Search Posts
But I started playing Kingmaker recently and I am compelled to tell anyone willing to listen, and especially game designers, engineers, talent and contributors, that the Kingmaker PC game is hands down the best CRPG since Baldurs Gate. An absolute masterpiece. Thank you! I've Got Reach
I’ve got a question I’d like to pose to what I think might be a significant minority of the gamers here at Paizo – specifically those gamers that are playing their own home-grown fantasy gaming system: > Have you renamed the game, and if so, what did you call it? I ask because our gaming group has designed a home grown game but are at odds with what to call it. I’m seeking inspiration. One more question: > Seeing that I will be running the game, I would like to use a Pathfinder product if possible, given my satisfaction with Dungeon in the past. Are there any Pathfinders that are low-magic and in based in a rural or wild setting?
My gaming group has been playing 4e for a better part of a month or two and its fair time to write an opinion on the game. In short, 4e is starkly different than previous renditions. It can be stated that there are competitive games on the market that are now closer to D&D’s original roots than 4e is. That’s not to say its bad, just that its different. I’ll spare the in-depth and detailed analysis for others, just to say that this rendition, in my eyes, is no better than 3.5. Both versions have inherent strengths and weaknesses. In the end, it’s a wash; and if it’s a wash, why abandon the investment of the previous edition for a lateral move? The biggest hang-up of this edition is the ridiculously long combats, even at the lowest levels. UUggghhhhhhh – make it stop!!! The official Wizards videocast of a 45 minute-long edited battle should have tipped us off to what was to come. We played last Friday, and we invited the DM’s daughter to play with us. She’s 12 years old, plays DDR, has a chic cell phone…i.e. nothing out of the ordinary. She was skeptical of playing the game from the onset. Here’s her comments during gameplay (in chronological order):
Now, in defense of the game system, she did stick it out and play the entire session. I think we are going to continue playing 4e through 2008 and a portion of 2009. The group considers going back to 3.5 a better option than Iron Heroes, and haven’t really considered Pathfinder. In light of these events, we will be playing a home-brewed fantasy game now in production some time in 2009.
Occasionally my gaming group would visualize what it might be like to play with celebrity gamers, adventure writers, and professional game designers. We often would become a little jealous hearing a game designer talk about their “Thursday night” group escapades. We envisioned that the quality of the game would be much greater. It would be like playing basketball at your local “Y” and having 3 NBA players on your pick-up team. Then came the latest video podcast at Wizards D&D website. Consider that “Myth Busted”. The wizards professional table looked no more fluid than our table, and we were running that abomination of a game called 3.5. Rules and ability descriptions were still cross-referenced and players sometimes were uncertain of what their characters were going to do. Five rounds into the podcast lasted over 30 minutes AND the video was edited (shortened). An improvement, yes but hardly a huge improvement in game speed over 3.5 Of particular note and surprise is that these “professional” roleplayers referred to their characters actions as “I”. Example: “I use (insert ability here) on the Mind Flayer.” Just sayin… To take a sports adage: They put their pants on the same way we do. As for 4e, which is why the video was made in the first place, I was once uncertain about whether I would like it or not. My Take: The game is different. Some aspects are better, but others are worse. I think the games are equal. And if they are equal, why should I abandon the old one? In business speak, the upgrade just doesn’t “pencil out”. I think I’ll steal what I like from it (and good ideas from other sources) and build an in-house game. Which works as long as the players involved are long-term….If the group breaks up, all bets are off. My 2 cp. IGR
well, it took 39 minutes for the server to post this message, so a bump is in order.
Should I get my son (14yr) an XBOX 360 ($350) or a PS3 ($400)?
The new D&D podcast focusing on 4e features two play-testers characters: a gnome warlock and a human fighter. Unfortunately this podcast provided even less insight on 4e than the last one, but perhaps good reason. What did come out of it was scant:
That’s pretty much it. Pretty scant details. Oh, those of you that had a problem with the phrase “put a bullet in its head” will like the new D&D podcast revelation that a horde of 5th graders are easy to take down with a machine gun. Even some of the other gamers in the studio backed away from that one. In any case, it seems to me that they continue to tweak game balance rules. This is likely the main reason Paizo does not have a copy of the rules just yet. P.S. – I’d link to the WotC website featuring the podcast, but my thread building skills are pretty limp. I only dropped 1 skill rank in “Craft: Thread”. But at least it’s a class skill.
Paizo, The good news is I received a shipment as promised
Order #774614 was supposed to contain "Monte Cook
Instead, I received "Monte Cook Presents: Mastering
I assume my options are:
I don't know if both options above mean I have to
Please inform me as to what steps I need to take (if
Thanks!
I don't know if this was posted elsewhere - if so, chime in. Otherwise, I just wanted to lay out there that WotC has announced plans for their Monster Manual (MM). In summary, they have decided to take the approach of the most recent MMs, and break up the MMI (3.5) "canon" monsters and space them evenly through the course of the various MM books they plan to release. Their intent is to make every MM a core book (their words). Their obvious intent is to sell every MM book. Not a bad idea: its virtually a collectable game mentality - except that at least you will definately get the monsters you paid for in the book. Hey, I got an idea. Instead of including ALL of the core rules in just the PHB and DMG, why don't they just fan out these critical rules over a variety of "Complete"-type books?
too many informational bits to share, so I'll let the rest of you comment.....
