Jharuh

Oceanstrider's page

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This Sunday my PCs will arrive in Cauldron from the Lucky Monkey Inn (this is ours 2° game session). They need a place where sleep.
I'm missing something or in Cauldron there are only 3 written inns? The Cusp of the Sunrise, the Drunken Morkoth Inn and Minuta's Board.
Ciao
Mario


In a pair of weeks I will start DMing my 4e SCAP.
PCs will be:
Elf Ranger
Elf Paladin (Pelor)
Half-Elf Warlord
(they will be brothers)
Human Wizard
Halfling Rogue
Tielfing Warlock
I still feel a bit unhappy about 4e up to now, in my opinion too much incomplete with so many classes missing, no summoning spells etc; but as we actually skip from 2e to 4e seems stupid to start with 3.5e.
Over the past months I stole from this forum a lot of improvements and made some of my own, and now I quite untroubled about the storyline and the setting. This time I will also DMing with few papers and a lot of digital resources.
I'm spending a lot of time converting things to 4e, and this is the worse part of the bargain, also because the results seems a bit a mix-up, but with the campaign ready I'm not feeling to steal time from DMing.


http://paizo.com/dungeon/messageboards/savageTide/archives/intoTheMawDungeo nDressingMinorSpoilersProbable

Some time ago I found this nice tread about decorating "Into the Maw" empty cells.
Some of the over 100 entries are really nice and fit to use in Asylum boring cell blocks.
Hope someone may enjoy it.

Ciao

Mario


Adimarchus and Cagewrights' plot seems more devilish that demonic...
Really I'm rambling with the new 4e background as for "Wizard presents" and the manuals; but the basic idea of demons=destroyers and devils=scheming/power hungry/souls bargainers/humanoid in shape is older than the 4e.
Asmodeus may replace Grazz't as Adimarchus nemesis.
Devils may replace demons.
Any opinion is welcome.
Ciao
Mario


I came up with an idea about the twelve Volcanic Gosling (sculpted by Tlimida, scion of Surabar eight centuries before the AP).
I will have the PCs found all the Volcanic Gosling during their explorations: when all are bring together, they will come to live and forecast the doom impending over Cauldron, as Tlimida the Seer foresaw.
As delvesdeep wrote, I also don't like very much the link between the last chapters of SCAP (from Foundation of Flame to Asylum): using DD changes, The Strike on the Shatterhorn became more or less futile if not altogheter ripetitive, but the Shatterhon and the Yuan-yi still are an intersting side-plot.
So in my game, after Foundation of Flame, the PCs will go in the wrong direction (maybe from out-of date info from the Striders), to the Shattehorn ruins and found the mostly deserted former headquarters of the Thirteen. Here they find the last Volcanic Gosling, the gooses come to life and fly back to Cauldron, circling over the entrance of the tunnel to the Fiery Sanctum.
If someone like the idea I can post my own modification to Shatterhorn, covering with DD ending to the path.
Still more a thanks to DD for his time and wonderfull imagination.

Ciao

Mario


I'm still wondering about all the races living under Cauldron at adventure path time:
- Skulks
- Dark ones
- Hobgoblins
- Goblins
- Kobolds (even if PCs will never meet them)
I'm not happy about this and I will like to delete some of this races and maybe replace some other, but I'm still unsure about how managing this.
- What about replacing all goblins (chapter 1 and 2) with kobolds? Kobolds seems more fit as underground vermins (at least for me)
- And deleting hobgoblins and replacing them with more dark ones and some guards (which race?)?
- Also skulks and dark ones realy cover the same skirmisher/ambusher role: I really need them both?
Thanks in advance for any idea
Ciao
Mario


Maybe my count is wrong, but SCAP is in 576CY, 18 years before STAP and 8 years before Sassereine is free from the Sea Princes rule.
Anyone has some ideas of the general differences between Sasserine in 576CY and Sasserine in 594CY as in DM 139 backdrop? People's feelings, freedom, equipment and magic?
Cheers
Oceanstrider


And another linked question: any idea of why Dugobras, the fire giant smith, is in Vaprak's Voice?
He finished his work with the Soulcages and started forging his new armour suit, but the alliance between him and the three hag sisters seems a bit strange, even if it's good for the storyline to have the PCs finding evidences of the Cagewrights plans early.


That is PCs return to Cauldron with Zenith and give him back to Celeste (still beliving in Gortio's story) and the fake Davked Splintershield acted by Gortio.
Or why Cagewrights/Valanthru don't go ahead like this?
If Celeste suspect something she may still be captured by Valanthru but Gorthio will act anyhow as Zenith's father.


As writen in SCAP, there are some datails about Kaurophon story and actions that don't really fit in.
1) Kaurophon has only a little chance of defeating the PCs in the Test of Sacrifice and become the Ruler of Occipitus, even with wounded and tired PCs against a fully ready Kaurophon.
2) Kaurophon Int of 14 means that he know his weakness in respect of the PCs, especially after spending some time fighting along them, so his attack seems really disperate (and maybe this is the answer).
3) Kaurophon goals (become the Ruler of Occipitus) contrast with Cagewrights goals (freeing Adimarchus) that he knows or suspect at least.

Points 1) and 2) may be solved by boosting K with some group-defeating spell or single-use magic items (like scrolls or a ring of spell storing with power world, unholy world or something similar).
Or maybe Kaurophon will not attack PCs at all (this is the option I like more).
Point 3): K can bargain his knowledge of Cagewright locations (maybe he only wisit the Shatterhorn and can describe it to PCs, but he don't knows the location of the Fiery Sanctum) and plans for the right to rule over Occipitus. PCs have to help him to come through the three Tests and, thanks to Saureya flaw in the Test, he become the Ruler. Or, as PCs have to spend their time saving Cauldron for another six chapters, K may rule for them. Oe K may settle for staying in Occipitus and ruling from behind the scenes as the Ruler PC right-hand.

Any ideas?


If a hillfolk is a native Olman tribesman from the Amedio Jungle, they will be nice in the Lucky Monkey Inn but quite out of place in the Kopru ruins.
They replace the thugs from the Dungeon AP, but maybe thugs are better as hard-hitter help to Alleybasher rogues.
Hillfolks are helping Triel/The Ebon Triad only for money, so the are simple mercenary goons?


In my opinion Alakast is a bit too important to be "found and forgotten" by the 3 hag sisters. Surely Nabthatoron hates and fears the weapon and made some attemps to obtain it after Surabar death, or at least he will be sure that Alakast cannot be found easily and be used against him again. Also Nidrama will know a lot about Alakast.
So I expect that my PC have to search for Alakast, probably still in Surabar's tomb, deep inside a mountain (I like Surabar's transfiguration idea).
Any idea about how to develop this?


(Thank you DD for your fantastic improvements over the AP)

I will use rules from Heroes of Horrors "dreams and nightmares" chapter, because I like playing Adimarchus's nightmares as dreams instead of a plane travel, but I'm not sure how to play the different Inner Demons encounters: combat? rolepalying only? Some help?
Ciao
Oceanstrider


What kind of half-fiend is Kaurophon? I read in "Seguing from Demonskar Legacy to Test of the Smoking Eye" Sean's post bellow that he was "two-faced" - what is this meaning?
Ciao
Mario


Hallo to all, this is my first post here. I will soon start my SCAP and I just received yesterday my SCAP hardcover (before I only have the Dungeon Magazines).

I'm asking if someone developed any idea about linking General Nabthatoron to Adimarchus or maybe to Graz'zt. In my opinion Nabthatoron is a bit too distant from the SC core theme, but may be easily linked with it: what is your opinion?

Ciao

Oceanstrider