Taurendil's page

Here's a crazy idea.

I mean, this is really wackko, but try it on for size:

You're the DM.

RENAME the characters for your game.

Yes, yes, I know....that's a revolutionary idea.

But you really can do that, you know.

Of course I can. And that's just what I would do. But as someoe else pointed out, I shouldn't. If were to read an adventure (path) or campaign setting with this guy as a major villain it would be annoying because to me it actually means something quite silly and nonsensical.

It would be as if had submitted an entry for "Cincinnati Babyshower".

If I were to use this villain in my campaign my players would probably fall over laughing, just because of the name. No matter how good the rest of the entry is.

We're Flemish (Dutch speaking part of Belgium) and the name is cleary a combination of some words from my language.

Voeren is a place in Flanders, quite well known in Belgium for some disputes over languages rights between the Flemish and French speaking population. It's also a dialect word (a verb) meaning to carry around.

Van is a common prefix in Flemish last names meaning From (e.g my last name is Van Daele meaning From the Valley).

And Premie roughly translates as Bonus (something you get for doing your job well or the amount). It can also be the amount of money you have to pay to get an insurance policy.

So the name could be translated as 'To Carry Around From Bonus'.

I'm sorry but this totally kills suspension of disbelief for Dutch speakers, specifically those who live in Belgium. Granted, there are not that many people here that play D&D, but I really dislike it.

I've seen this done a few times in RPG products and it always breaks suspension of disbelief. The only time it was fairly cool was with R. Pett's Kaboutermannekin in the STAP adventure path.

I received Dungeon 150 and Dragon 359 yesterday in Belgium. Now everything's complete.

I could really care less what system I am playing. I really couldn't. As far as I am concerned I am playing the "Pathfinder Role-playing Game" that is supported by the DnD 3.5 system. To the extent that I even care to think about it, the "Pathfinder RPG" uses DnD 3.5 as a common sort of operating system that all my players understand.

I'd like to say that this mirrors my sentiments. I switched from 2.0 to 3.0 with glee because I found 3.0 to be a much better system. But for all that we didn't have as much fun with it in the beginning as with the old 2.0 system. Why? Because under 2.0 we were playing the Dragonlance campaign. A long series of interlinked adventures. My players liked it so much, they always wanted to have the same type of campaign. Unfortunately for 3.0 there was a sort of D&D Adventure Path (the eight modules), but it sucked (they were basically so loosly connected to not be connected). I then settled for interlinking Dungeon adventures, but that took a lot of energy and got a lot harder when RL got in the way.

Then all of a sudden the Adventure Path concept gets revived and done right with Shackled City. I jumped on it and never looked back. I had no plans on switching to 3.5 and only did so because SC was 3.5. Since then I've been collecting Adventure Paths (AOW, STAP, a Dragonlance path, The Drow War Saga and everything Pathfinder).

Furthermore, every WOTC 3.5 hardcover I bought I only bought because it was usefull in one or the other way in an Adventure Path (e.g. I bought Stormwrack for it's use in STAP, I bought Fiend Folio and MM2 for it's use in SC, etc...). For me it's the adventures that sell stuff. I've come to realize that the system may be great, but without a good campaign to keep me going it's pretty worthless (I really am too busy to write one myself). I don't see any WOTC plans to launch 4th edition with an AP and without one I won't make the switch. Even if there is one, it still doens't justify scrapping all the other ones I have (We're just about to finish SC and start on STAP).

So I'll continue to buy good adventures, adventure paths and associated setting material. I want to keep telling good stories with my players. What system I do it in is of secondary importance.

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, dying ....

NO Pathfinder and NO Dungeon 150 !! So many weeks now ...

Belgium here

I received Pathfinder 1 a couple of days ago (Gent here).

I'm still in the race.

I got Dungeon 149 and Dragon 358 today. I'm also in Belgium.

Is this the same sort of deal that Green Ronin made with Lone Wolf, i.e. Did Paizo grant an exclusive license? Are other character generators like PCGen still able to distribute free data sets?

Anyway, I can't use Lone Wolf software since I don't run Windows. And i'm not planning to go back to windows for any character generator, however great it may be.

Looks great (as usual). Is this more of an urban campaign with some nice city based adventuring?

What level range will this one cover? 1-15 like the first one or 1-20 like the Dungeon ones?

I received Dungeon 148 in Gent, Belgium yesterday.

I use PCGen for character generation (might be a good idea to create a Pathfinder dataset) and CC2Pro (when I have time) for overland maps. During play I consult d20srd.org and we keep our campaign notes in a php CMS, but I'm going to switch that to a MediaWiki installation.