This isn't so much a Campaign Journal; rather I thought I would share some (what I thought to be) humorous songs about fellow adventuring companions. My character was Noslen Sregor, and he looked an awful lot like modern-day Prince (you know, Purple Rain). His companions' actions inspired the following lyrics: A female human wizard named Aria was obsessed with knowledge and power – this character was munchkined out prior to WotC errata on Polymorphing type spells. Song Title: I Aint Got No Soul Her nose is in the book, learning
<Chorus>
What is her goal, Divine or Arcane
<Repeat Chorus> Half-orc Backlor was one mean hombre – until a Mindflayer cracked open his skull like an Alaskan King Crab. Song Title: Even Cleavin' Its a blood bath where I'm from
Foes drop when Backlor swings
My angers legendary
We had a player who played a Ranger archer type named Roland. A mercenary to the nth degree, he could pat down an enemy before they hit the ground dead. He kept track of party debt and their contributions to the “team” to the degree that seemed, well, wrong. Song Title: Cash is King Draw my bow, arrows to the head,
I do it for a girl to impress her dad,
Had a player who played a Dwarven Reaping Mauler named “Bubba”. I wrote his song first. Song Title: Bubba's Got A Grip On You Bubba's his name,
<Chorus>
After he's done, he'll pat you down,
<Repeat Chorus> *********************
Taking a page from the "My favorite spells thread", what are some of the spells that get the cold shoulder from you or your gaming table in general? I'll start it off with a few: Bless (A canon spell that I dont think has been used at our table since 3.5 release)
Speaking to Detect type spells, the only one that ever sees any use at our table is detect magic. Other notable spells include acid arrow and (to a lesser extent) magic missile - two spells that have been discarded like an ugly dog once the variety of orb and lesser orb spells became available.
1 Potion of Wild Results 1.Roll Even Die: Increase ONE Ability by 1d4, recipient’s choice, permanently, or) Roll Odd Die: Decrease ONE Ability by 1d4, recipient’s choice, permanently.
After I stat out the creatures and Decepticons, I will run this short adventure sometime next month. Its really straight forward so that our new players will get to learn the system. Input and plot twist ideas are recomended. Thanks for reading! Into the Core Synopsis Autobots are on a routine patrol when they happen upon what appears to be a derelict spacecraft. [DM Note: To pull off this seemingly innocuous encounter, random encounter tables and miscellaneous treasure tables must be made. This derelict ship must appear to be a product of the table...]
Through luck and skill, the shuttle escapes the Decepticons temporarily. According to navigational maps, the Autobots best option (perhaps the shuttle is damaged and can't travel farther) is the planet Freeze – an ice cold world that crystaline creatures (called Zirconics) the size (and shape) of transformers inhabit. The Zirconics, generally friendly to Autobots, have a base and resources to re-equip the Autobots. The shuttle must land some distance from Crystal City (I don't know why...its just a cartoon!) Along the way, the Autobots are attacked by various ice creatures native to the planet: Tundra Crawlers (think roaches the size of a two-story house), Frostys (TF sized snowmen), and even an Ice Worm. Getting to Crystal City, the Zirconic leader offers the Autobots a ship if they can retrieve their greatest leader's spark (the soul/essence of a transformer....Zirconics apparently have them too) and return it to them. The problem is that it was lost eons ago in a great war with the subterranean Infernites (molten beings that live deep underground) when the leader fell in battle. Access to the infernites lair is only possible via a large active volcano known as Smoke Stack. The PCs must venture back across the frozen wastelands and scale the mountain. Unless the PCs are careful or lucky, they are sure to encounter some of the dangerous arctic predators that roam the planet freely. Once inside the volcano, the PCs navigate a dangerous cavern rife with dangers such as:
Worse, these abilities will be tested under extreme conditions (such as lava pools – body-part flame damage) and even while being attacked by subterranean monsters such as:
Ultimately they encounter infernites, either before or after they secure the spark they came to free. The infernites, as the PCs will find out, are the xenophobic hate mongers the Zirconics described. Only PCs with the ability to wield and manipulate flame have a chance at negotiations. Fortunately they are only really dangerous in mass and none-too-bright. The leader’s spark is guarded by real infernite guards. Within the flaming chamber, the spark is surrounded by innately hostile infernite sparks preventing an escape. When the PCs enter the room, the hostile infernite sparks mindlessly attempt to penetrate and dominate TFs. Upon their destruction, the PCs may secure the spark and return it to the Zirconics. Upon successful completion of the mission, the Autobots get a cool crystalline ship (named 'Shard'), and leave Freeze for greener pastures. Unless they decide to return for ship upgrades! Other notes: Autobot ship in the beginning is to be named by the players. They have a crew (in addition to the PCs) of 6 (to be named by the players); one of the NPCs are the commander who inevitably gives the bail out command. Decepticon Roster:
And of course I have a lot of statting out to do.
Unarmed/Natural Weapons (d20) 1) Blow it. Roll twice and add 1 to the rolls on this table, re-rolling duplicate effects.
No, not really. April Fools! :) P.S. - Shiver me timbers you scally-wags!
All characters are now level 20. (Some characters might have been level 19 - this had to change.) <Not long after the PCs begin rooting through Dragotha’s horde, an urgent sounding Tenser contacts them telepathically.>
Its over. The Age of Worms has come and gone, ushering in the Dawn of a New Age and ultimately A Savage Tide (which I am a player in). Details of the end game ca be read in the Campaign Journal section by yours truly. I cant understate the impact this campaign had on my favorite hobby – gaming. I made some errors along the way, but I learned a great deal, improved my gaming skills, and above all I think we all had fun. This is likely the last time I will run a D&D campaign in its 3.5 rendition, so thanks to all at Paizo magazine whom produce such great and memorable adventures, thanks to all of you on the message boards for the insight bonuses :) , and thanks to all my players who helped make this epic journey come to fruition.
