| EmpCod |
My party is on the verge of crossing the Spectral Seal which I believe is the choke point between books 1 and 2 of the trilogy.
There is a lot of roleplay involved in gathering the Roseguard Icons, and the adventure makes it sound like a big milestone (foreshadowed by Otari's ghost, etc.) But I was kind of let down that once the PCs show up with the icons in front of the Spectral Seal, is simply vanishes. That didn't feel epic to me.
Since my players have been steamrolling most of the combats so far (party of 5), I wanted to beef up this encounter to hopefully make it more satisfying.
My idea was to turn the Spectral Seal into a Hazard. Spirits have built up against the Spectral Seal, and once the Roseguard Icons breach it, a vortex of spirits forms as it unclogs, beaming into a straight line. As a side effect, I made it so it would rejuvenate and summon any spirit the party hadn't put to rest yet, in an attempt to generate closure for levels 1 to 4 of the dungeon, and show some consequences for prior unfinished business.
I've made it so the party must hold the Roseguard Icons to gradually destroy the beam. The hazard's 12 HP act as a sort of countdown. In theory if the 4 icons are held continuously by living creatures within 10ft of the seal, the hazard will be permanently disabled after 3 rounds, leaving behind maybe a few spirit creatures to finish off. I am looking for some kind of "King of the Hill" or "Tower Defense" feeling to the encounter. The PCs must stand strong amidst the chaos, possibly having to make difficult tactical choices. For example: "My fellow party member was downed and dropped his Roseguard icon inside the beam. Should I prioritise shoving his body out of danger, or picking up the icon to quicken the Spirit Vortex's extinguishment?"
Here's the full stats of my homebrewed hazard:
Feel free to comment, criticize or suggest changes. I expect to run it next week, and I'll keep you posted with the results.