The Asmodeus of our campaign world will be different than the Asmodeus you see in the Book of Vile Darkness or Fiendish Codex II. They'll both draw from the same myths for background, but they'll certainly be different stat-wise.

Our Asmodeus is one of our core evil deities, for starters.

Is this more like the Kador/Asmodeus personality found in Green Ronin's Book of the Righteous (my personal benchmark for how religion should be done in D&D)?

Speaking of Book of the Righteous, I really loved the Holy Warrior concept (basically each god (regardless of alignment) has a sort of paladin but with slightly different abilities). Any chance you'll do something similar for Pathfinder?

I don't think they're planning to rebuild the volcano itself. I believe they're thinking about building houses for everyone who's become homeless, rebuilding roads, maybe looking into the defenses of the city. Stuff like that.

I will take a look at the Stronghold Builder's Guidebook. Bought it long ago but never used it.

My players have completed Thirteen Cages and saved Cauldron from total disaster. Of course, a lot of damage was done to the city's south east quarter.

One of the characters was elected mayor of Cauldron. They are now busy dividing the treasure found in the Sanctum. Of course this is worth quite a lot of money. They want to use part of it to help rebuild the city. Does anyone have an idea how much this should cost? Or where to begin looking for prices?

Thats what I thought too (the module seems to imply it in the text) and thats what I allowed my players to do. But elsewhere on these boards, some one told me that time continues to pass on the material plane while you are on the astral plane. The DMG seems to support this as well.

I thought I read somewhere that time doesn't pass there, but that all time you spend there catches up with you when you leave the Astral. So, if you go in there for 5 days of rest and then come back, your body becomes 5 days older, but no time has passed on the material. Or is that wrong too?

You not going to let them use it just because it will make it too easy, not for a rules reason? That's just screwing your players. If they want to blow a wish for that, let them.

Well, this is going to be the last session before we go on a 6-months break. It's sort of the 'first' finale to the campaign. If it's too easy, they just won't be satisfied. For instance: Vhalantru went down very quickly. Probably because he was alone and there were 6 of them. After the battle they all said that it was too easy and unsatisfactory. Knowing my players, they want a good fight that balances on the edge where they come away victorious but severely wounded. So I don't think it's screwing my players. In the end it's up to me to let them have a good time.

Besides, I don't find the rules to be clear on this point at all. As far as I can see it falls into the 'things you can wish for but won't necessarily get' category. That's why I wanted to know what other people would do.

I think they could handle it, but it wouldn't be easy.

I don't think my players realize they could go to the Astral to rest. If I'm correct, there's no natural healing in the Astral, but you can rest there and regain spells? Now in this case they'd have to leave the dungeon because of the Dimensional Lock from the Tree. Then they'd have to plane shift to the astral, rest, plane shift back and get back to the dungeon itself (teleporting). So that would cost some time and some resources. And they might get attacked in the Astral.

This is the first time we've gone to these levels and I must say it's quite confusing sometimes. Still learning every day. I've also noticed that 6 characters at higher levels van be quite difficult to challenge. I'm starting to wonder how crazy it gets when they're level 20.

My six players are nearing the finale of Thirteen Cages. They've cleared out quite a bit of the dungeon (killed Gau, Freija, MoltenWing, Tiirok, Nulin, Ardeth, ...).

I'm planning to have the rest of the Cagewrights (Dyrryd, Shebeleth, Thearyn and some apprentices) make their last stand around the Tree of Shackled Souls. The players know there are still some Cagewrights in the complex, but they (especially the sorcerer) are getting low on spells. Now they're thinking about using the Wish from the Altar to Adimarchus to wish for 'a night's rest' or 'give the sorcerer back all his spells'.

I told them I'd think about it, but that I probably wouldn't grant it. To me it feels like it takes away all pressure and urgency there is. Did anyone else's players try this? What did you do? Would you grant it?

Kabboutermannekin is the dutch name for a red cap - cool name isn't it:). Cheers Gav, apprecate your kind words matey.

Rich

I'm not sure but it sounds more Flemish than Dutch (at least to my ears, anyone from the Netherlands who knows the word Mannekin?). For anyone who's interested. The word consists of two words:

We're about to start Thirteen Cages and have player logs for almost every session, but it's all in dutch.

www.foeffighters.be

Today I received Dragon 348 and Dungeon 139 together. I'm not really bothered about it. I'm glad I'm getting them (a few years ago it was much worse). But I would like them to be consequent about it. Either always mail them together or never, otherwise it can sometimes lead to bigger gaps between mags.