**Spoilers actually pertain to my campaign, and not necessaily her abilities as written** In my campaign I think the players will view Kyuss as the big climax. That’s ok, but for me (the DM), I am really focusing most of my efforts on Lashonna. She is a brilliant mastermind who has usurped control from the now destroyed Dragotha using the PCs as her pawns. She hopes that the PCs loyalty lies with Kyuss and will forever serve him as thralls, but knows that they will not. They are powerful: she knows this. But she also knows all their strengths and weaknesses (talk about a tired cliché by now) and will have taken measures against them. In fact, some of these protective plans were seeded the very moment they laid eyes on her. First of all, the resident PC cleric is arguably the most powerful undead killer in the material plane. To stifle his Light descriptor spells (Sunbeam) and turning abilities, she has procured a minor artifact in the form of a chunk of basalt rock from the Plane of Shadows. The rock cloaks the area in shadowy darkness, negating Light descriptor spells in a 120 foot radius, and provides a +8 turn resistance bonus. Second, she will be accompanied by a few Nightcrawlers (or the like) so that the PCs can’t immediately decapitate her in one round like some CR1 Zombie. Finally, she will dominate one of the PCs. Truth be told, she already has. When the PCs met her gaze in Prince of Red Hand, I had all PCs make a Will Save. This was against her near god-like ability of charming people which was not truly statted out yet in Dungeon, but was inferred in the module. One of the powerful fighters failed this roll. I informed him that he was simply star struck with goo-goo eyes for her. They’ve all forgot about this, however. Its been along time since we’ve played that module. When she goes off on her monologue (asking them to join Kyuss in the darkness to come), she will inform them that a member of their own party has already made the glorious decision to serve as her lap-dog. As DM, I will first ask players who it is (I am kind of promoting the treachery.) If the players decline, then they will immediate point fingers around the table who they think the betrayer is. The effect of that failed roll months ago will take on much more meaning when the PC turns to swing on the closest ally (no save) until the PC dies, the PCs die, or Lashonna dies. Such is the power of her deadly allure. It will be classic – certainly a highlight in the campaign in my opinion! Any thoughts?
I promised my PCs surprises, and last Friday they got one. About a year and half ago, real-time, the Age of Worms featured different characters, 3 out of 4 of them were evil. One of the members quit the team and walked off into the sunset before the team was TPKd by Pitchblade in the Champion Games. This member, Stout Irongate, had found a calling by Hextor (TFeO) when he claimed the magic plate off of Theldrick’s dead body. Stout had since joined a cleric of Hextor and rode through a portal to the heeding of their “new master”. Enter new Good aligned heroes destined to bring an end to the Age of Worms. They are Level 20th, all extremely powerful, and restocking in Greyhawk for the last time before meeting Dragotha. I set the scene:
Helmed Dark One: “So this is the Great Worm Trigger in your visions Van, Der Meer?”
Helmed Dark One stups up and I show the players the front of the Dungeon Magazine that has a picture of War Duke on it. DM: “You see him.”
And that’s where we wrapped it up for the night – a hell of a cliff hanger. I actually alluded to War Duke long ago in our campaign. This should be fun. Note that War Duke and his Hextor friends believe THEY are the heroes. They believe that the PCs are ushering in the Age of Worms (working for Lashonna, its not that far of a stretch) and that by simply killing the PCs could prevent the catastrophe – this furthers my sub-plot of good vs. evil isn’t necessarily black and white idea.
I’ve a couple of favorite villains in the AoW campaign – I think all of us DMs do. I like Theldrick, Loris and Lashonna. Many liked the Faceless One. I got to listening to the newest pod cast (highly recommended, by the way), and thought about the face-off with number one bad guy Lashonna. Digressing for a moment, I have a side encounter (and theme) that basically solidifies the idea that the PCs are the chosen/prophesized heroes of the Age of Worms (as hinted in the LoLR adventure). But if you think about it, Lashonna has employed them as agents. To this end, I have a group of evil NPCs that will confront them: they will call the “Good” PCs “Agents of Doom”, not Agents of Good. In the NPCs eyes, the PCs are evil as they are ushering in Kyuss by working for Lashonna. (A lot of evil people have much to lose if Kyuss takes hold on Oerth. They plan on killing the PCs then killing Lashonna and destroying Kyuss themselves.) This also plays to another theme I have been touching on: Good vs. Evil isn’t black and white; evil is in the eyes of the beholder. But going back to the pod cast on horror effects, I had this idea that perhaps the PCs were destined to usher in (and eventually destroy) Kyuss far before they met Lashonna. Enter an underutilized and perfectly suited Allustan. What if he appeared when the PCs finally face Lashonna for the last time on the last levels of the Alhaster Spire and he says that he was behind the whole thing? In fact, he could even be Lashonna if you really wanted to throw in a crazy twist. In any case, he was the one that planted the seeds for the PCs to help usher in the Age of Worms. Again, this could work where Allustan was working for Lashonna, or if he was Lashonna (so they see Allustan on the Spire, whom morphs into Lashonna). This twist would be most effective on PCs that started from the first campaign of course, but could still be a revelation for those players whom have read the modules or thought they knew exactly what would happen in the end. Any thoughts?
