP Treasure Changes:
The lectern is worth 650gp, weighs 50lb. Erigantus’s spellbook is worth 3,500gp.
- 4 PCs: Remove the lyre of building - 5 PCs: Remove the lyre of building, add a scroll of greater restoration - 6 PCs: Keep the lyre of building, add a scroll of greater restoration and a metamagic gem (empowering topaz) D13. The Sundered Seal (CR 0 or 11)
Battle in the Shrine:
The battle above and within the shrine can get quite complicated: the monks from D10, Erigantus and his totenmaskes from D12, Woaerym if she has retreated, and potentially even Ysyyr if the party opens doors carelessly or botches a stealthy infiltration. Before I outline scaling, I want to state some assumptions I’m making when tuning the difficulty - if you want to handle things differently, I suggest making small adjustments to balance the difficulty.
Assumption 1: Woaerym will flee rather than fight - once she knows the party has made it as far as the Overshrine, she will dimension door to D1 and flee Kaer Maga. Assumption 2: The party is unlikely to encounter Yssyr as part of the large fight - he will not be scaled for party size nor included in XP calculations. Assumption 3: The party will deal with these encounters at a staggered rate, neither all at once nor as completely separate encounters. I’m setting the entire encounter CR at 14 based on that, and suggesting changes aiming at that CR for larger or more powerful parties. Battle in the Shrine (CR 14)
Note: Totenmaskes are worth 1 Reborn Brother, Baykoks are worth 2 Reborn Brothers, and the Nightwinder Nightshade is worth 4 Reborn Brothers. If you want to switch up the enemy compositions, use those equivalencies as guidelines. Turn Pacing (5 PCs) [6 PCs] Round 1 - Reborn Brothers (+ Baykok) roll initiative and attack. [Nightwinder Nightshade rolls initiative but does not attack]. Erigantus is alerted to intruders. Round 2 - Erigantus casts cloak of shadows and alerts the nearby Totenmaskes to danger. Woaerym, if present, casts invisibility. [Nightwinder attacks or casts haste]. Round 3 - Erigantus casts invisibility before opening the door to observe the battle. Woaerym flees via dimension door. Round 4 - Erigantus casts eyes of the void, opens the door fully, and orders the totenmaskes to attack. Round 5 - Erigantus exits the room, delaying his turn first if necessary to ensure the party acts between the totenmaskes and his exit. He then casts finger of death. Treasure and XP summaries for this section are available within the Google doc notes for those curious. Once your party has retrieved the Bone Grimoire and met the Steward of Stethelos, they reach level 11!
Book 3 Part 3: A Night on the Town Encounters Event 14: The Assassin Out Of Time (CR 12)
Event 15: The Burning of Ileosa (CR 14)
Hira Doss:
If Hira is present for this battle, she is unable to flee using the viridian escape. In addition, it is very likely the PCs now possess Baraket. Upon revealing herself in combat, she could announce to the PCs that, if they do not interfere, the cult will not harm them and will leave Baraket in their care. While that’s a part of all the cultists’ tactics, making it a more explicit option could either convince some PCs to back off or, alternatively, rile them up in the face of a shared foe.
If captured alive and forced to cooperate with the PCs (for instance, via charm person), Hira can tell them that the cult is centered in the Temple of the Peacock Spirit, but not how to perform the Viridian Transcendence. Treasure Advice:
Book 3 Part 3 is an optional portion of the adventure with (almost) entirely optional rewards. Compounded with the large reward range of Part 2, it can be difficult to estimate how much treasure your party should receive in this section, nevermind how much they’ll actually receive. Unless you want to audit your party’s current wealth, here are some simple recommendations I would suggest.
- Customize Sorshen’s rewards to suit your party. The easiest way to do this is to take the budget provided below to purchase 2-3 items to suit your party, then have them granted as rewards in ascending value. When employing this method, it is better to err on the side of inexpensive but useful, as your party is much less likely to sell the items they receive. Assume your party will receive all rewards. [If you don’t want to do this, I’ll provide some suggestions below]. - If your party has plenty of money, treat the items recovered from Peacock Cultists as bonus loot, assuming the party will sell the amulets for each one killed or captured for 2,000gp. If half or more of the Cultists are killed or captured, do not grant the party any additional rewards or vouchers from the crown. - If your party is struggling financially, note down how many Peacock Cultists escape via the Viridian Escape. Multiply that total at the end of the encounter by 2,000 to determine a GP value. Then treat that GP value (+10,000 if they're really struggling) as the sum the party receives as a voucher from the crown of Korvosa, or add it to the treasure hoard of Part 4. Sorshen’s Reward Budgets (No ABP / ABP)
Sorshen's Rewards (ABP Changes):
I recommend you tailor Sorshen's rewards to your party using the budgets I provide above. If you want a generic approach though, here's my suggestions.
Ancient Stone (Scarlet and Blue Sphere Ioun Stone)
Gargoyle Gift (Ring of Minor Spell Storing)
Pig’s Dinner (Stone of Good Luck)
Dance of Seven Veils (ABP Version):
Dance of Seven Veils
Price 28,000 GP; Aura: Moderate illusion and transmutation; Caster Level: 9th Slot: head or neck; Weight: - This scarf is crafted from fine, almost transparent silk of a deep red hue. When worn about the head as a veil or the neck as a scarf, the dance of seven veils disguises the wearer in a different shape, as per disguise self. The wearer can cast levitate at will and gains a +4 competence bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks. Lastly, the first time each day the wearer becomes grappled, entangled, or paralyzed, they gain the benefits of freedom of movement for 3 rounds. Construction Requirements: Craft Wondrous Item, disguise self, freedom of movement, levitate; Cost: 14,000 GP Once your party has learned the location of the Bone Grimoire and concluded their business in Korvosa, they reach level 10!
Book 3 Part 2: The Zincher Siege Event 6: Meeting Clegg Zincher
Event 7: The Cult Attacks (CR 15)
5 PC changes: The second nyogoth follows the tactics of the first, lifting a cultist to the roof before teleporting into the building. The second nyogoth does not, however, teleport to the same floor as the first, even if it knows the location of the PCs. At the end of the third wave, Leptonia summons a chaos beast using a scroll of summon monster vi into whatever opening the cultists have created, typically an entrance on the first floor. 6 PC changes: The additional nyogoth uses the tactics mentioned above. The Utukku has transformed into the guise of Isiah Kalynn and donned the cultists’ attire, but will enter its true form as it participates in the third wave attack. It has the Protection and Artifice (Toil) domain powers, supporting the cult with aid, mass cure light wounds, and Aura of Protection until it enters melee combat. It typically reserves its Horrific Appearance until most (but not all) of the third-wave cultists are defeated, after which it uses its Aura of Repetition in hopes of trapping its foes into methods of recovery. Reward Point Changes
Here’s my timeline for the siege, feel free to copy or adapt it.
Book 3 Part 1: Polymorph Plague A. The Gecko Event 5: The Gecko's Guardian (CR 10)
A3. Marshalling Chamber (CR 10)
Note: Don’t change the number of drunkards regardless of the number of PCs. Instead, simply have more derros directly engage the party while those unraveling the chains use a SLA to disrupt the party and set up sneak attacks for their fellows. Treasure Changes (cumulative):
A4. The Testing Room (CR 6)
A5. Cult Headquarters
Greater Glyph of Warding (CR 8):
Trap: Greater Glyph of Warding
Type magic; Perception DC 31; Disable Device DC 31 EFFECTS Trigger opening the door to A6; Reset none Effect spell effect (summon monster VI, CL 12th) - 4 PCs: 2 Babau - 5 PCs: 2 Augmented Babau (+4 Str, +4 Con) - 6 PCs: 3 Babau Note: I've included the text of the handouts I used in the link above. Guardroom
A9, A11. Sumsarru’s Crypt and Erigantus’s Lab (CR 8-10)
Note 1: I’ve compiled these two encounters for the sake of CR calculations to make scaling a little less fiddly. While each room and its encounter can be encountered individually, it’s possible for them all to be encountered together (for instance, if your party takes a route that leads into Sumsarru’s crypt before Erigantus’s lab or the Guardroom). Thus, these combined encounters have a consistent CR of 10, even if their individual CRs change based on party size. Note 2: There’s three different versions of Sumsarru you can use here based on your evaluation of your party. In general, I recommend the Unchained Rogue 5 version. If your party is significantly above the power curve (gestalts, for instance), the Slayer 5 version is a beast. If your party is very low on resources by the time they encounter him, the book version is fine. Remember that he can call 1d4+1 bat swarms to assist him in combat if he’s found alone! A12. The Scarred Gears
A15. Prison of Og-Zeugus
Once your party has learned the date of the Zincher raid and escaped the Gecko, they reach level 9! If you're including the additional adventures of Mysteries Under the Moonlight, the party instead levels once they learn the date of the Zincher raid and have defeated Tulvhatha.
Book 3: Runeplague Overview Polymorph Plague:
Type disease, ingestion or injury; Save Fortitude DC 18
Frequency 1/day Effect 1d4 Dex damage and 1d4 Cha drain plus transformation (see below); Cure the polymorph plague can be cured only by magic such as remove disease or heal. Special Once its Charisma is reduced to 0 while suffering from the polymorph plague, the victim immediately transforms into a nongood- and nonlawful-aligned animal, aberration, magical beast, or vermin with an Intelligence score no higher than 5 (the exact creature transformed into should be selected by the GM). Its mind changes as well, as it loses all previous memories and behaves as a typical member of its new shape—it remembers its previous life only in vague glimpses and snatches endured as mocking nightmares during sleep. A true seeing spell reveals the creature’s previous form, and a successful break enchantment (against the plague’s save DC of 18) can restore a creature to its previous form. Polymorph Plague Notes:
The polymorph plague is a unique disease used both by the Yamasoth Cult, as well as the random encounters marked with an asterisk in the bestiary for Book 3. The plague acts as both a poison and a disease; specifically, the rules for ingestion and injury poisons apply to contracting the disease. However, mechanics for treating or prevent poisons do not apply to the plague, nor do poison resistance or immunity.