I subscribed directly through Paizo but haven't gotten anything yet (in Belgium). So it has nothing to do with where you subscribed. It all goes through TPFG.

About 2 years ago it was very, very bad. After a lot of complaints from European subscribers they changed somethings and it went a lot smoother. This year I was noticing some strange things again (as described above: sometimes Dragon and Dungeon would be together, sometimes not.) And it also felt as if it took longer than last year for the mags to reach me. And Dungeon 139 seems to be the worst of this year. I do believe the US subscribers received them later than usual also. But it is quite frustrating to hear everybody rave about the STAP when you still haven't gotten it.

Their info doesn't seem correct:

Dragon

Last Issue Sent: 348
Last Issue Sent on: 14th September 2006 (Projected Date: 11th September 2006)
Next issue due on: 13th November 2006

Dungeon

Last Issue Sent: 138
Last Issue Sent on: 14th September 2006 (Projected Date: 11th September 2006)
Next issue due on: 13th November 2006
Spacing image

They've sent them out after the projected date? And I'm sure I've already received dungeon 138. But not Dragon 148. So how should I read this: have Dugeon 139 and Dragon 148 been sent on the 14th of september? When should they arrive?

Is anyone running Age of Worms with the gods from the Book of the Righteous and the fiends from Book of Fiends from Green Ronin? If so, what did you do with the Ebon Triad?

Right now I'm running Shackled City and there I used Baal (Book of Fiends) for Hextor, Canarak for Erythnul and Astaroth (Book of Fiends) for Vecna. I chose those because they matched the areas of influece nicely. I also had the church of Tinel in Cauldron taken over by Astaroth worshippers.

But I'm not all that happy with this solution, seem rathter forced to have them all work together. Since the Ebon triad played a minor role in SCAP I could still change it. I've been considering using the three brothers.

Does anyone have any other ideas? Any other suggestions for ties with the BotR?

- Greyhawk : 29
- Forgotten realms : 17
- Eberron : 11
- Dark sun : 3
- Spelljammer :
- Ravenloft : 4
- Dragonlance : 5
- Al-Qadim : 1
- Maztica :
- Kara-Tur :
- Oriental adventures / settings : 1
- Mystara :
- Midnight :
- Ptolus : 4
- Iron kingdoms : 2
- Scarred lands :
- Homebrew : 9
- Wilderlands of High Fantasy/City State of the Invincible Overlord: 2
- Birthright : 3
- The Styes: 1
- Council of Wyrms (v.3.5): 1
- Planescape: 1
- Freeport: 2

+1 to Dragonlance and Homebrew. I once used FR but that's al long time ago.

I think you'll find everything here:

http://paizo.com/dungeon/messageboards/shackledCity/theVanderborenFamily

Thanks! Really great stuff.

Tomorrow I'm going to run the meeting where the new Lord Mayor gets chosen. I was thinking of using the Vanderborens to foreshadow the coming Savage Tide a bit since two of the main characters in it are Vanderborens (Lavinia & Vanthus if I'm not mistaken).

I was wondering about the exact relationship between them all. Are Lavinia & Vanthus children of the Vanderborens and thus (younger?) brother and sisters of Todd? And how did they come to be in Sasserine? Did they leave Cauldron?

Does anyone have any ideas? I read the Savage Tide Preview in Dungeon 138 but that didn't really make it clear.

I think Kazmojen was the toughest and most memorable encouter. The character's refused to hand Terrem over to Valanthru and tried to make a run for the exit with the 4 children. This resulted in one big chase through a Dwarven Forge Master Maze set with characters dying along the way. Kazmojen and Prickles slowly caught op with them when they were held up by some hobgoblins. And cut most of them up one by one. Valanthru called out for them to hand over Terrem, when they refused a second time he killed all the children except Terrem (my players hated me for that). In the end only the sorceror managed to leave alive. The rest were dead, captured or in hiding. The sorceror did manage to come back and free the rest.

It was one long action-scene session. One of the best sessions I've ever run.

Other tough ones: Aushanna and the assassins in Secrets of the Soul Pillars.

Taurendil wrote:

They have now figured out he's a dracolich but they still don't seem to realise they've sold away his Phylactery.

Could be interesting during Foundation of Flame...

Unfortunately they went to Sigil to sell the treasure they had gathered. I'm considering having someone show up at a later date complaining about the fact they sold him a Dracolich Phylactery. Or maybe I'll just leave things as they are and let him become an ally of Dragotha if I ever run Age of Worms.