Quick question for you master DMs: Is there some official rule on the order in which defensive spells are applied? I'll give a potential scenario - Enemy cleric has numerous defensive spells layered on him:
PC shoots a Scorching Ray at the cleric. How are the defensive spells applied? Does the defending player announce the order, or what? PS: If you can guess the NPC in question, you win the grand-pubah prize!
Richard Pett writes another masterpiece. In particular, this module (issue #138) makes excellent use of imagery and foreshadowing. The bar gets set higher and higher. Great work Richard, Dungeon staff, and all of the other extremely talented Dungeon contributors. Non-related note: The Downer Critical Threat rocks. Long live Downer!
******SPOILERS****** I just finished my first read-through of Greg “V for Violence” Vaughan's “Kings of the Rift” and must say that it, like so many other Adventure Path modules, is extremely well written, having its own style and pacing. I have three comments and/or questions regarding the module: 1)Map Legend of the Citadel of the Weeping Dragon. I studied the maps for a while trying to understand how exactly PCs are to get to the Dungeon Level One. There appear to be stairs that grant access, but I'm not sure where these stairs are coming from. My best guess is that access is granted via a stairwell that begins on the Third Level (between areas 9 and 11), and spirals past the Second and First Levels (with no access to these levels) ending at the Dungeon Level. Am I interpreting this correctly? 2)The Ominous Fabler. I earlier remarked about how the little strange guy, Ominous Fabler, stole the show in the Richard Pett masterpiece “Prince of Redhand”. In just now finishing the read-through for this module, I was both surprised and saddened that The Fool had been twisted by Kyuss's minions. While it makes or a nice back-stabbing scene, I feel like there has been enough backstabbing in the Age of Worms story line already (the PCs sniffed out Lashonna's dark secrets immediately). Instead, I will have The Fool make honest attempts to assist the PCs in their endeavors at the Rift, only to die sacrificially at the end against Brazzemal (or sooner if need be). He'll tell the characters that “they will have to write his song when this madness ends”, or perhaps that he “was just happy to be a small part of their legend.” 3)Alastor Land. What a great tie-in. Too bad it just doesn't work for my characters, whom are 2nd generation PCs, or any groups running this module as a one-shot or as a continuation in a separate campaign. Who steps in for Alastor, or do I just use Alastor and modify his monologue appropriately (he never knew these PCs)? I knew there would be scenes like this where I would lose some story-line impact because the original group of PCs died. Fortunately I have a back-up NPC whom could deliver parts of the monologue (I'd have to remove the Vaati references), but do you think perhaps using Icosiel could also work at as well? I'd greatly appreciate some opinions/feedback on these matters (particularly items 1 and 3).
I'm running the AoW Adventure Path, and the PC levels average 18. As might be expected, their abilities are stifling indeed. We all enjoy playing, but if you don’t have your ducks in a row, combat can grind to a halt. One of the PCs, apt to talk more trash and bravado than the next player, is a Frenzied Berserker whom deals an atrocious amount of damage per hit. But that’s not the problem; the problem is a class ability called “Deathless Frenzy”. As it has been explained to me, the character, while raging, cannot be killed through hit-point damage, although the damage is accumulated and may kill the PC after the rage ends. I have assured the PC that he is not invulnerable. Cagey veterans and creatures of superior intelligence can and will identify this trait, and circumvent it when necessary. So I ask all of you, how can a character die outside of HP damage. I have thought of a few: Massive Damage (we use a derivative of this rule which we use)
Anyone else got creative ways of ending a PCs life without touching their HP?
***Spoilers*** So the PCs have made it to the final room – the Harbinger of Worms. They’ve systematically killed/destroyed/avoided everything else in the Spire. I’m having a hard time coming up with a reason why Mak’ar hasn’t ambushed them anywhere in the Spire up to this point and why he is content to sit in his room and die like the six-armed worm he is. To complicate the reality of things, many of the inhabitants had to be encountered room-to-room like a crack house bust to keep from having a TPK on my hands. On one side of my quandary is the fact that he is brilliant, wise, and charismatic beyond my ability to even run him. The other side of the coin is that he is alien and doesn’t exactly think like a regular humanoid. I plan to run him akin to the “Architect” of the Matrix, since they could conceivably share many traits, with the exception that all dialogue would be telepathic in nature. “Welcome. Incontrovertibly you have found your visitation adversative. You empathize that this is the way it must be to certify that you are indeed the protagonists of the past (DM Note: an allusion to the dream/prophecy event from issue #132) and the catalyst to the coming Age of Redemption (DM Note: Mak’ar does not call it an Age of Worms). The precondition has been met; you, like I, are forever bound to the trials that will come to pass, ushering in a new order to things. I have no inclination to do battle with you: there is little to gain from annihilating my liberator. But then, if I am able to kill you, then how could you be the trigger? (DM Note: this reeks of Cypher from the Matrix movie, but oh well…) You cannot feign to even comprehend the depth of this dilemma. Such knowledge would leave you in a catatonic state utterly.” I anticipate the PCs attacking, if for any other reason, XP. He of course will try to win the battle. Does anyone else have a better solution to why this guy hangs out in his room to possibly be destroyed by upstart PCs?
I'd like to air this argument I had in Friday's game in this forum and get some responses. Player A gets targeted by a Ray of Enfeeblement (who'd have thunk it?) and claims that he was missed. The to-hit total was pretty high, so I (Player B) in poor taste, questions the legitamacy of his AC. Player A: "I got +3 Dexterity Bonus, a +1 Deflection Bonus and a +4 Shield Bonus."