Once contracted, the polymorph plague can only be cured by magical means, and Charisma drain inflicted by the plague is permanent unless removed by restoration. It would be reasonable, though not RAW, to allow break enchantment to also remove the effects of the plague, given it can undo the transformation caused by the plague. To what degree the plague functions by poison rules versus disease rules is not fully explained, but here are the two main things to decide, which will determine how threatening the plague is to PCs: 1. The plague has no listed onset. If you interpret this to mean ‘the effect occurs immediately, and then again every 24 hours after the first failed save’, the plague is quite dangerous even for a prepared party. 2. The Fortitude DC to resist the plague may increase by 2 every time a character is exposed to it via injury or ingestion (like a poison). If so, this makes the multiple potential exposures during the Zincher siege or possible random encounters more threatening, especially if paired with the ‘immediate onset’ interpretation above. For most parties, I would recommend adopting the second rule, but not the first. If you have a gestalt or otherwise unusually powerful party, consider adopting both rules. Supplemental Adventures:
There were two more adventures I included in my campaigns for book 3 to introduce some key villains earlier. These were PFS Scenarios 10-5 "Mysteries Under Moonlight Part 1: Testament of Souls" and 10-7 "Mysteries Under Moonlight Part 2: The Howling Dance". These adventures concern the corruption of Ashava's holy site in the mushfens, the Glade of Silver Sparks, and the subsequent corruption of Magnimar's monuments. Given their focus on Ashava, I thought they made a natural continuation of Audrahni's story.
Story Changes: Within these modules, a powerful will-o-wisp by the name of Tulvhatha has entered the Mushfens, slaughtered the guardians of the Glade of Silver Sparks, and used the artifact therein to channel the souls of the dead for unholy magics. She has further corrupted the fey of the mushfens and taken control local undead, using them to pervert Magnimar's monuments in order to raise an army of restless souls and sow discord within the city. Within the adaptation I propose, it was Erigantus, not Tulvhatha, who found his way to the Glade of Silver Sparks, posing as a simple wanderer bearing Ashava's holy symbol. Once inside the glade, he slaughtered its guardians before freeing several creatures who had been magically imprisoned within statues by a former high priest of Ashava. These creatures are Tulvhatha, the Twilight Queen; Avalexi, the Light in Shadow; Sumsarru, the Collector; and a creature without a face or name (a Nightwinder Nightshade, an addition to Part 4). Erigantus offered alliances with these creatures to bring terror and despair to the peoples of Magnimar. Of the four, only Sumsarru agreed willingly out of personal interest in Erigantus - Tulvhatha and Avalexi went their own ways, while the nightwinder fell under Erigantus's control after attempting to kill him. Erigantus's goals are twofold: first, to create a distraction while Leptonia perfects the polymorph plague, and second, to increase his own power before attacking the Shrine of the Seal. The first three accomplish the former whether he commands them or not, while the last of the four accomplishes the latter. Adapting 10-5: In this version of events, Audrahni has started investigating the corrupted monuments on her own while the party has been away at Hollow Mountain. She has tried to seek out a spirit she used to be friendly with, Ordellia Whilren, but was shoo'd away by the current head investigator, Theodorus Ichonvarde. When the party returns from Hollow Mountain, Ayavah has not yet reported her vision to the Council, and so the Council does not immediately direct them to the Gecko. Sheila is dealing with the request from the Varisian Council to investigate while her resources are already tapped from investigating the missing Heroes and potentially risen Runelords. She asks the party if they would investigate on the Council's behalf, suggesting the Peacock Cult (or the Yamasoth cult, if the party brings info about them) may be behind it. Having heard about Audrahni's personal investigation from a third party, Sheila suggests they involve her as an expert on spirits and Magnimar's history. Near the end of the investigation, in Ordellia's townhouse, switch Davorge for Theodorus Ichonvarde and/or Audrahni. In addition, the vampire spawn are Sumsarru's derro. Sumsarru himself may be present as well, but he prefers to exchange information about Tulvhatha, blaming her for the recent corruptions, than fight the party here. At the end of the adventure, Luvyire does not name Tulvhatha as the slayer of his friends, but a mysterious, white-haired man cloaked in black. A necromancer of terrifying power, who called himself Erigantus. He will also know of the four creatures that were imprisoned there, and now likely freed (Avalexi, Tulvhatha, Sumsarru, and the nightwinder). Theodorus, if he survives, decides to seek out the source of these vampires - an investigation that will eventually lead him to the Gecko. Adapting 10-7: On the next full moon after 10-5 (possibly after Book 3 Part 1 is concluded), Luvyire, Sheila, and Audrahni requests the party's aid in eliminating Tulvhatha, who has conquered the Glade of Silver Sparks. The adventure progresses essentially as-normal, but the combat against Ichonvarde is eliminated. Tulvhatha, before she dies, speaks the name of the one who freed her: Erigantus. Event 2: The Invaders - Final Encounter (CR 12)
Looks great Gnutten! I figure my creature stat blocks (the ABP and PDF format) are the biggest impediment to my work being useful for different people, so I'm glad to see pieces incorporated. One quick note for people looking these over though: the Jordimandus tactics I wrote won't work with Gnutten or the book's stat block! You can swap summon monster vi for flash flood and mnemonic enhancer for control water if you want to pull off the flood strat without using the rest of my stat block.
Askar, thanks for all the updates. Definitely will be using these stat blocks as I take my group through the last two books. One quick question, and maybe I'm just missing it, but I noticed a number of the stat blocks have "inherent bonuses" (especially some with +2 across the board). Could you explain where those bonuses come from? Thanks! Because inherent bonuses are so rare, I sometimes used the 'inherent' column to note racial bonuses, template bonuses, or bonuses of a monster gaining a PC level. The only creatures with actual inherent bonuses are Viorian, Khalib, and Karzoug. It was an expedient choice to make the math easier to double-check, but I really should have made a note about it. I'll add a notice to the 'Askar Avari's Rise of the Runelords Statblocks Note' document. Askar, did you create all the statblocks in hero-lab? If so, do you have the .por files for them? I did and do not unfortunately. I tried using Hero Labs to keep the same format as Joey but between the complexity and the need to purchase books I just bounced off it. My stat blocks are simply made in a fillable PDF as that's what I'm experienced with. Additionally, Makin and Stump has contacted me about a few errors made in my stat blocks that I'll try to get around to, but in case I don't, here's something to note: 1. Khalib should not have the spells ironskin or freedom of movement. They're not wizard spells, I just made a mistake. You can make up for the AC drop by advancing him to 18th level on the ABP chart, as if he were a PC. He could potentially have freedom of movement cast on him via a summoned outsider. 2. Viorian doesn't have all of her skill ranks assigned. Simply max out her Kn: Local, Perception, and Sense Motive (total: +21, +26, +26).
Note about an earlier level: I missed the Secret Reading Room, C5! Although I don't typically recommend swapping out weapons for non-weapons with Automatic Bonus Progression, I'd recommend the following treasure changes to this room:
Book 2 Part 4: The World is Hollow Part 2 (Level 7) As a quick note, I do recommend you use the version of this document on the Drive, as it includes important tables when discussing certain encounters and loot. D. The Gauntlet of Fury D2. Hall of Worthies (CR 7)
D3. Watery Fane of Gholz (CR 7)
4 PCs: 1 Chaos Beast
Note: As in the Savage mythic simple template. D5. Lo-Kath’s Welcome (CR 7)
Note: Resilient skinstitches lose their fire vulnerability, gain fire resistance 10, and gain DR 5/magic D8. Apprentice’s Ordeal
The Apprentice's Ordeal:
Note 1: You can add a slight puzzle element to this room by having the test already in progress when the party arrives, so that spells they cast in combat may advance the ordeal and potentially end up releasing Maga Szuul partway through their encounter with the Melted. For an added layer of complexity, the ordeal could require that the spells be cast on another creature. For even further complexity, the Ordeal could require escalating minimum spell levels (0, 1, 2, 3) for the spells cast in order to avoid the entire Ordeal being completed with cantrips.
Note 2: After some discussion with my own party, I've started giving certain creatures two health bars and a 'phase change' in order to make combats more dynamic. Maga Szuul (gestalt) is the first such creature, though I didn't note it on his sheet. If you're interested in utilizing this mechanic, I can explain it in more detail later, but suffice it to say that a gestalt Maga Szuul would have 2 60hp pools, and once the first is depleted, all of his current debuffs are removed and he immediately receives his next turn, moving from ranged combat to melee. D9 Soldier’s Ordeal (CR 10 or 11+) - Please see the Google Doc for full info!
E. The Degradation of Thybidos Development: If your party enters the Gauntlet without encountering the Peacock Cult and then leaves the Gauntlet via the portal in D7, they may completely miss one or both of the cult hooks in this adventure while still completing all their known objectives. In this event, the Peacock Cult decides to run the gauntlet shortly after the party leaves. They will first attempt the Apprentice's Ordeal but leave if Maga Szuul and the Melted remain; then they will attempt the Soldier's Ordeal. Whether or not they successfully obtain a Runestone, they will travel to the Forlorn Sepulcher next, potentially encountering your party. I would recommend having all of the cult members arrive in the Fane of Wrath just as the party is leaving if you need a climactic final battle for the adventure. A bearded devil could round out their team to a clean CR 10. E2. The Fane of Wrath (CR 8)
E4. The Loves of Thybidos (CR 8)
E5. Beast Trap (CR 7)
Note: These traps appear along the radius of the circle, separating creatures inside from those outside. In both cases, they deter ranged attacks (wind wall via negation, wall of fire via concealment), but only the wall of fire deters entering or exiting the circle. The CL of the wind wall trap is 5, while the wall of fire is CL 7. The DC to detect or disable either is 25. E6. Crypt of the Fidaelem (CR ~ 9)
Note: Cumulatively, the Fidaelem are equal to a CR 10 encounter. However, given the disadvantageous position they begin in, the CR of this encounter is reduced by 1. If a party instead destroys the Fidaelem in their tombs before they attack, reduce this encounter’s CR to 7. E7 Legacy of Wrath (CR 8)
*Note 1: Once per day as a swift action, the Effigy of Xiren can gain the benefits of a haste spell for 6.
