Tiger Lily's page

I used to use Good Reader on my iPad to markup modules before printing. I do LOTS of highlighting, crossing out, notes, etc. It's why I had a full size screen instead of a mini. Now I have an Android (Samsung) and looking for a PDF editor for Markups. Thought I had one with Adobe Reader, but got a "Protected Document" error. I never had that on iPad, but its also been a long time since cracking open a new PDF module.Is this a new thing where I won't be able to highlight anymore because of security? Or is it an Adobe thing and a different PDF editor will let me highlight? Thanks for any tips.

But..

I think the assumption in general is that the options of raise dead / resurrection aren’t often used by those not of the adventuring persuasion. “An untimely death” is a well used plot device, and it simply doesn’t work (or detracts from the story) if you have to think up blocks for the different ways the victim could have been brought back. If you need an explanation because your players won’t let it go, you can use one of the ones James provided. Alternatively, you could simply say that it’s local tradition among the monarchs of Korvosa that they get one shot at life to make their mark, and no one would follow a monarch who had to be brought back for a second go at it. Can create all sorts of taboos against it for the royals.

I'm getting ready to start CotCT, and I wanted to do something a little different from this AP. The others I've experienced, both as a player and a DM, all have this great indepth backstory.... that only the DM really appreciates because only the DM pours over it enough to really understand it all. Players hear it once or twice and mainly just remember the big stuff. I wanted to try something different with this game's backstory.

Given that I have a couple of bards in the group, I thought about what songs might be sung in the area over the last two centuries having to do with the orc invasion, coming of Kazavon, etc. So I made up The Ballad of Kazavon and am giving it to the bards ahead of time so that when all of this DOES become pertinent, they're not hearing it for the first time.

Wanted to share it in case anyone else likes the idea. Mind you, this wasn't written to be a great epic, merely to get the big plot points across:

The Ballad of Kazavon

In golden times,
In yesteryear,
Back when the plains were free.
The wheat grew tall,
The birds sang clear,
Fruit laden were the trees.

But all that changed
One dark, cold night,
When orcs ran quick and low.
Crawled from their holes,
To eat men’s bones,
No mercy did they show.

Now chased away,
The humans were,
Their homes no longer safe.
“A Champion!”
Their cries rang out,
“To save us from this fate!”

And Kazavon,
The Conqueror,
Did hear their desperate call.
“Bend knee, swear oath,”
the Knight did say,
“And I will save you all!”

And army gifted unto him,
A standard at his back.
A silken banner
With blue fanged skull,
They marched to the attack.

With bravery,
No fear did show,
He laughed and made much sport.
And Kazavon, the Conqueror
Cried challenge to the orcs.

The orcs did crawl
out from their holes,
and roar and gnash their teeth.
But Kazavon, the Conqueror,
He slew them all with ease.

The people danced
And laughed with joy,
The fighting now could cease!
Sent dignitaries, delegates,
Made overtures of peace.

He looked at them,
His eyes gone cold,
Their cheers did hush with fright.
And Kazavon, the Conqueror,
Just laughed as they all died.

Now kingdoms fell,
The undead swelled,
Against him none could stand.
And Kazavon, the Conqueror,
Was master of this land.

Until one day the heroes came,
Mandraivus at their head.
A warrior, a champion,
His gleaming weapon red.

“We cannot fail, he has to fall!”
They marched into the night.
And challenged fearsome Kazavon,
who laughed at their small might.

For Kazavon, the Conqueror
Was no mere man, but beast.
The man’s skin fell, the Dragon roared,
“Your bones shall be my feast!”

Mandraivus, the Warrior,
His weapon gleaming red.
It rose and fell, as fury swelled,
And left the Dragon dead.

Mandraivus, the Warrior,
And Serithial still wait.
To guard us all, it is their doom,
Eternal Champions of fate!

I would really like to see some details on your "thinned" versions of the later AoW adventures, Tiger Lily, if you can make them available somehow.

Thanks!

Other posters here have described some of the same strategies that I use: Grouping encounters (instead of 5 bad guys spread out over 3 rooms they're grouped in the last one... or have set an ambush), skipping rooms that aren't central (or, if you want to keep them for flavor, describing them without the party having to individually search every one), and changing the location of key items so the group finds them faster.

SPOILERS............

Right now, the group is in the lizard lair in EBK. They've fought through 2 of the lizard "living" rooms, the first group they killed had the infected lizardman in the group (even though it wasn't the right room for that), and while the way they are headed actually takes them through another two lairs I'm going to skip that and take them straight to the hostages.

They're going to find ALL the captives from the keep in the same room, and the information the Shaman was supposed to give them is instead going to be relayed by the Battle Mage (captors didn't realize she speaks their language. Between conversations they've had in front of her and accusations they've hurled at her about humans being responsible for the failure of their clutch years before, she knows there's more going on here than originally thought. She's the one that's going to push the group to find the current clutch).

She's also the one that's going to ask them to inform Elgios in the Free City (who I've made her mentor) of what they've learned, as well as taking two of the soldiers with them. Message needs to be sent to the city for reinforcements to come, but the Keep can't spare more than two and it's too dangerous for them to travel alone. Also gets the group inside the city walls faster, though I'll be describing to them the long line and questioning tactics of the guards as they trot by and sail through the gates with the soldiers.

So... they'll be going straight from Blackwall Keep to the Free City, without going back to Diamond Lake, and with a more plausible reason then Allustan sending them to get info from Elgios, which winds up not being much more than they already know. With a well placed doppleganger spy at the Keep, the events that trigger HoHR still happen without a hitch.

And that's kinda how I do it. :)