Player A and B argue about it a while, and we move on with the game. But I'm pretty sure I'm right on this (recall, I'm player B). If I'm wrong, I'll eat my crow and put this issue to rest.
We finally finished a Gathering of Winds. Although I had mixed opinions about the module, added ingredients helped it to became a memorable and worthy addition to the AoW AP. ***spoiler*** The last fight with Auggeric was tremendous. In the end it turned into an old-fashioned slugfest between the party fighter with the cleric healing (three Heal spells to be specific) and the BBEG. Interestingly enough, at the end of the module serious magic in the form of artifacts were handed out to the PCs (with more yet to come) and a truck-load of XP dished out to boot. What did they come to appreciate the most? They liked that Icosiol called them "Brothers of the Vaati". Sometimes its the simple things that bring pleasure in life...
I couldn't help but notice the many subtle suggestions of Taint that the Spire of Long Shadows proposes; this appears to be purposeful - am I right in this assumption? This is right up my alley, as I have but only two expansion books to my name: Draconomicon and of course Heroes of Horror which delve almost exclusively into the Taint mechanic. While the Taint rules need a little tweeking, I'm glad Dungeon writers have included Taint "indicators" for DMs who plan on using the mechanic.
One more idea for DM’s to try for the “Champions Belt”: I originally wanted my PC’s to fight more teams and creatures than the Dungeon magazine offered, and they certainly will. Some of my gamers are Dungeon subscribers, and although they claim not to read AoW adventures, I yield to caution and assume they do. As long as they role-play (and they do), I am okay with it. Besides, I change portions of the campaign and add additional elements to personalize the experience (see: “AoW Plot Hook problems” threads) and keep them on their heels. As it is, I have created three teams and a monster for the PCs to fight (they can be found on the threads “Add a team to the list” thread, but I also asked them to make one team each. It turns out that now I had too many teams for the PCs to fight. I solved this problem by deciding that each player would run their own party against the other players’ parties. In essence, their teams will face off against each other (in our case, a 4-way fight, exactly as the PCs first fight occurs), with the winner facing the PCs in the next round. They will still face Pitch Blade, but this will occur in subsequent rounds.
In the unlikely event that the PCs catch Loris before he can vacate his residence after he is exposed, I thought it appropriate that he give a monologue like all great villains do. (I wrote another monologue for a friend of his, Theldrick, for the temple; you can find it by searching on the Dungeon threads if so inclined.) Loris is motivated by lost glory and vanity; the death of his lady-friend is ancillary and reflected in that he doesn’t mention it. -Loris greets with an assumption of innocence- “The (Insert PC’s team name) of Diamond Lake – so gracious of you to stop by; I am honored. What summons you?” -Accusations are leveled by the PCs- “Look at you all – proud and righteous. The nerve you have to come before me to slander my reputation. Did you see the arena that borne your fame? I built that! Me alone! With these hands! I fought in the pits before your popas was wipen’ the funk from your crack-side!” “I’m the champion here – I don’t take orders, I give them. Your fame? You can thank me for that. Good day now.” -PCs challenge Loris to battle or otherwise threaten him- “Oh, you think this old body has had enough, heh? I’ve shed my fair share of blood, to be certain. Rest assured, yours will be among the most gratifying.” “Ironic that none will witness your pointless deaths.” -If Loris feels that he is besting the PCs, he will strike blows for Theldrick and for glory.-
My party consists of 4 PCs; one outright evil, one on the fence leaning to evil, and two of them are good aligned. There are a host of cursed items in Zrxog's HoHR trophy room that PCs such as my group, who are extrmely greedy and power hungry, are going to grab up without a second thought. It will spring a trap (the demon Vrock), but in my campaign, it was of little consequence; after they killed the Vrock, they renewed their effort to loot like a drunken sailor. Some of the items they have found out are not what they seem. Others they have or plan on selling. But SOME of them they have no idea what they will do; they plan on using these tiems in the Champions Games, and unfortunately will not have the desired effects. In fact, this could end up killing them... Just an FYI for those DMs out there who's player's characters are as greedy as they are powerful. :) (As an example, I have a player who is a large spiked chain wielding goliath with mountainous rage (he is the one on the fence leaning towards evil); when he saw the spiked chain that "twiched and fidgeted on their own volition", his eyed lit up like Christmas Day. He has since adorned the dancing chain, and in turn I changed his alignment to evil - in order for him to use these sentient chains (forged in the deapest levels of hell), he would have to forge a partnership with them, turning his alignment to evil. And so he did...)
I need a little help with a side-quest I have been building up, as I have suffered from a bit of the writer’s block. Allow me to set the scene, and then describe the preferred result(s) The players have encountered a human named Piety who lives on the outskirts of Diamond Lake (if there is such a thing) in a small disheveled hut, and is extremely intimidating in his always-worn black full-plate and grizzled face. He lives a hermit lifestyle, performing menial tasks for Diamond Lake garrison and/or Allustan to keep busy, but has no real personal interactions with either entity. Piety has told the PCs that he has never lost a fight, and that the gods have cursed him to eternal victory. (Note that unlike Loris who is trying to beat time, Piety HAS in fact beaten time). He has of course gone mad, living beyond what any mortal should have, watching his friends and loved ones die without being able to save them. Allustan knows only that Piety has been here as long as Diamond Lake records have been kept, and that assuredly some mystical energies surround him, as the evil forces that surround the Mist Marshes and even dangerous wild life avoid contact with this individual as a rule. “A secret better left untold” Allustan wouls admit. Well, Piety is in fact a cursed Epic-Level Paladin named Sir Pinnacle – his vanity and lust for glory was beyond even that of Heironeous’ liking, and forever deemed that Pinnacle would live a life where he would learn, only after it was too late, that upholding the life befitting of a champion meant more than winning. Enter the PCs: I want to give them an opportunity to release Piety of his curse, allowing him to pass into the afterlife in peace, and teaching the PCs a lesson through the life of Piety. This task probably would include combat where “winning” is the goal, and it might be something that Piety could have never accomplished because he could never lose. This is where I need the help – what type of quest might something like this be? When the PCs complete the quest, Piety will be grateful beyond words, and will learn one last secret: the secret of the golden sword Zildjian (I always thought the symbol manufacturer made for a nice fantasy name….). Zildjian, the most powerful bastard sword on Oerth (perhaps a holy avenger), was wielded by Pinnacle in many battles, and is lying at the bottom of Diamond Lake, awaiting a new champion to once again wiled it against evil.