E8 The Jeweled Ascent (CR 8)
E9 The Forest of Pillars (CR 8)
E10 Hydra’s Grave (CR 8)
E11 The Torment of Thybidos (CR 9)
*Note 1: Increase the Sentinels’ base attributes and natural armor by 2 and 1 respectively, as if applying half of the advanced template. This does not modify their hit points.
E11 Treasure Summary:
Treasure for this section is complicated enough depending on your party size and whether or not you're using ABP that I recommend consulting my full notes in the Google Doc if you want to take a look at the budget. Here's my basic recommendations however.
Without ABP
With ABP
Event 18: A Runelord Rising
Final Note about Thybidos:
As a lot of people note, a party's motivations to seek out Thybidos are flimsy, and the narrative reward is effectively non-existent. For those who have received an Abyssal Runestone, Thybidos confirms that Alaznist has returned . . . and that's it. I think there's a lot of things that can happen at this point to feel like a proper reward.
1. Your party received Ashava's blessing; Thybidos apologized to Xiren - The next time the party rests beneath the open sky, Ashava appears before them in her humanoid guise. She explains the gist of what happened between Xiren and Thybidos if the party didn't glean it, and thanks them for freeing a soul who experienced such tremendous suffering. Then she warns them about the activities of the cults in Varisia and asks for their help to protect the land and its people. If the party is close with Audrahni, she asks them to look out for her as well. If they have used or lost Ashava's blessing since first receiving it, they receive it again. If they continue to free suffering spirits, they may gain an event more powerful blessing later on. 2. Thybidos apologized to Xiren without providing any information to the party - Thybidos's body turns to ash following his apology, glowing from embers within. Interacting with the ash infuses your party with flame, Thybidos's thanks to his rescuers. This grants the same benefits of Thybidos's blessing below, but also curses them with a lesser version of the Quartering Curse. When the creature dies, it must make a DC 21 Will save, or else its head, arms, and legs are ripped from its torso, preventing the use of raise dead or other magic that requires the body to be whole. If the creature is not resurrected within 24 hours, they rise as a ghost with the original Quartering Curse as a bonus special ability. The ash itself can be used as a component of Thybidos's body for spells that are affected by such a component. 3. Your party frees Thybidos and presents an Abyssal Runestone - Thybidos acknowledges the party's worthiness and commands them to bow. If they show proper humility, he asks them their wish in thanks for rescuing him. If their wish is for information or a specific, narrow assistance, he provides it before taking his leave. However, if they ask for his help in defeating Alaznist, Xanderghul, or Sorshen, he offers his blessing, acknowledging them as servants of the Runelord of Wrath (this idea seems to be alluded to in his request that they 'become his wrathful champions,' but is not followed up on). This grants the following benefits: - The PCs are now considered Bakrakhanians and servants of the Runelord of Wrath for effects dependent on nationality or allegiance (such as the patriotic enchantment)
As your party finishes their business on Rivenrake Island, they level up to 8! Remember not to immediately progress all the way back to Magnimar, as book 3 begins immediately!
Thank you for this thread, I hope you make it to the very end of the AP. I'm already kinda sweating having to balance the high-level encounters for my experienced five player group. I'll absolutely be making to the end of the AP, but as I'm making this guide only a few weeks ahead of where my party advances, progress is likely to be stuttering. We're finishing Book 2 in a couple of days and I'll be publishing the last part after I've had a chance to playtest my modifications. I will say the encounter design is greatly improved compared to some earlier APs I've read and updating a lot of these encounters has been a breeze in comparison to Rise, where I'd often read through a section and realize I'd have to revise every single encounter, whether it be a creature, trap, or hazard, to be any meaningful challenge to my party. With Return, I get to spend all that homebrew energy to tweaking things for more hype or dynamic encounters or introducing novel mechanics. And of course, if your party is having a good experience with the AP as-written, it's a more vigorously playtested experience than what I can suggest here. I simply provide this guide because I'm willing to look at the underlying math of the system to ballpark a general suggestion. As for Book 3, it's going to take me a little time to get going on that. There's a lot of encounters and a lot of maps and I haven't really studied them in as much detail as I did Books 1 and 2. I should hopefully have parts 1 and 2 up before too long though.
Book 2 Part 4: The World is Hollow Part 1 (Level 6) B1 Grand Hall of Forges (CR 6)
*Increase the Combusteds’ base attributes and natural armor by 2 and 1 respectively, as if applying half of the advanced template. B2 An Angry Visage (CR 6)
ABP Treasure changes: The gemstones are worth a total of 1500gp per PC.
B3 Derelict Ore Elevator (CR 6)
ABP Treasure changes:
B6 Exotics Workshop
Treasure changes:
B8 Mozamer’s Den (CR 7)
*Against a 6-person team, the censer acts as a censer of conjuring air elementals, except it can only summon evil air elementals, and its power is drawn from the shrine of Yamasoth. Removing the censer from the shrine converts it into a non-magical but ornate censer worth 1,000gp weighing 5 pounds. C Dust to Dust C1. Grand Hall of Records (CR 8)
*The room radiates an aura of desecration created from the unholy influence of these spirits. As a result, they gain a +1 profane bonus on all attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws, as well as +1 HP per HD.
C2. The Librarian (CR 7)
C3. Spellcaster’s Library
C8. Antechamber (CR 7)
C9. Cultist Encampment (CR 8+)
Note: If you would prefer not to use a gestalt version of Hira Doss, you may instead use the regular version of her and add a Bearded Devil to the room; however, this will make it obvious that Viraline is not alone in the room. I have not found an appropriate creature capable of turning invisible to add to this encounter for 6 PCs. Also, I personally would run this fight across the hall in the far more interesting (and large) room. C10. Ancient Office (CR 7)
Note: I’d probably just skip this encounter if I were you. An Advanced Poltergeist’s abilities are unlikely to have much of an effect on level 6-7 PCs, but they’re incorporeal and invisible, so the fight is likely to take a while. Also, with the CR changes made to this floor, they're no longer needed to pad out XP. C11. The Nightmares of Augus Premm (CR 7)
At this point (or at any point when the party reaches the Gauntlet of Fury), your party should level up to 7! A Brief Discussion on Treasure in Hollow Mountain: Treasure is sparse in Hollow Mountain, with most treasures being simple gems or +1 armors, up until the very end in Thybidos's throne. While this isn't unbalanced (the item received from the Council should mark a steep increase in power for most PCs), it can feel a bit off doing so much dungeoneering and battles with relatively little to show for it. This is especially true if your party lacks prepared arcane casters who will benefit from Thybidos's treasures at the end of the adventure.
For an ABP game, here are the budgets at a few key locations you may want to consider in order to parcel out some drops tailored to your party. - B6 Exotics Worskhop (budget = 3,250gp per PC) [Weapons]
Whatever your game needs more of, you can increase the budget for by reducing the budget for one or both of the less-needed areas. For instance, if your party is running a large number of armored/divine characters, reducing the budget for Thybidos's throne to 5,000gp per PC to increase the budget of the Gauntlet of Fury to 5,750gp per PC could allow you to, for instance, have armor as an additional reward for completing the Soldier's Ordeal, or be found on a simulacrum of Lo-kath. Of course, I've done my best to simply scale the existing treasure hoards, but tailored hoards can go a long way to easing the burden for parties that don't like to focus on buying/selling large quantities of items every book.
Book 2 Part 3: Under the Mountain’s Gaze A1. Old Man’s Launch
A2. Log Crossing (CR 7)
A3. Kelhuud’s Encampment
A4. Shrine of Ibdurengian A4a. Bloodstained Altar (CR 7)
Note: The affected squares for this trap are every square the puddle of scarlet bliss is in; a creature need not touch the altar directly to be affected. A4b. Forsaken Doorstep (CR 7)
ABP Treasure changes: Reduce the value of the garnets to 300gp apiece (2,400gp total). A5 Bloodstone Bunker (CR 7)
A5b. Armory (CR 6)
Book 2 Part 1: Sailing the Lost Coast Parts 1 and 2 of this adventure are full of finely-crafted encounters that can't be delicately scaled to party size. As a result, most will not be scaled for either difficulty or wealth. Event 3: Beckwood's Crate
Event 6: Assessing the Damage (CR 6)
Event 8: Tainted Water (CR 7)
Note: If you really want to scale up the difficulty on this encounter, or want to ensure that Viraline makes it out alive, allow Viraline to activate a 'blessing of the Peacock Spirit' that temporarily grants her the Invincible simple mythic template; it might let her last another round or two. Book 2 Part 2: The Sihedron Council Event 11: Haunted Remnants (CR 7)
Note: These allip are drawn from elsewhere in Magnimar by Ilsynor's manifestation. One arrives on round 2, and the other arrives on round 3. Event 12: Rooms at the Gryphine (CR 6)
Event 13: Late-Night Visitor (CR 6
Event 14: Meeting with the Council
Dawn of the Scarlet Sun?: If your party is delayed in meeting the Council, or you'd just like to introduce some characters from later in the adventure earlier, you could run a modified version of the Dawn of the Scarlet Sun module. Here's a brief summary of the adventure in the form I'd recommend running it:
1) The party is asked to investigate the brutal murder of 4 Sarenrites in Underbridge by a local sculptor named Ayavah. Ayavah took an interest in this case after one of the bodies was left on the street outside her home, and became intent on solving it after discovering the murder weapon incorporated the holy symbol of the demon lord Nocticula (not Shax). 2) The party's investigation, or the ambush that Ayavah proposes, leads them to an old shrine of Sarenrae, which has been converted into a den of evil by the succubus assassin Avalexi and her consort Zadeni, the former Sarenrite priestess. Instead of serving Shax, Avalexi is a former worshipper of Nocticula who recently lost Nocticula's favor and is now trying to curry favor with Shamira, Nocticula's former lover. 3) Once the adventure is concluded and the party reports the truth of the case to Ayavah, she seems very pleased to hear that Avalexi was cast out by Nocticula. She may reveal that she is a supporter of Nocticula who believes she shall soon ascend to godhood. I also worked in a few other characters; Beckwood asked for the party's help to get out of prison and asked them to meet with a contact of his named Zetar, a merchant in Underbridge. Zetar wasn't interested in doing Beckwood any more favors after arranging his transportation to Nidal, but he's willing to trade a favor for a favor: if the party takes Ayavah's commission, he'll help out Beckwood. Meeting with Ayavah starts the module.
