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Book 6 will be released next week according to Gary (the author) on his facebook page!

I worked out the Dirges of Apollyon. English is not my first language and I have done them in german. This is only the inferior translation to english. I hope it makes sense and is readable.

Supplication of darkness
I call thee, because you, Vetra-Kali, will listen. You may be blind in your rage, but turn your ears to me and hear my speech. Oh mighty bringer of plagues, I invoke you. I pray for your absolution - because we were unworthy of you. Master, in the darkness we are aware of our failure. Our misconduct is visible for everyone in our eyes. Vetra-Kali forgive me and my brothers and sisters - until the day the riders will hold judgement. Because we belong to the darkness and to the darkness we will return. I will be what you want me to be, I will become what you want from me. Hear my supplication und forgive us. Now I will close my lips - cause words are nothing to you. In their place I give you this offering.

Cursing of the light
Oh darkest Abaddon, I call you. Grant me your merciful embrace and blot out our sight, because we can´t stand the sight of creation no longer. Absorb all light - the genesis of this agonizing life, which defiles your countenance. Because out of the silent darkness the first light was born, and exactly the same darkness will devour it once again. In this cursed bright hour I invoke you and curse the light and this seal which bounds Vetra-Kali.
In the name of Abaddon - I curse you. In the name of the riders - I curse you. In the name of the three eyed prince - I curse you.

Call across the void
He who is named Vetra-Kali, Eater of Eyes, Creator of the Tears of Achlys, Bringer of Plagues and Suffering, Highest of the Leucodaemons, archdeacon of the Pale Rider, hear my prayer. I send my call across the void and darkness to Abaddon. There where he persevers for his return. Raise your head and follow my call. Blind he may be, but my voice will lead him on his way thru the maelstrom of the void. Return home my lord. Don´t remain silent and don´t pause for even a moment. Return home and let us infect, decimate and devour the mortals of Talingarde until they are not a nation anymore. They shall turn scarlet red in your countenance and decay thru your gifts. The sick and disabled shall know their plagues as the fountain of your blessings. Recur and with you your gift to this world - the Tears of Achlys. Hear my voice Vetra-Kali - and follow.

Last session my group of villains wiped out Hallacks crew. It was a rather pityful fight. Forewarned by Zadira they concentrated a lot of their forces in the boggard caves (Hextor and Vextor, a bloody minotaur skeleton, two bloody ogre skeletons, the summoner called his eidolon and 3 infernal hyaena shortly before Hallacks crew arrived). The combat lasted two rounds. The pc´s didn´t even have to intervene. They don´t killed them - they stabilized them an throw them into the cells.

The summoner now wants Tiadora (he called her with the clay seal) to write some contracts if the "young unexperienced heroes" want maybe to sign a hellish contract. He read about pacts with hell in Lords of the damned. Their lives against servitude until the ritual is over.

Do you think someone of them would give in? The female cleric under no circumstances. I could see Hallack sign if they promise to let Bianca free and do her no harm. About the others... I am unclear. I think their Horn is already well protected (and they haven´t even repaired the golem or called the hell hounds and the nightmare so far). So I don´t want to have even more guards around for them. On the other side I want to play my NPC as real as possible and have good ideas of the pc´s work!

Whom would you expect to give in?

(maybe the moon dogs rescue some - depends on how much time they spend)

Oh while talking about the moondogs. I just recognized they got Shades 1/day. A fricking 9th level spell. What would be a good use for this? If I use it to call a elder elemental with both the Horn will be shacken!

Thank you Gary. My players always want to know specifics. I hate it when I must make something up on the fly. A organisation size would have been nice.

In the case of the boggards: That means you gain one boggard action per week per 8 individuals in the tribe? All without taking Leadership?

While preparing the next session (put all members of Hallacks crew on 1 page and "optimized" them a bit) I came to the conclussion you did not give all of them their favored class bonus! Either hitpoints nor skillpoints. So I gave them all their favored class bonus (only exception I found was Bianca DeVallya - she had the bonus hp from favored class).

Because Hallack and Yorgun make a fighting team I took them a teamwork feat (Outflank, +4 attack when flanking and a aoo when some ot these two crits).

Yorguns and James O´Tooles´ attack bonus is wrong!
Yorgun should have

Base +5
Str +4
Weapon +1
Focus +1
----------
Total +11

Since you gave us his damage while power attacking and he is using a large weapon you forgot to subtract either power attack (-2) OR the malus for wielding a large weapon (-2). So his total attack bonus is +7 not +9 as listed.

O´Tooles´ attack bonus under Flurry is wrong too. If I am right it should be +11/+11/+6 (not +13/+13/+8).

If Ezra is a real dread wraith (and the PCs know about this through high enough Knowledge Religion rolls) I suppose they don´t want to piss her off (until she decides herself its time to cease cooperation).

But otherwise your statement it´s true.

So far the encounter with Ezra went really well - I approached the Antipaladin Skeleton Champion (Thorn didn´t raise him - he animated him) alone. I made her female - because I found it more interesting, Ezra sounds female in my opinion and lastly because my players are more hesitant to attack woman (even in undead form) than males!