**spoilers** Hall of Harsh Reflections **spoilers** The PC’s (The Dirty-Faced Killers) faced Telakin and one of the maze guards in his throne room. Quickly the doppelgangers took advantage when both warriors of the DFKs fell victim to Telakin’s traps. In an amazing display of skill, one of the guards lopped off the head of Faldon in combat, Mace Windu-style. The PCs go on to win the fight ever so gingerly. Interestingly enough, the PCs decide they will recover a doppelganger body instead of their dead friend; after the PCs looted their dead friend’s body, they propped him up in Telakin’s throne, headless. Rather morbid, but hey, they are the DFKs. On a side note, the PCs are very glad to have finished off the doppelgangers; they were more than a worthy adversary. Every member of the party has been killed/defeated/captured over the course of this adventure thanks to these skilled murderers. On the surface, I thought the room where the PCs meet their clones (and the traitor in the party would surface) would be awesome. Now, the traitor DID surprise them, but the fact that their clones did not carry weapons might as well have been an IFF (identification friend or foe) device. This same problem occurred in the mirrored maze, except that by this time, I decided that I would not allow the PCs to use this as an identifying mark. The PCs did enjoy the mirrors, though, realizing the potential risks inherent to the encounters. The look on their face was priceless when they found out that Telakin was a “thrall”. One player made the remark that it was like barely winning a street fight with Mike Tyson and then the manager tells you Tyson was just a sparring partner of the guy you really have to fight!
I'm a little slow to read the latest Dungeon issues as my party continues to battle their way through these pesky mind-breaking shapeshifters, however I got to the Champion's Belt and the Free City Backdrop and had a couple thoughts. Champion's Belt: I haven't read the ENTIRE adventure thus far, but the games appear to be totally team oriented. How is Auric THE champion? Wouldn't he share that glory with teammates. I plan on running not only a variation of the team championship games, but also to have an individual champion challenge. And on that note, the arena holds 18,000 at capacity, and latest attendance figures show 10,000. Really? Time for Raknian to pick up and move to Green Bay or St. Louis! I mean its only the largest city on Oerth and this is for our purposes the Super Bowl. This is a fantasy world where people can fashion stone with the wave of a hand: why are they playing in the 18,000 seat Las Vegas' Thomas and Mack center instead of a 66,000+ seat stadium like Soldier Field? This event should be sold out - standing room only - and getting tickets to this thing is like the Super Bowl. It could very well be the biggest annual economic event on the planet. And it will be in my game. I am going to include more teams (thus more managers) in the tournament and the games will span a greater amount of time. I think I will even have "play in" games - something akin to a quilification; there are too many losers out there who think they got what it takes. That said, while I haven't read the entire adventure, I can't wait to run this adventure. It is well written; in fact, there are so many details in it such as Raknian's back story, it is sad that as a DM, I may never get to show the falling from grace ala Anakin Skywalker. Because of my party composition and the type of players I have, its not to far of a stretch to say that this will be the most anticipated single module ever played from a Dungeon magazine. I just hope I can pull it off in a manner befitting a champion. Free City Backdrop: Another well written article, and I expect no less from Richard Pett. The many potential adventure hooks are especially welcome to a DM like me who likes to throw out many opportunities for adventure, but the icing on the cake are the tiny details that he adds, some that may go unnoticed by others (e.g. the Drarven gardner who talks slowly as the plants "have all the time in the world to listen". Thumbs up on this issue!
My players are just about to fight the BBEG in the black pool of the dark cathedral, and I expect it to be a good fight. My PCs are 6th level, and so far I have found that its not necessarily the enemies statistics that make an encounter challenging, but the situation in which the encounter occurs in. (In our case, it appears that the PCs are at their greatest disadvantage at range - melee is a cakewalk for them). I have been reading the Hall of Harsh Reflections (HoHR) module, and while the encounters appear to be very complex to run, it appears to have lots of upside. I am thinking about going from 3FoE directly to HoHR; frankly, I think the PCs may bore of Blackwall Keep - I don't even know if I have the intestinal fortitude to run it. Why should I run it? In my opinion, there is little actual story development in Blackwall Keep (other than the slow-worm), and I can cut to the chase and have Algorthas send the PCs to find the mage in the Free City. As it stands now, I will run Blackwall Keep, but I wanted to bounce this idea off of some of you and get some feedback.
All good bad guys need a Monologue when they face the heroes. I had a great opportunity for the villain to show some personality with the Room 11 Kung-Fu show-down. Also, note that Theldrick explains that the heroes were prophesized to arrive; that explains the cults apparent readiness.