I'm sad I didn't see this earlier! I'm currently running two Return games, and in both cases, the players have unanimously decided they want to keep Baraket for the entire campaign, or else as long as they can (before it regains its full power and consumes their mind, like Chellan did to Viorian Dekanti). My approach from the get-go was to RP Baraket as very clever, proud, manipulative, and seemingly very straightforward and earnest. She uses whatever initial information she learns about the PCs to try and establish a rapport with them (asking the Shelynite inquisitor about how Shelyn has fared in the past 10,000 years, urging them to 'do their best to make a beautiful world for her,' initially mocking the Sorshen clone for their impersonation of a Runelord and then showing interest in who they were before, praising the illusionist's magical talent and urging them to grow their power), making it clear that while she must be returned to Xanderghul 'in good time,' for now she only wishes to learn of this new world and to understand what happened to Thassilon in its final days. A day or two outside of Magnimar, she makes her first show of practiced humility, pleading with the party not to be handed over to the Council, to not 'be locked in a box in a dark room after 10,000 years of torpor, or else coerced to betray my very nature.' She also cautions the PCs 'not to immediately think of Xanderghul as an enemy; he is not of the same ilk as Karzoug or Zutha, and I do not think his first thoughts will be of brutal domination.' Even once the Peacock Cult reveals themself, she will try and get the party to talk with them rather than kill them, in hopes of being passed off to them OR convincing the party to serve Xanderghul, depending on how plausible that is. Furthermore, I think any PC willing to undergo training from Baraket ought to be able to retrain their class to fighter, swashbuckler, or an archetype that emulates swashbuckler fighting (such as a Daring Bravo) for free by making some compromise with the sword, such as letting her speak through them or moving their alignment one step closer to Lawful Evil. The longer Baraket is wielded, the stronger it ought to become (with the +X stat acting as a 'count-down' to suggest Xanderghul's growing power), and the more demanding it should become as well. I've been working on a series of escalating demands, given my party's receptive behavior so far. Baraket demands:
- Baraket should not be handed over to anyone that she does not explicitly permit to hold her.
- Baraket should be kept in a sheathe (not a box or bag), though she permits the sheathe to be cloaked from divinations to avoid endangering herself and the wielder. - Baraket should be able to speak through a willing party member as needed so her input on important matters may always be heard. - Baraket should be wielded in combat against supporters of rival runelords (at such time it will inflict no penalty to a wielder). - The party should not meet or speak with Runelord Sorshen, as she is guaranteed to make puppets of them. - The party should present themselves as newfound members of the Order of the Green Feather, and then seek to make peace with the Cult of the Peacock Spirit. - A party member should travel to meet Runelord Xanderghul and plead to become the Champion of Pride; Baraket will or will not vouch for them based on earlier behavior. Should a party actually comply with all of this, Book 4 is altered to be more RP focused, with the later parts becoming a 'trial' for a prospective champion, as well as the 'Knights,' presided over by the Peacock Spirit. The framing in this case is that the Peacock Spirit protected Xanderghul from Earthfall, and the two of them will ally publicly once Xanderghul's full strength returns. The completion of the trial will allow Baraket and Xanderghul to reunite, and while Xanderghul will not regain his mythic power, Baraket will become a true alara'hai. Book 5 is run as-is, and in Book 6, Xanderghul is the one trapped by Alaznist, not Sorshen. The epilogue could either feature Xanderghul's true return and the formation of New Thassilon, or a union between Sorshen and Xanderghul. This itself could branch somewhat: a Baraket who feels in-tune with a good or neutral party upholding similar values to those she held in life could incline her to a change of heart, which could only truly happen if Xanderghul willed it. A more evil party could fall entirely to Xanderghul's will but still complete the AP. I think the themes and encounters of the AP are largely unaffected by the choice to keep Baraket in the party, but some of the specifics from Book 3 onward definitely would need to get switched around. That's just the approach I'm taking though! Extra Baraket lore from my game: In my game, Baraket is the twin sister of The Spirit of Adoration, Shelyn's herald. The two of them were once one soul (whose soul is not known) who were formed into two Ghaele Azata with thoroughly different dispositions, both in service to Shelyn. They were set out on a quest to the material plane to answer the question, 'What is the meaning of love?', but met very different types of people and came to very different answers.
The Spirit of Adoration spoke with the common people, and learned of many different types of love, largely conceptualizing it as a form of happiness borne from outside oneself. Baraket spoke to philosophers and rulers, and came to think of love as both a need and a duty. The Spirit of Adoration eventually returned to Shelyn's service, but Baraket remained on the material plane, having fallen in love with Xanderghul and been chosen as his champion. ... I go overboard on making connections between characters, so in my game Xanderghul and Baraket also had twin daughters, Avana and Sivah, the first aligned with the celestial, and the second aligned with shadow and illusions (who also inherited a spark of divine power). Avanah eventually became a Peri-like being who turned on her family, and is the one who killed Baraket. Sivah killed her sister in return, and soon thereafter turned her own divine spark into full divinity, becoming the goddess Sivanah. If it wasn't clear, I really like Baraket, and also tried VERY HARD to work my player's peri-kin aasimar into a direct connection to the plot.
Part 5: Calming Wrath (Fast Progression) A discussion on the Horned Fangs:
While the Horned Fangs don’t see themselves as murderers, Mozamer and Jana have warped their views of Roderic’s Cove, seeing its inhabitants as superstitious, untrusting, uncaring, and authoritarian. While most of them do not believe Mozamer can really replace the Port-Governor, they believe that through violence, intimidation, and solidarity, they can run their own little part of town. If the party approaches their hideout without Jana, they will assume they are under attack, that their organization is being rooted out either by their rivals or the Port-Governor.
On morale: Unless the party employs particularly brutal or destructive methods of fighting them, severely outmatched or overwhelmed members of the Horned Fangs will put their lives and the lives of their comrades before their cause. If Jana is present with the PCs, some may surrender as soon as the Horned Fangs look like they’re done for, leaving Mozamer and the other sinspawn to their fate. H5 Private Lounge (CR 5)
H6 Ballroom (CR 5)
H8 Guest Rooms (CR 6)
H9 Dining Hall (CR 5)
Note: If your party has encountered fleshdregs more than once on the surface, I highly recommend just cutting this fight. It’s neither interesting nor important. H11 Open Lounge (CR 6)
H13 Foyer ABP Treasure Changes: Replace the cloaks of resistance with 1 additional extravagant outfit and 1 quickchange cloak. H14 Ruined Guest Rooms (CR 0)
H15 Flooded Cavern (CR 0)
Treasure information:
By spending 10 minutes searching through the rubble in areas H14 and H15, a PC may gain a random item from the list below with a DC 20 Perception check.
- +1 mithral punching dagger - Wand of fireball (7 charges) - Jade-and-pearl necklace worth 120gp - Mithral buckler - (5 or 6 PCs) boro bead ii H16 Meeting Room (Fleshdreg Barracks, CR 5)
Note: Once again, I don’t find much meaning to this fight, and it essentially exists solely to drain party resources and provide XP. I’d cut it. If you’re only going to cut one of H9 and H16, I’d cut this one first. H17 Luxury Guest Quarters (CR 5 or 7)
Treasure changes:
H19 Mozamer’s Suite (CR ~8)
Notes:
Note 1: The CR scaling for this fight is a bit unusual. Mozamer himself is CR 7, which is static, and the Fleshdregs are CR 5 total. Obviously this will overall give larger parties an advantage, but further increasing Mozamer’s forces when he is already so powerful for a Level 4 party would likely result in multiple PC deaths
Note 2: You may feel that your party is unprepared for this final battle if you have kept them at level 4 as I advise. In that case, I recommend allowing your party to level up so long as they find the portal in H18 and escape, given that the portal is the real plot connection to Book 2, not Mozamer himself. However, if your party does not quickly return to deal with Mozamer, I suggest that he go on the offensive as soon as he can, causing chaos with his fleshdreg and sinspawn (and Hydraggon, if you’d like) allies. I’ve included an alternate Mozamer for going up against him with a large or gestalt party at level 5. With Mozamer defeated, your party levels up to 5! A final note about treasure in Book 1: You may notice by looking over this guide (or the book itself) that the treasure weighs pretty heavily in favor of spellcasters, especially prepared casters. Despite being much more numerous, monks and rogues aren’t exceptionally well-off after this adventure, and even a fighter may be disappointed with a +1 conductive halberd as the final drop. I did not change this in order to keep options open for unusual party configurations that may need specific items, but you should feel free to include items appropriate to your party by swapping out specific items, or reducing treasure at major drops. Both the Underflume and Alaznist’s Armory work great for this, given the many inhabitants they’ve had over the millenia.
Lastly, if your party is sitting on too much money and goods but not enough gear, Audrahni or someone else could bring up going to Magnimar in order to more easily sell and buy what they need. This would also be my solution if you cannot find a more delicate method.
Part 4: Humbling Pride (Fast Progression) Notes regarding Part 4: Humbling Pride is an unusual chapter. The party is not exploring a dungeon, and ideally should be getting into little to no combat. In fact, in an ideal scenario, the party will manage to coerce or convince Corstela to hand over Baraket without exploring the manor too thoroughly at all, although that’s relatively unlikely.