Momentary they see her as a ally - a potentially dangerous ally. They don´t dare to attack / control her. Because she could break free and then their chain of command would be broken. But the think about making a deal with her to make some wraiths for the Knot. One player already anticipates a betrayal of Ezra so he is the against that. We will see how long the others will uphold his words.

Another question: Is Ezra and the other wraiths bound to the Horn or can they leave it?

Ah and here is the Art I used for her. Did really leave an impression!

http://www10.pic-upload.de/20.10.12/l5my9e9l2ed.jpg

@Gary:

A question about the DCs in Branderscar:

You give a DC 20 for the second failes attempt to pick a lock.
I think this is far too low. The guards are possibly distracted... but ok. Even if they aren´t distracted:

Base DC 20 (hear the sound of a key being turned in a lock)
Distance (at least 80 ft.) +8
maybe even through a closed door +5
= DC 33 (27 if the door is open)

Did you forget to include distance in your DC?

Same with follow up rolls for further failed attempts or the check for the pc´s when they try to listen to the guard conversation (a really low DC 15)!

Also: Whats the starting attitude of Grumblejack? What Diplomacy DC would you set? You only wrote about intimidate. Personally I would make him at least unfriendly (with his Cha a DC 19 to convince him to aid with the escape).

In the Farholde City gazetteer you refer to Sir Bonder, head of the beacon watch.

1. How many toughs are in the watch?
2. You wrote that Sir Bonder my be corrupted. This would be detailed in Act 1 Event 3. I find no Info there. Is that missing?

I´m planing to foreshadow her in a very sinister way. A way not every player would like cause it takes some of his control over his character.

I´m very inspired by the movie "Excalibur". I will let her sleep with one of the pc (favorably with the leader of the group and future king, our paladin). This will happen after book one, after the group received the new charta and a stream of settlers rush into the stolen lands.

The player will know this only through vivid dreams about her and their intercourse. She will give birth to this bastard son (has anyone seen a half-fey template?) and raise him in the First World (where she nurtures his hate toward his father). Like Morganna did with Mordred. She also speed up his aging (or does the feyblood) that he can confront his father.

The Oliphaunt! Please!

OK folks - my personal version of Karzoug is ready now. I hope you will enjoy him. Some remarks from me:

1. I made him an thassilonian specialist wizard. Like someone said: he is the archetype of this wizard school! This gives him 9 spells more than the 3.5 Karzoug!

2. I grant him the bonus for high age on his stats while discarding the penalty. He was ofer 500 years old throug his reign over Shalast. I see no point why a immortal shouldn´t get the bonus as normal for his race (I give them to liches on regular basis too - but maybe I´m just an a~~!!~~ DM)

3. Left his gear alone. Only added 3 amber spindles ion stones (raising the resistance bonus to saves to +5)

4. I gave him summon monster as one of his spells in spell level 9. So he can summon up reenforcements to support him. I actually play with the tought to summon an good outsider (Ghaele, Azata or Trumpet Archon) that MUST cast a healing spell every round on him. Or just an Glabrezu or Nalfashnee for melee support.

5. Made heavy use of the Metamagic Feat from APG Persistent Spell. Now you have to made 2 saves against many of his most deadly spells. :)

Yeah, I know the 5th Anniversary Edition is coming out next year. But my players will face him at the end of ROTRL in a few weeks. Can´t wait this long.

There is no version of him on d20pfsrd, so I´m updating him personally.
But I got a few questions!

1. How did he manage to be so old. His stats list him still as a normal human being. So how could he achieve to reign over 466 years?

2. Would you grant him the mental boost for high age? I play with the tought - and it would sit well. In my version his stats woulb then be like: St 20 (+6 enhancement, +4 inherent), Dex 24 (+6 enhancement, +4 inherent), Con 24 (+6 enhancement, +4 inherent), Int 38 (+6 enhancement, +5 inherent, +4 age, +2 human, 5 ability increases), Wis 18 (+4 age, +4 inherent), Cha 22 (+4 age, +4 inherent)

3. Maybe he is cloning himself to stay young? Would you grant him the age bonus without giving him penalties like I did?

4. Here are the feats I selected (in exact order). Any problems? I didn´t looked into ultimate magic. Any must haves for him in there?

Level 1: Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (Transmutation), Improved Ini
Level 3: Greater Spell Focus (Transmutation)
Level 5: Craft Wand, Spell Focus (necro)
Level 7: Tenacious Transmutation (suits him well or not?)
Level 9: Craft woderous item
Level 11: Weapon Prof. (glaive)
Level 13: Quicken Spell
Level 15: Inscribe Rune, Arcane Blast
Level 17: Persistant Spell (2 saves for 2 spell levels... everytime!)
Level 19: Minor Spell Expertise
Level 20: Major Spell Expertise (Teleport like the original version of Karzoug)

I let out Eshew Materials (waste), skill focus (no longer needed cause no archmage anymore) and spell focus (conjuration).

Quick. Easy. Wrong.

Oh please Lorekeeper. I don´t want to explain the very basics of npc creation (commoner of races 11,10,11,10,11,10, standard npc pb 15 for 15,14,13,12,10,8). Normal creatures are build with the first set. NPC become the second set. Then the racial mod.

Is that so hard to figure out?

Hyena with owner

Untrained? The hyena would be as much a threat to the owner as to other people. I don´t think they would be more worth. 25 gp is a lot.