Neophytes of war, the lord of all that matters most
And our faith has been rewarded; before us are filth
If you have any parting thought or last words, save
In my AoW adventure, the players have learned a little bit about the rod of law, also known as the Destiny Wand, and its seven parts. (Old C64 Gamers will recognize this artifact from Bard's Tale – my gamers really liked this idea.) I’ve read through the first part of the AoW Overload, and found that the PCs encounter one of the pieces of the rod. I was under the assumption early on that a good portion of the adventure would be the many adventures it would take to collect all seven parts of the rod (in the event that all seven parts weren’t flung through the cosmos Marvel Super-Hero Style) to defeat the BigBadEvilGuy at the end of the last adventure. I was disappointed that this was not the case, according to the story outline. I groaned even louder when I read that Manzorian (sp?) offers personalized magic items for the rod. He wants the rod? He’ll still make the offer, but it won’t be for heroic uses, and if the PCs decide to make this trade, they will live to regret it later on. I am going to introduce adventures that will take them on the hunt for the other 6 pieces, scattered throughout Oerth; as they increase in power, their ability to travel great distances should resolve continuity issues. As such, I expect the PCs to become supremely powerful (if all were to come to fruition) – perhaps Epic Level – and with the Destiny Wand, would need to fight a buffed-up Dragotha or Kyuss, which shouldn’t be a problem. I also hope that character tie-ins are not forgotten later on in the path; if they are supposed to meet Tirra later on in the adventure and their previous dealings with her dictate how the guild treats the PCs, then I hope this event does come to pass. Don’t get me wrong, I love the AoW adventure path and the direction its going, but I think I will add more octane to the fuel tank. I am going to fashion my adventure different to a degree that my players might be surprised that THEIR adventure path isn’t the exact one that appears in their mailbox every month.
Thus far, the players I am running through Age of Worms are thoroughly enjoying the story. There has been plenty of role-play opportunity and enough hack-and-slash to keep even the biggest power-gamer happy. I stand corrected in an earlier assessment that there might not be enough XP to hand out from the encounters to keep the PCs alive in later adventures; I am having quite the opposite problem – all of the ancillary role-playing in Diamond Lake has caused my PCs to gain more XP than the adventure is paced for. But that’s a good thing I suppose. So far however, I have noticed two things that I have been wanting to mention on the message boards: Whispering Cairn: When I read the adventure and saw the statues with their hands out and found out that they held trinkets with magical air, I just KNEW that it triggered some event later on when they were placed in the hands, even if three of them were broken. My players thought the same thing, they went as far as mixing and matching to figure out which trinket went with which statue and even considered repairing the broken three. One of the four players thought the other three was over-analyzing the problem (and as a Dungeon subscriber, I asked if he read the adventure, and he assured me he did not), but the other three were sure it had to mean something. I stepped in as DM, because I did not want this to become an all-night affair and told them that frankly, it was all about nothing. You could sell the remaining trinkets and that’s what it amounted to. I also confided in them that I wanted the devices to be a trigger, but alas I (as a DM) simply had no time to decide what it would trigger, so I rewarded them XP for figuring out the “puzzle” if they agreed to forego the gold they would make if they took and sold the baubles. In my honest opinion, this was the worst part of the adventure, and a missed opportunity of sorts. The face trap was a bit obscure to defeat (my PCs couldn’t figure it out and were about to give up for good) so I had to help them out on that one. But in all, this was a very well written opening chapter. Three Faces of Evil: I haven’t actually started this yet (we’re putting the finishing touches on Cairn), but I like what I see. I have read a thread where some were disappointed in this adventure, but I don’t prescribe to that opinion. Dungeon-crawl with excellent twists in each of the three parts. It probably would have helped to have had a more obvious hook dropped in Cairn, however. In any case, when I read this adventure and saw that a pair of Grimlocks ambush the PCs near a cliff, the first thing I thought of was “This is an excellent opportunity to bull-rush someone.” But that isn’t described in the tactics section. Another missed opportunity of sorts. You can bet that the Large-sized Spiked Chain Goliath is going to get a piece of the bull-rush action anyway! Three Faces of Evil will prove to be a quicker adventure than Cairn, but I think that the PCs will enjoy it just as much. I know I will.