By increasing the manor’s forces further, a DM would communicate both an increased expectation of violence, and imply that the Order of Resplendence is prepared for violence beyond what the AP advocates. Furthermore, given the limited bedding available, increasing the number of acolytes and/or philosophers would simply feel off, while adding more exotic allies would likely change the nature of the organization itself. As a result, I have prepared more powerful or more ‘appropriate’ stat blocks for most of the residents of Peacock Manor, but I have not made encounter or treasure changes beyond that. Part 5 will assume that your party is level 4, as whether or not your party fought their way through Peacock Manor, I don’t think the party should receive a level reward for doing so. Instead, the only benefit to doing Part 4 before Part 5 is in getting to use Baraket if your party so chooses Finally, in order to balance the wealth disparity between players who raid Peacock Manor and those who simply take Baraket, I recommend that, after having some time separated from Baraket, Corstela reaches out to the party, and tells them that her mind feels clearer than it has in months, and she thanks them with a number of scrolls, potions, or other minor magical items they might need, as well as a handy haversack.
Part 3: Into the Churlwood (Fast Progression) B: Event 9 - Meeting the Roadkeepers (CR 5)
Edit: With the exception of Lullaby, the Roadkeepers here are equipped with saps. They’re not aiming to kill the party, and they’re not aiming to get killed. C: The Vindictive Traveler (CR 3)
D. Bramblemouth Den D1 Entrance (CR 0 to 3)
D2 Defensive Entry (CR 0 to 3)
D3 Goblin Dogs (CR 3)
D4 Nighteye’s Cave (CR 3)
D5 Guard Camp (CR 3)
E. The Stonehouse Camp E1 Roadkeeper Camp (CR 3)
Treasure changes (cumulative):
E2 The Stonehouse (CR 3)
Treasure changes:
E4 Barricaded Room (CR 2 or less)
Note: Ideally, a party should use faerie fire or the wand of glitterdust to reveal the phantom fungus, but chances are very low they’ll cast these spells twice if they fail to catch the invisible coffer. I recommend that the coffer always conveniently be in the area of effect of these spells if cast - it’s hard enough to find as it is! Treasure changes (items not mentioned are unchanged):
E6 Descent into the Ruins (CR 0-3)
When a party has successfully entered Alaznist’s Armory, they level up to 3! F. Alaznist’s Armory F1 The Gauntlet (CR 3)
F2 Central Chamber (CR 4)
Treasure note: For an ABP game, remove Ssesseleck’s ioun stone from her loot without modifying her stats. The +2 to Dexterity replaces her typical ABP benefits. F3 Chieftain's Den (CR 4)
F5 Detention (CR 1)
F7 Safe Meeting Chamber (CR ½)
F8 Guard Post (CR 3)
F9 Trapped Meeting Room (CR 5 or less)
F10 Dolland’s Lab Treasure Changes:
- 5 PCs: (2) potion of barkskin, (2) potion of bull’s strength, (2) potion of cat’s grace, potion of darkvision, potion of fire breath, potion of invisibility, potion of protection from arrows, and (2) potion of reduce person. MWK Caestus, +1 Banded Mail, scroll of communal protection from evil.
- 6 PCs: (2) potion of barkskin, (2) potion of bull’s strength, (2) potion of cat’s grace, potion of darkvision, potion of fire breath, potion of invisibility, potion of protection from arrows, and (2) potion of reduce person. +1 Caestus, +1 Banded Mail, wand of protection from evil (29 charges). F11 Stonehouse Entrance (CR 3)
F12 Sharlise’s Grave (CR 5 or less)
F13 Vault Room (CR 4)
F14 Alaznist’s Vault Treasure note 1: Given that the runeward gauntlets are difficult to identify and may appear quite dangerous as a result, I recommend having anyone capable of reading Thassilonian recognize that the runes on it are blessings and wards against mental interference. Treasure note 2: If your party did not find the invisible chest in the Stonehouse, or for whatever reason is significantly short on loot for this part of the adventure, I recommend including the following items in another chest in this room: Optional Treasure Drop:
- 4 PCs: 4 bags of diamond dust worth 500gp each, 2 platinum rods each worth 1,000gp, a rod of thunderous force, and scrolls of lightning bolt, fireball, and daylight.
- 5 PCs: 4 bags of diamond dust worth 500gp each, 2 platinum rods each worth 1,000gp, a rod of thunderous force, and scrolls of lightning bolt, fireball, daylight in an insightful scroll case. - 6 PCs: 6 bags of diamond dust worth 500gp each, 3 platinum rods each worth 1,000gp, a rod of thunderous force, and scrolls of lightning bolt, fireball, daylight, mage armor, glitterdust, dispel magic, pyrotechnics, shatter, and unseen servant, with the 3rd level spells in an insightful scroll case. When your party opens Alaznist's vault, they level up to 4!
Book 1: Secrets of Roderic's Cove Part 1: Simmering Tensions Given the lack of combat, there are no changes made to Simmering Tensions. However, if you want to run a combat prior to Roderic's Wreck, I would recommend 2 Cyphergulls attempting to steal from a merchant or the PCs. This is simply intended as a very early way to tell or remind your players of the existence of the Cyphergate and the proximity of Riddleport. Part 2: Roderic's Wreck (Fast Progression) A1 Outside the Wreck
A2 Front Porch (CR 1)
A4 Living Room
A5 Dining Room (CR 2)
Treasure Additions
A6 Back Room (CR 2)
A7 Back Deck (CR 3)
A8 Kitchen
A9 Family Room (CR 3)
Treasure Addition
A12 Child’s Room (CR 3)
A13 Study
A14 Child’s Room
A15 Lounge (CR 2)
A16 Sewing Rooms (CR 3)
Treasure Change:
Once the PCs discover the existence and location of the Thassilonian ruins hidden out in the Churlwood, they Level up to 2! Note: There are no original stat blocks for this chapter.
Hey there folks. I’m coming from Rise of the Runelords of which I was a big fan. I spent most of that campaign with a large, powerful party, and made frequent use of my own stat blocks as well as Joey Virtue’s Guide to Challenging Encounters for 4-6 players. While that guide ends in Book 5, I did my best to continue the guide through to the end with the use of rules my party adopted: Automatic Bonus Progression and Mythic Enemies. Now that I’m starting Return, I’m faced with a different problem: I’ve only got three players, and my players aren’t interested in switching characters mid-campaign unless they really mess up (or die in a key fight). We’ve ultimately decided to tackle that via running Gestalt characters. As a result, I’m making alternate stat blocks for many enemies to keep up with gestalt PCs, especially key NPCs. I’ll be making these stat blocks available through my Google Drive. Furthermore, where possible I want to provide a guide for how to scale encounters and dungeons for larger or smaller parties while keeping difficulty relatively consistent, as well as indicate how treasure hoards can be altered for larger and smaller parties using Automatic Bonus Progression. So, in essence, if you are using: - Automatic Bonus Progression
Feel free to make use of any of the resources I’ll be posting in this thread over the next few years. Finally, I’ve set up a Discord for DMs for Return of the Runelords if anyone would like to make use of it. Discord is much friendlier for image and file sharing, after all.
Oof. There aren't really supposed to be hounds down there yet - Xaliasa hasn't been reborn to summon them! That said, your party is technically on exactly the right track in that assumption, and in my eyes that's a good thing. In order to avoid contradicting yourself, I would place two abyssal hounds keeping watch over Xaliasa's bones, submerged in the shrine's baptismal font. Not a major encounter - maybe CR 12 or something, just a little distraction - and it may prompt the party to wonder whose bones could warrant that kind of interest. If they're smart, they'll use divinations. If they're hasty, they'll probably destroy the bones. Furthermore, the shrine shouldn't be as cleaned-up as it will be in Book 5, such that the party cannot take the cave path back to Xaliasa's quarters. However, if they earth glide or otherwise explore past the shrine, the only item they ought to be able to find is the revelation quill, given its artifact durability. That quill may even give them the idea to ask whose bones those are, which could give them juuuust enough information to understand the hook of Book 5 better. Hope this helps. Note: The Scribbler is supposed to return to life after the minor runewell of wrath surges with power in response to Mokmurian's death (because the runewells are all connected to each other).
Well, it's an epic poem - hardly something you can realistically write out for your party to read and figure out for themselves - but the details should nevertheless be hidden within the poem. While I think any sufficiently knowledgeable scholar should be able to come up with a conclusion, only spectacularly powerful spellcasters and ritualists should actually be able to devise a method of entering Jandelay based on what the poem says. As I think multiple "Continuing the Campaign" sections have suggested, I think Alaznist's former plans to open a portal to Jandelay should be what simplifies the party's access to the plane. While I don't think transporting to it per se is difficult (as long as one can survive in the Cerulean Void of the Maelstrom), I think arriving without being horribly murdered by the Watchers or the Oliphaunt is the trick. I think Alaznist, or through Alaznist, Karzoug, should have devised a ritual your PCs can find to arrive in a safe location, where the party can observe several destroyed worlds before making their way to the Oliphaunt. This would also be a good opportunity to see some of the worlds that Mhar, specifically, destroyed before coming to Golarion, to let your party know a little more about Mhar's past. If you want to flesh out the poem, though, and have your party come up with the ritual on their own.. uh.. power to you. Seems way too hard to me though.
Session 72: It's finally come time to take on Karzoug. The party filled out the remainder of the map while walking around with Ceoptra, asking a few more questions. Pretty quickly though, the party decided they were set, and decided to settle down for the night. They asked Nualia and Aneka to dream a message to Ayruzi and Brodert to let them know the Occlusion Field would drop tomorrow morning. Brodert (as soon as he arrived): "Why don't they have any furniture? Has - has everyone just been standing around?" Final Preparations:
Lucretia arrived with Brodert and politely greeted Ceoptra, fully ignoring the attempt on her life and form a few days prior.
