Maelstrom25's page

So I had a question about PCs learning early on about Xhamen-Dor. As far as I am aware, the first opportunity they have to become aware of the Great Old One is in book 2: The Thrushmoor Terror. There is a painting on the cave wall in Daridela's Grotto, and PCs can make a DC 25 Knowledge check to know it is a symbol of Xhamen-Dor. It seems to me that gaining awareness of the Great Old One this early on kind of spoils things a bit. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I got the sense that knowledge of the X-D was pretty rare, and in fact, knowing about him sort of plants the seed (literally) of infection.

I know that it explains in X-D's bio that if someone is actively pursuing knowledge about the Great Old One, there is a 1% chance over a year's time that he could reach out to the person in their dreams and corrupt them that way, but that's an almost insignificant chance that doesn't lead to one being very concerned of the risk.

I guess my question is, if a PCs makes that Knowledge check to identify the symbol on the grotto wall, what does that PC learn or know about Xhamen-Dor, and what does that revelation do to the PC?

Perhaps I am reading it wrong, but it sounds to me like using the Sanity System from the Horror Adventures book, the only way to actually cure oneself of a madness (not just make it dormant) is via a Miracle or Wish spell. Does that mean you're pretty much stuck with all your dormant madnesses for basically the entirety of a campaign, or until you get access to 9th level spellcasting? That seems overly harsh.

Is this supposed to be used along with the rules for Madness in that same book? According to the rules under the Madness section, one can slowly cure their madness through rest or magic (much along the same lines as what is used to heal sanity damage in the Sanity System). So, does resting and casting these spells both heal sanity damage as well as decrease the DC of the madness towards curing the madness when it reaches DC 0? Do you have to do separate castings and announce beforehand whether you are healing sanity damage or trying to cure a madness? Can you only cure a madness when it is dormant?

I'm trying to determine what the connection is between the two systems and how they interact or relate to one another. Can anyone provide any insights or opinions on the matter?

So I am wavering between starting one of two different APs for my next campaign, and given that my group only plays two Sundays a month, our campaigns tend to have a lengthy run time (about 2-2.5 years). Because of this, I am trying to get some vague idea as to the run times of the APs I am considering, and maybe trying to run the shorter of the two first. There may not be a clear answer on this, and I know other groups might have different play schedules, but I was wondering if anyone might have some idea of which AP would be faster to run through. Even if you just have an opinion rather than actual experience with either AP, I would appreciate hearing it.

The APs I am considering are Kingmaker and Strange Aeons.

Let me know what you think. Thanks.

I have a question regarding traps that summon monsters (as the spell) and initiative. When a player triggers a trap that summons a monster, what kind of actions does the summoned creature get in relation to the start of initiative. Does it appear and then you roll initiative before taking any actions, does it get a surprise round, does it simply act first in initiative? Is this written anywhere or does anyone have any insight on this matter? Thank you!

I know this was touched on briefly in the DM Reference thread, but I'm still questioning the dimensions of the Schloss Caromarc map. In the other thread it was argued that based on the dimensions of the map, certain areas would present cramped fighting areas with certain creatures in this part of the AP (mainly the gatehouse, or the museum, or the tower). For the gatehouse, I agree it makes more sense to have 1 square = 10 ft., but for other parts of the map this seems like rediculous proportions. Area H2 for instance would be HUGE with those dimensions, not to mention places like the master bedroom with it's 20 ft. long bed seem insane. What has everyone else done for map dimensions in this part of the AP? I wish I'd brought this up sooner as I'm starting this half of the AP on Friday so I need to figure it out quickly before I start drawing the map.