My players managed to defeat him with a well-placed heal from the cleric who never casts any agressive spells.

What did ypur players with his Phylactery? My players didn't know he was a dracolich (I don't think they even realized such a thing existed). They just took everything from his lair and sold it. So now Vitriss is trapped in his Phylactery but out there somewhere. I think I'm going to use him sometimes later, maybe I'll save him for Age of Worms.

I have placed some clues towards his true nature in the 'library'. They have now figured out he's a dracolich but they still don't seem to realise they've sold away his Phylactery.

I don't have PHB II. Could anyone explain what affiliations are?

Allies, contacts, organisations for pc's?

My party has just finished Secrets of the Soul Pillars.

Right now we have:
Drusilia Zyrrlas - Female Elf Rogue 9 / Ftr 4
Ahjanna - Female Elf Ranger 9 / Ftr 4
Derek Vaine - Male Human Sorcerer 13
Tara - Female Human Mystic (spontaneous casting cleric of Morwyn) 13
K'ryt - Male Githzerai Monk 11
Meto - Female Human Fighter 13

Dead:
Horpa the Silent - Male Half-Orc (Dwarf, Half-Elf) Monk (Died a few times and got reincarnated)

The trouble is, that I can't find much in the Hardcopy on when, or how he fell, or when he got imprisoned etc. I'd like to make the story of his fall quite dramatic, and I've got some ideas I'm knocking about, but I'd love to hear what other DMs ran on this, and any info on the timelines.

I don't have the hardcopy, only the magazines. There is a lot of info on his imprisonment in the last adventure.

But there is indeed no info on his fall or his reasons for attacking Celestia. I have been thinking about it lately and I've come up with the following (not completly sattisfied yet but), but it is linked to my own campaign world and uses the Book of the Righteous by Green Ronin for the gods:
- A long time ago demons invaded the prime material and took over most of it.
- Adimarchus was an Angel who served Morwyn (Godess of Healing) who joined the humangs, elves, ... in their fight against the demons. He fell in love with a human (priestess of Morwyn).
- During a great attack on the demons, Adimarchus and his love and some others attacked 'The Ice Queen'. The plan was not to kill her but to lock her up in a stone. She managed to kill Adimarchus lover and started to drain her soul just as she was sucked into the stone. Result: his love was locked away with the Ice Queen in a stone. She could not be raised. Adimarchus wanted to destroy the stone again to get her soul back. When his other compagnons tried to stop him, he killed them, took the stone and ran for it. That's when he fell.
- Adimarchus wandered around carrying the soul of his lover in a stone, but was not able to break the stone. Filled with feelings of gilt and remorse he slowly went mad.
- He gathered an army of demosns to attack Celestia thinking that he could force Morwyn to break the stone. His attack failed, but he did manage to get a part of Celestia. But more important, he lost the stone.
- The stone was brought to Morwyn who freed the soul of his lover and made her in to an Angel.
- In my campaign this Angel is called Meto and is a PC. She is more or less a replacement for Nidrama. The player doesn't know any of this since she was punished for warning a cleric of Morwyn and teling her what was going on. So she was sent to the prime as a human with heavy amnesia. The cleric of Morwyn, also a PC, knows she had some visions but just can't quite remember them. So once in a while i let her remember some part of her vision.
- In the end I think I will let it come down to a story about Redemption and Foregiving. Morwyn has decided that Adimarchus has suffered enough. I'm not sure if i'm going to let the players kill him at the end of the campaign or if I will let them kill what's left of the real Angel Adimarchus and let the bad part live on as Demon Lord.

I have been wondering when my players are going to notice there are a lot of crazy people around Cauldron. Zenith and Crazy Jared where the two most obvious ones.

Also, if you read the descriptions of the Thirteen, quite a lot of them have some psychic troubles. Some seem to be psychotic, others only neurotic. I believe one is terribly paranoid and one female cagewright seems to have 'fear of getting dirty' (sorrty, I have no idea what it's called in English). My party rogue had an encounter with her where she was saying what a dirty girl she was and that she needed a good cleaning.

My party had also hired a gnome sage to do some research for them (finding out more about Terrem's birthmark). He found some info and then disappeard while investigating further. They forgot all about him and found him when they cleaned out the Temple of Wee-Jas. At least they found his body, there wasn't much left of his mind. They then went and put him in the Asylum where they learned they had a lot more crazy people than before. One of them even claims to be some weird guy name Ady Marcus or such...

So I'm basically trying to bring the element of Madness into the campaign without it being to obvious.