Not that long thereafter, Ayruzi arrived as well via a combination of plane shift and wind walk. They announced they'd been given new orders from Heaven - to observe the events of the next few days so Heaven could be prepared to respond if events continued in the direction they appeared to be headed. Thus, while they wouldn't be putting themselves in harm's way, they brought blessings specifically to aid the party's endeavor. Firstly, Ayruzi cast impart mind on Yllemsa's weapon, granting it a special purpose (Defeat Humans) and special ability (+2 luck bonus on attacks, skills, and checks) as well as the ability to cast teleport 1/day. Second, they enchanted any weapons the party had less than +4 with greater magic weapon. Lastly, they prepared a great deal of restoration and resurrection-type spells, in the event not everyone made it out alive, and brought the components necessary to use them. The party ascended the steps of the Anima Focus, getting extremely dizzy in the process. They dropped a metric ton of buffs, including Brodert's protection from spells and a scroll of foresight and moment of prescience to really eke out every possible advantage they could. They leapt into the fires of the Anima Focus and were consumed. More like Anime Focus am I right?:
I'm just going to quote my script here.
For a moment, you are by yourself. But you are not alone. Ithil, you feel arms, gentle and kind, wrapping over your shoulders from behind, like someone is leaning on you. You hear a still, small voice, and recognize it. It is your mother. “I knew you would find your way, Ithil,” she says. “Cut him down. Let new life reach this forgotten place.” Yllemsa, the voice you hear is not so kind. Her anticipation fills you, as if excitement and rage alone could crush your heart. When you look down at your hands, your weapon, it is her long, twisted nails, her ranseur that you see. “Finally, after 10,000 years of waiting, Karzoug will get what he deserves. He will fall, and we will rise, Yllemsa. Rip out his heart.” Cordelia, you do not hear a voice, at least at first. Instead you see someone sitting before you, a strange creature like a stag standing upright, with no face. You know it’s watching you though, because small, golden rings, imprinted with eyes, orbit around its horns, always watching you. For a moment, you only look at it, and it only looks at you, until in your mind you hear its words: “You realize now, don’t you, that this is only the beginning. The Runelords thought they could escape their fates, but fate never forgot them. Send them to me, Cordelia. Let the universe know the value of a great Runelord’s soul.” Haast, perhaps it should come as no surprise that you are alone. Your drive, your power, your desires are your own. You’ve exceeded your mother and your father. You killed the champion Lucretia wanted you to become. The Black Knight’s will bends to your own. This is not a climax, a final act for you. You’re going to kill Karzoug, or trap him here forever. And then you’re going to become even stronger. Then, they appeared in the Eye. The Final Battle, Round 1:
Karzoug and the party didn't waste much time talking. He said something to the effect of, 'This will be my test, to see if I am still worthy of being Runelord,' but they quickly rolled initiative and started having it out.
Nualia won initiative, cast particulate form and quickened prayer, and moved up the stairs. Karzoug opened with clashing rocks, knocking down everyone but Nualia, Ithil, and Cerberus. Then, with a quickened time stop, he re-positioned over the Runewell. Unfortunately, he rolled max bonus turns, and protected himself with fiery body, echolocation, protection from energy (cold), shield, deflection, spell turning[7], resist energy (electricity), and temporal regression. Cordelia picked themself up, cast barrow haze on one storm giant and quickened stinking cloud on the other. Yllemsa picked themself up and moved up the stairs, making it almost to the runewell of greed. The storm giants moved out of their clouds - one switched to a halberd, while the other used chain lightning and managed to deal all of 1 damage to 1 character. Ithil just picked himself up and attacked the same giant at Cerberus. Cerberus, currently being Gargantuan (Evolution Surge: Large; Evolution: Huge; Legendary Proportions), started tearing away at the northern giant, tripping it. The Rune Warden moved to protect the Runewell and cast dominate person on Nualia. She passed. The Runewell Dragon cast stoneskin and also moved to protect the runewell, meaning Karzoug, the dragon, and the Rune Warden were all clustered around it. Finally, Haast stood and cast quickened greater invisibility and enchanted his weapon. The Final Battle (Round 2):
Nualia's primarily buffs were up, so she followed behind Yllemsa and cast dimensional anchor on Karzoug. Unfortunately, she missed, and the party did not discover his spell turning.
Karzoug cast borrowed time and quickened haste, then immediately took advantage of his extra time to time stop, again rolling max turns. He put a wall of suppression between Yllemsa and Nualia, then put a prismatic wall immediately in front of Yllemsa, blocking their view of the Runewell. He used his extra time to fly all the way to the edge of the platform the party appeared on, behind Haast, Cordelia, and Ithil, hoping to bait them all into a wail of the banshee. Finding he had more time than expected, he cast heart of the mammoth on himself for some extra bonuses. Cordelia noticed they couldn't see any magic auras on Karzoug with greater arcane sight and Haast concluded he must be using mind blank, so Cordelia cast greater dispel magic on Karzoug. Unfortunately, the spell was reflected, and stripped off Cordelia's own mind blank, foresight, greater arcane sight and particulate form (the particulate form ended up being a mistake; they should have lost overland flight instead. Oops). Yllemsa maneuvered under the prismatic wall and approached the Runewell from below, staying out of range of the dragon and jabbing it with their weapon. One storm giant shot Ithil for good damage while the other just tried to stand. That one made a swing but whiffed. Ithil full-attacked the giant along with Cerberus, tripping them again and leaving them with very low HP. Here is where I think things started to go wrong - Ithil totally ignored Karzoug nearby, and, like Cordelia, didn't bother to move. The Runewell Dragon took a step back and took a shot with enervation against Yllemsa, but spell resistance ate it. Then the Rune Warden decided it was time to eat as many AoOs as it took to get to Yllemsa - he took a gnarly 96 damage, but then hit them with an Improved Awesome Blow straight through the prismatic wall. Spell Resistance stopped 4 layers, and Yllemsa made their save versus 2 more, but the 7th level got them, dispelling all of their spells. They only managed to avoid falling into lava by rolling onto the stairs, but with their most powerful buffs gone, they were quickly in a bad spot. Haast flew upward and cast empowered pyrotechnic eruption on the south storm giant to soften it up for Cerberus. The Final Battle (Round 3):
Nualia ran around the wall of suppression and cast communal resist fire on herself and Yllemsa.
Karzoug, unable to track Haast down and with Cordelia and Cerberus split up, decided to use his wail anyway, targeting only Cordelia and Ithil. Ithil failed, dropping to -89. Cordelia only passed due to being a dhampir. Then he gave a quickened slow to remove Cerberus's haste. Cordelia cast barrow haze around Karzoug and ghost walked. Yllemsa cast monstrous physique ii to turn into a four-armed gargoyle and flew over the wall of suppression (I also forgot being prone following Awesome Blow - it literally never came up before this point in the campaign). Cerberus finished off the storm giant and moved into melee with the southern storm giant . . . and that storm giant's attempt to switch weapons resulted in - you know it - being tripped. Gargantuan animal companions are pretty good at tripping as it turns out. The runewell dragon cast displacement and flew over the wall, landing beside Cordelia after picking them up with echolocation. Realizing no one was approaching the runewell, the Rune Warden walked over the prismatic wall and cast mass charm person to no effect. Haast, realizing that Karzoug's fiery form probably meant he was now vulnerable to cold, cast cone of cold where Karzoug had been, but couldn't immediately see the result. The Final Battle (Round 4):
Nualia refreshed particulate form on themself, Cordelia, and Yllemsa to make sure everyone kept their crit immunity.
Karzoug, now able to locate Haast with echolocation, cast greater dispel magic to no effect, then cast quickened glitterdust to help the Warden and Dragon deal with Haast in the future. He stayed there, hoping to group the party up for a next-turn temporal regression into horrid wilting. Cordelia, quite afraid of the dragon, hit it with ill omen and Misfortune. Yllemsa rushed on past Cordelia and the dragon to hit Karzoug a single time. The southern storm giant took a swing at Cerberus, and dealt OK damage, but was killed immediately afterwards thanks to a combination of pyrotechnic eruption and getting crit. The runewell dragon full-attacked, but didn't manage to kill Cordelia due to all of the rolling-twice (or thrice), take the lower result, though Cordelia was dropped to a precarious 30hp. The Rune Warden double-moved into melee with Nualia, hoping to prevent her from doing any more supportive casting. Haast recalled his cone of cold and hit Karzoug with a spell-combat spellstrike empowered vampiric touch full attack, dealing 90ish damage (about 135 damage so far). The party is in a bit of a tight spot, and they haven't started destroying the soul lens, but Cordelia is planning to dimension door as many people as possible to the Runewell next turn, now that everyone has moved to the other side of the prismatic wall. Nualia, Yllemsa, and Cerberus are the only ones who go before the dragon however, so we'll see how that plan shakes out.
Session 70 started as a 'fight' against the Shemhazian demon, but it only got a single turn before being eliminated. Exploring the Pinnacle:
The party stopped to investigate the pagoda, but couldn't find anything magically interesting, and turned their attention to the golden wall of force. Cordelia hit it with a disintegrate, but not only was it not instantly destroyed, it started to repair the damage. The party made some Kn: Arcana checks and realized that this wall of force was artifact-tier, and would require either overwhelming force or a specific deactivation method. They decided to return the next day with as many disintegrates as necessary to force their way through.