I couldn't help but think to myself about how much I dislike the Alignment system that is integral to the Dungeons & Dragons world as I read the Diamond Lake Backdrop. In the Players handbook, they make it very clear that the world is indeed good vs. evil, but point out that a good person can do an evil act like an evil person can do a good act. Why have it (the alignment system) at all? It seems like Monte Cooke agrees with this, as his own gaming world is devoid (in my quick review) of this structured Alignment garbage. I'm looking at all of these Diamond Lake NPCs, and I may be wrong, but its like I could envision Erik saying that everyone's (well, most everyone) alignment is Neutral because they wouldn't necessarily have an alignment; afterall, these people aren't taking up arms to oppose the stronger Alignment to maintain balance. I mentioned adding the VP/WP, and armor/weapon fatigue changes to D&D 4E, but I think I would like to see Alignment system changes also. Instead of "Protection from Evil", how about:
In our current campaign, I had this great idea of building a battle-wagon. Well, more like a fully enclosed chariot with arrow slits and a top-side access hatch. The entire chariot would be constructed of stone (wall of stone and stone shape spells), and pulled into combat by Huge or Greater Earth Elementals. It was interesting, but not as functional as I thought it might be. I was told by a fellow friend and gamer that Races of Stone had some sort of vehicle that allowed me to do exactly what I thought I should be able to do (Trample), and I thought that would be cool too, but I have one limitation: I play with only what is found in the Players Handbook or DMG (a personal choice). What I really wanted was to build an AT-AT (Star Wars) of sorts, much like the Juggernaut from MMII I believe. I would sit at the controls and crush 1 and 2 HD vermin under my colossal concrete foot. The DM informed me I didn’t have time (by the way, although I do not have Craft Construct, a NPC cohort of our party does), but the chariot was okay to build. After the game, I got to thinking how I could improve on the idea, and then I saw the spell Animate Object. Perfect!!! I’ll create the AT-AT I always wanted and just animate it to do my bidding while sit at the “controls”. It lasts 1 round per level. But wait, it says that it can be made permanent with the Permanency spell. This is where the question comes: Animate Object is a cleric/chaos/bard spell, however, and Permanency is a Sor/Wiz spell. So who can permanently animate an object? Clerics do not have access to Permanency and Wizards do not have access to Animate Objects. The only way I can come up with is the use of Miracle (for Clerics) or Wish (for Wizards), where the spell allows the caster access to lesser spells that they ordinarily would not be able to cast. Why isn’t Permanency a clerical spell too? I think that is a mistake. Anyways, any comments and clarifications would be appreciated.
On a lighter note, I like to consider myself educated. I can spell words with one syllable, and I know an incomplete sentence when I see one. That said, I’ve run more than my fair share of official Dungeon adventures, and have more than once been derailed by text that I am supposed to read aloud to players that usually describes the scene. I don’t have a Dungeon handy for examples, but in virtually every adventure there is at least one word like “elucidate” or something to that ilk that I have never seen before, and there I am stammering to even say it correctly. Why don’t I just replace the word with one that is familiar? Because I have NO Idea what it means! Do I not read enough Tolkien or something? What Gives?! Anyways, it’s a good problem to have I suppose, and I would never ask Dungeon to reword the adventures. Maybe I should quit being lazy and crack open a dictionary.
As always, I enjoy the magazine, and I'd have to say for all of the content, not just the adventures. In fact, I get around to reading the adventures last. Prison Mail, Monte Cook, Wil Wheaton, Downer, then the rest, in about that order. So I'm reading Monte's always wise column regarding plot twists and I get to the sidebar describing the joy of pulling off a successful "Moment". My mind races with anticipation; how can I get my players to experience that feeling of sudden clarity? It always looks easy in print, but in practice, it is much more difficult. Case in point - the movies. In writing a movie, a writer has total control over its characters and what the characters learn during the course of the movie (or adventure). This is much more control than a DM has - although a DM can control the information being passed to PCs, he/she may have little control over what actions the players take. I would argue that the "Moment of Realization" that Monte describes is difficult to pull off, even in a more controlled environment such as a movie, that some have made a career out of pulling this stunt off only once. M. Night Shyamalan's "Sixth Sense" does exactly this, but how many times has he done it since then? Another excellent “Moment” that jumps to mind is the antagonist and hero in George Lucas’ successful movie franchise. I'm not a movie expert, but I'd say pulling off a good moment is "easier said than done." Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a plot twist or two to insert into our campaign!
Aria traces the start of her adventuring career from her humble beginnings in Beregost, due south some distance from Baldur's Gate. A strangely blue-tinted female elf complete with equally strange arcane sigils upon her body, Aria’s natural abilities easily surpassed those of her human peers; she was stronger and faster, and learned complex material at an astounding rate. It was this thirst for knowledge that led her into adventuring. Years later, on a different world, and many companions apart, Aria has taken to the service of Correllon Lorathian, god of elves, and honed her own arcane might into terrible destructive power. During the campaign, Aria and her various companions have faced a miniature Kryton, the drow and their god Lloth, and their greatest foe, Wardenkaan. Aria and her associates now wage a war against evil in Sterich. With the defeat of the Malgoth at hand, they are heralded as heroes as they continue to ramp-up for another show-down with Velikar and Asiroxus yet again: this time for good. The make-up of the “Good” aligned party is as follows:
In the campaign Wardenkaan’s Wrath, the heroes are currently putting the finishing touches on the “Wrath of the Abyss” campaign arc. Not all went as planned: the heroes bargained with Velikar and Asiroxus after realizing their enemies superiority, and elected not to fight the vile drow cleric Derkoshan in the underdark electing to save him for later. The initial battle with Malgoth was a disaster; the heroes Plane Shifted to safety before their very lives were stolen from them via 9th Level Energy Drain rays. With a new lease on life and enough coinage to make Ebenezer Scrooge jealous, the party is finalizing plans for a confrontation with Velikar and Asiroxus.
First Post! I still have an estimated two sessions of play before my adventuring party is victorious over the Malgoth (hopefully!) I have been very excited in the number of alternative directions the side stories may hold for the adventurers and have even added a few of my own to the wrinkle, so when I am done running and the next DM picks up the campaign and runs with it, the sky is the limit. I have one question to pose to you all as I would like to reward the players richly for their success. What type of rewards should I give each individual player as a gift from Istivin? I have considered the following:
My party consists of:
What thoughts and ideas might you have? P.S. - I find that in the right situations, Sulissa and Belgos might be the most challenging (and murderous) encounters in the third installment, given their abilities and intelligence. I think I will have to scale back reality a little and (Sulissa and Belgos would prefer subterfuge) turn the encounter into a straight fight that might help the PCs chance of survival. |