Now very low on resources, the party decided to only explore the safest remaining areas - the Rune Giant Quarters and the Lamia Quarters. They encountered an Image of Karzoug in the former (Nualia died again), then found Pallen missing in the latter. However, they found a secret compartment had been opened in Ceoptra's Altar, and inside found a platinum key. They used the key to open up the jail cells. In the northern one, they found a pedestal holding a pale gem set in a gold crest. Fearing that it might contain the soul of a demi-lich (like Anizorah), they locked the door again and opened the southern room. Inside they found Yomi, the fox spirit adventurer they journeyed with in Turtleback Ferry. They questioned her some, and discovered that her allies had all been defeated or killed at Jorgenfist (back before they'd even first journeyed there), after trying to take on the fortress themselves. Those who were taken prisoner (by Lokansir) had been sacrificed by Seleval and Zalesar, with Yomi having eventually been transported to Xin-Shalast to be one of the final sacrifices to return Karzoug (due to her exceptional greed). The party decided to check the opposite side of the complex from the wall of force, and found the Aklo Doors. As they started to inspect the runes (with Detect Magic and Aklo proficency, Cordelia managed to read, Behold the Aklo Doors, the Gate to Time), they all vanished into a maze of madness and suffering. Cordelia went first in initiative, and witnessed Xin-Shalast under a blood-red sky as dozens of meteors rained down upon the land. They quickly realized they were in a maze however, and cast find the path to escape. (I failed to realize the casting time on this spell, so it resolved immediately, and everyone made it out). Realizing they now had two people who needed to escape, a trapped door that wanted to hurt them, and generally low hit points all around, the party cast communal air walk and escorted Yomi and Aritossa down Mhar Massif. Aritossa took her leave when the party hit the Rising District, but Yomi retreated all the way to the Lair of the Hidden Beast with the party. Between Raids:
After the party caught their companions up (and found out from Aneka that Shahlaria had room to host upward of 300 Rune Giants, but she only encountered ~ 30 of them), and gave Brodert all of the books from Khalib's room, they rested for the evening.
During the night, Cordelia received a dream from an unfamiliar source, which only had two short things to say.
They decided to head up late today, using the Revelation Quill and Brodert's Commune with Texts to try and learn everything they could about whatever the 'Anima Focus' was, and what Karzoug's connection to Leng was. They got the following pieces of information: - The Anima Focus is the 'gateway to the Eye of Avarice through which only souls may pass undisturbed.'
While at this point it probably would have been fair for something to interrupt the party on their return to the Pinnacle... none of us were really interested in anything but finding the Anima Focus and defeating Karzoug, so the party burned all of the spells necessary to make it back to the Pinnacle, and we picked up from there. The Leng Device:
Now with Aneka in the party (to handle the Aklo Doors), the party returned to tackle the doors again. This time, they sent Cordelia (with the higest Int and find the path) and Aneka (with high Disable Device) to inspect them. However, within seconds of laying their eyes on them, they vanished.
Yllemsa figured that, while they were gone, the trap may be de-activated, and decided to physically push the doors open. This was successful, but also resulted in Yllemsa being pulled into the maze. Now with the doors open, the rest of the party rushed through them, careful to avoid touching them. On Cordelia's turn, they once again cast find the path, but this time intentionally set the destination to 'On the other side of the Aklo Doors.' And thus the party appeared together in front of the Leng Device. Once the party was noticed by the occupants, one of the engineers stepped forward, and informed the party that they had 'violated the agreement,' and would pay with their lives. A fight broke out, but it could hardly be called a fight - the Denizens got swamped in cloud and entangling effects, and managed to land only a single hit before being slaughtered by Yllemsa, Cerberus, and Haast. It's not even really worth describing. With the death of the last one, the image of Xin-Shalast twisted into a swirl of color, and the party decided it was time to get OUT. They intentionally set off the Aklo Doors and got to the other side, but in their haste, they left Aneka behind. She tried to get back on her own, but couldn't get out of the maze. Once 5 turns had gone by, Cordelia entered the maze intentionally, then got out immediately with Aneka in tow. The next round, the party heard a horrible howl coming from inside the room with the Leng Device. The session ended after the howl. The break between raids actually took quite some time due to discussions and spell preparation, but with how much remains, I suspect next session will handle the Thing from Beyond Time as well as Ceoptra. The Ceoptra encounter is CR 21, so unless something goes wrong, the party should rest afterwards before their final encounter with Karzoug.
Unless you've got a particular attachment to RPing Hemlock, I'd recommend just having the party's 'questgiver' as it were not be a member of the town guard. Ameiko's a good one; she's the one who got my party through Book 2, and I don't think they even spoke to Belor the whole book after Session 1 (when one of them was questioned about Katrine's murder). That said, absolutely don't level up Belor to bully your party. On top of confirming everything they already believe about him, it would extend the antagonism between PCs and an NPC to antagonism between you and your players. If the party is shirking the law, but protecting the town at the same time, I'd recommend Belor talk with them and say he's not interested in continuing their partnership to protect the town, but if they want to cooperate with the city guard, his door is open. Then, whoever the party naturally goes to to bounce ideas off of, or whoever else gets wrapped up in this ghoul situation, have them help the party instead. I think there's probably two reasons behind the trouble you're having, incidentally. Reasons?: 1. Belor has a professional duty to protect Sandpoint, but we both know he can't do much at this stage. On a non-game level though, if your party doesn't take what he says in good faith, it's very easy to see his lack of effect on the world as him 'not doing anything.' I didn't have this issue, but it sounds like what your party's seeing.
2. Some groups don't trust law enforcement, especially when that law enforcement is strictly dedicated to the law. This can be for a number of reasons, but one of the most common is because people feel PCs ought to be, and often are, above the law. This is the issue I had. In my game, for instance, Belor tried multiple avenues to prevent the party from using resurrection magic to restore Nualia to life, and then to prevent them from returning Nualia to town, and then from influencing the city's politics (to support Mokmurian). Of course, the party didn't take kindly to this, and ultimately told him that if he escalated his resistance further, he'd break before they'd bend. Either problem could be solved by having someone not involved in law-enforcement (and thus without the duty to personally intervene) who nevertheless wants to help Sandpoint help out the party by giving them tips, rather than by having an authority ask favors of them.
Session 66 began as a conversation between Cordelia, Haast, and Diosenia. In essence, Diosenia claimed that the inhabitants of Xin Shalast had been getting along just fine prior to the return of the rune giants, but now huge swaths of the giant population had been indoctrinated and dominated to serve Karzoug and, more directly, Ceoptra. While Diosenia and the other Lamashtans would like to fight back, they both lacked the ability to climb Mhar Massif, and could not realistically face against the rune giants. Before the Raid:
Deciding Diosenia was a worthwhile ally, Cordelia confided in them Mesmerina's prophecy (which Lucretia finally heard). They puzzled over the details for a few moments, but ultimately Diosenia suggested that, if Karzoug had anything to do with this, then Ceoptra must know. Given that Lucretia (whispering to Iago, who was carrying her on his shoulder) knew nothing about what the prophecy could be referring to, the party agreed that they needed to find Ceoptra and the Leng Device before confronting Karzoug.
After bidding Diosenia goodbye and returning to the Lair of the Hidden Beast, Lucretia sheepishly approached Cordelia to give them a piece of information: while the Pinnacle might be incredibly difficult to infiltrate from the center, Mokmurian had introduced created a second entrance when he found them 6 years ago. Entering that way should help keep them from being surrounded. Cordelia suggested Lucretia should come with them to confront Ceoptra, but the rest of the party agreed that was a bad idea, and at this point Lucretia had few options but to stay put and hope no one else hunted her down. She agreed. Finally, the party decided they didn't want to give Karzoug any more chances to hunt them down, so they planned to kill or un-dominate everyone there in one go. Then they'd have the opportunity to figure out what exactly was going to cause the foretold calamity before confronting Karzoug (as long as they didn't kill so many people that it filled the runewell.) The Imprisoned Angel:
The party returned to the Spires the following morning through the same tactics as last time, making sure to cloak everyone in a mind blank so the exact timing and trajectory of their attack couldn't be predicted. Ithil managed to spot the Mokmurian Door (even though it had been stone shaped over by Khalib), and Iago brought the thin wall down with his war drums.
There the party found a green-skinned humanoid, clearly caught in a fit of crying, who shook their head as the party approached the hole. As they started trying to communicate with them, the party realized they were unable to speak - after a few rolls, the party realized that this creature was a Planetar angel, one of the host of heaven. While among the most powerful of heaven's forces, they realized it was technically possible to bind one, and assumed that someone in the Pinnacle had done so. Iago: "If I contact you telepathically?" The angel nodded. Iago: "Alright. Well. I'm going to start looking an awful lot like a demon, but don't worry, we're on the same side here." Iago entered his spiritual form - that of an emaciated, three-eyed, winged minotaur bearing the mark of Baphomet, and used his telepathy to reach out to the angel. Angel: "My name is Ayruzi, and I have been held captive here by the mortal wizard, Khalib. Please, do not enter this room." Iago: "Alright, we won't. What exactly did Khalib bind you to do?" Ayruzi: "I am to silently guard this room, allowing no one to enter nor exit, until my death. If you or your companions enter here, I'll have no choice but to fight you." Iago: "Got it. If you are bound, how can we free you? Is it dispellable?" Ayruzi: "I'm afraid not. With time, I may be able to free myself, but for now I worry killing me is your only way into this place. You have come to defeat Karzoug, the ancient tyrant, have you not?" Iago: "We have. I'd prefer not to kill you though. Not that I'm particularly inclined to help . . . people like you, or anything, it just seems a little cruel." Haast: "Can't we just banish 'em?" Ayruzi: "Yes! If you have the power to banish me, do so. That will end the spell that binds me, and I may yet be able to return and aid you in your quest." Iago: "Oh, you'd help us?" Ayruzi: "Khalib and the others of his kind here are abominations that should not have returned to this world. For myself, and for Golarion, they ought to be cut down." Iago: "Well . . . I can't say I like the idea of working with an agent of heaven, but we'll take any help that we can get." Yllemsa & Haast (in unison): "It - it's not like I want to work with you or anything, b-baka!" Ayruzi: "Then please, banish me. I will make arrangements to return as soon as I can." Iago used a Spell Kenning to cast dismissal, and the party moved in to the old storage room. Fight at the Pinnacle (Southern Hallway):
The party cast their standard buffs (plus resist electricity and fire), then opened the door, immediately face-to-face with an Image of Karzoug and a Warden of Wind (a cloud giant druid).
Karzoug: "Oh, Lucretia, one final betrayal, is it? No matter, for I'm glad you've come. You are not the mere worms I'd thought you to be - no, you are more like maggots in your endless squirming to meet the fate that awaits you. I am that fate." Karzoug won initiative and blasted the party with horrid wilting, which weakened everyone but Yllemsa substantially. The Warden's river of wind made the party hesitate as well... until I realized I hadn't clarified that the spell was only 5' wide, and then everyone promptly flew around it to get at the Warden and Karzoug. Feeling immense enmity for the image, Iago flew up to it while the rest of the party fought. Seconds before he brought his club down on the image, Karzoug said, "Lamia of the Pinnacle, come to my aid!" and by the time the image was destroyed, the party could hear horrible squelching and panting coming from around the corner. Haast was on it though, and prepared an action to cast wall of force to separate the first creature to come down the hall from the others. This worked pretty spectacularly, as the Hungerer ended up in solo combat against the entire party. While the party wasn't having much trouble with it, the Hungerer did manage to make it to Haast and perform a single bite. As its massive jaws engulfed Haast's entire body (and I saw I rolled a natural 20, but before I announced it), Haast cast ether step, narrowly avoiding being bitten right in half (8d8+88 is quite scary, after all!). The Hungerer was quickly dealt with this Haast remained in the ethereal plane, and the party realized that the Hungerer trapped behind the Wall of Force was accompanied by several lamia priestesses. Uninterested in giving them any extra information about the party, Cordelia and Nualia covered the entire battlefield in fog effects, and Yllemsa used their star of vision to grant their mistsight to the entire party. Using the fog as cover, Iago used his Invoke Tempter ability to call a glabrezu to his side, and the party prepared to drop the wall of force early. As soon as the wall was dropped, Cordelia filled the area between the party and the lamia with more fog while the glabrezu reversed gravity to render the lamia basically harmless. Ithil and Yllemsa used their turns removing the mirror images of the various lamia, while Haast moved to the backline to support the party with furious icy barrage. The righthand door then opened, revealing more lamia, another image of Karzoug, and a familiar face: Pallen, the transmuter from Runeforge. Karzoug: "Don't think that breaking my first line means you'll win today, maggots. You will never leave the Pinnacle alive." The session ended there. Unfortunately, a week after this session, Iago's player left the campaign for personal reasons, so I'm adjusting everything in the Pinnacle back down to 4 PCs (but still more challenging than the book). Apologies if this update is a little scrambled, I got my second dose of vaccine and my brain is not at its best.
People who invest heavily in a particular concept get hit hard when that effect is controlled for. My party relies heavily on bard's escape to position in combat, and it utterly field them in their first battle of the Pinnacle. - The way it'll get broken to him (or anyone in the party attempting a teleport), is watching a spell or SLA they attempt to use suddenly fail. It's definitely a bad feeling, but unless it was saved for a particularly compromising situation, this should be before they get in too deep. - It's possible the party recognizes the dimensional lock over the region before attempting it in combat. For instance, something like arcane sight or greater arcane sight could tell them this, as could a legend lore on the Occlusion Field.
I'll get started on that next week, Miles. I'll admit I'm pretty stumped on how to buff the haunts and traps of the Vekker Cabin, especially given they're explicitly not supposed to be real threats, but the actual combat encounters of Part 2 are pretty easy to modify. My Part 3 and 4 are mostly finished already, given that's where my group was when I got back to this project. You can access the full catalog here, but consider the contents therein a WIP and double-check them yourself. My party had excellent anti-archery abilities, so I didn't hesitate to throw 16 high-damage archers at them at once, but balancing that for more general parties isn't quite where I'm at yet. I'm currently focusing on Book 6 Part 7, as my party has reached the Pinnacle and begun raiding it.
I ran the start of this as-written - with the party moving around a large 'farm map' encountering 1-2 scarecrows at a time. While they were kind of freaked out by the first one that ripped itself free and sprinted at them, they quickly learned to simply surround and kill the ghouls who broke free. After that, they started shooting them from a distance - accidentally killing a still-living human in the process. The screaming that murder caused drew the attention of the ghouls at the farmhouse, and here is where I split things off: the scarecrows all began breaking free, and as the party was met with a large host from the farmhouse, more and more trickled in every turn, attacking isolated party members and keeping up constant pressure. I also, incidentally, ran the ghouls as Ghoul Unchained Rogue 1s, and the Ghast as like a Ghast Unchained Rogue 3? Making the ghouls more relevant threats does help make them feel like something to be feared after the first one drops easily...
I ruled that mind blank protects you from Karzoug's scrying. Furthermore, if I understand the spell correctly, you are undetectable when Karzoug is scrying through someone else's eyes. My reasoning? Karzoug's scrying is still a scry effect, and you still get a saving throw (otherwise, how would you take the -4 penalty listed in the runewell of greed?). Given you're immune to scrying attempts targeted at you (which it must be, because you get a saving throw), the scry fails.
Apologies for the triple-post. If anyone would like access the Advanced Bonus Progression stat blocks I created for Book 6 Part 4, you can find them here. It includes some original characters and redesigns (such as a Dwiergeth Hidden Beast), but most people should be able to get use out of stat blocks like Vampire Skulk Unchained Rogues and beefier Abominable Snowmen. The Priestess of Divine Consumption, Krak Naratha Soldier, and Cloud Giant Bard stat blocks are also useful for random encounters. :)
Here's a letter I wrote on behalf of Mesmina, addressed to the PCs (but not quite right - she addressed the specific PCs that started the campaign, not the ones who are finishing it). I drafted it specifically to give the players a hint about what happens if they simply wait for Karzoug to return or, more specifically, fail to slay the Denizens of Leng. To Masters Lioneye, Meridia, Hin, Marcellus, Yllemsa, and Rodripal:
If this letter has made it to your hands, then I am confident that my prophecy has come to pass. The yoke of the Hidden Beast has been lifted, and the scourge of vampirism may yet be purged from Xin-Shalast. For that, I must thank and congratulate you.
However, I must confess that my prophecy was something of a fabrication. I needed to reach you at all costs, for it was not a return to slavery that I most feared for my descendents, and it was not as liberators that I saw you in my dreams, but as assassins. Bearing violet weapons of the Runeforge, you came to strike down Runelord Karzoug, and to claim the power of the Runelord for a new age. But in the moment of your triumph, you and Karzoug alike were slain. The great Mhar Massif was laid low, and Xin-Shalast was engulfed in fire and lava once again. I saw the world consumed by a second darkness, and creatures from my blackest nightmares ravaging the land. I know not why this came to pass, but I know it came on the day of Karzoug’s return, on the day of your fateful battle. I cannot believe this is a coincidence. On behalf of my descendants, as well as all those in the lands below, I beg of you: find the source of this calamity before Karzoug’s return. Five of my disciples have agreed to aid you in this endeavor through the scrolls you should find alongside this letter, and I entrust to you my staff, to seek Lissala’s wisdom. I pray that it will be enough. May the path of runes guide your way. Mesmina My specific flavor for the scrolls Morgiv hands over is that they are the tatto'd flesh of disciples who essentially donated their skin to the project before their deaths. I also gave the party a non-functional staff of revelations to provide confirmation of Lissala's death. Both of these details could be changed for your specific party, of course. Feel free to use any of this if it suits you.
I honestly had the exact opposite experience as a DM re: Life Bubble. My hunter picked it up as his first 3rd level spell back in Magnimar, got access to a lesser rod of extend spell as soon as possible, and has essentially kept the party cloaked in it ever since. Because the party is so used to using it, they've picked up magic items and spells to combo with it, like plague storm and fogcutter lenses. life bubble trivializes all sorts of survival scenarios and hinders certain traps, but as stated above, dispel magic and greater dispel magic will strip it away, which can be very bad for a party that has grown used to relying on it. For parties that cast it every day (as they likely will in Xin-Shalast), this taxes their resources for something other than combat (which is good - how much combat would you need to do to to go through a 16th level party's resources?) and reinforces the significance of support casters. Life bubble has an unusually big spotlight in my campaign, not only because the party's been using it daily for 2 years of play, but because sihedron rings don't grant Deflection and Resistance bonuses in my (ABP) campaign, but grant permanent life bubble. And honestly, things that let my party focus on the fun bits (like not slowly asphyxiating on the way to the final dungeon) seem like good investments on their and my parts.
Hello folks! If you'd like my conversion for the rest of Runeforge, I can have that out in about 2 weeks. My party is currently in Xin-Shalast and I hadn't heard if people actively needed these, so I was focusing on finishing my campaign before updating here. In the meantime, please feel free to make use of the next section as well.
I would say Rise of the Runelords is pretty heavily combat focused, but there are plenty of opportunities to bring roleplay to the forefront of you'd like. Roleplay has taken up substantially more time in my game than combat from Book 3 onward, but I admit this is not the campaign-as-presented experience. I'll also say it's a pretty poor campaign for intrigue if your players aren't interested in gravitating towards evil, as most of the NPCs they'll encounter starting as soon as Book 2 (I'd say) are evil, with most of those being CE. I'd say to give the campaign a read and see if you'd like it. If you need help cranking up the difficulty, Joey Virtue's guide is a great resource, and I've got tens of stat blocks for additional monster variety and increased toughness. Overall, I'd say it's a good campaign, but it may be better for a group who is either less experienced or diverse in its interests than yours. If you decide to run it anyway, there's a lot of resources to be found here to flesh it out and increase its difficulty.
Best method I've been able to find so far is Google Drive. I'm a little confused about the Permissions, but if I understand correctly, I can start by handing out permissions on a folder-by-folder basis. With that stated: Book 5 Part 6: The Iron Cages of Lust The folder contains a notes page formatting in roughly the same way as this thread for reference. It also contains explanations for additional monsters I may have added, loot changes, or notes about homebrew beyond simply adding HD. For instance, in Book 5 Part 6, Delvahine uses the stat block for a Greater Succubus, a homebrewed demon I found online. |
